2019 was probably the most eventful year of my life – full of good things. Definitely fast-paced too. There has been a ton of learning, change, personal discovery, challenge and healing. I am definitely learning the lesson of appreciating the good things in each season while knowing they won’t be there forever.

Even though taking photos of big life events is my job, some of my favorite things are in the everyday moments. The little things you take photos of and send to your mom, the in-the-moment photos. This is basically a collection of all of my favorite “ordinary” photos + everyday memories from 2019: yearly review.

2019 YEARLY REVIEW

JANUARY

January was the epitome of transition | After Christmas break, I went back to Lafayette newly engaged, graduated from undergrad, living alone with Henry and started a full-time job in science. Everything was different from how I left if just weeks before.

FEBRUARY

February was a time for routine + adapting to the new things in my life: full-time job, living alone, being intentional about connecting with friends, devoting time to move + strengthen my body and making sure Henry had a happy life (#momthings).

MARCH

March was so fun! I went on a girls trip to Boulder to visit my (now) sis-in-law along with my step-mom-in-law. While we were there, we visited Red Rocks and spent an afternoon “jeep-ing” throughout the amazing Colorado landscapes. It was def a #girlsjustwanttohavefun weekend and easily one of my favorite trips of the year! Also for anyone interested, Boulder has an excellent coffee scene.

Also during March, we got our engagement photos taken!!! Yay, we love Iris.

AND Henry got neutered … but he bounced back pretty quickly. I attribute the fast recovery to his everlasting optimistic attitude.

APRIL

April included a lot of travel – no complaints about that though. Only a few months out from June 8 (our wedding day), so we were doing lots of prep too.

Steph, Sophie and I trekked down to Knoxville, TN + Norris one weekend to make sure we had a caterer, florist and doughnut supply for June 8. We ended up not actually needing to drive down to do those things, but I really loved being at the lake for the weekend with two of my favorite girlfriends anyway (;

My dad turned 50! Steph treated him to a birthday weekend trip to Louisville and invited Beej, Hannah and I for an afternoon to celebrate with them.

I jetted over to the east coast to visit Adam in Annapolis along with Brian + Sarah. When you’re dating states apart + getting married in a few months, a visit is not only an opportunity to catch up, but also one for wedding outfit shopping!!!

Also during this time, I started opening my mind to an alternate career choice, questioning if science was the direction I was supposed to go.

MAY

Another season of transition began in May | I said goodbye to my first real #fitfam at Impact Zone. Put in my last days at my job and moved out of my studio in Lafayette, IN. Lots of goodbyes.

I invested in a new lens + started practicing with my camera! S/o to my parents and Beej + Hannah for being models in the early days hehe.

Lastly, Adam graduated from USNA!!! You bet there were tears + cold chills during that ceremony. Proud of you, AO!

JUNE

Biggest moment of 2019: WE GOT MARRIED! It was honestly so perfect, beyond any forethought or expectations we had. Filled with intention + community. Because I could go on and on about how beautiful it was, I wrote all about it here.

Adventure honeymoon to Kauai, HI | We definitely fell in love with the island + will go again. If you’re planning a trip there, we made sure to keep track of all of our favorite things + places so you can enjoy them too.

After we returned from Kauai, we packed up all of our things (lol, I’d rather never do that again) into a massive Penske and drove it 12 hours down to Pensacola, FL. S/o to our families for helping us so much during this transition! We’d still be packing if it weren’t for your help (;

JULY

As soon as we moved, we both wanted to find a gym asap. We definitely lucked out on that front. We found an amazing gym community just 5 minutes from our apartment! It did not take long at all to start making friends and feel at home at Perdido Bay Crossfit. (: For all Pensacola / military peeps – check it out, you’ll love it there!

We made the 8 hour drive back to Norris for our Independence day weekend.

After July 4th, we spent our days exploring the area + nearby beaches. We found ourselves becoming regulars at a beach in Perdido, making it our Sunday afternoon ritual.

Henry officially became a beach boy and learned how to swim! Now, whenever we take him to a beach, he loves playing in the ocean and romping around in the sand.

AUGUST

August was reallllly hot, so we laid pretty low. Real life in Florida.

Highlight of the month was our visit from Brian and Sarah | We showed them some of our favorite spots, shared a few meals and enjoyed having our people in our new space.

SEPTEMBER

September offered a lot of variety. I upgraded my camera and shot some of my favorite couples sessions with it.

I found some cheap flights to Cincinnati, so you bet I couldn’t say no to visiting home for a few days! I got to see some of my gfs and be with my fam, yay ⋒

Lastly and most unexpectedly, I competed in a Crossfit competition (Pensacola Beach Brawl) – WUT. Someone needed a last minute replacement and asked me to fill in. It was something I never thought I would ever do, but I enjoyed it immensely and also PR’d my hang snatch!!! I’ve never been so tired hehe.

OCTOBER

October was crazy full with creativity and practicing my craft. I got to shoot with one of my local photog role models, Love Anneliese Photography almost every weekend. She’s daaaang talented and great + I learned so much!

I made a new photog friend and we planned a styled shoot together! We found a cool camping area, borrowed some beautiful dresses, made our own bouquet and went for it. 

Ad and I modeled a few times! Ha not really, but we do enjoy meeting local photogs and getting free photos. So, when Jaylee posted a model call, we were about it. She’s amaaaazing.

Steph and I had a birthday girls trip in Rosemary Beach!

NOVEMBER

November was the beginning of the “slow season” | Wedding season slowed down and Adam’s school went on hold for a bit. During this time I got to go to an event called Bloom Weekends, where my sense of community in the creative industry expanded – read about my experience here.

I learned more about sustainable living, s/o to a girlfriend of mine (; Now I’m continuously looking to learn how to do life with less waste! It’s eye-opening and something I encourage everyone to educate themselves on.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Adam and I really wanted to be with family during that time so we made the 12 HOUR DRIVE back with Henry. It was worth it, but we won’t be doing that again anytime soon (;

DECEMBER

Every year during college, Brian and Sarah invited me to go to the Army Navy game with them, but I was always studying for finals. This year Adam and I met them in Philadelphia to finally go to the game together. #gonavy

We moved out of our apartment into a lil baby house … with a yard! Henry is soooo happy here (and so are we).

The move to our house happened just in time to celebrate Christmas together in the new space, just the three of us. The day after we flew to Indiana to celebrate with family.

Overwhelmingly full and grateful, here’s to 2020! Thanks a mil for reading friends!