Hey there! I’m so excited to share my month with you!

What I’ve Been Up To:

September, despite taking some time off from my business, was jam packed!

This month I stepped away from social media, and I’m so grateful for the time away. When you run a photography business, Instagram is a natural marketing tool. TikTok is a great space, too, especially for clients that love to see behind the scenes moments and envision what their own wedding day could look like.

But I think we’ve all heard about the negative impacts of social media, and those still apply, even when you use social media for your job.

So, even though I’ll be “back” in the next few days, I’m going to be implementing some changes for how I show up. I already have a subscription to Plann, which lets you write out your social media in advance. All last year, I batched my social media content. I won’t lie–this completely burnt me out. Even if batching is a great productivity hack, I don’t see myself doing that for the time being.

But I still hope to utilize Plann to create my content so I still have a little separation from the apps. And I plan to download the apps, post my content, and delete them for the remainder of the day. I’ve been so much happier without worrying about social media trends, notifications, performance analytics, and mindlessly scrolling. I want to preserve as much of that as I can, even while still taking advantage of the marketing benefits.

This month we also got away for the first time as whole family when we attended our all church retreat at Sandy Island. We had a great time with our friends, and Dillon and I won the truly wed game! This is a variation of the newlywed game so that married couples can play, not just newlyweds.

My church friends know that I’ve been on a mission to win the truly wed game, and we finally got the chance! We also dethroned another couple that has never lost before. Whenever we play again (only 4 couples play a year), I hope we can keep our streak going.

We also took our family vacation and went to Disney! Not to be too cheesy, but we truly had a magical time.

During the planning process, I dug through so many internet blogs. Many bloggers cautioned about careful planning, navigating the parks with your eyes glued to your phone, and that the Disney of today isn’t the one we grew up with. I wanted to have an amazing time with my family, but I was a little nervous that the magic would feel like it’s gone.

Let me tell you, it’s still fully there!

The phone app is key when navigating lightning lanes and ride wait times, but I didn’t feel like it took away from anything. We only checked the app after coming off a ride to make a decision for where to go next or when we felt lost walking, but we definitely weren’t glued to our phones.

And the awe and wonder on our kids’ faces cannot be beat. They had a great first trip, and we will be heading back one day in the future.

Even though we took two vacations (though one was just a long weekend), September still brought three weddings and a proposal. I was supposed to meet with one of my amazing couples for their engagement session, but the rain had other ideas.

The leaves are just starting to turn, and I know we’re at peak New England elegance for the upcoming month. I can’t wait!

What I’ve Been Reading:

I’m currently reading A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, and unfortunately I can’t recommend it.

It’s a feminist retelling of the Trojan War, and I don’t think it’s all that well done. It’s not bad enough to make me stop reading, but I’m also not having a great time.

I’m a Greek myth fan, and I’ve read both The Iliad and The Odyssey (The Odyssey several times thanks to teaching it in my freshmen English class). I’ve also read some other feminist retellings of Greek myth before: Atalanta by Jennifer Saint which was meh, but better than A Thousand Ships; and Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati, which is a solid read. All of this to say, I’ve read a great deal about the Trojan War, and I’ve been exploring feminist rewrites. This just isn’t a great one.

The only thing that this accomplished was me adding the original play “The Trojan Women” by Euripides, which I’m not sure is the entire point.

Haynes writes Calliope’s character to be so preachy about why women’s stories are important. It’s not that I disagree, but it seems a little insulting to the reader. If you’ve already picked up this book, you probably already agree and don’t need the moralistic lesson.

The characters feel pretty flat, which is disappointing. The whole point of these retellings is to give the women more depth than the original authors provided, and I think what Haynes gives lacks oomph. There’s some imagined background information and conversations, but not much else.

Hopefully next month I’ll have something more interesting for you!

What I’ve Been Watching:

You guys… I finally finished Gossip Girl! It lasted too long, and I didn’t love how some of the loose ends were tied up. I’m happy about Chuck and Blair, but not much else.

I just began season 2 of My Life With the Walter Boys. I quickly read the second book this past month in preparation, and I’m excited to see if the show follows the book. Season 1 didn’t always follow the story, but that helps keep things interesting.

Also side note–the books are ridiculous. I also don’t recommend them. It seems to be the theme of this month. 😅 I just wanted an opinion on the guys going in.

I’m solidly on team Cole, and I always have been. If you have an opinion, please share it with me!

What I’m Excited About:

To trot out the famous L. M. Montgomery quote, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” We’re in the best weather part of the year, it’s still pumpkin spice season, and here’s what I’m looking forward to:

-A Blithewold wedding

-My first and only wedding second photographing for my dear friend Morgan. We did brand photos together earlier this year, and we keep in constant contact, but we’re in a wedding drought. I’m so glad we’re fixing this!

-Dinner with some of our dear church friends. We’re excited to have them back over for some intentional time together.

-My mini sessions! My first ones ever happened last October, and I had so much fun that I’m making it an annual thing. I love seeing all of my repeat clients. It’s such a treat for me!

-We’re heading back to Esmie’s orthopedist for more scans to see her toe’s progress. I’m praying for good news! Either way, I hate waiting. So I’m grateful for more clarity coming.

-A Boston Public Garden for one of my… drumroll please… 2027 couples! I can’t believe 2027 couples are booking, but they are! And BPG looks perfect in October, so this will be an amazing session.

-A Chatham Bars Inn wedding. I’m obsessed with this venue; it’s always an absolute joy to be there!

-The Missions Conference at our church. Dillon is on our church’s mission board, and I love seeing the hard work he’s been putting in for months pay off. And hearing from some of the missionary families our church supports is always convicting, encouraging, and exciting.

–Boston Lights at the Franklin Park Zoo. We went last year for the first time, and it’s so much fun! The lanterns are beautiful and way bigger than you think. If you can still grab tickets, I highly recommend going!

Until next time,

Christine