I haven’t stopped going since last Tuesday. It’s graduation season here in our small little college town and so that means cookouts, dinners, ceremonies, and oh yeah a wedding reception thrown in for fun. Lots of chances to hang out with people, cheat on my wedding diet, and not stop to even finish the dishes. I also volunteered to bring the cake for the reception, broke out the cake decorating set and had a Pinterest win with this guy. It’s not the prettiest cake in the world, but it was delicious.

But that also means when I sat down at my desk this morning my to-do list was looming and large, and instead of getting smaller it seems to be growing by the minute. Scott calls our wedding planning my third job and it keeps me busy – in fact last Monday instead of blogging I went fabric shopping with my mom. And you know what I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me wedding planning has not been a job but a joy. I’m happy to do things like that and let other things on my list wait, because this season only happens once – and it is flying by. Yes there are moments of stress but I have loved every minute. From the excitement of wandering the isles of Target picking out the plates we will serve our guests on, to scouring Etsy and Pinterest for favors and ideas, trying on and finding my dress, and seeing my sister in bridesmaid dress. But it does add things to my life, which means other tasks on my list get pushed farther and farther down. So today as my list threatened to take over and the stress crept higher. I just stopped. I pushed pause on it all, poured myself a fresh cup of coffee, and took five minutes to read a soul-refreshing chapter in Cold Tangerines while nibbling on a slice of left over wedding cake. Those 5 minutes were just enough time to focus, breathe and relax. I often get so busy planning my life and looking ahead that I forget to actually live it. In this season of course more than others. Then for my lunch hour I tuned in to CreativeLive to hear Jasmine Star talk about struggle and how “We are better and stronger when we do this together” in her 30 Day Wedding Photography course. It reminded me that in the moments I stop worrying, stop focusing on myself and all that I have to do, and slow down that things fall into place. It reminds me – the lists and tasks and to-dos aren’t what is important. The people, the connections are. And to further that idea I also purchased my ticket for the Come Together Event with Amy & Jordan and Katelyn James – more education and connecting with some of my all time favorite photographers has me wishing June 11th was tomorrow! So in this next month as wedding season only gets busier and wedding plans become crazier I’m excited for these reminders and these chances to come together, connect with other photographers in the area, and learn from each other. And ultimately to serve my brides better because of it.

And now that I’ve been inspired, taken a deep breath, and finished my coffee – I’m back to tackling that to do list. With half the stress and twice the caffeine! Here’s hoping you get a chance to slow down this Monday :)