In terms of self esteem, 2015 was a hard year for me. When I confessed this to friends, they found
it hard to believe. Yes it’s true, I
never seem to be lacking in self esteem, but after losing so much weight from
my gastric bypass surgery, I started to gain some of it back. People always want to know how it happened
and the simple answer is that I started eating sugar again. Anyone who tells you that fat makes you fat
is full of crap, sugar makes you fat. But
anyway, that’s a rant for another time...
I wasn’t prepared for the toll gaining some weight back
would take on my mind. I had gained back
a fraction of what I had lost, but I felt bigger than I had ever been. And worst of all, I felt completely
undesirable. My depression and anxiety
skyrocketed. I pulled back from most
social activities. I wasn’t myself
anymore.
I had to remind myself that I needed to love myself exactly
as I was that moment. Not if I lost 20
pounds. I had to fall in love with me
again, and that was going to take some work.
When the LDS Matchmaker presented me with their “Make It
Happen Package”, I never imagined what an impact it would have on my life! And one of the best parts was the
professional photo shoot.
We all know how much better you feel when you have your hair
and makeup done, and add to that some amazing photos by a fantastic
photographer and you have one happy Barbie
J
My Dating Coach Lauren was also my stylist. She took me to a few different stores and
helped me put together some outfits. While
I can find you the perfect wedding dress, regular fashion just isn’t my
thing. I definitely needed her help. I also had a work trip to Chicago coming up
and these outfits went along perfectly!
The day of the shoot, the amazing Brittany Wilson did my
makeup (resident matchmaker and stylist).
She even put some fancy fake eyelashes on me which made my eyes look
incredible!
The photo shoot took place at the Salt Lake City Library,
hands down one of my favorite places downtown.
Sami Johnson (Matchmaker extraordinaire) was there to help with anything
I needed and to be my own personal cheerleader.
Seriously, every time I started having the thought “I probably look
awful”, out of nowhere she would shout
out “You are such a hottie!!”. It’s hard
not to smile when you have someone encouraging you on.
The photos were taking by the insanely talented MJ Morgan,
owner of “My Style Photography”. His
skill working with natural light makes my jaw drop, and to top it off, he’s an
incredibly nice guy. He’s mellow,
inviting and gives great direction to make you look your absolute best. He also didn’t mind when I gave him my input about
poses or things I wanted in the background.
The experience was
amazing! A few days later he sent me all
of the images and I chose my favorite 10 for him to edit. Here are the final results, I love them!
Seeing in photos that even though I have
gained some weight, I am still beautiful.
It was exactly what I needed!
I can’t say enough good things about this experience. I honestly think everyone should do it! I use the photos for both business and personal (LOTS of online dating!).
Of course I recommend you set up an appointment and meet
with the LDS Matchmaker http://www.theldsmatchmaker.com/
to see what packages she recommends, it’s
worth it!
