4 years!

Happy anniversary, Caleb. I cannot believe 4 years have flown by! Marriage with you has been the absolute best. Choosing you, again and again, every day, will always be my favorite thing. There is no one else I'd rather do this crazy thing called life with!

Thank you for always making me laugh (and for not judging me when I CAN'T STOP laughing)!

Thanks for that adorable way you looked at me on our wedding day. I don't know how I didn't fall into a puddle on the floor right then and there.

Thank you for just letting me vent when I need it, and for being my sounding board when I'm going crazy.

Thank you for surprising me with pizza on random weeknights. Thank you for praying for us before bed. Thank you for being my rock, every darn day.

I always have a really hard time putting into words the way you make me feel, but I'm going to try. You're the most selfless person in the world, and I'm so insanely PROUD to call you my husband. I tell people almost every single day that you're the nicest human I've ever met. You're constantly looking for ways to make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. There is no problem too small, and you're always willing to listen, even when you can't fix it. 

 I'm so thankful that you're a total kid at heart. I believe that is a quality that most people lose, and I'm thankful you want to hold on to that for us. You don't let anything embarrass you, and that's one of the most attractive things about you - other than your calves ;)

I just can't say thank you enough for all that you are! I'm so so so grateful to not only be your wife, but to be your best friend. I love you! Here's to a lifetime! <3

Love, K

A few things lately

I don't quite have the brain power this morning to whip up an entire post dedicated to one thing (and lets be honest, with vacation so close my brain is basically mush at work), so this is what you get today. Some random things that have been going on lately!

1 || I got my first legit salon pedicure last night and guys, it rocked. I am SO ticklish, so I was really nervous, but I somehow managed to survive and not kick my nail tech in the face. I'd call that a win!

2 || My Dad and Amy came over for a game night last week (they hadn't ever seen our town home) so we whipped up a healthy dinner and hung out for a while! They also surprised me with a pre-vacation gift full of awesome goodies!

3 || My new cheap hat for vacation. Can you ever have enough pineapples? No. The answer is no.

4 || Shopping for my nephew is officially the best thing ever. I mean, HOW DO I NOT BUY THE WHOLE STORE?!?! Seriously, someone teach me.

Have a fun Wednesday! We're halfway through the week!

Weekend well spent!

Friday, Caleb and I photographed a wedding for an old friend of mine! I met Abi in middle school and I remember her just being the sweetest girl! It was so fun reconnecting with her again throughout the time of her engagement. She and Alex had the most gorgeous day (even with a torrential downpour midday). and I'm obsessed with each and every image we captured for them!

Saturday I finally got my hair done! I always feel so much more like myself after a trip to the salon! My hair needed some serious TLC!! Once I got home, Caleb and I decided to run a few errands and grab some lunch together!

We spent the rest of our evening being adults (aka doing laundry and grilling out).

Sunday was a jam-packed, but awesome day! We had an early morning meeting with a bride and groom of ours, then we celebrated my nephews 1st birthday party!! I don't want to spoil it, so I'll let Erin share the photos, but it was amazing. We are so in love with our nephew, Tyler, and can't wait to continue watching him grow up!

We ended our day with youth group and prepped for the week! This is our last week before vacation and we are SO EXCITED!! I can hardly stand it.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Operation: get rid of our junk!

Spring Cleaning just rocks. Plain and simple. Although the majority of our latest weekends we have spent working at weddings, the ones before that were full of Spring cleaning. Here I talked about how we already threw away SIX tubs worth of stuff and donated over 3 huge trash bags of clothes, and we've been taking little steps here and there to minimize our overall amount of "stuff".

Caleb and I actually rent our current home and while it's not always ideal, it's what has worked for us so far. Our lease is up this year, though, so we are beginning to have the conversation of what will come next for us and our living arrangements. One thing we do know is we want the LEAST AMOUNT OF JUNK as possible when it's time to move!

So I'm going to be applying Emily Ley's Simplified Challenge to our home again the next month or two! I don't know about you, but getting rid of stuff just feels GOOD, right? I always love how simple the prompts are, but by the end of the month my life just feels cleaner and so much more manageable.

I love how simple her challenges are, yet they bring the most amazing results and seriously make you feel like a cleaning boss! Anyone else want to join me? ;)

Hope you have a fun day ahead! We have some family coming over tonight for a game night and I'm making some delicious food! I love getting to cook for other people -- I'm having flashbacks of 2013 Kayla who was afraid to prepare anything other than cereal. Oh how far I've come, and still have a looong way to go! ;)

Our weekend!

This past weekend was glorious. I was able to get in so much relaxing time, it was amazing. Friday night, I was originally supposed to have some me-time (think ice cream and chick flicks) because Caleb had plans, but they ended up getting cancelled! So we popped in a movie after dinner and kept it low key.

Saturday was amazing. We had nothing to do ALL. DAY! I can still hardly believe it. We woke up, and hit up an insane used book sale at a local convention center. We scored big time with some old books (for decoration) and even some new reads! We got home around lunch time and decided to wait it out and just have ourselves an early dinner. We headed back out to Texas Roadhouse because we had a gift card that was burning a hole in my wallet since Christmas! Caleb made the executive decision to get the most delicious appetizer on the menu and guys, it did not disappoint.

It was so fun to spend a couple of hours on a date just relaxing, with nowhere to be, no time constraints, etc.! We ended up getting home around 6 and we decided to get some stuff done around the house. Around 8:30 we felt like taking a walk, so we trekked up the the local dollar store and bought a few snacks for another movie night!

Sunday was awesome. I wish I could've spent some time with my momma, but with her currently living in Maine for her job, that sadly wasn't going to happen! So after church, we took my Nanny out to lunch. She couldn't decide where she wanted to go so when we mentioned our favorite Mexican place she was thrilled! She had never been, so of course we had to introduce her to it. I'm happy to report she loved it and definitely wants to go back!

 It was so great to spend some time with just her and talk about everything and nothing. I LOVE that woman. She is such an inspiration to me (and so many others) and I pray to be half the woman she is when I get older!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, too! 

Happy Friday!

This week was insane, and I am exhausted! Yesterday was particularly hard. Just felt like the Devil was doing his best to hit me from every angle but I'm happy that in the end I won. I switched my perspective and decided to keep a smile on my face (after a semi-breakdown in my car on my lunch break but we won't talk about that)! ;)

This week was honestly a huge blur so I really don't have much to say, but I DID want to pop  in and say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND to my favorite momma's out there...especially these two! My Momma and my Grandmother. They are incredible.

Thank you both for raising me, and always keeping me laughing! I truly don't know what I'd do without you both. I hope you have an awesome weekend!! You deserve it!

Shout out to all my other momma-friends, too! You're all KILLIN IT and setting the bar so high! You inspire me everyday!

Caleb and I are thrilled because we have no plans this weekend, and that hardly ever happens. You better believe we're soaking it UP! Enjoy, friends!

Work with all your heart.

I'm pretty sure by now that my long-time readers know about my faith, but if I'm being totally honest, some days I am not a great Christian. I sin, I fall short, I say things I shouldn't say. Sometimes I get angry at slow drivers, have a short temper with those I love most, and I question God's will for my life (more than I'd like to admit).

Another thing you should know about me is that I have a passion for photography and that Caleb and I own a business together. There was this one wedding in particular when we were first getting started that meant we would have to miss an event with friends/family. To be totally honest, I let the bitterness build up inside me that entire week leading up to it, knowing every one else had a day off to do whatever they wanted, and annoyed (even though we loved what we did) that we would spend that whole day working and on our feet, exhausted by the end of it.

Then I opened my Bible app and wouldn't you know it, I saw exactly what I needed to see. It was a much needed slap in the face. God was whispering His truth to me that morning. 

The whole version is this: Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

When I actually think about going through the motions of my day (whatever it is; work or play) and doing each and every single thing FOR THE LORD, and not for man or for myself, I can do it all with a little more joy in my heart. NOTHING that we do is insignificant. God can use you, even when you think it's "too small".

I don't care if you're...

taking photos,
flipping burgers,
typing essays,
cleaning toilets,
answering phone calls,
studying for hours
responding to emails,
making coffee,
feeding your kiddos,
driving a truck,
writing music,
making websites,
giving manicures,
scooping ice cream,
or watering plants.

What you do has significance. What you do and how you spend your time has purpose. I now go into each and every day at work, as well as weddings on the weekends, with a different perspective. The seemingly small actions that I do throughout the day is potential to serve. Like when I offer a client coffee to enjoy in our lobby while they wait for their appointment. Or on a wedding day when I help button up a brides dress, or when Caleb offers to pin all of the groomsmen's boutonnieres because no one quite knows how to properly.

IT ALL MATTERS. No matter how small it may seem in the moment, God can use you. You can spread joy in any situation. Give it a try :) I hope this encouraged you today to see that you are part of something bigger than yourself.

Weekending!

Friday night was full of last minute Chipotle with our best friends, board games, and impromptu muffin making (okay, Erin did all the work, but I was there to cheer her on and taste test the deliciousness)!

Saturday we had another wedding and it. was. gorgeous! I was worried with all the rain reports, but it turned out to be a perfect day! They had no bridal party, and the whole guest count was under 100, so the day was very stress free and go-with-the-flow! The entire day (other than going Downtown for portraits) was on the Groom's parents home property overlooking the Kentucky hills.

They had a portable brick oven come to make pizzas, had great music to dance to all night, and ended their evening with fireworks! It was awesome. We got home around 10 and I'm happy to report I kept myself well fed/hydrated all day and NO headaches! Woo!

Sunday was busier than usual but my Aunt was back in town (she and my uncle/cousins just moved to Tennessee) so we grabbed lunch after church and it was great spending time with her and my cousins, and the rest of my family! We ran some errands and then ended our evening with youth group!

Hope you had a fun weekend. Do anything fun!?

5 things.

This was a busy week for us, and luckily the last one for a while. Even though it was a good mix of both social and adult life commitments, I'm still pretty exhausted. 

Just like last week, I'm going to keep this post simple and mention 5 highlights!

1 || There is an awesome park Downtown on the river that we're at ALL. THE. TIME! A lot of our brides and grooms want to get portraits down there, and who could blame them!? It's gorgeous. What's funny is Caleb and I hardly ever go Downtown unless it's on a wedding day for work (since we're there so much already). However, we had a family session on Tuesday that we were early for so we got to actually enjoy it and we found this interactive life size piano! It was cool to get a new perspective on this huge park!

2 || Getting to hang with some people from church last night and playing with their 12 week old puppy. I may or may not have some nibble marks on my hand from her, but she was so cute, I didn't care.

3 || Realizing how QUICKLY Mpix finished/shipped our orders. I am talking NEXT DAY, people! Caleb and I photographed soccer portraits a couple weeks ago and wanted to order them ASAP so we hunkered down this week and placed all of the orders. We're super impressed with how everything turned out and will definitely be ordering from them again.

4 || Getting a free lunch. Long story short it came out different than how I ordered it, but I felt silly mentioning it to the waiter. But he must have noticed anyway, and then my bill came and the total was $3 (only having to pay for my side salad). SCORE!

5 || Thanks to the adorable, Shelby, I actually found an adorable (super inexpensive) bathing suit on Amazon so we're going to keep our fingers crossed that it arrives safely and fits correctly!

Hope you had a great week, friends! I feel like I'm finally back in my old blogging groove. Enjoy your weekend!

Currently || May

Happy May, friends! With it being the first Wednesday of the month, it's time for my fav link-up with Anne and her co-host of the month, Nancy!

Currently I'm...

baking || nothing really, but I would LOVE to be baking these again! I made them last year during my families annual "holiday baking day" and they were a hit with everyone!

listening (to) || lots of new artists. Sadly, Family Christian Bookstore is going out of business so they are practically giving everything in their store away. Their CD's were 80% off so Caleb and I snagged a bunch of new worship CD's for our upcoming roadtrip at the end of the month!

loving || my new DSW find. I'm always just buying the $16 Target black flats every few months when mine start to get worn down/old. Not that they are uncomfortable, but they definitely weren't made with much padding, or meant to be worn while on your feet for 12 hours at a time. I would come home from weddings with my legs throbbing! So Caleb finally convinced me to hit up another store instead so I stopped by DSW and O-M-G. I found a seriously NICE pair with so much cushion on clearance for $12!!! WHAT!!? Here's the exact pair I bought!

planting || absolutely nothing. I did get a succulent at a baby shower a couple months ago and haven't managed to kill it - so there's that!

remembering || what it was like to get our wedding photos back. I just delivered a full gallery to a recent bride and groom and her reaction was just the best. She was so insanely excited to get home and look through them with her new husband and it just made me remember how MUCH FUN that was nearly 4 years ago! I still cannot believe we're approaching our 4th anniversary this month! Time truly flies! #cliche

I really hope May has lots of good things in store for you!! 

May goals!

I've skipped out on the goals posts the last few months because after March hit I was just not hitting any of them, and I was tired of feeling down about it and wanted a little less structure to my months, but I'm back, baby! 

In May I want to...

Workout 5 days a week || (with the exception of vacation, of course ha!) I started the Tone It Up Bikini Series last week and it's really kicking my butt! I also love getting my Fitbit weekly progress report and comparing the numbers week to week! Does anyone else love the feeling of being sore?!

Have some girl time || I'm hoping I can squeeze in a few dinners with some of my lady friends before vacation, and maybe even a manicure?! I NEVER get my nails done, so I think I deserve it. #treatyoself

Shoot our first "Kayla & Caleb" wedding of the year || All of these beautiful weddings I've posted about recently are through the company we used to work for, but come May 19th we've got our very first one of the year and we are SO excited!!

Be more intentional about my prayer life || I'd like to get better at spending more time IN God's word and also TALKING to God. My days never feel as stressful when I lay it all down and pray about what's on my heart.

Buy a new bathing suit || I still haven't pulled the trigger on one and I NEED to find one before vacation (only 25 more days but who is counting?!?)!

Schedule a date night || Caleb and I are REALLY good at being lazy with the little free time we have right now...but I want to plan a fun date night out for us! Also, our 4th wedding anniversary is coming up - I know, I'm not sure how time is flying by so quickly - and we'll probably officially celebrate while we're on vacation the following week, but I'd like to still do something local in the next couple of weeks.

Get outside as much as possible || Spring is DEFINITELY here and it's gorgeous. The weather has been (mostly) amazing and I just want to spend as much time after dinner talking walks with Caleb, or going to play frisbee golf at the nearby neighborhood course!

Any fun goals on your May list? Let me know!

Work, relax, play, repeat.

This past weekend went way too quickly. Isn't that how they all go?! We had ourselves a pretty eventful weekend, and they always say - time flies when you're having fun. So, I can't complain!

Before I left work Friday, Caleb had convinced me that we were going to treat ourselves to some Chinese take out since we'd been pretty good all week... so of course, my mind was dead set on getting my crab rangoon. So when I come home and see seasoned chicken ready for the grill, I quickly realized he had sabotaged our cheat-night and was going full blown healthy on me with a grilled chicken salad. I have to say, I was temporarily bummed because my heart was set on take-out, but man this salad was delish and I'm glad he made that healthy decision for us! We stayed in and relaxed the entire evening with a movie night.

Saturday was one of the earlier days we'd have to work this year, and one of the longest, but man was it awesome. We were pretty nervous because we woke up to our phones blasting an "Emergency Flash Flood Warning", which is never something you want to hear right before you photograph a wedding! I prayed and prayed and crossed all my fingers and toes that it would turn into a beautiful day, and you guys, it totally did! Andrew & Elisa were just so excited to get married and finally see each other, they weren't concerned with the weather at all. It reminded me that regardless of what the weather will do or what hiccups may arise, when you have two people who love each other that much, nothing else matters!

PS you're going to lose it when you see his reaction to her walking down the aisle (even after a first look prior). I MAY have cried, too.

It was a crazy long day and even with a slight migraine that I got halfway through, it was totally worth it when I saw a text from Elisa come through the day after with nothing but amazing things to say. Those day-after thank you's will NEVER get old! They truly keep us going, some days!

Sunday was seriously jam packed, but seriously awesome. We had a great morning at church, and a productive afternoon (groceries, Caleb's haircut, ran some errands) before a fun evening out with some people from church. We bought tickets nearly two months ago for The Outcry Tour (a concert put on by Elevation Worship, Lauren Daigle, Jesus Culture and one of my favorite pastors/speakers; Steven Furtick)! We stopped at Eli's BBQ (local friends: it was SO GOOD!!!) for dinner before hand!

The concert was incredible. It's so amazing to be in a room with thousands of believers, worshipping our great God. There were many points of the night I was in tears, just so overwhelmed! The evening did not disappoint and we all had such a great time. The late bedtime is rough on me this Monday morning, but I've got coffee in hand so I can tackle it.

Hope you had a great weekend, too! Tell me about it!