It is officially fall, AKA my favorite time of year and the holiday season of Halloween! Not only that, but I am in the final stretch leading up to our wedding, and honestly, I can’t wait for it to finally be here. I am excited, but with the constant stress of things happening one after another, I am feeling quite anxious at the moment.
One of those things that happened was that we no longer have a wedding party! No matron of honor, no best man, no flower girl, and no ring bearer.
Why?
The best man had to drop out due to personal family issues. Then, the SAME EXACT DAY that I was texting my (ex) matron of honor about it, she dropped the bomb on me that she could not even make the rehearsal for the wedding. Her husband also decided not to attend at all, even after confirming his RSVP, because he wants to celebrate his birthday that same night as my wedding with his family.
And with how she is, there was no flexible way to make sure everything went according to plan.
She was also going to “gift” me having my hair and makeup done, but that was supposed to happen the morning of the wedding. We were supposed to get our hair and makeup done together since she and her family were going to spend the weekend at the Airbnb where we are having our wedding.
Well, since that wasn’t happening, I told her I had to create a backup plan. She then proceeded to try to turn the tables and act like I had hurt her feelings when she had made it very clear that she wasn’t dependable.
She was also supposed to plan my bachelorette party.
Well, so much for that.
So now, not only is the entire wedding party canceled, but they also won’t be attending. I also ended my more than two-decades-long friendship with my ex-matron of honor, as I have known her since the second grade.
However, BEFORE all of that happened, I had an all-girls potluck and outdoor movie night to make friends for the bachelorette party.
NOW, I am taking a sh*t situation, moving on from it, and planning and throwing my own bachelorette party here at our ranch!
I am planning to have drinking games, my photo booth set up with photo booth props, snacks, and for the main dinner, we are all going to order Uber Eats! Some of the friends I made are even coming to the wedding!
I am so, SO excited!
I also got my little bachelorette veil, tiara, and “Bride to Be” sash, which of course is purple!
As for my animal rescue work, well, there is some sad news: Hank’s Legacy Foundation is closing its doors at the end of the year!
Some good news, though: I am helping a brand-new nonprofit rescue organization called Hearts and Hounds Rescue Foundation. I am creating content, posting on their social media, and managing and designing their website!
My mom and I are also still fostering the cats that were dumped at our doorstep, along with any kittens in need. However, because of all of that, we cannot foster any dogs right now, which is a huge thing for us.
We found homes for some of the cats, though!
My personal brand and businesses are evolving very quickly after I finished high school!
Finally having that high school diploma AND my Veterinary Assistant certificate is seriously such a relief. I feel free, like I was shackled in chains and chomping at the bit to really start living and evolving in my life.
I have my third wedding that I am coordinating tomorrow, October 3rd, and I am very excited!
There will be around 100 guests, and it is going to be a very unique wedding reception. There is going to be an adult puppeteer, a contortionist, a mentalist, and even an opera singer!
The bride is a magician at the Magic Castle, so it makes sense!
I am very, VERY excited!
My photography side of the business is truly starting to take off, especially ever since I planned, coordinated, and then photographed the gothic/alternative styled shoots that are now on my photography websites!
I recently did more sessions, too!
I am now expanding my portfolio after finally being able to upgrade not only my equipment, but also my camera lenses! I recently upgraded to a 50mm lens and have also been pushing myself to use my 250mm telephoto lens more, especially for portraits, action shots, and sessions where I want to challenge myself creatively and get more out of the equipment I have.
So, very excited!
The most recent photography shoot I did was for a woman who goes by Rowan, and it was for her headshots because she is auditioning for a medical drama!
Usually, you know, it would just be a normal session.
But boy, does this woman have a story.
She started acting when she was 11 years old, but after going through a serious accident and a number of health challenges, her acting career was put on pause for quite a while. During that time, she also ended up losing the representation she had been signed with.
Now, after everything she has been through, she is finally getting back in front of the camera, rebuilding her confidence, and starting to audition again.
She is the nicest woman, and I support anyone who is trying to start over and actually follow their dreams to create the life they want.
Especially when life has thrown obstacle after obstacle at them.
It was honestly really meaningful to be part of one of her first steps back into acting and to be able to create new headshots for this next chapter of her life.
I am currently offering free 30-minute sessions!
Not only to test out my new lens, but also to really expand my portfolio again!
I used to have a huge photography portfolio that I stored on an external hard drive…
All 20,000 photos.
That external hard drive somehow got dropped and no longer works, so I lost ALL OF MY PHOTOS!
ALL.
20,000.
OF.
THEM.
I am looking to do any and all kinds of sessions, including boudoir and maternity.
Not weddings and events…
YET!
Now to answer the one question…
Why am I moving my writing to Substack?
Well, my normal blog posts will still be on my website’s blog too, but on Substack, I am planning to post articles about anything I can think of.
I have always wanted to be a writer!
When I was in elementary school, I wrote for my school’s newspaper. I love writing fantasy and fiction overall, especially teen fiction, and I also love historical fiction, mainly stories based in the 1890s!
Wish me luck!