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The Beginning of Our Wedding Series | The Venue

January 16, 2017

It is about time to start blogging the beginning of our wedding series and first up: the venue. I say series because there is just no way I could ever just write one blog post on the most amazing day of our lives. It would be a novel for sure. So where do I start…

I always knew I wanted to get married in New York and I always knew I wanted to get married in a barn. When I mention always, I am referring to my teenybopper self when I dreamed about my perfect day with the perfect guy (who I definitely did marry). For those that don’t know, I am from New York City. I spent my weekends and summers in Pawling, New York, a small town 75 miles north of Manhattan. Our house was an old converted cow barn. Fun fact: George Washington bought his cheese there. This house was so special for so many reasons and I knew that a barn would be in my future. Since I grew up riding horses, a horse farm for a wedding venue just seemed like the perfect fit. I just needed a ring to start the planning.

On August 29th, 2015, Josh proposed. Yay, I could start finding my barn. When it came time to look for venues, I learned that there weren’t many barns, especially those that I could classify as “elegant.” When I wanted a rustic wedding theme, I didn’t want hay bales and mason jars. I wanted an elegant rustic feel. I found three barns and scheduled three appointments for a Saturday in October. Four days prior to touring, I was notified that one of the barns booked up the two dates I had in mind.

Yes, I had already had a date in mind, as I knew I wanted a Fall wedding. I had mid-September in my mind, hoping it would fall around the time of my Mom’s birthday. I wanted to incorporate her as much as possible, having lost her to cancer 7 years ago. September was also our anniversary month so it really was the only month I was looking at for our wedding.

I believe in fate and things working out, so I moved on from the venue falling through. Another plan fell through and my stepmom had to work so she couldn’t tour with me. Fortunately my best friend was able to go with me, while her husband played golf with my future husband and my Dad. We met in Hudson, New York and as I turned into the driveway of the venue, I was greeted with this view. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York, Private property,

I knew, before even seeing the barn, that this was definitely my venue. Once I got to the top of the property, I was greeted by a beautiful baby blue with white trim barn. The property also included a smaller “bridal barn,” where we ended up getting ready. There was also an “art barn” where the cocktail hour took place. There was a beautiful outdoor space that overlooked a large paddock of horses (oh my heart) and the beautiful Catskill mountains. I would be pleading my case to the family later that evening. I knew my Dad was going to ask if we visited the other venue, so we did drive there and saw it. While it was nice, it was definitely not my venue.

Two weeks later, we secured the venue and a date was set – September 17th, 2016. After 11 months of planning my own wedding, the day was beyond perfect. Every tiny detail that I had envisioned came together to create the most beautiful day. Here are a few pictures of the outside of the barn. Swoon worthy, right? Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

And the rustic touches of the inside of the barn. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

My heart just gets so happy. I 110% chose the right venue (The Hill), the right photographer (Layce Bauman Photography), the right everything. Most importantly, I chose the right guy.

I Have an Obsession with Planners

January 5, 2017

Hi, my name is Dana and I have an obsession with planners and all the pretty stationary. My favorite part of going back to school was always shopping for school supplies. Many moons later, I still get to shop like I am going back to school, although I don’t dread the school part. I have tried planner after planner. I am pretty positive I found the one with Plum Paper Planner (now say that three times in a row). Can we talk about how cute their packaging is?!

Plum Paper Planner is completely customizable, which is what I love. Finding “the” planner that fits your list of prerequisites is hard, which is why this won me over. There are many many cover options. For an indecisive person (like me), this might make you add many more minutes to your design time, but it is worth it. What makes my first planner so special? My new monogram with my new last name thanks to tying the knot in September! Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Monogram, Custom

Once you design the cover, it is off to the races for the inside. There are plenty of options for monthly layouts. I personally can’t follow an hourly scheduled (I tried with the Day Designer and failed), so I opted for the two sided days weekly view. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

You also get a monthly spread so you can see the full month in one glance. I love that there is a monthly highlight page for you to write 3 goals in, include birthdays and events as well as things to remember. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

At the end of the month I included extra to-do list pages. Goodbye sticky notes, hello all-in-one place organization. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

There is also another page where you can add your ideas, goals and plans. I mean, you could go crazy with all the space you have!

Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

When building your planner, they also give you other add-ons and I was pretty dang excited when I saw you could add a blog section. I added this to the back of my Plum Paper Planner. You can betcha I have already filled January in. Attacking one of my New Years Goals one post at a time. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

I also added a contacts page section at the back. I plan on putting friends and family in here as well as some of my Young Living friends, especially the ones I continually send mail to and always have to look their addresses up. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

Then there is a cute little pocket folder in the back. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

I have spent the last few days planning out my planner and I can’t wait to fill it in more! If you are in search of a planner, click here and prepare to fall in planner heaven. Planners gotta plan, right?

Out with the Old, In with the New | Balance in 2017

January 2, 2017

Oh what a year 2016 was, but it is out with the old and in with the new! I am welcoming 2017 with wide open arms. While it is not the first day of the New Year, it is the first Monday of the year, so I am making today the day of new goals, big dreams and a year of balance. Balance. I have chosen this word as my word for 2017. I have never chosen a word of the year. In fact, when I first saw people posting about their future words of the year, I was hesitant. How do you choose just ONE word to dedicate 365 days to? A lot of thought went into this and I have decided that I am going to live intentionally and the word balance will lead me to this.

Out with the Old, In with the New, Balance, New Year, Goals, Plans, Intentional, Life, Living,

2016 was a very big year for me/us (because Josh is included). We welcomed Roxie, our Vizsla puppy, into our family. On September 17th, we got married! We traveled to many places, including our most recent trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon. I ran two profitable businesses, however they took up all of my time, a lot of time sacrificing being present. Hawaii was the first time I fully unplugged and it made our trip about just us. It was the best trip we have ever been on. The social media world can wait and it did. Taking these 12 days off made me realize that my life is quite unbalanced and I need to create balance, not try to find it.

So in 2017 I am focusing on my health and wellness, my marriage and family and investing more of my time into a few things instead of all the things. I have to tell you that change is scary and announcing this makes me extremely anxious (so I am applying all the stress-away from Young Living), but you only have one life so here we go. On the quest for balance, I am scaling back my photography business. While photography is still one of my passions and I will never let go of it completely, I cannot continue running my business like I have in the past.

I want weekends with my family, being present instead of behind my computer, editing all night. While I typically am drowning in editing during the busy season, I want this year and this Fall to be different. I hope to invest my time into full sessions instead of rushing through shorter sessions with time constraints to pack everyone in. Lastly, I would love to be valued for my work instead of being valued for discounted prices.

So…I will no longer be offering mini sessions. I will also be scaling back and only offering a limited number of full sessions, so I recommend booking now! This decision did not come easy. However, setting these guidelines will help me balance my life. It will also make more time for my essential oil business, which continues to flourish. I didn’t fully anticipate my success with Young Living and the fact that my team has 3,056 people and is growing daily. But I am so grateful for it.

To my past clients, thank you for letting me document your family. I hope that you will continue to invest in me even through these changes. I know in my heart that scaling back on Dana Rose Lee Photography is the right decision in this season of life.

So 2017, I am coming for ya, so get ready! Today is the second “blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one” – Brad Paisley.

Traditions Come and Go

December 29, 2016

Traditions come and go as life changes happen. Growing up, Christmas was my favorite holiday and year after year, the day looked the same. Wake up time was very, very early and consisted of jumping on my parents bed at an hour I don’t think they appreciated. However, they got up with us and put Christmas music on the stereo system (no iPods were invented yet). Favorite album: Emmy Lou Harris – Light of the Stable.

We sat by the gigantic tree and we were ready to begin unwrapping the piles of gifts. Sometimes we had aunts, sometimes uncles and sometimes grandparents. It didn’t really matter who was with us as long as we were al together. We were the type of openers that watched while one person opened a present. Then we rotated, typically passing the presents in an equal fashion. After opening all of the presents, we would go downstairs and read the letter that Santa wrote to us. He was really eloquent every single year. After this the stockings were next. We all just dug in!

After opening the presents, my Mom would go upstairs and start cooking breakfast which included: oatmeal and biscuits made from scratch. Think: fluffy, warm and so delicious. I can almost smell them even though the last time she made them was in 2008. After breakfast, we spent the rest of the day enjoying our gifts.

Traditions come and go as we grow up. While Christmas is still (and always will be) with my Dad and stepmom, the day looks a lot different. On Sunday, we went down from the guest house to the main house at 9am. I wrapped some of my Dad’s presents for him, as he is a horrible wrapper. That hasn’t changed and never will, although he did try this year. We had breakfast around 10am. The hours went by and the presents sat.

The time went very slowly. I scrolled through Facebook living vicariously through others because they had already celebrated Christmas. At 1:30pm we had lunch. Still no presents. At 2:45pm still no presents. FINALLY, at 3:15pm we all sat by the tree but only had time to go through the stockings. However, at 4:15pm we left to go have dinner under candlelight at this really cool inn. So far, that was the best part of Christmas 2016.

We got home at 7:30pm and didn’t open presents. At 8:00pm we finally opened presents. However, Christmas was on hold when we smelled a gassy smell. My Dad called the gas company and they made a house call on Christmas. Bless this man for working on Christmas and happily working. He was the sweetest guy. Turns out there was a: broken belt and a dirty filter in desperate need of a cleaning. Did I mention he was up on the roof because he thought an animal was stuck in the chimney? Crisis averted. Diagnostics proved “it is not a deadly fume, it is just a stinky fume.” Thanks to this sweet man, the gassy smell went bye bye.

At 10:30pm everyone went their separate ways, not even going through our presents. Christmas might not look like it used to but family dynamics have drastically changed. With that, comes compromise. I am learning to let things go. I am thankful that we have a roof over our head, heat (thanks to the gas guy), good company and love. Next year might look completely different and if that is the case, we will all figure it out and create new traditions.

However, one tradition that will never ever stop is holiday cards and ornaments. Every year we send out a holiday card and this year’s was obviously my absolute favorite! Thank you to Layce of Layce Bauman Photography and Becky of Rebecca Wilcher Photography for taking these beautiful photographs and for Minted‘s card design. Traditions Come and Go, Holidays, Card, Married, Marriage, Lifestyle, Christmas, Celebrate, Minted, Happy, Tradition

Traditions Come and Go, Holidays, Card, Vizsla, Puppy, Family, Lifestyle, Christmas, Celebrate, Minted, Happy, Tradition

Every year I find a new ornament for our tree and this is the one I got for 2016! Obviously it is also my absolute favorite one. I will continue these traditions and make way for new ones too. Traditions Come and Go, Holidays, Ornaments, Tree, Lifestyle, Christmas, Celebrate, Happy, Tradition

Why Young Living Is The World Leader In Essential Oils

December 21, 2016

Many people ask Why Young Living is the world leader in essential oils. The #1 defining factor is their unmatched commitment to producing a pure, unadulterated oil through the proprietary process they call Seed to Seal®. Young Living’s devotion to creating a highly therapeutic product means every step is detailed and controlled. If something in the production process doesn’t meet their standards, they get rid of it and start again. I stand by a company that truly cares . Young Living, Young Living Essential Oils, Farms, Seed to Seal, Promise, Commitment

Let me walk you through this process so you can see what makes Young Living so special. Young Living Essential Oils, Seed To Seal, Essential Oils, Health, Wellness, Lifestyle

STEP 1 | Seed

Powerful essential oils come from seeds and plants that are verified for their potential to produce high-quality essential oils.

STEP 2 | Cultivate

Young Living has farms around the world that are dedicated to perfecting their responsible and sustainable growing and harvesting methods.

Step 3 | Distill

Young Living is an innovator in essential oil distillation. They combine ancient and modern techniques for distilling and use a gentle, proprietary technique for steam extracting. Cold pressing and resin tapping methods are for select oils.

Step 4 | Test

Young Living never accepts diluted, cut or adulterated oils. To guarantee consistent quality, the oils are put to the test in Young Living’s own internal labs and in third-party facilities. This is to ensure that they meet stringent specifications, exceed international standards and contain the optimal levels of natural bioactive compounds.

Step 5 | Seal

Young Living completes the Seed to Seal process in its 107,000-square-foot facility in Spanish Fork, Utah. They use state of the art equipment to carefully bottle each essential oil up into protective amber glasses. Then off they go worldwide! The vast majority of essential oils on the market today are only suitable for cosmetics and perfumes. It is important to me to know that the apples I eat are free from pesticides and other unnecessary chemicals. It is doubly important that the essential oils I use to support my health and wellness will do just that without introducing any additives, synthetics or other toxins into my bodies.

Young Living is more expensive than other brands you can find at Whole Foods, Amazon and other local stores. However, you get what you pay for. Most of the other oils are cheap imitations, full of synthetics. You will find that the word “organic” is on plenty of these bottles. Unfortunately, an essential oil can have an organic and “pure” label as long as there is no less than 5% of it actually being pure. This means that the remaining 95% of the bottle can be full of additives, fillers and synthetics.

A simple way to test the purity of your essential oils is to do a freezer test. Place your bottle in the freezer for 4-5 hours. If any part of the oil freezes, it most likely contains synthetics and/or other compounds. A friend of mine tested Young Living’s Lemongrass essential oil against the brands shown below a few days ago using this freezer method. After 5 hours, the Young Living oil was the same while all the other oils were frozen. This wasn’t shocking because Young Living’s Seed to Seal promise is something I truly believe in. 15193439_1191391804285468_1066517065897675330_n

Another problem that occurs when you purchase a cheaper oil is many of these oils have an expiration date. You will never find an expiration date on any of Young Living’s bottles because they don’t expire. If you see an old bottle of YL’s essential oil in Grandma’s cabinet, you can open it up and realize that it smells exactly the same as the bottle you recently purchased. Pure oils don’t expire.

Young Living produces superior high-quality pure oils, which makes them the leader in essential oils. I have watched their Seed to Seal® process take place at The Mona Farm in Utah. I hope to eventually visit all of the farms shown below. Young Living, Young Living Essential Oils, Farms, Seed to Seal, Utah