There is often a lot I want to chat with you about so I figured the best way of doing that was to make a top ten hits list of the things I want to share the most every month.They will range from my favorite recipes to our recent family vacations, most used products and some other random off-topic photography talk. I will be keeping our storefront (website + blog) reserved for client stories and a few personal posts that will focus on images for the most part. But I invite you to read along with this new series as I catch up on life and silly little random things.
Let’s jump right in with May!
1. Gardening. I’ve been trying my hand at caring for plants in May. On Mother’s Day my daughter and refreshed out flowerbed for a bit of curb appeal. Turns out when you’re building a new home they don’t exactly plant the kind of foliage you want so out with the builders plants and IN with the new stuff starting with pretty little texas sage shrubs, knockout roses and mexican feather grass.
2. Speaking of gardens, you guys I’m hooked on this youtube channel. Lauren of Garden Answer has a swoonable home and garden (her actual garden video tour took 4 or 5 videos!) but she really knows a lot about planting and caring for plants. At night when I am laying in bed I always try to watch at least one video before I officially settle in for bed.
3. I have been keeping a little secret the past few months and while I was almost ready to share some of that news, we had a few setbacks. I am *hoping* that in the next month or so we can reveal that secret, and you bet you’ll be hearing about it right here on the blog!
4. I had such a blast doing a local photo walk with other fellow photographers, we walked around Georgetown, Texas taking pictures of things and not exactly all people for a change. Sometimes I need that bit of change in my routine to get me reinspired all over again, and I will be sure to share more of the images on the blog soon.
5. This past May, I also had a longtime girlfriend (who is also a photographer!) and her husband come visit our family from our home state of Florida. I spent a few days being an Austin tourist, hiking and eating delicious fare. We really had the best time and counting down the days until their next visit!
6. One of the downsides to May has been dealing with allergy induced asthma/bronchitis. This Texas allergy season has had no mercy on me and the worst part has been getting through this wave the entire month with a jam packed schedule. At the end of the day I just crashed and crashed hard hoping that I will wake up one less time each night. So far Claritin-D has had the biggest impact. I was prescribed a round of steroids from my doctor first, which made me not feel like myself and then I called out for help and suggestions on Facebook. Well go team Facebook peeps! The local honey, upping my vitamin D intake, essential oils and daily claritin have seemed to be the the best combination so far. Let’s hope it sticks, each day I’m feeling so much better- 6 weeks later.
7. I also attended my first Rising Tide meet-up which was great! The Rising Tide is a group of independent entrepreneurs and creatives coming together under one roof. The Rising Tide coins the term “Community over Competition” which is exactly my cup of tea and I look forward to follow everyone on their journeys.
8. Our plans for the summer? We’re still slowly getting our list together. Some of the things we plan to do are visit Enchanted Rock, head out to the Lavender field, visit the new Typhoon Texas at the heart of my city in Pflugerville, try some new restaurants, loads of water time and we hopefully plan to end the summer with a plane ride to my favorite island- Puerto Rico where we will visit with family and friends. Do you have a list going in your head? I have been sharing daily summer stories about how I manage working from home and what my days in during the summer look like with the family in tow on my IG feed if you are interested in following along!
9. Since we are on the topic of summer lists, we are taking some time to do some much needed decorating and putting the final touches on some of the rooms in our house. Can’t believe it’s already been a year and a half since we moved in!
10. In May, Annunciation Maternity Home had their annual banquet which I have photographed for the past two years. I arrived to the surprise of my artwork on display throughout the entire event! Over the years I have connected with these girls and provided them with professional motherhood portraits they would otherwise not be able to afford due to financial circumstances. AMH is an organization where teen mothers in crisis are seeking a safe place and get the help and tools they need. Some of these young mothers are looking to advance their education to better their lives for their babies, others are looking for a loving adoptive home, others are learning important home and parenting skills. Annunciation has given these girls grace when they have felt most vulnerable and some abandoned by their parents. At AMH the girls feel motivated to beat the odds and the success stories are truly inspiring. This cause is so near and dear to my heart and I am so proud to be a part of all that they are doing for these young mothers. Here I am seated as a volunteer for the banquet during breaks in between speeches and announcements.
