It's Finally Over! (And some good news!)

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the one who'll decide where to go.”

-Dr. Seuss

So, after 3 long years at Camden County College getting my Associates degree, and 2 1/2 years at Rowan University... I am now a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management! I have gone through so much to finally get this degree! Classes being cancelled... Professors changing the times and dates of classes... Boring classes... Fun classes... Classes with really great friends... Classes with groups where I had to be the one to do all the work... My only problem with it all is that there is one thing college really doesn't teach you: how to survive in the "Real World." Lay offs... Friendships... Break-Ups... Bad Economy... Horrible Co-workers... Great co-workers... Mean Bosses... Friendly Bosses... Nothing really gets you ready for what its really like out there... You really have to just suck it up, and go for it!

Well... the good news... I am no longer un-employed! Starting on January 5th, I am going to be an Administrative Assistant to the General Manager of ACR Image Metrix, a division of the American College of Radiology!! I am so excited to take this next step in my life towards a better job at a better employer with a much brighter future!!! They say everything happens for a reason, and I am definitely a true believer in that!!! YAY me!!

It's a Crazy World Out There!

So the past week and a half has been really, really hard. The day before Thanksgiving, I was laid off from my full time position as a HR/Staffing Assistant at the staffing agency I worked for. I knew the economy was hitting the staffing industry pretty hard, but I guess I never thought I’d lose my job over it. There were just other people within the workplace that I thought would go a long time before me, but it’s all about who you know…
Needless to say, I’ve been applying for any job I qualify for online… It feels so weird to wake up in the morning and to not have anywhere to go. I’ve been working for the past 7 years straight, and it feels so weird to not have a job. I need/want one so badly! I’m hoping since I’m graduating from college in 2 weeks, that having a college degree will help me to score a really great job that I can stick with for a long time! Having a Bachelors in Human Resource Management can really open doors in a lot of different industry’s… and I’m just hoping since the door closed in the staffing industry, that another one will open in a better industry where I can really learn and grow and gain a lot more experience within a great company! So if anyone knows of any Human Resources or Administrative Assistant positions that are open, please please please contact me!!
On a lighter note, thanks to being laid off, I am now completely done my Christmas shopping, and everything is already wrapped and under the tree! Because Ryan and I are now going to have to watch our money more, we’ve decided not to get each other anything for Christmas, and to just buy for our family. It’s pretty depressing that we have about a thousand dollars worth of gifts under the tree, but none of it is for the two of us. It kinda bums me out because I love to see the look on his face when he opens presents, but I guess I’ll just have to wait till his birthday to see that look again…
The photography business has also slowed a little for me… For a couple months there I was really busy doing pictures for a lot of friends, and I was able to order a whole bunch of samples for the business from those sessions… but as of right now, I don’t have any sessions set up for any time in the near future. So, if any one wants Christmas cards done, please contact me as soon as possible, because there is still enough time to get them done and ordered before Christmas, especially with me not working right now! And if you want a photography session done for anything else, please contact me with what you’d like, where you’d want the session to take place, and when you’d want the pictures done! Until I score a new full-time position, I’m pretty much open to whenever!
Since I haven’t written on here in over a week and a half, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I was thankful to be able to spend the day with my grandparents at their house for dinner, and I get to return the favor for Christmas, and I’m going to cook Christmas dinner this year and have everyone come over my house!
Hopefully I'll be posting some more pictures up here over the next couple weeks... and please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and hopefully my luck will turn around, and I'll be able to score an awesome job that will provide enjoyment, learning, and a great experience for me! For now, I leave you with this quote:

"All our dreams can come true,

if we have the courage to pursue them!"

-Walt Disney

Twilight Movie... and Updates!

I have got to say, I am completely satisfied with the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyers best selling novel, Twilight! Obviously, the movie does not compare to the book with the way it makes you feel and the emotions that it brings forth, but it comes pretty darn close. Some parts were taken out, and some were changed around, but overall, I am really happy with it. I also love that Stephenie Meyer had a little cameo in the film! Of course I brought Ryan along with me, and as a non twilight fanatic, he enjoyed the movie as well, which proves that you don't have to be a twilighter to like this film! I am so thankful for the $70.5 million and still counting people that have gone to see this movie, because they have gotten the Green Light to start making the second book, New Moon into a motion picture! I cannot wait for the film adaptation of this highly anticipated saga to continue! If you haven't already, go see the movie! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good it is!!

So, I have been super busy these past few weeks! I can see the finish line for college graduation! I am only a couple weeks away, and as of about 8pm December 16th I will offically be done at Rowan University! I cannot wait! I only have a few more assignments, a test tomorrow night, and my final on 12/16 and I'm done! Woo hoo!
I have also been busy ordering prints for all of my clients... I have been so incredibly happy with the vendor I work with, they have such a fast turn-around time and the quality of their products is fantastic! I have also recently found a vendor that provides photographic guest books for weddings including the couples engagement pictures. It is so nice, and I am in the process of getting a sample right now to show clients!
Other than that, I'm just looking forward to booking more weddings, engagements and on-location portrait sessions!! Please feel free to contact me and Ryan at TamiMelissaPhoto@gmail.com to set up a time to meet with us to talk about investing in our services! And please visit www.tamimelissaphotography.com to check out our work and everything you need to know about us!! Thanks!! xoxo

My Aunt & Cousins

Last weekend, I got to photograph my aunt and two of my favorite little people, my cousins Kylie and Jagger! We went to a park off of Evesham Rd. in Magnolia, and it turned out to be the perfect place to get some fall pictures! The leaves were absolutely gorgeous, and we could not have asked for a more perfect day! Below are some pictures from the day...

My Family :)

Last weekend, my parents, younger brother, Ryan and I went to Cape May to the Lobster House for dinner. Before we went to dinner, we stopped off at the end of Beach Ave, where you can see the sunset and the beautiful lighthouse, to have some family pictures taken. Below are some of the pictures taken by Ryan and myself...

Breaking Dawn

You listen to me, Edward Cullen. I am not pretending anything for your sake, okay? I didn’t even know there was a reason to make you feel better until you started being all miserable. I’ve never been so happy in all my life – I wasn’t this happy when you decided that you loved me more than you wanted to kill me, or the first morning I woke up and you were there waiting for me… Not when I heard your voice in the ballet studio, or when you said ‘I do’ and I realized that, somehow, I get to keep you forever. Those are the happiest memories I have, and this is better than any of it. So just deal with it.

~Mrs. Bella Cullen

I just finished reading the final book in the Twilight series. The book was pretty much everything I expected with a couple surprises throughout. I did like that part of the final book was written from Jacobs perspective, and we got to learn a little about his feelings throughout the saga. I definitely couldn't put the book down, and it was such a great experience to read, but in the end... nothing entirely dazzled me about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the book, and I loved the way Stephenie Meyer wrote about it, but I don't feel as if I've gained anything from it. I guess I just expected it to be soo much MORE. I absolutely loved the first book, and by far, I think that was the best written and the one that drew me in the most... while reading books two and three, Stephenie's grip on me loosened a bit, and I was hoping that the fourth one would draw me back in and keep me wrapped tightly around it, but it didn't. It was almost too predictable and written around an event that didn't even take place. Alright, I might be giving too much away... but I have to say, please go read it for yourself! It is still a great book and a great saga, and it does have the perfect ending to the 4-book series!!

Now you know. No one’s ever loved anyone as much as I love you.

~Bella Cullen

Sydney's First Halloween!

We adopted Sydney on January 28, 2008 from my dad's cousin Kathy who rescues dogs. We aren't sure how old she is or if she is a full bred Chihuahua, but to us, she's just a chunky Chihuahua :) Below are some pictures of her first Halloween with us... She was a Flyers Joker :) Isn't she adorable?

Me and Sydney... I was a kitty cat at work :)

Look at those eyes! She likes blow pops! lol

She didn't want to let it go

Eclipse

I’m in love with you, Bella. Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don’t feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn’t want a miscommunication to stand in our way.
~Jacob Black

Action... Suspense... Romance... A love Triangle... what more could you ask from Stephenie Meyers third book in the Twilight Series ~ Eclipse! This book was definitely the most action packed out of the three so far. You start to feel all the emotions buddled up inside Bella... the fear of loosing one of the two men she loves... the anxiousness to get the change over with... the angst to try to take things to the "next level" with Edward... the uncertainty of the future. I can't wait to start to read the fourth and final book in this series. I can't wait to see if everything pans out the way Alice sees it, or how many decisions will alter what the future has in store for Edward and Bella. Reading this series makes you realize how boring real life really is :)

"It had not been Edward and Jacob that I’d been trying to force together, it was the two parts of myself, Edward’s Bella and Jacob’s Bella. But they could not exist together, and I never should have tried." - Bella Swan

Haddonfield

When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams."

-Dr.Seuss

Today my favorite person in the world and I spent the afternoon together in Haddonfield. The tree lined streets, the cute shops, the best place to take some really beautiful pictures... it was an awesome afternoon to just walk the streets, hand in hand, and window shop and eat at a cute little cafe... just being with him makes me realize again and again how much I love him! Below are some scenic pictures from our afternoon together.

Beach Pictures

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
--Anonymous

Last weekend after we took pictures for my friends family, Ryan and I went down to the Ocean City boardwalk for some Mack n Manco pizza, because we can't go to OC without getting a slice and a lemonade! :) Even though it was cold, there was such a beautiful sunset, so we decided to walk along the beach before we drove home...

Me drawing in the sand...

Ryan walking along the rocks...

The Linvill Family

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing"

-Unknown

Last Sunday afternoon I had a beach session on Ocean City for my friend Maggie's family. We met at the 59th street beach for the pictures... and as you can probably tell in some of the pictures, it was a windy day. We tried to do the best we could with the wind, but overall we were able to get some pretty great pictures! They were such a fun family to meet and capture the love that is shared between them all. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the day.