Let’s just say that our first married Valentine’s Day wasn’t the greatest. I came home from work yesterday with a cold and a sore throat. Within an hour of being home, I had a fever and felt terrible; that in-and-out of sleep, what-is-going-on terrible. Luckily Matt and I didn’t have any big plans for the day since we both think that Valentine’s Day is sort of lame (oh, did I just say that?). Matt ran down to Sprouts and brought back juice, snacks, and dinner. He gave me medicine. We watched The Social Network for the third or forth time and went to bed early. It was pretty uneventful. But, I think it’s a good representation of how much he loves me! He’s the best.

With that said, we did get to hang out and have fun over the weekend. I was sent home from my internship on Friday with a camera in hand, ready to take some pictures of Matt. Matt wanted a few shots at Youth Venture, a teen center he works at every Sunday. So, that’s where we headed first. After that, we went to a trolley stop in La Mesa and took advantage of its cool architecture. Not only did we have fun, but I left the photo shoot knowing what I can do better and what comes easy to me. I’m ready for more.

This past year has been packed with so many good things! I love looking back over the photos of the year. It not only inspires me to take more photos, but it really sums up everything that happened. Here’s a glimpse into my 2011.

Matt and I rung in the new year celebrating with Bree (sister-in-law) and Ryan (soon to be brother-in-law). We hit the one year mark on our engagement, took a trip to the Getty, and were looking forward to married life. I designed and sold my custom cup cozies to earn a little extra money for the wedding. They were a hit.

In FEBRUARY my first wedding dress arrived. I modeled it, spun in circles, and then decided I chose the wrong wedding dress. I still can’t believe I was one of those girls who ended up buying two separate wedding dresses. In the end, it all worked out and a sweet Canadian girl got the dress of her dreams (pictured above). I also accomplished a lot as far as design is concerned. Remember this post?

In MARCH, I spend countless hours searching for bridesmaid dresses. Literally. The search ended with an inexpensive dress from Old Navy. What were the chances? This month was filled with a lot of wedding planning. I designed and launched our personal wedding website. I also snuck in a garage sale/ thrift store trip with my mom.

Besides our wedding month, APRIL was the busiest of all. Matt picked out suits for the wedding. I sketched and designed our wedding invitations. I shot behind-the-scene photos of a first aid video and experienced my first ever newborn photo shoot (Baby Brynn). Work, as well as wedding planning, were in full swing.

In MAY, Matt and I celebrated a lot of family birthdays! Becky, Bree, Ryan, my mom, and my dad all turned a year older. We received out first RSVP, which was so exciting. I also started working part-time at my church, Foothills Christian Church, as their graphic designer.

RSVPs kept rolling in in JUNE. It was crunch time when it came to the wedding. Matt and I (mostly I) had nothing but wedding planning on our minds. It really is crazy how time consuming weddings can be if you let it be! We stopped joking about running away to Vegas and the wedding actually felt like it would happen. We found a place to live and Matt moved in. I started packing.

Most of JULY looked like this: miscellaneous craft projects, a half-packed living situation, candy to keep us going, and to-do lists. But, then our wedding day came and went and a blink of an eye!

We had the perfect day. (Wedding photo by Emily Faulknor Photographers) And then we honeymooned in Breckenridge…

It was the best vacation ever. We hiked, jacuzzied, went off-roading in a Mustang (scariest-thing-ever), hiked some more, got massages, explored, and had the time of out life.

AUGUST was our first month as newlyweds. I moved in with Matt and got settled. We bought a bed frame, opened all our wedding gifts, and got used to be married. Things were new and exciting. Matt turned 25 and life was good. At work, I designed my first-ever book cover.

In SEPTEMBER, our niece Evangeline graced us with her presence! Matt and I were so excited to have a niece and I had the opportunity to take newborn photos of her. Sometime during the month, I went on an apple-picking adventure with my two best friends and the only baby in the group so far. We had so much fun.

OCTOBER was my birthday month! Matt surprised me with a brand-new iphone. We spend many nights falling in love with Mad Men and with each other a little more. I dyed my hair red. Everyone noticed. I also legally became “Lauren Lee Miller.” We picked out our first pumpkin together. Then, at the end of the month we welcomed our niece, Berkeley, into the world!

In NOVEMBER, I took photos of precious Berkeley. Matt started a new job. My sister walked the 3 day Breast Cancer Walk for my grandma who survived cancer this past year. I designed a logo for her team and we went to cheer her on. Thanksgiving came and went.

DECEMBER marked the month of our first Christmas as a married couple. With it, new schedule challenges arose as we divided our time between our families. We decorated modestly and spend cold nights cuddling while watching movies. I gathered pieces for my inspiration board, a highlight of my month. We spend New Year’s Eve at home with champagne, homemade goodies, and a movie marathon. It was the perfect way to end an eventful year.

I’m anticipating the next 3 months to be busy, busy, busy. I may be a little more absent than normal and may be skipping even more “Tuesday Love”s that I am now! My father-in-law once told me that successful people find success because all their effort is going in one direction. As much as I love blogging (which I really, really do), at this time in my life it’s going against the grain. Starting tomorrow, I will be working more hours at my day job. I’m looking forward to having more time to work on design projects and be in the office. I really love my job and think the increase in hours will be a great thing. I’ve also taken on a 3 month internship with one of my favorite photographers. I’m expecting it to be challenging and I’m hoping to gain better photography skills from it. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass by! My part-time/ sometimes full-time schedule is making the jump to full-time/ over-time and I know it will affect my blogging. So, I apologize if I go missing for some time. I feel sad just having to write that! In the upcoming months, please pray that I am able to balance my schedule, learn a lot, maintain a healthy marriage (even if the house gets messy), set aside time for myself (especially with God) and come out of this new season with a refreshed outlook and clarity.

Thank you for following along!

Here’s a glimpse into my November via Instagram. Better late than never!

Becky sneaking away at Thanksgiving   |   Wave House, Pacific Beach   |   Driving   | Frozen Yogurt   |   Matt on the boardwalk in PB   |   Downtown SD   |   A pretty ring from my grandma   |   Sunny, PB   |   Newlyweds   |   Pacific Beach, SD   |   My dad   |   Editing Berkeley’s newborn shoot   |   Matt chilling   |   Working from home   |   Matt kissing his phone   |   Christmas project on Thanksgiving   |   Doctor’s appointment   |   Chopping up veggies for a salad   |   Matt at Youth Venture   |   Too many pink polishes   |   November in Santee