Last weekend was a blur of finalizing report card comments and a family photo shoot. My friend Chelsea organized a hair cutting fundraiser a few months ago and I won a photo shoot from an awesome local photographer. Instead of using this for pictures of me, B, and Waffles, I decided to gift it to his mom as part of her Christmas gift. She doesn't have any nice, formal pictures of the whole family and I thought she'd appreciate it. (I was right).
I worked with the photographer and the rest of the family on coordinating dates, location, and a color scheme. Since we had a relatively large group, I did end up having to pay a bit out of pocket for the shoot. There were nine of us, so that made sense. We went with an afternoon shoot at Calico Basin, in Red Rock, on the outskirts of Las Vegas.
The whole process took a little over an hour and the photographer had an amazingly fast turn around time. B and I will probably be back to that location to shoot our one year anniversary pictures because it was gorgeous.
We'll be using shutterfly to order some gallery wrapped prints for his parents after his mom finalizes her choice. I'll also be ordering a 5x7 print of this one:
(Photo credit: Kelsey Correa)
I was a little bummed that she didn't take more of just me and B, but then I realized this was about his mom, her mom, her two sons, the wives (or wifey to be in my case), and the grandkids. We'll have our "just us" photo shoot in a few months at a super secret location. We'll use those pictures in our save the dates, which should go out around Easter. Our formal invitations will go out around Labor Day for our November wedding.
The photographer was also able to capture some sweet moments of my niece and nephew, as well as a four generation picture.
This was my first experience doing a family photo shoot, period. It was such a great experience and I can't wait to do this again with our future kids and family.
2016 is shaping up to be the busiest year yet! Besides you know, my own wedding (and bridal shower, bachelorette party, engagement pictures, and rehearsal dinner), there are lots of other events that are happening this year.
I tend to self identify as a teacher first and a person second...and that script needs to be flipped. One of my resolutions is to take care of myself first and prioritize me.
2016, as of right now, brings:
Olivia's Bridal Shower....this month! I RSVPed and am picking up her gift today.
3 weddings...I swear I can make my own TLC special! Two are in March, are eight days apart, and in two different states. Thank goodness the out of state one is on a Saturday that coincides with spring break so we'll be able to make it. The other is here and my academic coach at school is covering my class for the last hour and a half of the day so I can leave, shower, change, and be gorgeous for a late afternoon wedding. This saves me from having to take a half day sub and save my sick days. (If I use none, I get 4 personal days for next school year...which I'll need for my own wedding weekend!) The last is over the summer and requires travel. We'll budget and make it work.
The big 3-0...not for me! Both B and my bestie turn 3-0 this year, so epic celebrations will occur. B's is in April and hers is in December. Time to start planning.
Waffles turns 1! Yes...she'll have a barkday party in March. I'm not ashamed. She'll get a massive bone and we'll go to the dog park. Friends with pups are invited!
The cats turn 5! Yikes, my first fur babies are five. They'll have a more low key celebration...meaning extra turkey snacks and ear scratches.
DENSI...maybe? The date and location haven't been released yet (nor have I applied), but there's a possibility I'll be spending a week learning this summer...somewhere!
East Coast Winter...over President's Day, I'll be visiting my bestie at Yale. I am not prepared for what this "winter" looks like in New England. However, I have awesome work friends who are lending me winter attire since it appears a cardigan just won't do!
Escape Room! We got a groupon for an escape room at our engagement shower and added six more people to it for Christmas gifts! I'm looking forward to testing the bounds of friendship with the added stress of puzzles, competition, and time limits.
As of right now, there are no pending baby showers on the horizon...unless any of my friends have something to share?
What's in store for you in 2016?
