Ironically enough, this is post #26 in the Faith + Full Time Focus series and age 26 has sure been a good to me so far!!  I know, I know.. You’re probably opening this post thinking “She already announced that she went part time and she already announced that she is pregnant- what else could she possibly be excited to announce this time?!”

Well, for those of you that have asked- No, we are not expecting twins and No, this is not the gender reveal blog post!!  But, let me start from the beginning of our story here!!

It all started Monday night… We had just spent that morning at a doctor’s appointment for Baby H’s anatomy scan and then we ventured to Pottery Barn Kids and Babies-R-Us to register.  We had just spent the entire weekend driving out to Dublin, Virginia for an incredible wedding that I was photographing and by the time we were back in the car again that Monday morning for our baby adventures, we were both beyond tired of sitting in the car!  Our spirits were lifted after a delicious breakfast together and then all of the fun that took place while registering.

That evening when we were finally home, I pulled out the laptop to begin responding to inquiries that I had received while we were out of town over the weekend… The depressing thing was that I was about to have to turn down a majority of those inquiries because between my current bookings + my day job, I just couldn’t take on any more work.  I still had a few available dates in September, but by “a few” I really mean only 4 dates!! October-December has been dedicated to baby prep and maternity leave so that meant only 4 more dates for the remainder of 2016 and it was only June!!  I suppose that being that booked is a good problem to have, but all I could think was if I am already about to have to turn down this many potential AHP clients and it’s only the beginning of summer, I don’t even want to imagine how many I am going to have to turn down by years end!

Brad was in the living room with me practicing his golf skills, I was on the couch and there I sat, wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket, laptop out, hands on the keyboard, dreading the messages I was typing as I regretfully responded back to these lovely potential clients that I was unfortunately booked until September.

Then the moment came that Brad joked about quitting my day job.  I laughed at him with a “Yeah, Right, Ok” response and that was it.  I sent those inquiry responses and took a few deep breaths as the knots built up in my stomach… Then out it came without a second thought- “You know, there’s really nothing holding me to my day job when I’m having to turn down all of these photo jobs”.

He looked at me with kind eyes, smiled a smile full of comfort, and shrugged his shoulders as if to say “Yeah, I know.”

That lead us into a 2 hour conversation as we looked at the facts, looked at the numbers, considered our future, and then came the decision I never thought I would be fortunate enough to make…

Friends- I am so excited to announce that…

I will be taking Abby Hudson Photography

F U L L  T I M E ! ! ! !

AH!!  I could cry as I type this… I never in a million years thought that I would see this day… Heck, two years ago I laughed at the idea of me even being a professional photographer!!  And now, just like every other time that I underestimated myself, here I am basking in the moment when you realize that all of the late nights, early mornings, long hours and long weeks were absolutely and incredibly worth it!!!

It’s funny to think about because for weeks I have felt like God was nudging me in the direction of going full time.  I laughed at it and blamed the mere thought on pregnancy hormones and quickly snapped back into reality.  But then, just as He always does, He made Himself evident without question… He took the one person that I trust more than anyone in the world to make me realize that there was nothing holding me back from taking my business full time or from living the life I have been working so hard towards-  the life that we have been working so hard to build.

The truth is that it is a risk.  All small businesses are a risk and it’s a little terrifying if you think about it… I mean, I must be crazy to be making this leap with a baby on the way, right??  But the reality is that all of the facts add up in our favor and the fact that I have no anxiety over this decision what so ever just reassures me that it is all in His plan and He is holding tight to our hands through it all.

So!  There’s my big announcement!  My really big, fabulous, amazing, blessing of an announcement!!

My heart is so abundantly full.  You see all of the pretty signs and mugs saying “Create the Life of Your Dreams” and “Love the Life You Live”.  Well, I did it, friends… I’m living it, I love it, and I could not be more grateful for the blessings and grace and mercy that I have experienced in my life.

My last day at my day job will be July 11th.  It’s bitter sweet considering that I just started there a few months ago, but I know in my heart that this is a necessary move and that it is what I’m supposed to be doing.

AHP will officially be full time as of July 12th!!  Let’s be honest, if you are currently juggling your day job and your dream job, you know that our dream jobs are often just as much full time as what our day jobs are!!  I know because I’ve been living that life for a while now!  But, I am so beyond happy that I will now have more time to dedicate to running my business, more time to spend with sweet clients, and therefore more time to create a life outside of work in the evenings and days off with my amazing husband and Baby H.

I also have to mention the fact that working from home in leggings and a t-shirt with my two dogs is going to be pretty much awesome!!  The pups may become the official AHP Mascots!

I just want to end this post by shouting a huge THANK YOU to every one of you that has been following this journey of mine, encouraging me, supporting me, offering a helping hand when needed, offering a shoulder to lean on when I was feeling low, and being there to high five me when I felt on top of the world… A huge thank you to everyone that believed in me from the beginning, to everyone that helped me along the way in strengthening my relationship with the Lord, everyone that opened my heart to the wonder of this industry and made me realize my own strength…. Oh, and another huge thank you to everyone that wanted to spend time with me but understood when we had to “schedule” our lunch dates two months in advance!!  Haha

Lastly, an even bigger thank you goes out to my husband who did everything listed above and so much more.  He has never once doubted me or this dream of mine.  He has been there literally every step of the way.  He has encouraged me at every turn.  He has given me so much love, kindness, faith, and more strength than I could have ever asked for.  His heart is so much a part of AHP and I am just so grateful that God brought us together because I cannot imagine walking through life with anyone else.

Alright friends, there you have it!!  Please join me as I pop the confetti over here + stay tuned because there may or may not be a celebratory giveaway happening very soon!!! (Um, yeah, there definitely is- like tonight!!)  Yay!!!!