2011 | A Year In Review

One of the things I plan to do better at in 2012 is blogging. I didn't do many of the events/portraits I shot this year justice on this blog - as in, many of them just haven't shown up here at ALL. I've always had intentions to get them here, and it just hasn't happened. So, I figured the least I could do is show a few favorites from this year, and try to mentally prepare myself (and my blog) to be thrust into a brand new year in just a little over a day. My goal in January is to show you all of the weddings and shoots that didn't make it here over this year. So, consider this post just a taste of what will be fully coming next month, WHILE recapping what took place in 2011. :)

I was so privileged to shoot some amazing weddings this year. So a BIG shout-out and heartfelt thank-you goes to my incredible brides & grooms:

Peter & Kari | April 23

Scott & Courtney | April 30

Josh & Elisa | May 21

Matt & Susan | May 28

Joe & Talia | June 5

Chris & Sarah | July 16

Brad & Megan | July 21

Ben & Amie | September 17

Justin & Denise | September 24

Danny & Janelle | October 8

Nick & Ashley | October 15

Jeremy & Rachel | November 5

I also got do some great portrait sessions - both paid and just for fun. So, here's a little recap of the lovely people I worked with on those:

Aimee & Emily | At The Beach

Mady | 2-Year Portraits

Zach & Alyssa | Anniversary Shoot

Bethany | Just For Fun

Hannah | Senior Portraits

Danny & Janelle | Engagement

Nick & Ashley | Engagement

Brandon & Erin | Family Shoot

Emily & Caleb | Engagement

Haggards | Family Shoot

Aimee | Just For Fun

Daniel & Sally | Couple Shoot

So, as you can see....it's been an AMAZING year. I've done some of my favorite work ever this year, and it was incredibly hard to try to just sum it up in one post. So, honestly, that's not really what I'm trying to do. Mostly, I just want to express my gratitude for you wonderful people that have let me into your lives - into your special days and moments - and allowed me to capture them for you. It's been a tremendous joy and privilege, and I look forward with MUCH anticipation to what 2012 holds for me personally and professionally.

I'll be focusing on goals for 2012 in January, as there just isn't enough time left in this year to post everything I want to! Hah. But, Aaron and I have been spending some amazing quality time with family, and I wouldn't trade that in for anything. :)

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL New Year! I'm so grateful for all of you, and your encouragement and support. I look forward to continuing this journey in 2012, with you all by my side. :)

Personal | A Warm & Married Christmas

So, I don't know about you other recently-wedded folks, but there's something equally as exciting to me about spending my second married Christmas with the man of my dreams as there was my first one, last year. Maybe (hopefully) this is how it's supposed to be - and will always be - richer and more exciting with EACH passing year. That's what I hope, and if this year is telling at all for the years to come, I think it will be...

In addition to being the second Christmas I get to experience as a Watson, it's also the second Christmas I'll be experiencing in Florida. Which, as you may guess, is a drastically different feel than that of an Indiana Christmas. Thankfully, though, the closeness of family and the quality time spent with them is very much the same feeling I've always known growing up. I love my in-laws to pieces, and if it takes parting with the proverbial white Christmas (that I will still always be dreaming of) to spend the holiday with them, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

So, if anyone is lucky enough to play in the snow this Saturday, send some chilly thoughts our way as we'll be sipping iced beverages by the pool and/or lake and looking at lot like this...

That expression pretty much sums up how Aaron feels about all of the Christmassy aspects of Christmas...like the music, movies, shopping, decorations, pictures being taken...he really ONLY likes the part about getting to be with family. But I guess if he's going to choose just one, that's a good one. (It goes without saying, of course, that he likes the part about Jesus, best of all. Just fyi.)

We leave bright and early tomorrow to brave the 14-hour drive to the golden land of palm trees and Watsons. So, wish us luck, send us texts, say prayers, and mostly....have the BEST Christmas ever and enjoy time with YOUR families!

Marvelous Mondays | Apartment Christmas Cheer

On this Monday the thing I find to be most marvelous, as I sit and work on lots of editing from home, is, in fact, my surroundings. I love Christmas, especially decorating for it, and I'm quite happy with how things turned out this year.

Now, as a disclaimer, it IS just a tiny apartment and I DID try to decorate with things we already had. So, it's by no means super glamorous or worthy of a design blog, or perhaps even Pinterest. But it's my little home, and it's the second Christmas I get to spend with the love of my life. So, it warms my heart and I really enjoyed working with what we had to make it as festive as possible! Thus, I thought that made it worthy enough to feature for today's post.

I thought I would do a little compare/contrast with how it looked last year, so we'll go "room by room" (even though there's only two rooms ;) from last year to this year.

Last year's dining room:

And this year's:

I got a little more creative with the centerpiece and, as you can tell, we have things hanging on the wall this year that we didn't last year, since we had only been married for a little over a month at that point.

We got these fabulous candlesticks for our wedding - and they were originally perfectly shined silver. But, over this past year they tarnished and I decided to leave them that way because they look more gold, which matches the ornaments better, and more vintage. :)

(Hey look, it's me!)

Last year's Christmas tree:

This year, we just did a little table-top one (which will be explained in a moment):

The miniature ornaments were ones my siblings and I grew up with, from an advent calendar, that I borrowed from my Mom, the red beads are 3 necklaces that I had, and the "topper" is a ring of mine. Hah. I was proud of myself for being able to decorate it with stuff I already had. :)

Last year's living room:

This year we have a bookshelf, and thus lost our great Christmas tree spot. :-/

I love these vintage design postcards I bought from Bygone's Vintage Boutique here in Richmond and just had to incorporate them, somehow.

Since we don't have a big tree, I hung ornaments from all the windows:

I new favorite given to me by one of my amazing clients this year! We're hoping it gives Aaron the hint to get me the REAL thing.... ;)

I also blinged up our coffee table center piece:

And the top of our kitchen cabinets:

Annnd I made a wreath to add a little cheer to our not-so-pretty apartment door:

So there you have it! The Christmasized Watson apartment of 2011. :) It brings me great happiness, and I hope you enjoyed it, too. How did each of YOU decorate this Christmas?