Est. 2012 | Colorado Springs, Colorado and Charlottesville, Virginia wedding & family photographer

I’m back from my last planned trip to Florida for the year… I’ll be the first to admit that it was REALLY hard leaving and saying goodbye knowing that months stand in between Alex and I. But on the bright side, because Alex and my schedules are so crazy between now and December, this time should fly by fast! And gosh, I can hardly wait! This past trip was incredible, and I have some pretty photos to share with you all on the blog later this week! Between DIY projects, sessions, and adventures, there’s a lot to show you. 🙂

On a side note, I hope you’re enjoying these “Dopes and Nopes” posts! It’s a fun switch from the “Weekend Recap,” but I think this really shows more of what is going on behind the scenes. 🙂 This week kicks off the fall wedding/portrait season, and it’s going to be a busy one! You may have noticed that things have been a bit quiet on my end. Between the minimal blogging, social media posts, sessions, and emails, I haven’t been as active as my typical business routine. I took some personal time this summer to spend it with loved ones, work on some DIY projects because it feeds my soul so much happiness being creative, and work on some random business work. A lot is going on behind the scenes business-wise, though! Especially with a new website in progress (AH!!!)! Now that I’m back in my office, I’m getting back into the groove of things! It was so sweet taking the summer to reenergize to get excited for the fall season with the sweetest couples. <3 I have so many ideas, plans, and announcements ahead, it’s literally going to be nonstop until December! I’m ready to buckle down and conquer my to-do list. 🙂

Another side note — If you are interested in Christmas mini sessions, I’m starting to put together an interest list!!! Email me at info@stephaniemessick.com to get on my list and receive information! 🙂

Let’s jump into the dopes and the nopes from the past week, shall we!

Dopes

Dope #1

I can actually cook! HAHA! For real, though. My mom and sister were concerned back in my early college years. I’ve come a LONG way. 🙂 I wanted to make sure Alex’s day of birth was celebrated with a scrummy homemade meal. Soooooo… I cooked steak for the first time in my life, and it was good!!! I made a garlic lemon rosemary butter to go with it as well as bacon wrapped asparagus and homemade mac and cheese. Let’s not forget dessert!!! I made a brownie chocolate chip cookie dough cake!!! Ohhhhh my gosh… The real secret was warming up the cake and toss a scoop of ice cream on top. SO GOOD. I’m ready to conquer the world of cooking now that I have made this meal. 😉 JK!!!!!!! I’m by no means a chef. I’ll leave that to my family!

Dope #2

My friend, Michelle, and I saw NEEDTOBREATHE and JohnnySwim in concert!!!! If you haven’t listened to their music, I highly recommend checking them out! Not only are they incredible artists, but they are great people. 🙂 I adored watching Amanda and Abner (JohnnySwim) perform because of the way they flirt with each other on stage was precious! And, of course, when they sang “Home” (you might recognize the song from Fixer Upper!!), everyone went nuts! 🙂 As soon as Bear and Bo took the stage, I was in awe! So much passion and raw talent!!! I’ve been listening to their music nonstop since seeing them live because I’m still feeding off the energy from that night! One of my personal favorites was when they sang, “Great Night” because … Well, I love a good upbeat-jam song to dance and sing along! Ha! I also really loved watching JohnnySwim and NEEDTOBREATHE sing their new song, “Forever on Your Side.” Made me think of Alex. <3 <3 <3 I hope to see them again, but with the addition of Alex, since they are his favorite band! <3

Dope #3

Completed fun DIY projects!!!! I gave you a little hint that I was working on some projects while visiting Alex in Florida. But I thought I would share some sneak peeks!!! 🙂

BEFORE

AFTER

I painted, cleaned the grout, upcycled a kitchen table set and built floating shelves! 🙂

I also built in a butlers pantry so he could eliminate this cabinet the previous owner left behind for pantry goods. 🙂 This was one of the biggest projects I’ve taken on to date and I cannot wait to share all about this with you all!!!!

If you remember the damage Ollie did on the Nopes list last week … I was able to fix it with free samples from Lowes, scissors, liquid nails and a staple gun! 🙂 SUPER easy!!!!! The coloring might not be exactly perfect, but at least it’s repaired until Alex wants to put in hardwood!Dope #4

A sweet, adorable family I photographed last year are featured on Minted on their Holiday card design!!! So cool!!!!!

Dope #5

I took an afternoon/evening to myself! It has been a while since I’ve done this, but it was SO nice to relax, take a long bath and watch my newest favorite show, Scrubs while indulging in ice cream! 🙂 I’m glad I did this because I looked at my calendar last night and noticed my first day “off” won’t be until September 2nd. Bring it on!!! 🙂

Nopes

Nope #1

I tried playing electrician when building Alex’s butlers pantry… Turns out I’m not an electrician. HA! A) I cut the desired hole where another electrical box is on the other side of the wall, which left no room to install a new box and B) the wires were stapled to the stud which meant I couldn’t easily fish the wires up the wall. I had to share photos because I was proud of myself for not being afraid of making it as far as I did! 🙂 Unfortunately, the cabinet I installed hides the current outlet, but I left an outline inside the cabinet so I know where the outlet is in case I want to do something about it. 🙂

Nope #2

I cannot believe I’m sharing this photo with you … or this story … BUT I actually fell down during a session!!! HAHAHA! I mean, it was a sunrise session on rocky, sandy terrain in flip-flops … Without coffee. HA! Somehow, when I mention coffee, it makes the reasoning so much better. 😉 Note to self… Drink coffee before a sunrise session (duh.) and wear hiking boots to Great Falls National Park! HAHA! #lessonlearned

Nope #3

BEES. Wasps everywhere!!!! I would love to hear input on this “nope!” This nest above is pretty big, but I actually have three other wasp nests around the outside of my house forming! Why??? It happened out of nowhere, and now I have them practically moving in! My dad already knocked down two other nests earlier this month. And I put on my big girl pants and sprayed two reachable nests. It was sad watching the bees die. 🙁 Oh, the weird things we experience as homeowners…

What to Expect on the Blog this Week

Graham & Meghan | Great Falls, Maryland Engagement

Zack &  Debbie | Washington, DC Engagement

Have a wonderful start to your work week!!!

Xoxo!!