I’ve always had an About Me Section on my website but recently was “challenged” to share some unique facts about me. As Tampa photographers, we are so use to talking to clients about what they love and how they feel. I’m a big talker so I don’t have a problem sharing my day to day things but really, I haven’t gotten into those fun facts about me that rarely come up in regular conversation…so here we go!
1. My favorite Movie is Dirty Dancing. I use to watch Dirty Dancing on my VHS Tape (which was recorded from TV) so many times that the tape broke!
Our second series in our Twelve by Twelve Project is the topic “Home is Where the Heart Is.”
Chris and I have been looking at purchasing a new home either in the Tampa or Palm Harbor area so this topic was perfect for me this month. We truly want to make our first home a place of comfort, to make it our own. We have a few “must have’s” that we require. One, being a pool because I LOVE to relax and sun next to the water. I grew up with a pool and the last three years of not having even a community pool has been torture. I don’t always have the time to pack up and go to the beach so to be able to go in my backyard and relieve some stress for 30 minutes will more than suffice.
A group of photographers around the states started a Twelve by Twelve Project in which each month we will write and take photos about a monthly topic. Our first topic is “Us”. I thought about making this about my husband and I but when I started thinking about the happiness in our marriage. I think about how I came to be so happy with him. It started with me.
This past February I took a trip with my husband, Chris and two friends out to Las Vegas and then up to Park City Mountain, Utah to go snowboarding. Driving from Las Vegas to Park City Mountain, we had In and Out Burger, thats always a must! One more stop over to Zion National Park. It was foggy and raining a little but it didn’t stop us from getting our pictures quickly before we headed onto the resort. I really had the best time. The powder snow alone to go snowboarding was absolutely amazing. Its definitely the best conditions I’ve ever been in and its a definite possibility of going back sometime. I’ll miss the snowboarding fun but not the cold! I love my Tampa Florida weather. I will never forget the Heater Benches they had around town. WOW! I don’t think I moved for at least 30 minutes! LOVE
Last week I met up with other local Photographers to get some fresh, new pictures of our own. I’m new to the networking thing but I’ve had a great time getting to know these ladies. Being able to share your love of photography with another that shares the same exact love, can be invigorating, exciting, challenging, fun and imperative. We find that we feed off of each others creativity. Photography is our first love and sometimes we can get bogged down and discouraged but when we talk and meet together to refresh ourselves, we come out improved, feeling good.
I needed this night out with these fellow photographers about as much as I needed a picture of myself. I think my wedding photo has been up on my blog and website for a long time. Its about time you see me in street clothes. This is me, casual and dressy, vibrant and chill. Thanks for stopping by!
Photography of Ashley Yvonne Photography
A special thank you to all the ladies of our meet up, especially to Patricia of Sweet Plum Photography, and Stephanie of Burns Exposure for the above photos.
Ashley Yvonne Photography, a Local Florida Photographer in the Tampa Bay area specializing in Family and Children Photography, Portraits, Water Birth and Newborn Photography
So you probably wonder what I’ve been doing these last 3 months that I’m saying is a success. Well going back to my blogs.. you can guess, I got married! May 19th, 2012 I married the love of my life and my best friend Christopher. We met as little kids where we grew up in Richmond, Virginia. I had no idea that 20 years later we would marry but if I do say so myself, its a pretty cute story.
We met when we were little, he came over to hang out with my brother, we didn’t know each other personally but 19 years later we see each other at a mutual friends wedding and connected. It took us both a little while to get over the fact that we were right under each others noses the whole time. We went though heart aches and headaches to come back to each other. So we connect, but bad timing! Chris was flying out to live in New Zealand one week later for one year! I was in my BIG time traveling phase and talked about going out to visit. I’d been over there once, mostly to see Australia and had only seen NZ for 3 days. Many people didn’t think I’d go out there but since I promised myself I’d go back to NZ one day, I made it happen. Plus side..I see Chris! We spent two months together roaming around and touring nearby cities of Queenstown, where we stayed. At the time I arrived, Chris had been there four months. Enough time for us to not know where we were headed but by six months, Chris was ready to go home. We left at the same time still unsure of where we stood but knowing we had a fantastic time. One month later, him living in Virginia and I in Florida, we were official and began dating. Fast forward a year or so and here we are married 3 months.
While many people wouldn’t consider 3 months as being a “successful marriage.” It is to me. We take it day by day. If the first year is the hardest of marriage then I say only 7 more months of the hardest year. We are successful so far! We are happily married and having the time of our lives!
