#fridayintroductions- Lauren of DesiLu

Hummm.... let's see.  I had an interest in photography in high school but was so busy with sports that I never really followed through with it.  I got my first SLR (aka "real" film camera) in 2002 and I fell in love!  So much so, that in 2007 I decided to go back to school for a career in photography!  Have been photographing professionally since 2008!

What is your favorite part of photography?
Not to be too cheesy but to freeze a moment in time!  I love that I can capture a precious moment in someone life and preserve that memory for them forever.  It is seriously my favorite part about it!

 Favorite movie?

I love romantic comedies and I have to say 50 First Dates is one of my favorites!

 Where are you from?

Born and Raised in North Carolina! Born in Winston Salem, grew up in Clemmons, went to college in Boone and currently reside in a little one stop light town called East Bend!

 What do you like to do in your spare time?

TRAVEL- no surprise there!  If we have time off- we are normally on the road and have really built our lifestyle around that idea! We love to camp and mostly travel on the East Coast for now.  Would love to see more of the world though. Some of my favorite travels have been: Hawaii, Jamaica, Maine, Vermont, Utah and Colorado!

Most asked question? 

Are your curls natural? No... they are a perm!  Just kidding! Yep- they are all mine!  I hated my curls for FOREVER but have finally learned to embrace them and let them run wild! I am currently obsessed with the Deva Curl line and highly recommend it to all my curly haired friends.

Favorite food?
Healthy- Strawberries
Unhealthy- Bacon Cheeseburger and sweet potato fries

Middle name?
Michelle

Favorite drink?
Surprisingly- flavored soda water!  Usually Lime and Bubly is my favorite brand! This is surprising because a year ago I thought they were absolutely disgusting.  But we gave up soda at the beginning of the year and I slowly but surely I developed a taste for them.  Now it is my favorite drink and I am 7 months soda free.. yay!!

Last thing you bought?
Cycling Jersey from Ken's Bike Shop!  We are getting back into riding and I need to look all official, right? Or I was about to go on a group ride and I needed a pocket to hold my phone!

Favorite color?
See the blue in the bottom set of the mountains in our logo... that is my favorite!

Do you have any pets?
You call them pets... I call them my kids!  Yes!  We have 3 furkids- Desi, Lil Ricki and Polly.  And I am kind of obsessed (okay- totally obsessed).

Are you married?
Yes!  So lucky to find my soul mate almost 10 years ago and we have been married for 7.5 years!  

Do you speak any other language?
Does Jibberish count? (Who else remembers Jibberish?)

What is your favorite shop?
I call REI my one of everything store.  If the big lottery win ever happens- you can find me there!

Favorite TV shows?
This is Us- when are you coming back on? So one thing about being a photographer- you spend A LOT of time in front of a computer.  So I am constantly streaming something while I am editing.  Love to watch This is Us, Nashville, the Chicago series, Law and Order, Madam Secretary and Designated Survivor to name a few.

How tall are you?
5'8ish... I think I am shrinking but I am going to still claim it.

What is the most daring thing you have ever done?

Personally- going back to school for photography.  It was one of the hardest things I have done- changing the direction of my life and career completely.  The classes themselves were challenging but supporting myself while in school full time was a challenge as well. Totally worth it though! And bonus.. I met my husband there.

Physically- Hiking to the top of Half Dome. That is by far the most physically challenging hike we have ever done.  But one of the most rewarding as well.  If you haven't heard of Half Dome- check it out! It's listed as one of the top and most strenuous hikes in North America with the last 750ft is a vertical climb with the use of cables. It was simply amazing!

One unusual thing about you?

Just one? But there are so many to choose from.  I guess one of the most unusual things is we are tiny home dwellers!  3 years ago we renovated a 1978 Avion Travel Trailer (think Airstream) to be our home on wheels and named her Agnes.  When we have work on the road- we usually take Agnes with us and make a mini-vacation out of every job.