Year in review: 2010

Noteworthy things for me....

I spent countless hours scanning my and Andy's wedding negatives. They came out pretty well and I was able to create a coffee table book for us with most of our images.

I had an obsession with finding the perfect knee-high brown leather boots this year. I bed I ordered (and returned) 10 pairs over the course of the year. I never did really find any that I *loved.* Everything happens for a reason, I guess, because Andy bought me some for Christmas that I do love. And he was able to find them locally at Adorn.

Watching Abigail with her 4-H lamb this summer was an interesting experience. She didn't want much to do with him at the beginning or even right before the fair. Once the fair started, though, she was pretty attached. She did really well her first year. The day that she sold him was probably the toughest day of her life. It was hard watching her go through that. She cried for days. I am hoping this year will be better.

We put an offer on, bought, and moved into a new home when we weren't even looking... Moving is a lot of trouble... although worth it in the end. I am never moving again!

I have decided (and probably known all along) that loyalty is of utmost importance to me.... both personally and professionally. I always knew I wanted loyalty from my family and friends, but several things that happened this year made realize how important loyalty is on the business side. Support those that support you....

On a related note, there are several families in the area that have been incredibly supportive of my business from the start. For this, I thank them immensely. I couldn't have done it without them!

I learned a ginormous (is that really a word?) amount from being on the Ferndale Childrens Center Board of Directors. I finished up my third year this fall. The board and staff went through quite a lot together during that time. I think it was a good experience for all of us.... I know it was for me. I really appreciate all that the teachers do... especially because I know that I could never be one! I never realized how hard they worked until I was on the board.

It meant a lot to me that the teachers were very supportive of me, especially considering how my tenure on the board ended. I was going to give it another year and help out while the Center Director was on maternity leave, but I resigned unexpectedly in September. I am not going to go into details about what happened but I will say this was one of those times when I felt a complete lack of loyalty, respect, and appreciation from at least one board member. Even after I resigned, the staff was very supportive of me and my business.

I never thought much about it before, but I have a huge amount of respect for my husband as a businessman. He figures out what he wants, figures out a way to make it happen, and goes after it. I know that we can attribute a lot of that to our good friend, Matt Galt, whom we miss dearly. I know I don't tell him often enough, but I really appreciate all he does for our family.

I've strengthened some old friendships and made some new ones this year. I appreciate my friends and even though I don't tell them often enough, I really mean it!

2010 has been quite the year. I have learned a lot, which is a good thing. I don't ever want to stop learning. I expect that 2011 will have some fun changes ahead also. Happy New Year!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day in our new house was great! The kids had to wait on the stairs until we were ready for them to come down....

Oh good, Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk!


And he filled everyone's stockings....


J.T. got a Nerf gun....

And Abigail got a pink camera....


We had a nice breakfast and celebration with my parents in the morning. Then they came back, along with Andy's mom and step-dad, for dinner. Great day!

Christmas Eve

A few photos from Christmas Eve...

Grandma Jane with all the grandkids and great-grandkids...

Abigail got a blow dryer and hair flat iron from Santa....

J.T. loves Legos!

My family....

Taken Thanksgiving day....

2010 favorites: families

2010 favorites: weddings

2010 favorites: boudoir

To see my 2010 boudoir photo favorites, click here.

2010 favorites: couples

2010 favorites: seniors

2010 favorites: kids

2010 favorites: babies

2010 favorites

Over the next day or so, I am going to post my favorite 5 photos that I took in each of the following categories: babies, kids, families, seniors, weddings, and couples. The reason I picked these is because I like the photo for whatever reason. They weren't picked on the basis of who was in the photo. Enjoy!

Breakfast with Santa

Our visit to see Santa.... Abigail wants a pink digital camera and J.T. wants a Nerf gun....

Facebook

I probably spend way too much time on Facebook. Recently I found this neat little application where you could summarize many of your status updates. Here's mine...

Sneak peak for the J family

We finally got this session done after scheduling and rescheduling like 5 times! That darn Humboldt County weather! Anyway, here's a few....

My first studio sessions...

I did some Christmas mini sessions in my studio last weekend. Here are a few that I took... Thanks to everyone who came by...

Our contribution

to the Christmas lights in Fortuna. We are actually carrying on the tradition started by the Galt family...