Self Reflection Day

I decided to post about the past few (7) months! As some of you know, many may not, my husband is currently serving overseas in a noncombat deployment.  He will be returning home in just a few weeks (so excited and scary as well). We have not seen him since October! So we are so thrilled, and my daughter who is now a toddler is THRILLED to have daddy back.  I want to start out by thanking all of my family and friends for their tremendous support during this very difficult time.  They have checked on me daily, made sure Lila and I are taken care of and so much more. I am going to take a minute to make a quick shout out to some of my family and friends...

Mom: Thank you for always being an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and a friend.  You have always checked on me, walked down to just hang out with me (as it gets lonely once my daughter is asleep) and just truly kept me company.  I love you beyond understanding. You are such an amazing woman.. beautiful inside and out.  I am so proud of you, and all of your hard work.

Cori: No words can explain how thankful I am for you living with us for the first few months he was gone.  Days when I didn't even want to get out of bed.. there she was.  Helping me, cheering me up and motivating me to work out :).  I know you love Lila.. and Lila loves you! Thank you for stepping up to the plate.. taking responsibility of a child who isn't yours and enduring sleepless nights. I love you so much.... and I always will! My seeeester!

Ally: I love you very much.. Thank you for always walking down to hang out with Lila, you have given me free time and time to clean without worrying if Lila is guzzling cleaning materials and swinging from the light fixtures.  You are always there for me! You surprisingly have taken up a small gesture that Drew used to always do.. leaving me little notes around the house to cheer me up! Thank you so much.

Lisa:  Well.. she is my "mother in law".  More like my other mother.  Not with the in law added to the end... it seems so "less important".  So mother I like to say.  We are as close as family would be.  She seems to always just "stop by the store", "had extra of this", "saw this shirt and got it for you", etc... VERY often.  Unexpected (more expected because it happens so often) gestures like that mean so much to me.  She loves me like true family does.. unconditionally.  When I married Drew I had known his family for a long time. Shared laughs, tears.. and many more tears but through it all I realized they are my family too.  Not just my in laws.. my family.  I am SO thankful for everything you have done for us and our weekly "girls nights".

Rick:  My amazing, wonderful father "in law".  Again with the "in law"... It drives me crazy?!  Rick has been so great since Drew left.  I vividly remember Drew and Rick embracing for the last time, both crying and Drew telling him "Just take care of my girls".  And boy has he.  He has always been that amazing father figure to me.  Anyone who knows him would agree.  He is just so wonderful.  Weekly he cleans our yard up, cuts grass, plants bushes.. paints the porch?!  And yes he works 40+ hours a week.  Thank you Rick or "Pop Pop" for everything you have done.

All of my other family: My brother "in laws', grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.. everyone.  I love you all so very much.  You all mean so much to us and we can't imagine life without y'all.

Friends: To all of my friends, new and old who have just "checked" on me.  Sending me daily texts of encouraging words.  You all mean everything to me as well. 


This post has to have a shout out to the business site in which I am posting on.

Thank you to all my clients and everyone who has believed in me.  Photography has always been a passion and love of mine, I just never had the confidence in myself to go for it.  Because of all of my trusting friends I have began to feel the success.  I am a work in progress and I am so thankful for everyone who allows me to photograph them!


I truly have the Lord to thank more than anyone. He is the reason I breath, I get up each day and I have the strength to get through this hard time. He has supplied me with all the skills for the success of Blessed Beginnings Photography. He has blessed my life in ways I can't comprehend.  Thankfully he allowed Drew and I to meet randomly at the movies in 2003, therefore we joined our lives together and we all became a family.  I am so thankful for you Drew.  My rock, my life, my love.  Thank you for being the husband of my dreams and the father many wish they could be. 

In just a few weeks I will finally say... Welcome Home Sgt. Hogsett... Welcome Home.