The last day of the month, and I'm sneaking in for our monthly coffee conversations.
This will be one of those coffee dates where I order a black coffee to go, ready to dash out the door as soon as our time together is up. I'll apologize immensely for being so harried — typically I prefer long, unrushed conversations, but it's not in the cards this month.
Hopefully you've already got your drink of choice on hand, because we're diving right in.
Quick hits: moments from July
I said this would be a truncated conversation, right? So here are some quick hits from my month:
Wedding season in full swing
As of today, I've photographed 5 out of the 11 weddings on my calendar this season. Annnd in the past two weeks, I've had 4 engagement sessions.
Needless to say, it's been pretty busy! And that's exactly why this conversation will be kept short. I've got editing to do.
Venturing into video
This project keeps getting pushed back, but I've made an important step towards recipe videos: actually recording. I have a few recordings on deck, and when photo editing slows down a little, I'm going to learn how to use Adobe Premiere to make something out of the footage I have.
Don't expect much until the fall, but I'm excited about it nonetheless!
PRs on PRs

The past 3 months at Strong Roots have been INSANE.
- Did my first ever handstand push-up. Then strung 3 together.
- 20# PR on my front squat - now at 200#!
- 3 strict pull-ups
- 5# weighted pull-up
I didn't switch gyms to beat my personal records, but dang is it nice to see progress in some of the areas I want to focus on!
What I'm currently reading
- King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - Are you sick of me gushing over Leigh Bardugo this year yet? Don't worry, you'll get a break, because King of Scars was JUST released and I'll have to wait until next year for book #2! As usual, I devoured this book in a week despite how massive it is. I can't recommend this series enough!
- Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard - My current read! Another that I'm just struggling to put down. It seems like all of my favorite fantasy authors released the next books in their series this summer — and a friend of mine got me a signed copy of this one! I'm midway through and already know I'm going to have trouble waiting for the next.
- Power Composition for Photography by Tom Gallovich - Always be learning, right? This is an older book, but I picked it up at the library for a quick educational read. More than anything, I feel like I need to improve my composition in photography (both food and weddings), so now I'm soaking up all I can about it.
- The Core 4 by Steph Gadreau - I haven't actually started reading this yet, but it deserves a shout-out. My girl Steph Gadreau (who I've been following now for about 6 years!) has poured so much into this book, and I know it's going to make a huge impact on women everywhere.
Shareworthy internet reads
- A guide to eating fish sustainably and responsibly this summer.
- If you're a procrastinator like me, here's how you can take advantage of procrastination to get more done.
- Could you give up all TV and livestreaming for a month?
- Want to live more minimally? Start shopping less.
- A natural way to reduce stress — adaptogens! Here are some of the best.
New posts this month
Message from the Kitty Committee

Marley says to stay safe and stay cool in this heat. He loves being outside and soaking up those summer rays, but he's drinking lots of water and cooling off inside, too.
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