A Year in Review – 2019

This is the 6th year in a row that I’ve answered this exact set of questions looking back at the year that is quickly slipping away & looking forward to the new year that is upon us! 6 years in a row – that’s so crazy to think about! It’s really fun to look back now over the past 5 years and read what I was most proud of, what I learned, and what I was most excited for – it’s fun to see the progression of my goals growing and changing.
Shout out to Jamie Delaine for originally inspiring & sharing the outline to this post 5 years ago!

If you’d like to go back and read over what I wrote the previous 5 years I have done this, click here for 2014’s version, click here for 2015’s version, click here for 2016’s version, click here for 2017’s version, and click here for 2018’s version!

And if the ridiculous amount of words in this post intimidate you – I promise I’m not offended by you choosing to skip this one (there are over 2,700 words!). In the next few weeks, I have a lot more “pretty” posts planned – my favorite wedding & engagement session images from 2019, as well as some Abby Saturday bloopers, plus the ever-popular “behind-the-scenes” look at me while I’m “on the job”! So, stay tuned!

Of course, if you’re into reading words – let’s dive in!

LOOKING BACK
What are you most proud of this year?
I won’t lie: I tend to write out goals & then promptly forget about them. I’ve definitely been guilty of that in the past – so much so that I almost dread looking back at what I wrote out as goals from the previous year. This year though? I am proud of myself! I kept my goals in mind & actually accomplished most of them!
My 4 big goals for 2019 were to connect more with other wedding vendors, to continue eating a low-glycemic diet & lose all the baby weight from being pregnant with Leander, to transform my blog from focusing entirely on weddings to being more about our life (weddings, amusement parks, family life), and to actually exist in photos with my family.
And I did it! I successfully added connecting with wedding vendors into my business workflows & contacted almost every vendor I worked with post-wedding to give them access to images of their work from the wedding day. It’s been a ton of fun to connect with so many amazing vendors post-wedding days & I’ve created some really awesome connections that way!
I have been eating a low-glycemic diet off & on all year, but still successfully lost all of the weight I gained while pregnant with Leander! I do plan to jump fully back on the Trim Healthy Mama train in the new year though to continue to get healthy & be healthy!
I took a few weeks off of blogging a few months after Leander was born (basically, after all my pre-written blog posts had run out) and it was the first blogging-break I had taken in years. It was wonderful. In that time, I was able to revamp my blog & transform it into what it is today: a place where I can write about my weddings & amazing brides & grooms, but I can also talk about our family life, our roller coaster adventures, plus anything else I want!
AND, last but not least, I was very conscious this year of asking people to take photos of ME. It wasn’t always the most comfortable thing or the most convenient thing, but I did it! And I’m so glad I did! I actually exist in photos of our family & for that, I am incredibly grateful.

What was the biggest risk you took?
I won’t lie or sugarcoat it: 2019 was a “down” year for me. Pretty much since 2013, I have seen consistent growth in my business. Even after we moved across the state, my business still continued to grow. If you’d chart the success of my business (by weddings booked & money made), you’d see a steady arrow going up. In 2019 though, that arrow went down. In 2018, I photographed 18 weddings – the most I’d ever photographed – and in 2019, I photographed 8 weddings. Talk about a drastic drop. I was petrified – did this mean I was done as a wedding photographer? I struggled with despair – was I any good at what I did? I was confused – what did I do wrong to not just cut my number of weddings in half, but more than half? And I was stressed out – how in the world were we going to survive 2019? My income from weddings isn’t just “extra” or “fun” money, we actually need my salary.
Looking back though: it was absolutely perfect. Did I desperately want to book at least 2-3 more weddings? Yes. But did we survive? Yes! And honestly, 8 weddings was the perfect number for me in 2019. It allowed us the freedom to travel & do fun things to expand & grow Derrick’s business, it allowed us an easy-going summer where we were able to spend extra, glorious time at the Lake House, and it allowed me to re-structure my business now that I have TWO kiddos. No joke: the biggest lesson I learned in 2019 was how to have two children (more on that below)!
So, yes, booking less weddings (whether I wanted to or not – because on one hand, I can’t book weddings if I don’t have the inquiries, but on the other hand, I did turn down weddings that were in NEPA) was definitely a huge risk – but one that I should have leaned into a little more & not been so worried over.

What did you learn this year?
It is an ever-evolving process, but I learned a lot about managing my time this year: having 2 kids, beginning to homeschool one of them – I had less time than ever & yet, I still managed to accomplish everything – somehow. I feel like, I have all of these plates that I’m juggling: being a wife, writing blog posts, cooking dinner, being a Mom, writing emails, doing laundry, editing photos, cleaning the house – and those plates just keep getting fuller (like, the “being a Mom” plate doubled in size since we now have 2 kids!) And then, I added a new plate this year: homeschooling Braelynn. All of these plates are full and they are all spinning – some are mid-air as we speak. And yet, as full & as numerous as those plates are, my days still only have 24 hours in them. How is that possible? Shouldn’t I be allotted a little extra time for the extra tasks I now need to handle?
Yet somehow, I’ve figured it out. It’s not perfect by any means, and there are definitely days when plates get dropped (they shatter, it’s a mess, there are tears). But I’m learning. I’m learning how to manage my (very short) 24 hours better, more efficiently, and more productively.

What do you wish you had made more time for?
Looking back over 2019, I wish I had asked for more help. So many times I should have simply reached out to my amazing, wonderful family, to ask for an extra hand. But instead, there were times when I went (slightly) bonkers trying to do everything myself & it truly wasn’t healthy. Did we all survive? Sure. But quite a few of my mental break-down moments definitely could (and should) have been avoided if I had just asked for some help. I hate bothering people and I hate looking needy, so put together, it’s a recipe for eventual disaster (and I definitely had a few disastrous days). I see that now – hindsight is 20/20 of course.

What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?
1. Watching Derrick’s YouTube channel have success & really grow has been the most exciting thing ever! I am incredibly proud of all of his hard work, dedication, & perseverance to create content for his channel. And to see all of that hard work paying off is just incredible. He now makes ad revenue off of his content & he has actually been recognized in amusement parks that we’ve gone to (from our home park of Kennywood (he gets recognized there almost every time we go now), all the way up to our trip to Massachusetts & Six Flags New England!) It’s insane & I am so proud of him!
Piggybacking off of that: we took several trips as a family of 4 to visit different amusement parks across several different states: from Ohio, to New Jersey, to Connecticut, and Massachusetts! And the icing on top? We were invited to Media Day at Kennywood for the opening of their brand new coaster: Steel Curtain! 2019 has been Derrick’s year & it’s been amazing.
2. I successfully kept up with taking weekly & monthly photos of Leander thru his whole first year of life: it was a MASSIVE undertaking, but I did it! I took a photo of him every Monday – for a total of 52 photos – and I took photos of him every month on the 3rd. The most challenging part was remember what outfits he wore & never wearing the same thing twice, plus making sure that the backgrounds of his photos were not the same two weeks in a row. Also, by the end, he truly was over the whole thing & getting him to lay still, look up at me, and smile, got to be almost impossible. But, I did it!! And now, I just need to put his book together, like I have with all of Braelynn’s photos from her first year of life.
3. We spent 72 days at Deep Creek Lake this year – that is over 2 solid months! That’s INSANE & AMAZING. Looking back, it doesn’t feel like we spent so much time there – it just feels like we spent a few extra, extended weeks there, but when I look at my calendar & count up all the days – 72 days is the count. How much better can life get?

LOOKING FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2020?
Quietness – “free from disturbance or tumult; tranquil; peaceful”
This word has been on my radar for several weeks now. I’ve been doing a Bible study with my Mom & sisters and in one of the lessons, toward the end of the study, it talked specifically about having a “quiet” life. Not in the terms of sound, but picture like a stream – tranquil waters – the opposite of raging rapids or a whirlpool. And boy, did that picture really strike home.
So many days I feel like my life is a set of raging rapids. And then, I find myself responding accordingly – I get stressed out & upset. And it’s not what I want – it’s not the attitude I want my kids to see & mirror. So, “quietness” is my word. I really want to find a good Bible study that delves into this topic – if you have any suggestions, I’d love it if you’d share!

What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2020?
1. I want to revamp everything: my entire website, blog, pricing guide, engagement session guide, my logo – all of it! It’s been a long time since I really revamped & updated things. Sure, I’ve freshened up some images here & there, but let’s be honest: a lot of my copy is old – like several years old. My logo is several years old (and again, just being honest: I’ve never felt like it properly portrayed my business anyways). So, I want to take January, February, March & overhaul everything. It’s a MASSIVE undertaking, and one I need to sit down & really outline the steps of (because writing “overhaul everything” as a goal is way too large of a task to ever accomplish without breaking it down into more manageable steps) But it’s a process I’m looking forward to!
2. I want to continue to help Derrick move his business forward – he needs a website, he would like to create products to sell, we’ve even contemplated me joining him on a YouTube video or two (just to see how it would work out). I want to continue to support him, as he’s supported me so faithfully over the last few years – I’m SO excited to see what 2020 holds for Derrick & XscreamThrills!! It’s going to be AMAZING!
3. I am writing it down so I actually DO it: I want to create a family photo album from the year 2019 – all of our adventures! It’s something I’ve been wanting to do forever & I’m writing it down so I actually DO IT! I have all the images – they’re even all edited! I just need to pick my favorite ones & design a book with them. I know it’s a huge project, but I know it’s a book I’ll treasure forever – so I need to just dig in an go for it!

What do you want to stop doing in 2020?
Have I ever mentioned how much I hate this question? Yes? Oh, I say that every year? This one just always stumps me. Because, I always feel like I want to make this answer too big – like “stop getting stressed out over stupid things”. See what I mean? That would obviously be a massive goal that I’d never be able to reach (at least, written so vaguely like that I wouldn’t). So, this question always gets me. I answer every other question & then always come back to this one.
So, let’s see: “What do I want to stop doing in 2020?” I want to stop being so against change. I love a plan, I love a schedule, and I love when things are in order. It flusters me to no end to have someone change up the plan at the last minute, or to break into my schedule & throw it off, or to mix things up & throw them out of order. So, in 2020, when Derrick tosses out ideas that threaten to change things up – I want to be more receptive of those ideas.

What things excite you about the upcoming year?
We have so many exciting things planned – potential trips to further Derrick’s YouTube channel, house projects we’d really like to tackle, and of course: beautiful weddings to celebrate!
Speaking of weddings to celebrate: my sister Amy is getting married in 2020!! It’s been forever coming, but it’s finally coming and we’re all so excited! We all have roles to play – Braelynn is a flower girl, Leander is the ring bearer, I’m a bridesmaid, and Derrick has taken on the task of being the videographer for the day. It is going to be a huge moment in 2020 & I absolutely cannot wait!!
I’m excited for spending more time at the Lake House. I’m excited for weekly trips to Kennywood. I’m excited to meet my brand new niece (my sister Ellen & her husband are expecting baby girl #2 in March!) I’m excited to dig in & really landscape our yard (that’s a goal I’ve had for 2 years now – 2020 is the year I’m really going to do it!) I’m excited to watch Braelynn continue to learn & grow (both in her schooling, emotionally, and physically) and I’m excited to watch Leander transform from a baby into a toddler (although, can we just make is slow down a bit?)
I’m also very excited for 2020 – it’s a milestone year for Derrick & I – we will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary next year!!
No matter how you look at it: 2020 is going to be an incredible, amazing year!

What do you want to learn in 2020?
I really want to continue to push my photography skills. That may seem like kind of a silly goal, but here’s why I say that: for the very first time ever, just a few weeks ago, I used my off-camera flashes in a way I’ve never used them before. I literally stepped way out of my comfort zone & tried something I’ve never tried before & I’m absolutely obsessed with the results. And it’s left me wanting to learn more. I never want my photography to get stale – I want to continuously push myself to try new things, to think outside of the box, and to stretch myself creatively. I want to continue doing that in 2020!!

So, there you have it! If you’re interested in playing along and looking back over 2019 & looking forward to 2020 along with me – here is the list of questions to copy & paste! If you do, would you tag me in your post either on Instagram or on Facebook? I’d love to read up on your year in review & your goals for 2020! You can even grab my graphic to use! Here’s the link to download it!

LOOKING BACK
What are you most proud of this year?
What was the biggest risk you took?
What did you learn this year?
What do you wish you had made more time for?
What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?

LOOKING FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2020?
What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2020?
What do you want to stop doing in 2020?
What things excite you about the upcoming year?
What do you want to learn in 2020?