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Category Archives: Inspiration
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Update
June 24, 2008 – 10:48 am
Whew! Can I just go on the record and say that this has been one CRAZY week? Over the past several months, my business has grown tremendously in leaps and bounds, and I have been so blessed to have so many of you reading email me and give me words of love and encouragement. Your support is the reason that I am finally beginning to make my dream of owning a business a reality, and for that I am so grateful and will continue to be. 
So just to give you a quick update on all the things going on, I am looking at booking a few weddings into next year already and that is amazing! I am so excited for my couples and brides who have put their confidence in me to create stunning imagery for them, and I look forward to it. I also have a few weddings that I will be photographing in the next few months!!
Also, the lifestyle side of my business is also booming, as I have been running around like crazy photographing children, babies, and everything in between. This makes my heart so happy because lifestyle photogaphy is where I got my start, and then the progression into weddings made for a more natural transition for me.
On TOP of all that- I have some exciting changes to the site coming that have been in the works over the past couple months, so between that and shooting, I am staying extremely busy!
Tonight, I have a Trash the Dress session which shoot be a blast- I am going to be shooting my wonderful friend Kylene, and she knows how to “work it out”!!
I have several meetings next week with couples and brides, so I may not be able to blog as much as I would like, but stay with me, there are lots of new and exciting things coming your way
Lauren
The Daily Grind
May 27, 2008 – 3:26 pm
Hey everyone! Wow, so much has been going on the past few days that I have barely had a chance to even catch my breath!
This past weekend (Happy Belated Memorial Day to everyone, by the way- I hope it was fabulous and restful! God Bless America and all our troops!!!) was a crazy one. Michael (my fiance) and I traveled to my hometown of Destin, Florida, to meet with our pastor about our premarital counseling. We went out to dinner at Nick’s, this little “hole in the wall” restaurant that has been in Choctaw Beach for a hundred years. And can I tell you that the food was fantastic!!! Oh my gosh, seriously the only place that can cook a steak right (well, except for my daddy of course! ). Anyway’s, we had dinner and both got some cool t-shirts that say’s “I got my crabs at Nick’s” on the back!
Our pastor is wonderful. Reverand Doug Newton will be marrying us this year. We have a whole family history with him and it is super special to me that he will be marrying Michael and me this year. Rev. Doug married my parents, baptised me as a baby, and now will be performing my marriage ceremony. He has the kindest heart and always the right words to say. He is also one of the most generous people I know. This year, in June, he will be taking his wife and the church’s choir to Jamaica where they will minister to the poverty stricken neighborhoods and homeless children. They will also be constructing homes for those that have lost everything in Hurricane Dean. The way that he spoke of this trip, you could really see the love in his eyes and compassion for the people of Jamaica. But even more, you can see his love for the Lord in his generosity of spirit. God Bless you Reverend Doug, I will be praying for you and everyone’s safe return!
Some things I have coming up in the next few days: my friend Maranda is having a baby! We are so excited and can’t wait for baby Brayden to be here! If everything goes as planned, I will be there to capture the birth and Brayden’s newborn portraits! I love babies, and Brayden is super special because Maranda is one of my “best good” friends and I am so happy for her!
On another note, my friend Kylene and I will be trashing her wedding dress in the next couple weeks! Kylene is a great friend and amazing photographer, and I was thrilled when she said that we were going to go out and play! I am so excited!
Lots of cool stuff coming up too! I have a new album company and am waiting on my album to arrive- so I will be posting some new images from that when it gets here!
Somewhere in the middle of all this, I hope to catch a few zzz’s But I am loving my life and am so thankful for every day. I have the most amazing friends and readers, and I am excited at all the opportunities God has coming for me!
Thanks for stopping by and catching up with me, I promise I haven’t abandoned ya’ll!
Featured on Natalie Norton AND Wedding Portal Launch!
May 7, 2008 – 2:49 pm
Hey everyone!
I am so excited to annouce the launch of my new wedding portal! It launched late last night after I made the final tweaks to it.
I was also featured on the lovely and talented Ms. Natalie Norton’s site today, which was truly an honor. Natalie has readers from all over the country (probably all over the world!) and I was so happy that she found my work beautiful. To visit Natalie’s site and see my feature, please click here!
You know, throughout the whole process of building my website and my business, I realized something about myself. I realized that, too often, I “hold onto” things that make me doubt myself and my ability to be a creative professional. I was “holding onto” launching the site because I was so obsessed with making it 100% perfect that I lost sight of what makes me and my work unique. I was telling a friend of mine the other day that I was worried about my business and the launch of the new website, in that I wouldn’t know what kind of reception I would get from others. She told me something that I knew but had forgotten-and now is resonating with me more each day- God has a time and a plan for everything. His timing is always perfect.
When the site launched last night, I knew His timing truly was perfect. At that instant, I gained a totally new perspective on my work. Truly, it all seemed to come together and fall into place. When things get hard and we doubt ourselves, we have to remember that God’s love for us is perfect and He has a plan for our life. We get caught up in the trivial little things and forget that ultimately we have little control over what is going to happen in the grand scheme of things.
I am so blessed to be able to say that I finally believe that I have found the path He is directing me on.
So much to do…
May 5, 2008 – 12:35 pm
Well, now that you all have discovered the new blog, designed by the wonderful and talented Shawn at Eclectic Whimsy, you will be pleased to know that wedding portal construction is WELL under way! Yay! I hope to have that portion of my site completed by the end of next week… ok so maybe 2 weeks. I have lofty ambitions.
In the meantime, head on over to the fabulous Ms. Shawn’s design site, and give her a shoutout (tell her I sent ya!) and you might even talk her into designing a little something for you 
Seriously, she is the best.
Shawn, thank you so much for designing this beautiful place for me to rant, rave, and everything in between! I love ya girl and am so glad I have a new friend. You are going places! And when you get married you better call me! I still need to see some snow at least once in my life before I die. hehe!
XOXO,
L.
{Finding balance}
May 2, 2008 – 12:51 pm
So many of you know that I stalk the blog of the fabulous Natalie Norton (seriously, she is SO sweet!) and I found this. Every photographer needs to read this, start to finish!
I was thinking about my life last night and how much it means to others when you “Pay It Forward”. All too often, I see people, not just photographers, that become famous in their own little world, and their ego gets totally inflated. It’s not like they woke up one fine day and decided “Gee, today I think I’ll be an amazing photographer!” Um, no. It doesn’t work like that. It takes heart and practice and really REALLY loving what you do, even when it is hard to love it. I was lucky enough to find Natalie and we talked and shared via email, and I reallized that there really ARE some amazing people out there that DO care and want you to succeed.
This is why I tell all of you- my dear blog readers, stalkers, drop-in-occasionally people- that I really do love what I do and I really do want to help you!
If I ever do find something like this, I will be sure to post it because it has made the world of difference in my life, work, and relationships in general. I am so lucky and fortunate to be able to say that!