Just like that 2019 is over and I am writing out my 2019 highlights. I still can’t believe it’s already 2020!

Last year I made a new tradition of sharing my highlights from the year passed. Yes, I am a few days late this year due to being sick! So, I am back in full swing and here to share my favorite memories from 2019. (You can check out last year’s here) One of the main reasons I love doing this is to see how far I’ve come and thank God for all that he has done for me. It’s all thanks to Him that I am able to run this little business of mine!

2019 was a whirlwind of adventures, hardships and lots of business. But it was one of my favorite years yet for lots of reasons! So without further adue, my 2019 highlights!

Dropping the puck at the Stingrays hockey game

Yes, this might sound lame to some people. But it was so cool! I was on the ice and got to drop the puck in front of the whole stadium! Also, it was Star Wars night. So it couldn’t have been any cooler.

I only recently started watching hockey, but it very quickly became one of my new favorite things to do. I played volleyball from middle school all the way through college. So I love watching that sport, but after getting a little burnt out after college I needed something new to watch. Hockey was perfect. Volleyball is a no-contact sport, so seeing hockey fights was so mind-blowing to me!

Photographing Brittany & Dwayne’s wedding in Jamaica

Brittany and Dwayne flew me out to Jamaica to photograph their big day in March. It was still cold in Charleston, so I welcomed the warm weather and humidity with open arms! The water was absolutely beautiful – clear, bright blue water. Because we stayed at a resort (and they are pretty clear not to leave the resort with anyone but the staff and definitely not alone!) I wasn’t able to explore as much as I normally would! On the last day there we did take a boat out to see some of Montego Bay. It was amazing! I took a slide from the top of a restaurant out into the ocean!

Besides being able to capture this amazing day in such a beautiful destination, I made a lot of new friends in the process. Which was probably my favorite part.

Saying goodbye to Grizz

This isn’t really a highlight, but we did get to celebrate the long life that he spent with us. We originally found Grizz back in Idaho, my dad was out hunting and found Grizz cowering in a ditch by himself. He didn’t have a collar, but we think he may have had owners who were not very kind to him. He had a long life of over 16 years with us when we had to say goodbye to him in February. I think he really wanted to be reunited with Buster.

Cruising to the Bahamas

I took my sister on a cruise to the Bahamas! We got to swim in the beautiful water, eat the best food, really relax and we got to meet (and get kissed by) a Sea Lion!! The Sea Lion was definitely my favorite part. He was so cute! We also spent lots of time hanging out with my friends who were on the cruise!

Quitting my full-time job to go full time with my photography business

What an exciting time! I feel like so many things happened in April and May! I quit one week before my birthday and celebrated that night by seeing the premiere of The Avengers Endgame. What an eventful day. I will never ever forget the feeling I had that day and basically the whole month of May. I still can’t believe that I get to wake up every morning and work from home doing my dream job!

Going to Disney for my birthday

Every year for my birthday I go to Disney. It has been a tradition of mine for 6 years now! Disney is one of my greatest obsessions so of course, I have to spend my birthday there. It’s also my favorite because everyone tells you happy birthday when you wear a happy birthday pin on your shirt. I know it’s lame, but it makes you feel special.

If you haven’t noticed, I do a lot of stuff with my sisters. They’re my best friends. So they always join me on my birthday trip. It is a fun trip for all of us and a good time to spend together. 2020 may be the last year for a while depending on life events, but who knows!

Attending my first Ariana Grande concert

It was AMAZING! She is even better live than on her recordings! Okay, she sounds amazing in both, but still, it was crazy how good she sounded at the concert. I actually bought my sisters and I tickets to her concert for their 2018 Christmas present. So we drove together and made a night out of it, then drove back home and got back at about 3 am! It was 100% worth it and I would do it over again in a heartbeat!

I’ve been following Ariana Grande since she started singing (and when she was on Victorious) so going to her concert was a bucket list item for me. I still can’t believe I had the opportunity to go.

Adopting Toulouse

This is by far probably my most favorite highlight of 2019. Toulouse came into my life at the perfect time. I had just left my full-time job and I didn’t realize how lonely it was. The past 2 years I had gotten used to waking up every morning and socializing with my coworkers, so going from that to literally having no one while I work was really hard. It was the biggest struggle for me. So, I applied for a few different rescues in the area and heard back from all of them saying they didn’t have any puppies, but when they did I would be the first to know. I really wanted a puppy so that I could raise him or her with my cat, Gus. She is very particular about her dogs so I knew getting a puppy would be the easiest for her to adjust to.

Truthfully, it’s a miracle that I got Toulouse. I only ever answer my phone when I know who is calling if I don’t know they go straight to voicemail. If they leave a voicemail I will call back, but if not then I don’t worry about it. Well, the day before I got the call from the Grateful Golden Rescue someone informed me that my voicemail was full. I completely forgot to empty it and realized that when an (843) area code was calling me. I felt like I needed to answer it because they wouldn’t be able to leave a message for me. When I answered they told me they had a puppy for me (ready to meet me the next day for me to pick one of the two available) and that they had been going down the list trying to reach people and I was the only one who had answered! Talk about crazy.

I knew that Toulouse was the dog I was going to adopt as soon as I saw him. He was such a cute little nugget. I’m so thankful that I decided to answer that phone call!

Starting my journey with film photography

I have always loved the look and feel of film. Since I started shooting weddings I would look at film photographer’s work and wish that I could achieve it. But I was scared to try it. Finally, I took the leap and trusted that God would let me know if this was my path or not. Well, I fell in love with it so fast! It is my absolute favorite thing and I love shooting with film more than digital now.

Swimming with Manatees

This is the second time I’ve been able to do this and it was just as amazing the second time. You are literally swimming in the Florida springs with wild manatees. You can’t do that anywhere else! I was able to take some videos and my sisters took some pictures with their phones!

Well that’s all for my 2019 highlights! I am so thankful for so many things in 2019 and can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2020! Hopefully this post inspires you to share your favorite memories from this past year as well!