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I promised I’d write about my recent boudoir photo shoot but first I’d like to provide some background on how I got here.

I came of age after the 60s and struggled with weight loss all through adolescence and adulthood.  I often said “I’ve lost and gained the same 35 pounds again and again.”  I tried all the diets, some subtle and some severe;  I had a poor body image.  A few years back I read Genee Roth’s “Women Food and God”  https://geneenroth.com/books/ and it really changed how I looked at weight loss.  About 18 months ago, I went on low carb and lost twenty-five pounds.  I partner danced four times a week so that really helped with weight loss.

About a year ago, in April 2019, I participated in a fundraiser for Veterans and performed a West Coast Swing routine with a young man 36 years younger than me. Dancing with the Stars and Stripes https://www.dancingwiththestarsandstripes.org/  It was an amazing experience…..however, I ended up with a shoulder injury that has taken me a year to heal.  My dancing decreased from four nights a week to just one.  And yes, you guessed it, there went my weight again. Up!

Back to the photo shoot.  I am fortunate to be in a relationship with a man who doesn’t care about my weight.  In fact he likes the roundness of my hips and butt.  So this year for Valentines Day I decided to give him a gift that he wouldn’t forget…..pictures.  I actually started on this path on black Friday when I came across a deal for a boudoir photo shoot.

I have many photographer friends but I wanted to do this photo shoot with a stranger.  I visited the website ohsolovelyboudoir and was amazed at the beautiful, classy, tasteful images so I contacted the photographer, Kim MacDonald, and scheduled my photo shoot for early 2020.

Truly the professional, Kim sent me a list of things I needed to do which was great because I had no experience!  I had originally wanted to surprise my guy but decided it would be fun to include him, so I took him with me to Victoria Secret and we found some nice lingerie.  I have to say that I was way out of my comfort zone but what a nice way to bring romance back into your relationship (not that mine left…but you know what I mean.) A few days prior to the photo shoot I got a spray tan and teeth whitening from my friend Debbie at Sonoma County Beach Bumz, in Cotati.  She’s the best and I highly recommend her.

Then I decided I wanted to bring some props: I had a long strand of pearls and I borrowed a really nice boa.  I built a Pinterest board with outfits I liked.  This way Kim could get an idea of my tastes prior to the photo shoot.

On the day of the photo shoot I arrived at 9AM.  A makeup and hair stylist was waiting for me and within one hour I was transformed.  My makeup and hair looked so beautiful! The time for the photo shoot arrived.  Seventy images later I was done.  It was an incredible experience.  Kim made me feel so comfortable and beautiful.

A follow-up appointment was scheduled to view the images.  I was a little nervous but I need not be.  I took my guy with me – even though it was recommended not to.  He loved it.  We had plenty of time to review the images and the images were so good that they needed very little touch-ups.  We ended up ordering 16 images for an album and some prints… two 8x10s for the bedroom and a few for his wallet.

I want all those women who think they might not be pretty enough, or are too fat, or too lumpy, or whatever negative things we say to ourselves to know that this is an amazing experience.  I am 63 years of age and even with the cellulite and C-section scars I am proud of this body that has carried me through the years.  I will look back when I’m 80 and say “dang girl…look at you”!