A Lot Has Happened in 5 Months

I cannot believe it's almost March and I haven't written a single post in 5 months! A lot has happened during that time:

1. My sister (one of the 7) Terri got married
2. The busy season was awesome, busier but smoother than the year before
3. Pretty relaxing Christmas and New Year's (spent in NC...a little sad I didn't get to see my family but I needed some rest)
4. Attended Imaging USA in New Orleans (AWESOME!!! I got a great new gadget to help me entertain the little ones while I'm taking their photos)
5. Painted and redecorated the Gallery (not totally finished but it's going to be AMAZING)
6. Got a new car (Toyota Highlander, which I will be adorning obnoxiously with the Images by Michele logo!)
7. Jessy got her license! Ahhhhh!!!! I'm pretty sure I have a whole head of gray hair! She's actually a really good driver but I still worry like crazy. 

That pretty much sums up the last few months. I also discovered that I am gluten and dairy sensitive and that if I eat anything with either of those, my immune system gets thrown into a hiatus. Needless to say, once I gave up all of my favorite foods, I lost 10 lbs! :D I actually feel great and even though it's been rough, I've found lots of substitutes for some of my favorite eats. 

On a photography note, here are a few newborn images that I've recently taken that I love..yup I have baby fever!!:

Wow - It's Been a While...

If I could fire myself from Blog Editor I totally would! I really meant to keep this blog as up-to-date as possible but I've failed miserably!! Ahhhh! A LOT has happened in the last few months.

The Beginner Photography Classes were a total success. I found it fulfilling to teach clients and watch them become better photographers. As a result, I think I've also become a better photographer. In the upcoming months I'll be organizing another class and eventually an advanced course.

For Memorial Day break we went to Carolina Beach for the week. It's a trip we take every year and it was awesome! The slideshow below is from that trip. We had one rainy day and then several windy days which made some awesome photos. I also discovered (with Leigh) a love of finding unique shells and also sea glass. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of the pieces I found but it'll be cool. CAROLINA BEACH MEMORIAL DAY WEEK SLIDESHOW 2011

The next big trip we took was to Italy!! It was amazing!!!! I will have a full post on that trip as soon as I'm finished editing. So far, I've only edited 350 images...and that was only the last day in Rome!

One week after we got back from Italy, Jessy and I drove to Connecticut for a family reunion. It was the first time in 5 years that all of the sisters were in the same state. We all had the week off, including my mom!! We had something planned almost every day and it was great seeing everyone. I took some family photos which I'll post here soon as well.

And...the final thing (so far) that happened this summer: Jessy became a big sister! Gabriel Anthony Maldonado was born on July 27th and is sooo adorable. Jessy can't wait to go back to Connecticut to visit her "baby brudder". :D

I will definitely try harder to keep this fresh but I might just have to hire Jessy to do this job. ;)