I’ve had the most special Christmas holiday of my life over the last three weeks.  I thank you all for giving me time to enjoy a complete break with my family. Thanks also to those clients who sent me special Christmas and New Years wishes and of course all the facebook chat! I find it strange to call some of you clients, we have become so close in 2011. I did not switch on this computer once. I’ve now realised how very important this break was for me. Sorry I didn’t blog once over Christmas. Most years, I take pictures on Christmas morning as the kids come in to see what Santa left under the tree, but this year I didn’t.  I wanted to experience it with my own eyes, without the camera, to be there in the moment.  Just this once, I wanted it to be our time. There will be lots more personal blogposts throughout the year to make up for it.

Family time consisted of lots of excited preparation for Santa coming, writing to Santa, meeting Santa, tracking Santa, feeding Santa, singing about Santa. I’m all Santa’d out. Also cuddling on the couch watching movies, last minute panic-buys, cold remedies and nose-wiping, cooking and baking together, playing games, fighting over games, cinema trips, way too much chocolate, chocolate highs, comedowns after chocolate highs, discovering thermal heaven in the form of a new electric blanket, walks in the freezing cold and rain with Molly, painting rooms, and get-togethers and, eh, lots of ‘wine-tasting’ with the rest of the clan. And… *whispers* a tiny wee bit of Mulberry shopping at the end. Would it be wrong to say I eagerly awaited the Mulberry January sales more than Christmas itself? Yes? Ok, let’s never speak of this again.

And for the New Year? I’ve decided I would like to cook more at home in 2012. Seanan loves Masterchef, so we’ve been having our very own Junior Masterchef nights and it’s been a big hit. Niamh tastes all the food and tells Seanan how wonderful he is at cooking (charm offensive) and Seanan tries very hard not to smile. They are even eating green food – result! The plan is, the time I usually spend looking at what everyone else is doing with their lives online is being sacrificed for the necessary cooking time. I think its good trade. I’m on a roll at the minute. I made a dinner tonight and everybody ate it without complaint. And just because you have lots of spices in the cupboard, doesn’t mean they have to go in every single dish. Less is more. It’s a revelation!

Before I move on into 2012, and all the promise the new year holds, now is the time to look back over the year that has just passed. A great year. Highlights for me were all the new babies that arrived in 2011, photographing other photographers, revisiting families that I’ve captured before, shooting two bridal editorials with Wedding Journal and making the cover the Autumn issue.  What an adventure! And of course, most important of all, the 2011 Weddings. The people, the love stories, the connections with their kin, the places, the beauty and the details… *sigh* all those things have me still obsessed with this work.

It’s been a fantastic year but  I’m more than ready for 2012 now. There are some really exciting developments going on which I’ll be revealing more about later in the year hopefully. I have my first international Wedding in April. The tickets are booked! There will also be some changes this year as I try to find the perfect balance between work and homelife and the cooking time of course. Unfortunately, I can only take on a small number of portrait bookings and these are usually in the winter time when I’m not shooting weddings.  I would take on more if I could but I have to be realistic about the ’24 hours in a day’ thing. I keep thinking there’s more.

I’ve just opened my inbox this evening. Eek! It’s definitely going to take me a week to get through these so I promise replies soon to anyone who is waiting.  I just want to mention again at this stage, email is the best way to reach me so if your texting, calling, or messaging me on facebook, drop me an email on: info@paulaohara.com just in case I miss it. Plus if your enquiring about 2013 Weddings I can attach the brochure easily.

This blogpost is way too long. Too much information but I’m making up for the weeks off. You probably stopped reading about three paragraphs ago.  For those of you who just like to look at the pictures, here are some wedding moments from 2011…

p~