It’s my birthday! April 8th comes and goes every year and only leads me to asking one question: how old am I, again? It sounds silly but truly, I feel like I lost track after the age of 22. At first, I wasn’t really that excited about another number being added to my life but when I started to think about it, the excitement set in. For some reason, 27 has always been my favorite number. It’s been the ever present digits in my passwords, the numbers I used when I made my first AOL Instant Messenger screen name, the lucky number I pick whenever given the chance, I’m not sure why but it’s always been my favorite… which leads me to think that maybe, just maybe twenty-seven will be my favorite year yet. So what will this trip around the sun hold for me? Travels to: Dallas, Europe, LA, Houston, and Austin (on the calendar, more TBD, of course.) It will hold 16 magnificent, beautiful, wonderful couples who are getting married. This next year will hold more nesting in our home, weekends off, time at the cabin, sleeping in on Sundays, and of course girls nights with my favorites.

As we enter each year, it’s a reminder of a fresh start. It’s a chance to re-evaluate, check ourselves before we wreck ourselves, acknowledge the growth, accept the failure, and make it all happen. Looking back over the last 365 days, I can say with fierceness that this last year defined me in so many ways. I converted my business into a brand, I pursued things that were on my heart, I delved into new projects, I fostered new relationships, and I finished another crazy, successful year as a photographer. Year 26 added: teacher, painter, speaker, and blog contributor to my resume, all things I am crazy in love with. It also brought home a framed title that reads: 2014 Best Wedding Photographer from Wisconsin Bride Magazine and a Hall of Fame plaque from The Knot. Beyond the silly awards, I got to work with 30 amazing couples who trusted me wholeheartedly to tell their wedding day story. Year 26 was the one where I finally decided to cut back, to live more, to practice what I’ve been preaching, and to seek balance. It was a year that was overflowing with blessings but with that overflow, my cup got emptied. Looking back, I say “yes” too much to work and “no” to much to experiences and today I am making a public vow to leave that behind.

It’s a privilege to grow older, it pains me that I am one step closer to 30, (speaking of which, weird goal of mine: to make a 30 under 30 list) it excites me to have another fresh start in this life and to choose what I want to fill these next 365 days with. A snapshot of my vision? Yoga pants, sleeping in more, girls nights with wine, most foster puppies, less late nights working, more teaching, less typing, more experiences, less work, more authenticity, less screen time and a few more make out sessions with my husband. This new year will be filled with intention, inspiration, and will be spent living a little bit more. I am seriously grateful that you are on this journey with me. The path might not always be straight but the curves and bumps in the road remind us that it’s all worth it. Now, time to log off and enjoy a day of nothing… because that’s what birthdays should be, am I right?

 Cheers to my favorite number, the one that I am claiming my year: 27

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