Farewell 2015

With such a full heart I'm surprisingly happy to say farewell to 2015. 

This year will always be one of the best years of my life since we welcomed Miss Sully in April, but it also was a year of a lot of change. I'm a fan of change, anyone can see that by looking at the past few years of our lives, but when everything changes all at once it's a little different. 

This year we were pregnant, celebrated with baby showers, I got put on bedrest (see the full story here), Ryan got a new car, Ryan accepted a new job, we went through the process of selling our beloved home in Richmond, Sully was born, Ryan's father passed away, we rented a new home in Arlington, we moved cities, this little blog grew and presented amazing opportunities, we survived the first three months of having a newborn far away from family and friends, we went on vacations, I went back to work from maternity leave (same job, new office, new city), I got promoted, Ryan's Mom had major surgery, we cheered our Tigers throughout an undefeated season, I got a new car, and now we're all loaded up in one car (including dogs, luggage, and Christmas presents) driving to Florida and then back to DC after the new year (that's about 16-18 hours all the way back if you're wondering). Phew!

There's only so much a gal can take y'all and everything this year about broke me. Just before it did though, when I was at my lowest point, everything slowly started clicking back in place even though it was a very new place. First and foremost, through heavy prayer, God filled me again with light and warmth, a feeling that needs no explanation. My husband, my Mom, my best friends, my family near and far, my friends close or just acquaintances, they all came through for me (this one sentence doesn't even start to cover everyone!). This is why I stressed full in my first sentence. My life is so very full. I'm one blessed lady to have such a full life and a full heart. Sometimes you have to get a glimpse of the darkness to remember how truly amazing the light is. 

This is why I want to make sure I closed out my last post of 2015 with a look back and huge THANK YOU. If you read this long, sappy post to the end, THANK YOU. Even if you only scrolled through to look at the pictures THANK YOU. I'm excited to turn the final page of 2015 and experience all that 2016 has to hold. I'll tell you one thing now, there's already big things in motion for this blog and I can't wait to share and experience all that is to come with you.

#TBT: Sully's 6 Month Photos

Hey readers, guess what?! Not only is it #TBT, but its also MY BIRTHDAY!!! Yay! This (28th) birthday has so far been the best one yet because I got to wake up to a smiling, snuggly little baby girl :). I've also taken this whole week off work so its been pure relaxation and quality family time with all my South Carolina peeps. 

Good thing I've had these #TBT posts to keep me motivated because other posts have fallen a little short with all the hustle and bustle of traveling and family time lately, my bad. (Note to self: Make posting more a priority in 2016, I have so much in the queue to talk about!) 

This week though, I'm so happy to finally share a "mini session" we did with Allison Shumate Photogarphy for Sully's 6 month photos at Clark's Farm. 

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas friends!

#TBT: Newborn Photos

I love how much I look forward to #TBT (Throwback Thursday) now that I'm doing these posts! Click here and here to see the two previous posts.

Today I'm so excited to finally share the beautiful photographs that Allison Shumate Photography took of Sullivan when she was only a week or so old. Just like with the Fresh 48 photos, I have so many emotions looking at these now. Mainly, my heart aches for how fast time flies!! I don't know how I have such a big girl so quickly!

I'm also so worried that all the memories we're capturing digitally are going to disappear, we'll forget them, or we won't file them correctly. I've already printed all the images that Allison has taken professionally and put them in a book for Sully, but what about all the ones on our phones?!

How are you guys ensuring you're saving all your digital moments for the future? Let me know in the comments!

Feature on Southern Weddings!

If you follow along on social media (Insta, Facebook, Twitter) then you've seen our exciting news! Southern Weddings featured us this week on their blog as part of their Southern Newlywed at Home series. Check it out here!

I had so much fun and it was such a pleasure working with Emily at Southern Weddings, Liz Fogarty on the photos, and Izzy B Makeup! 

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Southern Weddings, it's evident in the issues past and present still scattered around our home. When we got married in 2011, Pinterest wasn't a thing, so I turned to Southern Weddings for inspiration. Ever since, I've been addicted to their blog and enjoy commenting on their posts. 

This is how Emily and I connected, via comments. I commented on a Southern Newlywed at Home post and included my blog link where I also have a home tour (granted, this is still of our Richmond home). Emily emailed me asking if I would be interested in being part of the series. Of course I jumped at the opportunity immediately! The rest, as they say, is history.

Make sure to go check out the post, not only are the photos beautiful, but Ryan and I really had a lot of fun answering the interview questions too. If you are interested in being featured, go here to find out how to submit your home.

I'm thinking about posting a sourcing guide for the items in our home that are in this feature. Let me know what items really peak your interest. So far I've seen requests for the plates in our dining room and the Lilly curtains.

#TBT: Sully's Fresh 48 Photos

Last week I teased here that I would be sharing a new #TBT post for the rest of the year. Well, today I'm throwing it back to some of Sully's "Fresh 48" photos that were taken in the hospital when she was born. It's crazy how tiny she was just a few short months ago!

In fact, you can also see some of them featured in my most recent guest post for Desitin here. Make sure to click through and check it out. In addition to the photos, I'm sharing the top 3 registry items that you don't want to forget (even though I did) - http://goo.gl/QuC9WJ. 

Now, on to #TBT and the wonderful photos taken by Allison Shumate Photography... 

It's amazing how much emotion was triggered going back through these photos. I was scared, excited, overwhelmed, in pain, in love, confused, in awe, pretty much a little bit of everything. I'm so grateful to have these photos to look back on, even if I do think I look like a big hot air balloon :).