I’m so glad we’re at the end of January. I hope we’re at least close to temperatures above freezing!

What I’ve Been Up To:

This month my family is definitely on the upswing!

We had the flu through the first week of January, so our new year start was…less than ideal to say the least. But we survived! I hope that you’re able to avoid getting the plague this season. And if not, I hope you recover quickly.

On another note, if you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll already know that Esmie broke her toe back in August. For those that missed this, she actually crushed the bone, so even though the toe is a small section of bone, she broke it pretty severely. Go hard or go home, I guess.

We had another check up this month. Her doctors were hoping January would be the last time she had to come in for scans, but it turns out we’re still on this healing journey until at least July. The bone is growing back, thankfully, but it’s going along with the motto “slow and steady wins the race.”

I can’t believe it’s going to be a (hopefully!) 11 month recovery for this injury, but that’s where we are.

This month I also started teaching a high school photography elective at my church’s homeschool co-op. I have 8 students, and they’re delightful! I reviewed their first batch of photo homework this week, and they’re already producing beautiful work. I’m so excited to see where they’ll be at the end of May! Sharing my love of photography with them is a bright spot each week.

In the office, I chip away at my off season goals. Some of it is super fun: I took a digital masterclass with Rebecca Yale to help me up level my detail styling skills. I have some materials on order, and I can’t wait for them to get here to practice everything I’ve just learned.

A lot of it isn’t glamorous. I’m updating old educational blogs to help breathe new SEO life into them. I’m tweaking client materials, swapping out imagery on my website, reading business books, and getting ready to send my tax paperwork over to my accountant.

It’s not exciting, but it does set me up to have an excellent 2026 season.

What is exciting is meeting with new clients! I took a last minute proposal at View Boston this month. It was cold, but once that ring box came out, my heart was beating so fast I stopped noticing. Proposals are always a pure adrenaline experience, and this past year I’ve grown to love them so much.

I’m also hosting consultations with new couples for 2026 and 2027. If you or someone you know is looking for a wedding photographer, now is the time to start interviewing your potential vendors!

What I’ve Been Reading:

I’m mostly done reading On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu. It’s lyrical prose about a family of Afghani refugees fleeing the war and securing temporary visas in Australia. I’m not a huge fan of the lyrical prose, but I do think it’s an important read. To me, there are only a few moments in the story that feel truly poetic, so I think a more traditional manner of writing would fit. Plus, Yu doesn’t differentiate speakers, so it can be confusing when characters have conversations. I do think this confusion is a deliberate choice which forces the reader to feel the confusion that the refugees feel. And at the same time, I think this confusion could be created in a more effective way.

Even though Afghanistan and Australia are the countries most focused on in this story, there are so many connections to the immigration and refugee situations currently happening in the U.S.

I think if you want to better understand the challenges many people face when they leave dangers in their homeland, this is an important read. I don’t see how you could read the story without feeling empathy. The U.S. and Australia aren’t the same, of course, but they are similar enough to help you grasp the struggle.

What I’ve Been Watching:

A little but of everything.

I’ve been watching season 1 of The Traitors. Would I be me if I weren’t 3-4 years behind TV releases?! 😂 I like folding laundry to The Traitors since I don’t have to watch every second to follow along.

Dillon and I are trying out Sandakan because, as one person on Instagram brilliantly described it, the show is “Chuck Bass and the Pirates of the Upper East Side.” Really, Ed Westwick was the draw here. We didn’t love episode 1, but both episodes 2 and 3 were more engaging than the one that came before, so we’ll see. I don’t know if we’ll be fully hooked, but we’re interested enough to keep going.

We prepped for the Olympics by watching the U.S. Championships/Olympic Trials for figure skating.

And of course, who can forget about the Patriots?! I’m a little overwhelmed that Olympic Opening Ceremonies and the Super Bowl are the same weekend. I may be watching more sports than I ever have before. But I bought a new Patriots sweatshirt to celebrate, and I can’t wait to see what happens in both cases.

What I’m Excited About:

So much is happening in February despite it being the smallest month of the year!

-As previously mentioned, the Winter Olympics! I don’t go as crazy for Winter Olympics like I do the summer games, but I’ll still be watching figure skating. I will be cheering for and fangirling over Ilia like crazy! And of course, we’re cheering Maxim Naumov on!

-A gorgeous baby shower for a mom that I love supporting! I’m thinking the details will be beautiful, so stay tuned for a sneak peek on my Instagram!

-The Super Bowl because being a Patriots fan is in my blood. I would watch regardless of the teams playing. But how fun that Redlen and Esmie get to see their first Patriots Super Bowl! A special shout out to Drake Maye for thinking of the children.

-Valentine’s Day. We don’t go crazy over this holiday, but we do still give it a little nod. I’m so excited for the kids to see their gifts!

-My birthday is on the 17th, and I’m excited to celebrate!

-Hand delivering an engagement album to one of my couples. I can’t always hand deliver albums, but I love when I can!

-I’m attempting to make fire cider for the first time. For those that don’t know what in the world fire cider is, it’s a health and wellness shot that you can take every day to support your immune system. You have to wait a month for it to finish, so I’m counting down the days.

-I’m helping my church with new headshots for their website. I haven’t done headshots since Redlen was born, so this will be a fun change of pace.

Until next time,

Christine