Happy Holidays from The O'Sullivan Family

Happy Holidays! This is the first ever O’Sullivan Family holiday letter. I hope it finds you well and blessed.

As you all know, this past year has been a whopper! Ringing in the New Year, I gave birth to Jacob Timothy O’Sullivan on New Years Eve day at 2:31. What a wonderful experience it was to start off 2008 with my new family. Jacob has been such an intense joy to both me and Tim. We always look at each other and say with big smiles on our faces, “So much better than a dog!” Surprisingly he has been an incredibly easy going and happy baby. As a photographer, there has not been a lack of photos of the little man; I have almost filled an entire 500 gig hard drive with photos of him. He is, however, starting to ignore me when I pull out the camera. It is becoming increasingly hard to get him to smile let alone even look in my general direction. LOL! That is our Little Man… he has a strong mind of his own.

On the business front, this was quite possibly my busiest year ever with 22 weddings, 14 events, and 93 family portraits! Weddings are what I love most and am thrilled to be chosen by my clients to capture one of the biggest moments of their life. Over the past 4 years, since I decided to do weddings full time, my business has grown exponentially. I now have 7 employees/photographers who are essential to helping me create a wonderful experience for my clients. Rounding out my year was the honor in being voted “Best Wedding Photographer in Los Angeles” through MY FOX LA. I was up against some incredible photographers and am excited to see how many loyal supporters I have! Thank you for helping me win this award! On top of my photography business, I cannot seem to break away from teaching. Every time I take time off from it I feel like there is something missing and when I start back up again the flood of excitement and synergistic energy that comes from sharing photography with others is scintillating. This past semester, along with teaching Bookbinding at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Yearbook at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, I have taught a Photography class at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita to some of the most energetic and eager students I have ever taught. Next semester I am looking forward to meeting my students for the brand new Wedding Photography class I will be teaching at College of the Canyons. That one is right up my alley!

Now you might be thinking, were do I get the time to do it all AND have a new baby? Well, the answer is quite clear. I have one of the best husbands any woman could ever ask for. Tim is so supportive of everything I do. Because of our opposite schedules and his ability to sleep in small time slots throughout the day, together we are able to tag team Jacob. My mom comes over twice a month help out, too, and we have only recently had to hire a mother’s helper for a few hours once or twice a week because of my crazy holiday portrait season over the past two months. Tim and I often laugh at what a great set up we have. We both, at times, feel like an old retired couple. We spend entirely too much time together, but for some reason it works for us. I guess marrying your best friend is the key! Needless to say, I am looking forward to January since I will be taking the entire month off to go on endless walks with Jacob, dates with Tim, and trips to the Zoo, Disneyland, and Mammoth, of course! Speaking of Mammoth, last year we did not go even once due to the pregnancy. This year, we are planning on going as much possible.

Bringing 2008 to a close seems almost impossible as many of the thoughts and colors of the year have blurred into a beautiful whirlwind trail of energy. God has been overly generous to my family and I pray for more great things to come in 2009. May God bless your health, home, family, and well being in the coming year. To joy, peace, love, and happiness!

Jen, Tim, & Jacob O’Sullivan