This past week was nothing short of amazing.  I can’t wait to post more pictures from our time in Santa Barbara and with 200 of our new (and some old) friends!  But, before that, I want to show off how far Arica has come on this journey she started back around the time of our wedding.  Last fall, she came to visit us and we did a short session so we could capture where she was at that point in time… That’s my super power, see?  I have the ability to freeze time!  It’s fabulous :-)

Anyway, mine and Ben’s crazy week of travel ended with us coming home Thursday evening and not even 24 hours later, we were on the road headed to Knoxville to see Brian Regan!  If y’all haven’t heard of him, then this is your introduction.  He’s hilarious.  So much so that I even have a Brian Regan Pandora station.  They say you burn calories AND extend your life by laughing… so imagine this as me helping you live a longer and healthier life!

AFTER the 8pm show, we got back on the road and drove to Nashville, TN to see Arica.  When we booked these tickets, we figured we’d just drive onto Nashville to see her since we were already half way there.  Didn’t matter that we arrived after midnight (central time) and that our bodies didn’t really know what time it was anyway since we’d just spent several days on the west coast and then less than a day back on the east coast.  We got up way early on Saturday to go and workout with Arica at the gym where she has found an amazing community of people to workout with… as well as a banker turned fitness trainer who himself lost over 100 pounds several years ago.  Let’s just say that he knows what he’s doing, especially since we are STILL sore today!  But it was so amazing to spend that time with Arica and watch her do her thing.  “Her thing” being a lot of things she never thought she’d do!  She’s a rock star, let me tell you.

So, Saturday afternoon (after we all took a 3 hour nap), Arica got all dolled up and we headed to The Factory in Franklin, TN for some updated photos.  The last time I was there it was pouring down rain and I was learning off-camera lighting from Zach and Jody.  So to be able to go back there and use some of those tricks when it was freezing (and snowing!) outside, was really fun.

First… a comparison picture…

She has this gorgeous purple coat and it was lightly snowing outside… so she braved the cold with me and I’m so glad she did!!  I love these!

To see more of Arica, visit her PASS gallery here!