Babymoon in the English Countryside

Alex and I were very blessed to be able to travel to England a few weeks ago for a babymoon/3 year anniversary trip! We have friends that live outside of London and so we were able to stay with them and we get very cheap airline tickets (if you're looking to fly to Europe on the cheap, check out WOW Air...just be sure to pack light, that's how they get you!). We both absolutely LOVE England. I studied abroad in London my senior year at Clemson and enjoyed going back with Alex last year (see parts one, two, three, and four of that trip) and then again this year. Alex is currently working on a PhD in Historical Theology on Charles Spurgeon who was a famous English pastor in London in the 1800's and so he's gone to England one additional time without me to do a lot of research on Spurgeon. 

This time, our trip mainly consisted of driving around the English countryside and visiting small villages and eating lots of cream tea (cream tea consists of a scone, jam, clotted cream, and tea). We were able to spend a few days in the Cotswolds which was a dream come true for me because I have ALWAYS wanted to go there and it did not disappoint! We also got to see Dorset and the coast and the beautiful countryside in Somerset. One of our last days there, we went to the small town of Chawton and saw Jane Austen's house where she wrote all of her novels. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and a big fan of Victorian English literature in general, so that was very exciting (don't worry, Alex enjoyed it too)! We also went to the small village of LaCock which is where the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice was filmed, it was adorable. In addition to Austen's house, picture below you'll also find William Churchill's house, C.S. Lewis' house, and Headley Grange (where Zeppelin recorded Stairway to Heaven).

I'm excited to share that I will be opening a store soon with a few of my favorite prints from my two trips to England! I'll share more soon, but these prints will be high quality photographic art prints and I think they would make great gifts or would be wonderful framed in your home. I can't wait to share more details soon! 

For now, here's some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

It's a...

BOY!!

We are so excited to announce that we will be welcoming a baby boy into the world in October! Here's a few updates on my pregnancy (you can also read my first pregnancy post here):

How far along are you?
I am 18 weeks and due October 27.

How are you feeling?
I feel great! Since I've gotten out of the first trimester I have much more energy and thankfully no more nausea. 

What gender did you think the baby would be?
I thought it would be a boy (I promise I'm not just saying that now!). I thought was a boy because I didn't have very bad morning sickness (which they say is a sign of a boy) and ask I got into my second trimester I started to feel a lot of little kicks (which I figured meant I have an active baby and possibly a boy). 

What have been some of your favorite pregnancy products so far?
So far the the belly band has been a life saver! I pretty much stopped being able to button my jeans at 10 weeks and so for the last 2 months I have used a belly band in order to fit into my regular jeans. I'm just getting to the point now where I can't fit in my regular jeans with a belly band. I'll let you know in my next update post what good maternity jeans I find (the struggle is real, it is so hard to find good maternity clothes!). A few things I loved in the first trimester when I had morning sickness were: Gin Gins, Preggie Pops, and No Morning Sickness Tea. 

What clothes are you wearing?
As mentioned above, I am still wearing normal jeans with a belly band. I have also been wearing a lot of maxi dresses and I purchased a few maternity dresses from target. So far I have found the best places to shop for maternity are Old Navy, Gap, Target, H&M, Asos, and Pink Blush.

What have you done to prepare for the baby?
So far we have painted the nursery (Sherwin Williams Repose Gray at 50% strength) and I have registered for a birth class for us to take at the hospital. I have also been reading this book (thanks to my sweet friend Lauren who gifted it to me!). We have also started going through some baby name apps and making a list of potential names.

What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to beginning to register for baby items (although I also overwhelmed by all the stroller, car seat, etc. options!). I am also VERY excited to begin decorating the nursery. I will share some update pictures as I begin doing setting things up!

Please let me know if you have other questions! I'm hoping to post a pregnancy update every few months.

Some Big News!

Alex and I are thrilled to announce that we are pregnant with our first child! This is a blessing that we have been praying for and we could not be more thankful to God for giving us this little life! We've already told family and some friends and so today I'm sharing answers to a lot of the most common questions they have asked me:

How far along are you?
I am just about to enter my second trimester at 13 weeks.

When are you due?
I am due October 27. We could have a halloween/Reformation day baby!

How have you been feeling?
Overall, I've been feeling pretty good! I have been very tired and mildly nauseous. But usually as long as I eat every few hours, I feel pretty good. I'm very thankful because I know morning sickness can be much worse for some women!

Have you had any cravings or aversions?
I have been craving fruit and citrus things (I've definitely never eaten this many clementines in my life!) and I've also been craving sweets (mainly donuts and baked goods...but I often wanted those before I was pregnant too so I don't know how much of a pregnancy craving it is!). As far as aversions go, unfortunately I've had a strong aversion to chicken, which has been difficult because chicken is the meat I typically eat and cook the most! I've had a hard time with meat in general but I can eat most meats other than chicken.

Are you going to find out the gender?
For sure! Alex and I are way too impatient to wait. :) We will find out the gender in June.

Photo by Naisang Photography

So you were pregnant when Alex got in his accident?
A lot of people have asked me this! For those of you who don't know, Alex was in a head on collision back in March. I may share more about it on the blog about it at some point. But yes, I was about 6 weeks pregnant when it happened. Alex's accident was so scary for many different reasons, and it happening shortly after we found out I was pregnant was definitely one of them! I am still amazed and so thankful that Alex came out of it with just a 3 day stay in the hospital and a collapsed lung. It's truly a miracle that it wasn't worse, God protected him. It was an incredibly difficult few weeks in our lives and I am so thankful for the comfort that I have in knowing God is with me in the midst of trials like the one we experienced. I truly can't imagine going through something like that without Christ. I felt God giving me a supernatural strength during that time that I know did not come from myself. The Lord is truly near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

How will this affect DiPrima Photography?
Having a baby shouldn't actually affect my business much! I will be taking October-December off from weddings to give myself time in October in case the baby comes early and then to take maternity leave. Other than that, I plan to move forward with shooting weddings as normal. I will be taking on a limited number of weddings in 2018 and I am already partially booked so it is good to get your date on my calendar as soon as possible. :)

Thank you for reading along! I plan to share periodic pregnancy related posts for those who are interested so be sure to check back!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." -Psalm 127:3-5

My Goals for 2017

Photo by Sammi Evans Photography

I always love the start of a new year because it gives me time to reflect and to plan. I absolutely LOVE setting goals and I love reading what other people's goals are (I find it so inspiring!). Last year I shared my goals for 2016 and I am so happy to share that I accomplished most of them (at least most of the business goals!). A few of my favorite memories and goals accomplished from 2016 include: 
-A trip to England
-A trip to Charlottesville
-Photographing 14 weddings
-Being published in Budget Savvy Bride & Fab You Bliss
-Being featured on Kleinfeld's Instagram!
-Getting to know many new wedding planners, photographers, and other vendors

2017 is going to be a year of BIG changes. For starters, I'm SO excited to announce that we bought a house!!! I have been holding off on sharing this publicly until it was more certain. We still have not closed yet but our closing date is in 10 days and so I feel more comfortable sharing now. I can't WAIT to move in, decorate, and slowly make it our own. Be on the lookout for more home-related blog posts in 2017! In addition, my husband and I will be moving to Winston-Salem and planting a church (read more about that here). There are a lot of unknowns, but I trust the Lord and I could not be more thankful to experience all of them by Alex's side. Without further ado, here are my goals:

My business goals for 2017:

1. Photograph 20 weddings (including one international wedding!).

2. Re-brand and get a new website and new collateral items designed. In addition, I'd love to get a promo video made.

3. Do 2-3 styled shoots.

4. Get at least 2 weddings and 2 styled shoots published.

5. Invest in more gear.

6. Attend a workshop.

7. Start offering business mentoring and coaching and design and teach a class for beginner photographers.

8. Serve my clients well and find ways to bless each of them individually!

9.  Blog at least 3 times a week every week.

10. Establish my business in Winston-Salem and get to know new vendors and creatives in the area. 

11. Launch a branding photography package. 
I've had a few opportunities to take branding pictures and headshots for creative small businesses this year and I have LOVED it! I really want to do this type of commercial photography more often for creative small businesses and so I want to start thinking through a photography package to offer. Please let me know if you or a business owner you know would be interested in this!

My personal goals for 2017:

1. Spend time in the Word and in prayer daily.

2. Memorize a book of the Bible.

3. Work out at least 30 minutes 3x per week.

4.. Get to know my neighbors and other women in Winston-Salem.

5. Make our new house a HOME and show regular hospitality.

6. Grow in loving my husband better, encouraging him more frequently, and exercising more self control by withholding mean or unhelpful words.

7. Serve our new church plant faithfully.

8. Read 10 books.

9. Take more personal pictures.

10. Grow and maintain a garden. Also learn more about flowers and landscaping (yay for having a yard!).

We're Moving!

Some of you may already know this, but my husband and I are moving to Winston-Salem. We currently live in a small town, Mebane, NC, which is located about an hour east of Winston. We hope, Lord willing, to buy a house in Winston so our moving date is dependent on when we close on a house (our hope is by February or March 2017). 

So why are we moving to Winston-Salem? We are moving because we believe that God has called us to plant a church there. My husband has been working at Grace Reformed Baptist in Mebane as a "Church Planting Resident" for the past year and he's been pursuing his PhD in Historical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. But his training and preparations for what he believes God has called him to do actually started a lot further back than last year...

 

The History Behind the Church Plant

My husband began to feel a call to ministry and the call to be a pastor when he was 13. A few years later, he began to pursue the idea of planting a church. He approached one of his best friends (Brad) and his two brothers (Anthony and Zack) about the possibility of planting a church together in the future. These 4 men approached Grace Reformed Baptist in Mebane and asked the church to train them and to determine whether or not they were qualified for ministry. Alex has also been extremely blessed to have an older mentor and pastor in his life, Pastor Fisher. Pastor Fisher was his pastor throughout his childhood and during his college years, Alex spent his summers at Grace training with Pastor Fisher. After graduating from Clemson, Alex moved to Mebane to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and to continue training with Pastor Fisher. Throughout this entire process, Pastor Fisher and Grace Reformed Baptist have confirmed and continued to support Alex's calling towards becoming a pastor and planting a church. In the last year, as I mentioned above, Grace hired Alex and began to formally move forward with the church planting process. Alex and I are both extremely thankful for all of the support and guidance our sending church has given to us so far. I also have to say that I am particularly blessed by and thankful for Pastor Fisher's sacrificial involvement in Alex's life. I know that he has had a large part in forming Alex's theology, his maturity, his love for the Lord, love for the saints, and love for the church.

Why Winston-Salem?

So why are we planting a church in Winston-Salem? We desire to lean heavily on our sending church and we want to be directed by our elders. The elders at Grace felt that it would be best to stay in North Carolina so that the people at Grace can be intimately involved in supporting and helping the church plant. Once North Carolina was determined, Alex and Pastor Fisher began meeting with men who were able to give them detailed information about the demographics and needs of various cities in North Carolina. Winston-Salem emerged as one of the more needy cities in North Carolina. Winston-Salem is part of the Piedmont Triad and with a population of nearly 250,000, Winston-Salem is one of the largest cities in NC. The city features several universities including Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. With estimated population growth of over 40% coming to the city in the next 10 years, and with 85-90% of the current population not meaningfully involved in a local church, Winston-Salem is a prime target for church planting in the state of North Carolina. 

What Will This Mean for DiPrima Photography?

Thankfully, this move actually won't change much for DiPrima Photography. Many of the weddings I shoot are already in the Triad area and my hope is to continue targeting more weddings in the Triad area. It also opens up the possibility of traveling to Charlotte, Boone, and Asheville with reduced or no travel fees. 

How Can I Learn More?

You can learn more about Emmanuel Church of Winston-Salem (the name of our church plant!) by visiting this website. You can also read Alex's blog and subscribe to our newsletter. Please also feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you're interested in getting involved (or have friends living in Winston who may be interested)! If you desire to pray for us, here's a few of our current requests:

• Please pray for our small group meetings which are meeting every other Saturday in Winston-Salem. Pray that our time together would be profitable and unifying. Pray that God would continue to bring interested contacts and that God would form us into a church.
• Pray that God would continue to form and finalize a core team that will be moving with us from Mebane to Winston-Salem. We have a couple of families who are currently considering coming with us. They need the Lord to give them wisdom as they make many important decisions.
• Pray for opportunities to share the gospel in Winston-Salem. Pray that God would give us and our team boldness.

I am excited and nervous about this next big endeavor in our lives. I am so thankful to know that I can rest in God's sovereignty and His faithfulness to build His church. Our earnest hope and prayer is that we would be able to reach the lost and needy in Winston-Salem with the gospel and that God would form His church. In spite of all the unknowns, the fears, and the pressures, we look to Jesus for our confidence. My plea is what Paul's was in Acts 20:24: "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."