Our Trip to Ireland!!!

Ya'll, we went to IRELAND!!!!! We landed back in the United States almost two months ago but it still feels like yesterday, and this trip opened up a whole new bucket list of worldwide travel for us. I have a feeling our passports are going to have a few more stamps on them before too long!! But before we talk about our next trip, first I'm so excited to share this one with you! Despite the fact that we visited Ireland in November (about when Ohio is starting to turn brown, and everyone warned us how cold and rainy it would be), the landscape did not disappoint. It was green everywhere, accented with stone walls and buildings that seemed as though they had existed forever.

When life throws lemons at you...

Life Update

I've sat down to write this post three or four times already.

It hasn't happened until now.

Life is hard sometimes, you guys! And it can be confusing. That's where life's road has taken me now... to a period of confusion, doubting, and questions. There's been nothing tragic, devastating, or downright bad that's happened (even though life has a way of throwing those problems at us when we least expect it). It's just, well, confusing.

Our Anniversary Portrait Experience

Being In Front of the Camera

As a wedding photographer, I photograph couples all the time, but normally I'm behind the camera- not in front of it! It's easy to get into a rhythm of giving instruction but forgetting what it's like to actually be photographed-- unsure of the angles, or where to look. Josh and I stepped in front of the camera for our third anniversary and it was such a great reminder of how it feels to be the subject of a photograph.

Celebrating Three Years of Marriage

Three years ago, I walked down the aisle at Centerville Christian Fellowship to the introduction of this song by Need to Breathe and promised to live the rest of my life alongside the handsome blonde guy winking at me from the altar. Since that day, our lives have grown and transformed in ways we never thought possible and hadn't even considered on the day we said "I do." Some things have stayed the same, like the fact that we still eat fajitas at least once a week and I still can't get Josh to drink coffee. But beyond that, things look pretty different.

Twenty-five Things I've Learned in Twenty-Five Years

Now that I've got a quarter-century of life under my belt, I think I've learned some things. Some serious, some lighthearted, some about myself, and some about other people. Here are twenty-five things I've learned in my twenty-five years! :)

1. No one can motivate me to do anything but me, and I can do anything I put my mind to. I have control over my actions, and to pretend otherwise is (99% of the time) just an excuse.

2. Every person lives life looking through a different set of eyes. Our personalities, our experiences, our values are all unique, with no one's vision more valuable than another.

3. Second-hand is the BEST way to buy clothes. Name brands and current trends for Target clearance rack prices-- that's something I can get behind.

Tennessee Vacation: Part 1

Last week, Josh and I took a last minute trip to meet his family in Tennessee. The cicadas loudly chirping in the trees, the humid weather, and the abundance of trees and green things reminded me of back home in Virginia. It was just the break we needed, and so good to see family again.

My favorite part of the trip was definitely our lake day. We rented a boat and a jet ski for the afternoon, but as soon as we got to the marina, the heavens greeted us with a huge thunderstorm! We hustled to get under cover, and instead of eating lunch on the lake, we ate inside the empty marina restaurant that's only open on weekends this time of year. It was perfect! We listened to the rain clatter on the tin roof over barbecue sandwiches and watermelon, and fed bread to the turtles and fish swimming next to the dock. Once the storm cleared, it was go time! The ten of us spent the afternoon tubing and cruising around the lake, laughing, chatting, and enjoying the gorgeous outdoors.

Twenty-Five

Twenty-five feels pretty good so far! My twenty-fifth birthday was this week, and because Josh is a huge fan of surprises, until the night before I had no idea how we were celebrating. While we were eating dinner, I may have been complaining a little about that... until he whipped an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me with a twinkle in his eye. I opened it, and what did I find? A schedule. For the next three days. Filled with birthday awesomeness. My husband knows me so well! I run off schedules and calendars, and to not have one freaks me out a little... so he made me one. Birthday present #1, success.

Busy Season Recap + Life Update

If you follow my blog regularly, you may have noticed that May and June were filled with nonstop weddings and photo sessions, and that in July, there's been well, nothing! My busy season packed itself into those first six weeks of May/June and left me wide open for the rest of the summer until I start weddings again in September. These last several weeks of calm have given me lots of time to think, catch up on much needed sleep, evaluate my workflow, and start working on some special projects! Josh and I both have some exciting things planned for our businesses and we can't wait to share them with you, but you're going to have to wait a little while longer!

Conquering a Case of the Mondays

Ah, Monday.

The day with so much potential, that can set our feet on the path for success throughout the week. Also the day that seems to get the most groans and complaints from students, corporate America, and beyond. I've been a student and also worked a few Monday-to-Friday corporate jobs, but now that I'm a self employed small business owner who works out of my home office, Monday is different. Monday is the day that sets the tone for my week, but since most of my progress is self-motivated and is 100% on my shoulders, I have a choice to make.

April Showers Bring...

It's May.

May?!?!

My friend posted this on Facebook yesterday...