This month was weird.

This is basically a summary! I rarely eat McDonald’s, but I just felt like having a happy meal one day. I had COVID in January, so most of it was spent at my house resting, working and quarantining from and with my roommate! But there were a few times where I got to wear different hats/masks for work. I ran lyrics and operated cameras for the first time at church this month!

This month our pastor announced his retirement. 

Pastor Danny has been at Shades for 24 years, and it’s amazing to have watched his ministry up close by being on staff. He’s humble, selfless, clear, funny, caring, energetic, decisive and upright. It’s been a joy knowing him and Janice! Although it will be a big change for our church, I’m really excited for how God is going to work among us! If you didn’t know, I manage social platforms for Shades, so you can follow along here!

This month I froze on rooftops.

The few sessions in January (because let’s be honest, who wants to take pictures in January?!) were on rooftops or downtown bridges, and the wind always takes me by surprise!! I had a few cold sessions but it’s always worth it to spend time with fun people!

This month I saw a lot of sunrises.

My roommate, Kelly, and I walked on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and I haven’t seen the sunrise this much in… well, probably years! It’s been so nice to “win our mornings” and watch the Lord paint the sky with majestic strokes and colours each morning.

This month I FaceTimed these goobs a lot.

Brynlee (“Beedee”) and Joshua (“Buddy”) always have something fun to say when we FaceTime! Whether it’s Brynlee showing me her toys (and making me dizzy in the process by flinging the phone everywhere, haha) or Joshua laughing at the word toot, it’s always heartwarming to chat with my sweet niece and nephew. I just love them! And if you look closely, her shirt says “S is for Samford” and it makes me so happy!

This month, like most months, I worked from home. 

…except my space is a little more fun to work in now! My couch is one of my favourite spots in our townhome, and it’s super fun to have this wall shelf above it! Not to mention the cute mug from Rachael that says “boss.” When it’s filled with coffee, it makes me feel like I can do anything!

This month I finally bought the Canon R6! 

I’ve definitely learned a lot and had to hone my in-camera settings to match my style, but it’s been a super fun challenge shooting on a different system. I feel like it’s made me more intentionally creative because it takes away some obstacles I’ve had with previous camera bodies.

It’s honestly a little weird seeing how few pictures I took in January, but that’s probably most of us, right? You better believe that in the summer, I’ll be spamming you with all the pretty flowers, sunsets, outside friend hangs, weird adventures, little trips and time spent sitting in the grass. Hope you had a happy January1