New Year Reflections, The Power of Paint, Our New Car Purchase, and more!

Happy 2020, friends!

(Am I still allowed to say that ten days into the new year?? I’m going for it…so there it is. Haha!)

I am so excited to be writing to you from a more “every day” kind of perspective…something I’ve been missing on the blog pretty much ever since we had Ryan! Haha! I used to blog three times a week at least, covering all kinds of topics in addition to weddings and lifestyle newborn sessions, from photography & business education to personal things and more.

While there is no way I’m getting back to that, I’ve found myself missing the personal aspect to my blog more and more recently. I know, I know — everyone says blogging is dead, but I still find myself drawn back to my favorite sites again and again. And, based on my site data, you all are drawn to these posts, too! The only question that remained? How to make this fit in with everything else I share!

Enter one of my favorite bloggers of all times: Chris Loves Julia. 

Chris and Julia have a weekly Friday post called, no surprise here, “Casual Friday”, where they share a mash-up of fun things from the week, links to inspirational content or interesting news, and recaps of their work. When I realized this post idea wasn’t an original (A Beautiful Mess uses it too, along with several other bloggers!!), I thought it would be fun to incorporate my own version of Casual Friday on my blog, too.

So, here’s what you can expect: a weekly post with a more casual + conversational feel full of some of my favorite things! iPhone photos only (except for that one above….#oops)…links to recent posts I’ve loved…favorite moments form the week…the works! I don’t know about you, but I’m excited over here!

Some fun things from this week:

• Adam’s new favorite spot to hang out in the living room? This random nook in between the couch and entry dresser….haha! I can’t count how many times I’ve found him nudged back there with a super hero guy or two in hand, playing away. Love that goober so much!

• I grabbed coffee with Christy (Christina Burton Events) this past Thursday at one of my favorite local coffee spots and was reminded again of the importance and FUN of meeting Instagram friends in real life! There’s a lot of positivity that comes from networking with local wedding professionals online…but when you take the effort to get out of the house and meet up in person, it’s a million times better! So looking forward to our wedding together this fall!
• Speaking of getting out of the house…we bought a VAN!! I jokingly told Chris that I’m officially a mom now (he reminded me I’ve held claim to that title for over four years now…), and, despite my misgivings, I firmly believe it’s our best purchase EVER. I’m obsessed!!!!
• I shared about this via Stories the other week, but it has had enough impact to deserve a mention here, too. :) During an afternoon nap time, I decided to grab a paint brush and some old black paint to make all of my front door dreams come true! If you’ve been over before, you know that it used to be a puke green color…but the matte black totally elevates it to a new level! I couldn’t love it more!

 

• A few favorite posts on the blog from the past few weeks: 2019 Weddings in Review, Meg & Josh’s December Elopement, Natasha & Joe’s Crowne Plaza Wedding, and a Christmas Jammie Lifestyle Newborn Session, too! Winter is normally my “off season”, but it’s sure been busy around here still!
• And last but not least, a favorite Christmas gift of mine was this tunic sweater from my mom and dad! It’s the coziest and warmest guy I’ve ever owned, and I love that I can dress it up with skinny jeans and booties or wear leggings and sneakers for a more casual look! Highly recommend — and it’s on sale now, too!!

 

That’s about it, friends! I hope you enjoyed this post and that you’re having a wonderful Friday!!!