TWENTYSIXTEEN RECAP

going to see wicked, one of my most favorite days // spending valentines day with our best friends // getting to travel to mexico for work, both of us at separate times // spending our saturdays exploring richmond // excessive amounts of pda on the beach // saying goodbye to our home for the last year and moving to arizona // celebrating our third year of marriage together // acl surgery // getting a new niece and spending all night on the dance floor. 

2016 was SUCH a good year. I think it might have been the happiest year I can remember. It wasn't like anything big happened, I just figured out what I need to be happy. One of my favorite quotes is by Elder Russell M. Nelson. It goes "the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." I feel like that perfectly sums up my year. I started focusing on what I do have, and looked for ways to serve others. I am excited to continue to do so in 2017. We have some big stuff planned! And I cannot wait! 

Happy New Year!

SLOW DOWN

Pics: Juniper Photo Co. 

The end of the year is always so busy and this year is no different! How do we only have eleven days till Christmas and eighteen days till 2017?? I feel like it just snuck up on me and now I am running around trying to do all my Christmas shopping, finishing up 292349834 shoots and edits, trying to do every christmasy thing in Phoenix, and thinking about all the things I want to change and accomplish in 2017... because who doesn't get super self reflective at the end of each year?

Added on to the stress is the fact that I took forever to find a planner for 2017 and have literally been writing down my schedule on loose pieces of paper. I finally found one I liked, and pulled the trigger and ordered it a couple weeks ago. I thought it was taking a really long time to get here until I figured out I accidentally sent it to our old address in Virginia... oops. So now I still have no planner and 2017 is filling up and I am praying that I am not double booking any dates because I don't have my planner to keep my sane. Ok. Cool story Cassie.

This past weekend we shot with the very talented and very beautiful Jessica of Juniper Photo Co. and it was SO NICE to just snuggle with Scott and take a breather. I feel like I am in this weird limbo of wanting it to be 2017 because there are so many things to look forward to, but also trying to enjoy the Christmas season because it's the best time of the year! It was a good reminder to slow down, breathe, and just be present. So that's my plan for the rest of the year! What's yours?

WORLDS WORST BLOGGER

Oh hey me here! Did you enjoy those random pictures that sum up the last four months? I can't believe how bad I have been at blogging this year! I really love having these posts to look back on and I know I am going to be sad that I kind of sort of let 2016 fall through the cracks. One my new years resolutions is to blog more, so I decided to get a head start and start posting now! Cross your fingers that I post more than once this December!

Our life has consisted of getting settled in our new apartment, SUNSETS, long weekends with friends,  taking a few trips down to San Diego, last minute halloween costumes, continuing to grow my business here, starting to celebrate Christmas and soaking up every minute with our sweet friends baby. Oh and Scott survived ACL surgery! That is probably why things have been a little quiet over here. Surgery is actually kind of the worst.

There is a lot going on right now and I am really trying to make an effort to slow down and enjoy the Christmas season this year. Sometimes I get so excited for the future that I forget to live in the present. I am really excited for 2017 but I don't want to forget to enjoy the now because this season really is my favorite. Especially in Arizona where "cold" is 60 degrees. Which by the way I have totally acclimated too.. Oops.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

I think Scott summed up my feelings towards anniversaries best when he said "why can't we celebrate this more than once a year?" As cheesy as it is, I will take any opportunity to celebrate our love because I LOVE LOVE.  On our actually anniversary we exchanged presents, (I pulled off the surprise of my lifetime and shocked Scott with a wii!), and went out for a nice dinner. A week later we went down to Dove Mountain for a little getaway and it was so nice to just relax. When Scott asked me what my favorite part of it all was, I told him hands down taking a bubble bath and sleeping. I am not kidding when I say I had the greatest sleep of my life in the most comfortable bed in the world. I am 24 going on 80 but I really don't care. 

I love celebrating our anniversary because it gives us a chance to think back on how we got here and some of our favorite memories. Over dinner we reminisced about our wedding and reminded each other of how much fun we had that day. We talked about our favorite dates since then, how we have changed in the last three years and our favorite things about each other. I am sure if anyone was eavesdropping they would have gagged but I felt like Buddy the Elf screaming "I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!

Thanks for the best three years of my life Scott! Can't wait for so many more. 

THREE YEARS

Yesterday Scott and I celebrated our THIRD anniversary! Part of me feels like we have been married for forever and the other part of me still gets those butterflies every time I think to myself that this man is my husband!! It seems too good to be true. I surprised Scott with this little video (and a wii!) so it was a really successful anniversary. We then gorged ourselves at Ruth's Chris (soooo delicious) and have a little getaway trip planned in two weeks. As we were falling asleep last night Scott said to me, "We should celebrate our anniversary way more than once a year" and I couldn't agree more.

Love you Scott! Cant wait for so many more years to come!!

GOODBYE RICHMOND

^^ the photographer said "Scott do something while Cassie twirls and this is what he came up with

Isn't it really convenient when your good friend is also an amazingly talented photographer? Scott and I did a little "anniversary/goodbye Richmond" photo session with my girl Stephanie a couple weeks ago and I am d y i n g over the photos she gave me. We went to some of our favorite places around the city and I am so happy we have these pictures to help us always remember our time here. 

I can't believe we move in TWO DAYS. So many mixed emotions. I am so excited for this next adventure (and for year round sun) but I am also so sad to be leaving a place I truly think of as our home. I remember crying for months leading up to this move because I really didn't want to go. And now I have been crying for months because I don't want to leave. Funny how life works huh? I really was not expecting to love it so much here. Or make so many friends! Seriously I feel so blessed to have made so many wonderful life long friends here. I guess that means we will just have to come back and visit!

Even though I am sad to leave, I know this is the right thing for us right now. And hey- the fact that we will be closer to my family and closer to some of our best friends makes me really happy. And we think (fingers crossed) that Scott won't be working as much so maybe I will get to see more of him too! So I guess it is a bittersweet move. Goodbye Richmond!!