For the past few weeks, my mind has been in overdrive mode, thinking of ways to grow our business.  One of those ways was definitely scary, almost like jumping into the deep part of a pool for the first time as a kid…or reaching the peak of a roller coaster and not seeing anything in front of you but sky!...you’re not sure what to expect but you’re sooo ready for it!!  Know that feeling?! Well last week Lauren and I embarked on a new journey and took the next step in helping John Lauren Photography grow and be more efficient all at the same time =)  With much prayer and thought and discussion we decided to hire our first employee and we can’t tell you how excited we are!  With the demands of the business growing, and Lauren growing...literally, it was the perfect time to find someone to help us out around the office.  But it’s so much more than that. Being that we’re still young in the business, we wanted someone that could grow with us and be ready for all the joy and pain that comes with it.  We wanted someone that loves photography (duh!) and was just as hungry to learn the ins and outs of the business as we were starting out.  We wanted someone that we could mold and would fit into who we are and how we are to each other (more on that later) and still laugh and joke around just as much as we do.  WHEW!!  Talk about being picky! But, God once again hooked us up with all that and then some.  Meet our new Studio Assistant Richelle Jean!  WOOHOO!! =) Believe it or not, we’ve known Richelle Jean since she was a wee tad with a haircut reminiscent of Lilo from Lilo & Stitch!  Oh how these kids have grown! =)  And when we heard from the grape vine that Richelle loved photography and was looking for a summer job we thought…sweet! So after bribing her with a huge slice of strawberry pie from Marie Calendars, she agreed to the challenge! If only she knew how much work she’s actually going to have! Hahahah j/k =) One of the things that we hope she’ll come away with in working with us is simply a new/newer found love for photography.  She’s already so talented so it’s just a matter of time when she’s managing her own clients! This was a shot she took of a parking meter that I had just put coins in before we started shooting in Old Town Pasadena.  Ask me if I remember it looking that cool and my answer would be..."uh no!".  Can you tell, her eye for things is already so creative we love it! OK so I’m really not suppose to share these photos yet but I have to show you this shot that she caught during our shoot with the couple…. Seriously?!  Who taught her that?!  Cuz we sure didn't!!  The way she framed the shot was perfect!  When Lauren and I saw this image, we about fell off our seats in amazement!!  If this is any indication of how talented she is, did John Lauren Photography score or what?!! If you have a second, shoot Richelle an email congratulating her on her new position and if you have some encouraging words, she’d love to hear that too! You can email her at richellejean@johnlauren.com We can’t tell you how excited we are to have you on board Richelle!  You’ll be awesomeness and more! =)