“If all else fails, dive for the cake.”

That’s what I told my new assistant, Kierra, when I was describing the breakdown of my wedding photography timeline and how she would be involved. I was describing the reception and how sometimes we may not have a chance to eat real food (thus, the secret stash of granola bars in the photography suitcase). But my rule to live by is to always, always eat cake. She was cool with that, which made me like her immediately.

A few Saturdays ago was my first wedding of the season, thus her first time assisting me. She was a champ. Seriously, I cannot imagine how I possibly did this alone last year. Her only downfall is that she’s so gorgeous that I had to make sure to keep those young boys at bay at the reception. She’s on the job, folks.

Here are some fun facts about Kierra.

• She’s really smart, but she won’t admit it.
• She loves art and is really good at it!
• She’s a dancer and that makes me immensely jealous.
• She loves debate and politics. We couldn’t be more opposite.
• She’s a hard worker. How do I know this? She schlepped my bags, a tripod, and two umbrellas around for a whole day with a broken finger and didn’t complain once!! I also ran over her toes with my rolling camera case (on accident!) and she didn’t cry. Double points.
• She likes horror/suspense movies. Gross. I like chick-flicks without an ounce of suspense in them.
• She warns me not to accidently go into the men’s restroom. Always helpful.

Those are some of the few reasons that I think she’s pretty awesome. You’ll be seeing a lot more of her around these parts!