This year surprised us in more ways than one, and we weren’t able to fit all of our news onto the back of our Christmas card. It’s been a year of connecting digitally with friends and family, and we cannot wait for the day when we can reunite in person.
Without further adieu, here is a longer recap of our year with a few iPhone photos scattered throughout:
January and February looked like most winter months for us. Winter is a slow season for weddings, and it is usually spent catching up on backend work (website updates, packaging fulfillment, album designs, etc.). I had two weddings in January, which started the 2020 wedding season earlier than usual. Little did I know, those would be my last two “normal” events for quite some time.
In February, we visited our dear friends in Orlando and then spent a few days at Disney with my in-laws. Kitt was more engaged with the rides this time around, but he was the most excited to splash “poppa” in the pool.
As we all know, March is when the world changed. We had planned to head to Banff for a personal trip, as well as to take a few anniversary photos for some friends. As we were getting ready to pack, we realized that we could potentially be trapped in Canada if the borders were to close (and they did). We ultimately canceled our trip, waiting to see how the U.S. was going to respond to the outbreak.
My brother and his wife had their first baby in April at the peak of the chaos. They had beautiful girl, Avery. We were incredibly bummed to have to cancel our trip to Michigan, but we didn’t feel it was safe to try to fly or visit with them at that time.
My peak wedding season was supposed to begin in April; however, with a stay-at-home order, it obviously affected the weddings that were scheduled. I spent the next few weeks (months, really) on the phone for hours with my couples trying to problem solve through unprecedented waters. A few couples canceled their events entirely. Others downsized or split their coverage between a wedding in 2020 and a reception later. Some postponed to 2021, hopeful that the world would be in a better place by then.
I’m not going to sugarcoat the experience….it was incredibly stressful.
The wedding industry was hit hard by the pandemic. I’m overwhelmingly grateful that most of my couples kept their contracts and proceeded with their events, even if they looked differently than they originally planned. I was heartbroken for my couples that had to replan their entire wedding more than once, oftentimes eliminating most of their loved ones from their guest list to keep everyone safe. I have many friends in the industry who lost 90% of their income for 2020, which is also devastating.
On the positive side, I truly felt like COVID weddings were more heartfelt and meaningful. Everyone was grateful to be alive and together, even if they had to wear a mask. The intimacy of smaller weddings also allowed for more creativity and flexibility with how my couples planned their weddings. Some even said that their day turned out better than they had originally planned.
During the height of the stay-at-home order, we spent most days exploring and hiking new trails. We were going stir-crazy at home and needed a safe + healthy outlet for our stress. We had a blast finding new waterfalls and mountaintops with our boys. Eventually, Kitt and Brendan returned to the golf course and were able to safely social distance there as well.
We spent a few weeks in Michigan in July and finally were able to meet my adorable niece. We enjoyed the mild summer temps (compared to the south) and time with family. We drove twelve hours back to Michigan again in August, only to learn that my dad had officially tested positive for COVID the following day. Thankfully, we were at my in-laws and hadn’t been exposed, but it was a disappointing trip because we couldn’t see my family at all. My mom tested negative and never had any symptoms, but my dad was sick for a couple of weeks. Gratefully, he overcame it without any serious complications.
My parents also moved at the end of the summer. They built a beautiful house on Mona Lake on my grandfather’s land. It was sad to see them pack up our childhood home. However, my best friends from high school actually bought their house, which made it an easier transition knowing that we would still have a connection to the property going forward. And, we get to see our friends more since they now live down the street from my parents :)
Most of my spring weddings postponed to the fall, which made for a really busy season because I had twice the amount of events that I would typically schedule. I had one wedding turn into a destination elopement in Santa Barbara, which was a fun way to spend my 33rd birthday. A few weeks after, I spent a week in Colorado for two elopements (Telluride + Vail), as well as a family session in Denver for a college friend.
Oh, and did I mention that we sold our house in the midst of all of this?
Brendan and I had been looking for land for the past two years in Asheville. When we purchased our house five years ago, we knew it was going to be more of a 3-5 year house rather than a forever home. We have always dreamed of building a house someday, and it finally felt like the right time to pursue it.
However, the real estate market went bananas with low interest rates and people flocking to Asheville because of the pandemic and remote work options. We discovered that houses were being picked off the market in a matter of hours. We decided it probably wasn’t the right time to move…until we happened upon THE lot.
When we visited this piece of land (after seeing many, many others), Brendan and I both felt an overwhelming sense of peace and spiritual calm. I feel like God’s voice is usually heard in more subtle ways, but we felt like it was loud in this instance.
We did our due diligence, investing about $550 into the property before we even went under contract. We checked all the boxes, made an offer, went under contract on the land, and then we were ready to list our house.
Our house sold in 48 hours with five offers, all above asking (the highest 25K over!). We were blown away. It felt like a huge blessing from the Lord, and everything from that point on went smoothly.
…until it didn’t.
I remember this week vividly. I was in the depth of peak season with multiple weddings and sessions on my calendar for the week, as well as four weeks deep in edits. Not to mention, we were packing, packing, packing; touching up paint; and arranging everything to button up both properties.
Three days before closing, I was on a mountaintop with one of my couples for their engagement session. While they were changing, I checked my phone briefly and saw a text come through from our realtor that said “call me.” I tried to get a text out to Brendan to see if everything was OK. He replied that everything was not OK. Of course, I was in an area with very limited cell service, not to mention I was in the middle of a session! I tried to shake off the bad vibes, focus on my couple, and wrap up the shoot. It was one of the most beautiful fall evenings, but as I hiked down, my anxiety climbed, not knowing what Brendan was going to tell me once I finally could get a call through.
We learned that major information was withheld from us, and our lawyer dug up some troubling information in the title search with the lot. 80% of the land was unbuildable due to a drain pipe easement owned by the neighbor. There were several other issues that were also presented, but I’m not going to go into them publicly. If you want to know more, ask me the next time we connect ;)
We were devastated.
I was already emotional from selling our house that we brought Kitt home to as a newborn. We loved our house. It wasn’t perfect, but it was ours. We sold it because we felt like it was time to build something that felt like our future.
We cried so much that week. It was a mess.
Brendan and I drove around during every spare hour we had (which were very few with packing/moving/editing/shooting), trying to find another lot that might work. We kept coming up empty.
We had planned to temporarily live at my parent’s cottage in Michigan through the winter, as I typically don’t have many (or any) sessions/weddings scheduled until March. We left Asheville with heavy hearts and a lot of uncertainty.
We spent the next two months digging and digging, uncovering more skeletons and issues with this property. At this point, you’re probably wondering why we were still pursuing this particular piece of land with so many issues? The only answer I can give is that we fell head over heels for it. We have driven all over town trying to come up another lot or house comparable and keep returning to the fact that this is the one that feels right.
Every time a door would close with this piece of property, another would open. We prayed for God to shut it down if it wasn’t meant to be. And, we kept finding solutions for all of the problems that kept arising. It’s been a long road of letting go and trusting God through each step along the way.
To date, we still haven’t closed on the property because of all the twists and turns that have occured. Presently, we are in the final phase of trying to get everything cleared up to close early in January. If you are the praying type, we’d love your prayers. We are leaning into God, trusting that He will take care of us along the way.
I’m currently writing from the house I grew up in Muskegon. There is snow on the ground, the wind is howling, and the bright blue waters of Lake Michigan cascade over the frozen sand. While we are in a strange place of transition, it is a gift to temporarily live on a slice of paradise. We are also grateful to be closer to family for a season, especially during a time when our social activities are limited because of the pandemic.
We will be back in Asheville often (especially during peak season) for work and to check in on our house (whenever we can finally break ground). Our current plan is to commute back and forth between Michigan + Asheville until our house is complete.
We hope you are healthy and safe this holiday season. Cheers to a new year when we can hopefully reconnect in person.
-Megan, Brendan, Kitt & Poa
