Does anyone else feel like January had 400 days? Allllll month I’ve been thinking, “It’s only the ___ of January?!” The wintry weather, letting my budget recover from buying Christmas gifts, talking with a lot of wedding inquiries and filling my days with writing, playing piano and sitting by space heaters have been hallmarks of the month! Here’s a breakdown of what January included:

Favourite Moment

Saw Just Mercy, ate at Mugshots and saw 1917 with my peeps. Lots of laughs, quite a few sniffles and a host of times that I jumped out of my seat. Real thankful for the excuse to sit under a blanket for the equivalent of a full work day with this crew! Also, kudos to the thumbs up girl because she’s a complete stranger to us. Ha!

Having a sibling weekend was so fun! We had a blast making pancakes and music videos, watching rugby, playing with Brynlee and Joshua and cheering on Wales in the Six Nations! I’m so grateful for my peeps.

As our discipleship group studied Passover, I put together my first Seder meal! It was special walking through a Passover meal as we discussed the symbolism of each piece of food. Our minds were directed toward Moses as the forerunner for Jesus, who continually leads His people out of slavery through His saving blood.

Favourite News

Two of my dearest friends are having a BABY GIRL!!! I introduced them in 2012 and we’ve lived a lot of life together by now. I’ve photographed basically every major milestone in their lives together, and I had the honour of photographing their gender reveal! I’m so happy for these two. Also… could Abby have been more excited? 😉 Click here for the reveal!

Funniest Moment

Really every moment with Community Group is weird and fun and enjoyable and quirky. I laugh more on Thursday nights than any day of the week because of these people! So thankful that God provided great friends at Shades this year. This month included bets on licking Jordan’s shoe, trying to decide who has brown hair vs black hair, playing piano and trying to soak up time with my bestie.

Our Worship Arts staff at Shades (click here for some news!) went bowling at a church. Yep, I said it! For three hours, we bowled, slid down massive slides, ate together and ran around a playground. It was fun and weird and what church staff dreams are made of.

Favourite Personal Picture

You wouldn’t expect it to be this horribly grainy photo, would you?

I’m not sure what it is about Samford, but I sense God’s presence there more than anywhere. There’s stillness. A haunting beauty. A breeze that sometimes takes my breath away. Memories of formative years. An ease in conversation with God when I walk. I don’t know why it’s easier to talk to God in some places, but I’m glad this one’s half a mile from my house.

We celebrated our roommate’s birthday! We all wore the same pants, so naturally we had to get a picture!

Spent some time with my very best friends for Kelsie’s birthday.

Favourite Education

It was my first time doing a mentor session, and I loved it! I met Tina Kraemer from Pure in Art Photography in Tuscon, Arizona at the Showit United Conference last November in Phoenix, Arizona. We actually stayed in the same house with 5 other women, but I didn’t get to spend much time with her. However, I attended her styled shoot (which she crushed) and was so impressed with the education she offered as well as her heart behind business. So, I got home and immediately booked a mentor session with her! We talked for two hours and did a deep-dive into my website, business structure and onboarding process with clients. She had so much wisdom to share and I loved the process!

Favourite Photograph

Ethan and his wife Rachael are like my brother and sister, family and best friends rolled into one. This picture is a happy one, because it means I started back on part time staff at our church! After a few months of full time photography, I realized that I need to work with people surrounded by a common mission. Shades is the perfect place for my passion for people + art + ministry to collide, and I just LOVE this team!

Favourite Pun

I wanted to be a monk but I never got the chants. (hahahaa)

What I’ve Been Working On….

I have been a Pinterest machine this month! I finally finished Jenna Kutcher’s Pinterest marketing course and began implementing her directives. I’ve seen significant (I’m talking 6000+ percent) increase in engagement and have been enjoying sharing more of my work with the world!