the economist

Taking the GRE | Monday Musings

Taking the GRE | Monday Musings

The off-season of wedding photography is both a gift and a curse to me. It is a gift in that I am able to sleep and rest after all the crazy wedding and travel weekends that happen in the fall, on top of extra family and engagement sessions that inevitably get scheduled when the leaves start to change. Coming into January I was ready for some down-time, ready to work less than 40-60 hours, and ready to enjoy some slow weekends at home.

That lasted about 2 weeks. While I love the idea of being restful, it is not very practical long-term for me. This was my first full off-season being at home during the week, and it wasn't long before I got incredibly antsy to start doing things again. I did have some sessions here and there, and even a January wedding in Washington, D.C., but none of it kept my hands or mind occupied the way I am used to.

So I started to dream...

6 Things I'm Loving Lately | Personal

6 Things I'm Loving Lately | Personal

It's Christmas! The season where we make lists of everything we don't have, crossing our fingers that it'll come our way in just a few weeks. This year, I had a hard time coming up with a list - there aren't many things I want, there's nothing I need, and I don't want to just get stuff for the sake of having something under the tree for me. So in light of that, I wanted to share some favorite things that I already have, because I'm so very grateful for them!

1) A kitchen mandoline - not the instrument, though that still confuses me. This thing is SO helpful for making meals way fancier, and for a gluten free lifestyle. For Thanksgiving, I made these sweet potato stackers in a few minutes flat. During the week, I use it to make noodles out of zucchini for a healthy, wheat-free spaghetti dinner. It's one of those things you don't know you need until you have it!

2) Real Christmas tree - I grew up overseas, so our versions of a Christmas tree would have made Charlie Brown cry. When we moved back to America, my parents started the annual Christmas tree tradition. I didn't realize how many people buy fake trees, and while there's nothing wrong with that, there's something so nostalgic and wonderful to me about having a real tree. I love it!