It’s the first MMU of 2014! And because today’s the first Monday of the New Year, it kind of feels like today is the REAL start of 2014. This is the beginning of the “off-season” for me, as I won’t shoot a wedding again until April, so I’m embarking on a TON of things I’ve been piling onto my “to do” list for months. Website updates, refreshing my portfolio, a bit of personal work, TRAVEL!, and rest. And a bunch of other stuff here and there. This is the time that I get to spend recharging for my 2014 season, I’m so thankful the past two years have worked out that I get a few weeks to spending focusing on the office-end of things. It’s not the most exciting time, the off-season, but it’s so needed!

As always, lessons learned/events that transpired over the past week:

• I cracked the code of grocery shopping: the BEST possible time to shop at Harris Teeter is at 10 pm on a snow day. The place is totally deserted! Matt & I discovered this when we were both sick and in need of NyQuil last Thursday, so we took a late-night trip to the store in the middle of a magnificent snow. Also, shopping at 10 pm means there are fewer people to judge you for signing emphatically with the MuZak playing over the intercom.
• We saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty this weekend. Friends, you need to see this movie. I was pumped to see it because judging from the trailer I knew it had something to do with photography, but it was even better than that. Just… go. You’ll thank me later. I loved it so much I’m going to see it again tomorrow. (Thank goodness for $5 movie tickets for pre-noon showtimes!)
• Every so often, my mom & dad will host a few people from the International Police Association for dinner. Last night we dined with a pair of delightful Italians, Alessandro & Grazia! And sometimes, it’s fun to just watch people interact. Like when Grazia introduced herself to my mom, and the conversation went like this: *cheek/air kisses* “and I’m Grazia.” “Ah, yes, grazie!” “No, my name is Grazia, as in ‘grace’, not ‘grazie’ as in ‘thank-you.'” For the record, I made the same mistake when she introduced herself to me earlier. We all laughed about it!

Now that I’m back in the office, we’ll be back to the more frequent blog postings! Tomorrow we’ll be kicking off with this sweet anniversary session in New York City…

… followed later this week by one very special newborn session :).

It’s gonna be a good week!

*Also, thank you guys so much for the outpouring of love and encouragement in response to last Thursday’s blog post. My family is so thankful for all of the prayer and positive words!*