My Husband Brian- Some days I can’t believe this guy loves me. From my super emotional days, to the days that I feel crazy, to the days that even at 24 I’m still trying to figure myself out my husband loves me anyways. He’s encouraging, loving, helpful, fun and he’s my best friend. I’m so proud and impressed of all he has accomplished and I can’t wait to see all the good things he’s going to do! I’m so thankful to be married to such a great and faithful man.
Family- I love these guys, all of them: Steinacker’s, Dooley’s, Bowman’s, Thompson’s, Hamm’s, Dodgen’s, Scheck’s, Murray’s, McKay’s, Ansfeild’s, Jenkin’s, Pinnick’s and all the others. I have the most diverse loving family in the world and don’t know who I’d be without them
My Parents- I’m so thankful for all the things my parents have done for me. They provided me a great house, neighborhood, school’s and showered me with lots of love. I love them so much and truly believe I lucked out getting such cool parents! Photo props: KHP
Galveston- I’m so thankful to live so close to the beach! Whether it be a last minute sister’s day, a hot date, a family reunion or a place to hang out with friends it’s so wonderful to feel the ocean breeze. The water clarity maybe doesn’t compare with let’s say Destin, but there’s something so calming about sitting on the beach and watching the sunset over the water.Saturday Night Live- Is it ok to be thankful for a T.V. show?
*Can we use this picture?
Shelter
My husband and I’s trip to Big Bend- Last May my husband and I decided to take a trip out to west Texas. We had a lot going on and I barely got all my shifts covered at work but somehow last minute we found our selves in a new landscape listening to Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s retro western album “Rome” admiring the diverse life and scenery of the desert.  It was so great to get away with each other and be away from the whole world. The trip was actually the result of a fight we got in while we were at our favorite place in Austin, the Counter Café. So there you go people, fights are healthy and sometimes at the end of them you get to go on fabulous vacations! Hooray for communication!
*My fav pic is the one of the silhouetted cactus, the other’s are just if you want to diptych.
My Aunt Eileen- She was a beautiful person inside and out and I’m so thankful that I was a part of her life. She left behind a beautiful family and a true legacy of love and compassion. I can’t wait to see her again one day!!
The Farm- My Grannie and Papa used to have a beautiful farm out in Falba, Texas. It was a great place for the entire family to hang out. They had a swimming pool, ponds, dogs, cats, cows, a cow cemetery and at one point a mysterious elephant wondered into one of the pastures (still not sure if that’s entirely true).  We told scary stories about hook-man beside the fire and watched all the shooting stars in the clear night sky. We were all so lucky to have a place to come together and to get away from city life for just a weekend.
The Walkmen- They are my favorite band and I never get tired of listening to their music. Every album they put out is better than the one before showing lot’s of growth and diversity.
Mac Cosmetics- I remember when my sister Megan started wearing makeup she told me that all the cool girls wear Mac, so since then I’ve dreamed of being cool enough to sport their stylish products. Though most people probably wouldn’t describe me as “cool” I wear the makeup anyways! I love how creative their ads and employees are. They are truly inspiring.
Avocados- The ultimate enhancer to almost anything you eat. Yum.
My time in Austin- I was lucky enough to spend two years living in Austin, Texas. I worked at the original Chuy’s on Barton spring where I met a lot of amazing and inspiring people. Austin is a great city for so many reasons: music, food, countless outdoor activities, film, bats, festivals, a real sense of community, originality and of course, Leslie. Even though I might have left kicking and screaming I truly am grateful to be here in Houston doing work for Kelly Hornberger Photography. I know Houston is where I’m supposed to be, but I’ll always have fond memories of good times and lots of personal growth in Texas’ great capitol.
*Of course the map is the pic I want to use but the other three are diptych options. The first of the other three is me in front of the Frost Building. It’s an iconic building in the city. The second picture is me on my last night at work at Chuy’s when I fell victim to the tradition of whip creaming the person who is leaving. A server named Happy Spring Day totally tricked me and covered me in the stuff!! The last picture is at Krause Spring’s of me and my good friend Erin who I met at Chuy’s that became on of my best friends. It’s a swimming hole with a gorgeous waterfall and cool water. It’s one of my favorite places in Austin.
Claire Donahoe-  Do you ever find yourself in a situation that you know you’re supposed to be in? Well, Claire and I met in Austin and it was definitely supposed to happen. I needed someone in my life to really push me to be the best person I could be. Though I still have a lot to work on I wouldn’t be were I am now without her pushing me and encouraging me. She really understands me and honestly believes in me. I never made goals before but every time we met she would make me write some down or she’d write them out for me, and we started small. Like really small. Some of my goals were as simple as “I will wake up before nine A.M” (oh the perks of working at a restaurant that doesn’t open until eleven!). So thank you Claire for investing your time in me, it was truly appreciated.
* I know the bottom part of the pic looks a little awkward but that’s a book she recommended to me that kinda changed my life, so I know it looks bad but it’s pretty relevant.
Friends- I’m so thankful to have so many people that I can call my good friends. Though, finding a picture with me with all of these people is impossible. I have so many good friends that I’ve known since I was little, good friends that I met inside an elevator in my college dorm and good friends that I made working at Chuy’s.  Thanks to all of you for being my friend and making my life such an amazing adventure. I love you all! Photo Props: KHP taken by Wendi Pool
Red Lipstick- Don’t it make a ginger girl look good?? (Mac’s Russian Red is my favorite!) Photo props: KHP
My car- I think it’s way too easy to forget how fortunate we are to have cars. My little Corola is a true fighter after all these years. In high school my friends and I named it Tido because it reminded us of the little Chihuahua in “Oliver and Company”.  I love my car.
Good Health
Stacy London and Clinton Kelly- Though their tactics seem a bit harsh to some, what they do really makes an impact with women. There really is something about waking up everyday and deciding to look good; it makes you feel good! It I love their sass and their stronghold position of no more mom jeans!!
Can we use that picture?
Being a Red Head- “Did you hate having red hair as a kid?” I get this question a lot and the answer is no. My red locks have always made me feel special and unique! I get my hair color from my Grandad Dooley. Though both of my parents are brunettes half of their four kids came out with red hair while the other two were stuck with “silly ole brown hair”!
*My little cousins were over and I told them they could each style my red hair and that’s what those pics are of. Definitely don’t feel obligated to use them. I just thought it would be funny to have them style and model me for it! They told me to “look serious”.
Education- I think it’s so cool that we can make our education whatever we want without anyone telling us what classes we have to take or without any government dictating our every textbook. We really take a lot of this for granted. School is great for many reasons; meeting people and making contacts, learning time management and organizational skills and for obtaining knowledge that helps you think critically and understand the world you live in a little better. And saying that school is the only place for learning would be silly. There is so much knowledge just waiting to be discovered in books, articles or just by experiencing life!
Art- It’s inspiring and makes the world we live in a beautiful place.
*The first picture isn’t mine, is it ok to use? It’s an artist Fedrico from El Paso. He does graffiti art and paintings. The next pic is my sis Meg in front of murals by Stephen Quiller, an artist that works out of Creede, Colorado. I love both of them because they use a lot of pops of bright colors!
Water- Working in a restaurant is hard because you’re constantly surrounded by delicious food and an every flowing abundance of free soda. Well, a co-worker and I both decided that we were taking way too much advantage of free Dr. Pepper’s and Coke’s so we made a friendly competition to see who could last the longest without drinking soda. I think she lasted 2 days but I, along with my husband willingly jumping on the bandwagon, have stopped drinking soda’s since last January. I can’t believe how dehydrated I was almost every single day! And no, I don’t even drink diet sodas. You can ask my cousin Olivia how I feel about diet sodas. Grr. I feel better, my face has cleared up and I have SO much more energy! Now seeing and feeling how important water is I can truly respect how blessed we are to have clean water!
* I don’t care which pics you use
The Neighborhood I grew up in- I love my neighborhood. There are trails, basketball courts, tennis courts, pools, soccer fields, baseball fields and an elementary school that I rode my bike to every day. Every Christmas you could look forward to Santa riding on top of one of the driven lime green fire trucks down every street, and everyday an adorable old man would ride around the neighborhood in a flannel shirt with a flat cap cruising on a yellow bike and all the kids would yell out, “Hey Mr. Ding Dong man!” and of course he would ring the bell on his bike that made the “ding dong” noise.  Every 4^th of July there is an awesome firework show that still impresses me today. I was so blessed as a kid to have such a great place to grow up and make quality friends were we could explore, play sports and just be kids. We didn’t watch too much T.V., there was too much to do outside!!
*The picture of the bridge isn’t good. It just makes me smile because every kid who took photography in high school that lived in my neighborhood took that picture and we all felt like the best photographers in the world!
My Grannie- Though my other three grandparent’s were amazing I have had more time to get to know my sweet grannie Beth. She is loving, honest, generous and is from a small town called Laneville in east Texas so she always has something funny to say. My two favorites are, “It’s colder than a well digger’s crack in here!” and “If you see something you’ve never seen before just throw a hat at it!” She is so welcoming to all the newcomers of the family that she instantly becomes their grannie, too. I am going to a school that’s walking distance from her house so I get to spend a lot of time with her. I’m one lucky lady. She makes the BEST biscuits and gravy. And peach cobbler. Let’s just say the lady can cook! Photo props KHP.
Kelly Hornberger and Claire O’Malley- If someone asked me what I thought the perfect job would be I would easily tell them that I’d want to work near home, with genuine people where my job is to create and brainstorm creative ideas. Yeah, so I’m pretty much loving being at KHP and am so honored that these two ladies have the confidence in me that I can do great things. I’ve been in a creative rut for a long time so their patience with me while I get back on the saddle is so sweet and appreciated. Kelly and Claire are both so amazing and I can’t wait to learn a lot from them. I know this is where God wants me right now so I can’t wait to see what’s in store!
* I would love it if you put a cute pic of the two of yall!
Freedom- I’m not talking about the corny freedom you might have seen in Team America; I’m talking about all the rights that make living in this country a wonderful place. I’m so thankful that I can read whatever I want, say whatever I want, or practice any religion I want. We truly are fortunate.
*could we maybe diptych them to create one image? This is from a book Brian’s parent’s gave us. It’s The US Constitution inscribed and illustrated by Sam Fink.
My New Camera- You know your friend who takes pictures all the time, who constantly makes you smile for the camera and after awhile they get really, really annoying? Well that’s me. I have this horrible compulsion to document every second of my life. After our trip to Big Bend and Colorado this past summer when I got to use my good friend’s digital slr I decided that I couldn’t travel again without one. So very sneakily my husband and his sweet family surprised me on my birthday with a new Canon. My dad told me yesterday, “Don’t take too many pictures on that thing, you’re gonna wear it out!”
*I took this picture in front of a mirror, could you swap the image around so it reads properly?
Graham Irwin Thompson- Well I don’t know him yet, but I can’t wait to meet him. My sister is expecting and she’s finally going to make me an aunt. Everyone in the family is so excited to have a little one to cuddle on and to spoil. My sister Erin and my brother-in-law Russell are going to be awesome parents!! And I get the privilege of designing and decorating the little guy’s room. April 30^th can’t get here fast enough
You- Thank you all for choosing Kelly Hornberger Photography for your big day! I did a year and a half ago and it’s the best purchase I made for my wedding. If Kelly and Claire weren’t so busy they wouldn’t need me, so thanks for keeping them busy!!!