My nephew Isaac is officially nine months old!! Obviously this called for a trip to see him and take a few photos of his cuteness. :-)

I LOVE his big, blue eyes!!!

And his perfectly cute little lips!!

And of course I got to play with Jonas while I was there.

He’s so good at playing cards – I held all the cards in my hand and I picked one, then he picked one (or two or three) until all the cards were on the table. :-)

And yes, he’s wearing his train outfit I got him for Christmas. Over his Thomas the Train pajamas. :-)

Just chillin’ with my nephews!!

Y’all ready for this?

1. Bertolli Frozen Meals – I try to be domestic. Honestly. I do try. Sometimes. It was even one of my goals to ‘try a new recipe once a week for a month.’ But recently I picked up this bad boy and let me tell you – one pan and ten minutes is my kind of cooking!!

2. Ice packs – I smacked my forehead on the edge of my apartment door the other day. I look like a unicorn (no, not the cute, oh-so-FLUFFY one from Despicable Me) and now I’m just praying my entire forehead doesn’t turn black and blue. Because that’d be soooo attractive. :-)

3. Walking trails – I’m training myself (kindof) in preparation to hike Harney Peak in a couple of weeks. There’s not much elevation change on this particular trail, but at least I’m trying. Right?

4. Scentsy – I got this from the Easter Bunny this year. My favorite scent so far is ‘Welcome Home.’ It reminds me of candied almonds. Yum.

5. Coffea – Probably the best coffee house I’ve ever been to. All of their lattes are rosetta lattes. I stop every time I’m in Sioux Falls.

Isn’t it funny how when I was in college I couldn’t wait to be done with school? I even picked a major that allowed me to graduate in three years instead of four. But now that I have my own business and I am solely responsible for my success (or lack thereof), I have this (almost obsessive) urge to do anything and everything better and now I can’t STOP learning new things!!

I am constantly working on my web presence, relationships with my clients, workflow enhancements, shooting techniques and everything in between.

I recently went to my very first workshop and it was so. much. FUN!! It was like college, but way more exciting. Not only did I learn lots of new tips and tricks, but I got to know my two favorite photographers on a more personal level (instead of just following their blog). That’s right, I finally got to meet bobbi+mike!! I think I laughed just as much as I learned. They both have amazing strengths that compliment each other and their business, and they are so energetic and so much fun to be around!

What’s strange about this experience is that I didn’t take a single photo while I was in Indianapolis for the workshop!! Apparently I was too busy learning and chatting with my new photographer friends. :-)

But I’m guessing you’re more interested in seeing photos than reading about my excitement to learn… so here’s a photo of me and Lance from Easter (it would be in color but our outfits clashed…so black and white it is! :-))

It’s that time again!!! :-) Welcome to the April edition of ‘laura loves…’ I am SO excited to share my new favorite things with you!

1. Victoria’s Secret’s Daily Glow Gradual Tan Moisturizer – it’s like summertime in a bottle. It smells good compared to other sunless tanning lotions I’ve used in the past AND it gives me some color while I wait patiently for summer to arrive.

2. Yankee Candle Samplers – I get tired of smelling the same candle all the time, so I like to use these small ones so I can move on to a different scent after a while! I recently purchased the Pineapple Cilantro scent. It smells like Tropical Starburst. Which is good because I like Tropical Starburst, but bad because my mouth waters for Tropical Starburst every time I burn my candle. :-)

3. Despicable Me – yes, I know I’m behind on the bandwagon. My bff Jill made me watch this movie a few weeks ago and I HAD to buy it immediately. It hasn’t left my DVD player since and I find myself saying things like “oh yeah!!!” “pause for effect…” “you’ve got to be pulling on my leg,” and, of course, “it’s so FLUFFY!!” all. the. time.

4. bobbi+mike – are pretty much the most amazing photographers EVER. I have been following their work for over a year now and….

5. I’m going to be at their WORKSHOP in FIVE DAYS!!!! I can’t wait to rub elbows, meet new photographer friends and learn some new tricks!!

6. Photoshelter – speaking of learning new tricks, this winter I have been doing a lot of independent ‘continuing education.’ When I’m not photographing weddings or engagement sessions or newborns, I am working on improving my business. Photoshelter has some great resources in the ‘free reports’ section of their website, so all you photographers out there, check it out!

You know how I know it’s spring?

The mountain bluebirds are back in Custer State Park.

:-)