It will sound like an excuse. Like, The Dog Ate My Homework…Promise. But, really, I blogged yesterday and when it was time to publish, the internet was down in our hotel. So then I banged my forehead on my keyboard. Repeatedly. It was the third time the internet failed, so I was a wee bit frustrated. Alas, today is a new day and I plan to recap the previous two days.

Hmmmm, now that I'm sitting in front of my computer, I'm having a hard time remembering what's happened. Oh, that's right. Around midnight on Sunday night, I took what I thought was a cold preventative, but when 4:30am rolled around and I was WIDE A.W.A.K.E, I read the label and discovered it may cause sleeplessness. Awesome. I nervously paced my hotel room. And then ordered a pizza. Because, really, what else was there to do?! I woke JD and we shared a margarita pizza overlooking the Las Vegas lights. After an hour of sleep, we woke and went to David Jay's 8am workshop. Around 11am, we hung out in the Showit Suite…and then I started seeing spots around noon. Yellow spots. Black spots. Purple spots. It was time for a nap. I woke in time for dinner (how convenient) and joined the The Boudoir Divas for a dinner to celebrate the launch of their new book. If you shoot boudoir photography, definitely check it out as I think it's such a great resource!

I had EVERY intention of joining my good friend Becker at his notorious party (I even wore a dress and the whole nine!), but I was feeling a little more than exhausted and overwhelmed, so I called it a night. And, yes, the coolness just oozes from me. It's hard being this fun.

On Tuesday morning, my alarm blared at 5:30am. The sun wasn't even awake yet, but I found myself nervously awaiting the morning shoot I had planned for 20 amazing photographers. Again, I found myself pacing my hotel room and praying I wouldn't let everyone down. At 6:30am, JD and I walked through the MGM Hotel and discovered most of the group was already assembled in the lobby. Then my stress level went into Code Red! Code Red! High Alert! High Alert! because I realized they came ready to shoot, learn, and have fun. AND WHAT IF I TOTALLY BOMBED?!? Thankfully, the group was nothing short of awesome…squared. We started the shoot in the hotel lobby, then made our way into the freezing city streets and had a fabulous morning. Here's a sneak peek from the shoot…

At the end of the photo shoot, I left feeling so proud. Not of myself. But of this industry. I met 20 new peers yesterday and if that's what the wedding photography industry is made of, then I'm honored to be a part of it.

In the afternoon, I walked the tradeshow floor with my good friend Amy Wenzel, and we oohed and ahhed over new albums, prints, and canvas wraps. I had a few meetings in the late afternoon, and then joined a small group of friends for dinner. At the end of the night–as we walked down The Strip against the chilly wind–we stopped by The Bellagio watched the water show. With my body pressed again the cold concrete ledge, I watched water dance against the night sky. I leaned over to JD and whispered, In this moment, I'm happy. And I was. Life, right now, is simple and complex, but being surrounded with friends and the man I adore, life is happy. And I'm thankful.