After almost 10 months of going at 200%, I took a little mini adventure vacation for 3 days in October. My bestie Betsy Lackey invited me to meet her in Dallas for the Needtobreath & Taylor Swift concert…. on a whim. Usually, I don’t jump on whims that require lots of traveling and uncertainty, but this time, I did, and a few weeks later I found myself on plane to Dallas without knowing the “where’s”, the “how’s”, or the “when’s” that one might want to know BEFORE traveling. Sometimes in life, to prevent spontaneous combustion, a little unplanned meandering is required. Here is my photographic journal of sorts, documenting this unplanned and simply refreshing trip to Dallas….

“The years go by like stones under rushing water. We only know, we only know when it’s gone.” -Needtobreathe

Hello! And Happy New Year! It’s 2012, which means lots and lots of NEW is happening. January is such a fun time…. it’s a time for reviewing the highs and lows of the previous year, taking notes on how to make the new year better than the last, and my favorite… dreaming. It’s an exciting thing to witness evolution of thought, being, and goals. Where I was, I am no longer.

I’ve been listening to Elevation Worship’s “All Things New” a lot lately…. and I’ve adopted it as my mantra for 2012. Last year was intense in both amazing… and not so amazing ways. But looking forward at the open road ahead, I can’t help but have hope and peace that whatever comes, He is near and deeply involved in the world around me. Hope is an exciting thing.

And with that, I’d like to share my ALL NEW website!! This has been a work in progress for quite some time… involving lots of soul searching and self-realization. It’s been almost 4 years now that Kate Noelle Photography has been in existence. Whoa…. (having a moment)

So, while my dream and vision have remained the same, my website’s look and feel has changed to reflect the changes I’ve undergone in the past couple of years. I’m excited at the unending spectrum of possibility this year holds, and I hope you’ll continue to journey with me on this crazy adventure of living life to the fullest.

Here’s a shot Christopher took of me at a shoot recently…

And here’s the all new look of Kate Noelle Photography’s Website! Head on over to www.katenoelle.com to check it out!

There are all new galleries featuring some oldies, but mostly new images…

There’s a new “Connect” page where you can find every possible way to connect with me via social media…. I hope you’ll find me so we can be friends!

And I’m also excited about an all new “Word on the Street” section where past clients have laid out their experiences with me as their photographer…. I love my clients!!

Last week, I photographed Century High School’s Holiday choir concert. I’ve been present at most concerts with my camera ready for the past 3 years or so…. to help document the evolution of Century’s choir program and to show support for my dad. It’s really cool watching the students grow up and gain confidence with their voices as they move through the program.

This past year, my dad had the opportunity to write the Alma Mater for the high school…. and it’s been exciting for him to hear it sung at football games and pep rallies. How cool is that?! He wrote the song that will tie all alumni to each other throughout their lives…. the song that promotes unity and pride for a school. What an amazing tradition to be a part of…

I thought these few shots were really amazing from the concert… shots of my dad leading the choirs and the audience in the alma mater…. and students actually getting into the spirit of it…. I’m proud of you, Dad!

Last year, November marked the time of year when Christopher decided to sport a mustache. (You can view last year’s mustache here.) I thought maybe it had gotten out of his system, but one morning early in the month, I walked into the kitchen to find a mustached man eating Christopher’s breakfast. “Wonderful,” I thought. “Here we go again.”

Well, I’ll have you know that he was encouraged by our friends Jeff and Trevor, who spent the month of November “mustache-edly” clad in support of our dear friend John Riedl as he continues to battle cancer. “It’s for a good cause,” I told myself. And it was. These three endured many awkward stares, pesky leftover food crumbs, and repulsed wives…. and to celebrate the end, they decided to take some “gross mustache photos.” And they were indeed gross…. here’s the results of the shoot …. (Please Note: This is not normal attire for any of these men. They’re usually very respectable…..)

Once we were done with the gross mustache shots, we moved onto a more serious and pretty family photo of the Clinard Clan.

And then we got crazy again….

I’m sorry to see November already far past, but I’m glad to have a mustache-less husband for another year. Way to go boys… you did good.