Friday Finds: Fall Wardrobe Picks + A Favorite Lipgloss

Happy Friday!! Yesterday and today were the first two days that felt like true fall, as the last week has been in the 90's! We've got another little heat wave coming, but today I wore a sweater so I've got cozy clothes on the brain. I'm sharing a few fall essentials with you, all under $50!

plaid top / gray sweater / oatmeal cardigan / poncho / striped sweater / coral top with ruffle sleeves / floral dress / black booties / strappy sandals / plaid blouse / distressed denim (okay, these are under $65!) / purple open tie sweater / gold tassel earrings / stone necklace 

Also, I had to tell you my favorite new booties are on sale! Order a half size down. You can see them here when I wore them with a cute dress.

 This sweater is in the above collage, but I just had to show you it on me, because I LIVE in it in fall and winter! It's under $40 and is literally the warmest, most soft sweater. My mom has it in two color, and so do I ;)

The last thing I have to share with you is my new found love for Beauty Counter. I've been wanting to switch over all my makeup to natural, chemical-free makeup for a while, and I finally took the plunge, starting with the 5 minute face collection.  It really does only take me 5 minutes, which I love!! I like it so much, I'm definitely going to be replacing my current makeup with Beauty Counter products as they run out! I have my eye on their lipstick next!  I currently have the lip gloss in Peony color from the face collection and love it. It's so soft and soothing and lasts a long time. And best part? Super safe for your skin!

That's it! Hope you enjoy your weekend :)

xoxo

interior design website / services / portfolio

4

Client Reveal: Laundry Room

How is your week so far? Incase you missed it, yesterday I shared a little update we made in our dining area at our apartment! Today I'm giving you a tour of the laundry / mudroom in one of my clients' homes. This is one of my favorite rooms in her house! It's so functional and bright. It would make doing laundry...dare I say it...fun! This backsplash is to tie for. As soon as we saw it, I knew she had to have it. It's a stainless steel tiles, which ties in nicely to the gray washer and dryer. 

Aren't the cabinets my client had designed so beautiful? 

We also had a custom bench cover made for this nook. It's the perfect spot to sit down and take your boots off after a day outside in the snow. I love the fabric we chose for it!

Ashley Slater Photography // Paint: Wedgewood Gray  What do you think? Would this make doing laundry a little more enjoyable? I sure think so! If you want to see the rest of this client's house:

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Entry Way

Happy Wednesday! xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

3

Our New Dining Chairs

Hi ladies! First things first, This is Us comes back tonight for season 2 and I couldn't be more excited. If you haven't watched season 1, you have about 12 hours to binge ;)  Okay, on to the post...

We've lived in our apartment for about 18 months now and we really love it. It would be nice to have some more space (like an extra bedroom!) but having a garage, a pool, a workout room and a washer and dryer in our unit are a few things that we're really thankful for. Because of the small space, the dining area (not even a room) doubles as the office / work space. Therefore, we need some really comfortable chairs since they are playing double duty for us. A few weeks ago we got a pair of new chairs and we're both loving them!! We really liked the ones we had before, but my husband requested more sturdy chairs this time, which I had to agree with. I still wanted a light chair with darker legs and some sort of detailing, so that's what I set out to find. 

I found these chairs at Lamps Plus, who I always thought just had lighting, but nope! Lamps Plus has tons of awesome chairs, among other furniture, and they won't break the bank. They looked sturdy and had the beautiful tufting AND nail head trim, so viola! They were perfect. We're really happy with the new ones and I like how they fill the space a bit better, too. My husband approves them because they are a lot wider than our old chairs and don't creek with movement. Yay!

Flowers from our anniversary trip :)

Table- I custom designed it and had a builder make it for me locally / Chairs 

Now I find myself wanting a small round rug for under the table. I'm still debating getting one, because I'm not sure if it's worth it for the time we have left at our apartment, but I know it would look so great and really warm the space up! I'll keep you posted ;)

I'll be back next week with some other updates around our apartment! xoxo

interior design website / services / portfolio

We received these dining chairs c/o Lamps Plus, but all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thanks for supporting brands that keep MND doors open :)

1

Wedding & Marriage Q's with Blog Friends

Well, I guess it's the first official day of Autumn today-- so happy fall! It certainly doesn't feel like fall here this week (I'm not complaining!) as it's been in the 90's. Ironic that our hottest week of summer is the last week of summer. 
Today I'm excited to share a few more Q&A's with you, with answers from my sweet blog friends! You met them all on Tuesday's post, so they're back today with some encouraging and hopefully helpful answers to a few questions I got from readers.
1. Worst piece of wedding planning advice you received or read online / in a magazine?

- My photographer (the same one that didn't get a portrait of us) told me that I would only need individual shots of each of our wedding party, because it would lay out better in the wedding book. While this is true, I really miss not having pictures of me and my bridesmaids (and same goes for my husband with his groomsmen). During my girlfriend's weddings, birthdays, etc..it would be nice to have a forever photo of the two of us on my wedding day, but I don't have that all because my photographer wanted the artistic shots for our wedding book. -- Natasha, Schue Love
- I used to be a party stylist and I specialized in dessert tables.  I can't tell you how many people told me to make my wedding cake or do my own dessert table!  I'm so glad I didn't. That would have been incredibly stressful!  I almost made macarons as favors for our guests but we had close to 300 people and making that many macarons the day before my wedding would have been maddening.  I'm all about DIY but I wouldn't recommend added stress right before your wedding. -- Hannah, Hannah Matthew Design
- Everyone told me at the time not to hire a videographer. But I wish I had!! -- Amanda, Marshall's Abroad
- This wasn't as much "advice" as it was a negative comment that clouded our wedding planning. I guess it was unsolicited ;) A relative looked me in the eyes and said "your wedding doesn't matter. All the stuff you're talking about- flowers, food...- none of it matters." He said this in a mean-spirited tone, which made my so sad. Of course the wedding stuff and details don't ultimately matter! BUT as a designer and as a woman, I wanted to spend time putting details together to create a beautiful and memorable day. There's nothing wrong with that-- don't let anyone tell you otherwise! In my opinion, creating a beautiful atmosphere and putting care into your planning is a way to show your excitement for the marriage. At least it was for me! -- Michaela
 Best advice you have for brides planning their wedding?
- I have two! 1. Prepare for your marriage more than you prepare for your wedding. Whether that looks like a premarital retreat, seeking counsel from an older and wiser couple you admire, or reading marriage books together, taking the time and effort to prepare for life beyond your wedding day is the most important thing you can do during your engagement. 2. You will never regret the money you spend on having your day captured. If your dream photographer/videographer is a touch out of your budget, cut the custom cocktail napkins, play an iPod playlist during cocktail hour instead of hiring your DJ for an extra hour...do whatever you can to have your wedding captured by people whose work you love and whose personalities you click with. -- Lisa, Something Pretty

- Always think of the big picture.  At the end of the day you are married, and a solid marriage is worth WAY more than pinterest perfect photos.  I'm someone who LOVES details, but nothing is going to go completely as planned, and that's okay.  Don't sweat the small stuff!  -- Sarah, Sarah Tucker
- The wedding lasts a day and the marriage lasts forever, make sure that you are investing time in building your relationship, communicating, going to counseling etc instead of just focusing on the planning of that specific day. -- Brittany, Brittany Price Brooker
- 1. If you're planning your wedding on your own, try to find a trusted friend or acquaintance who will be willing to be the day of coordinator. We had a family friend do that for us and it was incredibly helpful to have someone directing the course of the day so that my Mom and I didn't have to think about it!
2. We just moved back to the States after living in Croatia for the past two years. Weddings are completely different there and refreshed my perspective!  In Croatia, weddings have almost nothing to do with Pinterest (though I think creating a beautiful wedding is important and loved planning all the details of mine!) and everything to do with all-out celebrating, often for multiple days of dancing, drinking, eating, singing. Usually the money spent goes toward food and alcohol and having a band that follows from the pre-party to the church to the reception. They are crazy and so much fun. Experiencing Croatian weddings has influenced my advice to be: ENJOY your wedding! When your wedding day arrives, stop planning, freaking out over every detail, and the things that don't go as planned. Instead, have the time of your life! Marriage is meant to be truly celebrated! -- Amanda, Marshall's Abroad
- Get a wedding planner! There's no reason for you or your parents to be stressing on the happiest day. -- Michaela

What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

- My favorite moment of our wedding day was our first look.  I would highly recommend doing a first look to any future brides out there!  It was just a really special moment for the two of us before the wedding and after seeing the photos, even my mom said she had never seen me smile so big. -- Hannah, Hannah Matthew Design

- My favorite moment was when we were saying our vows and we got to the parts of sickness and health and the sorrow parts, we both cried because we knew the great magnitude of that promise to each other having experienced those things with our first spouses, we knew what we were promising to do and we still said "with all my heart I do." -- Brittany, Brittany Price Brooker

Ryan Ray

- While our first look, walking down the aisle, and saying our vows were all incredible, memorable moments, the one that stands out the most for both of us is one we hadn’t planned or anticipated. After the last song of the night, our DJ sent all of our guests outside to get ready for our sparkler exit. I was standing at the edge of the dance floor alone, trying to take in everything just one more time, when our DJ began to play “La Vie en Rose” over the speakers. Before I knew what was happening, my new husband pulled me onto the dance floor and held me close while we had one more dance. We held each other and cried grateful tears and said “We’re so lucky” over and over again. We’ve danced to that song just a few times since that day, and every time, when I close my eyes, I’m right back there in that perfect moment. -- Lisa, Something Pretty

- My favorite moment of the day was when I walked down the aisle. I spent so much time planning our ceremony and envisioning what it would be like to walk towards my future husband and it was one of the best moments ever! -- Nicole, Nicole Cole

What is something you've learned about yourself through marriage?

- I've learned that I'm the emotional one and my husband is the level-headed, logical one ;) But in all seriousness, I've learned to let go of some (not all) of my type-A tendencies and that it's all about compromise.  We always discuss things with each other prior to making decisions and we come to those decisions together. -- Hannah, Hannah Matthew Design

- That as much as I may want to be everything to my husband, I can't, and shouldn't be. We don't complete each other--only God can fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts. The purpose of our marriage isn't to make us happy (although most of the time, it certainly does!); the purpose of our marriage is to lead one another closer to the Lord. -- Lisa, Something Pretty

I never thought I was a jealous, irrational, hot-tempered or slow to forgive type of person.... buuut turns out I was wrong ;) -- Amanda, Marshall's Abroad

I answered this in yesterday's post here!

Three of your favorite date nights.

1) Progressive Dinner: appetizers, dinner and dessert at three different restaurants.

2) Pizza, a bottle of wine and a movie on the couch!

3) Double dates--we love spending time with friends!

-- Natasha, Schue Love

- Baseball games, watching a play at the theatre, and walks on the beach.

-- Sarah, Sarah Tucker

- Favorite date nights would be working out together, dressing up and doing something special, and going to the park and packing a picnic and just talking. We both love quality time so however we can make that happen we love too. -- Brittany, Brittany Price Brooker

 If you could share any marriage advice with others, what would it be?

- Never lose sight of the respect you have for your spouse. All the other attributes may ebb and flow, but respect is what keeps a couple together. Having respect that that the other can make sound decisions, bounce back after loss, and take care of you and your family is number one in my book! -- Natasha, Schue Love

- Learn their love languages, and then shower your spouse in their version of love.  -- Sarah, Sarah Tucker

- My marriage advice would be to draw close to each other when struggles come. Talk through the stress and become a team. Struggles and hard seasons come and walking through those difficult days are so much sweeter when you walk together, on the same team! -- Nicole, Nicole Cole
- We did pre-marital counseling with our pastor before we got married and something he said to me specifically has stayed with me all these years: No matter how mad or upset you are, don't withhold physical love. In fact, it's during those times it's the most needed. God uses it as a protection, stress-reliever, joy and a whole host of other good in our marriages. -- Amanda, Marshall's Abroad
- One of the greatest things I recommend is yearly tune ups. Just like cars that are running could be running better and therefore we take them for tune ups,  marriages that are functioning can always function better. Whether its counseling or marriage mentorship, take time to challenge yourselves, get asked the hard questions and work on improving your relationship.  I think this verse (Phil 2:3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, gets to the root of every miscommunication and conflict, if we value our husbands above ourselves then we can avoid so many things.  -- Brittany, Brittany Price Brooker

- I truly believe the reason for any conflict in marriage boils down to pride. My best marriage advice is taken right out of my vows, when I said "I vow to believe the best about you, I promise to speak kindly to you and ABOUT you, and I promise to apologize when I fall short." It's all about grace and forgiveness, because we are human and we WILL mess up. The great thing about marriage is that we can always feel safe in that our spouse will offer us forgiveness. -- Michaela
***
Thanks for being here, my friends!
And happy weekend to all of you!! xoxo


interior design website / services / portfolio

3

Marriage Q&A + 1st Year Photos

Hi friends! Thanks for sticking around through this wedding / anniversary week series. I hope some of you are finding it fun and maybe even helpful, if you're a bride-to-be!

A month or so ago, we were in California visiting my family and we brought our little Lincoln (who has already grown SO much since these pictures!) so I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity for some family pictures to celebrate our one year anniversary and puppy! My sweet friend, Danyelle, who I met at The Bloom Workshop when she attended last April, took these pictures which I'll always adore.

Sprinkled in with these pictures are a bunch of marriage and relationship questions that I've been getting from readers over the past year...so my husband and I answered them together. If you're new here, I have to preface...my husband's name is McCann. We know, Michaela + McCann is quite ridiculous ;) No, we did not have M+M's as our favor at our wedding! And rest assured, our children's names will NOT start with a M's. His first name given at birth is actually Joseph (his late father's name), but he's always gone by his middle name, which is McCann. We get comments and questions about our names a lot...and made fun of often, too. We know it's funny and pretty weird. So there's that! ;)

Hope you enjoy the Q&A's and the pictures!

Most used wedding gift? Probably our "tidbit" plates! They are small plates that are great for apps and desserts or my english muffin with peanut butter, every single morning. Favorite activity on honeymoon to Maui?
McCann: catamaran and snorkling Michaela: zip lining and the luau 
Favorite date night summer / winter version: From McCann: one of our go-to dates that we both really enjoy is mini-golfing. I’m what you might call a “closet competitor” in that I’m not very vocal about my competitiveness, but I truly hate losing in anything. Although Michaela finds a way to get a couple of hole-in-ones during the round, I usually am the one that ends up with the better score at the end of it all  ;) We always have a lot of fun on these types of dates and find ourselves laughing at each other about really goofy stuff. Michaela: in the winter, we like bowling...ha! He also kindly smokes me at this sport ;) We also love a dinner and movie date night anytime of year.

What are the two love languages you two have and are they the same/different?
Michaela: My love languages are words of affirmation and gifts. McCann's are words of affirmation and physical touch. Thankfully we have one in common! We both have a desire to feel needed and appreciated by the other one, so we try to offer words of affirmation often. We could definitely be better about this, especially in busy and hard seasons of life where we feel stuck in a rut. It's easy to forget such a simple, yet profound way to love your partner! For my second love language of gifts, I don't need anything fancy or expensive. In fact, my favorite thing ever is handwritten notes. A simple "good morning, I love you!" note on my dresser is enough to make me feel like the luckiest wife! This is not something that comes natural to McCann, so when he takes the time to do this, it means that much more. Some other simple gifts he's gotten me over the year we've been married have been a sweatshirt hoodie he liked for me (he always joked I didn't own a hoodie before that, which would be true!), a vinyl record of Hilary Scott's album (such soothing songs and this was my first record), and a charcoal face mask he heard me talking about (he ordered it on Amazon and told me a package was coming in the mail for me the day it was set to arrive). All of these things so such thoughtfulness and that's what's at the heart of "gifts". Gifts is the way I show love to people as well-- I loveee picking out presents for friends and family. And cards! Don't even get me started with cute cards. 
Where McCann had to learn, and is still learning, how to love me with gifts, I have had to learn how to love him better with physical touch. Don't worry, the blog is staying PG ;) All I'm saying is some people are more touchy and cuddly than others, and I'm just not one of those people naturally. When I'm tired, I want to curl up on my side of the bed, hug my pillow and drift to sleep. I don't love snuggling...I know, it's crazy. BUT I've had to learn that one of the ways my husband receives love is through touch, so I try to grab his hand when we're on a walk, watching a show, or give him a back massage when we're relaxing. Being intentional about this is the key, since like I said before, it's so easy to let these things slide by and before you know it, you've been married 5 years, or 10... or 30 years! In year two, I want to work on this even more.
From McCann: Michaela is gifts and words of affirmation, so I’ve tried to speak to those in a few different ways. One of the ways I have done that in the past is I hid a bunch of little notes with reasons why I love her around the apartment while she was away for work and when she got back, she would randomly find them throughout the next week or so. 

How was it when you first moved in with your husband? What do you bicker about? What compromises do you make? 
Michaela: How long can this blog post be?! ;) This is a great series of questions, because it shows the truth and messy parts of marriage. So to recap, I lived in our apartment before our wedding for about 5 months. Then after our wedding, he moved in with me of course. We had gotten the apartment all set together (well, I decorated and he helped me hang things and organize! ;)) so by the time he was moving in, everything was good to go. I'm really glad we did it this way, as I can't image trying to start living together while boxes were still in the apartment. Trying to navigate all of that would have been hard. Overall, when we first moved in together everything was great. Nothing earth shattering happened, we definitely would still marry each other all over again ;)   But even in that, there is an adjustment period to living with ANYONE. I've had my fair share of roommates over the years, so when I moved to Michigan to date McCann, I knew I wanted my own peaceful place. On the opposite side of things, McCann had only ever lived with other people for a year of his life in college. Other than that, he owned his own home for a few years and lived alone there. I encouraged him to live with some friends from our church before we got married so he could have the experience of community and living with others. This was huge for him! Not only did he grow a lot personally in this time living with his friends, he also navigated the waters of living with other people who are different from you. I think he got some bad living habits out of the way, too ;) I have to say that I am so pleasantly surprised with his living habits! I'm a neat freak, and he is really clean and tidy, too. The worst thing he does is leave some clothes on the bench in our bedroom sometimes. I can handle that! We did find out some funny things about each other in the first few months of living together. For example, we brush our teeth differently. I put the toothpaste on first, then run under water, then brush. He wets the brush, then toothpaste, then brushes. Weird! He sleep talks (sorry, husband!) and I am a light sleeper, so this doesn't always mix well. He procrastinates a little and I get things done asap. Just little things that we had to get used to! The biggest thing for me that I've learned in these differences is that I cannot let them bother me. If something bothers me about him, I'm trying my best to remember my vows that said "I promise to believe the best about you". This changes everything, because usually your spouse has good intentions! I will say, too, there are just some things that need to be left unsaid. If something is bothering me about my husband, I try to ask myself if it's my own problem, or if it's really THAT big of a deal to bring up to him. 
Sometimes I conclude, after praying about it, that it's not something I need to bring up.  We mostly bicker about things we are used to doing a certain way, that the other person doesn't do the same way. The root of this is pride, 100%. I'm also the more sensitive one, so sometimes I'll take something personally that wasn't meant in a mean way. As for compromises, I can't think of anything huge, as we usually try to come to decisions together, but some little things would be decorating! Whereas I would want a lot more white furniture, McCann prefers wood, so I have compromised on some furniture pieces not being my personal favorite style, but that still work in our home with our overall style.
From McCann: Getting used to sharing a bed was a challenge, but I would say just the way we do a lot of everyday things around the house is different and I’ve had to lay down my pride in thinking that the way I do everything is the “right” way and she needs to change the way she does things for me. What are your plans this year? That's a great question! I wish we knew ;) Our lease is up on our apartment in May, so we have some big decisions to make. Can you join us in praying about those decisions? Where we will be next is something that gives me anxiety. Trying to abide in God and take it one day at a time, while also taking practical steps towards a decision. (What city / state will we live in? McCann's job if we did move? If we stay, will we rent or buy? Whatever we do, there is family involved so it's just a hard decision. So many questions.) Stay tuned for more on our plans as May gets closer. I'll be sure to share more.
The things I know are that we will continue working in the youth group at our church, I am in cooking club with some girlfriends that I love, we're starting a bible study with some newly married friends at church, we're staying in MI for Thanksgiving and going to CA for Christmas, and we're going to keep enjoying our life in our little apartment with this little fur ball, Lincoln.  If this question was asking about babies, that's still not in our plan for another few years ;)

How did you know he/she was the one you wanted to marry? How did God confirm that for you? So since we met when I was living in California and he was living in Michigan, we were dating long distance. From early on in dating long distance, I felt a peace about McCann as a person, from the Lord. I knew he was a good man, loved God, his family, and had a lot of qualities I was looking for in a husband one day. He is a good listener, has the kindest heart, loves and wants kids, has a calm demeanor (not easily stressed) and is a peacemaker. He is so levelheaded and I loved that about him, even from the beginning. He's a 9 on the enneagram test, if you know what I'm talking about ;) Because of these qualities, I knew I could see myself marrying him. 
We were long distance for 7-8 months before I moved to Michigan. There is absolutely no way we would have known if we were 100% supposed to get married if it weren't for us living in the same city for a while before deciding on that. I would never rush into that decision! There were a ton of things we didn't know about each other and our families while we were long distance, and we wouldn't have found those out if it weren't for living near one another. I've never said this out in the open before, but when I moved to Michigan to be closer to McCann, I wanted to be engaged to him within a few months. Friends, I'm SO glad we waited almost 2 years before getting engaged. We did so much learning and dating in those years. We went through all the seasons twice together (read: I feel it was important for him to see me in a really snowy winter before asking me to spend forever with him, ha!) and we shared in both heartbreak and many joys. I think it's important to see your partner in ups and downs. With every hardship, I saw McCann as steadfast, faithful, vulnerable, and supportive. We became a team and we both felt we were ready for marriage.

How did you prepare spiritually (as a couple) for marriage while dating and how do you continue to develop that spiritual growth once married? Let me preface by saying we are not perfect at this, and in fact, we just spoke about how this is one thing we want to do better in year two! We are really involved at our church, so we make our best effort to grow together by discussing the messages at church on Sunday, try to pray together a few nights a week before bed, and we really want to get in the habit of waking up one morning earlier to read. We aren't the couple that reads the same book at the same time and then talks about it for hours. Instead, we like to have our devotional time separately (or at the same time, but reading our own thing) and then talk about what we've been learning or what the Lord has been teaching us.

How’d you feel okay about moving to Michigan to continue dating before a ring? I LOVED this question, because often we hear "don't move before the ring, or you'll never get it!" etc...
Since we were long distance before me moving, all we did was talk. All the time. But we knew nothing about the day to day life together! Even though my mom did not necessarily want me to move away, because I'm her only daughter and we are really close (thankful that she trusts me and knows I make good decisions!), she DID say it would be a bad decision to never live near the person I kept saying I wanted to marry one day. 
I was in church one Sunday when we started thinking about the possibility of me moving to Michigan and the pastor was talking about how sometimes God just says "GO" and you need to obey. I really felt like the Lord was speaking to me. I haven't always been a brave person and certainly not one who liked summer camp or sleepovers, so moving to Michigan was a HUGE leap of faith for me. I think the reasons I felt confident in going were because of what I knew about McCann thus far, I had visited a few times (even in the snow!) to see what I was getting myself into, and I felt such peace after praying "God, if you want me to end this relationship or not pursue it any longer, or simply just not move, please make it SUPER clear to me!" I never felt like God was closing the door. 

When I moved here, I also was still dating McCann, learning him and together, we were figuring out a ton that we hadn't known about each other before me moving. We told ourselves that this was a time to get to explore the relationship more and that very possibly, God could still close this door. We prayed a lot about where we were and where God wanted us. We had to keep our hands open to Him. 

Of course a huge thing for us was that we were not going to be living together in Michigan. I found my own apartment and started to somewhat create my own things here by attending and serving in our church, meeting friends, building up my business here, etc. I didn't want my identity here to be in McCann. I wanted to feel like myself and have a bit of my own life, so I began trying to forge that path. We believe that God wanted us to live separately until we were married, and we're so glad that we waited! It made it that much sweeter.

What was your favorite moment on your wedding day? From McCann: My favorite moment was reading my vows to Michaela and looking into her eyes while I was reading them. It’s easy to get lost and forget the words I promised her even after just a year, so looking back on it is something I want to do more often. Another favorite moment was the foot-washing during the ceremony. I loved that we were able to show each other (and the others in attendance) the love of Christ by displaying this act of being a servant for one another and putting each other above ourselves. Michaela: I have mentioned this before, but I think my first favorite moment was our first look. McCann saw me, flaws and all, and loved me, chose me, and called me beautiful. It was such a parallel to how Jesus sees us!

Danyelle Dee Photography

What has your first year of marriage taught you about yourself or life in general? From McCann: Our first year of marriage has been very humbling and has exposed some things about myself that I hadn’t fully recognized before. Before my relationship with Michaela, my thinking was that if I took care of myself and was generally happy and content with where I was at physically, financially, and spiritually, everything was great and I was doing all the right things. That all changed when Michaela came along and especially after September 18th, 2016. God used her and our marriage to uncover my selfishness, lay down my pride, and put her needs above my own in a way that glorifies Him and I am forever grateful for that.
Michaela: I've learned that I am particular about the way I do things. Maybe I didn't exactly learn this-- I think I already knew it, but it was more magnified this last year as we lived together! I can be stubborn, too. Being married has shown me my selfish nature and I have to continually remind myself of my vows to McCann, when I promised to think of him before myself. I've learned that serving your spouse is a JOY, that marriage is a beautiful and messy thing simultaneously, and how sacred the bond in marriage really is. I've seen in myself that it would be EASY to become busy with other things (be it even good things!), and let our relationship slip to the back burner, so I need to actively fight for us. I've learned that sometimes when we have a disagreement, I need to think about it for a few minutes before entering into a discussion about it, just to come to the table with a clear head. I've realized my need for a Savior even more through being married.
*** Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Danyelle! And to my friend Erin, who made the pretty flower bouquet, thank you!! If you missed the Style Me Pretty feature last week, you can see that here.  If you have any other questions, you can always email me or comment with them here!
xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

1