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This is the 11th 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! It’s really incredible to look back now over the past decade and read what I was most proud of, what I learned, and what I was most excited for – it’s a little bit mind-blowing to see the progression of my goals growing and changing.
Shout out to Jamie Delaine for originally inspiring & sharing the outline to this post ELEVEN years ago!
If you’d like to go back and read over what I wrote the previous 10 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, click here for 2018’s version, click here for 2019’s version, click here for 2020’s version, click here for 2021’s version, click here for 2022’s version, and click here for 2023’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 4,200+ words!). In the next few weeks, I have a lot more “pretty” posts planned – my favorite images from 2024, 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 had one IMMENSE goal for 2024: catch up on our family trip vlogs (which I lovingly call “The Adventuring Abbeys”).
At this time last year, I was so far behind. In fact, “far behind” doesn’t even seem like an accurate description of the editing queue I had.
I had 18 total vlogs sitting and waiting to be edited. EIGHTEEN.
The thought of tackling so many videos was so completely overwhelming. I could have easily thrown in the towel and just given up – called 2023 a bust for family vlogs and simply moved on.
But I couldn’t do that. My precious family memories were buried in those files and I knew I could not just let them go.
(If you’re curious how I got so far behind – in 2023, we traveled to a TON of different parks during back-to-back-to-back weekends, and then I went straight into a crazy time of back-to-back-to-back weddings. Since I’m a wedding photographer first, all of that editing came first, which means all of those vlogs got pushed off to the back-burner.)
So, I set myself a goal for 2024: get caught up.
I knew, realistically, that it would take me at least 6 months (well into the summer) to get completely caught up (and that thought alone was utterly overwhelming). But I set myself a goal of completing one vlog a week and I got to work.
It took me the full 6 months to finally get fully caught up, but on June 29, 2023, I finally published our “Highlights of 2023” video, outlining our entire year.
It was a MONUMENTAL undertaking.
BUT I DID IT! And I’m so proud of myself for pushing through, refusing to give up, staring up at the massive tidal wave of work and still chipping away at it week by week.
As things currently stand, I’m slightly behind in my editing for 2024. I wish I was posting the “highlights of 2024” vlog today instead of this post, but that’s okay.
We went on a really big trip during the first week of December and then we came careening into Christmas (a little bit with our hair on fire due to some weird health issues and sickness). So, I have a few vlogs left to edit for 2024.
THAT’S OKAY THOUGH. If I learned anything from 2024 – I know I can tackle these last few videos in January and I plan to have our “Highlights” video up by February!
What was the biggest risk you took?
I know, I KNOW, I know – I said I wasn’t going to start a new business in 2024.
If we look back at last year’s “year in review”, I specifically said: “If March rolls around and I announce that I’m doing something new – I give you permission to come over and slap me.”
*Insert eye roll here*
On March 5, 2024, I wrote my first “Wedding Day Content Creator” blog post, kicking off a brand new series of blog posts and a new “side” of my business: Wedding Day Content Creation.
Yes, you can slap me now.
Apparently, I just can’t stop creating new side-hustles. I’ve done it 3 years in a row now.
I was reading the writing on the wall though:
My wedding photography business has been on the decline.
I have no answers for why (and admitting it is heart-breaking – more on that in a little bit).
The wedding industry as a whole is dramatically changing and (the sad news is) I’m not the only one experiencing this wave of recession. Most of my friends, who have all been in the industry for years at this point, are experiencing major down-turns in their businesses as well.
Enter: this brand new type of wedding vendor – the wedding day content creator.
And that’s when a lightbulb went off in my brain:
I’ve been a wedding photographer for 15 years – I know weddings inside and out.
I’ve also been a content creator for several years too – I have created a ton of long-form content (see above) and am constantly creating short-form content as well. I LOVE IT.
So, what if we took both of those things and married them together?
You’d get me, as a Wedding Day Content Creator. (It makes so much sense, right?!)
So, I (sheepishly) started a new side-hustle of my business. I started writing blog posts and creating content based around this new “thing” that’s risen in the wedding world. It was a risk, but one I was fairly confident in.
I took my first wedding as a Content Creator at the end of the summer and I had so much fun.
I got to work with an amazing team of vendors and I LOVED it. All the pressure of being “the photographer” was lifted off my shoulders and I simply got to have fun! I got to be creative and see the day through a completely different perspective. IT WAS AMAZING.
I REALLY want to do more Wedding Day Content Creation in 2025! That’s one of my main goals (more on that in a little bit!)
What did you learn this year?
Another one of my goals last year was to create and implement more structure and organization across the board – from my businesses, to my personal aspirations, to our daily life. And I’m proud to say: I did it.
It’s actually quite amazing.
I remember hearing someone once say: “What type of person do you want to be? Do you want to be known as ‘a runner’? ‘A reader’? ‘A healthy person’? ‘A hard worker’? Okay, then get up and DO the steps necessary to become that type of person.”
It’s as simple as that.
If you want to be known as “a runner” – then get off the couch and go for a run.
(I hate running, so I don’t ever aspire to be “a runner” – but you get the point.)
Looking at my life and business at the end of 2022 and into 2023, I felt like things were a mess. Sure, I was getting things done, but it was in such a “messy” way. So, I said: “I want to be more structured and organized.” And then I set off to set systems in place to make that happen.
I created a weekly “work schedule” for myself – breaking all the normal, weekly tasks I do down so that I do that same tasks on the same day every week. (This gives my brain a break from trying to figure out what needs done every day – I simply consult my schedule! PLUS: if I complete what’s on the “schedule”, I know I can the move on to “fun” projects without feeling guilty that I should be doing something else!)
I also created a monthly “work schedule” for myself – tasks that did not need done every week, but if I did them once a month, that would dramatically increase my work-load when it came time for taxes at the end of the year, etc.
I created a two-week meal plan and streamlined our grocery shopping. I compiled a list of the foods we ate the most, plugged them into two, rolling, two-week calendars, creating shopping lists based off of those dinners, and thus created the BONES of dinners for a MONTH without even having to think about it! Sure, I tweaked things as we went along, but the bones were there, making food SO much simpler!
Implementing these few “schedules” has really turned my attitude toward my life and business from one of “chaos” to one of “organization”. I don’t feel like things are so “messy” anymore.
(Looking forward to 2025, I’d like to create a more organized “cleaning” schedule, so some “deep cleaning” tasks that I always put off get done on a more regular basis! And I need to take another look at my “work schedule” – while it worked well in 2024, I’ll be pivoting a few things in 2025 and need to adjust accordingly.)
What do you wish you had made more time for?
Looking back at 2024, I wish I had made more time and space for grief.
(I know, that’s a surprising answer, isn’t it?)
2024 was quite the “down” year for us personally (and professionally too).
We said goodbye to our sweet Abby-dog in March.
My sister unexplainably lost her baby boy when he was just 6 months along.
My Grandfather passed away.
Another sister was diagnosed with cancer.
Another sister lost a baby to miscarriage.
I feel like our world was rocked tremendously from one thing to the next. And while I “handled” it all “fine”, looking back I truly wish I had made more time to simply grieve and to walk through that grief more fully.
I realize it now (in hindsight) because certain things will completely catch me off-guard and I’ll realize that I never worked through that in my head and heart. It was an emotion or thought that I simply stuffed down in an attempt to “keep going”. And I’m realizing that that was not exactly the right way to handle things.
I wish I had made more time to sit and be quiet. To pray. To write out my thoughts and feelings. To spend more time opening up and talking to Derrick and my family. And that’s something I regret from 2024.
What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?
- Looking back: 2024 seems like a dark year. And there were a lot of really dark moments, for sure! But there were bright spots too, like all the fun that is the months leading up to a wedding!
My brother, Stephen married his sweetheart Kennedy this spring and it was SO delightful. They had a PERFECT, beautiful, incredible day! We had so much fun (while simultaneously treading completely foreign waters – so far we’ve only planned weddings as the “family of the bride” – and suddenly we were the “family of the groom”, talk about a different experience!) Being a part of Kennedy’s bridal shower early in the year and then hosting their rehearsal dinner (another “something we’ve never done before” box checked!) was so dreamy and fabulous and fun. We spent the whole week leading up to the wedding at the Lake House (Steve and Kennedy got married in her parent’s backyard in Garrett County, Maryland) and those days with my sisters and Mom are some of my favorite memories. We laughed and cried and had so much fun together. I still can’t believe my little brother is married! - I mentioned a “big trip” during the first week of December – we flew out to spend a week with Derrick’s parents in Arizona! We took a similar trip last year, but spent half of our time in California so we could visit some new parks and ride some roller coasters. This year, we decided to shift our focus and do something completely new (and not roller coaster centered): we went to see the Grand Canyon. WOW. What an incredible experience. There truly are no words (or photos or videos) to truly describe the Grand Canyon. It’s one of those things you simply must experience for yourself – it’s beyond anything you can imagine. We had an amazing time exploring and trying our best to take in everything that the Grand Canyon is.
We loved our time with Derrick’s parents too. We had a much more relaxing time this year (since we didn’t have the 8 hour drive out and back to California) and we simply planned for our time to be more relaxing. It was precisely what we needed. We enjoyed many hours playing games, relaxing in their hot tub, riding bikes around the property, sitting in the sun and reading, eating lots of good food – it was fabulous in every way. - Derrick and I took a SUPER spontaneous trip out to Cedar Point at the very beginning of the summer to ride Top Thrill 2 (their new/re-imagined roller coaster for 2024) during one of their passholder preview nights. We had debated whether the trip out would be worth it – after all: Cedar Point is a 3-hour drive for us and for the passholder preview nights offered a super limited number of rides being open and only ONE ride on Top Thrill 2 per person. We him-hawed around and finally, about 24-hours out, decided: let’s do it. Thankfully, my parents were available to watch the kids and Derrick and I took off for an adventure we didn’t even realize we needed. The entire experience was like a dream – not only did we get a FRONT ROW RIDE on Top Thrill 2 (which was both terrifying and exhilarating), but we then spent the next several hours simply walking around and documenting the ride. It was like a breath of creative-fresh-air. Our content from those few hours went viral on multiple fronts and turned out making us more money than we’ve made in a long time.
LOOKING FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2025?
“THE RIGHT NOW” (I know, that’s not “one word”, but what I have is more of a concept than a word, so let me explain):
I have so many ideas.
I could easily start a whole handful of new businesses.
But then I get frustrated.
I get on social media and see other people “doing more”, “creating more”, “traveling more”, and I get discouraged.
It used to really drag me down.
After all: I want to create and fulfill these ideas I that have! But, suddenly it’s nighttime and I’m looking back at my day and realizing I didn’t get to accomplish any of my ideas.
My days are not “empty” by any means:
I homeschool our kids: Braelynn is in 4th grade and Leander’s doing Kindergarten. That takes up a lot of my time.
I’m in charge of our house – which means I keep the house clean (some days better than others), I do the laundry, I cook all the food, I grocery shop – all those normal “house” things.
Most days, I can squeeze in time to answer a few emails, do a few business tasks, and whatever my “daily” work is.
And just those “normal” things keep my days full enough that I don’t typically have enough time to venture into any of the “new” ideas.
But it dawned on me the other day: the people I’m looking at on social media that are doing “so much more” than me – they’re single (some in relationships), and they don’t have kids.
Which is when the lightbulb went off: of course they have more time and freedom than I do! So many hours of my day get poured into my children and creating a home for my family – and that’s just the season I’m in right now.
And that’s OKAY.
Once upon a time, I dreamed and prayed for these days. My heart is to pour into my children and my husband. I don’t want to work a full-time job or put my kids in school. Our days have frustrating moments, but overall, I love them.
So, getting distracted by social media and comparing myself to the single-lady with no kids who travels and creates content for a living is absolutely bogus. That’s not who I am or what I want. And I’m growing to recognize that more and more.
So, maybe “contentment” is a better “word” – being happy with my current season of life.
What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2025?
- Last year, one of my goals was to hit 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. I’m proud to report: I did it! I’m currently sitting at over 1,400 subs!
And, as fantastic as that is: my YouTube channel needs an overhaul. So, that’s my number one BIG goal for 2025: take my YouTube channel to the next level.
So, what did I do to get here? I created daily shorts and obviously published a lot of long-form vlog content.
But up to this point, I’ve simply created vlogs. And it’s time for that to change.
In 2025, I need to create more “evergreen” content – content that people are actually searching for. I’m thinking things like long-form reviews, tips, tricks, insider insights into amusement parks, etc. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but Derrick really sparked the idea a few weeks ago when he started dumping idea after idea after idea that I could easily create and would be more “evergreen”.
And the whole goal is: not just to grow (although that’s fun!) but to actually get my YouTube channel monetized. Most people probably don’t realize, but you have to reach two criteria in order to monetize your YouTube channel: you need 1,000 subscribers and you need at least 4,000 public watch hours over the last 365 days. 4,000 is a lot of hours and I’m only (consistently) about 2/3 of the way there. So, the idea is: create more generalized (yet specific) content outside of just vlogs and boost those numbers to reach monetization.
I got a new microphone a few weeks ago (that works way better than the one I had earlier), so now it’s just a matter of writing the scripts, recording the audio, and creating the full videos. I have the ideas! (SEE ABOVE – so many ideas!) I just need to pull the trigger to actually create this new form of content that I’ve never created before. (It’s exciting and also terrifying.) - I really want to do more Wedding Day Content Creation in 2025! I LOVED what I was able to do in 2024, and I really want to do more. After being a photographer for 15+ years, I feel like I really need to start shifting the content I put out on my social media and blog to be more Wedding Day Content Creator focused. AGAIN, this falls into the above: I have the ideas! But fall short in the time it takes to execute them.
HMM: maybe it’s time to re-think that “weekly schedule” I created last year and put more time/emphasis on different things. (Also: if anyone has a time-machine or the ability to add extra hours to the day – I’d love to get in on that!) - So, if you notice, I did not put in my goals that I would not be creating another side-hustle/business in 2025. Because, well, there might already be a new idea in the works. But GUESS WHAT? This time, for the first time ever, it’s DERRICK’S idea. He came up with a new idea while we were out in Arizona and it’s been festering ever since. I LOVE that it’s his vision and I’m excited to see what happens with it. Of course, with Christmas, we’ve put the idea on the back-burner for December, but with January on the horizon, it’s time to put the pedal to the metal and see what we can make of this idea! (I’m not going to say what the idea is yet, we have a lot of logistics to work out first, but we’ll definitely be jumping head-first into those logistics within the next few weeks! Stay tuned!)
What do you want to stop doing in 2025?
Going along with my “word” for 2025 – I want to stop comparing myself to the random people I follow on the internet (easier said than done, right?)
But I think honestly: simply recognizing and acknowledging that I’m in a completely different season of life brings such clarity.
I’m no longer the 20-something just-married girl who was building her wedding photography business. Who worked full-time, but outside of those 40-hours, had “unlimited” time to pour into business ventures. (So, I guess in reality, I shouldn’t expect my business to be the same as it was in those early days either, should I?)
I’m now a 30-something, been married for almost 15 years, with 2 kids – so time to stop thinking I’m still that old version of Kara and realize I’m in a totally new season, so I’m a different version of Kara – and that’s okay.
What things excite you about the upcoming year?
What I’m MOST excited for in 2025 is that 2024 will be in the rear-view mirror.
And my sister Ruby will be in remission from cancer. She’s currently undergoing treatment number 5 of 6 – so she’s almost to the end of this step in the process. I’m really not sure what happens after she completes her last round of chemo (and how long until she’s considered officially in remission?) but she’s getting there.
I can’t wait to have the freedom to hug her (and my parents) again without having to worry about giving them germs or sickness.
I can’t wait until we can all be together again, and my kids can have mild colds, and not care because – it’s just a cold (and kids always seem to have colds).
I can’t wait until she can come over to my house and help me decorate for birthday parties again (and help me decorate birthday cakes again – sheesh).
I miss my little sister. And I miss my parents.
And as much as I know things will never be the same (we’ve all changed over the course of 2024), I’m excited for 2025 and brighter days.
What do you want to learn in 2025?
This is the first year I truly feel at a loss when it comes to looking ahead to 2025 and creating goals for what I want the future to look like.
I mean, I have my goals for my YouTube channel and as a Content Creator, but what about me as a wedding photographer?
For the first time ever, I’m wondering if my time as a wedding photographer is coming to a close. I have been having that thought more and more as the days drag on with less and less business. The wedding world is changing drastically and as much as I attempt to change with it, I find myself throwing my hands in the air and wondering if it’s worth it anymore. People seem to want more and more and MORE for less and less and less. And I get it: the economy sucks and planning a wedding in 2025 is insanely different than planning a wedding in 2015. The percentage of people that value quality photography from an experienced photographer seems to be shrinking (and there are A LOT of photographers grasping at an ever shrinking pool of weddings). Couples are paying out the wazoo for their venue and catering and so they’re willing to take a risk on cheaper, less-experienced photographers (simply because there is no money left over).
I’ve been a wedding photographer for the last 15 years – it truly is my “default setting”. It’s what I ALWAYS go back to. I see myself as a wedding photographer – it takes up a HUGE chunk of my identity!
So, what do I want to learn? I need to figure out if I want to continue on as a wedding photographer and continue putting so much time and effort into that OR if I need to completely pivot my IDENTITY.
Talk about a tall order for 2025, eh?
So, there you have it! If you’re interested in playing along and looking back over 2024 & looking forward to 2025 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 2025! 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 2025?
What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2025?
What do you want to stop doing in 2025?
What things excite you about the upcoming year?
What do you want to learn in 2025?
