The Navy Wife

Dallas Holiday Mini Sessions

2010-09-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

For all of you on blogger, I would like to share the news about my Mini Sessions! I'm SO excited to offer three fabulous holiday mini sessions this year. Please read the posters for details, locations, dates and pricing. Click HERE to book. If you know anyone that might be interested please pass the information along!

18 Months

2010-08-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

Don't be deceived by the blonde hair, blue eyes, pony tail and pure cuteness. This child is a MESS!!! I just took Lillian Kate in for 18 month appointment and sat there waiting for the doctor in disbelief that I was at her 18 month appointment. Wasn't I just at her 6 month appointment? It goes by so fast! I can't keep up with this girl these days. She's FAST and into EVERYTHING. I turn my head, she has a box of 96 crayons and is coloring on the walls. I go into the other room, she opens the oven that is pre-heating to a temperature of 450 degrees. I give Addison a time out, she wants to sit in time out. We're playing on the bed as a family, she takes a nosedive off the bed. We go swimming, she jumps in off the side of the pool. Are you picking up on the pattern here? FEARLESS The only thing she hasn't figured out is how to climb out of her crib. I hope she doesn't discover that one for at least another few months!

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | Pumpkin Patch Mini Sessions

2010-08-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

1) Do you live in the Dallas area?

2) Do you enjoy dressing your children up for Halloween?

3) Do you want photos and memories that will last a lifetime?

If you answered yes, yes, and yes then join Live. Laugh. Photograph. for a festive Photo Shoot!

Leave me a comment or click here for more information!

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | July Promotion

2010-07-02T12:13:00.000-05:00

Live. Laugh. Photograph. is celebrating the month of FREEdom! Book a session during the month of July (session does not have to take place in July) and you'll receive all of your best, fully edited, high resolution photos on a DVD for FREE! This is a $150 + tax value! This month ONLY!

2010-06-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. :( I've been way too obsessed with my addiction to photography and pure excitement over photographing my first wedding coming up soon. Oh not to mention, its good to have my husband home and be a normal family again for now. I promise I will be back soon but until then I will be hanging out here. You know I can't leave without posting photos so here are photos of the kiddos that I took today with my new SB-900. Bouncing light off the ceiling is so much fun!

So, I guess I'll see you soon then.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

2010-06-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Did you hear??????!!!!! Stephenie Meyer just released a new book called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella. :) At first I couldn't remember who Bree Tanner was... After reading Stephenie Meyer's write up on her website, it all started coming back to me. I think its brilliant that she would release this short story before the movie comes out so that we can get inside the mind of a newborn vampire and hear firsthand about her experience with Victoria and plans to attack The Cullen Family. If you've read Eclipse then you already know how her story ends. As soon as I heard this book was out, I loaded both kids in the car for a Target trip to buy my copy. If you are interested in reading it online, the entire book is available to read here for FREE from today through July 5th. Are you as excited as I am?

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | June Promotion

2010-06-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

Check out the promotion on my Photography Blog!

Flowers. Ladybugs. Rocks.

2010-05-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

We went on a 1 mile family walk to explore. I just love wildflowers this time of year! They're absolutely beautiful. Addison is obsessed with ladybugs right now. It's SO cute! I caught Lillian with some rocks in her mouth.. yuck! What can you do, she's only one! I was able to capture some fun Daddy Daughter moments as well. It's the simple things in life that make me happy.

Photography Update

2010-05-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

I wanted to write an official photography update right here where it all started. I posted my very first photos right here about a year ago and just recently set up my business. From the moment that I held my first DSLR camera I was hooked. I didn't even understand the f stops but I was determined to learn and so I did! I wanted to know all of the ins and outs! I read, I took a class, studied, practiced, you get the idea. I'm no expert but I sure am trying. Now, here I am with my own business. Anyone can start a business, right? Paying the money to set up the LLC has been the easiest part. Now I have to track every little thing in excel spreadsheets and other software. Talk about work. Logging gas mileage is not my favorite thing to do. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it appeared to be easier then it really is. Don't get me wrong. I believe 100% that I've found my passion and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to pursue my dream. I can't help but feel a little competition, pressure, and motivation to make it happen. I have had a few people e-mail me and tell me that I've inspired them to follow their dream of pursuing photography. It really brings me great joy to hear that but at the same time it makes me wonder if I'm giving off the impression that it's easy. It's not! I'm my own secretary, appointment booker, expense reporter, driver, photographer, editor, blogger, etc. I spend about 30 minutes booking each session (e-mailing back and fourth and creating an invoice), an average of 30 minutes traveling to each session, 1-2 hours shooting on location, at least 3 hours editing each individual session and then 1 hour watermarking and uploading photos to networking sites and an online gallery. That's about 7.5 hours of work per session and doesn't count any admin and excel spreadsheet tracking. With time, I'm confident that these things will become more streamlined. My workflow is already starting to pick up but that should give you a basic idea of what goes into just one session. Man on man! Running my very own business is a huge responsibility! This past year has been a year of discovery and learning. I feel like I've been locked in the batting cages practicing and I'm finally ready to step up to the plate and hit the ball right out of the park. I recently booked my first wedding! This is HUGE! It's happening a little faster then I had originally visualized but I'm calling it a blessing. I am planning and preparing the best way I know how. This past weekend I caught myself asking another photographer at the camera store for advice. Thankfully some of them are happy to give out their secrets! I hope this will be my first of many many weddings to come. I can't wait to share and document one of the biggest days in someone else's life. I'm also thankful that I found someone that is willing to take a chance on me and that trusts me. I know this is kind of a random update but now you know some of the thoughts that are going on inside of my head. If you're out there reading this and you're in the Dallas area (btw: we are no longer moving to Gulfport, MS), book a session with me today! Don't wait until Christmas! :) Here are just a few photos from my recent sessions.

Isn't she going to make a beautiful bride? July can't get here fast enough!

I ♥ Faces - Yellow

2010-05-24T18:05:00.000-05:00

This week over at i ♥ heart the theme is Yellow!

This little guy was wearing yellow in my photography session yesterday. I just LOVE the color yellow. Don't you?

Go check out more fabulous photos by clicking on the link below!

We survived our first deployment!

2010-05-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

My husband, Mark was gone from June 7, 2009 to April 13, 2010 on deployment. The longest 10 months of my entire life! I'm happy to say that we DID it! We survived our first deployment and our marriage is better then ever before. We both have a new appreciation for each other and for our country.

As you may have noticed I haven taken a little break from blogging lately. I have SO much to catch up on!

It all started with a fun little road trip from Dallas, TX to Bentonville, AR. I made the 6 hour drive by myself with the girls. Mark's Mom flew in from WA and met us at Mark's Grandma's house. They kept the girls for me so that I could go pick up my husband in Gulfport, MS by myself. We decided not to bring the girls and that it was important for us to spend time together alone. As soon as the girls were settled in with both of their Grandmas who were going to spoil them rotten, I was off to Gulfport MS. The drive was 11 long hours, blue skies, green grass, and my ipod on shuffle. Every second of that drive I thought about our reunion. How would I react? How would he react? Would it be wired seeing him after 10 months? I had so many thoughts going through my head. I finally made it to Gulfport and checked in to my room and waited. I arrived on a Saturday night and Mark's flight was supposed to arrive on Monday. He finally made it from Kuwait to Germany to the U.S. and then their plane broke down in Maine. :( So their flight was delayed a whole 24 hours. HURRY UP AND WAIT, that's how the Military rolls! I spent that first couple of days in Gulfport trying to keep myself busy. I went to the beach by myself, went shopping by myself, ate all of my meals by myself. It was weird! I'm so used to having kids to take care of all the time. After a very sleepless night, it was time. I arrived 4 hours early to the base on April 13th and hung out with other military wives and families. My heart was racing. I wanted to jump up and down out of excitement but didn't because I didn't want to look like an idiot. I stood there in my blue dress, with my camera (of course), holding an American flag waiting for my husband to step off that white bus, after 10 months of being in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I spotted his blue eyes in the sea of dessert uniforms and raced into his arms. It was one of the best days of my life. It was such a rush of emotion. Welcome home Love!

He's HOME!

2010-04-29T22:13:00.000-05:00

After 8 months, my man is home from Kandahar, Afghanistan! WE just got home, it feels good to be back in the Lone Star State again! I spent the last 3 weeks in Mississippi waiting for his flight to get in and in Arkansas spending time with family! Thank You LORD for keeping him safe and for giving us strength through this deployment. I have a whole new appreciation for our marriage. Updates and photos coming soon... BTW, we are no longer moving to Gulfport, MS, total change of plans. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to you! This is a photo that I took of my niece Elizabeth, I just love her little bunny tail and bunny ears!

Family Update

2010-03-22T21:55:00.002-05:00

Lillian

The youngest member of our little family is now 13 months old! You know what that means... WALKING! She's all over the place. Step, step, step, fall. Get up. Step, step, step, fall... hit head. Pick up, kiss, calm her, put her back down. Step, step, step, fall. You get the idea! She really likes exploring the world on her own two feet and has become Addison's shadow following her everywhere! She's also learning new words and can finally say Mama! It really melts my heart to hear her say my name. Up until now, all I've heard is Dada... and he hasn't been home since she was 3 1/2 months old so don't even get me started on that!

Addison

The BIG girl in the family continues to make me laugh more and more everyday. She's extremely imaginative and comes up with the craziest stuff. If only I could be in her head for 1 minute! She misses her Daddy so much and talks about him all the time. She has mastered all of her letters and is currently working on her writing skills. She is so.. excited to go to pre-school in the fall and asks me to buy her homework every time we're at the store. :)

I have officially lost 18 pounds (20 if you count from this time last year) since Mark left for deployment! Wooo hooo! Bye bye baby weight and hello 125 pounds! I would shout this from a roof top if I could find one to stand on. I have worked SO hard! I started a running program and ran a half-marathon. I won't be continuing on to the full marathon just yet. My left foot needs some recovery time but as soon as it's 100% better I'm back to putting serious milage on my Saucony shoes. I've been attending dance/cardio classes as much as possible. My favorite is Hip Hop Booty Camp! LOVE it! Overall, I'm just excited to fit back into clothes that I haven't worn in 2 years. I finally feel like myself again!

Mark

It's been a while since I've given you an update on my hubby. He's now been gone 260 days. I would say that's long enough to put any marriage to a real test. The good news is.. we are passing with flying colors. If you ever need any tips on how to keep your marriage alive half a world away.. e-mail me. :) He has done such an outstanding job on this deployment and I couldn't be more proud of my Seabee. In the last update I told you about his SCWS Pin and his CAP. He's since added two big accomplishments to the list! 1) He ran a full marathon on base.. all 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 47 minutes with NO training! 2) He was awarded a NAM Navy Achievement Medal. We're very excited about this new eye candy and I'd say it was well deserved! I can't wait until we're no longer separated by oceans and war.

Moving

If you're my friend on facebook then you probably saw my post about us moving. We will be relocating to Gulfport, Mississippi due to Military orders sooner than later. I can't give any specific details right now but I can tell you that I have a million and one things to do in a very short time period before this happens. It's very bittersweet. I will miss my hometown, my family, my friends, and life as I know it now but I'm very excited about a new adventure with my husband and kids. I'm praying that we get on base Military housing and that the move is a smooth transition! Stay tuned..... If my posts are few and far between for a little while.. that's why!

And the winner is...

2010-03-14T15:37:00.005-05:00

And the winner is..... Ashley! Congrats! I'm so excited to photograph your family and meet your little guy Carson!

You have won the following:

* Session with me for up to 5 people

*My time at the location of your choice in the Dallas, TX area

*Post processing and editing of your best images

*Online password protected viewing gallery within 2-3 weeks of session.. can be e-mailed to family/friends

*CD - All of your best, fully edited, high resolution images mailed to you on a CD with print release within 2-3 weeks of session

*2 free 8 x 10 photos printed by a professional print lab with your choice of finish

Value: Up to $340.00... yours for free!

Just send me an e-mail and we'll start planning your session!

P.S. I tried to insert a screen shot of the random.org page but blogger is telling me that I've exceeded the number of photos that I can have on my blog. You've got to be kidding me!!!!!!! Even my profile picture is gone and it won't let me upload a new one. Has anyone else experienced this same problem? I will be looking into it! I can't have a blog that I can't post pictures on.

* GIVEAWAY * Free Photography Session with ME *

2010-03-08T01:15:00.000-06:00

Calling all Families, Children, Seniors, Couples and those of you who don't have any recent photos of yourself (you know who you are). :) I would like to celebrate starting my *new* photography business {Live Laugh Photograph, LLC} by giving away a free session and (2) free 8 x 10 professional prints of your choice!

Winner will receive...

* Session with me for up to 5 people

*My time at the location of your choice in the Dallas, TX area

*Post processing and editing of your best images

*Online password protected viewing gallery within 2-3 weeks of session.. can be e-mailed to family/friends

*CD - All of your best, fully edited, high resolution images mailed to you on a CD with print release within 2-3 weeks of session

*2 free 8 x 10 photos printed by a professional print lab with your choice of finish

Value: Up to $340.00... yours for free (if you win, of course)!

For more information on my photography please visit my website or e-mail me with questions.

Restriction: Session must take place within ONE month of winning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ENTER TO WIN

** Please leave individual comments for each of the following for entries. **

1. Post my website link {www.livelaughphotograph-llc.com} on your blog sidebar or in your blog list.

2. Visit my website Live. Laugh. Photograph. then comeback and leave a comment telling me which photo is your favorite.

3. Become a fan of my Live. Laugh. Photograph. facebook page.

4. Follow me on my new Live. Laugh. Photograph. Twitter account.

5. Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post, leave your twitter link in a comment.

6. Publish a post on your blog about this giveaway linking back to this post, leave a comment with post link.

7. Leave a comment explaining what style of photography session you would like to win.

8. Become a follower of this (The Navy Wife) blog or leave a comment telling me that you're already a follower.

9. Add my current (The Navy Wife) button to your blog sidebar.

10. Complete all of the above and receive 5 extra entires!

Thats up to 14 entries per person! Have fun and good luck! I can't wait to meet the lucky winner.

Giveaway will be open through Friday, March 12, 2010, at 10:00 p.m. Winner will be chosen through True Random Number Generator via random.org. Winner will be posted Saturday, March 13, 2010.

I ♥ Faces - Jump for Joy

2010-03-08T00:03:00.002-06:00

I guess, I'll eventually move my i heart faces entries over to my new photo blog... to be honest, it's hard to get used to having two blogs. When I saw that it was "Jump for JOY" week at I heart faces, this photo came to mind. It's from one of my very first sessions.... I can tell because of the flash. :) I now do NOT use my flash. I went back and added a new texture and my watermark just for fun. When I asked her if she wanted to jump, I had no idea she was going to jump that high!

Go check out other entries in this week's just for fun photo challenge!

And the winner is...

2010-03-06T16:06:00.005-06:00

The winner of a free United States flag or your choice of any Military branch flag is...

barbafamily said...

I'm a follower of your blog :-)

March 1, 2010 2:51 PM

Congrats Angela!

Please contact me with your choice of flag and address at thenavywife (at) gmail (dot) com so we can get your flag mailed to you!

Thank you CVS Flags!

P.S. If you live in the Dallas area, keep your eyes on my blog for FREE Photography session giveaway! I can't wait!!

Last chance...

2010-03-05T00:52:00.000-06:00

... to show your patriotism. We all have our own reasons for flying our country's flag. Mine would be that I'm proud to be an American and we're proud of the sacrifice we're making as a family while my husband serves in the United States Navy. For others, it might be that your Grandpa served, it reminds you of our freedom or maybe it's "United we Stand" and NEVER FORGETTING 9/11. Whatever your reason may be, click here and enter for a chance to win a United States Flag OR any Military Branch Flag of your choice. Giveaway ends tonight at 10:00 p.m. *GOOD LUCK*

{photo by me}

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln

Photography Progress

2010-03-03T23:24:00.002-06:00

I announced my BIG plans to get my photography business set up just a couple weeks ago and today I have finally made enough progress on my new Photography BLOG and Website to share it with you! I can't even begin to tell you how much time and thought I've put into this. To some people it might not look like anything special but to me it's a HUGE deal.

*Name*

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I spent about a month brainstorming ideas for my official business name. It's pretty much all that I talked about. I think everyone around me was starting to think I was a little crazy.. or maybe I was thought I was going crazy. It's very difficult naming an LLC in Texas because there are SO many photography LLCs already and it has to be unique. It can't even sound like anyone else's name. I did a great deal of research on names and decided that I didn't want my photography business to be "Ashley Swallow Photography" or something generic like "Photos by Ashley". I wanted something that was a little different and was a reflection of my personality. I finally decided on a number one and number two. My first pick was, Peace Love Photography and my second pick was, Live Laugh Photograph. It turns out my first option was already legally filed (or a name similar) with the state so I went with my second option. Then, I got an e-mail from my lawyer stating that he had completed filing my name as Live Laugh Photography... with a "y" on the end instead of just Photograph. It was a misunderstanding on his part when looking over my paperwork and he said that he thought I had inadvertently left off the "y". I was a little bummed out to say the least because I think that Live Laugh Photograph has more of a "ring" to it. :) He e-mailed back and saved the day! He covered the cost associated with his mistake and filed a name change with the state. The whole name thing has taken a little longer then I would have liked but in the end I'm really excited about my new photography business name, Live Laugh Photograph, LLC!

*NEW Website and Blog*

I am really HAPPY with my website and blog choices. My website is super user friendly and I love that the company offers over 70 different templates. If I get sick of the one I have and want to spice things up I can change it with one click. Which won't be for a while because I spent hours changing all of the color codes on both my blog and website so that they would match perfectly. I don't really want to do that again anytime soon. The Blog set up I chose is actually a WordPress platform. I'm so used to using Blogger for this blog so I'm thinking it's going to take me a little while to really learn the ins and outs of a completely different set up. It's going to be worth it though because the design is created specifically for photographers that want to show off LARGE images in different formats. I'll be able to create light box galleries or slide shows with about two clicks! I'm so excited about all the new features I get to play with! I still have little tweaks to make though, I had another photographer from {i heart faces} tell me that my logo was cut off on the top of her computer screen. On my screen it looks like this...

I have a 24 inch iMac, I guess that's a larger screen then what most people might have so if she had not told me that, I now would not have the opportunity to correct it. If you have any feedback of suggestions for me please let me know! Any input you have would be greatly appreciated!

Website: www.livelaughphotograph-llc.com

Blog: www.livelaughphotograph-blog.com

P.S. In case you're wondering I will still be blogging here at The Navy Wife about both photography and everyday things. In addition to this blog home, I have just added a new special home for my photography work. :)

*Facebook*

I set up a new fb account for Live. Laugh. Photograph. so if you're interested you can become a fan here.

That's it for now! Please let me know what you think and feel free to contact me if you're interested in booking a session and we'll start talking about details and ideas!

Also, don't forget to enter my first giveaway here!

GIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAY

2010-03-01T14:05:00.002-06:00

I'm hosting my very *first* giveaway ever!

Enter to win a United States flag or your choice of a Military branch flag courtesy of CVS Flags. CVS Flags is a wholesale flag distributor that has been around for over 30 years. In addition to great customer service, all of the flags are made right here in the USA. Every household should at least have a flag, especially if you're apart of a military family! Wouldn't you agree? Why not enter to win one for FREE!

**********************************************************************

ENTER TO WIN

Please leave an individual comment per entry!

1. Visit CVS Flags then comeback and tell me which flag you would like to win from either the US Flag (outdoor) or Military Flag section.

2. Become a follower of my blog or leave a comment telling me that you're already a follower.

3. Publish a post on your blog about this giveaway linking back to this post, leave a comment with post link.

4. Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post, leave your twitter link in a comment. You may tweet about giveaway once per day for up to 5 entries but must come back and leave me a comment for each tweet.

5. Leave a comment explaining why you want this flag!

6. Leave a comment explaining why you think it's important to support our troops!

That's 10 entries per person! Have fun and good luck!

Giveaway will be open through Friday, March 5, 2010, at 10:00 p.m. CST. Winner will be chosen through True Random Number Generator via random.org. Winner will be posted Saturday, March 6, 2010. Your flag will be shipped directly from CVS Flags to you! :)

I ♥ Museums

2010-02-27T16:07:00.001-06:00

I decided to take my BIG girl and my little girl to the Museum of Nature and science this week. The best part about not having and 9:00 - 5:00 job is that we can go on family field trips to the museum on a random Tuesday and not have to fight Saturday crowds and lines. There was NO one there. It was greatness. I pretty much just let Addison lead the way through the Children's Museum on the lower level. We visited the town where she played builder and danced on the stage, we climbed on the fire truck, played at the water table, planted some seeds and rode a John Deer tractor, played in the backyard where we met new animal friends, got stuck in the spider web and climbed through the tunnel. Addison made us lunch in the pretend kitchen... it was oh so yummy. Lillian got to actually get out of her stroller for once and climb all over the mats in the "baby" area.... she is officially standing up all by herself! After that, we went back up stairs to the main part of the museum. Addison went digging for dinosaur fossils, played with giant bubbles, learned about tornados and one of the best parts is that Mommy got to play with her new camera! :) Somehow I got sucked into spending $10.00 on rocks in the gift store. Apparently, Addison has a rock collection now. I'm really looking forward to the weather warming up so that we can start enjoying outdoor activities again! I can't wait!

Museums are so much fun!

i ♥ faces - Hands-On Fun

2010-02-23T19:48:00.000-06:00

This week at i heart faces the theme is "Hands-On Fun". I took this photo of Addison playing at the Children's Museum today. I just love the colors and the sharp focus on the blender. Wasn't it sweet of her to make Mommy lunch today?!

Go check out tons more "Hands-On Fun" photos by clicking on the link below!

i ♥ faces - Amy and Angie's Favorite

2010-02-20T10:23:00.002-06:00

My photo entry over at i heart faces this week was chosen as one of Amy and Angie's favorites! I'm honored!!

Out with the OLD - In with the NEW

2010-02-18T23:42:00.002-06:00

Meet my new baby.... the Nikon D700!

*If you aren't interested in cameras then you probably won't be interested in reading this one!

After taking a leap of faith, my BIG plans to upgrade my camera gear and jump start my photography business are officially in the works. For the past few months, I've done tons of research on DSLR cameras and have read just about every review on the internet. My favorite photography review site is here. I started with a Nikon D40 (photo on left side), it was a great starter camera but it is at the bottom of the Nikon DSLR camera food chain. I bought that camera knowing that I was interested in photography but at the time I didn't know just how serious I was. I had never owned a DSLR camera before and I quickly learned a lot. :) Also thanks to some amazing online tutorials and photography bloggers. After taking at least 20,000 photos with it I started to call it the little engine that could. It just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I wanted a faster, sharper, and more serious camera. Another huge downfall with the Nikon D40 is that some of the lenses I really wanted don't autofocus on the camera body. While I found focusing my Nikon FILM camera fun, I have no interest in taking the time to focus a Nikon DSLR camera lens in a photography session or for my everyday photos. I have two bouncing little kids so I need lenses that can keep up with them! After taking a photography class and really learning about what cameras were capable of, I knew an upgrade would be in my future.

At first, I was thinking about upgrading to the D90, I know someone with this camera and they love it! Then I moved onto the D300.. and finally decided on buying the D700. Can you tell I've been thinking about this for a looonnng time?! It's a big investment for me! The D700 is compared to Canon's 5D Mark II (for those of you who speak Canon language.. obviously I'm a Nikon girl), has an interior FX build that is similar to the $8,000 Nikon D3 and a smaller body like that of the Nikon D300. I found the best price on amazon and have been tracking the shipping for past 48 hours. Yes, I'm that person. I also watched out the window for the UPS man all morning! The wait was worth it! I was so excited to open the brown amazon box and see everything that I ordered packaged so beautifully. I got the D700 body, extended battery grip, extra battery, Nikon 50mm f 1.4 lens, filter, new camera bag, and of course a new memory card. I have software to download and a whole manual to read! *FUN*

I was so excited I quickly assembled everything, charged the battery, and took the girls to the park so that I could play with my new toy! The difference between my old Nikon D40 and my new Nikon D700 is night and day! So far, I'm very happy.. I'm just going to have to get used to a much heaver and larger camera!

Keep your eyes on my blog... once I get my website up (in about 2 weeks) I will be giving away 1 free session to celebrate! Dallas Blooms is coming up... great photo opportunity for all!

Super shallow depth of field on the photo above... I wanted to see what it looked like when I let in lots of light at f1.4.. I might need to stick with f2. :) Still looks kind of cool!

My Addison Jane is growing up so fast!

The Navy Wife

Dallas Holiday Mini Sessions

18 Months

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | Pumpkin Patch Mini Sessions

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | July Promotion

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Live. Laugh. Photograph. | June Promotion

Flowers. Ladybugs. Rocks.

Photography Update

I ♥ Faces - Yellow

We survived our first deployment!

He's HOME!

Happy Easter!

Family Update

And the winner is...

* GIVEAWAY * Free Photography Session with ME *

I ♥ Faces - Jump for Joy

And the winner is...

Last chance...

Photography Progress

*GIVEAWAY*GIVEAWAY*GIVEAWAY*GIVEAWAY*GIVEAWAY*

I ♥ Museums

i ♥ faces - Hands-On Fun

i ♥ faces - Amy and Angie's Favorite

Out with the OLD - In with the NEW

GIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAYGIVEAWAY