Is it truly possible that my baby sister is married?!?! Baby sis is not a baby anymore. I am so happy for her and Jeff, and look forward to getting to know the people they will become as a married couple. They had a beautiful wedding service on a gorgeous day, followed by a fun party with family and friends. A wonderful way to start their marriage.
Stop. Don’t buy that prop. Stop. Don’t upgrade that camera body. Stop. Don’t brag about how great you are. Stop. Don’t be jealous of others’ accolades.
Start: accepting critique gracefully, humbly, and with thanks. Start. Taking fewer photos at more shoots. Start. Trying new things. Start. Believing that improvement will come when you’re willing to work for it. Start. Working. For. It.
This is probably going to be one of the most personal posts I’ll ever write on what is essentially an often neglected business blog. Around the internet, I describe myself as a photographer, a mom, a knitter, a runner, and a geek. I am all of those things, some of them I am better at than others. (and sadly I think my growing expertise as a knitter confounds my progress as a runner…can’t figure out a way to multitask that!)
I’ve run three marathons in the past, and each of them was rewarding in it’s own way. The last one I ran was the Mercedes marathon in Birmingham Alabama, just a short drive away. I ran it in February 2007, and a few months later was pregnant with my twins.
A few days ago, my friend Beth posted on facebook that there were still spots open for Chicago and NYC for Team CdLS. I’ve known Beth for several years thanks to a small online running community that has been a huge part of both of our lives. We met in person in 2005 when we ran a race in Charlotte, NC. I met Beth’s whole family that day–her two gorgeous teenage daughters (who are gorgeous young women now), her sweet husband with a kind smile, her youngest daughter was just a small child, though she is growing into a young woman just as lovely as her sisters. And Will. Will has CdLS. While his vivacious sisters are all lovely and spirited and wonderful in their own ways, Will touches something special in your heart–he has a brilliant smile and he loves music and dancing with his mom. I know his birthday is the day after my dad’s, a little factoid I stuffed away in my brain over the years. I know he’ll be twenty years old this fall when I run NYC.
So when Beth said there were spots open on the team, my very first thought was “I wish I could do that.” My very next thought was “well, why can’t I?” I haven’t run a marathon in 4 years, but I run several mornings a week. I have a pretty good base, let’s do this thing. So I contacted Beth, who put me in touch with the foundation, and now I am running NYC with Team CdLS. I never really planned to run another marathon, and I have no lofty goals for smashing a PR or even looking good at the finish line of this one. But I have never been more excited to run a race.
I do plan on updating the blog here with my training progress, with my fundraising progress, and, of course, with photos. I know a lot of awesome moms, and my friend Beth is one of the awesome-est. I feel deeply honored to run this race for Beth and her son Will, and all the other families that the CdLS Foundation helps.
Please follow the link to read the press release and/or download a copy!
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1X7n3rUa_3-9T2lWmovheKYkRc-wDhWqIX40_ewvgpos
Josh and Jessica were married April 9, 2011. Here are a few moments from their beautiful special day.
First Kiss:
First Dance:
Happily…
Happily…
…Ever After. 
Interested in booking a wedding in North Georgia? Please call me at 404-507-2979 or visit my website at http://aimeebensonphotography.com
This blog is about to get an overhaul! My new website just went live at http://aimeebensonphotography.com and I’ll be renovating this dusty/rusty old blog to keep up!
This is a big week in the Benson household! Three years ago yesterday, my tornado twins arrived at 2:50 in the morning! They were big babies for twins, and they were outstandingly healthy and hearty babes.
Now, three years later, they are goofy and inquisitive little boys, and I am so blessed to have these adorable little guys in my life, so I thought I’d share three-year-old photos of the dudes. Enjoy!
My three year old Roman!
My three year old Joel!
We’ll be celebrating this weekend with cake and candles and all kinds of goodness, and should resume blogging sessions in the next couple of weeks!
This is the smile that slays me. My Joejoe is a special kid. He’s got a heart the size of Jupiter, and a voice like a mouse. He is quite shy, but has the most incredible sense of humor. I have many photos of him guffawing or giggling with a huge grin, but this little smirk, this is the smile that hints at the great things he wants to say, someday.
It’s smile week at I heart faces! Head over to iheartfaces.com to see more smiles!
This week’s theme at I Heart Faces is “best face of 2010″ and well, I couldn’t choose one face, so I chose two–in the same photo. Any mom of twins can tell you how hard it is to get a photo of both twins looking into the camera and smiling. Yet that day, as they clowned around inside a big laundry basket, that’s exactly what happened. It may go into the books as my favorite photo ever, but certainly my favorite of 2010. No, it’s not technically perfect, but it is those two sweet, silly faces, looking straight into the camera and smiling. Bliss.
Head over to iheartfaces.com to see more ”best faces” of 2010.
Looking back, I must say it has been a wonderful year for me as a photographer. I’ve photographed some truly beautiful people, I’ve learned so much about my own craft (and I never stop learning!) and I’m just so grateful to those who have graciously mentored me. I am so thrilled with the direction my photography is taking me in 2011, and can’t wait to share it with all of you. Much love to my friends, my colleagues, my vendors, oh, just everyone. We’ll have an even greater year to come!
