Well, folks… WE DID IT!  SECOND PLACE in the 16th Annual Colorado Springs Independent “Best Of” Contest!  The COS Independent is one of the biggest papers in the area.  Over 6,000 Independent readers voted.  I am completely elated!  What an incredible honor.  To be so young and to have only started this business a couple of years ago.  I feel so incredibly loved and honored by all my sweet clients, family, and friends. THANK YOU everyone who voted!  You rock!

To Teresa Lee and Cayton Photography – congratulations!  What an honor to be ranked with such photographic giants.  Your work is just astonishing.  To Amon Medinger of StrikingIA.com, thank you for taking me under your wing when I first picked up a camera.  Mike Colón and Justin and Mary Marantz, you three inspire me to be a better photographer every day.  Thank you for setting the bar extremely high; I can only hope to be as inspiring and impactful as you some day.  Jesie, your support and encouragement and constant positive attitude has made this business a blasty-blast.  Thank you for learning and growing with me.  The best is yet to come. And to all my family, friends, and avid blog readers: thank you for always encouraging me and affirming me.  I’d be nothing without your support. You give me the confidence and credibility to know that I’m doing something right.

I’ve learned so much over the last couple of years and have traveled all over the U.S. doing this “job.”  I feel as though I’m only getting started.  I’m barely scraping the surface of what’s out there to learn and who I want to be as a photographer.  Every shoot I go on, every meeting I have, I am learning something new.  I feel so undeserving of this award in some ways… I’ve heard that there are over 200 photographers in this community.  And if that’s true… I don’t know… this is the most incredible honor or award I have ever received.  I am in awe.  Thank you, everyone.  Thank you.

Get a load of this chat conversation from this morning, which is how I found out about the good news:

john: Was just checkin’ good ole csindy.com
me: Oh, I don’t think i won
john: Hells yeah… second place!!
me: what?!
me: My heart is beating so fast.
john: That’s frickin awesome
me: Are you serious?!
john: Fo shizzle my nizzle
me: ahhh!
me: OH MY GOSH! Holy toledo.
john: Hells yeah
That’s my GIRL!
me: OMG
I’m crying right now.