Karey Michelle » Artistic Lifestyle Photographer

some of my favorites: light, places, and fun moments from this last year…

i’m addicted. and i’m also on instagram now, if you like you can find me: Karey Michelle.

Goodbye 2011. Thank you for all that you gave me: I got married to the love of my life, we bought a lovely home in San Clemente, our families are like friends we would choose, we went on an incredible honeymoon in Fiji, we are happy, healthy and thankful for each new day. I really don’t know how it gets much better than this, but we’ll keep dreaming up a storm while we can. I feel so blessed and excited for what is around the next corner…

so, Hello 2012!

I am quickly approaching my first anniversary as a married woman and am asking myself where has the time gone?!? This time last year I was approaching my wedding day, putting in offers for a new home, and stressing out over such crazy random details that I can’t even remember what they were right now. It’s funny how that works. I’m terrible at New Years Resolutions by the way… as a creative person I’ve always felt a bit intimidated and intrigued by the practice, where I want to join in with everything I’ve got and go for the gold, but then my list turns into a reminder of all the areas I’ve failed in getting done. No fun in that light. But I also know that you can’t hit a target you can’t see so this whole resolution thing is probably important. The biggest lesson I’ve learned these past couple years is that I can’t do it all on my own. I have to share with others what I’m aiming for so that they can help keep me accountable, no matter how scary or ridiculous it may seem. So that said, I want to share some of my “goals” with you for this next year since I heard that making them public can be a form of accountability. So, I’ll take what I can get and hope whoever said that is right. *Some* of my 2012 resolutions are as follows:

1. Quiet time in the morning for 20 minutes before I start my day.
2. Launch my new website with my new branding. (it’s in the works and i can’t wait to share. but getting it FINISHED is, well, you know… ugh.)
3. Blog at least three times a week, as a regular thing, in practice by the end of the year.
4. Portrait business launched. Did you even know how much I love doing portraits?
5. Get more personal on my blog. [*Started as of this post!]
6. Get an office manger. (DONE!!! I can’t wait to introduce you to Andrea!! And how can it hurt to put something on my list that I’ve already done?… I call it encouragement.)
7. Plug in to San Clemente and my new Talega neighborhood. I want to be known and give to those I live in community with.
8. Go primal/paleo all year long. Don’t worry, my husband is in on this so I have a chance.
9. Shoot for the stars… there are a lot of dreams I have for my business and I love that my dad is always telling me to dream bigger. So if you ever take me out on a coffee date I’ll probably spill what some of my stars look like, but in the mean time I’ll keep working on the getting-more-personal-on-my-blog part… which means I’m still shy and have most of the details in my journal for now. But yay for me for getting this far right now

2012, I can’t wait to meet you, thank you for a new beginning! I love new beginnings. I need them.

And since all posts are better with a picture, here is my husband with MY camera in my face as we hiked Multnomah falls with the fam over Christmas. I like how he see’s things I don’t see.

He’s my favorite.

~Karey