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!

Things you might not know

Things you might not know about me...

-It takes a LOT of cream and sugar for me to actually enjoy coffee.

-I get serious anxiety over a lot of things that would seem so trivial to most.

-If someone is short in their response back to me, I always wonder if I did something wrong.

-My obsession with donuts is real.

-I'm super adventurous at heart. I loved skydiving, white water rafting, canoeing, but there's still so much more I'd like to try (ahem, bungee jumping, Caleb?!)!

-I don't care how bad it is for me, Mountain Dew will always be my favorite drink.

-My parent's didn't get married until I was 4, and then got divorced when I was 9.

-I never finished my college education and still struggle with feeling inadequate when it comes up in casual conversation with strangers. BUT I know it wasn't God's plan for me at the time, and there's no saying I can't finish someday if I felt like it.

-My mom is a traveling nurse so unfortunately we don't get to spend a lot of time together, and I miss her to pieces!

-I overthink everything.

-Caleb and I both have a big heart for youth/young adult ministry. We're so grateful God has given us an opportunity through our church to help lead and encourage the amazing teens/young adults!

-I have a VERY small family. One brother. My Dad is an only child. My mom only has one sibling, so I only have two first cousins (and they are both much younger than me)! So it was fun marrying into a family MUCH larger than mine!

-I got baptized on my 18th birthday, then went skydiving. One of the coolest days of my life!

-I'm a receptionist by day, photographer by night/weekend.

-Caleb and I love our Bengals, even when it's not easy to be a fan!

-I absolutely love to encourage people, especially when they least expect it. You never know how much a simple text message or hand written note can change someone's day!

-We'll finally be out of debt this year, and it feels AMAZING!

-I have green eyes and have learned to love them as I've grown older! My freshman year of high school my mom let me get colored contacts and I got the most fake looking deep blue color. I look back on those photos with embarrassment ;)

-I hardly ever paint my nails -- maybe once/twice a year (and that's usually when I decide to spoil myself and pay for a manicure)!

-My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:18, and I love how simple this translation is.

Well there ya have it, hopefully you learned something new ;) what's an interesting fact about you??
Happy Hump Day!

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!

Things I'm Loving {Volume 6}

Since I'm the worst blogger in history and I have no prompts ready like ever, I decided to come back with my 6th edition of Things I'm Loving. See the latest one here!

-Today is my sweet friend Ashley's birthday! Ashley was my first official blog friend back in late 2012 - crazy to think it's been so long! I'm so thankful for our conversations (both fun and sometimes deep), for her honest love of all things chocolate and how adorably stylish she is! I hope its the best one yet, pretty girl!

-The most amazing (and definitely not healthy, don't judge, we had family over) meal I made on Monday; Chicken Alfredo Bake. Even my picky younger cousin LOVED it and grabbed seconds. I was pretty proud! Recipe can be found via Buzzfeed here! Pin this, like right now! You won't be sorry.

-My SIL's snapchats of my sweet nephew...I mean, he's the cutest kid alive. #notbiased

-The Golden State Warriors. I have to say, a few years ago I never liked the NBA that much...but once Caleb decided on a basketball team to like back in 2013 and I was forced to watch it...I really started to like it ;) it's fun to have sports we can watch together when Football is over!

-That although our schedule took our lives over like crazy this week and busy-ness got in the way of working out the last few days, I'm not falling off the wagon! For the most part, we've stayed pretty healthy this week and are picking back up the cardio workout tonight! Woo!

-Finally getting my hair done last week, it always feels so great to get pampered!

-The new young adult group that Caleb and I are leading. It's been so great to not only be challenged in our faith, but also be able to sit around with these friends for literally hours and just talk about movies and TV. We walked out of Panera around 8:30 last night but stood outside and continued to talk for nearly an hour, ha! Those are my favorite conversations!

-Daily inspiration snapchats with Becky...it's been great to keep each other motivated this new year and to also give each other grace when we've sucked ;)

-This song. I love when Caleb will sing in the shower upstairs and I can hear him belting this out while I make dinner. Such an amazing song!

-Hacksaw Ridge. I know I said it yesterday but seriously. Go watch!

I am so thankful for a night at home tonight. The last few nights have just been go-go-go, and while it's been so much fun, we're a little exhausted. Our plan is to go for a run, make a good dinner together and just unwind with a good book afterward. I seriously cannot wait! Hope everyone has a great day and an even better weekend planned ahead!

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!!!

December {to do}

I'm going to be 100% honest, this December hasn't felt quite like December for me. Other than last weekend, we haven't done much of anything very festive. We're having to, for the first time in years, skip out on our annual tradition of the free Christmas play we always go see, we haven't wrapped any presents for each other, and haven't watched a single Christmas movie. What is going on!?!

2015 Christmas season

I was kind of bummed out about it this morning, sulking in my own sadness, texting Caleb "why aren't we more festive people this year?!!"...then I realized, there are still ELEVEN DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS! Then seeing how we don't even take our tree down until after the New Year, we still have plenty of time. So I decided to make myself a little mini December bucket list of festiveness (that's a thing, right!?);

Watch Elf. I've asked Caleb to watch this 3 times already, and he kept saying "but its not snowing"... SO!? But now that we've had a fair share of snow this week, I think its time to pop it in!

Buy Christmas pajamas. I've seriously never owned a legit pair of Christmas PJ's in my life. I always just open presents wearing whatever I wore to bed that night before, so I'd like to have on a cute pair of PJ's this year!

Make something for Christmas brunch. Every year we go to my Grandparents for brunch after we're all done doing our own Christmas morning, and she slaves away for HOURS making stuff, so I'd like to contribute something this year.

Go caroling. Because ITS FUN!

Give an anonymous gift to someone in need. Enough said.

Do one Christmas-y thing outside of the house. Like I said above, unfortunately we're missing the free Christmas play this year we always go to, so I still want to get out and date my man. I'll be honest, we haven't "dated" much lately. Although this is our slow season from weddings, we have been catching up on edits and working tirelessly on our website. So I'd like to do something local, either the Christmas Light Show that you drive through, the Festival of Lights at the Zoo, or another local play, I just want to do something fun!

Make this cocoa in the crock pot. I mean, because why not?

What's on your December list of things to do? I'd love to add something else! Have a great day, friends!

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?

Things I'm Loving {Volume 5}

Random posts are my favorite. Months ago I wrote a post called "Things I'm Loving", and it consists of any thing I've seen/bought/heard about that I've liked (most recent here). It's always been well received and I figured with all the holidays, its as good a time as any for an update on some recent thing I'm loving!

-The progress we've made on our portfolio/website. Caleb and I have been working tirelessly on all things business and re-editing some older photos to be more consistent with how we want our brand represented. I wrote down 6 or 7 words that I wanted people to feel/describe as they looked through our portfolio and basically everyone I asked yesterday hit the nail on the head with their descriptions - which lets me know we're doing a good job. Here's a sneak peek of our portfolio.

-This tried and true sheet pan dinner. It's on a weekly rotation in our household because it's so inexpensive, so easy, and so so tasty!

-French vanilla coffee when I get next to no sleep. Caleb and I really need a new mattress, but we're trying to put it off until we start house hunting next year! But seriously, I can't seem to get comfortable enough to fall asleep anymore!

-Our itty bitty Christmas tree. It's just a thin, 6 foot tree, but we love it so much! I asked Caleb the other day if he thinks we'll ever get a real one, and we both just weren't sure. I grew up getting real Christmas trees, and always loved the smell, but man it was a lot of work to keep clean!

-Our ornaments. We don't have a TON, but I love going to new places and collecting new ornaments. I basically get Caleb a new ornament or two every year, and last year I got him this Olaf one so we finally had that to put on our tree. This year, I gifted him one early, and it was hand made by my friend Kaitlin! It reminded us of the Bengals (despite how terrible they are doing this year, we still love them).

-Snapchat and its new filters every day. It's been like two years and I still can't get enough.

-Unblemish. No, I don't sell it and no I don't get paid to say this. This stuff has changed my life. I still break out, as a 25 year old, and it sucks. So a few months ago I re ordered this stuff I used a few years ago and now I'm wondering why I ever stopped in the first place. I've legitimately never left my house without at least a little concealer on, and guys I left the house the other day with ZERO MAKE UP ON. Because my skin feels SMOOTH and clear for once! I'm so happy. Worth every penny.

-How beautiful our world is. Sure, we live in some dark times; with attacks, wild fires, and shootings, but to see everyone come together after a tragedy is always so moving.

-Shopping small. Being a part of a local group of creatives has been so much fun! I've met a lot of new ladies and its cool to bounce ideas off of people who get it! I bought this print from a local gal, Jen, and she's the sweetest! I used to have to convince myself of this all the time when I'd be running for what seemed like forever "you can do this, Kayla!!"...so it only seemed fitting!

-This precious video of a bear who won't let go of the hero who saved him from the TN fire this week. Seriously, my heart is melting.

-Free square prints from Parabo Press for first time users using the code: "FIRST"! I'm excited about this, especially with Christmas right around the corner!

-How well one of my fantasy teams is doing this year. I held the #1 spot up until this week! Now if only I can win once we get to the playoffs!

I hope everyone has a great week. Go ahead and tell me below ONE THING you are loving, lately! Thanks!

What I'm really thankful for

I love what November represents; being thankful for things. I love seeing my Facebook feed brighten up with people and things that my friends are truly thankful for! I'll never get tired of that. I haven't done any sort of "thirty days of thankfulness" post, so I thought I'd list a few things I'm truly thankful for today.

My insanely hilarious, goofy husband. For constantly making me laugh, pursuing me daily, and challenging me to be better.

All of our teens. These girls feel like my little sisters, but Caleb and I feel like we have an extended amount of siblings with these guys. We get to hang with over 25+ teens weekly and pour the Word of God into them and its just so amazing to watch them grow!

Having these guys as our best friends. Erin and Jared feel less like "in laws" and more like actual family. I love that we can all communicate with just a look (Bridesmaids, anyone?) and have so much fun together! Whether we're road-tripping down to Tennessee, or simply having a spontaneous game night. Everything is an adventure when the four of us are together!

Having warmth during this cold season. It's easy to forget the things that we have that others need so desperately. One of my youth group girls just started a Go Fund Me page to raise money so she can make approx 150 blankets to keep the Cincinnati homeless WARM this Winter! It makes me tear up thinking about her kingdom minded heart and how much of a difference she's going to make this holiday season! If you'd like to help by donating, or simply sharing the page, click here! THANKS!

These girls. I love them to the moon. Lyndsie, on the right, has been my best friend since 7th grade. We've been through basically everything together. We grew up together, we went through silly breakups with boys, and we were roommates in college for a hot second. I love that I can be my extremely weird, awkward self around each and every one of these ladies. The two in the middle are girls we met when we were in college, Becca and Angie. I know any of them would do anything for me, no matter how long its been since we've seen each other!

All of the amazing women in my family. Seriously, I hit the jackpot with them.

Getting to serve others by living out my passion; photography. I'm so thankful God blessed me with this gift and that I'm able to give others memories they can literally cherish and look back on for a lifetime!

My few blog friends (but really real life friends because I've met them all) that I talk to almost daily - you know who you are!!! Hiii Becky, hiii Anna!!

My in-laws! They are always willing to do anything for us. I'll never forget when I got a flat tire, and they were there within minutes. Or their excitement when they found out I was going to be their daughter in law! :)

My Dad and his wife, Amy! Although we don't see them near as much as we'd like, they are always willing to be there for us. My Dad isn't a very emotional man but I'll never forget those tears he cried on my wedding day. It wasn't a moment we captured on film, but its one I'll hold dear to my heart forever!

I could literally go on all day about the things I'm thankful for; my car, food, our income, a roof over our heads, clean water, our wardrobe, our health, french vanilla coffee :) and so on and so on! But I don't want to keep you here all day.

One last thing I'm thankful for though...is YOU! Yes, you! The readers (those who comment and those who don't) who encourage me to keep doing this blogging thing, even when I suck and don't feel like keeping up with it. I am so thankful to have each of you here almost every day with me!! It means so much you all listen to my rambles :)

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?!