2025 Life Review

     I realize it’s been an entire year since I last blogged. 2025 was a whirlwind — and I want to share a bit of that with you here. As I look ahead, I’m hoping 2026 feels more steady (which, by the way, is my word of the year).

     January kicked things off with our daughter getting married. We absolutely love our new son-in-law and are so thankful she found someone who loves her so well. We’re incredibly proud of him — he serves our community as a firefighter.

     In April, we learned that my husband’s cancer had returned. He was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021 and went into remission, but this time it came back in a different location — a lymph node near his spine, between major blood vessels. That meant more chemo and radiation, and this time it was stage 4. It took up much of our year, but honestly, once you’ve walked through cancer — especially chemo and radiation — it never fully leaves you. Every scan brings nerves, and there are always lingering symptoms from treatment.

     The good news is that he’s back in remission now, and we’re slowly finding our way back to “normal.” In the middle of all of that, our little farm brought us unexpected joy — babies being born right when we needed a reminder of sweetness and life the most. We even had a bottle baby goat living in the house for a short time… but between chemo days and long appointments, we decided the cancer clinic probably wouldn’t appreciate us bringing a goat along. 😉

     And last but not least, our youngest baby became a high school senior. He’ll graduate in May and has already been accepted to UAH, where he plans to major in Aerospace Engineering. I’m not sure how time moved that fast, but here we are.

     All in all, 2025 was a lot. Hard, joyful, exhausting, and meaningful all at once. And we are incredibly grateful to be stepping into 2026. 

     Walking through a year like this has been a reminder of how quickly life can change. Health, seasons, and even “normal” aren’t things we ever get to take for granted. That’s one reason I believe so deeply in what I do — preserving the people you love as they are right now. If you’ve been meaning to schedule family photos, update portraits, or simply document this season of life, consider this your gentle nudge. We never know when things might shift, but we can choose to hold onto the moments we have today, so contact me today to schedule your session!