I can hardly stand it, I’m so excited. It’s time to finally launch my brand new photography blog!!!
Here’s the new address: www.katiemathews.com
“Run” over there right this second! There are lots of new changes and I’ve also announced a new contest – you could win a prize worth $900!!
Be sure to bookmark the new address!!
I am almost finished with the blog…almoooooost. With any luck, I can finish it this afternoon. But first, I get to go to the hospital and meet my newest client who was born yesterday, and then I get to go to the doctor…oh lucky me! haha. So keep watchin the blog for all the latest and greatest.
In the meantime….I dare you to look at this collage and not smile :)
Happy 3 month birthday, Lillian!
I really do have good intentions of blogging every single day. Yet, somehow the days get away from me!! So I thought I’d do a quick re-cap post.
1. I am still going to do my Fit and Fabulous Friday post on a weekly basis….starting this friday..lol. Seriously. I promise! It wasn’t because I did bad, it was because I couldn’t come up with a halfway decent pic of myself for the day that I said I would post. Guess I’d better work on that. But so far I have lost almost 13 pounds and 13.5 inches in just 3 weeks. My doc wanted me to lose 7 (in 6 weeks), so I am definitely doing good! Can’t wait to share here more about that as my journey continues.
2. My new logo is finished and I love love love it! My new blog is almost finished. I will be unveiling both this week along with all my new pricing and product options. There is also something new (that I know you’re going to like) that will be added on to every session I do!
3. When I unveil the new blog, I will also be announcing a new contest. It’s going to be good and the prize will be worth participating! Keep coming back this week for the big announcement!
4. My sister had to go back to work last week after her Maternity Leave. It has been adjustment for me too, because I now have a new helper in the office. Isn’t she cute?!?
My niece Lillian will be with me 3-4 days a week while her Mommy and Daddy are at work. Her spot will open up at daycare in the beginning of May. So if you talk to me on the phone in the next 2 months and hear a baby…that’s why :)
5. I have lots more to share but will have to do it later….I’ve got a new blog to put the finishing touches on so I can show it to you all!! Have a great week!!
As promised, I’m finally sharing some KMP photo sessions again! A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me an email asking me to pray for this family. A very dear friend of hers had just had a beautiful baby girl on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, sweet Stella was born with a bone fracture in her skull, and, according to the MRI, had internal bleeding. When I got the email, my friend was asking for prayers as this family was going in for a 2nd MRI to check to see if the bleeding had ceased. So I did as I was asked and the next day I received another email…the prayers had been answered…they saw no sign of continued bleeding so baby Stella got to come home!! This story just touched me and I knew I wanted to meet this little miracle baby. So I had my friend contact her friend about me doing a newborn session for them. Baby Stella was as cute as could be and was amazing during her photos. Mom and I hit it off right off the bat and couldn’t stop talking the whole time..(shocker I know, for me!) We got some beautiful images, that I’m so blessed to be able to give to them.
Hillary, Jack and Stella – thank you for letting me share in this special moment with you as you celebrate(d) your beautiful baby girl!
Yes, this is still a photography blog. No, I haven’t blogged anything photography related all week. Yes, I’m trying to get into the new routine of my new healthy lifestyle. Yes, it’s overwhelming. Yes, it’s worth it. Yes, I’m still getting work done. No, this post isn’t going to be long. Yes, I’ll blog more client sessions next week. Yes, I know you can’t wait!
Ok, so I thought I’d start a new feature on the blog each week, called…you guessed it, “Fit and Fabulous Friday!” Totally original right?!? I’ve been planning it all week and had big big ideas and then I went to Pilates today (for the first time ever). Apparently you can get a really bad headache if you don’t breathe the right way?!? Um yea, leave it to me to not know how to breathe and end up with a monster headache. So this post will be short and sweet and much better next Friday cuz my head is throbbing. But I had to post today because, well, I couldn’t come up with a catchy title for Saturday!
I had a great first week. I have been tracking everything I eat and drinking lots of water. I’ve cut out almost all soda. (I had been drinking – gasp – 4 to 6 cans of regular soda daily! Gee, wonder where some of that weight came from?) I walked and/or did the Wii Fit activities and lost a whopping 7 pounds!!
Soooo… here are some of my “Fit” Tips for the week…things that I’ve been doing that I know work…
Finally, here’s what’s on my “Fabulous” radar for this week….
One last thing I plan to include in this weekly feature is a picture of yours truly. I am always behind the camera rather than in front of it, yet that’s where you all are when you meet me (usually). Yesterday, I did a couple of headshots for Brian’s cousin and then handed over the camera and asked her to take a couple of me. I think she did a great job :) I need to learn to love this lady here in this picture so I need to look at her a little more often.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!!
Katie
Just wanted to post a quick update to say HI! I want to thank everyone for their positive feedback, comments and private emails I received on my last post. Go figure – I actually inspired a few people! :) Sweet! I did it for me, but if I can inspire anybody else, that’s bonus. But enough about that…
It’s my slow time of year, so I’ve had a little bit of much needed downtime. Still getting plenty of work done, but it’s not quite as stressful which is nice after the crazy Nov/Dec I always have. Anyway…not much to say..haha…just hi! Oh and I love this boy! He’s cute. Just sayin!
One of the things I want to do with my blog this year is share more personal details about me. Sometimes they might be silly, other times, it may be embarassing/humbling etc, but I still want to share. So here goes… Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment with my family doctor. After Christmas I had some blood work done and I knew it wasn’t going to be good. Sure enough, it wasn’t. It’s no secret…I’m a big girl. I’ve always struggled with my weight, but I have never ever been this big. Soon after Anthony was born, I began a healthy lifestyle…and lost almost 65 pounds. Then I fell down the steps in 2006 and broke my leg in 4 places..had a couple of surgeries and ended up wtih a lot of chronic pain etc etc. Well, when you go from working out 1-2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, to being completely bed ridden for a month or two…weight comes back on pretty quick. Then the pain kept me from working out and I ate what I wanted. Basically it’s all catching up with me now. So after a rather humiliating doctor’s appointment yesterday (I love my doctor and I’m glad she told me like it is)… I was told if I don’t get this weight off, I’m going to continue to be in pain, diabetes is right around the corner and my fertility is already being affected. Ok…whew… so after some tears on the way home…I knew what I needed to do. I came home and changed clothes…and then dusted these things off…
After some some grunting and groaning…I finally got my shoes on (when you’re big it’s tough), grabbed a bottle of water and dusted off another necessity…
...got in the car…and drove to the park where I proceeded to crank up the music and go for a walk. After 5 minutes (I’m not kidding)… my feet were aching…OMG…what have I done to myself?? So after a few more tears…I kept on going…and you know what happened? I started feeling better with every step. I could feel God (and my Grandma, who died exactly 8 months ago yesterday) with me. With each breath I felt better and better. Yes, it was just a walk to most people, but for me it was a turning point. Instead of going home and eating a big bowl of ice cream and feeling sorry for myself because “the doctor was mean to me,” I took action and it felt great.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of making a shopping list and ridding the kitchen/pantry of allll the junk. Luckily I have an amazing husband who is completely on board and said he needs to get back to eating better too, so he was cool with it. Then Anthony and I went grocery shopping after school and got lots of yummy healthy food! The kitchen is now stocked! (OK a couple of those items below are for Anthony’s lunch..haha) (Also, I already had tons of chicken and other lean meats in the freezer.)
I also spent some time online last night and tracked everything I ate….took some “start” pictures of myself (Oh Lord help me), took measurements etc. I wanted to share here because I think it will help me to have some accountability. To know that I just embarrassed myself and shared this with a lot of people will hopefully keep me headed in the right direction. I would love to hear your comments, tips, etc. On this post especially, please don’t read and not comment..I would love to “hear” your support since I put myself out there :)
This a.m….I’ve already been out for another walk…and it was easier than yesterday! I’ve tracked my food so far and am planning out the rest of the day. It feels good to be headed in the right direction to a healthy lifestyle and hopefully an addition to our family when I am healthy enough. As one of my friends joked…. (and I love it)..just think “Diet to Diapers!” HA!!
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
Am I the only one who can’t seem to keep this beast under control?!?!?
Have you ever met somebody that you just hit it off with right away? That’s what happened with Brandi and I, although I didn’t actually meet her until about 6 weeks later. Back in December, Brandi sent me an email asking me about doing a homecoming session for her and her boyfriend because I volunteer for an organization called “Operation Love Reunited.” (I’ve mentioned it before). Well I wasn’t going to be able to do the homecoming session, but I told her that I’d be happy to do a session here in Wilmington for them in January. So over the next couple of weeks, she and I emailed and chatted on Facebook (a lot!) We couldn’t wait to meet! We got together last Friday for a fantastic photo session which I can’t wait to share with you, but first let me give you some background on how Brandi and Tony met.
Brandi is a flight attendant. Tony is a marine. Last January, Brandi was working on a flight that was dropping some Marines off in Kuwait and long story short…Brandi and Tony met and exchanged email addresses…as he was getting off the plane! They corresponded for months and in late August, he came home for his 2 week R&R and he spent the whole time with her. They are now in loooove and so cute!
It was only appropriate that for their photo session, Brandi wore her flight attendant uniform and Tony wore his Dress Blues.
I made sure to take pics of each of them individually, since Tony is in NC and Brandi splits her time between Texas (her home) and Minnesota (where she flys out of) and around the world. That way they will each have some pics of their honey to stare at..haha.
This next picture was Tony’s idea…I love it!
After our time downtown, we went back to their hotel for them to change clothes and then we headed over to Mayfaire.
Brandi and Tony.. I had so much fun with you and can’t wait to see you again. I wish you both much love and happiness. And of course, Tony, thank you for your service to our country!
If you want to see more pics from their session, I made a little slideshow here.
Have a great weekend everyone!!
I still have just a few sessions left to share from 2009….so hopefully I can wrap them up within the week. I did pics for the Toret family back in October. The kiddos were a lot of fun and very silly. I love the ones of all 3 kids with each parent….they are definitely loved!
(Yes, I’m a woman of few words tonight..lol…just can’t think of much to say..)
