destination wedding photographer | florida | texas | rosemary beach | houston | nashville | dear wesleyann
destination wedding photographer | florida | texas | rosemary beach | houston | nashville | dear wesleyann
|
|
Growing up…my memory was on point. At all times. I was quick as a whip. I could remember everything from homework assignments, names, birthdays, key dates all the way to remembering what outfit I wore on the first day of school…every single year from kindergarten to 12th grade. These days…the only thing on point is my morning coffee. In school, I viewed keeping an assignment book as useless…now it doesn’t matter if I have reminders on everything from planners, post-its, to pop-ups…if it’s remembered…it’s a down right miracle {cue in the first line of Hot Chocolate}! Remembering day to day tasks is one thing…but sometimes we need life reminders–reminders to love deeply and spend time with the people in life that matter, to be grateful for the blessings and gifts you’ve been given, and a reminder as to why you love what you get to do for a living. Then sometimes…all those little reminders find a way to merge into one massive reminder. Last year, my job brought me to The Wildflower Barn near Austin, TX for a wedding. It wasn’t just any wedding, for just any couple….it was to capture the precious love story of my sweet college roommate from freshman year, Abbie. I’m still not convinced it was 12 years ago that Abbie and I strolled the aisles of Target…filling our carts with our matching dorm room decor of purple and lime green. Abbie and I may have been as opposite as they come…but she made me smile some of the greatest and biggest grins!!! Abbie was a Music Major and I was Psychology at Grove City College {glad to know at least one of us actually went on to use her degree}. Abbie woke up singing songs of joy, had a pep in her step and dressed in the cutest outfits down to her matching socks, all at the crack of dawn for class….while I was lucky if I made it to my 10AM class on time…and always in the sweats I rolled out of bed in!! You see…because I knew Abbie…I saw her wedding day differently. She wasn’t just a bride. She was a bride I knew, who had a special place in my heart and who’s family I knew {actually, I knew her sister, Amy, long before I knew Abbie….which is how we came to be roommates}. Capturing Abbie and Zac’s wedding and being able to tell their story wasn’t just a job…but a joy. It was also a reminder that I have a pretty important and incredible job that allows me to be and do all the things I love–travel, be creative, cherish others and to tell their stories. Some day are incredibly overwhelming and stressful {like today}, but days like Abbie & Zac’s day that are filled with love and joy…give each day even more meaning! Meaningful reminders–memory back on point. Seeing this precious wedding and sweet Abbie’s face now has me in all smile. Nothing like a little walk down memory lane and a freashman year remix to put a pep in my step and filling my airwaves…even at 11PM. Sweet dreams are surely to ensue. Night y’all!
No hammock blogging today. Since it’s raining, I’m blogging from a 3 foot pile of laundry that needs to be folded. It’s a working load kind of day. 3 feet of laundry is what happens when you travel every 5 days!! But I’m tackling today at full force, one load at a time!!! 36 weddings. 57 sessions. 29 Flights. 2 little loves. 1 Big Move. If y’all heard last year was a loaded year…I wasn’t yanking your chain! When I say I have some serious goodness from an entire year to blog…I ain’t kidding about that either!! Get ready…. So while Adam and Ashley have already tied the knot in Rosemary {which is in the blogging que of soon to be bloggest goodness}….it’s time to share a tid bit of goodness from their engagement session. Before Adam, Ashley and I began out roaming and Rosemary take over, I sat on th ebench and read through the questionnaire Ashley had filled out when she had booked. So there I sat…one day in May, on a bench, staring at my phone, getting strange stares from incessant outburst of laughter {I actually get stares often from laughing at my phone. I’m used to it now.} Ashley’s hilarious remarks about how the two met was narrated perfectly to the lune of laughter, love, and light blue vnecks! Couples who are beautiful, sweet, and laugh often…it’s translates into loads of lovely goodness.
In the last few days, it’s as if all of Nashville has come alive. Sun is bright, mercury is rising, Las Paletas popsicles are dripping, and parks are packed. And by packed…I mean packed with hammocks! {Which…I’ll have y’all know, I have succumb to this happy hammock living and will be blogging from my hammock in the park from now on.} After living a salt life for 9 years….I never realized how addicted to sunshine I’ve become. With far too many weeks of winter and feeling like I was living trapped inside a Frozen scene {you can only build a snowman so many times}, my soul is back to smiling with this warmer weather. Thankfully, wedding season is back in full gear, so my toes are nestled back in the sugary sand come weekends. Just before moving to Nashville, I hopped on board Savanna and Harrison’s boat…bare feet and all…and spent the evening on the water. I’m not sure if there’s anything better than an evening on a deserted Shell Island with a sweet pair, their pup and a big pink sky. Now that the Gulf is no longer in my backyard, my love and admiration for the salt life is far greater! I’m not going to lie…between Nashville and little loves by week…30A and precious clients by weekend…life is sweet.
Absolutely beautiful! It’s a new year y’all. Finally. However, before we go any further….take in a few slow breaths. In and out. I know y’all probably nearly spit your morning {or afternoon…I’m on my 4th} coffee out all over the screen when you saw I have a new blog post up! Have no fear, I’m back to blogging my dears!! 2014 might as well have been placed in a vacuum sealed time machine, traveling at the speed of light. Whatever time machine 2014 was in, it puts Doc’s Delorean to shame. I don’t know where 2014 went…but wherever it went…it’s free to stay put. 2015 may have begun with a 104 fever at home, but you best believe I had a bottle of champagne ready to cheers with at the stroke of midnight. There was no way I was letting the year begin without claiming it as mine! Last year was a great year…as well as a scary year. It was a year of laughter…mixed in with lots of tears. A year of grace…accompanied by an immense amount of growth. And somewhere in the mix of a downright crazy, beautiful, messy year….I read these words… “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are. Choosing authenticity means cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle; and nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough. Authenticity demands Wholehearted living and loving—even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it. Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy, and gratitude into our lives” – Brene Brown I read those words. Over and over. Took in a deep breath. Let it all go. And smiled. So much of my life up until that point had been spent living up to expectations. Putting out a perception of perfection that was far from being real. all the while, no matter how high I stood on my toes, the bar of expectations was never being met. So in the mix of it all, my voice fell silent. I’m one who’s words, as well as my work, are closely tied to my heart strings. They all hold great value and meaning. Because of that…blogging is also closely tied to my heart. I love it. I crave it. But last year…I bailed on it. In part due to an insane work schedule and being time poor…but also out of fear about not being able to be genuine. So here I am. Back. Blogging. Bright. Me. A better and brighter me in fact. A happy, wholehearted me. And it feels really, really good! Tay & Ash. I adore you dear ladies and your precious day. Cheers to a year and a half of love and doing life together! If you happened to miss their wedding last year on Wedding Chicks…be sure to skip down memory lane a bit longer!!
|
While I know I’m still blogging weddings from 2013 {yes…this would fall into the inadequacy, failing, and falling behind category}…I don’t know if there is a more sweet or perfect pair to pick back up with. The genuine & bright hearts of these two have an oh so very special place in my heart that makes me smile everytime I think about them!!! Every morning I sit down at my desk to be greeted with the most beautiful print that reads, “awake my soul” that these two lovelies gave me. It couldn’t have been more perfect or fitting for the year I was about to embark on. And continue on each day.
Beautiful!!!!