i usually go into the new year with now big plans.  i am not a big one to make new years resolutions or contemplate on what the previous year had accomplished.  this year is different! for some odd reason i have the amazing juices to think about 2009 with great expectations and look back at 2008 with wonderful pride!

here are the 2008 memories and accomplishments for bsp!
workshop!!!!! attended love affair 2008 in bald head north carolina: met amazing women in the photography world here and learned lots where my business needs to go.
outsourced everything: hired a book keeper and accountant, album designer, and made sure that i was getting personal time to myself!
my little stella! made sure that i was not glued to the computer 24/7 like the year before.
she visited her grandparents for 6 days in atlanta, ga.  hard to let her go!  managed to go potty on her own! love not having to change diapers! watched her go from talking in 5-6 words to talking non stop! had a trip to the er for a cut hand and thumb.  that was scary and not fun!
worked out for 6 months! personal training kicked my butt! and i quite working out! :(
wedding marathon! 2 weddings in one weekend. both were destination weddings in the big texas state!
projects...promo video should be out soon! new blog launched, website to follow soon! had some fun location shoots that we worked on.
talked about 2009 business plans! brainstormed and brainstormed.
traveled to hawaii with my family! drank coconut juice and went surfing!!! it was amazing!
visited the pacific northwest for a photography shoot (bed and breakfast and a portrait session) then hit up seattle to visit friends. we had a great time camping with the family.  stella loves the outdoors. had a wedding weekend in nashville that was fun.
hit up some concerts: saw one of my favorites, nicole adkins.  cold play came to town so that was fun to see them too!
made some amazing new friends!  you know who you are! i am blessed to have them all in my life.
made some big purchases! the 5D mark II! love that camera. mac pro tower and a 23" monitor! and boy is it fast!  josh gave me a lumix camera for christmas.  needed a point and shoot.
amazing weddings! shot 21 amazing weddings in 2008! the best clients ever!!!
featured in the knot texas, brides houston, southern wedding blog, ritzy bee and elizabeth anne designs.
networking tools discovered; twitter and facebook like no other! figured out what "ftw" means....for the win!
shot a wedding in the dark - hurricane ike came through and left me to shoot via generator.  that wedding will be published in the 2009 knot!


i can not believe how wonderful 2008 was. it is so wonderful to see how much i have been blessed with.  i owe all of this to god being gracious and allowing me to pursue this business. thanks to all of you who have had an impact in my life and been there for me! i could not have done it without you.  i am so excited about 2009! i have not really set too many goals but i have a couple in my head! really only a few i can talk about!

2009 plans and goals.
attending wppi with some amazing photographer friends.  8 girls will be slumbering in the mgm together on february 15-18th!
shed 20 lbs! that is going to be a big deal!  i woke up one morning and decided to do this so if you would like to journey in this with me, let me know! weight watchers is my new bf.
start another business!
host a workshop or three? one being --->"my camera does what?" - this is for amateurs who want to know a little more about taking a decent photo with the new camera they got for christmas. easy steps on how! let me know who's interested.
shoot two weddings in mexico in may! so excited about this one.  anyone want to second with me?  ;)
be more efficient with my business!  i could use some help in managing things more.  sometimes i think i can do this all by myself.
there is so much more i have planned but these are a few of the items!
attempt to write the longest blog post (DONE!)

i am spent! ---- self portrait taken in my hotel room at the end of 2008. 

i am so glad that i have had the chance to hang out with these amazing photographers.  it is fun to get together and share ideas, drink espresso, play around with our cameras, and act like big ninja dorks.  here are some fun shots from the shoot with my friends:

rebecca-linh
marco
akil
clint
danny
studio563
here is danny getting ready for the session.

clints is working it over here.

i can not believe that christmas day came and went.  it was like a rush to get to this day and then all of the sudden it was past us.  i have to say that christmas this year was very special.  we have been blessed with so many wonderful things this year.  it has been amazing to witness.  stella has grown up so much and this christmas was especially neat to see her take part in.  she really understands that christmas is about jesus and his birthday but she also loves the santa part too.  we try not to hype it up too much but it was really fun to see her light up when she saw what santa brought her.  we also left out some reindeer food for the team and she was quick to go outside to see if they ate it.  thanks mary nell for the gift! it was a big hit! our favorite saying from that morning was "mommy, rudloph made a mess". it was so cute!  hope that you had a wonderful holiday and that you are surrounded by family, friends and many hugs.

dear friends, family and blog readers,
i can not believe that 2008 is coming to a close soon.  this year has been full of amazing blessings and i am happy to have been apart of them.  i hope that each of you has a wonderful holiday season and you are welcomed with joy and love.  i have been blessed this year by amazing people in my life and it is nice to feel loved.  thank you for all that you do! i would not be the same with out you.  this year i have made a donation to living water international in honor of all the special people in my life.  that is you!  something as simple as clean water....we take for granted.  it may seem shallow to some to give this out as a gift to my loved ones , instead of the nice ______(fill in the blank), i really feel that it is my way of saying that i love you.  merry christmas everyone! i will be out of the office from now until january 5, 2009!!! peace.
here is our christmas card designed by the wonderful mango ink! photo credit: sarah rhoads

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.