Happy!! =)

Guess what??  I booked my 1st photo shoot for April!  Woo Hoo!!!  I'm so excited... also, my best friend called today and wants to set one up as well.  Here I go!!  I have so much to do... I just hope I can pull this off.  Have you ever loved doing something so much that it would devastate you to learn that you were no good at it after all???  That's where my fear is coming from.  I haven't ever really put myself out there like this before.  I have kept my talents hidden all my life because I was afraid of rejection.  I guess the older I get, the more brave I become??? Or maybe I just care less about what people think??? LOL  

Okay, I have some of the pictures ready from our trip to San Antonio last month.  No one has seen them yet, (not even my husband), but I'm going to give you guys a sneak peak at a few.  I will put them at the bottom of this post.  Please comment on this post and let me know how you like them.  You can even vote for your favorite!  

My daughter is at Main Event with one of her friends, and my sweet hubby is on the couch not feeling very well.  I better go take care of him.  I hope he gets to feeling better, because he leaves for California on Monday.  He's going to see his daughter on her Sweet 16th Birthday.  =)  

Here are the pics I promised... don't forget to comment and vote!

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

I'm Back!!!

Wow!!  It has been a long time since I have posted anything... please accept my apologies for that.  We have had a rough few months as the switch in our department at work has been more stressful than I anticipated, a very close family member passed away unexpectedly, and I recently found out that my health is on the line.  However, things are settling down a bit at work and home so I will be posting again.  Yea!! 

First of all, things at work are going better now that I'm getting the hang of what we are doing, so I shouldn't be so stressed about that anymore.  Secondly, I went to the doctor last month for my yearly and was told that I now have diabetes... <<<big sigh>>>.  They warned me about this 3 years ago, but I didn't listen so I take full responsibility for it.  They started me on a medication that will help keep my sugar levels under control until I can lose some weight.  Let me tell you, that my fire has been lit!!!  I stopped all sugar and cut way back on the carbs.  I went in for my 1 month follow up this week and the doctor said that I had lost 8 lbs. so far and she is very optimistic that I won't need to be on meds very long if I keep doing what I'm doing because the diabetes will go away once I lose a lot of this weight.  Needless to say, I have been doing great on my new lifestyle change which includes healthy foods and walking 2 miles at least 3 times a week.  My husband and I are trying to work up to 2 miles everyday.  Anyway, I'm very excited about my future health.  I have never felt better in my life.  I can't tell you how much energy I have now!  When I took a step back and looked at what my eating habits have been all these years, I was not surprised that I now have diabetes.  My diet was 90% sugar and carbs... Wow!!  I now use Splenda in my tea and coffee, eat very few carbs during the day, (only whole wheat bread), and eat only protein and green veggies for dinner.  In fact, I eat a lot more protein now and it has been amazing.  I get full faster, don't need to eat as much, and do not feel the urge to snack.  It's great.

Okay, now to my photography.  I been out and about with my new love, (my Nikon D3000), and it has not disappointed!  I am in the process of working on the pics I've taken and will release them soon.  I have also begun booking some photo shoots for April.  I sent out a Facebook message to some close friends and family members offering a free session to get some experience.  I sat there looking at it for about 10 minutes before clicking "send."  LOL  I am so nervous and a little scared to actually do this for real, but the only way to conquer a fear is to just face it... no way around it, have to go through it.  I think I may be more excited than nervous right now though.  We will see what happens.  Hopefully I will get some responses soon. 

I want to say "Thank You" to all who read and follow this blog. I consider it an honor that you take time out of your busy day to read my stuff.  You are Awesome!!  =)

Well, it is very late here and I am soooo sleepy. I'm going to hit the hay for tonight... see ya soon!

Thanks for reading "All About My Business,"

Crystal Campbell

Crystal Campbell Photography

New Year... New Me! =)

Happy New Year Everyone!!  Wow... this year is really off to a running start, (almost running off without me...LOL).  First things first... I haven't been blogging because I was working on my 2011 goals and my daughter was sick with a new virus, (Adeno Virus), for an entire week.  Today was her first day back to school, and I am so relieved that she is doing so much better.

Also, things at work have been so hectic the last couple of weeks.  I had to work my co-worker's desk while she was out for a week and a half, (at the same time my daughter was sick). Then, on Friday, we find out that everything is changing and our entire department will be doing something completely different.  I'm very excited about this because right now I'm so bored with my job.  I still hate being inside a building in a cubicle all day, but if I have to for now, this is definitely the company to be with.  

And... I finally finished writing my goals! Yay!!  They turned out to be very personal, so I will not share them here in detail; however, I will give a few general goals for a couple of areas in my life.  

      1. Health & Fitness Goals for 2011

          Short Term:
             A. Switch to healthy eating habits
             B. Lose 24-36 lbs. by the end of March.
             C. Incorporate exercise into my daily schedule.
             D. Set time aside for each area of my life: spiritual, exercise, finances, and business.


           Long Term:
              A. Maintain a healthy life style.
              B. Lose 104 lbs. to make my weight goal of 140 lbs., and maintain my healthy 
                   goal weight.
              C. Be healthy, live longer, have lots more energy, and do the things I love to do again.
              D. Have a defined, sculpted body.

I don't mind sharing my weight with everyone because I believe it will help motivate me to meet my weight goals.  Also, I want to show anyone who may be struggling with their weight that, while it isn't easy, losing 100+ pounds is definitely possible!  =)~~  I would also like to share some of my business goals with you because, after all, it's why I started this blog in the first place.


     2. Business Goals for 2011
         
         Short Term:
            A. Buy my Nikon D5000!!!
            B. Participate in at least 2 workshops and enroll in at least 1 digital photography course
            C. Start building a clientele and portfolio.
            D. Update my, this, blog regularly and begin building my business website.
            E. Get a laptop for business and writing.


         Long Term:
            A.Have a fully functioning website that features recent photo shoots and at least 5
                to 10 pieces of framed photo art in my online store.
            B. Have business producing enough income to quit my corporate job for good in the 
                 next 3 years.
            C. Win at least 1 award for my photography in the next 2 years.
            D. Travel within the United States doing photo shoots this year, and traveling all
                 over the world within the next 3-5 years.


Okay, there you have it.  Some of my goals for 2011.  They are very conservative, but that's okay because I usually surpass any goals and/or challenges I encounter anyway.  This was only a small part of the 8 pages of goals I have set for myself.  As you can see, I have a lot of hard work and long hours ahead of me.  That's just the way I like it!  Come back often to see how I'm doing along the way...

Thank you for reading, "All About My Business,"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography 


         

Still Working on Things...

I'm learning that life is an ever evolving work in progress.  We will never really finish anything, (not talking about small projects around the house here).  This is a good thing.  It means that we will never stop learning, growing, or being challenged.  I love a good challenge.  All my life I have found that I get bored very easily... school was boring, sitting home was boring, and working, (no matter what job I had), was boring.  I finally figured out why.  It's because none of those things ever kept me challenged.  Sure, they would for a while, but then I would learn what to do, excel in it, get my "kudos" and have no where else to go.  I believe this is why I have never been satisfied with any of my career choices.  Even now, I work for a great company, with great benefits, but I'm bored out of my skull most days.  Then I discovered that photography would be the life-long challenge that I could never fully master, because it is ever evolving and changing.  Crystal Campbell has finally met her match.  And what a wonderful match it is!!  I just hope I can get this show on the road soon.  I'm getting tired of waiting... LOL.

 I'm still working on my goals for 2011.  I did not think it would take so long to write them, but I had forgotten just how much goes into writing goals for a year in every area of your life.  It does take a bit of time, but it is worth it.  When I accomplish a goal, I write it down then check it off the list... wow, what a feeling!  Just imagine what it will be like when I look back at the end of this year and see all the check marks on the paper, then realize that I'm in a deeper relationship with God, running my own company, in the best healthy shape of my life, and on the path to financial freedom.  There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment!  It's a high you never have to come down from.  =)  If you do not have goals set for this year, I highly recommend it.  It's the only way to keep things you want to do in the front of your mind.  Try it... then tell me how your goals are working out.  

Thank you for reading "All About My Business,"
Crystal Campbell
Crystal Campbell Photography

Long Time, No Post

OMG!  I cannot believe it's been so long since I've been able to post.  It has been a crazy and fun Christmas and New Years.  My family & friends Christmas Eve party was great!!  We had so much fun... especially with the white elephant gift exchange.  My mother in law stayed with us for a week and we had such a wonderful time with her.  I am very, very blessed to have the most wonderful mother in law on Earth!!  =)  We went all around the metroplex and walked our fannies off... LOL.  We took her to the Gaylord Texan to see all the lights.  Wow... they really know how to do Christmas BIG!  It was absolutely breathtaking.  I was able to get some much needed down time for myself as well.  The week went by so fast and it was sad to say goodbye to her when she had to go.

We had no kids for New Years, so we decided to meet my parents, and some friends, at Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma.  I've never been anywhere but home on New Years Eve, so it was a weird feeling at first.  However, I quickly shook it off once we got to the buffet... LOL.  Scott and I decided to give ourselves one last all you can eat splurge before beginning our new eating lifestyle in 2011.  It was a magnificent spread of all you can stuff in your belly boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, crab legs, prime rib, Chinese food, pizza, pasta, salad, pork, all the fixings you can think of, and so too many desserts to remember.  I will tell you that, after we ate, I had to change out of my jeans and into my pj bottoms to give me enough room to breathe... LOL.

Then we met up with our friends and commenced gambling the night away.  =)  At midnight we gathered by the band and brought in the new year with lots of noise, confetti, sparkling apple cider, and a kiss from my one true love.  <3   Then more gambling.  At one point we were $150 ahead, but we wanted to keep playing.  We outlasted everyone we came with, and all the machines.  We left when we started losing which was around 4:30am.  We hit Grapevine at 6:00am, stopped at IHOP for some breakfast, then hit a friends house for some much needed sleep.  We ended up breaking even and came back with the same amount as when we left, so I guess we did pretty good.  Our good friend was out of town, so we stayed at his place and rested the rest of the weekend by watching the Lord Of The Rings trilogy on his 52" HD Flat-screen TV.  Awesome!!  =)  

I must say that I am having a hard time adjusting to being back at work all day after our awesome vacation.  It gives me much motivation to want to succeed in my business so that we can take vacations whenever we want, and then to actually look forward to coming back and doing work that I love and have a passion for... so then it wouldn't really be fair to call it work...lol.  Tomorrow I will be setting my 2011 goals for every part of my life.  I will post them so you guys can help keep me accountable. hehehe... I can't wait... I just know it's going to be a Great Year!  =)

Thank you for reading "All About My Business,"

Crystal Campbell

Crystal Campbell Photography