Personal Story: December
I did it! I stuck with this monthly insta-update idea of mine! It was kinda cool to look back each month to the month before and see what I thought was worth putting on Instagram, who we spent time with, where we went, etc. I hope you've gotten to know us better through these posts - it's important to us that you get to know us and we get to know you in order to do our job the best that we can. December to us means lots of holiday time spent with family and friends so we have to earn it by working our butts off to close out the year. Lots of fast turn around time editing, print ordering, canvas ordering to make sure everyone gets their goods before the holidays. I don't like having things lingering on our to do list once it's time for us to be with family - it's no fun having that stuff dance around in the back of your mind. Once again we earned our time off and really enjoyed the rest and time with our favorite people.You can see my insta posts from each month in 2015 so far here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November.Commenting on these instagram posts, starting at the top, reading left to right…* If you know me you know I have always had a love for vintage and antique stuff. I got it honest - both sides of my family seem to be into the idea as well and have always passed down awesome stuff to me. Well as I get older I refine what my favorite things to search for and collect are and the best places to find them. Me and one of my tribe ladies Leah discovered the Christmas event at one of our favorite vintage places and we had the BEST time shopping for ourselves, Christmas presents for others and getting yummy party goodies in each shop. It's going to be a tradition to go every year, I can already feel it.* Well, right as I was about to finish everything on my list and really earn my self so much time off for Christmas, I came down with what was probably (doctor wasn't 100% sure about this) the flu. And let me tell you, it knocked me right out. I was stuck in bed for five days and y'all, I NEVER get that sick. Nor do I appreciate being out of commission that long. The cough and other various symptoms held on for a few weeks and I felt like I might just have to cough like that for the rest of my life. No. Fun. It does remind me to be so grateful that I do not have a chronic illness.* Clearly my people know me well. Some of our besties gave me a super fun gift for my desk! I've been called bossy all my life and while I have certain feelings about that word it's true --- now I'm not just bossy, I'm the boss!* This middle row is Christmas day!! David and I snuck down to Jacksonville to surprise everyone in his family on Christmas Eve and we stuck around for Christmas morning. It was so fun to be all together with the Teeters. The little ones make Christmas morning magical again, don't they? Sweet babies.* After our surprise time in Jacksonville was over we headed to my little sister's house to do Christmas with my family. The weather was warm and mild so there was a pretty epic nerf gun battle with all the nerf guns my little brother acquired over his birthday (five days before Christmas) and the ones he got for Christmas. What a nice afternoon to sit on the front porch together!* We closed out Christmas day with our fun tradition of getting together with our framily to exchange gifts and stories and laugh and eat all the left over goodies we collected from our family visits. This time is so precious to us and we look forward to it all year long!* My little brother gets an extended break over Christmas so that means lots of quality time together since I work from home. Thankfully there are good groupons and coupons in the world and one of those was bowling!* I LOVE to read and as an extrovert that can be hard because I just want to share all the good stuff I am reading! I had lots of time to read once I felt good enough during my flu to pick up a book and let me tell you, I really loved reading "It's What I Do: A Photographers Life of Love and War" by Lynsey Addario. She is a war photographer who travels the world and puts herself in dangerous situations in order to tell the truth with her images about what is going on. It was so interesting to read about someone's work experience who is also a photographer but yet covers events so different than what I cover.* SHAMELESS SELFIE. Selfies happen. And this one happened on New Years Eve, the last day of 2015. 2015 was trying and exhausting but you know, those years happen. We have so much hope and excitement for all that is to come in 2016 and we are thankful that you all reading this post are on that journey with us in which ever ways you are. Here's to a wonderful 2016!