Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ

Friday, April 29, 2011

A Royal Day...

I was so ready to get my bum out of bed at 3:00am this morning to watch The Royal Wedding, so tell me why me alarm failed me!!??  I woke up at 5:25am and turned on the TV to see the boys choir singing.  William and Kate had already said their vows and everything!  I can't believe I missed her entrance... ugh!!  I remember watching Diana's entrance to her wedding, when I was about 8 yrs old, and thinking she looked just like Cinderella, (she had the carriage and everything).  I also remember thinking how long and boring the whole thing was until.... the "balcony scene."  The first time a royal couple kissed on the balcony after their ceremony.

While William and Kate's ceremony had much of the same boring traditions, it also had a little modern flare to it; which I was once again drawn to.  I love that Kate's dress looked like a modern version to that of Princess Grace.  Grace Kelly had an elegance about her that I have not seen again until now... Kate definitely has it.  The thing I love about these two is how wonderfully in love they are with one another.  Little glances, blushing, and giggles between them... that is how it should be.  It is too bad that Diana and Charles did not know that kind of love with each other.  I could almost see Diana there, in the front row, smiling from ear to ear, (not too many things made her smile like that, but I know this would have).  I believe that she and Kate would have been the best of friends, and I believe Diana was watching the whole thing joyfully from above.

I just had to post about this wedding... it is history after all.  Now, I need to get back to work.  I have much to do before my very own "Prince" gets home.  =)  My wonderful and loving hubby, Scott, has been out of town on business all week.  I get to pick him up from the airport at 8:00pm tonight, (in about 30 minutes)... woo hoo!!!  The newlyweds won't be the only ones celebrating their love tonight... I know, I know, TMI!!  LOL

See Ya'll Soon!


Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography

P.S. Oh yeah! I now have a business phone line.  =)  817.490.0331  Yay! 

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Getting up and Running

My blog was calling out to me tonight as it feels neglected and empty.  I'm so sorry my dear blog... please forgive me.  Okay, that was my moment of drama.  Now on to reality.  Friday, April 22nd was my official last day in Corporate America... Yay!!  On Easter Sunday I took lots of photos of my family which I will post shortly to my Facebook and Flickr pages.  It was so much fun and I loved every second spent with my family.

On Monday, I dove right into getting my photography business up and running.  I began work on a website, (I'm finding that a very challenging task), and yesterday had a business land line put in my home.  I have 4 possible bookings, (with people I use to work with), that I'm going to try and schedule for May to get me started off.  I'm starting light because I want to get my website working in full swing before I begin booking shoots full time.  I even got new editing software, so now my photos will be even more amazing!  =)  

Today I went to see my Mom in the hospital.  She went in on Tuesday morning because she could not stop getting sick and she ended up in surgery to remove several hernias; including one that was making its way through her intestine.  No more picking up the Great Grand-babies Mom!!!!!  I told her she was very lucky she didn't bust her gut wide open before she was able to get treatment.  Praise God!  We are all very thankful that they caught it in time.  She is doing very well and was beginning her physical therapy when we left.  I believe she gets to go home in about 3 or 4 more days.  Thank you, Jesus, that everything is okay.

My hubby has been out of state all week on business, but will be home tomorrow night. Yippie!!!  I miss him so much!  I am so proud of Scott for really taking the initiative at work and becoming a true leader.  My Grand-baby, Gracie, just stopped by my room to say goodnight.  As she ran out the door I said, "love you" and I heard her yell back, "love you too" from down the hall.  That is the first time I have heard her say that!  My Grand-babies are the sweetest in the world.  I will have some great pictures of them coming up too.  I did their photo shoot the weekend before Easter.  I'm a little backed up on my photo processing because I wanted to wait for my new software, but now I will be working around the clock for the next few days to get it all done.  Speaking of which, I had better get back to work before my boss fires me... oh yeah... I am the boss!! LOL  I love it!!  =)  

See ya'll soon!

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography

Monday, April 18, 2011

Follow Me!!!!!

This is officially my "Follow Me" campaign. Okay, here is the deal... I know there a lot of you out there that read my blog when I post.  However, I still feel a bit lonely because I don't "see" many followers.  If you enjoy reading my blog regularly, please click on the "Follow" symbol for this blog.  By doing this, you will stay up to date with my all my "goings on" and any "events" I may schedule.  

Also, if you like my blog, please share it on your Facebook and/or Twitter news feed.  And don't forget to leave comments for me, (especially when I ask for feedback on my pictures or blog content), as this is the only way I will be able to gauge what parts of my blog you guys like the best.  

Thanks!!!!!!!   =)

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Excited!!!!!

Okay, so I finished working on my co-worker's, (her name is Sheenah), photos yesterday and took her the proofs last night.  I was so nervous and afraid she would not like them.  However, when I handed her the proofs I heard the "Screech of Joy!" LOL   She loved them!  I was so relieved, and she said she wants to use me to do photos with her entire family, (brothers, sisters, parents...etc.).  Yay!!  =)  What a boost of confidence that has given me.  Thank you Sheenah!!!

Tomorrow morning I have an Easter photo shoot with Scarlett, Cameron, and my grand-babies!  In the afternoon I have a shoot with my best friend Jennifer and her family.  I totally love this business!!  The more I do, the more I want to do... it's so addicting. 

I continue to work on my website.  I hope to get it done very soon as I will have more time to work on it after this week.  What?? Remember in one of my lasts post when I said I had some things coming up?  Well, one of those things is that I will no longer be with my employer as of April 22nd.  Yep, no more stress of Corporate America!!  I'm so excited!  Now I will have more time to home school Cheyenne and work my business.  My husband continues to do well at this company, so big things are coming for him as well, (more on that later).    ;)  

Our future looks bright and it's all because God is blessing us in so many wonderful ways.  I know the Lord will continue to take care of us if we just trust and depend on Him.  And that is exactly what we plan to do.  I must admit that I have not been in prayer and the Word as much I should be, but am working on changing that.  Jesus will always be #1 in my heart, and it's time for me to show that to Him more.  I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to follow my dreams, have my own business, and be my own boss.  

I can't wait for tomorrow!  Check back for a sneak peak of tomorrow's shoots....

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell 
Crystal Campbell Photography

Friday, April 15, 2011

TGIF!!!!!

I have the day off work today, so I'm writing early.  =)  I just finished editing the pictures from my shoot with my co-worker and her family.  I am so nervous!  I'm going to take the proofs to them this afternoon, so they can choose which ones they want.  I was so nervous at this shoot that I totally forgot a lot of photographer "don't s."  I also tend to rush things when I'm nervous, so I will continue to work on these issues.  I am also now very anxious to get some workshops under my belt... the more I learn, the less I'll screw up. LOL  I don't really think I screwed up.  Sometimes I'm a bit hard on myself.  I think it is because I expect more out of myself than anyone else does.  Wanna see a sneak peak?? Okay... tell me what you think.  Don't be afraid.  I promise it will not hurt my feelings.  I welcome constructive criticism, (just don't be ugly about it).  Here ya go!  


I have a few more photo shoots coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I'll be posting more photos along the way.  

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

So Much To Tell....

Well... there has been so much going on lately that I just do not know where to start.  Okay, let's start with the photo shoot I was supposed to have on Sunday, April 3rd.  My husband and I went to meet my mom, niece, and her kiddos at Town Lake in McKinney for their April shoot.  However, it turns out that my niece had a prior commitment and could not make it and, since she was borrowing my parents car, neither could they.  So we decided to reschedule for May, and I got some photo time with the little critters at the park before heading back home.  It was all good.  I will post some of those pics here shortly.

My April 10th photo shoot went a bit better.  It was with a girl I work with, her hubby, their crazy cute little boy, and their brand new baby Cocker Spaniel.  It was so much fun!  I was so nervous that I think I might have been a bit too conservative though.  I want to give my clients room for ideas of their own; however, I shouldn't just leave them waiting for instructions either.  I need to figure out how to direct a shoot without feeling like I'm being too bossy or pushy.  Any suggestions from any pros out there????  


Okay... on a not-so-better note, things at work have been getting worse by the day.  There is just no pay high enough to deal with the kind of abuse we have to take on a daily basis.  I really don't like getting screamed at for something I have no control over, can't do anything about, and can't even defend myself over, (all though I wouldn't really be defending myself).  Anyway, I also cannot sleep at night knowing what is going on "behind the scenes" at this company.  Well, at least in my department.  My husband doesn't seem to have these types of issues in his department.  Scott is doing really good with this company.  I'm very happy for him and I hope it will lead to big things in his future.  However, my time there is up... I handed in my 2 weeks last Monday.  My official last day will be April 22nd.  No worries though, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.  I have some other "irons in the fire" so to speak... (more on those later).  


So, all in all, it has been a pretty busy, stressful, and confusing month for me.  Hopefully, I will begin to get some clarity come April 22nd.  =)   I hope all you guys out there are having a much better day, week, month than I am... LOL   Oh yeah, since I have so many things coming up I may not be able to post everyday, all though I will try.  But I will post at least once a week.  So please keep checking back, because you never know what will happen next in Mi Vida Loca.  LOL


Oh wait... I have one more bit of exciting news!  I lost another 3 lbs last week so all together, since January, I've lost 22 lbs.!!!!!  Yea Me!!  Actually, Yea God.  There is no way I could be changing my lifestyle, eating habits, and sticking to my exercise routine without His strength.  Thank you, Jesus!!  =)


See You Soon!!!  Check back regularly!


Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography
 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Feeling Better

What a time I've been having the past several days.  Where do I begin?  Remember that medicine I said I was thinking about not taking???  Well, thanks to that, (and all the stress at work), I found myself in the ER on Friday morning.  Last week I was progressively getting worse and worse until I just couldn't take it any longer.  I knew my blood pressure was high Friday morning at work, but I held out as long as I could, then finally left around 11:00am. My doctor's office closes at noon on Fridays, so I went to the urgent care.  The urgent care doctor sent me to the ER.  The ER doctor asked me some questions, ran some tests, and lo and behold... what did I hear????  A doctor agreeing with me!!  The ER doctor said since I had already lost a bit of weight, (21 lbs to be exact), that perhaps I should not have been placed on the Medforman for diabetes.  

It seems I have my blood sugar under control with my diet and exercise plan already.  I was super happy!!!  =)  I stopped taking it right away and let me tell you... this whole week I have felt better than ever before!! Doctor's are great, but even they can make mistakes.  The moral of this story???  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  If the doctor is telling you to take a med, and you feel worse than before, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  And vice versa... If you know that you are sick, but the doctor says nothing is wrong, and you don't get any better... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!! I cannot emphasize this enough... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  Nobody on this Earth knows your body as well as you do.

Needless to say, I've been doing great and sticking to my healthy eating and walking 2 miles a day plan.  I'm also taking some steps to reduce the stress in my life, (more to come on that later).  Anyway, I am very tired tonight so I'm off to bed... Good Night.

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography


P.S. Not sure if I will get a chance to post tomorrow.  If not, then Thursday I will write about what happened with the photo shoot I had scheduled for this past Sunday... hmmm... stay tuned.  =)