Happy 2016, friends! 
New Year's Eve and the subsequent 365 that follows is one of my most favorite holidays, after Valentine's Day, of course (hearts, glitter, love, pink, I mean ... )! There's such a promise of new opportunities, fresh starts, the possibilities are endless. We never know where the year may take us and even when it's to challenging places, it's almost always worth it. 

When I realized my dream big idea to start a photography business was a real, living, breathing thing, I also knew I'd have to hustle and never give up on making it a full-time gig. During the last 9 years, I earned two degrees, I worked in office buildings and wore business casual attire as an insurance payment processor, brewed coffee as a barista, wiped runny noses as a nanny, ran a non-profit organization and taught kids to love the magic behind the lens ... it felt like I was always doing everything else BUT my dream. Thanks to everyone around me who continued to push and prod and encourage, I finally started to see myself as a business owner and photographer FIRST and everything else as supplements to reaching my goals. 

In the last few years, I've started January 1 by looking at the books alongside my accountant (Hi Mom!) and we've had a few moments of doubt. Would this really happen again? Could we really make it? What's plan B? 

Last fall, I took a peek at 2016 for myself and nearly fell off my chair. COULD I REALLY DO IT THIS YEAR?! Could I really be my own boss for real and full-time? Would I be able to pay bills and rent and live fully in my dream life? After some heart to heart chats and that ever-popular quote "If not now, then when?" ringing in my head, I decided to take the leap.

So here's the first real business day of 2016, January 4, and I'm sitting in my new home office, enjoying coffee (brewed at home, by me, because #formerbarista) and spilling my gold glitter heart to you as a full-fledged business owner and #bosslady. I'm surrounded by images that inspire me, that remind me where I've been and more importantly, images from my own family that prove why it's so important to do this work: to capture memories that will live on for generations. 

This is it, friends. For everyone who ever booked and believed in me, I'm raising my mug to you! I couldn't be more grateful to see where this year and many more take me, but if it's anything like the last 9, I'm sure it will be filled with beautiful life-cycle moments, watching more families grow. Thank you x infinity!