It’s so hard to believe that today is September. September, babes!!! Where did summer go? How are we 75% through with 2016? I’m already getting wedding inquiries for 2018 #whoa

When I feel like time is flying by so fast, I try to take a second to stop. Just be in the moment. Think about where I am, what I’m doing, who I’m with. I think back to what I was doing a year ago. So what was I doing a year ago?

September 1, 2015. It’s actually a super important date to me. It was the day that I began actually living my life. The day I finally put myself first and decided that I am good enough. A year ago today, I wrote this blog post. Yep, today is my 1 year anniversary from when I left my full-time corporate America job. One year today of being self-employed. One year today of no drama or stress or tears. One year today of being truly happy.

To my family, my husband, all my clients, my friends. Thank you for all supporting me over the past year <3 Love you all more than words can say! You’ve made my dream a reality!

For fun, I’m taking a look back at my self-employment update from one month in and seeing what’s changed!

— Leggings have become my uniform. They’re just so comfy to sit at my desk in. // Okay so I’ve actually updated this to wearing dresses most days and GASP… jeans :) I’ve missed jeans.

— When I look through my closest, I realize I need to clean it out because I’ll never wear 1/2 the stuff in there any more. // I purged all of my old corporate America outfits and donated them to people who could use them!

— I look forward to getting dressed up (aka: in normal clothes) to take the babe out on some errands. // This is still kinda true. I dread and look forward to (at the same time) getting ready to go somewhere! It seems like a lotta work but I love it :)

— I suck at eating lunch. Like really suck. I just snack on little things here and there. I must eat a legit lunch. For real. // Yea this is pretty much the same. I make sure to get a breakfast in. Then usually forget lunch because I’m busy with work or the babe, then eat dinner.

— I find an excuse to leave here a couple times a week to stretch my legs and walk with the babe. It’s so nice to have the freedom to run errands if I need to OR to just stop working and go outside. // This has been the BEST! The freedom has been just what my soul needs. No more people watching over me. No feeling like a child!

— My favorite mid-day break is to take the babe on the balcony and sit with him. It’s so cute watching him as he starts to play with toys or just enjoying the baby snuggles. // The dude is overly mobile now and loves to sprint. No, not run but SPRINT! He’s a ball of energy, but I love the time I get to spend with him and the bond we have <3

— The hardest thing to do is to separate your to-do lists, photography separate from regular life. I tend to spend the morning cleaning up the house and doing laundry and dishes. I have to have a clean environment to think clearly :) But for real, I need to find a way to better schedule each day so I don’t get carried away with house/regular life items. // This is a work-in-progress. With having the dude to myself during the day, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the house/regular life things. BUT I have been doing a better job of getting him in a routine so I can have set times that I can do work :)

— My to-do list gets longer each day. I always find new things I want to do as a photographer. Things I was never able to do before. It’s kinda awesome! I really want to learn calligraphy and possibly start doing workshops to help educate others that are just starting out! // This is spot on. As a business owner and creative, you’re always trying to find ways to get better, be better, etc. I welcome this part, so long as I don’t get carried away!

— Babies like a lot of attention. Typing one-handed is a skill I’m learning to master. // If I only knew back then how much attention they’d need as they get older :) One-handed typing? Yea I wish. The dude now steals my keyboard, so I have to chase him around the house to get it back as he giggles :)

— Spotify is my new best friend. // We’re still besties. We have BFF bracelets.

— I love seeing my husband again. He gets home during my office hours so he takes the babe while I finish up the day! // This has been a blessing. I actually get to see him. And spend time with him. And have family time together! Before I worked 99% of the time and maybe 1% of the time would actually sit and relax.

— I have a legit focus problem that I need to fix. My brain operates at a million times a minute, so I’m constantly jumping from one thing on my to-d0 list then to the next before the first one is finished. I end up having 15 things half done instead of 7 things complete. // Still working on this one. I have to-do lists that I prioritize. I try to stick to just a few things at a time versus everything. I’ve also learned that once I’ve checked my emails in the morning, I log out and don’t look at it again until I finish tasks on my to-do list. Otherwise I’d be living in my email :)