My thoughts on pregnancy thus far:

• I’m hungry ALL the time. You’d think it would be great to get to eat a lot more, but it’s actually really exhausting. Just when I finish cleaning up the kitchen I’m hungry again and have to start all over. Not to mention the slight embarrassment of having to get back in line (i.e. at Rubio’s) to order just one more taco.
• I’ve had approximately 12 zits my whole life, 8 of them were in the last few months.
• Feeling the baby move is the coolest and strangest feeling ever.
• Watching my husband’s face feeling the baby move is the sweetest feeling ever.
• We are super excited to find out the gender of our baby! So much so that we thought we’d spread the joy by letting you in all the fun…

So here are all the giveaway details:

First things first…

THE PRIZE:

• A FREE session. Yes, completely free
• Your favorite 20 high-resolution images on a CD!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Go to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/cristiowenphoto

2. Click the Like button

3. Leave a comment on the wall with your guess if we are having a girl or a boy

One entry per person. Yes, you and your fiancee can each have a separate entry. And if your mom, neighbor, cousin and co-worker want to help you out, they can each have an entry and if they win, they can give you the prize. Or keep it for themselves ;)

Entries must be received by midnight on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14, 2012) AZ time.

WINNERS:

All of those with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing.

Winner will be announced Feb 15 on my blog and on Facebook.

A FEW OTHER RULES:

The session must be booked at least 10 days prior to the session date

Sessions cannot be rescheduled

Session must take place by April 1 2012 (based on my availability at the time session is booked)

Sessions will last one hour

Session must take place within 30 miles of Chandler, AZ

Anyone can enter. Past clients, new clients, current clients, family, friends, other photographers. There are no rules here :).

So tell us! What do you think? Boy or Girl? Click here: www.facebook.com/cristiowenphoto

So excited for a new year to start!  2011 was a complicated year. After almost 8 years of marriage we decided it might be a good time to grow our little family and after almost 4 years of owning my photography business, I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would have been. This little combo proved to be a lot more complicated than one might have anticipated.

Everyone knows I love my business, but after almost 4 years of working from home all by myself all day long I started to feel pretty lonely. And then I felt guilty. I had the job of my dreams and I wasn’t happy. Major guilt. I still loved my clients and the job I get to do, but I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I had and was desperately longing for some personal connections. The opportunity to work as an associate photographer for a friend came along and it seemed like the perfect solution to all my problems. I could still photograph as many weddings overall as I have in previous years, but have half the amount of the work on weekdays. I decided to take on half as many of my own weddings as I usually do to allow time for a social life (and in preparation for maybe a baby some day soon), as well as pursue some other interests. Even though we got all set up, I never actually got to work for her. Which I think it turned out to be a very good thing. First, it taught me that it’s ok to not have every idea or plan work out. Even if it sounds like a really great thing, maybe it’s just not meant to be. And most importantly, as I now reflect on what would have been, I’ve learned that what I love is not to just create images, but my passion is to form relationships with my clients and then create images for them.  And this little ‘discovery’ makes me so excited for 2012! It’s the core of my business goals for next year and I can’t wait to meet and get to know the couples and love stories I will get the honor of documenting over the next 12 months. I’m also happy to focus back into my own business 100% and give my clients the best wedding photography experience! I’ve been working hard on some changes and improvements and I’m so happy with how it’s all coming along!

Now on the home front, after a failed attempt at growing our little family, we are very excited to be expecting a little bundle of joy to arrive at the end of June. I’m still going to keep my maximum amount of weddings the same as 2011 which proved to be the perfect balance between giving each of my clients a lot of attention and also having time for my friends and family.

Speaking of balance, 2011 was the year I went back to yoga and it felt SO good! I’m not by any means a yogi, but I love the journey of trying to get there. And although it’s not very yoga-like to hold on to things or feelings from the past, I’m really excited to brag about the fact that I finally conquered scorpion pose. Sure, it may only have been two times, but it felt so good! It’s hard to explain how a physical accomplishment can do so much for your mind, but it totally does. If you’ve never tried yoga before, I highly recommend it! Find a good studio and it will change your body and your mind.

So besides a few struggles and some failures, 2011 was a pretty awesome year! I learned more balance, had a great time with friends and family, made some pretty incredible new friends (Hi, Megan!), photographed fantastic weddings of truly remarkable couples, worked with the greatest wedding vendors and traveled to some really extraordinary places.

Here are a few of 2011 Kodak moments:

A BYOP (Bring Your Own Pool) Party at my house:

Camping in Pinetop with my husband’s cousins:A perfect trip to Costa Rica with Tom and Trisha:

An amazing time in New York with my hubby:

And some other fun trips to Sedona, Florida, Vegas, San Diego and Montana! But I just realized those photos are on my laptop which is currently waiting for Apple to send its new battery. Oops!

Here’s to 2012 and all that it brings, including the best news ever that my family is moving back to Arizona! I’m so happy!!