Lifestyle Archives - Dana Rose Lee Blog

Wedding Series | Our Amazing Wedding Photographer

January 23, 2017

I am so excited to continue our wedding series and share about our amazing wedding photographer. As a fellow photographer, you would think choosing your photographer for your wedding would be the hardest decision. However, for me it was actually the easiest one. I follow a lot of photographers being in the industry. While I am not a wedding photographer, I had known what style I wanted and had been following Layce Bauman of Layce Bauman Photography for quite some time. When I saw one of her family sessions posted on Facebook, I messaged her and told I wanted her to be my wedding photographer.

It didn’t matter that Layce lived almost 3,000 miles away from Hudson. It also didn’t matter that we had never met. I loved her artistic eye and having followed her on Facebook and Instagram, I felt like I already knew her so it was going to be perfect. Intuition is a marvelous thing. After messaging back and forth, I managed to get her to agree to tentatively hold three dates for me. You see, I chose Layce before I had a venue or a date. That was how sure I was of my decision.

Once we set a date, we began building a friendship via text messages and emails. The first time we met Layce was at our engagement shoot, the evening before our wedding. Remember how we lived 3,000 miles apart? We definitely wanted to take advantage of the session, so we could get to know Layce before our big day. You know when you meet someone and you just click (I promise that pun was not intended)? Well, that happened.

We got to spend an hour and a half with her while walking the streets of Hudson. It didn’t even feel like we were taking photos, as there was such an ease. She posed us, told us where to go, how to stand. I let her have full control. It is definitely nerve wracking being on the other side of the camera.

I loved our urban session. I had scouted locations prior to our session and knew I wanted to start at the Amtrak Station in Hudson. Josh and I did long distance for over two years. We basically lived on Amtrak, commuting between Washington DC and New York City, so it seemed fitting to start at the train station. Hudson is also on the Hudson so there was a perfect little spot by the water. Nearly every building along Warren street made for a pretty backdrop, so it was easy to just walk anywhere and stop. I knew I loved Layce’s work before our session, but once I saw the back of camera goodness, I knew I made the right decision. Here are some of my favorites! Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto

And then, she photographed our wedding and I can’t even explain to you what these photographs mean to me. You see, your wedding day goes by FAST. Before you know it, the day is over and it is off to begin the rest of your life together. Receiving my images brought me back to every single moment of our day. Like when I saved my Mom’s favorite perfume bottle (half empty) knowing that I would want to wear it on this day. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Getting Ready, Together, New York

Capturing our first look, which I 110% recommend doing! Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Capturing moments that when you look at that photo, you just think “if this was the only photo, this would be enough.” Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Getting those shots that you put on a list and somehow your photographer remembers (with zero traces of paper). Wedding, Marriage, Love, Details, Flowers, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, New York

Moments like this when the glass did not break on the first try. Josh just needed a mulligan. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Finding photos of your best friends wearing their pashminas from their bridal gifts from Marigold & Grey. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Wedding Party, Marigold & Grey, Navy, JCrew Bridal

Making your dream of being with the horses a reality. Might I add, there are 92 horse pictures that make my stomach fill with butterflies and give me all.the.feels. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Moment on the dance floor with Josh who let me tell you, typically does not dance!

She caught moments on the dance floor with my Dad. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Dancing, Father, Daughter, New York

Truly, not a moment of our more than 8 hour day was missed, all captured more beautifully than I could ever imagine.

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

Why I Have Been MIA | Unplugging On My Honeymoon

December 19, 2016

In case you are wondering why I have been MIA on this blog (20 days to be exact), I have a really really good reason: I was unplugging on my honeymoon.

(Image from Google Images)

On December 3rd, I left chilly Maryland and headed far far away to Hawaii. Before I left, I made it fairly vocal that I would be unplugging as much as possible. The thought of doing this made my stomach go up in knots. This meant not being present in both of my businesses which both revolve around social media. However, I knew that I wanted to unplug to be present and enjoy my time with Josh. My motto: you only go on your honeymoon once and we will never ever have this time to ourselves in this season of life.

Unplugging on my honeymoon was THE BEST decision I made. I am proud to say that other than the once-a-day IG (and share to Facebook) post, I stuck to staying unplugged. It was SO worth it. You will have to stay tuned for future posts (yes, there might be a few) sharing all about our adventures. I can tell you that there wasn’t much down time. We came, we saw and we conquered all there was to do in 11 days.

One of the best decisions we made was to delay our honeymoon. I wanted something to look forward to after the wedding. I also knew that I wouldn’t want to travel far far away thanks to exhaustion. So instead, we took a mini-moon for two nights up to The Sagamore in Lake George, which was absolutely perfect. If you are in the wedding planning stages and thinking about delaying your honeymoon, I think you are a smarty pants to do so. I also highly recommend you go to Hawaii – it truly is a magical place!