To cut straight to the chase we thought this would be the toughest year ever. Back in December when everyone was coming up with their “word” for 2017 we joked that ours would be “crappy.” It’s not that we are pessimistic, we truly aren’t, it’s just we went into the year with a ton of unknowns that terrified us. We were living in a gross ex-bachelor pad apartment with more bugs living there than we would like to admit. Alec had a few tough medical issues that were draining us emotionally and we didn’t have answers. On top of it all we were running this amazing business & trying to live normal lives with all the extra stressors.
When we didn’t even expected 2017 to be a good year, God made it into the best year of our lives so far!!! Seriously, we’ve literally cried more happy tears this year than ever before and we’ve celebrated so many amazing miracles in our own lives. We’ve learned that what we see as struggle or defeat can be so much more than that when left to the Creator who knows what’s next. If we had to pick a word in hindsight for 2017 it would probably be “thankful” or “miraculous.” Counting all the ways we’re thankful for this year, it would be far hard to stop listing the way or try to write about the,, but we figured we’d celebrate with 8 reasons why we’re thankful for 2017.
We got a house!!
Right when we thought we couldn’t do it anymore living in that tiny apartment, God opened the door for us! Back in March we moved into the perfect little rental home in the heart of Homewood and we wake up so many days just overwhelmed with how amazing it is!
New furniture
We had a hodge-podge of hand-me-down furniture from amazing family & friends who helped us out when we first got married. When we moved it just didn’t feel right to bring all that old furniture with us into our new home so we systematically bought new furniture for home, one room at a time. Now we’ve officially redecorated our entire home & it’s so us! It’s so perfect & we’re so thankful that we were able to do this.
Alec is in Remission from Epilepsy!!!
Most people don’t know this but Alec struggled with epilepsy since he was 8 years old. Over the past few years it began to become uncontrolled and cause some health issues no one should have to go through. This whole year we were blown away that every time the doctors said something wasn’t possible, God made a way. We were told he would never be seizure free with how severe it had gotten but all the results came in and with two neurological surgeries, they removed the problem area. Now he is 5 months seizure free and feeling happier & healthier than ever before. The road ahead is still long and we’re prayerful that he remains this way but either way we’re thankful for every day seizure free. There are no words to describe how incredible it is to be able to say that!
Traveling
While we haven’t gone anywhere to exotic this year we did get to make time for a few amazing trips. From Chattanooga back in the spring to going to the beach in September for our anniversary we had a blast. Sometimes it’s the seemingly simple trips that bring the most relaxation and joy!
We’ve witnessed so much joy around us
From watching & documenting one of our sweet friends bring home their baby home (who they prayed for for 11 years) to lives being restored through our church it’s been surreal. Even in the midst of the loss of one of our closest friends from College back in August, we saw God move in people’s lives. It’s caused us to slow down & see life differently. We’re more aware of our blessings and just how lucky we are to have so many amazing people in our lives.
Our Marriage Has Grown
2017 brought a lot of stress between Alec’s medical issues, our apartment, business, and the other day-to-day dramas. Going through as much as we did was in no way easy, but we couldn’t be more thankful for it. Every trial & struggle brought us closer together. Looking at it with a little more distance we’re so glad we went through it all because it’s strengthened our marriage for the better.
This was our best year of business EVER
We’ve been able to serve some of the kindest, most joyful couples ever who have blessed us beyond measure. Every single wedding we’ve been a part of has caused us to step back and marvel at how we got here. It’s also been our busiest year ever for business and we’ve been so thankful to have a calendar full of sessions and weddings that bring us so much fulfillment.
Next year is looking even BETTER!!
We. Can’t. Friggin. Wait!!! 2018 is going to be so full of the most amazing weddings ever and we’re over-the-moon about it! We’ve already booked out a few months of the year and are filling up the rest with some more amazing couples which has us thanking our lucky stars every day. How in the world did we get so lucky??
Thank you to everyone who has followed along with us this year. To those of you who prayed with us, held us up when we couldn’t hold ourselves up, and cheered us on when we needed it, we treasure you. To every Katie & Alec couple who has allowed us into their own love story for a little while… Man, we can’t say thank you enough for choosing us! You make our lives so full of fun & excitement. This year could never have been this amazing without you!
We can’t wait to see what the rest of this amazing year has in store for us, let alone 2018!
Blessings,
Katie & Alec
