I have not posted a personal post in a really, really, really long time.  This kind of feels like a journal entry (but I don’t journal… I have this weird fear of having to commit to writing in it all the time, and feeling guilty when I don’t, so I just don’t journal lol), but it gives you a window into a not so typical weekend in my life 🙂

This past weekend, I had no weddings.  I had a Saturday off (whaaaa?)  I don’t know about other wedding photographers, but when you work almost every Saturday during the summer and the weather is nice, those Saturday’s off with the people you love are heavily weighted to be somewhat epic.  I put a lot of pressure on those weekends… to go away, to see as many friends and family as possible, to explore a new place etc etc etc. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what I do, but when I have a weekend off, I always try to make the most of it!

This weekend, I didn’t get caught up in making EPIC plans to go away somewhere new, drive somewhere far, or squeeze in more visits than I could count. We had a few plans, but Saturday, all day, we just decided to stay in the city and hang out with some of our best friends. We didn’t set our alarms and just woke up naturally (whoa), and made coffee (necessary), Brent made breakfast (typical), and we sat on our front porch and just talked.  Just enjoyed the beautiful day outside, and the lazy morning. WHY don’t we do this MORE often?!  It was like bells and whistles were ringing off. Sometimes, it is just the simple things in life that make us so very happy.

Like many Torontonian’s, we often talk about what a great idea it would be to go over to the island for the day! BUT, like many Torontonian’s, we often don’t get around to it.  So we decided to stop at St. Lawrence Market to stock up on cheese, olives and other delicious snacks and bring a baseball gloves and a football to just toss around.  It was such a greattt day. We were exhausted by the end of it, but were so eager to meet up with some other friends at a very important person’s housewarming.  We reunited with friends from out of town, and it was just an awesome night!

Sunday morning rolls around, and I am preparing for family Mini Sessions.  But something is different, I feel so crazy refreshed (not typical on a Sunday, usually I am too eager to see the photos from the wedding from the day before, and I am importing, culling, exporting and posting sneak peeks).  But today, I realized that I am pretty damn lucky.  I had the opportunity to photograph SIX families, all but one I have photographed before in major milestones like weddings, newborns or other family sessions.  I do not offer mini sessions very often, but getting to see these families grow and change is really something special.  I photographed one little girl last year who I could not make smile if it was the last thing I did on this earth.  It was the very first time this ever happened.  THIS year, she was LAUGHING… the whole entire session.  It warmed my heart.  The very first newborn twins I ever photographed came as well, and I got to chase them all around the park, and see just how much joy they bring their parents.  I could see their comfort with me grow as one little girl came up and hugged my leg and said “thank you SO much Tamara” – last year, she couldn’t even pronounce my name! Haha.

I can’t believe how different it feels to just stop.  Stop and smell the roses, be IN the moment, and not thinking ahead.  Be present in every moment.  This is something I am not great at, but this past weekend, I can honestly say I was SO in the moment, and it felt so good.  Try it, next time you feel like life is just getting ahead of you, just stop.  Stop and take it all in, it will do wonders for you – it certainly did for me.

And because every blog is better with photos… my favourite from Saturday <3