Welcome to the newly designed website! If you normally come to read my blogs, things have been moved around and updated and I'm still debating on whether I like the new layout or not. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

I felt like I needed a change to start writing and posting again. It's been awhile since the last time I posted a blog mostly because of the hectic circumstances that has been thrown my way these last few months as well as finding out that several of my photos posted to the blog were taken in attempt to be used to hurt some people in my life, I felt it was time to take a small break from it.

But onto something new in my life that will hopefully help to bring new readers to this blog and to have someone accountable for me to post monthly is what we photographers call a Blog Circle. It's where several people get together and write about the same topic just in their own words and then we send the readers from our blogs onto the next blog in line. I've seen it done with some Lensbaby photographers I follow and now I'm apart of one brought together by the Rising Tide Society! This month's topic is what we're thankful for.

I've been really thinking about what I'm thankful for the past couple days and with everything going on with my family, I'm having to dig really deep to find something I'm thankful for. It seems like this year has really been against us with my mom fighting for her life, Dallas' dad passing away, and more recently, my grandfather passing away. My mom said it best asking "what did we do to deserve such hurt and stress in our lives?" It's been a long up hill battle to continue with traveling, making sure all the photo sessions get done, while keeping up with my job at the print shop. Not to mention that October is the busiest month we've had for Neverland Theatre with our first workshop and makeup tutorials we had planned. Trying to keep my head on straight is an understatement but after thinking long and hard about what I'm thankful for this is what I've come up with.

1. I am so thankful for the doctors, nurses, & medicine that kept my mom alive. They gave us the hard truth at the beginning and yet, they never gave up once.

2. My family. They are always there no matter what. My dad hasn't left my mom's side since Aug 31 and I am so glad that my brother had a place for him to stay whenever he needed to get out of the hospital for a couple hours.

3. I'm incredibly thankful for Dallas. He has been amazing through this whole thing. I hope you're reading this and you know how much you mean to me and how I wouldn't have survived these last two months without your constant support and stability even when you were fighting your own battles. I love you.

4. I want to say thank you to my clients. I know it's upsetting when we have to reschedule your session especially when it's last minute. But I truly and whole-heartily thank you for understanding and being patient with me editing your images.

5. I am deeply thankful for the 27 years I was able to spend with my grandpa. Not only did he teach me to always have a firm handshake, but he should me what it means to live and love to the full extent a person can. He was always there at my soccer games and piano recitals cheering me on. He was always so strong in his beliefs and taught us to stand up for what was right even when we were told we were wrong. My family always joked about if we lost grandpa at any events to go look for him at the cookie table just to watch him sneak three more cookies into his pockets. And at family dinner night when we would go to Popo's, we would have to plan around Grandpa seeing someone he'd know just to talk to them for another 30 minutes while we sat in the car waiting. With tears in my eyes, I am so grateful for the time we had together and I know that heaven gained a wonderful cowboy this week.

I know this blog is longer then normal, but it's been awhile. Please continue the circle by heading over to read Lacie Vakoc's blog.

Happy Friday ya'll!