{ What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? } -- Phoenix, AZ Photographer

When we were little kids, we often acted out how we saw the world. Some of us carried around baby dolls. Others dressed as firefighters or carried a soccer ball everywhere. Even as children, you see something in them that gives a little secret peek into the future.

The kid that was always goofing off in class might become a comedian.

The one that was always there when another kid got hurt might be a doctor or a nurse.

The bossy one might be a manager now.

{ Haha, just kidding -- managers aren't bossy, but they are great leaders }

The one always reading might now be an author.

The one that always played with her big Barbie styling head { remember those?! } might now be a makeup artist.

The other that was always there with a hug and a comforting word might now be a counselor.

There are shadows of what we do as adults in what we did as children.

When I was a kid, there were 3 things that I really loved to play:

-Barbies

-Make believe

-"Store"

With Barbies, I was always fascinated with her dresses and beautiful furniture....okay, maybe a little obsessed! I wanted her pretty princess dresses and somehow my Barbie ended up being a damsel in distress a lot of the times that I played.

I also liked to play make believe. I could "see" the scenes around me as I acted out my roles.

I also opened my own "store" at school. During summer day care, I would grab milk crates from the kitchen area and stack them so that they looked like a store counter and shelving. I'd bring my toys and arrange everything to look like a store, "hired" a store associate to help me and kids would bring fake money to me to "buy" my things { really just "rent" them for the day to play with }.

I didn't see it then, but I was a little entrepreneur in the making! ; )

Fast forward to today as a photographer. I stumbled across an old box of papers from when I was younger and the same message was repeated through a lot of what I wrote or drew:

Princess

Fairytales

Dreams

Goals

{ Haha, don't laugh at me--this was my version of a Princess in 2nd grade. The other kids thought I'd drawn a dog. Those big "ears" was actually a veil }.

I came across one little folder that was a class project in 2nd grade. It was titled, "If I were a Christmas Present....." We were supposed to answer what we'd be for Christmas if we could be any present.

I'm not surprised by my answer.

I wrote:

"If I could be a present for Christmas, I would be a princess.....I would be a princess present for Christmas."

It's no wonder that my heart is soaring as I'm working on putting together ideas and details for Beba Couture--stylized princess shoots. It's a PART of me. It's who I've been. Who I am.

These last few days, I've been reflecting on my past and now see all these little parts of my life working together to see this dream build and come together. Is it any wonder that I worked at Disneyland? I don't believe that was a coincidence. When I became a Christian, I was instantly drawn to the idea that I was now the daughter of the King of Kings. A lot of my ancestry on both my Mom and Dad's sides also has royalty weaved throughout it--and include fascinating stories of several great-greats grandparents who were kings and queens, princes and princesses, dutchesses and dukes. I always wanted princess everything growing up. All my life I have surrounded myself with the message of being a princess. For years, my friends used to call me "Princess Alicia" because I was that into the princess thing. It's near and dear to my heart. It strikes a chord with me.

It makes the most sense to pour one of my dearest loves { being a princess } into one of my biggest passions { photography }. I really want what I do to resonate with a lot of girls and women. I want each one to see themselves as special and unique and beautiful. I want them to see themselves as....

....a Princess.

I could "see" that vision in my life when I was a little girl and now it's finally coming to fruition with Beba Couture and what I'm doing as a photographer. There are so many negative messages being sent to girls and women these days and I want to take this message that they are special and unique and share it with them.

When Beba Couture launches, it will be a unique experience that involves more than just pretty pictures--it is designed to speak deeply to the heart of a girl and a woman so that she will never forget her experience of being a princess for a day....and she will never forget that she is indeed, a princess for life.

Are you ready to fill your special role?