2014 was definitely a wonderful fresh start for me after dealing with the hardships I faced in 2013. I made a lot of great decisions for my life in 2014 and have never been happier. My business grew a lot in 2014 and I also trained Emily to take over shooting boudoir at The Boudoir Vixen. She has learned SO unbelievably quick and being able to pass that torch has been one of life’s greatest blessings for me. It has allowed me to be able to focus on bettering the business in other areas. It has given me the time to do other things that I have been wanting to work on. And it has also allowed me to focus on a brand new business that I have been working on for the past year and a half. (More on that in 2015!) In 2014, I added a new addition to my fur baby family. Sushi, my Scottish fold kitten has been an additional joy in this past year. I originally got him so that Mischa (my black lab) could have a friend but he has truly turned into so much more than that. I traveled to England, Paris, NYC and California this year. Some for work, some for play. All in all, I loved this year.

As always, I want to say thank you to each and every one of our clients in 2014. You have all been amazing and I would not be who I am without you. Thank you for your constant support and love. I am so grateful for every single one of you. And I look forward to meeting all of our clients in 2015.

As I say in every single one of these posts, never stop living your dream. Never stop fighting for the absolute best life you can have. Dreams do come true if you work super hard for them and if you have a great and positive outlook on life. Seriously, a great attitude and perspective will take you SO far in life. I know this for a fact. No matter what happens or who tries to tear you down, don’t let them. Be strong, be courageous. There is so much beauty in life and SO much to live for.

If you would like to read a very real post I wrote on my personal blog at the end of last year, click here.

Happy New Year!

xo
Courtney

To read 2009’s end of the year post, click here.
To read 2010’s end of the year post, click here.
To read 2011’s end of the year post, click here.
To read 2012’s end of the year post, click here.

PS. Stay tuned for January 12th of next year. I have some seriously HUGE news to share with you guys about some big changes that will be happening in my life. Can’t wait!

Me and my little team on Emily’s wedding day earlier this year:

2012 was an amazing year. It was a year of hard work and hard lessons. I learned a lot in 2012. Some of it was fun, some of it wasn’t. This last year I met some amazing people and I accomplished some big goals. I had so many proud moments in this year and I look forward to pushing myself even more in 2013 to become better than ever.

One of the things I am most grateful for every day of my life is God’s unfailing love. It truly never fails… never stops. He never gives up on me and it truly blows my mind. He is so gracious and patient. Even when I am not perfect, he is there to pick me up and hold me. If it weren’t for him, I would be nothing. I could not possibly express in words how blessed I feel simply to be called his child. He plays a huge role in the woman I am, and the business I run. I really owe him my all.

My business grows every year and I couldn’t be more grateful for my clients and the many opportunities that have come my way. I absolutely love what I do and my passion only grows each and every year for my love of art with weddings and boudoir. I have enjoyed every moment I have spent with every client in 2012. You all mean more to me than you realize and I will forever cherish the memories we created together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me and believing in me.

I look forward to 2013 and working with all of my fabulous clients!

I also look forward to meeting my next assistant. Eek, yes, I am hiring again. But shhh, more on that after the new year. ; )

To read 2009’s end of the year post, click here.
To read 2010’s end of the year post, click here.
To read 2011’s end of the year post, click here.

I leave you with a small snapshot of 2012! Happy New Year to you all.

So, prepare yourself.

This is me, making sure every hair is just perfect.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

“Okay, now put your hand softly on his face…”
Location: Negril, Jamaica

“Okay, now you go over there. Now guys, give me your GQ faces.”
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

Meet Deirdre… one of my amazing second shooters.
Location: Aruba

I ask Deirdre quite often to stand in a place that I want to see what the light is looking like there. Sometimes she has a hard time just being normal.
Location: Glynn, Louisiana

Oh New Orleans.
Location: New Orleans, La

Photo bomb!
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

Shooting in snow was absolutely FREEZING, but still one of my favorite things I have done.
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

Camera, bouquet and veil all in hand. Yes, sometimes I have to do it all.
Location: Lafayette, La

Do you see me?
Location: New Orleans, La

Deirdre is a great veil fixer.
Location: Lafayette, La

“Do it like Bernie, do it like Bernie” – loved this moment with my awesome bride.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

Meet Michael, another one of my awesome second shooters.
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

He is really good at fixing dresses.
Location: Avery Island, La

See, he knows how to do it well.
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

He even knows how to carry them superbly.
Location: Lafayette, La

I truly love what I do.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

Michael is really great at making sure the grooms look perfect too.
Location: Negril, Jamaica

Sometimes we help out the grooms when the tie is tricky.
Location: Ponchatoula, La

No matter how cold it is, I am going to make sure your photos are perfect.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

I am really good at making little tiny flower girls smile too.
Location: Livingston, La

We are always there, capturing those special moments on your big day.
Location: White Castle, La

Do you see me? Or are my invisible ninja skills working?
Location: Darrow, La

“Alright guys, serious faces!”
Location: Baton Rouge, La

Me: “Hey go sit over there and let me test the light.” Him: “Come see how good looking I am.”
Location: Livingston, La

This is what we call wrong place, wrong time. No worries, I got the shot in the next frame. Also, did you notice? The bride is our Deirdre!
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

“Here let me help you out with that thing.”
Location: Baton Rouge, La

Michael: “let me show you how it’s done” – Deirdre: “teach me oh wise one”
Location: Baton Rouge, La

That’s me, rocking it in high heels. You can tell me I’m awesome now.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

This little girl came right up to me and wanted to dance. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever.
Location: New Orleans, La

Deirdre and I.
Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Like I said, she struggles with being normal sometimes. We still love her though.
Location: New Orleans, La

“I see you”
Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

“I see you too”
Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

People can’t help but like Michael.
Location: Lafayette, La

Deirdre, me and the 2 videographers making magic.
Location: Cabo, Mexico

We provide sweat towels when needed. You can call us full service photographers.
Location: Lafayette, La

I like to call this photo, “no one wanted to dance with me at prom”.
Location: New Orleans, La

Like I said, we do whatever it takes.
Location: Hammond, La

She’s an odd one… but at least she makes us laugh.
Location: Gonzales, La

“Testing one, two, three… over and out”
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

“She totally can’t see me behind this awesome chair” — can we say, CREEEEEPY?
Location: New Orleans, La

Capturing love, one frame at a time.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

I will do whatever it takes to get that perfect shot.
Location: Somewhere in Mexico

Do you see me?
Location: Covington, La

FAIL. (don’t worry, I got the shot in the next frame ; )
Location: Dixie, La

Welcome our newest team member. Or so she thought… I think she was trying to steal my job. Wedding crasher 101.
Location: Baton Rouge, La

FAIL. (Don’t worry, I got the shot in the next frame.)
Location: Baton Rouge, La

“I’m sexy and I know it… bop be de dom”
Location: Fluker, La

“Look into my lens… yessss!”
Location: Baton Rouge, La

“Daaaang that’s a nice shot!”
Location: Baton Rouge, La

I really and truly have so much fun with both Michael and Deirdre. We all make a great team.
Location: Darrow, La

“You two get close, and I will make this shot look perfect with my veil fixing skills”
Location: Lafayette, La

Seriously, I am just so blessed to have been given this gift… and amazing clients.
Location: Darrow, La

“You like my squinty eyes I make when I shoot?”
Location: Hammond, La

Making magic.
Location: Darrow, La

Do you see me?
Location: New Orleans, La

HEY THERE!
Location: Dixie, La

Dancing with my brides is one of my favorite things to do.
Locations: Aruba & Lafayette

Last but not least here is a behind the scenes shot in my studio of me and my other passion… boudoir. (To see more of this work go here: The Boudoir Vixen)
Location: The Boudoir Vixen

On a serious note:
I am so grateful for not only my wonderful clients, but for Michael and Deirdre. They have both been so great in helping me capture each of my couple’s love stories. We do have a lot of fun together… but ultimately, we make an awesome team. We love working together and it has been a fun journey to create lasting memories together. I will cherish these photos forever.

Children are truly such precious gifts. So innocent and sweet. So full of hope and love. They are truly a reminder of God’s love for us. I want you to meet Owen and Elliot. The funniest, smartest, cutest and most well behaved children.. ever. Truly beautiful blessings sent from God. These two little boys will make you laugh until your stomach hurts. Their cleverness will leave you amazed. And their sweet nature will make your heart melt.

I recently shot some photos of them as a Christmas surprise for their daddy. If you know me, I am obsessed with British culture. So I dressed them up like little Brits did back in day. And to make it even more perfect, their great grandmother is British. : ) I absolutely love how the outfits turned out – it couldn’t have been more perfect. Hope you enjoy these sweet photos that are so special to my heart.

Love,
CC

Brothers will be brothers. Even during photoshoots.

The photo below completely sums up Elliot’s personality. And I love it.

Seriously, beautiful children.

Owen is such a good older brother. He has a heart of gold.

 poem by: Lorayne Stevenson

One of my favorite things about this year was how much traveling I was blessed to to do. I visited SIX different countries in 2011!! WOW. Aruba, Peru, Jamaica, England, Italy and Mexico! Some of them were for work and some were for fun but I absolutely loved every moment of every single memory made. I was also able to travel all over the US this year which was equally fun. There is no doubt I have this little thing called a travel bug. I love it as much as I love photography. Truly obsessed with seeing as much of this beautiful planet God has given us.

I was so honored to have such INCREDIBLE clients this year from all over America. I wish I had the time to sit and write each of you a little message on this post of how blessed I am to have worked with each of you. But even if I did, there would and could never be enough of the right words to tell you how much I appreciate you. Yes you… beautiful souls. Thank you for believing in me and in return making me a better person and artist.

This year I am most grateful for what I learned and how I grew. I learned A LOT. Some of was easy and some of it was not. But I learned… and I grew. In my personal life, as a business owner and as an artist, I became a better ME. And that makes me feel good, real good… accomplished. A success in my own little world. I may not have done everything I wanted to do in 2011, but that’s okay. There is always next year. All that matters is that every year I get better and better in every aspect in my life. As long as I’m pushing forward and never giving up on my dreams, then I am on the right track.

2011 was SO good to me… God was so good to me, and is every single day of my life. I am so excited about 2012 and all that’s in store. I look forward to continuing to learn, grow and become the woman God has always intended me to be. No matter what comes my way, I will never stop striving to be a better Courtney. There is nothing and no one that can stand in my way. I will not fail. I will not let go of G0d’s promises. I will not ever give up. This is only the beginning.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

Read 2009’s blog post here.
Read 2010’s blog post here.

I will leave you with photos of one of my favorite rooms in my studio. My office. Every time I walk into this room, I am humbled… and reminded of how much God loves me. It’s my little room of love and inspiration and I am so grateful for every little nook and cranny.

To God be the glory for everything I am. Without HIM, I am nothing. He is my true inspiration.

Happy New Year to anyone reading this. Never give up, you are loved.

Dear INCREDIBLES – You are my heroes, my family and my friends. I love you SO much and I can’t wait to see you again. MUAH.

So the next set of photos were completely unplanned. Everyone was getting ready to start shooting in front of the water and all of the sudden a huge wave came to the shore and well… you’ll see what happened as I just kept snapping haha.

Hilarious no? They ended up using all 5 of those photos on the back of their Christmas card. SO FUNNY.

If you’d like to learn more about The Incredibles, ahem I mean the Barrigers and the work they do in Peru, you can visit their website www.lifemissions.com or the Spanish version at www.caminodevida.com.

Don’t let the evil side win. You are worth so much more than that. God created you and he made you beautiful. He has things planned for you that you cannot even fathom. Your future is so bright, so full of hope and love. If only you will just reach out and let him help you. Humble yourself. Let go of anger and bitterness. It’s not worth it. Let love in. Let God in.

I know Christmas is an amazingly beautiful time of year for most people. But there are so many hurting people in the world that for them, the holidays only add to their unhappiness and depression. I am writing this today to encourage anyone who might be hurting… don’t let go. There is always hope.

Merry Christmas.

From the deepest and most sincere part of my heart,
Courtney

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.  -Deuteronomy 31:6

I will leave you with one of my favorite songs by the band Red. It’s called Not Alone.

Slowly fading away
You’re lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold
Looking for a distant light
Someone who could save a life
You’re living in fear that no one will hear your cries
Can you save me now

I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won’t leave you I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
Cause your not, your not alone

Your heart is full of broken dreams
Just a fading memory
And everything’s gone but the pain carries on
Lost in the rain again
When will it ever end
The arms of relief seem so out of reach
But I, I am here

I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won’t leave you I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
Cause your not, your not alone

And I’ll be your hope when you feel like its over
And I will pick you up when your whole world shatters
And when you’re finally in my arms
Look up and see love has a face

I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won’t leave you I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
Cause you’re not, you’re not alone

And I will be your hope
And I will pick you up
And I will be your hope
And I will be your hope

Slowly fading away
Your lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold

Please check out the shop here: www.myinspiredlove.com

And today only use the code “cybermonday” to get 50% off any of the prints!!! Happy shopping! : )

I honestly don’t know how to express in words how much you mean to me. I know I tell you how much I appreciate you as often as I can, but I could never truly convey what a blessing you are in my life. I thank God all the time for bringing you to into my story… my life.

When you first came into the picture as my bride… you were completely wonderful from beginning to end. But it wasn’t until you began working for me that I truly realized what a special person you are. In getting to know you on a deeper level the past year and half, I have grown to cherish who you are more and more. Your soft, compassionate heart inspires me more than you realize. I love your passion for being the best version of yourself and I love your compassion for others in need. You are truly a beautiful person inside and out and it is a true blessing and joy to be able to work with you every day.

We have both been in past work situations where we weren’t appreciated or respected. I am so glad that we both appreciate one another because it is truly the reason why we have such an amazing work relationship AND friendship. I honestly sometimes have to pinch myself because I really cannot believe I am so blessed that you are in my life. You have made my life better in more ways than one and I hope you never forget how much I appreciate you.

I cherish all of the hard work you put in at the studio, all of the errands you run for me, all of laugh-til-we-cry moments, all of the treats you give my doggie, all of the encouraging words, and helpful suggestions. I love your drive to be the very best you can be at work. It is a rare quality that more people should possess. Your diligence, respect, honesty, appreciation, passion, drive, selflessness, happiness, maturity, positive attitude and so much more are all things I am incredibly grateful for. I appreciate every part of you Deirdre!

I really could go on and on, but simply put… you are evidence of God’s wondrous love for me. It blows my mind that He loves me THAT much to send me such a wonderful person, you. You should know that I am so so blessed by God, that you are in my life. I so look forward to all God has planned for us both. I know this is only the beginning and I am proud to have you as part of my business and my life. Never forget how much I appreciate you and how loved you are by so many.

Love,
Me

After spending time in Italy, I hopped on a plane to London from Verona. My lovely friend Teresa picked me up and we headed to her home in Debenham, which is where I stayed for most of the time I was there. She was sweet enough to take me around to see some villages and towns I hadn’t seen on my last trip. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photos from my time there. : )

And by the way, you can see my past trip to England in four parts:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

For my last couple of days in England, I spent them in my favorite big city: LONDON

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!