GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // March 21, 2017

Gratitudes

Hi friends! The last time we spoke was Tuesday, I laid in bed and pounded out that blog post while sipping coffee from a glass mug given to me by the talented planner Rachel Rice of The One Moment Events. (Seriously though, this glass mug has become my new obsession and I bought 7 more to have a complete set. If you want to know where I got them PM or email me. Shh, it’s a secret.) I was also in contact with these two cuties above by phone. Recently engaged with a summer wedding planned they were really hoping for a snow engagement session, but after January and February passed with little snow we started to give up. Tuesday though we were excited and planned to meet Wednesday morning. We met at the gates of the entrance to Silver Lake Park in Haymarket to discover (while partially caffeinated) that the gate was still locked. <insert grumpy face> We quickly caravanned back to my house to use the slow rolling hills and open fields still blanketed with untouched snow. To say it was cold doesn’t begin to describe the “feels like 9 degrees” out, that my weather app said. I was in wool socks, snow boots, fleece lined leggings, tank top, sweatshirt, blanket scarf, parka and gloves; I was still cold. These two seriously braved the weather and killed their session. I can’t wait to release the full blog post! Stay tuned, it’s coming soon!

Friday was Saint Patrick’s Day and also the birthday of my very favorite boyfriend! Being so far away has been hard, but we’ve fallen into a great groove of dinner + movie through FaceTime. For his birthday though we opted for breakfast in bed and I opened his birthday gifts for him. Sending packages back and forth gets expensive and the mail service isn’t totally reliable so we decided this was the best approach. I have to say I’m proud of how creative we are getting with our dates, who knows maybe we will figure out how to do a board game from afar.

So many of my friends and my sister have been blessed recently with pregnancies. This week I hit up the shops to make sure I was ready for all of the baby showers and arrivals. I even got the cutest bags and wrapping! This coming weekend we will celebrate my sister Kellyn and the upcoming arrival of her little girl. We went with a “Cookies and Milk” theme and it’s really coming together!

It’s been a quiet off season with a few sessions here and there, but was itching to jump back into a wedding. I got lucky with my dear friend and uber talented photographer Stephanie Messick needed a second shooter for a wedding close to my house. It was a great introduction back into the upcoming season and it’s always a pleasure working with the girl that got me started in weddings!

It’s that time, cherry blossom blooming! I was able to snag the delicious Kerry Blossom from OPI’s Washington D.C. collection just in time. This creamy purple-plum is the perfect transition color from winter to spring and fall to winter. If you haven’t heard peak bloom time is now; March 19 through March 22! Get a manicure and head to the city to view all of the lovely flowers.

Breakthroughs

Letting go and reorganizing. I mentioned in a few posts now that I’m back to living alone, well plus three animals. With that I’ve been cutting down on the things I need here. I’ve been rearranging, reorganizing and redecorating with things I’ve owned for years. I’m trying to put into practice having less and recognizing that what I have is enough. But it’s hard with those trips to TJMaxx and HomeGoods, so many lovely house accents like throw blankets, funky pillows and more candles than I can fit in my car. I showed some restraint this week and I’m hoping it lasts. We really do need few things to get along and feel happy.

As always thanks for reading, xoxo.