Oh. My. Gosh!  I can’t believe it’s finally here!  My blogsite is a reality!!!  I want to scream and jump up and down and turn cartwheels!!  This website has been dreamed about and thought about, started and put on hold over and over again for years.  (I honestly feel like I need to give an awards speech for the Grammy’s.)  My dream of becoming a full time photographer started way back…but I never really considered it to be a goal within reach until one day about 8 years ago, when I was coaching with Carol Johnston.  She said: “What if…WHAT IF…you became a world class photographer someday?”  My heart leapt when she said that.  For the first time I thought…I could do this.  So, I started taking baby steps.  I began by assisting Cindy Lane in the Bay Area.  She started helping me with my first shoots.  After we moved to Applegate, CA in 2003, I joined Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley.  I then landed an amazing internship with Suzette Allen in Sacramento and studied by her side for 1-1/2 years.  She taught me everything I know about Photoshop. I still can’t believe I can call SUZETTE ALLEN one of my sweetest friends.  I started connecting with other photographers in the area, traveling to places all across the nation to learn from the best.  I felt so blessed to cross paths with greats such as Will Crockett, Paul Gero, Dane Sanders, Lena Hyde, Tamara Lackey, Laura Novak, Audrey Woulard, and Sarah Dawson.  All people who have encouraged me to grow and have inspired me to give love away.  And behind the scenes, all the while, is my incredible family. My husband, children, parents, brother & sister-in-law, and my amazing circle of girlfriends…I could have never gotten this far without them believing in me.  If you stick around long enough, you’ll get to meet all of them.

And I want to send out a special thank you to Jane Johnson of Custom Photography Blogs & Jane Johnson Photography  and Mike Brisk for staying up all night to get this blogsite live before I go out of town to San Diego to learn the art of photographing newborn babies.  (I can’t wait!).

I’ll be sharing lots of my work, lots of my personal thoughts about photography and why I think it’s so important, why I’m so passionate about it, why I think it’s one of the greatest gifts there is in this world.  But for now…I have to find my suitcase.  Because one of the things you may not know about me is this:  I’m never ever packed for a trip until the last hour!  I leave at 5am, and I’m still gathering laundry!  ahhhhh!!!!  I’m going to leave you with just a few photos tonight.  They capture the heart of what I care about the most.  Thank you Sarah Dawson, for your amazing talent of capturing the essence of my family and for being my friend.  I know I told you this before, but these photos gave vision to what I feel inside.  And there isn’t enough money in the world to buy that.

Have an awesome weekend!