dreams do come true.

test. test. is this thing on?

you've been wondering where i've been, huh?
well, you can call in the search dogs. i'm not lost.

i've just been....busy.

i hate to use that word. we're all busy.
you're busy, i'm busy, our families are busy.
life, in general, is busy.

if you're here today chances are you've been checking in to see if i posted since..oh, three weeks ago. {bad blogger!}
i haven't. i've been busy.

"what has been more important than your own blog, melissa?", you ask.

life for our family has been busy but, so good.
opportunities that i dream of have been offered to me.

for example, i'm a new curator/writer for Blissfully Domestic, a blog dedicated to bringing you recipe, craft and lifestyle posts that are amazing! go see for yourself how great Blissfully Domestic is!

you can see a few of my recent posts here, here and here.

of course, i don't write alone over there...alli {the founder and creator and all-around sparkly gal {muah!}}, angela, kat, caroline and ashleigh are all in it with me!

to make that whole bunch of previous stated info even better comes the second part of my dreams-do-come-true "busy-ness." {the period does go inside the quotation, yes?}

for the second year in a row i was asked to be a part of the BlissDom Conference team.
yes, the most amazing team of girls {and guys. more on that in a sec.} on the planet.

last year i was brought by a {now} friend to be a part of the conference...somehow. somehow, someway i was going to be put to work. for that, i was grateful. beyond words grateful!!! i would've taken any job there to just be there. {that doesn't sound at all desperate. LOL} my heart swelled. God is good. ok, you get it. i couldn't thank this friend enough for taking a chance on me.

she asked me to join forces with the group of talented photographers and capture shots of the conference life.
i shadowed casey mullins, aka mooshinindy, and learned so much from her. she knew everyone. everyone knew her. her photography is amazing. she's just too sweet to not want to be around...

and then, this year i was asked to come back again as one of the event photographers. what??!!! i may have jumped up and down and danced a little jig right there in my in-law's living room when i read that text. ok, the dancing didn't happen. but, i did immediately call hubs and tell him. my heart was exploding!

***

jeff goins said at killer tribes last year to start calling yourself what you are. you don't take pictures, you're a photographer. you're not a blogger, you're a writer. until you say it AND mean it no one will take you seriously. whoa! talk about a kick in the gut. no wonder people look at me like i'm crazy when i say i'm a blogger. "what's a blogger????" I'M A WRITER.

and, because of BlissDom {and that unnamed friend} believing in me and giving me the confidence that so many loved ones have tried to give me over the years, i now say i'm a photographer.

I'M A PHOTOGRAPHER!

{p.s. i'm so proud to say, my photography can be seen on both the killer tribes and the blissdom conference websites. dream come true moment!!!}

***

are you still with me???
i feel like i could break this into multiple posts.
past history says i may not come back to this thought...so, i'm gonna keep on keepin' on with this post. :0)

remember when i said that the BlissDom staff is made up of amazing gals and guys??
well, hubs was asked to be a part of the staff this year too.

talk about fun!
we traveled to dallas, tx together!
we had more fun this past weekend than we've had in a long time.

and if we weren't together at times {most times because we were both so busy} then he was still having a blast.
work was total FUN for us both!

wanna see something fun???


hubs was part of a three man team of security guards/helpers. he didn't like the "security" title too much...but, someone totally asked him if he was scott stratten's bouncer. {just embrace the title, babe! it is what it is.}

so, @mrjonahbonah {you can now find him on instagram and twitter} became a celebrity in his own right. the girls loved him. he was reminded he's still got it. the boy can straight tear up a dance floor. he made a bunch of new friends.

most of all, he sees what i see in BlissDom. a big, HUGE family! we felt loved and appreciated and needed and loved...most of all LOVED! we were blessed beyond measure to be a part of the most amazing staff evah!

thank you, BlissDom for all that you bring to bloggers, ahem, writers across the country {and even in canada!}!!!

we can't wait until next year. BLISSDOM '14, BABY!!!

a few of my favorite shots of hubs and i...


{us with jeremy sisto & ana gasteyer}


{us just before chris mann and amber riley got to the step and repeat}

hubs didn't get in this shot for some reason...


{kat, amy, chris mann {from The Voice}, amber riley {from Glee}, jana and me}

{all photos credit to BlissDom}