Originally, I wanted to share this sweet, short, clean post about how wonderful life has been. But let’s be real, we all love knowing a little more of the real story (at least if you’re nosy like me). So, here is that post: a little vulnerable, a little unpolished, and made of the real events that created the last year for us.
It all started with a broken hip.
Yep, you read that right. I broke my hip during an amazing run at Orange Theory at the end of January. No dramatic fall, no huge popping sound, just a great run and some soreness. After that, felt like I had severely pulled a muscle. I took a month off and did PT, hoping to get back to normal as soon as possible, especially with wedding season starting soon. That’s when my wonderful PT told me he didn’t think I was improving and wanted me to go for X-rays.
I sat in a beige room filled with sports jerseys and medals as the orthopedic surgeon told me I had a fractured ball joint. Staring at the small line across the X-ray in complete disbelief, I asked him to say it as he would to a kid. The words “you have a broken hip” rang in the room. Questions flooded my mind… “I’m barely 30,” and “I’m in the best shape of my life.” So many questions, which led to a wild season of tests, including everything from my vitamin D levels to a contrast MRI.
To get to the point, everything looked great, besides the broken hip, *sigh.* He told me that my body just doesn’t recover as quickly as others and I’d need to be careful about how hard I push myself.
What sucked the most was I was stuck in a wheelchair or on crutches for 12 weeks while I recovered- in the MIDDLE of wedding season.
If you know me at all, you know I follow through on my commitments, and I am not one to let down my brides. So, with my doctor’s disapproval but understanding, I shot 9 weddings on a broken hip. I would sit in my wheelchair or maneuver on crutches every other second of every other day, but at weddings I put on a brave face and showed up as though nothing was wrong so none of my couples would have to worry about anything and could soak in the joy of their wedding. It’s just who I am and how much I love my job.
Just a few shots during my season with a broken hip. So thankful we were able to document so many memories for our sweet couples!
God showed up in the middle of it all
In the midst of pain, frustration, and discouragement, God showed up in the most incredible way — through our associate Elle. She reached out around this time, and we brought her in to shadow us/train on wedding days.
She is kind, helpful, loving, and 1,000,000 other lovely things, and made that season feel easier. She carried bags when she didn’t have to, checked in on me to see if I needed anything, and blessed our brides with another talented photographer to document their day. As humble and wonderful as she is, she didn’t bat an eye at helping, proving that her heart is made of gold.
Her training time lined up perfectly with my broken hip.
Not just that, but she’s become such a talented addition to the team and is taking weddings all her own! She allows us to serve brides who reach out when we’re already booked or outside their budget. It’s a joy to have her as a part of the Katie & Alec family, and you can learn more about her here. She will show you the same incredible commitment, care, and attention; trust us.
Sweet Elle!!!
From healing to pregnancy
Our story of starting a family took a rocky, challenging, and discouraging 6 years. That story in itself is one I will save for another day, but know that we were in utter shock to find out a month after I got cleared by my orthopedic doctor that I was pregnant. It felt like we had just come up for air, and we were right back into the waves of the unknown again. Excitement, overwhelm, and disbelief became our daily wash of emotions.
It didn’t take long into pregnancy to realize something was very wrong. My morning sickness was a 24/7 thing, and I had stretches of days where I couldn’t hold down water, let alone food. Hyperemesis gravidarum was my diagnosis, and I would spend the next 6 months mostly bedridden from how sick I was. I still had weddings to work, and I didn’t let it keep me from serving our couples with everything I had. It just took so much out of me.
There was such a strong mix of emotions in that season: excitement for the baby we had prayed for, hope for what life could look like as a family, fear over missing our next big wedding season, and discouragement over not being able to pour into our business (our first baby, it felt like) the same way we had for the past 10 years.
Every hour, every minute of my life
Has been part of your design
Lord, the whole world’s in your hand
Every trial, every battle that I face
God, you’ve met me there with grace
Every part has served your plan
Through it all, you’ve been so, so good
Kept your word like you said you would
Again, God showed up in the middle of it
Charles Dixon IV was born on March 30th, the sweetest baby boy.
We couldn’t be more thankful for the miracle of our baby, Charlie. He’s the joy and love we never knew we needed, and he has been the biggest blessing ever. His birth was traumatic, but he was ours, and we couldn’t wait to take him home after 5 days in the NICU.
That first month was a blur in the best way. I healed better than expected! Then, just as wild as shooting 9 weddings on a broken hip, I got back to work and shot 9 weddings consecutively starting just a month postpartum. Maryah & Austin, thank you for trusting us when we said we’d be there and for loving us so well!!
This past year hasn’t been easy at all, and I wouldn’t have chosen it as our story. It’s ours, though, and we are living on the other side of the miracle, figuring out what this season, as business owners, a couple, friends, and parents, is going to look like. Change can be scary, but it can also be so beautiful and refreshing. In a world that says “what if everything goes wrong again,” I am choosing to ask, “what if everything is better than I could ever ask or imagine?”
Charlie has officially started daycare, and we’re finding our new normal as a family of 3. It’s been a lighter, happier season, and it feels like we’re rebuilding our business in some fun and exciting ways! To be honest, it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time, and I can’t wait to see what God does next.
There are still stories we want to share, so be prepared for a part 2 to this post coming soon…
Blessings,
Katie (& Alec)
P.S. He probably won’t see it, but I couldn’t be more thankful for Alec. He’s strong, steady, loyal, and the absolute love of my life. Thanks for carrying our family faithfully through each tough season. From pushing my wheelchair to holding me as I cried sick on the bathroom floor, you’re my greatest blessing.
