After seeing the name on my card our waiter asked me if he should give me a discount on my lunch.
Being my confused self I asked why. He then slowly backed away and whispered, "So you don't go talk to my manager.
I can't make this up! By now I've seen all the memes, heard all the jokes and to be honest I enjoy doing my part to "Make Karen's Great Again." I'm sure many of you are aware of the popular Karen memes that fill your Facebook, Insta and Twitter feeds that talk about the bobbed haircut woman that asks to speak to your manager.
I can assure you and many my pals can attest that I'm not one of those Karen's. We all know first impressions mean a TON, so I wanted to tell you a little bit about the gal, aka me, who enjoys capturing joy on camera on a regular basis.
By now you know my name is Karen, and this year I finally followed a dream of mine and started Simply Karen Photography. I grew up on my family's fourth generation farm in Seven Mile, Ohio with my parents and two younger siblings. My college career has taken me to Illinois where I attended Illinois Central College and then the greatest place on earth, Stillwater America. There, I was proud to become an Oklahoma State Cowboy while studying ag communications and animal science. Now-a-days I live in the outskirts of Kansas City and am grateful to work for the American Angus Association and play my role both promoting and advocating for the beef industry and agriculture.
To save you from having to read for days here are a few things about me:
1- I'm a people person. Getting know people fills my cup. I am a 2W1 for you enneagram lovers.
2- I love Jesus but I still drink a little. I can't imagine my life without the saving grace of the one who know all. I find my confidence in him and strive to be a better Christian every day but I mess up often.
3- I try to live every day of my life motivated by gratitude. Most days I feel like the luckiest gal in the world to be surrounded by the people that I have in my life. To help remind myself to live with a mindset of gratitude I wear a beads on my wrist with the number 54 on them. (follow this link https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv3_rS4nVUr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link to find out why)
4 - I always have eggs, coffee and cheese sticks in my house. Honestly, I could survive on those three things alone.
5 - I started taking photos as my sisters personal photographer. With time I realized I could help her see how I see her and that is what has inspired me to dive in head-first into being a photographer.
6 - I take pictures of a little bit of everything. Newborns, seniors, sale-pigs but I adore capturing couples. I've been told I'm a pretty darn good third wheel.
7- My heart is scattered all across the United States from Ohio, Maryland, Texas to New Mexico, Ohio and California, I love to travel. Both the agricultural industry and college allowed me to make some pretty neat connections and I LOVE expanding my community.
8 - I'm a dog mom to my sweet Grady. He lives his life as part-time city dog in St. Joe with me, and part-time farmdog at home with his Grandma and Grandpa when I'm on the road a bunch.
I could go on and on but I'm sure you may be tired of reading by now. I'd love to capture you or just get to know you over a coffee, a beer or some live music. Thank you for reading friends. I don't deserve you. :)
Follow my photography on Insta and Facebook - @simply_Karen_photography
Or if you want to know about and my normal shenanigans - @Karen_Hiltbrand
