January Recap

      If I had to choose one word to describe January I would probably choose transition. January acted as a transition month for quite a few things.

The obvious one, it was the transition into the new year. Mine and Cole's wedding year to be exact. Only 8 more months.

The transition into my last semester of college, which has been a bigger transition than I expected. I went from a test heavy semester last year with a ton of reading and homework to a very project heavy semester this year with limited homework and tests. It has definitely required some adjusting.

The transition back to having classes on fridays, which has been easier than I thought it would be. I only have two classes on fridays so I sort of just waste time/study/do homework on campus the rest of the day. Definitely more productive now.

My own internal transitions, coming to terms with the fact that I will be a college grad soon with no "real" job as people like to remind me.

Finally the transition from photography being a hobby to a business.

I don't know about you, but I tend to deal with transition well, as long as I know exactly what I am transitioning to. However if I am transitioning into an uncharted, uncertain future I definitely tend to over stress myself, freak out and put myself in a somewhat state of terror. This month especially I have been set into a bit of panic, job searching tends to do that to me. I would prefer to have a job when I graduate, so I have been hunting jobs since Christmas break, with no such luck. Obviously it is still early, and I have plenty of time to find one still, but the idea of being unemployed automatically correlates to unsuccessful in my brain. Which I know it shouldn't, a lot of people struggle finding their first jobs.

Exciting Announcement {Poppies, Puppies and Pearls Photography}

          I got a DSLR camera several years ago. Over those several years my love for photography has grown immensely I have grown a lot as a photographer. I seriously started out only using Auto on my camera, complete waste of the capabilities of the camera. Now I shoot exclusively in manual mode, and the difference it makes is amazing. Between taking a photography class, and experimenting on my own I truly have developed a pure enjoyment in photography. Personally I think one of the best feeling in the world is getting a perfect shot straight out of the camera, I love knowing that I took such an amazing shot that it doesn't need edited. That is my goal for every photo, a great photo doesn't need to be edited, however lighting does not always cooperate.  I still have a lot to learn but, I have been juggling the idea of starting up a photography business for a while. After debating it internally for a while, I decided to get opinions of the people closest to me...while I got a few negative reactions, and the normal "what are your going to do with your degree?" and similar questions*, for the most part I was getting positive support and encouragement. With that encouragement I spent a few days prepping past images, and developing a business plan, and Facebook page.

                I am really excited to announce that last night I launched the Poppies, Puppies and Pearls Photography business. I am located in Clemson, SC. However I am open to traveling. Go check out the Facebook page, give it a like, browse the photos, and contact me via the Facebook page or email me at esselstacey@gmail.com for scheduling, pricing or questions.

With this new transition, the photography page on my blog will be transitioning soon to be my business site.        


        * In response to the comments I have gotten about wasting 5 years in college (8 semesters of classes and two rotations working at a engineering firm as a co-op), and all I needed was a camera, or the "your still gonna use your degree right?" questions. Those of you who said this I would hope you know me well enough to know I am going to still use my degree, I am still going to try and obtain a full time job in the field of civil engineering, or use my degree in some way. Regardless I have not wasted five years in college, and the decision to go the college was my own, and the thousands of dollars of debt I face are my own. What I do with my degree, or what I do as a career is ultimately my decision. I am a stubborn determined person who doesn't accept failure well, which is what has gotten me through the 8 semesters of civil engineering curriculum at one of the best engineering schools in the nation, and I will continue to face life with the same stubborn determination. 
       
           

Event Photography Session {Welcome Ava}

      This past weekend was so much fun! Cole and I got to catch up and see a lot of our close friends this weekend in Columbia. We traveled to Columbia so I could attend a baby shower for one of my good friends, while Cole got to hang out with the boys. I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph the baby shower. I had so much fun showering Andrea with love and gifts for baby Ava, and absolutely loved being able to capture the amazing event!

Five Things Friday {Post 3}

     I hope everyone has had a great week, and has stayed warm. I live in the south and I am freezing with this weather right now. Where I live it is cold, but the worst part is the cutting wind. I think my nose or fingers may freeze off. Thankful my fingers are still functioning at the moment so I can give my five things I have been obsessing over this week. 

Hot Drinks: This is a no brainer...it's freezing (like below freezing temperatures here) and literally the best thing to counteract the freezing of my extremities is to suck down a steaming hot drink. My go to drinks right now are the Celestial tea assortment box (I like the vanilla honey chamomile, a lot.) and of course coffee. (Today I had a vanilla flavored coffee with a bit of cinnamon in it, and it was delightful!)   

Aerie's New Campaign: Uhm I don't know if you have seen this, or heard about it. Its the Aerie Real Campaign, where they are using models of all sizes, with no retouching. I applaud them for making a point to provide positive views of woment being all sizes, shapes, colors. No retouching means that they don't remove beauty marks, they don't camouflage tattoos, blemishes, imperfections or stretch-marks.  I hope that this campaign is a step towards the media being more accepting of real women's bodies, and flaws.

Charlotte Russe Sale {5, 10, 15}: Ok, Charlotte Russe is my guilty pleasure...especially during the spring. they have the cutest summer dresses. This past week they were having a $5, $10, $15 sale. I seriously bought 5 things for less than $30. My order unfortunately is stuck in a winter storm...boo! Anyways I am excited for it to get here, I am so in love with everything that I ordered. I especially wish the fur-lined leggings I ordered were here so I could be wearing them in this insane frigid weather. 

The Tie Bar: This site is amazing. I ordered all the guys ties for the wedding from here (and Cole's bowtie). I am obsessed. For one, the site has an amazing selection, it seriously took me forever to finally pick the perfect ones because there were just so many beautiful designs to choose from. I also am completely obsessed with the reasonable prices. I kid you not, literally every tie, and bowtie is a mere $15 which is more than half the price of a tie from any department store. I am so ready for these bad boys to come in so I can see them in person! 

Elf Make-up: I have always been a fan of Elf brand make up but I have a new found love for it this week. On a whim I bought a few new elf products, and I honestly love them all. My absolute favorite right now is the cream eyeliner...it was literally $2, it goes on so easily (with the little eyeliner brush that came with it), and it stays on ALL day long. I am beyond impressed with it. 

I think I am going to try and do a haul video of all the things I have bought lately, including the Charlotte Russe stuff,  and the Elf make up. 

8 Months...

    This past weekend Mom, Deidre and I went to Atlanta to see my Aunt and Uncle...While we were there we went and had a fitting at Bridals by Lori. My wedding dress came in an entire month early (it came in around Thanksgiving). I have been dying to see it, ever since I got the phone call! We decided to wait until after the holidays to make a trip to Atlanta. Trips to Atlanta are always a good time. I love getting to catch up with my Aunt and Uncle, and they are always super welcoming. Saturday we went shopping and got lunch, and then headed to Bridals by Lori. After waiting a few minutes, and watching a whole bunch of girls try on wedding gowns I finally got taken to a fitting room and got to see my dress, and try it on for the first time!  I was not disappointed at all by my gown, it was truly breathtaking. It is true perfection, better than I imaged, and it fit like an absolute glove. What are the chances that a gown fits perfectly with absolutely no alterations? Well this dress is a dream...literally all I need to have done is a bustle!
     Monday marked 8 months from mine and Cole's wedding day! Time is passing so quickly. Thankfully I have a lot marked off of our to-do list for the wedding. As the day gets closer I find that I am not getting more stressed about the big day, but the opposite in fact. I am getting more excited for the day to finally be here. I am excited to be able to spend time with all of my favorite ladies celebrating the next step in my life, as well as getting dolled up and getting ready to walk down the aisle to my dear true love. I am excited to officially promise to spend forever with Cole! Finally I am excited to celebrate that promise with all our closest family and friends.

Five Things Friday {Post 3}

Is it me or did this week go by super quickly? I am very very very excited for this weekend. Deidre, my mom and I are heading to Atlanta to try my wedding dress on for the first time! Anyways my five obsessions of the week are as follows. 

1. My Fitness Pal: This app is my healthy eating bible. It helps me track my calorie intake, how many calories I gain back from working out, and keeps track of my weight loss. I like it because it helps me keep myself accountable for what I eat...It is especially helpful when I am having one of those days where I literally want to eat everything in sight. 

2. American Horror Story Coven: There isn't much to say about this other than, if you haven't watched it you need to. I have been hooked on American Horror Story since the very first episode. My old roommate and I used to have "roomie date nights" every Wednesday to watch the new episodes. Now Cole and I watch it religiously. 

3. Nail Polish: I took the time out of my week to actually paint my nails...twice actually. That's a miracle. The nail colors I used this week was Color Club's Wild Cactus...which I loved on it is a beautiful true green, but it was a pain in the ass to take off. My fingers were tinted green for at least a day. Last night I painted my nails a pretty neutral grey (Charlotte Russe-Grey), with a silver accent color (Nicole by OPI-I don't know the color because it came in a holiday collection last year). 

4. Photography: This past weekend I did a shoot with my old roommate. I was reminded how much I really enjoy photography. I need to keep up with shooting stuff, it is just hard to find a subject, especially when life gets really busy. I have a few plans in the works. I am hoping I can make them happen. Stay tuned on here to see my progress. 

5. Running: I have started doing a 5k training plan. I forgot how much I really enjoy running. I am excited to start building my endurance back up, and I am definitely ready for it to warm up so I can start taking Dusk for runs with me. Right now I am running at the gym at school, either on the indoor track, or on a treadmill. I forgot how much it helps me clear my mind, and I LOVE it! 

Photography Session {Nichole's Senior Pictures}

    The weather finally cooperated with us, enough to let us have a beautiful blue sky, and a bright sun to do Nichole's Senior Pictures. We have tried getting together to do these a few times, but every time we did it would end up pouring the whole weekend. I am soooo happy I finally got to do these for her!  I am also kind of glad that we ended up having to wait because I definitely think my photography class helped me out with dealing with the very bright sun. I am pretty happy with how the shoot turned out, and I am so stoked that we were able to get in the stadium to get a few shots of Nichole with Howard's Rock.