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kayley

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This. This is Love.

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kayley and brian - this is love - grace and serendipity

I happened to be scrolling through the photos I recently received from Cook Images to do a highlights post from Kayley and Brian's wedding day at Old Christ Church and the Museum of Commerce  this past summer, and this one photo literally took my breath away.

This.  This is love.  This was right after their ceremony, amidst 150 people, right after they walked through the sword arch, right before heading off to take photos with their Bridal Party. But even with all of the people surrounding them, they still had such an amazing love for each other that everyone around could feel it, they only had eyes for each other, and they were just so happy to be married.  THIS is why I love my job.  This right here.  And the way that Jeremy with Cook Images captured the whole day ... wow.  THAT is why you hire a professional photographer for your wedding day.  There are so many beauties just like this.  I can't wait to share them!!!

Congratulations again Kayley and Brian!

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My husband and I have officially been married for a decade today. For ten whole years I've called this man my husband, and I have been his wife.⠀ ⠀ And somehow, this morning as we were both getting ready for the day, amidst our four year old son begging and pulling on my husband to pick him up, at the same time our seven year old daughter was asking me to braid her hair, we both looked at each other, smiled, and had our own sweet moment amidst the morning chaos, grateful for every moment that brought us here.⠀ ⠀ We have been together now for 15 years ... which when I say that out loud, is bananas. Especially because it doesn't feel like it's been that long at all.⠀ ⠀ Life now looks entirely different today than it did on the day we said our vows. But through it all, the things that have remained steady and strong are these: open and honest communication is key, and the little things are the ones that make all of the difference.⠀ ⠀ In our marriage, what matters the most is always respecting, listening, and supporting each other, and knowing that in our heart of hearts, we promised each other forever.⠀ ⠀ And forever is non-negotiable.⠀ ⠀ So today I want to encourage you, whether you're not yet married or have been together for years, to simply remember the little things that encompass your day to day lives. ⠀ ⠀ Make each other laugh, share the never-ending laundry responsibilities, kiss each other goodnight, and never forget the importance of saying "I love you".⠀ ⠀ Dance with each other in the kitchen, even if your kids are tugging at you for their own attention or there isn't even any music on.⠀ ⠀ Love them for who they are, for who they want to be. Support them in everything they do, even if it's something entirely new to you both.⠀ ⠀ A marriage is not made a great one because you give each other extravagant gifts or go on incredible vacations - rather, it's in the small, seemingly quiet moments sprinkled into the everyday that whisper through your lives together and say "hi beautiful, I love you".⠀ ⠀ That is where the goodness is.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So cheers to us celebrating a decade of married life together, my husband. Love you babe, today and for always. 💕⠀
Woo! All week long over on @creativefounders, we've had a content packed series happening with how to think about and move forward with Quarterly Planning.⠀ ⠀ And I have to admit, when writing these posts I actually had to cut *back* on the amount of content that I included for each one ... there is so much more I could have said, but also knew that making these impactful and concise was more important than giving an overload of information all at once.⠀ ⠀ It was definitely a challenge to keep each of these posts under 1600 words, but hey ... that just means we have additional content that we'll be able to provide for you in the future! 😜⠀ ⠀ If you've been following along with these posts over on @creativefounders this week, share with me this - what have YOU loved learning about the most, that you're going to implement into your own Quarterly Planning for your business moving forward?⠀ ⠀ {photo by @annafilly}
When’s the last time you said yes to adventure and no to fear? Last weekend when we were at Lake Martin for vacation, we stopped our boat at Chimney Rock - a pair of rocks where people can jump into the lake from either 20 or 60 feet up. The first time I saw it, I said “heck no!” even though there was an inkling of courage inside of me wanting to experience it for myself. The second time we were there (on my birthday!) I told myself I wasn’t going to let fear control me this year - and jumped in after my stepson (while family sang happy birthday to me as I climbed up the rock, which was quite a fun moment in itself!). It wasn’t pretty, it was far from graceful, but I did it. If you want to see it for yourself, swipe to the right! I said no to having a memory where fear got ahold of me that made me regret not jumping, and yes to having a memory that now holds adventure. And I have a feeling that that in itself might have given me a lot more courage for other things ahead too. No more fear, my friends. 💕 What is something you want to do, but you’re letting fear control you? Is it about time you decided to let that fear go too?
I’ve recently gotten into bullet journaling and there’s something I love so much about making time for it on a daily basis.⠀ ⠀ After hearing about the book “The Bullet Journal Method” by @rydercarroll from @yourampersandstudio, I bought it and read the entire thing in one sitting, which is pretty much unheard of for me these days.⠀ ⠀ I love having a creative outlet that requires no screens and is a fun way for me to journal. To organize thoughts and ideas that bounce around constantly inside of the pinball machine brain of mine, where I don’t feel restricted to the lines supplied or the spaces available.⠀ ⠀ But more than that, bullet journaling has quickly turned into a way for me to have a focused place to learn how to draw, hold favorite quotes as I learn how to letter better, jot down memories and moments and gratitude and everything I want to hold onto as I walk through this life, on something other than a device that runs on a battery.⠀ ⠀ This weekend in one of my mornings with the sun, I sat on a comfy chaise lounge and sketched out a bookshelf while sipping my coffee. I got way into it and found myself wanting to use the top “shelf” to look like a display shelf, where I’ll add in knick knack-like sketches from vacations taken and adventures had this year.⠀ ⠀ On the shelves below, as the books are read, I’ll color them in and add a rating system to the spine shown.⠀ ⠀ And this page, even though it’s all pencil right now, is my favorite so far.⠀ ⠀ I’ve never been big into adult coloring books, but this? This is something I feel pretty drawn to. (No pun intended 😂)⠀ ⠀ If you’re a fellow bullet-journaler, tell me this - what do YOU love about it the most, and who do you love to follow here on IG that shares spreads that inspire you?
7 years ago today, this little girl came into the world, bright and early at 6:30 in the morning weighing in at a tiny 6 pounds, 3 ounces.⠀ ⠀ She arrived 3 weeks before her due date, on a day that just so happens to be my birthday too.⠀ ⠀ There's something entirely sweet about this story of ours, especially now that she's getting older. For me, a birthday is always a way that I like to look back and reflect on the year prior, making changes and plans for the year ahead.⠀ ⠀ But for my daughter? A birthday is the day that she gets to celebrate all that she already is, and celebrate turning a WHOLE year OLDER (which let's be real, when you're a kid, is the best thing ever!!)⠀ ⠀ So today, I'm going to reminisce about how tiny she once was, remember how funny it was when I went into labor in our "breathing classes" at the hospital the evening before (true story), and make this day all about her. Because becoming her mama has been the biggest blessing in my life, and the best birthday present I could have ever asked for.⠀ ⠀ Happy birthday, my sweet girl. Oh, how your Mama loves you so. 💕⠀ ⠀ {treasured photo by @photogingmama, aka Kansas Pitts Photography}
Late last year, I read a post by @mspeachplusdesigns that she was giving a notebook that she had won at the #creativefoundersconference to a friend of hers. For no other reason than she wanted to share her blessings and positivity with someone else who knew would be excited for it.⠀ ⠀ I used to collect notebooks in every color imaginable, but so that I could use them to style with, not to actually write in.⠀ ⠀ I had a plethora of them in patterns, in solid colors, in a variety of different sizes, (y'all know I love all things Kate Spade and Rifle Paper by now, right??) and honestly think I had more notebooks than I ever could actually fill out in this lifetime.⠀ ⠀ When it came time to clean out my office, I looked at the huge stack and Amanda's post once more came to mind.⠀ ⠀ "What if I donated all of these notebooks to our local Waterfront Rescue Mission, knowing that when someone finds one (or even a set of them), it just might make their day?"⠀ ⠀ And so that's exactly what I did.⠀ ⠀ 58 notebooks were donated that day, and the joy of knowing that they'll be given new life in other people's hands who will use them and love them as I did brought me more joy than if they were still taking up space here on a shelf.⠀ ⠀ So today, I want to pay it forward once more from Amanda's post and encourage you to do the same - what's something that you have enjoyed but don't use much anymore that YOU can now give away, that you know someone else will appreciate in this season they're in?
People ask me all the time, "how do you plan"? I have to admit, it's one of the things I really truly love to do - but it's something that I haven't always been good at.⠀ ⠀ "Fly by the seat of my pants" used to be my mantra ... but blame it on being almost 10 years in to this entrepreneurial thing (whoa. what?!) and now?⠀ ⠀ Arm me with a notebook (bullet journaler in training), my planner, and Asana, and I turn into a planning (and implementing) machine. 😂🙌⠀ ⠀ Today over in @creativefounders Instagram stories, I shared a teeny sneak peek of something coming next week specifically with this to make the most out of the next six months, to close out 2019 on a good note.⠀ ⠀ You know all those things you've been wanting to do this year, and you just haven't made the time to do it yet? Well, perhaps this is what you need to get yourself re-energized for the remainder of the year.⠀ ⠀ Head on over to @creativefounders Instagram stories for our teeny teaser. Community members got to find out in our private Facebook group this morning ... and I can't wait to share more soon! 🎉⠀ ⠀ {photo by @annafilly}