Exceeding Expectations

I love it when people exceed my expectations.

I knew my aunt was very talented,

I knew she would make me an awesome bean bag.

I did not know she would put as much detail into the bag and well...

it is beyond PERFECT.

When we found out we were having a baby I had a list of items that were

required before her birth (Kelly Manno is rolling her eyes at me with a smile right now)-

A Shoot Baby Bean Bag Ottoman

A Canon 24-70 Lens

Tons of Cocoons

Tons of newborn hats

Numerous baskets, crates, or other props, and

Pretty much any item purchased by Tonya Nickel, Tracy Raver, or Kelley Ryden.

Moving out to Vegas put a slight kink in that plan.

Since we went from a 2 income household to one,

I had to fudge some of these items.

Luckily my mom turned into the "my fingers hurt" lady from Happy Gilmore with all of the

hats and cocoons she knitted me.

THANKS MOM!

Now if I just had that ottoman...

My husband laughed at me when I approached him with my tail between my legs.

"WHY THE HECK DO YOU NEED A $95.00 DOLLAR BEAN BAG? I SAW ONE AT TARGET FOR $10!!"

(Little did he know the bag was $95, and that it did not include the $50 in shipping

or the $60 for the fill)

So I whined, pouted, admitted he was right.

But it's not just any bean bag, it is the baby posing bean bag ottoman!

In a last ditch effort, I emailed my aunt to see if she thought she could make me a similar one...

She said, "Would you like that in Vinyl or Suede?",

and here we are a few weeks later and I have one amazing

"Baby Posing Bean Bag Ottoman"

made with love by my Aunt Val.

This first picture is with just the main insert (it gives you a more kushie bag):

This next one has both inserts in to make it more firm:

This bag (the main insert) contains the bulk of the fill (It is a clear bag holding the beans inside the main bag). She put in a double zipper for easy access:

She even put in a flap to hide the zipper!! GENIUS!

...and a handle!

to top it off, she made a "pee pee cover" just in case : )

Needless to say, I AM THRILLED.

Thankful beyond words.

I can't wait to have Maddie try it out.

Thank you so much Aunt Val!

If you are interested in my aunt's custom bean bag,

you can contact her at barron_val@yahoo.com

OUR Maternity Pictures

Well my face is one you will hardly see on this blog,

I love being behind the lens, but I also thoroughly enjoy my time in front of the lens.

As most of you know, the husband and I packed up and headed for Vegas this past fall.

We miss St. Louis, but I was quite happy to be toasty and warm while StL enjoyed it's Snowpocalypse!

If someone had told me that they wanted to do maternity pics on the strip

I would have laughed at them.

I am sure Kristin was wondering what kind of fruitcake she was dealing with.

I chose the strip because it is the one place in Vegas that reminds me of my family.

When I was younger we all came out here for my cousin Danny's wedding.

At the MGM Grand, my aunt and uncle beamed with joy as we

welcomed Danny's wonderful wife into our family.

He and his Rat Pack Wannabe self strutted down the strip with his

best friend, Damon (who was mistaken for Cedric the Entertainer every other step).

My mom laughed as she spent some much needed recreational time with my aunts and uncles.

My grandma and grandpa, who are no longer with us,

gambled their hearts out (and even snuck me some winnings).

My aunts, uncles, cousins, and I-

we all had a blast,

TOGETHER

As we walked down the strip shooting,

my family was with me.

Thank You Kristin Labrum,

for not running for the hills when I requested the strip.

Thank you so much for coming to my rescue when I thought maternity pictures weren't even going to be possible,

and lastly, thank you for being a "photography friend" out here in Vegas.

All the St. Louis photographers know just how important friends like these are.

So without any further adieu, I bring you: Our Maternity Pictures!

Notice the "M"??

Danny Barron, this one is for you. @ the Bellagio.

Kristin, the OTHER reason I smile while looking at this picture shall remain our little secret.

I remember walking across this with my cousins, Brooke and Nick. Nick had to have been under the age of 8 at the time and somehow that didn't stop the "flappers" from handing him fun flyers. Hahaaa that reminds me of another story, which I will post after Maddie's first Halloween in Vegas.

Ok this one has nothing to do with The Strip but it reminds me of my grandparents because one of my most common nicknames from them was, "Baby Cakes", along with a couple more I don't really care to mention... : )

Last but not least, I had to include a picture very symbolic of our little family's first year together:

Thank you Kristin!

To view more of Krtistin's work please visit: http://kristinlabrum.com/.

Please remember, these images are owned by Kristin Labrum and are not to be copied.

Thanks Everyone!!

Our Adventure.

Where to start?

Let's start with Madelyn. Or should I say...

Maddie Meyerott?

Yep. We're having a baby girl : )

We had the family over for a gender reveal party last night.

Maddie's Grandmas cut the cake to see if it was pink or blue and...

We are in shock, I was POSITIVE she was a boy!

So much for old wives tales.

I am so excited to meet little Maddie in 5 months.

She is looking very healthy and we are very, very thankful for that.

But before we have Maddelyn we are going to start another adventure.

TO ALL OF MY BRIDES: I am still doing your weddings and

I am still taking bookings for St Louis weddings!

However, I will be taking flights to get to them because

on Black Friday I won't be shopping.

We will be moving to Las Vegas, Nevada!!

My hubby had the opportunity to move up in his company and since he loves his job sooo much we decided to go ahead and embark on this adventure.

Neither of us have ever lived anywhere but St. Louis!

So before Maddie gets here,

and before I begin interviews for School Counseling,

we're moving!!

I will still be scheduling photo sessions in St Louis and I will be sure to post the dates as soon as I can. I hope you all will stick with me during this crazy/amazing time of our lives. I really hope some of you take trips out to Vegas! The scenery is beautiful for pics! ; )

So with all the moving, and other chaos going on obviously I have not been posting on this blog every day. I know I promised and I hate breaking promises, but at this point there just aren't enough hours in the day. I hope you will all forgive me : )

Viva Las Vegas!

Goodnight all!

Why does the weekend ever have to end?

Ahhh the weekends. I love them, so much.

I'm off work, I am booked with photo sessions, and I get to hang with the hubby and the pup.

I made 2 posts over the weekend but somehow they are currently stuck as drafts instead of published : ( So I decided to do a weekend wrap up then post the other posts later this week.

We had a blast this weekend, well for part of it.

The first part was spent making room for baby in the house.

I think we sent 1/4th of our stuff to Goodwill.

Then sunday we headed out to Eckerts Farm in Millstadt, IL to pick apples with Joe, Lesley and Ellie. I will post pics from this event later, but I will leave you with one question:

Will Amy Meyerott Photography one day become Meyerott Photography?

Fir those who don't know: This is my sister-in-law, LESLEY MEYEROTT,

using the camera that started my business...I'm hoping to see a trend here.

Guess who is Turning One???

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I have ever done a sneak peek of s speak peek before.

Brynn is turning one tomorrow.

Many of you may remember Brynn and her big brother, Caden from their awesome shoot at the graffiti wall.

Brynn never disappoints.

She always brings her A-Game to a shoot and it shows.

So here is a sneak peek of what is in store tomorrow:

Happy Early Birthday Brynn!

HELLO WORLD!

Yep, you guessed it WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!

The above was taken at our 12 week ultrasound.

Below is Baby Meyerott's first picture at 7 weeks.

Thanks for playing along everyone (even though it was a little obvious).

I had a lot of fun reading your guesses.

Clue #1 is a photo album we got for my mother in law with the ultrasound pic in it- it is how we told her.

Clue #2- our new favorite thing to do in our house. I AM SOOO TIRED

Clue #3 packing away clothes that no longer fit and getting out the maternity clothes.

Clue #s 4,5,6 are faces of family members when they found out!

I will announce the winner after they are contacted.

For those interested in Baby Facts:

I will be 13 weeks tomorrow.

Baby Meyerott is healthy with a current heart-rate of 153.

Our due date is technically April 4th but Baby Meyerott disagrees and says he/she is due March 29th (I like to agree with Baby Meyerott).

We should hopefully find out the sex in November!

Baby Meyerott has been very nice to mommy- hardly been sick at all, I hope the rest of the pregnancy/baby's life goes this smoothly!

Hints #4,5,& 6

Hehe people may get mad about this one : )

Hint #3

Here's more food for thought:

Guess What?

Big Big Big changes are in store for Amy Meyerott Photography

Just telling you would be boring

So were going to play a guessing game

and I am going to give you clues.

Lets see if you can guess what is going on:

Leave Comments, message me, E-mail me

Whatever you want.

BUT if someone guesses correctly FIRST...

a small prize is in store.

Guessing today would be shooting in the dark,

the contest till not be open till tomorrow after my 2nd clue.

Here's your first clue.

* IF YOU ALREADY KNOW, PLEASE DON'T RUIN THE SURPRISE : )

WARNING: This is not a Happy Post

Readers: This post it heartbreaking, to me at least.

I feel led to do this, so I am.

Friday, September 17, 2010, 9:46pm

I placed a 9-1-1 call.

I needed Cheese Blintzes with strawberries from I-Hop.

I left my house about 9, picked up said blintzes, rented Date Night from Redbox, then headed back home to the hubby.

I got stuck at the light getting off my exit.

THANK GOD

If I hadn't I would have seen it, maybe been in it.

I pulled around the corner and neared the stoplight by Rookies in St. Charles.

As I did, I knew something wasn't right.

There was a large black truck smoking and 2 cars parked and unmanned at the light.

I put my car in park, grabbed my phone, and stepped out of my car.

I dialed 9-1-1 at 9:46pm

I assessed the scene,

Truck steaming, front end smashed, unmanned.

Extended Cab truck in ditch, upside down, 2 men trying to remove people.

Body laying on the side of the road, likely ejected from one of the vehicles.

I, like everyone else, assumed he was dead.

So what then?

What would you do?

Would you assume he was dead and move away?

OR Would you give his life a chance and try CPR?

I asked for help.

I was far from him and yelled for people who weren't to check to see if he was breathing.

I got waved off, "He's dead" said one man.

REALLY? IS HE? DID YA CHECK?

Shortly after a man went to check. No, he was not breathing.

A woman, I wish I knew her name to thank her, to shout from the rooftops that she tried.

To bake her dinner for remembering this man is a human being, someone's son, someone's love, someone's dad.

She did CPR as I yelled instruction, then ran over to check on the little boy who had been pulled from the mess.

He and his dad thankfully walked away with minor injuries.

They had their seat belts ON.

I went into the street to tell everyone to move their cars and make room for the 6 ambulances that were required and the 9-1-1 operator disconnected as help came their way.

I do not know the man's name who was pulled from the wreckage who suffered a broken neck, back, ribs, you name it- but I know he needs your prayers to pull out of it.

I also do not know the man's name who lost his life that night. I do know he was, in fact, a daddy of a 5 year old little boy. I also know his family desperately needs your prayers too.

UPDATE: BillyJack Dorlaque is this man's name. Please pray for his son, Carter and the rest of those who loved him.

I do know that Diffusion of Responsibility (Please read article) is a real thing.

I saw it in action.

So I am sorry to do this to you (I honestly, partially am)

But I am putting the responsibility on you.

I hope you never forget this post.

When something similar happens to you,

YOU call 9-1-1.

Even if several hundred people are with you,

YOU call- if the call has been placed by another person, they will disconnect with you.

You will have TRIED.

YOU CHECK to see if the person is alive, breathing.

YOU do CPR.

It's IS hard to do, it IS tiring.

It is also what may save a life.

YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE.

No excuses. Keep gloves in your car.

Buy a mask from the American Red Cross.

There are MILLIONS of locations and the masks cost $14.00 for 2, a child's size and an adult size.

This mask will prevent bodily fluids from coming into contact with you.

I am sorry, I know it is scary, I was scared. No one wants to check a dead body. Someone has to do it though. You never know if a person has a chance if you don't try to save them.

I know this is a photography blog.

I know readers don't click on my blog to read something so terrible,

then be challenged to do something terrifying.

I am sorry for that.

Honestly though, I would be more scared of how your life would be affected if you chose not to act, chose not to try, chose to be taken over by diffusion of responsibility.

If I had done nothing, I would never let myself live it down.

I know I did what I could do, and I pray that you all will do the same.

I wrote this post in honor of the man who lost his life, and the man who is fighting for his.

I hope my readers understand.

Love, Amy

*I want to add that there was a man who helped the woman with CPR. I believe he may have done some breaths while she did compressions. This is why the ratio was 15:2, because there were 2 people and that is how 9-1-1 directed it for 2. I did not get a good look at the man. I know there is some hurtful confusion right now for friends and family. No, I did not see the man who was described to me giving CPR, but that does not mean he did not. I may have just missed it while going out into the street to move traffic or check on the other injuries. I do not want to discredit anyone's story, I am sure I missed several details in the time I was there. I am very sorry I do not have the answer I know you are looking for.

Fighting the Battle

I can't stand it when people say ___ lost their battle with cancer today.

It sounds like they failed.

This is so far from true.

Everyone I know who has died from cancer is far from a failure.

My Aunt Phyllis passed away yesterday from Brain Cancer.

I would have to say her life was an incredible success.

She had children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

She worked her whole life for causes she believed in.

She was married to a wonderful man, My Uncle Bob.

As a matter of fact, she even wrote a published book on the topic, How To Marry A Winner.

Photo Courtesy of Kelly Manno Photography

Cancer happens, a lot.

Several people overcome it.

A few against all odds.

There are MIRACLES (God), the rest depends on science and God.

Nothing I can do will bring my aunt back. Or my Dad, or several other friends and family members who have had cancer.

What I can do is do my best to stop Cancer in it's tracks.

What I can do is honor the memory of those who I love who have been taken from us from this disease. Aunt Phyllis, Sharon English, Aunt Susan: all had Brain Cancer.

Any client booked between now and Christmas has the opportunity to help.

All you have to do is comment on this post with your name and the date of your session and I will donate 10% of your session fee to HEAD FOR THE CURE in the name of Phyllis Collier.

If anyone wants to donate, contact me via email.

Although Aunt Phyllis can not benefit from this, millions of others can.

Several people are still fighting for their lives. Take Johnny for example, he was recently diagnosed with Brain Cancer and his family is praying hard for God, science, and a Miracle.

To be a part of Head For The Cure, or even Jog for Johnny and his Noggin you can contact me at amy.meyerott@yahoo.com.

I LOVE LUCY, and my husband!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

September 5, 1985

Last Sunday was my 25th Birthday.

My gift from the hubby came in today.

THE FULL I LOVE LUCY SERIES!

You may not understand how excited I am.

I was the kid who watched Lucy every day and night. Every time she was on.

I snuck watching Lucy Desi Comedy Hour because it was after my bedtime.

I cried when I found out Lucy smoked because my parents told me smoking was bad.

I cried even more when I found out Lucy and Desi got divorced.

I was perplexed when I found our Ricky was really named Desi!!

I LOVE: I Love Lucy!

and I Love My Husband!

How We Roll in the Meyerott House

Sunday Night Football.

Many people watch it sitting back in a recliner, throwing back a beer and covering their hands in wing sauce.

Not the Hubby, NOPE. He has to hold the Digital Antenna in place to keep our screen clear.

Let me tell you a little about the hubby. He is a penny pincher. If a penny were divided into tenths, he would pinch those too.

He REFUSES to get cable, we had it but he would change between Charter to AT&T and back again every 3 months when the special was up.

If the fines weren't ridiculous, he would steal it.

Cable really is a rip off. I mean my goodness we pay hundreds of dollars a year to sit on our couches and turn into vegetables.

BUT I miss my HGTV, HISTORY CHAN, DISCOVERY, and uhh...MTV.

So anyway this is the hubby's solution. No monthly fees.

I was super excited watching this game. So what if we lost? I got to watch one of my clients score a touchdown!! The first touchdown of the season for the Rams and according to the announcers, his first in the NFL!

Congratulations Laurent! I hope you didn't get hurt there towards the end. I held my breath till you walked off! I'm sure Kat did much of the same!

God Bless you two! Have a wonderful season!

9 Years: September 8, 2001

How on earth does time go by so fast?

I think of all the life that has gone by that dad didn't get to be here for.

He was a part of everything I did, He saw it, but he wasn't physically HERE for it.

Not by Choice.

I'm very lucky in the sense that my Dad didn't choose to leave us,

God just decided Dad would be an asset to heaven.

Cancer really sucks.

I am going to lose another family member to it in a few days.

Learning to drive. Getting my first car. My first car accident. Prom. High School Graduation. 2 serious Boyfriends. 2 Broken Hearts. Leaving for College. Going to Mexico on a Mission Trip. Getting a 4.0. Family Vacations. Mom having a stroke. Crawling in bed with mom (DRUNK). Deciding to go to Grad School. Getting my first Big Kid job. Bringing home my new boyfriend. Getting engaged. Going to Jamaica. Walking down the aisle. Marrying Andrew. Having our reception. Buying a house. Finishing Grad School... meeting his grandchildren. Holding them. Reading them bedtime stories. Decorating the Christmas Tree. Learning to walk. Learning to ride a bike. Eating Ice Cream on the front porch. Going to the Country. Working in the garden. First day of kindergarten.

I could go on forever.

My dad will no longer be in any pictures. (I say this knowing perfectly well that he was in my wedding video and reception pictures) One day I will show you this. There is just so much I already wish he were physically present for and there is going to be much more to come.

The hardest part will not be walking myself down the aisle.

It will be making sure my kids KNOW their grandpa.

I promised I would do it.

I promised they would also know their great grandparents.

I feel like my husband and (future) kids are really missing out, not getting to know them.

I also think back to my childhood and how perfect it was.

all of the things listed after the ... are my favorite memories with my grandpa, all things my kid will never get to do with theirs.

They will have 2 awesome grandpas though, I can't discredit my in-laws, Bob Meyerott and Bob Cliffe. They both love their grandchildren very, very much. They just aren't my dad. Who was a part of my memories, and my family traditions.

I can't leave this post on a sad note. Dad wouldn't like that much.

I'm just going to recommit my promise to him that I will keep him very much alive.

Love you Dad!

SIDE NOTE: I would personally like to thank everyone who e-mailed me checking to see if I was alright since I hadn't been posting. It means a lot to me that you all care and took the time to check on me. After talking to a few clients I decided to not post for 4 days after I post a client's photos. I forgot how much my clients love being at the top of the blog for a few days. I don't want to take that from them. Pics from the weekend will come tomorrow!

My Sister In Law LOVES Me

I happened to mention to my sister in law, Lesley, that I had been DYING to have some watermelon the past few days. So when the hubby and I went to her house the other day she surprised me with all sorts of yummy goodies WATERMELON being one of them.

I was so excited when we got home that I immediately pulled out the melon baller and started carving. I think I ate every other scoop as I bagged the melon.

Watermelon never tasted so good.

I love summer, and I love Lesley!

Consumed:

I'm exhausted.

I'm not complaining though, I am thankful.

Here is my life in a nutshell.

It's consumed with working 3rd shift full time,

then heading to my internship for a minimum of 15 hours a week,

then finishing my last semester of my masters,

yelling at my husband to stop swinging his golf clubs in the house,

shooting sessions then lots and lots of editing,

squeezing in sleep every chance I get,

playing volleyball with the Pink Panthers,

Playing Bunko and Scrapbooking with my friend, Devon

(who will likely be the first one to read this),

trying to catch up with my nieces before they grow another foot and a half,

eating a home-cooked meal once a week (when my momma cooks it)

and lastly playing with my puppy dog between each of my naps throughout the day.

It may sound crazy, and hectic, and miserable- which it is, most of the time.

But no matter what I am so lucky to be able to do all of these things,

to be able to afford school, to have a job,

to have a husband (who is about to get yelled at because I kid you not he is swinging the golf clubs in my face right now),

to have a mom who is alive and in good health and who actually WANTS to cook me dinner,

to have my friends and family who love me very much.

And to have the most incredible clients I could ever pray for.

I'm lucky. So though my life is overwhelming at times,

I am thankful for every minute of it.

Here is a pic of the hubs playing golf in a more appropriate place:

Just Around the Corner

I normally hate fall because it means winter is coming and I HATE freezing weather. Then I remember how much I loved it as a kid and I can't help but warm up to the cold weather. The holidays were so magical. I hope every kid had my experience. I had the picture perfect family. Every holiday we met at my grandparent's house and had an amazing time. I hope my kids and grandkids get to live the same magic I did. Christmas was the best. We would have dinner at Grandmas and Grandpas - Grandpa and I always decorated the tree weeks before. We set up tables made of old doors in the basement and for the longest time, the entire family fit at the table. We would then open presents, which looking back, is shockingly the part of the night that meant the least to me. After presents we would pile into the car and go look at Christmas lights. I will never forget one street that was incredible. The whole circle participated, one guy even set up Santa's Magical Kingdom in his garage. I LOVED watching that toy train make its rounds on the parameter of the garage. Then we would go home, say our goodbyes and my mom, dad, and I would walk back to our home next-door. It was perfect.

Now, for the first time in years, it is the first week of September and I am bubbling with excitement. I am thrilled to have apple cider, get ready for hayrides, pleased to drag Andrew to go apple picking, go to SEVERAL wineries, plot my pumpkin carving, and ready to shop to decorate the house!

Although I am cheating on this image (I took it last year and I'm pretty sure it has already appeared on this blog), I am very excited to enjoy the last day of August tomorrow and prepare to celebrate the fall!

Tea for Two

So it's day two of blogging, lucky for me I have something easy to blog about. Today was the Bridal Shower for my friend, Trish. It was at a cute little tea room in Fenton. Trish is number 2 of 4 "Stracke Sisters". Each of them are gorgeous- I can't even imagine what it must be like to be their Dad. Anyway, I remember the day I met Trish. I was really nervous because it was the first time meeting a group of my husband's friends. Trish may have said "hi" first but I don't remember it. What I do remember is 30 seconds into meeting her she told me I had a cute butt. I liked her immediately. I'm really excited to see Trish get married this fall. Bryan is wonderful for her, he loves her so much- you should see the massive rock he got her. : ) Plus, he will be a great father to the other two loves of her life, her dog, Silva and her cat, Kik.

Congratulations Trish, you are going to be one Beautiful Bride!

One of the games we played was a "Project Runway" type game. We had to design a wedding dress out of toilet paper! Heres our "bride", April.

Trish judging- Our team won!

Well that's all for today! See everyone tomorrow!

NERVOUS.

I recently attended an always amazing Kelly Manno workshop: St Louis Shot Party Featuring Jasmine Star!! I can't imagine another photographer telling me they do not know who Jasmine Star is but I realize many of my readers likely have no idea who she is. I encourage you to check her out, she is incredible. I may as well be shooting with a Polaroid shooting next to her. She is nothing short of incredible. Pics from the shot party are coming soon. To be honest, I haven't even had time to look at the images I took. What I did have time to do was to let everything Jasmine said settle in. My business is going to go through some changes here shortly and I am really excited about some of them/really nervous about others. In the plans for the next year are: a website (not just a blog), my own Newborn studio in my home, expanding my lighting usage, and lastly- blogging...everyday. Jasmine made a great point during her talk with us. As a photographer you want to either attract or repel your clients. You may be asking yourself, "Why would she want to repel clients?" Well the honest answer is in their best interest. I am not going to be a fit for everyone. If a client does not personally like their photographer the likelihood that they will dislike their photos is much greater. I want my clients to know what they are getting, and be excited about it. I want to be excited knowing I can give my client exactly what they want. So although some photographers may think I am crazy for putting personal information on my business blog well so be it. Thats the kind of photographer I am. I want my clients to know me on a friend level, after all aren't we all more comfortable smiling in front of our friend's cameras? So here it is. My first post of a year of blogging. EVERYDAY. I'm not going to pretend to be interesting. I am going to simply be me. I hope to attract many more of you than I repel. I hope I don't bore you out of your minds. I hope that you don't read this and decide you never want to look at my blog again. I think of this commitment as a promise to my clients, I am putting in the effort to make my business better. To keep learning, pushing myself to become a better photographer. I hope you all will continue to join me for the ride.

Oh, and I always promise to include a picture. The first picture, of course its Miss Ellie, is a celebration of 1 year. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. See you tomorrow!

God Bless.