Happy one year anniversary, Chris and Caroline! I loved getting to take these photos for y’all! :)

Time to be real: I’m in a place where I’m full of ideas and energy–personal, business, and creative endeavors are calling out to me. The photo above essentially shows how I feel about all these ideas–I just want to throw glitter in the air and get STARTED. But…because of things beyond my control/realistic timelines/etc. I can’t start them yet. This drives me 100% crazy. I’m NOT one to sit and wait for circumstances to be perfect to pursue a dream or idea–I like to leap. I’m NOT one to let a dream remain a dream–I put a plan to it and make it happen. I’m NOT one to believe that circumstances define me–it’s how I respond response that makes the difference.

But truly. This time, I’m stuck waiting at the starting line. I squirmed under this reality for a while–imagine a moth trapped in someone’s hands, wildly beating it’s wings but unable to get free. Have you ever felt this way? So fired up, but can’t.quite.move.yet.

I had a particularly squirmy day the other day. I had to quit what I was doing and just get a breath of fresh air. I sat on the deck of my favorite lakeside coffee shop and journaled ferociously <—-yes, it’s possible to journal ferociously. The longer I journaled, the more I felt my breathing return to normal, my heart rate slow, and my mind calm. I do believe that it’s vitally important to step up, take responsibility, and take action in life. But I also know that when it comes to the Lord and what he’s teaching me, in acceptance, lies peace. Sometimes patience, faith, and reflection are exactly what’s needed–more so than action. I’m trying desperately to accept–not squirm.

I’d love to tell you that I have an inspirational, nicely worded summary for the lesson I’m learning, but I don’t yet. Maybe I never will. The point is, He’s changing me. When it comes down to it, I’m grateful to be in a place of uncomfortable learning. I’m grateful to be shaped and molded and transformed by His hands. I’m grateful that the Lord loves His children enough to change us–make us more like him. I’m realizing, our human desires to do, create, and change our world for the better is God-breathed. But our efforts are minute and fading unless multiplied exponentially by His power.

1. This person makes the best banana pancakes you could possibly imagine.

2. This person does a Jay-Z impression that would make you think he’s in the building.

3. This person could be a J.Crew model.

It’s my husband! I’m already on a list kick, so let’s keep rolling with that, shall we? My top 5 things I love about working with Aaron:

1. Aaron is an incredible photographer–most likely due to the fact that he’s been a videographer and media producer for years. I never had to teach him how to shoot in manual, how to frame up a shot, or how to use light beautifully–he already knew all that, duh. :)

2. We can get twice as much done in the same amount of time. We split up so we can cover more ground and give proper attention to each part of the day–he photographs the guys getting ready while I photograph the girls, he photographs the guys portraits while I photograph the girls. You get the idea. :)

3. Repeat after me: Smooth-running family portraits. Get this–while I photograph one group, Aaron is efficiently composing the next group. We’ve worked out a brilliant rhythm that keeps family portrait time moving swiftly, and feeling enjoyable, relaxed, and stress-free. Aaron is wonderful at kindly and assertively composing groups so no one is wondering, “Where do I stand? Where do I go?”

4. We’ve been working together for so long that we can predict each other’s next move. Even if we’re across the room from each other, we can give just a nod or a look, and we both know who’s got the next angle covered.

5. Aaron is a great friend to the guys in the wedding. He knows how to make guys feel at ease in front of the camera, since he can relate, and he’s also a pro at pinning boutonnieres and folding pocket squares.

I know I said 5, but there’s just one more thing I have to add:

6. We simply love being around each other (he’s been known to grab me for a quick spin around the dance floor)–and we are at our best when we’re teamed up on a project together. Aaron brings out my strengths, supports me, challenges me to be the best I can be, and keeps me lighthearted.

May is going to be a really big month. REALLY BIG! The biggest (and most exciting) thing about May is that my sister is having TWINS! Whoa. It’s going to be an awesome month full of baby photos. I can’t wait. :)

Our trip to London last month was incredible. We rode the London Eye, toured Westminster, visited Buckingham Palace, ate Pret, shared champagne at Harrods, shivered in the freezing wind at Stonehenge, ate Wagamama, frolicked at Highclare Castle (Downton Abbey!!), saw Monet’s work at the National Gallery, ate at the Eagle & Child, attended Evensong on Good Friday at Christ Church in Oxford, and photographed a styled shoot and engagement session. We did not have tea with Kate and Will, but I managed my disappointment. ;) And, I might have posed for a we’re-best-friends photo with a cardboard standup of Kate. No big deal. ;)

Aaron and I also attended Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership seminar + Total Money Makeover Live event in San Antonio just a few days after returning to the states. Whew! If you’re a small business owner and you haven’t read EntreLeadership yet, put that as priority one on your to-read list. Hands down the best business book I’ve ever read.

So…May goals. This month, I’m all about reflecting, refocusing, and getting back to the basics. Last month was a crazy whirlwind of GOOD, but I’m in need of some time to reevaluate. Quite a few of my goals are more like habits that I want to build.

-12 in 12: No specific book this month–I want to reflect and refresh on all I’ve read this year.

-Take 15 minutes before bed to de-clutter the house + do the dishes

-Plan a weekly budget meeting with Aaron

-Revitalize + simplify my office space

-Plan CA styled shoot in June

-Take time and craft a mission statement for my business

I remember still clutching onto my bouquet at my reception because I simply didn’t want to put them down. I knew this was my one socially-acceptable chance to carry around flowers all day. People kept offering to take them off my hands, but I flat out refused like a 9 year old girl, and kept them in hand.

:)

I pulled together a collection of my favorite bouquets and florals that I’ve photographed in the past year:

We reeeeally weren’t planning on getting a dog so soon. We thought, “Oh yeah, maybe six months down the road, we just need to adjust to married life for now, you know?” We were both on the same page–until one fateful Sunday morning before church, Aaron logged onto craigslist and we found our puppy.

It was a total fluke. A dog like Steve-Z shouldn’t have been on craigslist. He was a six year old, purebred whippet and a retired SHOW DOG (read: perfectly trained). But his owner wasn’t showing whippets anymore and decided to put him on craigslist for a “small adoption fee”? Well that’s the story. (Sidenote: Purebred whippets can be SUPER DUPER expensive and insanely hard to come by. We have some friends who had to drive all the way across the US to pick up their whippet puppy!)

We went to church that day anyway, but it was totally useless–we didn’t hear anything because we were constantly checking our email, hoping Steve-Z was still available and we could visit him. An hour later we’d heard back from his owner, and we were in our car driving an hour and a half to San Antonio.

I’ll never forget my first glimpse of Steve-Z. He was beautiful and inquisitive, peering at us through a sliding glass door. I was smitten. We fell in love with this little well-behaved whippet–and we couldn’t believe our luck. Once his owner decided we would give Steve a good home, she waived whatever adoption fee there was, and we took him home. FOR FREE. I still can’t believe that!

So this is Steve-Z. My little ball of puppy happiness. We got him exactly one week after we got married, and, amazingly enough, it wasn’t a disaster–it’s been a ball. Now I want like 12 whippets.

P.S. No, his name wasn’t Steve-Z when we got him. Once we got him home, we promptly named him after our favorite movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. :)

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot. -Eleanor Roosevelt

I watched Iron Lady last week with Aaron. Yes, I’m fully aware that I should have used a Margaret Thatcher quote instead of an Eleanor Roosevelt quote…but don’t worry, I quote MT in a minute. Midway through the movie, I realized this was not a typical movie–you know the one that starts with the main character dealing with a tough time, overcoming said tough time, and then riding a glamorous wave of win after win all the way to a happy ending. It was much more realistic and (honestly) sad, focusing more on the daily battles and bad days than any of that glamour. The movie overall was more intense than inspiring, but I was inspired by MT’s commitment to making a difference. She didn’t need to be liked by everyone, she didn’t fear making a controversial decision, she didn’t lose her convictions because of what people around her thought. She didn’t make decisions based on vanity. She was courageously committed to something greater than herself. That kind of commitment inspires me, especially in our world that’s more concerned with appearing put together over developing strong character. You can’t expect to live out that kind of commitment without serious courage.

If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing. -Margaret Thatcher

Hello truth.

Not sure why it’s taken me THIS long to get excited about decorating our first place together–probably because I’ve been preoccupied with ‘OMG WE’RE MAAAAARRIIIIIED!!!!!!’ stuff–but I’m in full force home decorating mode now. Just ask Aaron. I’m intense. My style has evolved fiercely since I last decorated a living space (marriage tends to change a person, am I right?) and I’m no longer obsessed with shabby-chic, vintage inspired, paint-all-the-furniture-white look. Now I’m more into this sort of glam, preppy, mod meets cheetah print look. AND I AM UNASHAMED OF THIS.

;)

Anyway, the biggest decorating challenge in our place is the combined living, dining, kitchen. It’s literally all one room that makes up the downstairs. Second biggest challenge: we’re renting so we can’t do any type of renovation, big or small. By the way, am I the only person who gets frustrated by those “Decorating Tips for Renters” articles that suggest tearing out the kitchen cabinets, laying wood flooring, or installing ceiling beams to add architectural interest (hello new Domino magazine, talking to you). I mean, most places won’t even allow you to put a coat of paint on your walls. Tearing out kitchen cabinets is a project for a home owner, not a renter.

Sorry for the rant. :)

But the point is, I’m excited to tackle these challenges and (hopefully) come up with some realistic-yet-awesome ideas for people in a renting situation. And then blog them–YAY!! While I’m rearranging my house and brainstorming solutions, take a look at my Pinterest inspiration board–House of Glam. :)

What are your go-to decorating tricks when renting?