Wow Val, VOW?!

Ok, so I just made up that title to grab your attention. I hope it worked. I'll get to the reason for the title in just a second.

Neil got to south China safe and sound today. He flew on a puddle jumper plane from where he was to an area 2 hours outside of Hong Kong. He said he was the only white guy on the plane and he got a lot of looks from Chinese people who, keep in mind, are at least a foot shorter than him. So he's not only getting looks for being caucasian but for also being 6'4" and blonde with blue eyes :c) I think it's funny.

On a different note, I'm so proud of him for traveling alone like he is in such a large country that he's getting to experience a lot of. But again, I'm glad it's him and not me :c)

He said he is so happy to be in a area that isn't so uncivilized. He said it was pretty bad where he was. I forgot to mention in my "China, oh China" post, that none of the factories or restaurants that he visited were heated. They had heating but just didn't use it because they didn't have the funds to. So he said when you're inside you're in coats and sweaters and in restaurants you are served by waitresses with sweaters and scarves on. Is that not hard to fathom?! He said he's so so happy to be in a warmer part of the country just for that reason alone. I am happy for him, too!

3 days and he will be back home!!!!!!!!

Okay, so on to my Wow Val, VOW?!

I have some of the most exciting news ever to share. This might even sit above the revamping of my website and logo. I'm so so so so so excited about this!

Last week I was contacted by an editor for a magazine who said this, "We are still accepting submissions for our upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Wedding VOW magazine in the Champaign, IL area—and I wanted to see if you had any photos you want to submit."

So I submitted a few pictures from an August wedding and a December wedding not thinking I would ever in a million years get chosen, but today I got two emails saying "I'm happy to inform you that we've selected the attached photo to be used in our 'I Do' section for our upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Wedding VOW magazine" and, "I'm happy to inform you that we have selected the wedding of Holly & Brandon to be highlighted in the 'Real Wedding' section of Wedding VOW magazine. Congratulations!"

This means, (okay, so imagine me screaming this part as you read it . . . ) I will have a photo in the "I Do" section of the magazine and also I will have the main highlighted section of the entire magazine in the "Real Weddings" section!!!!

I am so absolutely thrilled. Not so much on the publicity, because I'm not sure I want to shoot more weddings, however maybe this will give me the chance to shoot more creative ones. But mostly, I'm just really happy and proud because I never ever in a million billion trillion years thought 1) I would own a business, 2) I would be a photographer, 3) I would be the sole owner and photographer for a business for over 5 years or 4) I would actually make strides in doing all of the above. I'm just really happy and proud that things have went as they have. I didn't even try to get my name submitted. That's when you know it's God allowing you to be who you were created to be.

I'm also slightly excited because, as you'll see in the example of the current "Real weddings" section, the featured photographer is my main competitor and my former boss. I think this probably is the icing on the cake :c)

I am so so so so excited and absolutely could not keep from sharing.

:c)
This is the current "Real Wedding" feature (not mine . . . yet) :c)