On this very day one year ago, my life changed. I’ll be honest, I was in the middle of figuring out my life. After taking a trip to Portland, Oregon back in 2011, I was determined to move out of Texas in 2012. I wasn’t completely happy with my life and honestly wanted to find love… or for love to find me. I just felt like I had to look somewhere other than Texas. I knew I wanted to pursue photography full time, but I wasn’t quite ready for it mentally or financially.I had a pretty good paying job working full time for the State, but I absolutely hated it. I hated it more than anything. I was treated horribly there. I had been working there for the past 5 and almost going on 6 years. At the beginning of last year, I was determined to start making plans for turning my career into a full time photographer. I wound up not even working when I was at my old job or taking it seriously anymore. I was constantly hassled by tons of supervisors and management. I had meeting after meeting asking me why I wasn’t doing my job, and my response to them was that I did not like my job, it wasn’t what I loved to do, and I didn’t want to work for someone who treated me bad. I was literally told by one of my supervisors that going to school wasn’t going to get me anywhere in life and that I didn’t have any greener pastures headed my way. Yeah… that’s the Food Stamp & Medicaid department of the state of Texas for ya.

So, what I wound up doing was just working on to-do lists at that job for preparations on taking my part-time job of photography full time. I was reading articles and just getting myself inspired. My goal… was to just love my life and accept nothing but the best into my life. On July 16, 2012, one of the lists I made was actually for my own life. On that list, I wrote out a description of the woman I would want in my life one day. The very next day, which is today one year ago, I went out to assist a photographer friend on a shoot. And wouldn’t you know, there was a cute makeup artist there helping out her friend, the model. I’ll admit that in my head, I was telling myself to not talk to her because I wanted to focus on my life and who ever I would meet where ever I was going to move to. Lol. But she made a comment about my Beirut shirt, and I was head over heals already. We met the day after for drinks and I was pretty much in love and in complete shock. Everything that I described and wrote down that described the kind of woman I wanted in my life, Amanda just fell into every description. I instantly fell in love. Soon after, I was fired from my job. I took it as a sign from God that I was to begin my the life I wanted. I had met the woman of dreams and I was being pushed to pursue my love for photography full time. She knew what I wanted to do with my life and she totally supported me the whole way of me starting up my business full time. There was a good couple of months where I was literally only eating Ramen for lunch and dinner everyday.

Amanda is just a complete blessing and I don’t know where I would be in life without her love and support. I have never felt so loved by anyone in my life. She has made me a better man and gave me the strength to pursue my love of photography. Life is just one ripple effect. It amazes me how things just fall into place in life. So many different things had to happen in order for us to wind up at this place in time. I’m grateful everyday that I have everyone in my life who loves me, for my talent, and for everyone who hires me.

This whole blog entry was just inspired by what Amanda gave me for our 1 year anniversary of meeting each other. The day, both of our lives changed forever. She gave me a package full of random letters that she had been writing me since the day after my birthday (February 3rd) this year. She even wrapped it exactly how I plan on giving my clients their products and gifts. So, I may have to just get her to wrap and decorate them for me. Plus, she surprised me with a 1 hour massage at a spa. I just thought I’d share a glimpse into my life and how happy I am. If I had to give anyone advice, it would be to just follow your dreams and do what you love. When you do, you’ll attract everything you could possible imagine and want in your life.