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!

My Spring List!

I could really get used to these warmer temps! It's so cool how each season brings its own bit of goodness. I love Summer for its sunshine and late nights. I love Fall for its chilly temps and blanket scarves. I love Winter for the snowfall and the holidays.

BUT! There is always something so magical about Spring. All the dead stuff comes back to life, the sun stays out later and the temperatures slowly begin to rise back to a comfortable, breezy level! Since I haven't written a goals post in a while I figured I'd make a loose list for the season of Spring!

Ease back into running || I used to run ALL. THE. TIME. I loved it, and I really do miss it! So this Spring I'd like to ease my way back into it and hit the pavement some! No real pressure, just going to try and enjoy it!

Make more breakfast || Caleb and I absolutely LOVE having breakfast for dinner, and my Breakfast board on Pinterest makes me drool anytime I look at it, so I need to start trying some of them!

Get crafting || I feel like back in my high school days (and even early college) I was super crafty. Always DIYing something, making a collage, some decoration for my room etc., and I miss it! This Spring I want to pick a couple of fun projects and make one or two of them happen!

Get a new bathing suit || I've been really dying to get an adorable one piece (they have come a logn way since early 2000's) or a high-waist two piece. I love the styles of these and this site has SO MANY cute ones!

Restore some old photos || Looking through old photos is probably one of my favorite things to do, hands down. But when you think about it - those old film photos are the only copies we have! I can't imagine not having them! I want to be able to look back on these for years and years. I'd like to start a project of converting my families old film memories we have to a digital copy (I've heard FotoBridge is a great company to use)!

Plan a fun date night || Whether it's a date night in, or a fun night out on the town, I need a reason to get my creative juices going again!

Make more time for reading || Both my Bible, and books. I own an insane amount of books and my list never ends, gotta start putting a dent in it!

Send some snail mail || This is another one of my favorite things to do! No need for a special occasion, "just because" mail is the best!

Be more consistent || With my exercises, and with my eating healthy, with my journaling, etc.! When I do these things, I just feel a lot more confident and happy, and that's always a plus!

I hope the weather continues to be awesome and warm and full of sunshine! Spring is absolutely one of my favorite seasons and it just gives me a renewed sense of hope and excitement! I'd love to know what's on YOUR Spring to-do list this season!

Goals: a look back & a new list

So we all survived our first month of 2017! It's still insane to me that we're smack dab in 2017. I remember when I was younger and my baby brother first started going to school; they deemed him the "Class of 2016" and I basically laughed out loud like "seriously that'll NEVER get here" just because it was so far away...and here we are! PAST that!

I decided to make quite a few goals for January that I'd been putting off for no particular reason and make them happen; no excuses! So before I dive into my new goals for February, I'd like to recap how I did on my January goals!

Lose 4-5lbs  || YES! I actually lost 6 from my starting weight and I'm feeling great. I know the scale isn't everything, but that accomplishment sure feels great!

Book a new wedding || We actually booked TWO new ones and potentially a third coming up! It feels good to be praying intentionally over our business; for God to bring us the right couples and for our business to flourish for His glory!

Track what I eat || I'm going to call this one a win. I did this for the majority of the whole month in my "Fit Happens" journal. At least 25 out of the 30 days were tracked. Some days just got away from me, but this is a HUGE improvement from last year! Intentionally writing down my meals/workouts gave me something to look forward to every day and helped me to stay on track!

Workout 15-20 times || Success! 17 times to be exact. I know I mentioned previously that I was following the Tone It Up challenge. I'm pretty proud of myself because the first 15ish days of the challenge I absolutely crushed it! I fell off the workout wagon a bit in week 3 due to our busy evening schedule but picked it right back up in week 4 and am feeling great again!

Cook more often || YES! I've been loving how much we're cooking at home. A huge accomplishment has been meal planning and STICKING TO IT, especially on the weekends. We used to eat out a lot, and that's been cut down SIGNIFICANTLY. Some nights I'll cook solo, but I really enjoy the nights Caleb and I can cook together. A few yummy things we've made; Enchilada Soup, Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash, Chicken Alfredo Bake, BBQ Chicken Stuffed Peppers, Chicken w/ Asparagus & Sweet Potato Skillet, Creamy Herb Chicken & a few one sheet recipes (my fav)!

No coffee || I did it! No coffee at all this month. Anytime I had a meeting at Starbucks I'd get a non-coffee drink and it wasn't so bad. Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to keep my streak going or enjoy a small cup of french vanilla at work this week! ;)

Finish a book || womp womp. This didn't happen. I feel like anytime I make a book related goal it doesn't happen, so maybe when I stop making book goals, it'll happen and I'll actually finish a few? 

Pay off a good chunk of debt || Caleb and I put our biggest payment ever towards debt this month and we're so so grateful to be able to say that. One step closer!!!! We should be out of debt by summertime and can finally start looking for a house!

Overall I'd say it was an amazing month. I'm learning to be better about giving myself grace when necessary and remember that not every day will be perfect! Moving on to my goals for February!

File our taxes || Caleb does this for us every year and I do a lot of the back-end stuff like totaling up business expenses/etc., but it's always a great to have that behind us!

Plan a Valentine's date-night in for Caleb and I || Self explanatory. We love staying in and since we're trying hard to keep paying down debt I'm going to be planning a fun themed night in for us!

Prep some posts for our photography biz blog || Which can be found through our website here! I'd love to recap some recent weddings we've photographed and also highlight some sessions/seniors/etc.! I definitely won't stop blogging here, but if there's anything wedding/photography related that you would like to hear about, please let me know!

Wake up earlier || I'd like to get a few workouts in throughout the month BEFORE work. I'd also just like to enjoy my mornings more and not feel so rushed. My Nanny used to always wake up a few hours before she'd need to be ready for her day; she'd make coffee, read the paper, and just relax. I've always envied that, but there's nothing stopping me but myself! So, time to make a change!

Schedule a photo session for Caleb and I || Recently, I was asked to find a photo of Caleb and I that was of "good quality" but not a wedding photo, and I basically had NONE. We have plenty of selfies, and well, that's about it. We're photographers who preach "hey, get your photos taken every year" and hardly make time for our OWN sessions - so this Spring we're changing that finally and I'm SO excited!!

Order a photo book || I've made this a goal PLENTY of times, and for some reason I never make it a priority. THAT HAS TO CHANGE! I was recently looking through some of my SIL's photo books and realized how I really need to do this asap!

Whoops. That ended up being a really long post! If you made it through that list of absolute randomness, I seriously applaud you. Reward yourself with a box of Girl Scout cookies ;) and have a great day, friends! It's almost the weekend!

January Goals {now that we're 12 days into the New Year}

It hit me with the hustle and bustle of the New Year I never blogged about my goals for January. I'm excited about the new planner I found at TJ Maxx, I love that it has a month long to-do list as well as a goals section! I'm very much a list person and writing them all down has made me a lot more intentional.

Lose 4-5 lbs. Trust me guys, I know the scale isn't everything, but for me? I know where my wedding weight was and I know where I am now, so I'm excited to be working hard to get back there. I've already seen a little progress, too, which feels amazing!

Book a new wedding. This is kind of the season of booking for photographers, a LOT of people get engaged over the holidays and so Caleb and I are hoping to solidify a wedding or two before the month is over!

Track what I eat. I've been writing everything down in my fitness journal. All of my food, my workouts, how I felt that day, my prayers! It's been awesome. Also makes me think twice about what I'm putting into my body!

Workout 15-20 times. I think this is one that I can accomplish, WHICH IS CRAZY for me because for the last year, I've been lucky to workout twice a month, here and there. I've worked out everyday this year except Sunday to get some rest! Hopefully I keep it up!

Cook more often. We are still loving being in the kitchen together, and trying new things! I'm finally feeling semi-comfortable in the kitchen! Woo! Guys, this is huge progress for me.

No coffee. Coffee isn't something I depend on while I'm at work, but I started to get in this subconscious habit of making a 10:30 cup of french vanilla EVERY DAY, mainly to avoid eating something sweet in the break room. I didn't need the caffeine (well, lets be honest, some days I did), so I decided to try and do away with it this month and drink more water! We don't even have a coffee maker at home, so that makes it easier!

Finish this new book. I mentioned yesterday that Caleb and I are reading new books, and I'd like to finish this one before the month is up. I started like 3 separate books in December, so I'd also like to work on putting a dent in those one at a time.

Pay off a chunk of debt. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... we've got this!

Tell me, what's one of your January goals? Happy Thursday, friends. It's almost the weekend!!!

2016: a look back, and a little peek forward.

Every year I think I say the same thing; this was the fastest year of my life! But truly, I think this was. 2016 was pretty incredible all in all. Some parts were difficult, others were rewarding, but all in all? I'm extremely happy with 2016. 

This is always one of my favorite posts to write because I get to reflect on the last year and really take at the things we went through, our memories, the things we learned (both good and bad) and to make some loose goals for the new year ahead. I always love doing that!

Here's a look back at the past year:

-We rang in the New Year with our best friends doing what we do best; playing board games!

-Took Emily Ley's Simplified Challenge and cleared up some serious house/mental clutter!

-Found out Erin and Jared were having a BOY! We love that little man to death.

-Becky came to visit me again!! I love that blogging brought us together!

-Angie and I went to visit Lyndsie in Nashville and ate WAY too much food!

-I got into my first car accident (not my fault, luckily) but ended up driving my DREAM CAR for a week, so it wasn't all terrible.

-Celebrated Easter weekend with family and brought treats to share!

-Wrote my first "things I'm loving" post which quickly turned into a favorite prompt of mine!

-Helped throw Erin her first baby shower!! That was such a blessing for me! Being Aunt Kayla is seriously one of the coolest things in the world.

-I found an old letter my Grandpa, who had passed away two years prior, wrote me.

-Ran and finished my 3rd half marathon with my husband by my side!!

-Wrote a heartfelt letter to my younger self that really opened my eyes.

-Watched my brother graduate High School in May! *cue the tears*

-Caleb and I celebrated 3 YEARS of marriage with Mexican food!

-Met our first INCREDIBLE baby nephew and snuck in as many cuddles as we could!
-Successfully photographed another week of our church's annual Sports Camp!

-Enjoyed a couple of obligation free weekends with friends/family over the Summer!

 -Got a little frustrated that we're still in debt but realized we're still making serious progress and to be proud of wherever we are in life!
-Turned 25; Caleb threw me the most quaint little surprise party ever! He's the best!

-Spent an amazing week with the teens in Cleveland, TN for CIY! Hearts were changed!
-Stepped outside of my comfort zone BIG TIME and visited my first Tuesdays Together meeting (where I knew no one) and WOW, it's made a huge impact on my life! So thankful!

-Hung out with the Bengals on field, NBD!

-Photographed one of my favorite weddings to date and made some new friends!
-Had a ladies night with two of my favorite ladies!

-FINALLY GOT A NEW CAMERA! Haven't put it down since ;)
-Celebrated Caleb's 28th with a week off of work and lots of tasty food and good movies!

-Spent Halloween handing out candy with family! No fun costumes this year, sadly!
-Enjoyed a fun paint night with the ladies!

-Photographed our first out of state wedding, in Nashville, TN!
-Caleb and I followed God's quiet whisper to start a young adult group in our church and it's been a HUGE success!

-Enjoyed an incredible Thanksgiving with all our family and then decorated for Christmas. YAY!
-Got spontaneous dinner with my bestie because she was in town and I miss her way too much!

-Successfully photographed 31 whole weddings this year. WOW! We're exhausted, but feeling SO proud!
-Tried to soak in as much of the Christmas decor as we could. Feeling so thankful for our tiny town home, even through the days of annoying maintenance, noise complaints, etc.! We're grateful, especially this time of year, to have a roof over our heads and warm feet before bed.

STARTED OUR BUSINESS!!!! Omg. Still amazed at this one!
Celebrated Christmas together!

Caleb and I have quite a few big goals and big wishes for 2017, which (hopefully) include...

getting out of debt (finally)...
beginning the process of finding/buying a home...
spending a LOT more time in prayer...
saving more money...
...truly enjoying every bit of free time that comes our way.

Next year isn't near as booked up as the last few have been, and I have to say that was pretty intentional. Caleb and I are so excited about our new business, and can't wait to book up like crazy in the next few years, but next year we're REALLY trying to enjoy the time we have together more intentionally. More unplugged date nights, more cuddles on the couch, more time with friends. I am excited to have a better workflow system in place to cut time down behind my computer screen. After all, I didn't pick up a camera in the first place to be stuck behind my computer half my life.

I hope 2017 is amazing for ALL of us! Any big moments from 2016 you want to relive? Any fun goals for the New Year you have? Tell me about them!

December {goals}

The fact that we're in the last month of 2016 is mind blowing to me! SO much has happened this year! I'm always so thankful when I write my year-end post, to be able to look back and re read memories that I've documented over the course of the last 11-12 months. I can't wait to write that one, but for today I have some goals I'd like to accomplish before next year!

I'll go ahead and skip details on my November goals recap because basically everything is 50% complete, but hey, that's life, and I'm okay with it! ;)

Run. No specific set of miles or anything, though. I want to ease back into it. I've run here and there over the last few weeks, and while its come back quite naturally, I miss being in a weekly routine. I'll be honest, too, I like running in the cooler temps! Caleb and I always have. We just both get so overheated in the summertime heat while running, so cooler temps make us happy (as long as there isn't ice on the roads).

Lose a few lbs. This will kind of go hand in hand with running/exercise, but I've really been trying to eat healthier the last few weeks overall and I've noticed its paying off, but I need to get more serious about it. I don't like being uncomfortable in my own skin.

Do my nails. My nails are seriously neglected. I keep them trimmed and clean, but never polished. I don't necessarily need to go pay for a manicure, I'd just like to spend ONE night soaking them, clipping them, painting a few pretty coats on!

Just be. Caleb and I have so much time over the next few months to just BE. Be together. I want to date

Launch our photography business!!! We legitimately only have a few minor things to tweak and we'll be ready. We don't want to rush into it, but this is also something we've wanted for a while now so we're excited to get it going!

Finish a book, finally. I am knee deep in one that I'm loving (titled The Year of Fog), and I have a few non-fiction books I'd like to pick up next, too. I feel like my "books to read" list is so long I never know which to go for next!!

Step up my digital organization. I need to continue weeding through my old photos and deleting a lot of them. Do I really need a photo of my Thanksgiving plate from 4 years ago? No. I need to pick the best ones, keep them, and put them on a new safe hard drive. I can't imagine ever losing old family photos, or photos of Caleb and I from our first year of marriage. Those are things I want/need to protect!

I hope everyone has a lot of FUN planned for the month of December! What's one thing you'd like to accomplish this month?

November || Goals

Hiii, its the 8th day of November and I'm just sitting down to write out my goals...better late than never, right?

1 || Make a darn photo book, Kayla! Yes, I'm  yelling at myself. I've had this on my list for about 4 years now. I want to make a 2013 book, a 2014 one, a 2015 one, a honeymoon book, a wedding day book, etc.! The list really never ends, so I'd like to knock ONE out this month! After this weekend, we have about a month of free time before our last wedding in December, so I think its realistic!

2 || Get ahead on our Christmas shopping. I'd say we're about halfway done right now, and have been for a few months (we legit started shopping in January), but I really want to knock it out and be done before mid-December!

3 || Have another ladies night! I'm seeing my BFF this weekend and we planned a fun night including a sleepover! I can't wait. She even borrowed a projector and we're watching chick flicks on a WALL. I'm a little too excited. There may or may not be marshmallow fluff involved, too.

4 || Make some new meals. I've actually already made 2 new meals and both were a hit in our household! I love that right now that I can make the full recipe and there are still leftovers for lunch the next day - which not only is awesome, but saves money, too!

5 || Get back to our active lifestyles. Enough said. I'm excited to be working out more than I had over the summer. I think wedding season got the best of me and any free time I had was going to be spent on the couch. My waistline misses my old jeans! Caleb and I went on a long walk in the dark after dinner last night and had a blast. It also gives us time to unplug and connect with each other.

6 || Finish a book. I seriously LOVE to read, and its sad that I never make time for it. Photography is my #1 passion, but there are so many other things I love to do, like read! I have about 300 books on my list and now its just up to me to decide which one I reach for first!

7 || Finalize our logo and get the site ready for launch! Seriously friends, my SIL Erin has outdone herself, and I can't wait to show you what she's been working on for this new business Caleb and I are starting!

What are you trying to accomplish this month?!

Summer Bucket List {How I did}

Welcome to the first day of FALL, friends! Although its still sitting mid 80's in Ohio and the leaves seem anything but crisp, I'll take it because it being the 22nd means we've got to be one day closer to real Fall weather!

I wanted to take a look back at my original post where I made a long list of Summery items I wanted to tackle and see how I did. Summer 2016 was a fun one, at that!

Run 80 miles by my birthday. Well that came and went, and I won't even tell you how many miles I did (or didn't) run. #embarrassing

Make a s'more or three. I did this one! We were at a wedding and they had a massive s'more bar, and it was wonderful. You know I indulged in a couple.

Make a photo book. I did this one, too! Although it was for a gift, and not for me personally, it still counts. It took a lot of time, and I'm excited to start working on my own more once weddings slow down this Winter. Woo!

Go hiking/canoeing/something adventurous. Yes! We spent more time outdoors this summer than any married summer so far. We went canoeing, we hiked to a waterfall in TN, we took long walks, we played a lot of volleyball. I'd definitely call that a success!

Hit up the zoo/aquarium. This was a no-go sadly. The aquarium is EXPENSIVE, and we didn't go to the zoo. Bummer!

Play Frisbee Golf. Not only did we play, we played like 4 or 5 times! We have a course far back in our neighborhood, and we even bought 2 new discs to play with! I'm definitely no pro, but I'm a LOT better than I was the first time we played.

Go to a Red's game. Sadly we didn't make this one happen. In all fairness, they kinda sucked this year, BUT still tickets are pretty cheap we could probably make a game this Fall happen and then I could totally count this as a win, right?

Read a couple books. I read one book, and almost finished another...so while it wasn't a "couple", I'm counting it as a win.

Get some chairs for our patio. Caleb and I actually decided to delete this goal from the list because we realized our patio is kind of tiny, and it wouldn't be very appealing eating dinner right next to our outdoor trash cans. ;) we'll save this goal until we buy a house - hopefully next year!

Play corn-hole. We celebrated Father's Day outside all afternoon that day and played multiple rounds of corn-hole! I'm actually not half bad at it, I've found.

Try a new restaurant with Caleb. CHECK! We hit up a place called "The Original Pancake House" and I had the most amazing pecan french toast in the world. Caleb had some strange egg dish, but we both were so thrilled with the whole experience. We can't wait to go back!

I'd say I did pretty darn well on this Summer Bucket List! Accomplishing 8 out of 11 things is definitely a win! We really had such a great summer, and I feel like we spent a lot more time in the sunshine than in years past! I didn't maintain a good tan, but what else is new? I miss those summer vacations in high school where my only worry was perfecting my tan, ha!

Now, its time for a Fall Bucket List!

A late goal post.

I don't think I realized how much I love September before this year. Although its still 90 something degrees and humid this week, the longing for Fall is REAL here in Ohio. If you're not from Ohio, you haven't experienced Fall here and I feel kind of bad for you. It TRULY is so beautiful. Although it usually only lasts a few weeks, its worth it!

Since we're in a new month (and yes I realize we're already 9 days in), I thought I'd post a new set of goals to try and check off by months end!

Send snail mail. I tried last month and did alright, but I'd like to step up my game. I'd kind of like this to become a normal routine once a month to send some random letters/cards for no real reason, other than to make someone smile!

Take our tripod out for a spin and take some photos of ourselves. We mostly have selfies together, so this will be a nice change of pace.

Get a grip on meal planning. I've been better about this but have also been tired after work so I'm still slacking a bit.

Spend less time on social media at home. I'd like to start leaving my phone on the counter once I'm home. It's kind of a habit to have it near me, for no real reason, either. I don't think social media is BAD by any means, but I find myself checking it  a lot and - as Caleb calls it - mindlessly thumbing for ten minutes here, ten minutes there. Not that checking your feed is bad, but multiple times a night? Not necessary. I'd rather be cuddling with my man, or doing something productive!

See a new movie. either at home or in a theatre... Caleb and I are huge movie buffs!

Finish a new book. I started Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst and I'm looking forward to getting through it! 

Get more consistent with my workouts. I've decided to start Insanity again. Caleb and I did it before we got married and got about halfway through before wedding madness took over and we let it go. I love running, and would like to work on my speed, but I'd like to get some more intense workouts in some other ways!

Start using cash again for things like date nights, our individual small weekly "allowance" and groceries. Caleb and I used to SOLELY use cash, even for gas, and loved it. We've noticed our spending has been a little random the last few months and we don't like it, and know its because swiping our debit card isn't near as painful as handing over cold hard cash. So we ordered these and are going full force again. I realize its not for everyone, but its for us, and that's what matters!

Oh and our WEEKLY goal this week was Caleb's choice: no eating out. I already had a fun night on the calendar planned to go out with some ladies tonight, but other than that we SUCCEEDED!!!! I'm happy! Not yet sure what I'll make our next week's 5 day goal. Any ideas?

August (birthday month) goals!

Caleb texted me this morning reminding me it was my "birthday week". We're just 7 days out from my birthday...its never too early to start celebrating, right?!

I'm going to be honest and tell you my running goal is basically shot for the summer. I honestly did horrible, but you know what? I'm okay with that. I've had a great time being outside and being active other ways (hiking/volleyball/long walks, etc.)! Being outside was a priority for me this summer and I'm happy to say I made that happen more than previous years!

So here goes my list of goals for August;

-Send snail mail to at least 3 people. I absolutely love doing this. Getting fun mail is the BEST! Bills are boring, but surprises are awesome!

-Be outside as much as possible. I continue to change my mind on which is my favorite season between spring, summer and fall...BUT regardless, I absolutely love the sunshine. Being outside when its warm is just the best. Even when I'm sweating, I try not to complain about it!

-Hit the gym at least 8 times. We joined a new gym a couple months ago and at first were using it all the time. Now? Not so much. I still want to utilize the natural pavement outside, as well as some at-home YouTube workouts, but something about actually driving to the gym makes me want to try my hardest to make the drive worth it, and push myself really hard!

-Use our gift cards. Caleb and I have a few movie gift cards as well as dinner gift cards (hello cheesecake factory!) and who doesn't love a free date?!

-Spend more time with friends. Some of my friends are pretty far away, and some are close. Regardless, I want to make plans to pursue my friendships more than ever. Whether that be through more phone calls, Skype, or in person to grab a coffee, I want to make it happen!

-Drop off our goodwill/donation box. I had this on my list a few months ago and we didn't make it happen. I need to just stick it in my car so next time I'm near there, I will actually do this. We've accumulated so much junk, I know it would feel great to get rid of it.

PS - anyone else PUMPED that football season is nearly here?! I can hardly contain my excitement. Our first preseason game is NEXT WEEK!

Happy August everyone, make it a great one!

Goodbye June!

Here we are, at the end of another month. I seriously don't know how but these months continue to fly by like this (and I know I sound like a total broken record), but they do! I wanted to take a minute today to look back at June's goals! Because what's the point in making them if you don't evaluate yourself?!

Get up to date on our wedding edits - I'm counting this as a win since all of our April weddings are done and delivered (and loved by all the clients, yay) and we're almost ready to deliver the first half of May's as well! It's so hard to keep up with working at a desk by day!!

Lose 5 lbs - I CRUSHED this one. I have to say, I haven't been exercising all that much, but we've definitely changed the majority of our eating habits and been outdoors a lot this month, and I dropped 9 lbs total! I am so so excited. I definitely had it to lose, but I'm ready to step up my game in the gym now!

Get in touch with old friends - I think I did a decent job of this! Although, I'm challenging myself to do better in July!!

Finish the book I've been reading - while I haven't technically finished it, I'm down to the last few chapters but it has already changed my life and outlook on making my dreams happen. Yay for progress, not perfection.

Meal prep - while Caleb and I only meal prepped our breakfast/lunches (and not all of our dinners) and actually did weekly grocery trips, I'm considering this a win. This is huge progress for us! We only ate out a couple of times this whole month and that was always on wedding-days when we knew we'd be lower on calories and stayed in for dinner otherwise! Yay! Now to get better with dinners!

Get outside more - definitely nailed this one. Caleb and I took multiple walks after dinner throughout the month, spent an entire week outside for Sports Camp with our church, and shot 5 weddings - the majority of which are spent outdoors shooting!

Drink 100 oz of water a day - I actually did this a some of the time (or at least 80 oz), but not every single day, so this is a fail as well, darn it!

So overall, my goals weren't exactly 100% successful, but I'm pretty thrilled with the progress I did make! In other news, I made a hair appointment for next week (thank goodness) and cannot wait for the day I can put my hair in a PONYTAIL again. Woo! Yay for growing my hair back out.

How did your June goals go?!

June goals!

It may be June 8th, but its never too late to set some goals in any given month, right? Here we go!

-Be up to date with our wedding edits. Typically I return photos before the 6 week post-wedding mark, but lately I've hardly been maintaining an 8 week return. I do know its because Caleb and I work a day job each, and we want to maintain a life, but lately we've barely been keeping our heads above water. Caleb and I came up with a new system and I think we're going to be turning weddings around a lot faster now, yay!

-Lose 5 lbs. We picked running back up again. Yay!

-Get in touch with some old friends. I want to send a few personal letters, call a few friends, and surprise some of my closest friends this month! Random kindness is my favorite!

-Finish this amazing book. Guys, its changing my life. When a book has you in tears in your car on your lunch break, you know its good. God is truly speaking to me!

-Continue to meal prep. I've been doing weekly quick trips to Kroger and its really helping me stay on track with eating healthy. I know myself too well to know I'M NOT going to get up earlier to prep my lunch, I have to do it the night before. So this week I bought all the meat and produce we'd need for the week; Caleb grilled the meat, I cut the fruit/veggies. Now we're both set!

-Get outside more. I'm excited that from two short evenings in the sun so far, I kind of have a small base tan going - and I'm determined to get more action in the sun this year! Whether that means we go for a quick run after work, take a long walk after dinner, or just play frisbee golf at a nearby course, I want to enjoy as much of this summer as possible. Less time behind my computer screen, more time in front of mother nature!

-Drink at least 100oz of water a day. I bought a 32oz Bubba for work/home and I am OBSESSED. It makes drinking more fun side the hot pink/green combo is so darn cute.

Here's to hoping June is one amazing month!

So, what are some of your goals for this warm month?!

May Goals!

Another month, another goal post. These are some of my favorite prompts to write AND to read. Even when I don't reach all my goals from the previous month, its still fun to try and make them happen.

My goals for April were maybe a little too crazy for the busy month that we had planned - with a 1st birthday party, going out of town, shooting 4 weddings and attending 1, co-hosting a baby shower, lots of photo sessions and lots of after work meetings - it was hard to accomplish all of it. So instead of looking back - since I  kinda sucked at most of them - I'm going to focus on May and keep looking forward!

Run a half marathon. Okay I'm kind of cheating with this one since it already happened on Sunday...but I'm still pretty excited that this is checked off ;)

Plan a date-day with my man! We actually have an unusual amount of free Saturday's this month and I'm pretty pumped about it!!

Drop off our Goodwill box. We've had a huge donation pile building in our bedroom and its becoming quite the eyesore. We've got everything from clothes to books, and basically anything in between, so it'll be nice to get it out of the house and finally donate it!

Utilize our new gym. We just joined a new gym a few weeks ago and while we made a few after-work trips together, I'd like to step up my game. They have an indoor track with a small hill so I'm looking to use that more! I also really miss lifting!!

Drink more water. I'm typically a huge water bug by day, but I feel like I could step it up once I'm home for the night. Along with this, I should make it a goal to clean up my bedside table. It's always full of my pre-bed glasses of water! Anyone else guilty of that?! Caleb is always getting on me about it - hehe!

Use my Amazon gift card. I've had this thing since my birthday - its ridiculous. We're trying to cut back this month to pay more towards our debt, so this is a good way to splurge without any guilt! I've been eyeing this fun watercolor pen!

I hope everyone has a fun month ahead of them. May it treat you well ;) see what I did there?! This is also the month of our 3rd anniversary, so we'll see what kind of fun we have planned for that!

My April Goals!

April is finally upon us, friends! It's crazy to me that time continues to keep flying by. Caleb and I had a great, long weekend, but today I want to focus on looking forward in April! We've got lots of fun planned for this month! With a new month comes new goals, but I do want to take a look back at my March goals; which weren't terrible. I am disappointed in myself for a couple of these, but really proud of myself for some others. In March I wanted to...

Better organize my photos: I'm giving myself a big fat FAIL on this one. I did delete a TON of photos, but didn't necessarily organize them better. What I really wanted to do was purchase a new external HD or two and completely separate wedding photography from our personal life. I can't wait to permanently scratch this off my list.

Finish a book: I didn't even start one. In my defense I've been doing a Bible study, but haven't finished a novel in a while. I love to read, just need to make more time of it!

Run without stopping: YES YES YES. I am so excited. My goal was to run at least 3 miles without stopping as I'm going through my training. I'm happy to report I ran 4 miles with no stopping. I'm so much more hopeful about our upcoming half (which btw, is under a month away)!

Make 3 new side dishes: I won't be too hard on myself. I did make new things this month (new entrees and a new dessert), so I'm giving myself a win on this one.

See a new movie: Yay! We saw both Zootopia and Batman v. Superman in theaters! It was fun to date my man as much as possible last month!

Send out shower invites: done and done! Most of the RSVP's are in (better be, the shower is this weekend!!), and decorations are finalized. Can't wait for it!!! 

Onto my April goals!

Get over 100K steps in a work-week: my record in a work-week hustle challenge with my Fitbit was last week at over 93K! I'm ready to push myself harder and make it into the 100K's!

Spring clean: I've found several good spring-cleaning checklists that I want to put to use this month. Cleaning more than just "surface-level". I want to scrub our tub, vacuum every room, clean out our pantry, etc.! Cleaning keeps me in a good mood. I often find myself getting in "cleaning moods" RIGHT before bed.

Drop a couple pounds: I'm by no means "overweight", but since our wedding I've gained quite a few pounds. Since my most out-of-shape-weight, I've lost 4 lbs, and that feels great! Seeing results is a great feeling. Since we've been (generally) eating healthier and working out 4-5x/week, Caleb and I are both feeling so much better!

Narrow down our vacation spot: Since our family vacation got cancelled due to some things out of our control, Caleb and I are on our own now! Which is kind of a blessing in disguise. As much as we love our family vacations, Caleb and I haven't taken a solo vacation since our honeymoon, so its exciting! We have a couple places in mind, but we'd really like to narrow down and make our decision.

Order a wedding canvas: We have plenty of wedding photographs printed (seriously, hundreds), but I want a focal photo hanging in our living area. Whether that be a canvas, an architect print, etc.! I love our photos and I want to be reminded of that amazing day all the time!

What are YOUR April goals?

Goodbye February

Hello March! I totally forgot this year was the one with the extra day, and I can't say I was very productive with it, but that's alright. I love the idea of a new month meaning a fresh slate, and with that fresh slate comes new goals!

Last month, my goals were about 50/50. I did make some new recipes, I curled my hair a few times, started running again and dated my man as much as possible. However, we have yet to file our taxes and didn't order that photo book just yet, but its alright. That's what a fresh new month is for!

Better organize my photos. I've slowly been doing this for years, but it needs to be better. I absolutely want to make sure all my my personal photos are separate from my professional photos (personal life vs wedding photography).

Finish a book. I'm deciding between a couple different Jodi Picoult books, but regardless, I want to finish one! Caleb and I love reading together at night, so I'd like to keep that going.

Run without stopping. We've been training for our upcoming half and have been running nearly 2 miles each time, but its time to step it up. I'd like to run over 3 miles, but hit that 3-4 mile mark without stopping.

Make 3 new side dishes. I tend to just make new entrees and usually forget a side... so I'm ready to try some new things! Maybe like these, these or these. YUM

See a new movie. Caleb and I have basically been counting down the days to see Zootopia, so we're going to make that happen asap.

Send out shower invitations. Erin's shower is officially next month and I'm so excited for what I've got up my sleeve. Planning this thing has been the best!

What are YOUR goals for the month? I'd love to know!

Week-long goal

I used to have these weekly goal posts every now and again that focused on ONE particular goal for one week only. I'd wake up on Monday morning and walk downstairs and Caleb would've come up with some new goal for us to maintain from that Monday to the next Monday. It was such a fun challenge to do together, and we both love a good competition. Some weeks it was something health-conscious like "no eating out", and other times it was something more fun like "watch a movie every night".

I decided that while I LOVE my monthly/yearly goals, sometimes I forget what they even were unless I check in...so on top of those, I may start this back up in our household. For myself though, this week I set a simple goal for myself for the work-week: to get over 10K steps a day.

Sure, I kind of stole the idea from my Fitbit, but hey, it works. So far? So good. I normally averaged about 5-6K steps a day before this week, if that, and it just bummed me out! Now that we're back to running, its a much easier goal to reach. I'm getting about 11K a day this week. These small goals give me such a sense of accomplishment when I need it most.

It might be silly, yet I can't help but do a happy dance when my wrist buzzes and congratulates me on my step goal...it's so fun!

Another goal of mine was to begin running this week and so far so good, I've done it everyday since Sunday. I'm really proud of that because last night? We got poured on. But afterwards, I kind of felt like a boss. Even though we (only) ran 2 miles and stopped like 3 times to rest. We're still making progress, and that's what matters!

Consider making smaller, more obtainable goals in March. Like a few month long goals, or week-long ones with a partner! It's fun to be a little competitive!

Feeling refreshed + some goals

I'm finally feeling like myself again. This week, I've really started watching the foods I put into my body, I've been focused more on exercise and getting my daily steps in, and I've been cooking nearly every night. Oh, and I cut off 4 inches of hair last night (which I haven't done in years)!

I call this the Claire Dunphey

Something just kind of hit me over the weekend, that all the things I say "would make me happier", I could actually be doing. The only person stopping me, was me.

For instance, I claim to love reading, yet never make the time for it. Caleb and I cannot say no to our local used book sales, and we end up leaving with about 20 new books every time. We physically have no more room on our bookshelves, so they are flowing over into our bedroom nightstands and desk. Yet, what's the point in continuing to buy them if they just sit there?! SO, I'm challenging myself to start/finish a new book this month. I'd ask you all for recommendations but I already have too many to think straight :)

So here are my goals for the month of February:
Curl my hair a few times. I love the way it looks curled yet I never make time for it. So here's to waking up a couple times to practice more!

Exercise. Whether that means waking up before the sun to get in an hour of cardio, walking on my lunch break, running at night, etc., I'm not going to be too selective! Just want to be as active as possible, every day.

Order a new photo book. Well, my FIRST photo book. I really want to make our wedding album. I know, 2.5 years later... blah blah blah. Now that I finally have free time, there's NO excuse.

Cook some new recipes. Pinterest has literally been my BFF this week, and with guests coming over on Monday, I want to step up my game :)

Date the heck out of Caleb. We have so much free time this month and I don't want to let it slip away before its gone. We don't have a wedding until March, and then starting in April it gets a little crazy again. So, I want to soak up every evening/day/etc. that I get with my man!!

Do our taxes. We are so much more prepared than we were last year and I'm ready to pay these silly taxes so we can get on with our debt snowball! We are praying to be out of debt by mid-Spring!

Organize and clean our bedroom. Somehow our bedroom turned into more of a catch-all for all of our laundry, books, etc.! I want our bedroom to feel more relaxing... not stress inducing! ;)

I hope everyone has a great Thursday. SMILE! The weekend is almost here!!

Bring it on, 2016.

I didn't make real resolutions this year...I kind of like how I did things last year with my "six loose goals". I like keeping things low pressure. Of course, I still have some goals in mind for the new year! You might roll your eyes at them...

Read more

Make my health a bigger priority

Finish paying off our debt

Be the best version of myself I can be

....yadda yadda yadda, right? ;) wrong. I don't believe new years resolutions can be tacky and cliche... I think its awesome to see so many people get a fresh, clean slate and want to better themselves! The only problem with that is usually consistency! So this year, I want to make sure to simply wake up more to exercise, make more time for things I love (friends, manicures, crafts, sleep, reading, etc.), spend less money, and just try to be a better person overall.

We rang in the new year with our best friends doing nothing other than catching up, playing funny board games and watching the ball drop. We were all beat and fell asleep promptly after midnight, but it was the perfect way to spend the new year. We don't need a fancy party to have fun, just some good company!

On New Years Day we decided to use some money we had set aside on a bike/elliptical! We spent pretty much all day out picking those up, putting them together, doing a big trip of healthy groceries and being productive so we didn't have time to work out...so the first thing on Saturday's agenda was a difficult workout!

Saturday was also our first wedding of 2016!!! I can't believe it. We had so much fun, this couple was hilarious and clearly love each other to pieces!

When I got home, I was beat from my sore muscles, so we crashed after watching Star Wars... and you know I'm loving these new comfy slippers my girl Lyndsie got me!

Sunday was full of volunteering at church, another Bengals win (WHODEY!!!???!!), and youth group with the teens that evening. I hope you all had a great time ringing in the New Year! Lets do this, 2016!!!

Do you have any goals this New Year?

December, I'll do my best.

Now that both Halloween and Thanksgiving are behind us, we are in full-fledged Christmas mode. I honestly can't believe its December already! This year has flown by. With a new month comes a new set of goals and a clean slate. Thank goodness for that because I flopped HARD in November on my fitness related goals. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, because we all know that "life happens", but with my in-home morning workout both yesterday and today, I'm feeling pretty motivated to continue moving forward with this healthier lifestyle!

In the month of December I want to simply try my best. That might sound really generic to you, and like a cop out, but I know what it means to me.

It means I'm going to do my best job to be the best wife (best friend, best sister, etc.) that I can be. To do a better job of encouraging and supporting my loved ones in every situation they find themselves in. To be the friend that sends random notes of encouragement and love to my favorite people for no other reason than to just make them smile.

It means I want to do a better job at treating my body right. That means earlier mornings and healthier snacks. Time to swap those delicious hershey kisses for some plain almonds, I can do this!

It means putting my all into these last few weddings we have to edit. We only have 1 more wedding to photograph for the year, and its going to be a very early morning for us Saturday! However, we want to go out with a bang and I'm excited to photograph in the early morning of December!

It means recognizing people around me with needs. Whether or not there are things I can do to help these people, I can always be praying for them. God has really been speaking to me lately about helping those in need. It truly just motivates me to get out of debt so we can be one step closer to blessing our loved ones, and complete strangers!

It also means spending more time in the Word. I truly feel better in EVERY aspect of my life when I make God a number one priority in my every day life. It naturally makes me a better friend, a better wife, and a better version of myself. I don't believe that's a coincidence, either.

A few fun "just because" goals?

To enjoy our little Christmas tree as much as possible.
Finish all of our family Christmas shopping by next week.
Pick a few delicious dessert recipes for when I hang at my Aunt's next weekend!
Take too many Polaroid photos, per the usual.
Pick an outfit for both the company Christmas parties coming up.
Win a couple more fantasy football games. I don't want to fall behind! ;)

I hope everyone has some fun goals to shoot for this month! Enjoy your Tuesday!

6 things for my Fall!

I'm so sad I missed this link up when it went live yesterday, but hey, I suppose when you pick up everything you own and move to a new home, that's what happens! ;) Anyway! Lets get started. Fall is upon us and I'm over the moon. I've officially dusted off my booties, rearranged my scarves and am stalking Targets $1 section for the cutest glittery pumpkins I can find.

I decided instead of writing all the things I love about Fall (cause listen, we'd be here all day), I'd post a few things I want to do this season!

Throwback to last Fall. You're never to old to play in the leaves.

1. Visit a fall festival of some type. The plans for this are already in the works due to a couple free Saturday's (say what?! FREE SATURDAYS?!!?) next month, and I'm pumped. There's something so fun about finding your way out of a corn maze, and picking out pumpkins.

2. Speaking of pumpkins, I'd actually like to carve some this year! It's something I say I'll do with Caleb EVERY year, and yet it never happens. Now that we have a small deck, I'd like to USE it! I'm thinking something Disney themed?!

3. Sit by a campfire. It's one of my favorite things to do!

4. Make a crock pot potpourri...I'm eyeing this one in particular! I mean, can you even imagine how good that probably smells?!?! Perfect when having guests over!

5. Make the best s'mores ever. Last year our church put on a really cool fellowship event to kickoff Fall and everyone got to experience my amazing s'more making skills...

6. Take more personal photos. I'm so busy carrying around my DSLR capturing OTHER people's moments...I want to get better at capturing my OWN with more than just my little iPhone camera.

Like I said, I could go on and on about things I want to do this Fall, or reasons why I love it so much, but we'd probably be here all day. I'm just ready for life to slow down a bit, for the weather to get a bit cooler, and to relax and enjoy the last few months of the year to the fullest. I've also got some things up my sleeve for Halloween! Stay tuned!!

Have a great Thursday, friends!