Brett Chisholm Photography Houston Studio Blog

My family's portraits!

For Valentine's Day we got a break for a day to run to Conroe and visit with the family. While there... it was time for a family portrait session! :-) I think I captured each one of our kiddos' personalities RIGHT ON. Those of you who know them personally can let me know what you think......

Individual pics after the jump....

(isabella was directing this one.)

From Ojai to Texas....

When Ryan and I got married in Ojai last year, we were amazed at the serenity and beauty of the resort. In particular, we fell in love with a little place called the "Artist's Cottage." At the artist's cottage, you could do all sorts of things to bring out your inner artist, or become more in tune with yourself. (We made our very own scents in an apothecary class....awesome.)

Anyway, outside of the Artist's Cottage there was a tree that had been on the property for over 200 years. The tree is called the Friendship Tree. The friendship tree became one of the centers of our celebration, and we spent time there on several days. We also were lucky enough to have one amazing photographer with us to capture our memories. Nathan Welton of Dreamtime Images captured our wedding for us, and we cannot thank him enough!

After spending time around the tree, I was becoming very sentimental and wanted to capture some memories and bring them back to Houston with us. I gathered up about 15 acorns and shoved them in my man-bag. 

Anyway, I brought the acorns back and so far, SIX have sprouted! In the midst of the crappy weather in Houston the last few days, I was setting my young seedlings outside to benefit from some natural rain, and I snapped this shot:

There's six friendship trees on the way! I am so excited! The hope here is that whenever Ryan and I settle down for good with our piece of property.... we'll always have something from the day we were married in California! Aren't you jealous? ;-)

Check out more pics by Nathan of us around the Friendship Tree after the jump....

New Year, New Me? 100 Days and Counting....

Tomorrow is a very big day for me. I am extremely proud to announce that January 14 will be the 100th full day that I have been a NON-smoker! How do you like that? Any client of mine PRIOR to October of 2008 can attest to the fact that I never once made it through a session without a smoke break... so this is kind of a big deal. :-) 

So, after conquering my smoking addiction, I thought it pretty important to really sit down and think about some resolutions for the new year. Do people still really do that? Do they talk about it if they do? My hope here is that by talking about and it publishing it on the Internet... I have to stick to it. Right? You should join me by putting your resolutions in the comments section, and we can revisit this post in about 1 months to see where we are. :-) 

First off, I have a game of catch-up to play. LAST year, I resolved to begin learning to play the piano. I am NO further along in my attempt to play at Carnegie Hall that ever before, so I still have to cross that off of my list. I have made several phone calls and made several inquiries and have settled on my instruction plan. NOW I just have to move my grandmother's piano out of storage and into the studio. There's something cool about the history of a piano, and I can't wait to be able to sit down and play the keys....

Anyway, that's going to happen. On to the more difficult stuff. One of my resolutions is to attend yoga more often. I know, that's a pretty cliché resolution, but it's about a personal transformation that started with the smoking. I have gone too far to turn back, and I love Joy Yoga... so it fits. 

But that's not enough. I'm not doing a total life transformation to the healthy thing... because I can't EVER give up cheeseburgers. However, what I have decided, is that I am going to become better at practicing "moderation." From my awful eating habits, to my personal spending habits, to my luxury indulgences, and here's the biggest, to my speed on the roads.... I think it is time to take a step back and practice moderation. 

I think this is a lofty goal for me to have through 2009, but I feel 2009 is going to be a big year, and I need larger than life personal goals to go along with it! So far, I've been doing very well, and... I am ahead of where I ended 2008 with my resolution from last year! 

So... join me in my quest to seal my fate by publishing my resolutions and comment below. Happy 2009!