Introducing...........

Y'all, I am so excited to finally be able to share this with you!

Many of you have seen my new logo on Facebook, and the caption reads: "Getting ready to launch the website" Well, it's that time!

Before I share the direct link with you, please note the following:

ONE:
 I will NEVER be able to repay my Nannie (or Aunt, or Stephanie - however you may address her) for everything she has done for me with the website. I did NOTHING but provide the information, and she worked her magic from there. She did an outstanding job, and it's exactly what I wanted. Simple, easy, and it expresses exactly the style that I like. I am so blessed and thankful for having her. She has dealt with a lot in dealing with me. She'll tell you that I'm hard to please, but she is incredibly talented (and patient!) in the work she does, and her work is always wonderful. So, thank you, Nannie! I love you! :)

TWO:
 There are still minor things to be done on the website. The "portfolio" only has two slides for now, but I plan on fixing that ASAP.

THREE: 
 This website will be where you view your sessions, so please bookmark it on your browser. I will give you more in depth detail on how to do this once your session is posted.

FOUR:
 If you have any questions about pricing, there is a page for that ON the website. Check the tabs at the bottom right of the page. If you still have questions, feel free to email me at: shutteredsmiles@aol.com

FIVE:
 If you go by, please sign the guestbook! I would love to hear what you think, as well as know that you stopped by!



I am so excited to be sharing this with you today! Thank you all for your continued support. Your words keep me going.

Here is the link!

Shuttered Smiles Photography

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to ALL of you who entered my giveaway! I am looking forward to the next one! :) 

This month's winner goes to: 

Brooke

who commented on Facebook! 

Thanks again for entering, and keep checking back to see when the next one will be! 

Also, go "Like" my Facebook if you haven't already! 

Happy Memorial Day!

GIVEAWAY!

As many of you know, I hit a painting spree last year during the summer. I painted most of the day and throughout some nights. I enjoyed spending my time doing that. It was therapeutic for me. That's actually one of the reasons I created the Facebook page, but that soon turned into strictly a "Photog" website. 

Anyway! I have many frames that I still have, and if I don't GIVE THEM AWAY they will just collect dust. I'd rather know someone was enjoying them.

Which brings me to my next point... 

For the next couple of months (of Summer) and maybe on into the Fall, I will be giving away some frames that I have made up already. I want you to have them because my room is flooded by frames, and these need a place to go. 

This month's giveaway is in honor of Memorial Day. 

I love America, 

I love supporting America,

and I love people who love to support America! 

:)

This frame is obviously red, white, and blue. 

In the center there is a 4x6 vertical frame. 

Here are the rules to enter!

(take note - this is my first giveaway, so rules are subject to change.)

1. Leave a comment stating your favorite part about being an American or living in America. AND your email address under your signature (so I can contact you if you win).

2. For a SECOND entry -- Post a Facebook, Blog, or Tweet (@shuttered_smile) saying that you entered the giveaway - *add the blog link so others can enter too.

3. 2 entries (rule 1 and 2) PER person. If more than two are added, you will be disqualified. 

4. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE in the States.

5. Optional: "follow" this blog so that you will be aware of the upcoming giveaways! 

:)

Now, I know this is only the first one and many people may not enter, but I thought it would be fun. I know I don't host a "million-viewer blog", but MANY of you have been so faithful to me by supporting whatever it is that I do, and take this as my way of thanking you. I can't ever repay you for the way that you've blessed me, but consider this a token of my appreciation.

 I will generate a winner through Random.org. I hope that you will participate and tell your friends too. Each month the frames will be different, and each month you will answer a different question. I will post the winner of this giveaway either Thursday or over the weekend.  

The contest will close on May 26, which is next thursday at 8pm.

So, what are you waiting for? 

What's your favorite part about being an American or living in America? 

SummerSummary.

Summer is many things to me.

It is peace.

It is relaxation.

It is remembrance of the past.

Summer causes character building.

It is the beginning and end of relationships.

It is the heartbeat of you and I.

Summer is the mother that rears our relationships.

It is the counselor that mends the torn.

It is the hoarder of secrets during the nights.

And although this summer is bound to be different,

I look forward to the changes - and the things that stay the same.

Under Construction....

I have some news that I can't wait to share with you soon, but until then I wanted you to know how THANKFUL I am for my Nannie (Stephanie Agnew).

She has been extremely patient with me over the last few days as we tried to come up with a new Profile Logo & Watermark to use on my photos that I display. It's not easy to work with me when I have something on my mind because I become extremely meticulous, but she was SO incredibly patient, and she delivered exactly what I had in mind! I am so thankful & blessed to have her - for more than one reason!

Thank you, Nannie! I am so in love with both, and you did an amazing job. I'm excited to see what else happens within the next few weeks! ;) & I can't wait to share it with ya'll!

If you haven't already, go check out my Facebook "Like" page & see for yourself.

Also, you can follow my Photog twitter to get updates about sessions, news, and other things going on as far as my Photog life is concerned!

Thanks so much!

Christmastime...

Okay!

I have been going over & over in my head how to say this where it will make sense, work out, and end well. I haven't come up with any direct quotes, so I'm just going to type my mind.

Last December I was working to get edits done (literally) until the week OF Christmas, and that put a serious hustle on folks getting their cards sent out/photos printed/gifts wrapped.

What I have come up with for this year is that  NO SESSIONS WILL BE DONE DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. 

I know how crazy that must seem, but if you schedule your session early (NOTE: I'm not saying right this minute, but you can if you want to, ha!) then once December comes - you won't have this to worry about. I am just going to try this out for this year & see how it goes. It may be a total failure, but I hope that this would benefit you as much as it I'm thinking it will for all parties involved.

For those of you who are concerned about forgetting to schedule early, message me on my personal (Facebook) page, and I will put your name on a list to remind you.

As far as I know now, Thanksgiving break is open for option. This is subject to change, but for now - Lord willing - I see no reason that I won't be available.

Also, most importantly, I want you all to know that this was not put upon me because of one certain person. I enjoy the time I spend with you during sessions and the time I spend editing. I don't want you to think that I had a bad experience with any of you.

Thank you in advance for understanding.

If you have the slightest question, please feel free to contact me! You won't be a bother, and I will be glad to talk with you.

baseball brotherhood.

In a small town during this time of the year, there's usually only one place that you can find mostly anyone you're looking for. They won't be downtown shopping or uptown eating sushi because let's be real: do we even have an "up" town versus a "down" town?

They will all be in the same area, lined up singled filed across the home dugout fence. They will more than likely have on basically the same colors, and they will be thinking about nothing more than what's going on for the next 7 innings.

the kids are runnin' around barefoot with dirt all over their britches and a powerade mustache on their upper lip. They'll be this team one day, and their hearts race at the thought of it as they line the fence from behind the plate, sticking their tiny little fingers through the circles of metal & peaking their eyes onto the game of the hour.

It doesn't mean much to some, but to others it's one less game their boy will play. 

One less out.

One less inning.

One less catch.

One less throw.

One less hit.

One less run.

One less game.

you see, around here they've been taught to play every game they're apart of with heart, passion, and to the best of their ability. They keep the fact that their brotherhood is still holdin' them all together at the end of the day in the back of their minds, and while it's sometimes tough to pick up & move on from a loss - this team does it. 

It may not be instantly, but realizing their mistakes and promising to correct them happens pretty quick after the third out of the final inning has been marked on the scoreboard.

I've realized through being out of high school that all the people who told me "enjoy this, you won't ever have a bond like this again" were right. Even though I've maintained a close relationship with a lot of my high school friends, the sports aspect of it would never be the same without the girls that I grew up playing with.

These boys have shared this dirt their whole lives. The same ball has been in all of their gloves. The sweat has poured down the back of their matching jerseys. Their very own bats have gripped the hands of home run hitters. Their dugout holds laughter, yelling, tears, disappointment, happiness, and bonds that only these boys know about.

The "said to be" story behind it all is:

At the end of the day, as the dust settles from home plate and the sun sinks further behind the feet of the water tower, "life goes on". 

"Life goes on" to be more than just a baseball game or a seven inning back & forth between two rival teams. It goes on to fulfill life's greater achievements, ones that far surpass catching a ball or throwing the winning pitch. 

Isn't that what people say who don't understand an unconditional love for a sport?

Sure, life very well may go on. But part of life's greatest memories have been made on this field while parents & grandparents stand along side the fence telling stories & reminiscing of their days on this stomping ground. These games, as well as any other related high school sport, build conversations for years to come. 

I bet every one of these boys can remember a game they'll never forget. It's branded in their brain, and it's stuck with them forever. 

Just because life forces you to grow up, doesn't mean you have to forget about the things that made you happy for 13 years, and just because you have to face the reality of life doesn't mean you should ever let them tell you that this game isn't (or wasn't) important. It's taught you a valuable lesson about respect, honor, courage, discipline, and friendship - all aspects of life that you may not have excelled in without a sport to condition you.

It's guided your character in some way, form, or fashion into being what it is today.

Take that, along with your upbringing & your faculty,

& never forget what led you to being the person you are today because of it.

..and always remember to 

thank God for the opportunities he allows you to be a part of each & every single day. 

Without Him you are nothing, and without Him you can do nothing.