I have so much to be thankful for in 2019, both personally and professionally so I decided to do a Sarah Larae 2019 rewind!  Kind of like Youtube Rewind, but better.  I met all my photography goals and met so many amazing people!  My goal every year is to grow as a person and I did a lot of growing this year.  Check out my favorite experiences for 2019 in this Sarah Larae 2019 Rewind!

Personal wins of 2019!

We made our family of 4 into a family of 5!  We reached out Tennessee Dachshund Rescue, an amazing organization, and adopted our 9-year old Gracie girl.  She has been the perfect addition to our dog house.  She is sweet, sassy, and so funny.  We love her so much!

I took 2019 by the horns and made some big changes in organizing my life and taking care of my mind and body.  It started with cleaning out a lot of clutter in my house, which oddly helped clean out my head.  Josh and I started working out with Gage at FitLife Chattanooga and it changed our lives.  He introduced us to FitPlus meal prepping (Check them out!) and it was a GAME CHANGER.  We collectively lost 40 pounds and have felt better than ever.  We are going all in starting in 2020 with Gage’s 6-week challenge!  I’m really thankful for our friendship with Gage.  I really believe in his heart and the things he wants to accomplish in his business.

Josh had a pretty good year after some hiccups!  He found his dream job as a mechanical engineer and we got him a new car that he loves!  We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary and got to see Brandi Carlile in concert at Moon River!

I learned not to take any moment with my dogs for granted.  Max, my 11 year old boxer, had a tough year.  He had emergency surgery in April to remove a softball sized splenic tumor that had ruptured.  Luckily it was benign, but he suffered some heart complications.  In October he collapsed & we discovered he was having episodes of ventricular tachycardia.  He is on medication now and has mostly good days where he wants to go for walks, play with his toy, and beg for treats. Max brings me so much joy and love in my life it’s hard to put into words what he means to me.  As Elsa says in Frozen 2  “These days are precious, can’t let them slip away, I can’t freeze this moment, but I can still go out and seize this day….and I’m holding on tight to you”.

Travels of 2019!

Josh and I went back to Denver and saw The Avett Brothers, one of my favorite bands, at Red Rocks.  If you have never been to Red Rocks, stop what you are doing and put it on your bucket list.  You haven’t seen a concert until you have seen your favorite band at Red Rocks.

One of my favorite trips of the year was Yosemite! It was especially special because I got to travel with my Dad and reminisce about our time in California.  We moved to San Francisco when I was 5 and moved back to Chattanooga at 7.  We drove the seven-mile-drive on Pebble beach and visited Half Moon Bay.  I traveled out there for “Shoot Stay Rose”,  a styled shoot thrown by my friend Ryn Loren and Lauren Taylor.  They organized this amazing experience for 15 photographers and it was such an inspiring trip.  I got to make a lot of new friends and photograph some amazing places.

I went to Disney with my best friend and her kids!  Check out my blog post from that trip here!

I completed the Katelyn James Business Journey and attended her live event in Richmond with one of my best friends Ryn.  To say that this trip changed my life is not an understatement.  I thought I was going to the event to learn about business and walked away with a deeper understanding of who I am and what I want from life.  I also walked away asking myself a lot of tough questions to myself.  Ryn and I spent the next 48 hour after conference in deep thought and talking through our relationship with ourselves and our bodies.   I learned about transformational coaching and have made it a goal to seek out a coach of my own for 2020!

Photography wins of 2019!

I photographed 20 weddings and tons of engagement sessions!  We improved my SEO, started blogging regularly, grew my Instagram following by 800 followers, and have 45.2k monthly viewers on pinterest!

I finished my bridal guide!  I spent 8 months working on this guide and I was so excited to publish it this year!  This guide is exclusive for Sarah Larae couples and has tons of awesome info about planning your wedding and engagement session!

I was published for the first time!  Then 3 times after that!  It felt so good to have other wedding industry professionals recognize my work and be an inspiration to brides when planning their weddings!  I was published in The Coordinated bride and My Hometown Bride Guide.

I attended the Styled Shoots Across America conference!  It was a cool experience and I photographed a $28,000 floral installation and greenhouse imported for Disneyland in Paris!  I also participated in a few styled shoots with Penny Chevalley Artistry.  I loved the Game of Thrones shoot (even though the series broke my heart) and the Christmas shoot!

Thanks for reading my Sarah Larae 2019 Rewind!

I’m so excited for what 2020 has in store!  I already have some pretty amazing couples and venues on the books and I’m so excited!  My goals include continuing to work on my health and grow my business.  I also want to be more positive about myself, celebrate small wins and focus on encouraging other people in pursuing their goals.  I have the same goal of 20 weddings for 2020 because I’m still working full time as a pharmacist and I’m already 50% booked!  That job is something I don’t plan to give up because I truly love both!  Pharmacy and photography are both my passions so why give either up?  Watch out 2020!  Here we come!