Looking back and Looking Ahead

If I could sum up 2015 in one word for our family, it would be CHANGE. Last year was certainly marked by big changes. Here are the big ones:

We moved to Colorado

Tim and I packed up and moved to DC a week after we were married. 2 years later, we moved to Orlando, FL. We are no strangers to living in new places, however, for the past 7 years of our marriage we lived in our hometown Memphis, TN. Both sets of parents live in the Memphis metro area, and many of our friends from high school and college live there as well. It was a great place to buy our first home (Colorado friends, look at the MLS in Memphis and weep), have our kids, and start figuring out what we wanted for our family. However, for the past couple years, we both became open to the idea of moving somewhere else. We didn't push it; we didn't pack up and leave with no plan. We were just open. And when the right opportunity presented itself, we explored our options and went for it. I have no regrets and I love our life here.

I started a photography business

I've been a hobbyist photography lover for years, but I was scared to death to put my work out there and to invest in what I wanted to do. After being inspired by my friend in Memphis to do some Christmas cards, I decided to go for it once we moved. I used the money I made from Christmas card shoots to invest in a new a new camera, software and a couple of lenses and I continued to keep investing in my business throughout the year. I built my own website and began putting my work out there, figuring out what I liked and didn't like. At times it's been a journey marked by major growing pains, but for the most part it's been a joy. I read business development books, network with other photographers and attend workshops. I cannot believe it.

Tim's brother moved to CO

My husband is an identical twin. He and his brother have their own little language. They talk most days, and it always broke my heart a little that we never lived in the same city. In fact, one of the reasons we moved to CO was because we knew it was a place his brother and his family might actually move. We couldn't bank on it, but we knew that if he and his wife and kiddo ever did decide to leave Chicago, chances were very low that they'd never move to Memphis. So we went first and did a whole lot of campaigning the first few months of our tenure here. Then in September they were here! It is CRAZY how much life has changed in the past year. One weekend this past month, they went skiing all day and went to see the new Star Wars movie afterwards. I think it was the best day of Tim's life. As an added bonus, I feel like I have a new sister. Not to get all mushy, but I don't have a blood sister and I was always jealous of sisters. Now instead of having a far off family-by-marriage person in my life, I have someone I can hang out with when the boys are off skiing. I almost always have someone I can spend time with if I get lonely. I have a nephew that will be a huge part of my family rather than a tot I see once a year. I know I only have so much control over what life will throw at us, and I don't know if we'll be here forever, but I have a feeling we are going to look back at this time in our lives and refer to it as the good ole days.

As I've mentioned before I love the new year. I love fresh starts and the feeling of a blank slate. As I've reflected on what I want in the new year, I've spent more time getting in touch with my core values first before making a list of things to do. I've spent a lot of time evaluating my goals against my values and my true priorities making sure all those things line up. I originally thought I'd write about those things too, but I think that's best for another time and written in bits and pieces. For now, I'll have a few of my favorite photos from throughout the year, most photos taken with my phone.

What did you learn in 2015?

What do you want to focus on in 2016?