You guys (and gals)! I have been so bad about blogging. I’m so sorry that you haven’t heard from me in so long. I desire for this to be a place for brides, other clients and photographers to come and learn, get inspired and find help.

I know many of my followers are friends and family, so this is going to be a fun post to write. Hopefully, I’ll at least surprise some of you. 🙂 For those of you that don’t know me personally, I want that to change! I love meeting new people! Whether it’s online or in person, I want to be an open book about who I am, what makes me excited about my business and how I’ve learned and grown into primarily a wedding photographer.

Here we go! 10 things you probably don’t know about me, Karen Marie Shoufler.

1. I am the mother of 5 daughters! Yes, 5! My husband and I are raising a house full of future brides! 🙂 This is the real reason that I’m in the wedding industry making all these connections with wedding vendors! I’m secretly hoping to score a few deals some day. Haha, just kidding, a little. Our girls are 16, almost 13, almost 11, 3 and 15 months. We absolutely love the gap in ages between #3 and #4 because it’s so fun to watch the older three with the little ones. I tease the older three that they have to all get married at the same time, on giant Shoufler girl wedding! They don’t think that’s funny at all.
2. I am a customer service critic! I will remember bad service FOREVER and have a hard time returning to a restaurant or store where I’ve been treated poorly. I hope this spills over to my clients in a good way, because I never want my clients to feel like they aren’t my top priority all of the time. My old coworkers used to tease me all the time when we would try to choose a place to eat. We would all discuss our options and then someone would always say, “Karen, do you have any issues with this restaurant?” 🙂
3. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to travel! I haven’t had the opportunity to travel much, but I love it and hope to do it more some day soon. The only trip I’ve been on outside of the US is to our honeymoon in Cancun, which was a bit of a disaster! Our resort was lame, the entire island was full of drunk high school students, and Adam and I both ended up sick on the flight home. I love traveling in the continental US, love road trips and would love to travel internationally. My favorite recent trips were to Click Away last year and Disney World this past fall.
4. I am a self-proclaimed “no drama dance momma”! My girls all dance. Well, the little one isn’t quite old enough, but the rest of the girls spend hours at the dance studio each week. Consequently, I spend most of those 15 or so hours sitting at the studio (it’s an hour from home) with other moms and dads. I am so thankful that our studio is mostly drama free! I can’t watch Dance Moms. Those girls are so talented, but I just can’t watch it. I love the other dance parents at our studio! They are my friends, my people! No drama! Praise Jesus!
5. I used to be a cheerleader. Stay with me! Haha, I know I either scored big points with you or you now hate me. 🙂 I had so much fun cheering for our basketball team in high school, but most people are surprised when I share that detail.
6. I can’t decorate. Seriously, I have issues. My poor walls are so bare. I need help. I mean, I want to have a cute, decorated house that is warm and welcoming and covered in my branding colors like Katelyn James (go check her out), but I just can’t. Someday I will hire someone to decorate for me. Until then, I’m embracing my bare walls as perfect backdrops for lifestyle family photography. 🙂
7. I love the beach. Someday, I don’t care if I have to live in a tiny little shack, I want to live by the beach! I love the sound, smell and feel of the ocean. I would take a large lake, but the ocean would be amazing!
8. I. LOVE. SNOW! Okay, okay, some of you probably already know that. I just can’t help sharing it again! Now, let’s clarify something. I don’t like freezing cold temperatures. I don’t like to BE cold. But, goodness, if it’s going to be cold, I want snow. I love how it makes everything look fresh and new. I love that each snowflake is unique, just like God made us! I love piles and piles of snow to play in! Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing in the snow with friends or riding on a sled pulled behind a lawnmower driven by my older brother. I loved getting snowed in at my grandparents because they had a generator or at least a kerosene heater and oil lamps to keep us warm and our puzzle table well lit! 
9. I like math, and bookkeeping. This is a bit odd for a creative to enjoy these things, but I do! I thought I wanted to be an accountant like my dad, but I just can’t imagine being stuck in an office all day. I’m glad I own my own business now so I still get to use math almost every day.
10. I’m an introvert, mostly. I love people. I really do! I just recharge and get my energy from quiet time, or one-on-one time. Wedding days are an absolute blast! I love every part of it! The people, the energy, the unexpected events of the day, the hustle and bustle–it’s all so fun and exciting! But on Sundays, you will find me at home recharging with my family.

There you have it! 10 things you may not have known about me! Hopefully, at least one of these was a surprise to you. 🙂 Tell me something about YOU in the comments section!

Learn more about Karen Shoufler Photography:

www.karenshoufler.com

www.instagram.com/karenshoufler

www.facebook.com/karenshouflerphotography

Contact me today to book your 2016-17 wedding!