There’s something about the ending of the year and ringing in of a new one that makes us pause and reflect. It’s easy to just focus on a couple of moments, and we tend to focus on the really good or the really bad ones. But like they say in Rent – 525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year? 

We tend to focus on the really big moments, maybe 15 or 20 when we think back on a year, but there are so many little moments in between those big ones. And those tiny moments are what make up the fabric of our year. These are the ones we don’t take pictures of – the silent exchanges, the belly laughs, the quiet kisses, the heads on shoulders, the beaming smiles, the kissing of booboos. 

In a day and age where everything is over documented, it’s nice to think of the moments that are stored in our hearts, and not on our hard drives. If we pause and reflect on those moments, I guarantee there’s a lot more good than bad. 

2018 was a big year for us. We welcomed Chloe into our family, and we learned to function as a family of four. We found our groove with Eddie’s new schedule and I had some really great milestones with my blog and with my photography business. I spoke on my first panel thanks to MamaBoss, scored an amazing partnership with JOHNSON’s and was flown to New York City for an event. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that there were so many little moments – moments that aren’t the first ones that come to mind when I think of the year – but moments that really define the everyday. Moments like Caleb first meeting Chloe, or Eddie telling me how beautiful he thinks I am. Moments when my clients get back to me telling me how much they adore the photos I captured of their families, or when you, my readers, reach out to me and tell me that something I wrote really resonated with you. 

We’ve got about 960 minutes in a day (that’s not counting 8 hours of sleep). Those are a lot of minutes, each one with an opportunity to create a moment or a memory. And while we don’t take snapshots of each of those moments to store in our hard drives (can you imagine the size of the hard drive you’d need?!), we’re constantly experiencing moments and creating memories. 

So in 2019, I’m focusing more on storing memories – some on my hard drive, for sure – but more in my heart.

I’m storing the smiles.
I’m storing the smirks. 
I’m storing the funny faces. 
I’m storing every “I love you.” 
I’m storing Caleb’s “Goodnight and goodbyes.”
I’m storing Chloe’s grin every time she sees Caleb, Eddie, or me. 
I’m storing every squeeze Eddie gives me. 
I’m storing every shared meal, every clinked glass, and every kind exchange.
I’m storing the cuddles along with the middle of the night wake ups. 
I’m storing every grateful note or e-mail. 
I’m storing every heartfelt thank you. 
​I’m storing it all.

I won’t forget them, because even if I didn’t take a photo of each of those 525,600 minutes, those are the moments that make up my life. 

Cheers to 2019, and to storing all the moments. 
From us to you, Happy New Year!
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xoxo,