November Goals + Creative Juices

Whitesburg Nature Preserve Chagrin Falls Ohio OK, I have to be honest with you all. I had really high hopes for October ... you know, being done with weddings and all ... but the truth is, October was my craziest month yet. I didn't get much done except try to keep up with my editing schedule. So, it looks like I'm pretty much transferring my October goals to November. And November will be all about getting caught up so I can enjoy the holidays to the fullest! :)

Professional

  1. Get completely caught up on editing (SO many sessions and one more wedding will be shared on the blog this month!)
  2. Finish all album design for the 2013 season.
  3. Get caught up on Facebook albums.
  4. Get caught up on vendor discs.
  5. Submit at least five weddings.
  6. Finalize my holiday client gifts.
  7. Blog at least three/week.
  8. Start writing content for my new website. :)

Personal

  1. Finish Weird, and read Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Sisters (i.e., watch LESS TV and pick up a book!).
  2. Watch my BFF get married!
  3. Continue training for Cincinnati's Turkey Trot.
  4. Make a new dish for Thanksgiving.
  5. Visit Chicago!
  6. Clean out my closet.
  7. Do a thorough cleaning on our house.
  8. Hang our Christmas wreaths on the windows.

And here's a musical pick-me-up for your Monday morning: Sweeter than This by Katie Herzig. This is such a carefree song and sums up the fun November I'm envisioning! :)

October Goals

October Photography Goals October is all about getting caught up! I finish my 2013 wedding season halfway into the month, and the rest of this fall I will be working on getting things wrapped up so I can spend the holidays with my family and start thinking about 2014 (what?!). I am SO looking forward to my October weddings and sessions. I'm thinking lots of beautiful leaves and late afternoon sunshine. Bring it on!

Professional

  1. Finish out my 2013 wedding season on a high note (i.e., shoot my last three weddings the BEST that I can and get them all edited and out the door)!
  2. Finish all album design for 2013 season.
  3. Get halfway caught up on Facebook albums (through July 2013).
  4. Get caught up on vendor discs.
  5. Submit at least three weddings.
  6. Blog every weekday.
  7. Start writing content for my new website. :)

Personal

  1. Read two books (Weird, Their Eyes Were Watching God).
  2. Celebrate Nathan's 30th birthday!! :D
  3. Go for a bike ride in the national park.
  4. Buy a pumpkin.
  5. Plan a weekend in Chicago (visiting the city around the holidays is becoming our thing!)
  6. Continue training for Cincinnati's Turkey Trot (you guys, I'm only up to 1.5 miles! This is going to be painful!)
  7. Do a "spring" (fall?) cleaning in our house.

September Goals + Creative Juices

This summer FLEW by. September always means fall in my mind, but I'm hoping for one more month of summer to slow things down. Speaking of slowing things down, Nathan and I talked a lot about work-life balance and boundaries when we were in St. Lucia (easy to do when you're sitting on a beach with no distractions!). He's pretty good at those things, but me? Let's just say setting better boundaries is my No. 1 goal for next year's season. And I'm going to practice this month by not putting so much on my plate for September. It's all about closing the office door at 5:30 p.m.! I can't believe it, but I have just six weddings left in the 2013 season! I'm excited to make the most of the rest of 2013 while remembering to play at least a little bit each day. :)

Professional

  1. Shoot three fabulous September weddings and stick to a two-week turnaround on each.
  2. Get caught up with album design.
  3. Submit at least two weddings for feature.
  4. Blog every weekday.
  5. Set up my retirement (finally!).
  6. Start in on a rebrand and new website!

Personal

  1. Read two books (The Butterfly's Daughter, Weird).
  2. Continue to design/decorate our living room/dining room.
  3. Ride bikes at least once.
  4. Work out four times a week.
  5. Start training for Cincinnati's Turkey Trot (yes, I have to train for a 10K).

And for your listening pleasure, here's September's Creative Juices. I heard The Lighthouse and The Whaler (Cleveland natives!) on NPR the other day and rushed home to download their music. I hope you love them too!

August Goals

Norris Lake Tennessee Oh, blog readers. I've missed connecting with all of you. I have lots of blog posts written in my head, but the season has been so busy that weddings and portrait sessions are all I have time to share. Soon, SOON I will be back to my regular schedule with a mix of  professional and personal posts. I am a writer by study, and I really do miss using this little blog as a space to share my thoughts.

This busy season has been one of incredible growth and lots of learning. Now that I'm well past my halfway mark with 2013 weddings, I'm already starting to think about what I can accomplish in my slow season to make next year the best one yet! But ... I've still got lots of great things coming up in the next couple months, and my main goal this August is to focus on enjoying this season of life.

Professional

  1. Shoot four fabulous August weddings and stick to a three-week turnaround on each.
  2. Submit at least two weddings for feature.
  3. Get caught up with vendor discs.
  4. Blog every weekday.

Personal

  1. Read two books (7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, The Peach Keeper).
  2. Start working on our living room (yay!).
  3. Go off the grid for one week and focus on making the most of a vacation.
  4. Work out five times a week with varied types of workouts (run, gym, Insanity).
  5. Start making notes and doing research on a new website and rebrand. (!!!)