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I feel so blessed to have many amazing women in my life. But most importantly is my Mom, Carolyn. She has been there for me through the worst and the best and has always made me macaroni and cheese when I needed it <3 My Mom has been there for me during everything and to that I owe her- big time. There are not enough Mother’s Day gifts that could appropriately thank her for all she has done for me. I am sure there are things I am completely unaware of but for the things I am aware of, I could say thank you every day and it still wouldn’t be enough. Mom- thank you for all that you do. For your emotional support, for your financial support, and for you being there every time I have needed you throughout my life. You are my constant and I love you so much. <3 Happy Mother’s Day!

There are also two other ladies I owe a huge thank you to- my Grandmothers. Granny, thank you for making me realize it’s okay to cheat sometimes (sprite floats instead of coke floats when my Mom didn’t want me having sweets? Win!) and instilling a sense of community and church in me. Grandmomma, thank you for being so open to debates with me. I have learned so much from you and even though I may have seemed ungrateful at the time of heated debates I am so thankful for every one of our discussions. They have bettered me and really helped me decide who I am and what I believe in. Both of you have been invaluable, really. I don’t know what I would do without you two. Thank you for being there for me always and Happy Mother’s Day.

Those aren’t the only strong women in my life though. I am so fortunate to have so many amazing influences. My aunt, Marjorie, is another. A huge thank you, Marjorie for letting me know that Pepsi is never the way to go- always Coca Cola! And thank you for letting me see that creativity is not only a passion but can be a profession if you want. It has helped me so much to see a creative profession be successful if you set your mind to it <3

Another huge thank you to Lory True, although you may not be blood related you are family to me. Now that I am ‘older’ I can look back and say you are just what I needed during high school. Someone to look up to. You have always been strong and amazing in my eyes but after raising such a beautiful daughter and being strong during Korbyn’s health trials you have amplified your strength and I truly hope I can have that strength one day. Thank you for being such a role model when I needed it most!

And to the women that have had an epic influence on my beloved Teylor, Leanne and Celia… Thank you for making him into the man I love. Although his cleanliness could improve I love the values that you two have instilled in him and I am eternally grateful. He lives by his word and makes sure everyone knows it can be trusted- I love that. In a time that so many people think it okay to lie and cheat you have instilled in Teylor that it is not okay and that his word is his livelihood. He is striving to do nothing but help others in his profession and it is another attribute I can thank you for- I am not sure what you did to shape such a humbling being, but you did and I know you are so proud. Thank you so much for making him into who he is today and thank you for being involved in his life. You have no idea how much that means to me. <3 Happy Mother’s Day you two.

Ami oh Ami, you are awesome. Thank you for letting me know how it is and what to expect for my nursing classes. You are always so helpful! You have done a wonderful job mothering your three loverly children. They are all amazing in there own way and I can tell that you are their mother even when they are away from you! You’ve injected your personality into them and it cracks me up when I hear you things coming out of their mouths! You have so much patients and I am always envious of it. You are amazing with Samuel and have truly trusted the Lord in his development and it has paid off so. You trust the Lord daily for Lyndi to hear you when she needs to. You trust the Lord daily for Josh to remain calm, breathe, and be a kid. All of your trust has paid off and I have learned so much by your patients. I am so happy that you are in my life- happy Mother’s Day you amazing mother you.

And to all my friends that are mothers and all the mothers out there- happy Mothers Day. You are amazing. You are deserving of at *least* one day a year to be recognized… but really you deserve it every day. I hope each and every one of you have an amazing Mother’s Day. I wish you all the best. Your child may not appreciate all that you do right now, but someday they will. Promise. :)

I am sorry I don’t have pictures with everyone important to me. I know I have them somewhere but after hours of searching I gave up. Some are on film and as I have just moved I have decided it is nearly impossible to get everything together. After seeing what I did dig up though it is clear to me all the lovely ladies in my life and I need sessions- stat! ;) So be prepared ladies.. I will be coming after you soon- we so need updated photos!

Again, I wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mothers Day. This day is the very least that you deserve so I want you to know that you are appreciated in all that you do. And to everyone else- be sure your mother knows how awesome she is and what she means to you. :)

Blessings,
Alicia

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When I was told that the emails had been sent at first I had no desire to open up the mail application on my phone. I’ll wait for Teylor, I thought. That would be better. He could tell me the news- if it was bad news he would soften the blow and comfort me; if it was good news it would be much better coming from his lips than a lifeless email. It was 3:30 in the afternoon. Could I wait until 5p to know? Would the suspense kill me? No I could not wait, yes the suspense would kill me.

I closed my eyes and tapped my phone screen where I knew my mail app was. A few deep breaths later… 1… 2… 3… Open. The first thing I saw was “ACC ADN – accepted”. I immediately began to celebrate- I called Teylor to share the news. I didn’t even open the email until later on last night. But the lifeless email ended up being just what I needed to see.

I have been wanting this for a year now and the time has finally come. I couldn’t be more excited! I will be starting the nursing program at Alvin Community College this coming Fall. It almost doesn’t seem real yet, but the more I say it the more the notion solidifies in my mind. Acceptance is one of the greatest feelings.

There will be little change with PaperBird! I will still be accepting new clients as well as returning but I will not offer as many session times per month. So please please email me as soon as you are wanting a session! I anticipate spots to fill up quickly (some Fall session slots are already taken!)- especially November. Don’t forget to plan ahead for Christmas cards, November has proved to be my busiest month! I will disclose the exact number of sessions I plan to fill each month later on. Truth is I am not too sure yet, but I will know soon.

But the most important thing is that nothing is changing just the number of sessions I take on. :)

I appreciate everyone’s constant support, really. I feel so blessed to have amazing clients, friends, and family. <3

Blessings,
Alicia

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Some of you may not know this but in my family there are some miracles. Probably more than I am fully aware of but on my Mom’s side of the family I have three amazing cousins- Alex, Arianna, and Sasha. Alex and Arianna were adopted from Russia and the family was so excited when the adoption went through and they came to America. It was an amazing feeling when we all knew they were here and a part of our little family unit. Then along came Sasha.

If you know any families that have adopted you know its nearly double the celebrations. Kids not only have a birthday but an adoption day. Clay and Marjorie have cleverly dubbed the adoption day party as Alex and Arianna’s Coming to America Party. Which is a synonymous for yummy fried fish and an amazing cake! Then of course there are birthdays every year, also yummy foodies and a very decorated cake!

You can imagine with a Coming to America Party and three birthdays every year it adds up to a lot of parties! And I have been thinking that I haven’t visited in over a year, yikes! I have missed at least 4 monumental events! So scary. When people ask me how old the kiddos are in my head they are still 5 years young, all of them. Too bad Sasha just turned 7, Alex is in high school, and Arianna has a boyfriend. What?! Really, I have no clue how this happened. Time is flying by way to quickly.

Clay, Marjorie, and mainly.. Alex, Arianna, and Sasha- I am so so so sorry I have not been to see you guys in such a long time! I promise I *will* make it over this Summer :) I hope you had a wonderful birthday party, Sasha- I seriously am in disbelief that you are 7. But now that you are, make it the best year yet! Arianna, you have impeccable timing to message me on Facebook when I am going to bed. Meow. So I have decided the best way to remedy this is to message you at 6am when I wake up. ;) I can’t wait to met this boy of yours- Granny already met him? I am going to have to hear how that went because Granny and boys don’t exactly mix from my experience- I hope she played nice! Alex, I cannot believe that you are in high school now! I met some of my best friends in high school and generally speaking had fun in my high school years. You’ll have to tell me all about how you like it! You will have so many huge things happen to you in high school. Fun dances, lots of cramming, football games, college prep, the list goes on. Although I am in shock you are already there, I am excited for all the things headed your way. And thank you Marjorie and Granny for sending my iPhone pics to keep me in the loop from time to time! It is much appreciated :) And Clay- be prepared, I will come hungry! I love you all and I cannot wait to visit *this summer*!

I searched up and down my computer for photos of Alex but no luck. I have a photo in my wallet of him, I need to scan it in! And take lots of photos soon :)

I genuinely hope that someone is reading this that needed to hear it and learns from my mistake. Visit the people you love, and visit often. Time goes by whether you are there or not.

Blessings,
Alicia

 

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A few days ago I met a woman and in our small talk the question arose of what we do. I eagerly told her that I am a wedding and family photographer and handed her my card. I love telling people what I do because I love what I do! She quickly responded, “Don’t you think too many people do that?” At first I wasn’t quite sure how to respond because well, yes, a lot of people either are photographers or want to be. The market is probably a little over-saturated. So I paused for a moment to gather my ever rushing thoughts and said with confidence, “All of the other photographers are not me“. The woman seemed shocked by my answer so I explained to her that every photographer has their own style. Style of artwork, style of communication, style of working with clients, I could go on forever. No photographer is the same. There may be some photographers that have a similar style of artwork but their style of working with clients could be completely different. We all have personalities and in an artistic industry, that matters.

The woman mentioned she thinks it is silly to do what you love when there are so many people that do it better. At the end of our small talk she said sheepishly to me, “I wish you luck”.

I love all my clients! We have worked so well together and hit it off! At first I just thought I was the luckiest business woman ever to have the pleasure of working with people I can easily call friends. After thinking, really thinking, on the subject though I have found that luck had nothing to do with it. Everyone has a choice to make with any service and now with the Internet it is so easy to find options. I now think that through my blog and through meeting in person my potential clients become clients because they like my work, they like how I do business, they enjoy hanging out and talking, and they like me as a person and what I can offer them.

If you have worked with me before you know that I try to have as much fun as possible, I will do whatever it takes for both of us to be happy with the photos, and I love coffee dates. I set myself apart from other photographers by being genuine. I am always so honored when someone chooses me as their photographer and every thing this woman said just validated that for me.

I would also like to mention that yes, I am only 21 years young. There are people in the industry that have had more experience than me and I look up to them and admire their work. I also recognize that everyone has to start and I hope that some day I will be someone that others look up to.

If you cannot tell I am still very scatter brained about this exchanging of words. There are just so many different thoughts I have about it and honestly it shook me up a little. At first I was discouraged when a stranger was being so pessimistic about what I do. In the end I believe that every thing happens for a reason. This experience has really got me thinking and I have realized so much. I  now also think I am an optimist.

I am fixing my thoughts on what is true- I have great clients and I love what I do.

Blessings,
Alicia

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Hello, Internet- oh how I have missed you. Teylor and I finally have Internet set up at our new apartment and I was beyond ready for it. We were only without Internet for 8 days and my goodness, it is almost scary how lost I was without it! No blogging, no social media (namely Pinterest), no Netflix, and really just no browsing aimlessly on the good ole interwebs.

On a more serious note last week was terribly eventful. I honestly am still in shock about the bombings in Boston and my heart broke when I heard the news. Then I found out about the explosion in West, Texas and could not believe that something else happened. I have not kept up with the numbers but any loss is a tragic one. My deepest thoughts go out to all of those affected by these terrible things.

And in personal news this past Saturday Teylor caught his finger in a door and pretty much mutilated his right index finger. We found out today that he will not need  surgery if everything heals properly. We are hoping that everything goes as planned and he will be good as new soon. :)

Within the next few days I will be trying my hardest to get completely caught up on emails and voicemails. I so appreciate everyone being so patient with me, really. <3

My Instagrams from the past week or so (warning, there are two of Teylor’s crazy finger… it is slightly nasty)

Blessings,

Alicia

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If we don’t walk then they win. Let’s not live like that, explained a friend to my Grandmother. Earlier in the week there had been an incident with some teenagers breaking a window on a neighbors home. All was okay and all in all I suppose it was an accident. But my Grandmother wanted to drive to the book club meeting rather than walk. A friend told my Grandmother- no, then they win.

I completely agree. But sometimes you just cannot help it. Sometimes they do win. Sometimes they make you feel uneasy when you should have the right to feel comfortable and at ease… they take it away.

I have wondered what condition my heart has been in for a long time, since my early teen years. Throughout the years doctors have occasionally mentioned I may have a murmur or an arrhythmia but no doctor ever referred me to a cardiologist. Well, 2013 was decidedly the year to know any truth there might be. I got some great news this morning. No murmur, no hole in my heart, no frequenting arrhythmia. This is great news! The problem is very simple, my body makes too much adrenaline and my heart rate jumps up in response. Thankfully there is an easy fix to my simple problem- a very low dose of medication. After hearing that news the day became about celebrating. What better way to celebrate than food?

After our delicious fried macaroni and cheese appetizer while we were awaiting our main course my Grandfather got a call from a number not programmed in his phone. He told the person on the other end his name. Why is he telling them who he is… they called him, shouldn’t they know? Then I heard a certain word and knew it was the security company. The burglar alarm had gone off. We discussed it and decided it had to be a false alarm, it just had to be. Or we wanted it to be. We quickly got our food boxed to go and left. When we approached the street there were two police cars. We parked, got out, and as we walked up the driveway I saw a police radio. Was there a chase? Did a police drop their radio in pursuit of someone? I picked up the radio and kept walking. A window appeared to be busted out, a pillow case laying on the tile just inside, and a police woman sticking her head out the busted window shouting at us to go back and get behind something. Quickly I handed off the radio and we walked back down the driveway to go sit in the car. As we waited another police car showed up. And another. Police kept going in and out and at some point we were told that someone may still be in the house, our house. Finally the police finished their searching, we got to go inside. Much to our surprise it looked untouched. A sense of relief fled through my body but still I was uneasy. Very uneasy.

Later we found out that a neighbor also was broken into and unfortunately they were robbed of some belongings.

Right now sitting on my sofa holding onto one of Teylor’s guns and never moving sounds like the best plan. But a friend was right, if I do that then they win. I will not let them win.

It was a bittersweet day but in the end I am so lucky. I am thankful beyond reason that my family is okay. I am thankful that my grandparents neighbors are okay. They did suffer loss, and my heart goes out to them, but I am so thrilled that though this terrible thing happened, they are okay. I am thankful that my heart ‘problem’ turned out to be a simple fixable issue. Today was bittersweet but tomorrow is fresh and new.

Had to post this one of my cousins and I. We took this for our Great Grandmother, GG. I cannot wait to get it printed and framed for her- all of her great grandkids. Perfect. :)

Blessings,
Alicia

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Canon. Check. Skype. Check. MTV. Check. Samsung. Check. Blockbuster. Check. Dominos. Check. Netscape. Check. Fila. Check. Mountain Dew. Check.  Have you ever played ‘Logos Quiz Game’? It is available in the Apple App Store and it is, simply put, addictive. You see a logo or a portion of the company name and somehow you know exactly what it is. Yes, Canon was quite simple for me to guess because I have many Canon products and know the font they use for their logo very well. But MTV? I don’t watch that channel, I don’t even have that channel (we don’t even have cable!). Fila? I knew Fila in a second but I have *no* clue what Fila even is. It is crazy that I know all of these companies. Well it is because they have made a brand. Branding is the process of getting everyone to know what your logo or font is without even thinking. Proper branding is essential for every business and really it is kind of amazing. Most people can start watching a commercial and know what it is for before they even are told. Not necessarily because they have seen it before but because of the way it is filmed and the content just feels like a certain company.

This is what I long for with PaperBird. I want a look that describes me and what I stand for as a photographer. I want a look that people instantly know and associate with me and my photographs. Because of this desire I am starting a new adventure- branding! First, a new logo. After the logo a new website and blog will follow. Everything will have a uniform look and feel so that you know you are looking at a PaperBird photograph.

I am so excited to be working with Hannah Beasley on my branding project! She has created a mood board to really show how the new logo will feel. We are going for very simple and elegant with a color scheme of coral, pinks, and mint with a sprinkle of gold. What could be better? I am so excited to see the ideas Hannah comes up with! But for now I will be drooling over her mood board. :)

Happy Monday, everyone.

Blessings,
Alicia

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