A Year In Review – 2017

This is the 4th 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! 4 years in a row – it’s officially a tradition! It’s really fun to look back now over the past 3 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 3 years ago!

If you’d like to go back and read over what I wrote the previous 3 years I have done this, click here for 2014’s version, click here for 2015’s version, and click here for 2016’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 3,150 words!). In the next few weeks I have a lot more “pretty” posts planned – my favorite wedding, engagement, and portrait session images from 2017, as well as some Abby Saturday bloopers, plus the ever-popular “behind-the-scenes” look at me while I’m “on the job”! Stay tuned!

LOOKING BACK
What are you most proud of this year?
Coming off of a “low” year (2016 was the first time my business went down in bookings & revenue – which after relocating was totally expected), I photographed more weddings in 2017 than I ever have. It’s been a major “up” year! In fact, if you go back & read my “3 big goals” from last year at this time, my goal was to book 12 weddings. That may not seem like a “big” number, but at the time, it was definitely a lofty one. Well, I hit my goal as I ended up booking 14 weddings in 2017 (plus I second-shot several weddings for my sister, Ellen).
That being said – even though I’m super proud of where my little business has gone this year & how it’s grown, there’s one step further that I’m most proud of. Last year, since it was a slower year, I really worked to hone in my workflow: all of the things I have to do before, on, and after a wedding day (yes siree, there’s so much more to wedding photography & business-owning than just showing up at a wedding & snapping pretty pictures). Thanks to the solid & streamlined workflow I set into place in 2016, 2017 ran like a well-oiled machine. Looking back, I feel like I could have been utterly overwhelmed with a bursting business, an insane travel schedule (over 10,000 miles logged), as well as raising a toddler, but I was okay! Sure, things got a little crazy here & there, but my business never got out of control, and for that, I am the most proud.

What was the biggest risk you took?
Life is all about risk, right? Some risks are bigger gambles than others, but all come with a certain level of reward. I think, for the most part, I’m a very low-risk person. I’m not one to gamble with the stock market or invest in crazy business ideas, I like to be safe. I did, however, step out and make a pretty gigantic announcement mid-2017 that will forever change the course of my business! In a nutshell: I announced that I would be severely limiting the number of weddings I booked outside of the Pittsburgh, PA area. That may not sound like a big deal, but considering the fact that I built my business in North Eastern Pennsylvania & have an amazing base of clients and vendor friends up there, it was a huge deal. I traveled over 10k miles in 2017 as more than half of my wedding season was centered in NEPA – 5 hours away from where I’m currently living. So, in the middle of summer, I wrote a really long blog post saying that I would be stepping away from that area & really concentrating on where I currently live. It was a gamble. What if I still received a ton of NEPA inquiries & no Pittsburgh inquiries? I was exhausted though & unable to continue the pace, while still feeling like I was giving my clients the best service possible. So, I pulled out. And it’s been the absolute best decision I’ve ever made. My calendar for 2018 looks completely opposite what it did in 2017 & I am so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed after shooting most of my 2018 weddings!

What did you learn this year?
So, the answer to this question really builds off of the answer to the first question. And what I mean by that is this: the solid workflow that I constructed in 2016 truly kept everything in my business on track this year. But if I failed to acknowledge the other side of that story, I’d be deceiving y’all. And the flip side to that is that I learned that I truly can’t do this business alone. I need help. With the amount of work I did in 2017, I simply could not do it on my own, while also filling the role of a stay-at-home Mom of a toddler. Braelynn gave up her afternoon naps early in 2017 and thus ended my 2-hour daily window of work “in peace”. Suddenly, I was faced with no work time until she went to bed (early on I decided that I would do my best not to sit in front of my computer while she was awake). So, that’s where my sister Ruby comes in. During the summer, Auntie Ruby came over twice a week to play with Braelynn in order to give me a few concentrated hours to work. And it’s amazing how much work I was able to pack into those few hours! I’m telling you, the amount of work I used to do in 3 days “pre-baby” I was able to pack into 3 hours of Ruby being over! Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s crazy to me how a ticking timer really lights a fire under your butt to get things done (and not do un-important things)!

What do you wish you had made more time for?
This question always gets me.
After thinking long & hard about it, I wish I had made more time for just me & Derrick (and not just time watching Netflix, but dedicated, heart-to-heart, husband-wife time). It’s hard, you guys. We have a toddler who still sleeps with us (that’s a big goal for 2018 – get Braelynn to sleep thru the night in her own bed) who is very clingy to her Mama. And that’s okay. Even the sleeping in our bed part! We truly love snuggling her every night. We love Braelynn. She is so precious to us. But, after Derrick & I made the “gigantic leap” of leaving her overnight with my parents and getting away for a little over 24 hours in October, I realized just how must we missed that time together with just the two of us. It’s definitely hard – the feeling of “guilt” that we’re being bad parents for leaving her behind is a beast (and meant that this Mama cried at multiple points). But, after being away, we came back so much happier & refreshed that we can definitely see the value in it! Now, we just need to figure out how to balance it all: Derrick’s full-time job & side-hustle (his YouTube channel), my wedding photography, and our toddler.

What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?
1. Ellen & Jonathan’s wedding! It kicked off our 2017 in January and wow was it wonderful! Braelynn was the flower girl & I was Ellen’s Matron of Honor. The day was marvelous, unseasonably warm, and unforgettable. Ellen is the first of my 5 younger siblings to get married, so it was the most fun to plan and stand beside her as she married Jonathan. And I didn’t take a single photo as they hired an amazing photographer who captured their day perfectly.
2. Being featured in the Captured::Pittsburgh gallery in February was such an amazing “business” experience! It was so surreal to get the notice that one of my images had been chosen, and then to see it unveiled that opening night was just incredible. I’ll never forget standing up on my tippy toes, stretching as far as I could to just reach and sign my name on the bottom of my image – amazing!!
3. And of course: our trip to Texas was a huge highlight of 2017! We flew down to visit Derrick’s Grandparents, his Aunt & cousins in San Antonio and we had such a wonderful time. Derrick’s Mom came with us & we so enjoyed spending the week with her & her family! Derrick’s Grandparents had never met Braelynn, so it was priceless to be able to introduce them to her & see them interact. We were there at the end of April, so the weather was hot, but not unbearable. We packed out our days while we were there & it was the best.

LOOK FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2018?
This whole “word of the year” thing always make me nervous. I want to pick a good word, one with meaning, but I always feel like I pick “blah” words. It’s not that I don’t take time to think about them – these kinds of posts are not written in one sitting! I mull & think over all of this stuff (especially goals for the upcoming year) for weeks prior to actually hitting the “publish” button. But seriously, my words have been “enjoy”, “confidence”, and “fearless”. I’ve had my reasons for each of those words, but looking back, they seemed to lack oomph and substance. I’m ready for this in 2018 though. Ready?
REMEMBER To recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again. To retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of.
This may sound super silly, but stick with me here: I read a fictional book series this year and one of it’s main themes was “remembering”. I’ve read the series before (most of it, I re-read the first 2 books in order to fully appreciate the 3rd), but for some reason this time around, the theme of “remembering” really stuck out to me. And I’ve really thought about it ever since. Why do I get stressed & frustrated? Because I don’t remember Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor & are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy & my burden is light.” Why do I worry? Because I don’t remember 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Why do I play the comparison game & beat myself up? Because I don’t remember who I am (too many verses to list them all).
Because here’s the thing, (I’ve explored this a tiny bit already): when I’m stressing out, if I can remember to take a moment to recall truth thru the chaos, it suddenly takes the bite out of the situation. It’s when I forget and get overwhelmed, that’s when I lose it. So, the solution seems to be remembering. And thus, my word for 2018.

What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2018?
1. I really want to utilize Pinterest more with my business – I mean, duh. Pinterest is an image-based search engine and I make images. It seems like a no-brainer, but to be honest, it’s overwhelming. Sure, I can pin my images to Pinterest, but actually embedding all the searchable terms within the image and then optimizing it for searching is a lot of work. The goal, after all, is for my Pins to bring people back to my blog & website, right? I’d really like to dig into it and figure out how to make it work for me though, as I truly have seen a tiny return from the tiny bit of Pinterest work I’ve done. Just think of the large return I could see if I put a large amount of work into it!
2. Something Derrick & I have talked about for months is creating a family blog. I love to write (duh) and we’d love to create a space where we can share our experiences as a family. We can talk about cloth-diapering, taking a toddler to theme parks, and tips & tricks for taking photos of your family (obviously, all topics near & dear to our hearts). This space isn’t really the place to do those things. Sure, I’ve written about personal things (like theme park tips) here, but more and more, I’m feeling the desire to write more stuff like that, while still maintaining this blog based around weddings & my photography! Enter a new “family” blog. The thought of setting it up is what’s currently keeping me from jumping in head first, mostly because I know it would take a giant amount of work to get rolling, but I think 2018 is the year to dive into it!
3. I’d like to reduce the time I spend on my phone by 50%, by the end of 2018. That’s a lofty goal, but an important one. I definitely don’t feel like I spend a crazy amount of time on my phone – I can absolutely set it on the counter & go about my day without it being in my hand all the time. However, I know I spend more time than necessary on it. Sure, I use it for work, but I use it more for scrolling Instagram & Facebook. I’m definitely guilty of picking it up if it’s nearby whenever I have a few moments of “downtime”. And, I’m definitely guilty of desiring the escape it provides. But I’m ready to actively put it away (I have the Moment app installed & plan on continuing to track my phone activity with it).
4. I have a 4th goal (I’ve already mentioned it): We need to figure out how to get Braelynn to sleep all the way through the night in her own bed. Once upon a time, she did really good, but we got lazy (especially with that crazy travel schedule we held from March-October) and she’s back to going to sleep in her own bed, but waking up & coming into our bed around midnight every night. We’ve always co-slept with her (if you’re against co-sleeping, that’s fine – it worked for us & our situation) but now it’s time to break that habit & build a new one. I know it’s not going to be easy, in fact, I think it’s going to be like climbing Mount Everest, but it’s time. And, if we need to, I’m open to spending some money & hiring a “sleep coach” person to help us!

What do you want to stop doing in 2018?
I hate this question the most because I feel like I can never get a good grasp on it.
I want to stop making excuses. “I can’t do this for myself because ..no time ..no money ..too tired ..don’t feel like it.” If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you have the time, money, and energy to do the things you truly want to do, no matter what they are! So, if I truly want to exercise, I will make time and come up with the energy to do it. If I truly want to journal, I will carve out the time and sit down to do it. If I truly want to get myself a Starbucks when I’m out and about, I will use the gift card I keep hoarding. And if I don’t do those things? I will not complain about it or excuse it away – it simply did not happen – tomorrow is another day.

What things excite you about the upcoming year?
I’m excited to photograph a wedding and be able to come home, back up my cards on my main computer, and sleep in my own bed at the end of the night. It’s going to be wonderful. I’m excited to continue to serve my KAP Couples well. And I’m excited that 10 hours of drive-time will no longer be the norm to shoot engagement sessions & weddings!
I’m excited about all of the babies that are going to be born in 2018! So many of my dear friends & family members are expecting! First comes one of my best friends, Tiffany, then my sister Ellen is due, and then my sister-in-law (and BFF) Naomi is due in May! This spring is going to be full of babies & two of them will be either a new niece or nephew (we know Ellen is having a girl, but Naomi’s baby is a surprise)! I can’t wait!
I’m excited for Braelynn to turn 3. Her birthday is less than a month away (guess I should start brain-storming & planning), but I’m super excited for her 3rd year of life. She’s already so big and doing so many exciting “big girl” things – I can’t wait to see how she grows & matures in 2018!

What do you want to learn in 2018?
I’d like to learn how to take time for myself: to read, to exercise, to journal, to “fill up”, so that I can turn around & “pour out” to Derrick & Braelynn & my business. That was one of my goals last year, and looking back I feel like I started to accomplish it, but fell off the bandwagon as the year progressed. Looking back though, I can see the difference it made in my days! I think the trick to accomplishing this goal & truly learning this is going to be establishing a solid morning routine. Right now, our mornings are sluggish & lazy – and nothing against sluggish & lazy mornings – it’s just time to change them up! And it all starts with training Braelynn to sleep through the night in her own bed – if she’s in her own bed, I can wake up with an alarm and have some “alone” time prior to her waking up. That’s the key. It’s a big goal and going to take a lot of work, but I know the difference it will make in our days & it’s time to transition from sluggish, lazy mornings, to productive, fulfilling mornings!

So, there you have it! If you’re interested in playing along and looking back over 2017 & looking forward to 2018 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 2018! 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 2018?
What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2018?
What do you want to stop doing in 2018?
What things excite you about the upcoming year?
What do you want to learn in 2018?