This Friday is pretty special to me for another reason, my sweet little niece is 2 today! Seriously seems like yesterday that she was born! These past 2 years have FLOWN by! We’ll be celebrating tonight with hello kitty cake and balloons of course. I’ll share some photos of her next week.

Here are a few things i’m loving from this past week. Happy Friday!

xo

Leah

Favorite Facewash: absolutely LOVE this stuff!

Favorite Show: Downton Abbey … started watching in on netflix for background sound while editing and soon found myself not editing and HOOKED on this show. I currently walk around and talk with a british accent because its fun.

Favorite Quote:

Favorite Hallway:

Favorite Laugh: we’ve all done this … and have all been scared.

Favorite Photo:

Favorite Throwback Memory Laugh: okay lots of giggles this week but this next one is SO TRUE to when I was in school. Hilarious! Does anyone else laugh when they read this?!

Favorite Laugh that reminds me of Zoey:

photos via

I met Jason and Amanda for the first time last week and really enjoyed getting to know them and freezing with them. Oh wait, not the last part but we still had a good time. Jason was at a fellow marine’s wedding when he met a friend of the bride, Amanda. Shortly after they went on what I think may be the cutest first date story … snowboarding for the first time together. How funny would that be to do it for the first time together. Coming from someone who snowboards and understands how difficult it is when you first start, they must have let all their dignity out the door and just laughed and giggled the whole time. Thats what I would have done. No ‘trying to impress him’ … biff it, cry, fall some more, bruised knees, face washes, laughing together … such a cute first date.

Shortly after they get engaged, married, and here comes a baby girl. Amanda seems to be quite the planner and along with Jason, they’ve already settled on a name, Eila Cheree. These two will be such great parents and hopefully Rocco won’t be too jealous he has to share them. I’m sure he doesn’t know what’s coming. Reminds me of this pintrest photo I found the other day and laughed so hard at because its so my Zoey too. So true.

Will continue to think of this couple and pray the delivery goes smoothly :) I know they’re getting pretty anxious but lets let her marinate in there as long as she wants ;)

A few of my favorites. Enjoy! ;)

xoxo

Leah

A few weeks ago, my little sister Brittany and I ventured out into northern Michigan’s outdoors and documented a few photos of her at 22 weeks preggo. [she is currently is 25 weeks and has grown a lot since these] We are so excited for this little baby girl to arrive and hold her in our arms! Eeeekkkk. My sisters and I are very close and when they have babies, there is just nothing that can compare. I truly care for these babies like they are my own … except when they cry, i can give them back. Its awesome. Seeing that Brittany and I are attached at the hip, I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of this belly and we’ll eventually do a full maternity session but its a must to document the pregnancy, i push her to write everything down so she can remember this amazing journey forever.

…

I’ve read a lot of different posts about goals. Some saying it effects you negatively to always be setting goals, some always pushing you to set goals. I personally LOVE setting goals. It holds me accountable and keeps me on right path. I love challenging myself and this is one of the ways I do so month to month.

February Goals

Share my new blog + website with everyone
Give my all in my new fitness program starting next week
12 in 12 : PUSH by Chalene Johnson [I am just starting this so will have to make up for January]
Continue to wake up at 7am and bed by 11pm
Cook dinner 2-3 a week
Organize my personal fiances better

currently work on sharing ANOTHER maternity session. I’m telling you … drink pop! And also on some posts that will help brides planning their wedding. Excited to hear what you think about them. Happy Thursday! Its Vampire Diaries night! woot woot!

Kelsey and I graduated together and so glad we’ve been able to see eachother here and there to catch up. Super sweet and down to earth and most of all, genuine. We ended up going to a few different locations but the ‘winter wonderland’ location was by far, my fave. It was hard to pick which ones to share but I finally narrowed it down for you and thought what a fine way to start my week. [yes i enjoyed a long weekend].

No doubt about it, they will be amazing parents. I absolutely LOVE that they waited to find out the sex of the baby and also not to share their names! Only so many surprises in life these days and I can’t wait to hear if they had a boy or a girl and what the name is! Kelsey brought letters of the names but I didn’t even ask what they were because i appreciate secrets. Kelsey is CLEARLY glowing and pregnancy is treating her good. She doesn’t even look pregnant from certain angles until you see that perfect basketball bump when she turns to the side. I felt like I had photographed them before after shooting maternity photos for Tom’s brother and sister in law Jenn and JJ … another super cute couple [they're whole family is adorable]. So I think this is a great time for me to cast my vote … for so long, I had a winning streak but lately, i have been not doing so hot with my guessing. My guess for what its worth, boy. We shall see if I’m right :)

My hope for these photos is that they help you remember and that they document this amazing and exciting time in your lives. You are only pregnant so many times in your life and never will be back to this feeling where your about to be parents for the very first time with nervousness and excitement all bundled up and ready to meet your little one. Congrats you two! Couldn’t be happier for you!

p.s. something is in the water, be careful. i am currently sticking to latte’s and juice. ;)

xoxo

Leah

LOVE.

You are gorgeous Kelsey.

They’re going to have one cute baby, thats for sure!

[sneak peak of my little sister brittany, preggo 23 weeks]

xo

Leah

favorite smile :: they’ve been married for 62 years! so cute! matthew and i someday ;) ???

favorite show :: episode was last night and i’m always blown away by the acting on this show! fave!

favorite hair photo ::

favorite reminder ::

favorite staircase ::

favorite tear shedding photo ::

favorite road ::

favorite quote ::

favorite action photo ::

via 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

I’ve definitely been taking one of my December goals pretty seriously the past few weeks. The whole ‘relaxing’ and enjoying some time off of shooting has been in full swing for me. Hence this blog post being a few days late. The months [and time in general] all flies by so fast, and of course with holidays mixed in there, it goes even faster. I absolutely love the the holiday of New Years Eve and was so excited to spend it up north at our cabin with my friends and family. It is such an exciting time and full of hope, motivation, and excitement. On new years morning i sat with my cup of coffee and while watching the news, watched clips from all the different countries celebrating the new year. How awesome is that that we ALL get so excited and stop for a night and celebrate.

New Years Day is spent thinking, reminiscing, and my favorite, dreaming. We all do it. Look deep within ourselves and think about our accomplishments and our struggles and what we want to change about ourselves. Take a deep breath, take everything in. Even though its just a date, its so inspiring and gives us all a sense of hope because we have a fresh start to change things we’ve been struggling to change. Its like a Monday … times a thousand.

I’m still contemplating on doing a favorites post for 2011, and as far as looking back on the year and blogging about that … I just feel like I’m ready to look forward with life and this business, so we’ll see. It was an amazing and fast moving year and so thankful for all the weddings and portrait sessions I had the opportunity to shoot. Life is crazy.

2012 Goals

Complete my re-branding and launch the new blog
Train my body to become a morning person
Live a healthy lifestyle and daily routine [life balance, eat healthy, workout regularly]
Stick to stricter business hours for Leah Mullett Photography
Read more books
Take more photos of my life
Work on not procrastinating as much [although i do work best under pressure]

January Goals

Evolve my business and branding
Prepare myself for the upcoming wedding season to begin
Work on business finances with accountant
Finish a book
Workout 3-4 times a week

In January I’m really going to be focusing on my health before the wedding season officially begins for me in February and also finish some much needed things around the house and in my life that were neglected this past crazy busy season and year.

If you’re a blogger I would love to read your goals as well, or leave a list of them in the comment section below! You will be much more likely to stick to them if you put them out there for the world to see and to hold you accountable. Happy Thursday! The Vampire Diaries is back on tonight after over a month of a break so I’m pumped today and ready to tackle my to do list!

xo

Leah

photo via

i would love to hear what it was on some of your lists? and what you got? one of my favorite pass-times is working out and i absolutely love workout apparel. its just so comfortable … so even after i workout, i usually end up wearing it all day if i don’t have shoots or meetings and what not. yes, and sometimes even when i don’t workout, don’t judge. so among that and a boxing fitness bag, gloves, back pack for snowmobiling, deer skin gloves to use while riding horse … i got something that has been on matthew and i’s ‘want’ list for the past few years!

its quite the long story and possibly for a different post but my love for photography actually started with videography, or videos for that matter. at the young age of twelve i started to show interest in videos, any kind. music videos, movies … but more so dirt bike and action sport videos and clips. when i have something on my forehead (wanting something and its all you think about) i tend to work hard to get it and thats exactly what i did. for ten years i was involved with 4-h and sold pigs. my first few years of making the money i saved, but i finally splurged on a video camera of my own. i had no idea what i was doing but really enjoyed playing around and eventually shot some weddings and made a few videos just for fun of family vacations.

that then led to photography which i felt was more me, but my love for videos has always been there, more so as a hobby and that’s what i think i needed to figure out.

this coming year i hope to continue to explore even more and dig into me and what it is i truly love to do and DO IT. for so long, growing up … i am such a people pleaser that i often found myself doing sports and activities that other people wanted me to. sure some of them i still absolutely love but i always made time for what everyone else wanted to do and this year i want to focus and find those things that make me pumped. snowmobiling will remain to be one of those things and i can’t wait to capture it this winter with our new GoPro HD Hero 2 camera! Its a helmet cam and really you can attach it to anywhere!

Now i’ve come to the point where i’m going to have to spend lots of hours during my off season trying to figure out how this bad boy works and also how to edit it. i included the promo video below which is obviously amazing and shot by professionals … not to mention i don’t think we’ll be traveling to some of these places for awhile … or jumping off cliffs. who knows though.

i’m really looking forward to debuting my new blog design this coming year (next month or so!) and also including some more videos on here of my life and maybe doing some vlogging. enjoy ;) and wish me luck. we’re testing it out this weekend.