Confessions of a Shopaholic

They say the first step at curing addictive behavior is admitting to it right? Well, my name is Natalie and I'm a shopaholic. Not just any shopaholic, an emotional shopaholic. Nothing fuels endorphins in me like a store. And not just any store... I'm very specific in what I like to shop for.

The top 3 things I cannot resist:

3. DVD's. It's pathetic how many DVD's I own, and even more pathetic how many are still INSIDE their original shrink wrap. I find $5 DVD's at Wal-Mart and I buy them... and then when I'm in the mood for it, then I will watch it. It's annoying really. I'm running out of shelf room... and they stopped making my DVD shelves so I can't buy another matching one, and well if you know my OCD, my shelves HAVE to match! So now I stay away from Wal-Mart. Unless it's 2am and I need something, and then the second I walk through those doors, I forget what I came for and can be found browsing the DVD section.

2. Shoes. I own 6 pairs of boots...3 black, 1 gray, 1 brown, and 1 pair of snow boots. I own at least 20 more pairs of shoes beyond them. Lets just say, I love shoes. I spend way too much money on them. And I can pretty much come up with just about any excuse for why I need to buy them. It's sad really.

1. BOOKS. I'm a book whore (for lack of a better word). There is NOTHING better than the smell of new books. Books are my absolute 100% weakness. Barnes and Noble is my favorite place in the world... and I allow myself to go there hardly ever for the sheer fact that I can spend $100 without even blinking twice. I'm also a book snob. I prefer hardback... and if I wanna read a book but it's not in Hardback, I'll buy the paperback and then locate the Hardback if I loved the book. (Which is why I own 2 copies of Twilight). My closet shelves are filled with books. I have a rubbermaid bin FULL of books. And I have my bookshelf... which is saved for my favorites... which include my Harry Potter shelf, Stephanie Meyer shelf (yes they both have their own personal shelf), Anita Stansfield books, and my brand new favorite series...


Seriously amazing! It's pretty much Twilight mixed with Harry Potter. LOVE them and I'm barely finishing the first book.

Anyways, this is my Confession: I'm a shopaholic, and although I'm slowly learning how to control myself, I actually LOVE my addiction. Especially when I get to buy new books! :) Luckily I have two awesome best friends who I can text when I feel myself losing control and they remind me of WHY I shouldn't spend money! Love you guys... you know who you are! :)

Then and Now

Two days after my divorce

9 months and 15 pounds later...It's amazing what a lack of stress will do!

Brooklyn Photoshoot

I got to take my friend Mandy's 1-year-old daughters pictures the other day and they turned out absolutely amazing! It was so much fun trying to run to keep up with her cause she wanted to run EVERYWHERE. She's so cute!

Savannah Photoshoot

I got to take my friend Jenn's daughter Savannah's blessing pictures. Savannah is one of the happiest babies ever and she's definitely beautiful! I had such a fantastic time taking her pictures!!!

Ortega Family Photoshoot

I got the fabulous opportunity to take pictures of Aubrey and her family. They turned out pretty good considering it was cold, and the sun was definitely not friendly shining in everyone's eyes! We took the pictures in her back yard... amazing what the back of an old carport can create!

Hope

So I decided today that I wanted to change my blog... to the motto I've been living by for the past 9 months. The first thing I did when I moved home, was create what I call my "Wall of Positivity". I figured if I was going to be depressed for awhile, I needed something to remind me to stay positive. Well as you can see from the picture, HOPE is the biggest.
(The snow globes say Peace, Believe, Wish, and Dream. The pictures on the wall say Happiness and Serenity).


I've always known and felt Hope, but I don't think I really grasped that glimmer of Hope I've been waiting for until this last week. Still nothing really valid to write about, and nothing exciting... but definitely Hope. HOPE that life is about to get immensely better! And I'm just going to keep hoping!

In good news though... I've officially lost 15 pounds since last July. I'm stoked!