Recently, I vowed to share more about me so that you all know there’s a person running this business. So, let’s keep me honest. Here are 10 “fun” facts about me.

(If you know me IRL, please don’t expect to be surprised by any of these.)

1. I have been reading since I was 3 years old. No one ever believes me, but it’s true. My grandparents were both teachers for 42+ years and turns out Hooked On Phonics worked for me. If this gives you any proof, follow this link to listen to 4-year-old me recite “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. I had a book full of her poems I read on repeat and memorized. This worked for a few talent shows as well.
2. I have a bachelor’s of science in photography. It’s offered at only a few schools in the country and is business based.
3. I have one precious baby angel dog and another pup who is an emotional terrorist. I love them both very much. The beagle’s name is Belinda & the King Charles/Japanese Chin mix is named Matilda.
4. There are two more insanely talented women in my family. My 18-year-old sister, Kaya, is currently in school for graphic design. She has found her niche in creating logos for local barbers. You can check out her work here! My 16-year-old sister, Kamani, is a YouTuber who makes videos about wigs, make-up, & being a lesbian artist in the midwest. More of her work can be found here!
5. My favorite past time is reading. I set a goal every year of books to read and log them with some really underwhelming reviews. If you also use goodreads or are just interested in what kind of books I’m usually reading, feel free to check out my profile here.
6. I’m ordained! Last year, I made sure to become a minister through the Universal Life Church so that I could service my couples in an affordable and non-judgmental way. There are so many people whose officiant duties come with caveats. As a non-denominational officiant whose duty first is to make people feel accepted and loved, it was an obvious next step for my business. Also, this way you can be married and photographed all at the same time. My assistant (/fiance) always comes with so you know exactly what you’re getting. Here’s a wedding where I did that recently!
7. Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher but once that dream was gone, I wanted to be the director of photography on movie sets. I dialed back my dreams again and I really love where I’ve ended up. In case anyone has ever wondered who inspires me to be a better photographer pretty much daily, it’s: Autumn Harrison, Chrisman Studios, & Stephanie Rogers.
8. If watching TV/Movies was a sport I’d have a gold medal. The only thing I can recommend as good or better than I recommend books is things to watch based on your personality. However, there is a caveat here. I’ve only liked 3 “chick flicks”/”Rom coms” in my life and about as many musicals. So, if that’s your jam… I’m sorry to disappoint but I’m gonna have to.
9. I’m engaged! Eventually, I will write another post about our relationship, but I’m waiting until we have our engagement photos and the wedding has passed. For now, we met on OkCupid, his personality is best described as someone’s elderly father in a 25-year-old body, and we knew we were in it for the long haul when 3 months into our relationship we drove 16 hours to Philadelphia together for the DNC. If you’re curious how wedding planning is going I’ve written a bit about that here and here.
10. Anything nerd-centric has been my entire life. Fortunately, I have always had the ability to traverse between social circles. I have always been able to easily make friends and when I look back on the laundry list of things I was involved in, I am surprised. To name a few, I was a ballerina. I was first chair clarinet for years and also played in the marching band. I was in chess club, japanese culture club, and I was on the academic team. Clubs and sports really helped lay the groundwork for how hard I work as an adult, but GEEZE. Honestly, me now would probably bully high school me.

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Like I said, probably nothing ground breaking if you know me, but I feel like I owe it to people to at least get a glimpse of the human I am. A nerdy, hard-working punk who spends all of her free time on the internet. Hopefully if that appeals to you and I’m the kind of person you can see by your side on your wedding day, you’ll reach out and we’ll go from there!

If you’d like to challenge me, feel free to drop Movies/TV you think I may have never seen/would love in the comments below! Worst thing that could happen is I find something new to watch.