Behind the Camera

“My inspiration, my rock, my best friend, thank you for being the amazing mom you are.”

5 Things I’ve Learned from My Mom

Many of you may not know this, but my mom is the wonderful photographer behind nearly all of the photos you see on my blog! I appreciate all of her support and help in making my blog possible everyday, but especially wanted to recognize her for Mother’s Day 🙂

My mom has always had a passion for photography and over the past few months we have been developing our photography style and learning how to work together in this new dynamic! I can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for me and all that I have learned from her.

Though this list could go on forever, I wanted to highlight 5 things that have made the greatest impact in my life and helped me become the woman I am today.

Do What You Love– My mom has 100% fueled my entrepreneurial spirit and my love of trying new things. Like I said, I could not run my blog without her photography help, but I would never have gotten started if it weren’t for her support to follow my heart. A few weeks ago I was getting down on myself about my blog and frustrated over things that I could not control. My mom said, “Melissa is this something you enjoy doing?” I said yes, of course. She responded, “Then keep it up!  Stop comparing yourself to other people and keep doing what you love!” She is always there to remind me to keep moving forward in pursuing my passion.

Be Adaptable– Together we have conquered many changes and challenges. Throughout my childhood, my mom has always shown me how to embrace new situations and overcome any obstacle that may present itself. Whether that was moving to a new town or starting a new job, she instilled in me the importance of being adaptable to whatever challenges came my way.

Plan Ahead– I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I am pretty good at planning things (sometimes to a fault). I certainly didn’t develop that skill all on my own! My mom has been a planning maven in all aspects of life – from family vacations to applying to college – so I’ve learned from the absolute best. She has always encouraged me to think about my decisions and how they will impact me in the future – a skill I cannot thank her enough for. The most overly prepared, well organized, and fully thought out person I’ve ever met. *Lets just say that she recently she made a “joke” about starting to plan for my wedding….

Learn From Your Mistakes– I’ve made plenty of mistakes in life (especially during those high school years if ya know what I mean) and while that was probably the most volatile period of our mother/daughter relationship, she has always taught me to learn from my experiences, no matter what kind of situations I get myself into.

Always Speak Up– When I was younger I was very shy (I’ll attribute this to my only child upbringing) and often didn’t speak up for myself. She taught me to be a strong woman, to ask questions and be vocal about my thoughts and opinions. My mom is one of the strongest women I know and I will never be able to thank her enough for instilling that strength in me and encouraging me to be proud of who I am.

Every year, finding a gift that embodies all that my mom has taught me proves to be a nearly impossible task. Though no gift can truly show how much I appreciation my mom, when eff.Y.bee sent me these matching Mother/Daughter Sodalite Bliss Bracelets, the message inside could not have been any more fitting-

“My inspiration, my rock, my best friend. Thank you for being the amazing mom you are. I love you.”

Their jewelry truly embodies her personality, strong will and excitement about life! Thank you Mom for supporting me in all that I do (and for putting up with me living at home for the last year!). I would never have come this far without you and I cannot wait to see what is to come!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

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For anyone looking for the perfect gift to get their Mom for Mother’s Day next Sunday check out eff.Y.bee’s Mother’s Day Collection here.

Each stone has its own special meaning that you can select just for you and your mom. A simple gift that she will love and can wear everyday. Use my code “incogneatist10” for 10% off your order!

Have a great Sunday!

*Melissa