Good morning, everyone! I’m going to be completely real right now, this past week was a tough one. It was one of those weeks where every thing just didn’t go right, and I am exhausted. Anybody else there with me? Well, we are there together right now, but we got this! It’s a new week and the week before Christmas, so the people who are with me, go and make some cookies and blast Christmas music! Be Mariah Carey and pig out on those cookies, you deserve it!!

Can I also just say that this weather is incredible? 70s all weekend, what!? This weekend my bestest friend, Katie, came to visit me, and it was so amazing. We got to watch the Rising Tide Summit online webinar together and talk about all our creative ideas and plans! LOVE! We were always together in art classes, all nighters completing art projects, and bouncing ideas off one another in college, and so it was great to be able to do that again. She also used to be my go to model, so this weekend, with the nice weather, we went to this awesome dried out corn field and took some photos!! More to come this week!

How did you guys spend this awesome, warm weekend? Hopefully you got yourselves outside and soaked in the sun before the cold comes… I am praying for snow days, just like every other teacher out there!!

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

• The Rising Tide Summit. I literally could talk all day about it. The Rising Tide Society itself is just so encouraging and supportive and everything a small business owner needs. I watched the summit all weekend, and I wish I could rewatch it every day. I love to learn, and this was an amazing learning tool!
• MJ and I’s 2 year anniversary is tomorrow!! We’re spending it with his Gammy!
• MJ has been counting down the days, not to our anniversary, but to Star Wars… He’ll be one of the first to see it on Thursday, and he’ll probably watch it another 2 times after that.
• Always back up your work. Always. I was storing and deleting images this weekend, and some things that should not have been deleted were, but because they were backed up I was in the clear!!
• Woke up at 4:30 AM and went to Orange Theory this past week. I survived. Obviously. It was an awesome workout, but I will never wake up at that time again.
• I have this huge to do list this week for Christmas presents… GAH, where did the time go? Seriously, I remember October being like yesterday!
• Getting packages in the mail will never get old. The best feeling ever! I got my annual Christmas ornament from my God Father, and many many prints of my work!!
• I am going to be starting a new series for photographers and creatives called Follow Friday. I have learned everything I know about marketing, business tools, posing, and so much more from other creatives, and so I want to show others that there are so many amazing FREE resources out there from amazing small business owners! You just got to take the time to read and explore!! I am still learning each day, and you can be too!!

Thanks for tuning in for another Mash Up Monday! I hope you all have a great week filled with good laughs, Christmas music, coffee with too much creamer, and love!!

xoxo