Jenna and Doug are an incredible husband & wife Tampa Real Estate team (better known as DeGroot Real Estate!) as well as dear friends! It’s been amazing to watch them move their business from NC to FL, add two incredible boys to their family, and transition Jenna from higher ed (yes, we have the same master’s degree!) to mom + biz life! They recently changed brokerages and it was perfect timing for new Tampa Real Estate Headshots.

I offer year round Downtown Tampa minis for professionals like Jenna & Doug– 15 minutes and we knock them out! And these were taken this morning… but their entire gallery is ready! Because I know professionals are busy and these portraits are important. Armature Works is one of my favorite spots to meet because there is great texture (from brick to white walls) and shade (much needed for a hot, mid-day session like today!)

Per usual, these two didn’t let the scorching heat get to them. They rocked it and I love their headshots!

Of course we had to end with a couple “Hey! Your house SOLD! Yeah!!” photos. These two are so professional yet fun & totally trustworthy. Thank you for trusting me with these photos, Jenna & Doug! And if you’re looking for incredible relators in Tampa Bay, you have to talk to these two!

xo,
Laura

Sarah & Ryan met in school. High school that is! The last decade + has taken them on a journey of love, friendship, college, careers, and long distance. But this summer, they (according to their friends “finally!”) said I Do! Chesterfield, Missouri is their home so of course it made sense to celebrate there– a perfect St. Louis summertime wedding hosted in The Doubletree’s phenomenal tent & reception spaces! Sarah got ready at her family home, friends and family from all seasons of their lives gathered, and Imo’s pizza was delivered as a late night snack to keep the dance floor going! It was truly such a special day!
Did I mention Ryan is my cousin? We are closest in age of the bunch and it made the day even more incredible to be trusted as their photographer!

A first look in Sarah’s childhood backyard, with all of their closest family & friends looking on? Oh yes… it was the sweetest moment!! St. Louis summertime wedding perfection!

 

Sarah & Ryan have had the privilege of being a part of a lot of weddings over the last few years, so, they changed things up! Instead of having a formal bridal party, the asked their siblings (Ryan is 1 of 4 boys and Sarah is 1 of 3 girls!) + best friends to hang out with them all day! So, we took “bridal party” photos. But really, having them along was about quality time and fun (helloooooo party bus that drove the gang towards Downtown St. Louis and stopped for a run around in Forest Park!) Perfect for a St. Louis summertime wedding!

I love that they did this, and that in general my couples are starting to get pretty creative with what they are asking their friends/family to do on the wedding day to be sure they are able to truly enjoy! 

What St. Louis summertime wedding would be complete without record breaking heat?! Well lucky for Sarah & Ryan, the weather broke within 48 hours of the wedding so, they were able to enjoy the Doubletree’s gorgeous, permanent lawn tent for their ceremony & indoor ballroom for their reception!

Sarah & Ryan, thanks so much for trusting me with your incredible day! You two are wonderful people and are quite a team. Thrilled to get to call you both family!!
xoxo,
Laura

Special thanks to A Bride’s Ally for day-of coordination/planning! 

Two years ago June my higher ed team practically clapped and cheered me all the way to my car as I decided to take this business full-time. There were certainly things about the corporate world that I was ready to get away from, but I truly wondered how I could replace the lunches in the conference room, doorway pop-ins, and post-meeting campus walks that were such bright spots in my long days.

I spent the summer getting my feet under me with my new schedule/day to day, and quickly found myself missing those moments. Thankfully, in August of that year I went to a The Cultivate Retreat (now Wedatelier!) as both an attendee and speaker with Lauren Grove and Megan Martin, two fairly new-to-me friends. Look how young we were (ha!)

We left hungry. These experiences are SO IMPORTANT in business- hear me say that. We spent a couple of years investing & figuring out what we needed more of from these conference experiences and that’s what allowed us to create our group and ultimately plan this trip! We came home, and Meg + L invited me to join them on Google Hangout every other week to have some accountability in life and business. I asked if we could add Lauren Carnes to the mix (someone they hadn’t met!), Christina Scalera joined us for a season, and something wonderful was born.

Fast forward to just last week and the four of us, along with 7 new/old friends we invited along, gathered in Atlanta for a weekend in person. And no lie, we patted ourselves on the back just for making it happen. Literally the feat of getting all these people to the same place for 36 hours was a miracle! Guys, OUR GROUP HADN’T EVER BEEN TOGETHER IN PERSON, the four of us– isn’t that crazy?!

And it’s easy to look at a photo like the one below and to be on the other side of the screen thinking “I’ll never be invited to something like that” or “how did they even put this together” and so Lauren and I tag teamed writing out a plan to help you decide if planning a weekend away is right for you, and how to go about doing it!

1. Date & Location

Location & space were important to us, but we had to decide what the priorities were. Did we want to meet somewhere “exoctic” and “toursity”? What did the house need that was a non-negotiable? How many beds/rooms/bathrooms would be most comfortable? And what price point would be ideal?

If you’ve never used Airbnb or another vacation rental site, the idea is that you can literally stay in the neatest of homes and sometimes even meet your owner! We settled on Atlanta as a good central point for everyone and then had to decide if it was worth a drive to the mountains, or if we wanted a pool- things like that. Ultimately we decided that we wanted this to be easy. We didn’t want people to have to drive far from the airport. We didn’t want restaurants to be far away. And we wanted a space with a living room/kitchen big enough for all of us to hangout in a shared space and enjoy meals together. Everyone shared a bed/room, and I set the goal for it to be $200 per person or less for the entire weekend, which we met.

Bonus, this particular house was even more beautiful in person and the host was so very kind! She even bought a pack n’ play for one of the babes to use and allowed us to checkout late! If you’re in ATL and needing a space for 8-10 people, I cannot recommend Roberta & her home enough!

To read about Lauren’s perspective on date/location, including rocking a doodle poll and being the house layout master, click here.

2. Attendees

As the “details” gal, I wanted to strike a balance in curating all of the plans for our weekend together with everyone feeling like they were free falling. Basically, my goal was to come up with a schedule that considered all of the Myer’s Briggs Js and Ps- ha! Additionally, we all wanted to be mindful that this group would know each other individually on a lot of different levels– some gals had been friends for over a decade and others were meeting for the first time!

When you’re planning, remind yourself to keep the idea of  “freedom within a framework” as a good way to go about it! People are thankful when they have a general outline for wheres, whats, whens & hows– with space to do their own thing, get to know other people etc. So facilitating ways for that to happen ends up being a gift they will be thankful for!

To read about Lauren’s perspective on gal pal-ing, including what to write in your invite message to them, click here.

3. Menu

I’m a foodie, but like Lauren says– simplicity is key these weekends! The last thing anyone wants is for one person to be slaving away in the kitchen, nor are they interested in spending a gazillion dollars on takeout. We invited girls to come with the understanding that we’d be living “family style” for the weekend– shared rooms/beds and shared tasks related to meals.

While we didn’t assign teams or anything like that ahead of time (though I think you could totally break your group up so they know what they are responsible for cooking/cleaning), we hit a wonderful rhythm that made meals seamless! Basically– let people HELP. And if a task needs to get done and you’re trying to do to many things at once, hollar out “can anyone take care of this?!” Turns out our group held an award winning grill master (seriously!) soooo we were thrilled when she seamlessly jumped in on burger bar night. We also found that a group effort in the kitchen meant community building and chatting was still happening, versus one or two people trying to take care of everything themselves!

To read about Lauren’s perspective on ALLLLLLL the food things, including how to come up with a menu and shopping list (she rocks at this!), click here. 

4. Content

Back to the “freedom in a framework” mindset, we wanted to be really intentional with how we were going to actually spend our time together. There was incredible knowledge wealth within our group– I could have easily spent hours learning from the expert areas each woman offered– but we didn’t want them to have to work. Seriously, prepping a powerpoint/worksheet, even for a group of 10, is not easy! So, we only had one formal teaching moment the entire weekend and it was all about the Strengthsquest inventory, which I’m certified in as a facilitator. This inventory is great because it can be taken ahead of time, is highly informative on a personal level but also has a lot of group applications and a team perspective piece! Basically– it’s a wonderful way to get a new group of people comfortable really fast, it brings a lot of “ah ha” moments to the table, and it provides a lens through which future conversations can be processed.

If you don’t have someone who is Strengthsquest equipped to teach you can bring me over (seriously, ha!) or consider other expert areas that might be present within your group and choose one that would be beneficial in both a learning and getting to know each other kind of way! A lot of people are loving the Ennegram these days– maybe try that!

Other things to consider for content during your time together:

1. Leaving space the first night to really introduce yourselves. Get into comfy clothes, grab a glass of wine, find a blanket, and sit in a circle. Share who you are, what you do, and what’s really going on– you know, the stuff that instagram doesn’t make easy to share (even the good stuff!). These take at least 2 hours for a group this size but they are a game changer.
2. Figure out ways to get into small groups and really work through a current pain point in business. Set a timer, audio record yourselves. Work through some stuff together!
3. Pick a book ahead of your retreat and use that as a starting point to talk/process! A classic like How to Win Friends & Influence People or a new hot biz book like Good to Great would do the trick! Just ask your group if anyone has a book that’s been a game changer for them lately, too, if you’re not sure what might be worth it!

Bonus: invite people with babies. Baby snuggles throughout a weekend like this are the best!

It’s my goal to make this happen once every year-year and a half, if possible. I have so many business friends I’d like to meet in person and it’s good to stretch outside of my circle only to build it stronger! Also grateful to be a part of The Mastermind Retreat, Lauren, Callie & I’s annual mini conference that we built with the heart of these weekends as the focus as well as our desire to not only give people an incredible business building experience but the tools to walk away really knowing how do community in business.

Regardless of what your business looks like, where you live, how long you’ve been doing this for, or how cool you feel, we are all better when we have friends around us speaking truth and cheering us on! I sincerely hope this helps you get to planning to book that weekend and hang out together! If you have any questions, leave a comment and Lauren + I will respond!

xoxo,
Laura

It’s no secret that I love covering our walls in photos, hand lettered art & memories in general. It’s also no secret that I am far from the world’s best gift giver. I can usually find something practical, and often it comes from Amazon (or Santa-zon as my step-mom lovingly calls it, ha!), but my gifts are usually lacking the heart I want to express!

Needless to say, this Father’s day, J’s 2nd with our little girl in his arms, feels even more special than last year. Perhaps because we aren’t bleary eyed from the newborn night shifts. Or maybe because we don’t also have a teenager under the roof (though he deserved dad of the year for that season!). But he and Mac are buds, and it’s hard to “buy” something that represents her love for him!

Enter: Modern Map Art

A friendly heads up: This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. I only share about things I truly love and think you will, too!

I’ve seen star maps before and always thought how neat it would be to have one from special nights in our life. So when they reached out and offered to print a map of choice for us, I jumped at the chance not just to have one of my own, but to be able to share this product with you all!

The night McCartney was born was the perfect choice and thanks to their customization options, I was able to make it really special with some added details!

Modern Map Art allows you to create gorgeous prints, posters and canvases of the night sky on a specific date (your wedding, the birth of a child etc.!) The prints also have room to add additional text, so we included part of the lyrics to “I’ve just seen a face” by The Beatles, which is our song for Mac!

I am obsessed with Ikea’s large white frames, which are matted to an 8×10, so, I ordered a white 8×10 print with the sky in navy! I am obsessed with how it turned out and how perfectly it fits in her room (for now!)

J loves the gift because, in his own words “this was one of the best days of his life!” and having a snapshot of exactly where we were when God gave her to us is truly priceless. Our goal is actually to have another one made by Modern Map Art of our wedding day and then to start a gallery wall in the new part of our house where the star maps will hang with a corresponding photos! Ahh!!

If you’re needing a last minute Father’s Day gift for your husband, dad or another amazing father figure in your life, zip to their website now! You can design your star map & order it today, print a little screen shot to tuck into his card, and then it will arrive next week! Way better than filling up an Amazon cart with golf gear and superfluous BBQ equipment, yes?! Even better, shipping today is FREEEEEEE! Making my print featured in this post less than $30!!

Happy Father’s day weekend to all of the wonderful dad’s out there! We love you so!

xoxo,

Laura & family

I am always thankful when corporate/commercial work opportunities arise because they are a sweet spot for me (love the corporate world, it’s pace, and perspective on media!). So, when the marketing company for a nationwide commercial real estate company contacted me in December, I jumped at the chance to chat with them about their photo needs. Flash forward to this trip and I’ve now visited 3 of the real estate company’s Florida offices to document select employees that are being highlighted in an awesome “cool people” (as they like to call it) campaign! Tampa, Orlando and now, Miami.

I could have flown in and out of Miami today and done the shoot in the middle, but, I’ve honestly been craving a night away just to hang…. with myself haha! As funny as that sounds, my introverted self truly loves alone time and it is hard to find these days. So, I snagged a flight, a downtown hotel on Hotwire for less than $100, turned off instagram, and had a 20 hour work/play date.

By myself. Cool kid status aka loner in the lunch room don’t care.

I’m secretly an 80 year old, so if you’re here to get the inside scoop on the South Beach Clubs, you’re in the wrong spot my friend! But stick with me if you’re motivated by beautiful spots & yummy eats.

Sunday at 2:30PM — Zombie mode meets pie & graffitti

I landed in Miami dog tired. I got home from my wedding the night before around 1:30am and us photographers know firsthand how real the wedding “hangover” can be. BUT. After snagging a last minute rental car (also on Hotwire! Do you guys want to learn more about how I successfully book blind? Let me know… future post?!) I decided to stop for a sweet treat en route to my hotel.

Fireman Derek’s had been recommended to me by an amazing insta friend and I trusted her lead, without doing any other research. To my surprise, it was in the Wynwood District, just a couple of blocks from the famous Wynwood Walls. The Walls were packed and parking was $10 even if you just wanted to jump out of the car for a quick photo! So, I did what I usually do as a frugal and fast sightseeing traveler: I parked near the bake shop and checked out the radius streets surrounding it!

 

The art was incredible and made me not care at all about missing out on the Wynwood block itself! I also loved that, perhaps because it was a Sunday afternoon, it was quiet. Parking was abundant and I just walked with my camera, uninterrupted.

I forgot how much I love doing that; walking around new places with my camera. And while I missed my IG friends, it was really nice not trying to post on stories while I was wandering.

The bakehouse was small, barely enough room for 5-6 people to fit inside, but they had over 12 pies/cheesecakes/cakes ready for by-the-slice lovin’ along with the most decadent brownies and cookies. Especially in my sleep deprived state, I was overwhelmed.

The poor girl behind the counter (who hadn’t tried any of the pies. I’m sorry, what?!) had to list them all off to me because they weren’t labeled (also, what?!) and all looked amazing (see above left!) Somehow my sleepy & overcome self mustered up a choice: 1 slice of salted caramel (aka crack) pie & one s’mores brownie. Napkins + forks to go, I was on my way to my hotel.

Sunday at 4PM: Ready to nap… by the pool

In 7+ years of booking blind through Hotwire, I’ve only had 1-2 experiences that were less than pleasant. Needless to say, track record is good and I was pretty excited about my Miami find. I love a heart-of-the-city hotel and when you tell me there is a rooftop pool? I pack my mom suit and call it a date.

The Atton Brickell  did not disappoint, though I think most (working) and (not working) moms would walk into a clean, cool room with perfectly tucked sheets and a bathroom all to themselves and take a deeeeeeeeeeeeep breath. Even at a motel 6 (ok maybe not hahah!)

Seeeeeeeeeeeee. Even with valet parking (required, ugh), I saved at least $75/night! Boom baby. Booking blind is fun! And so is skipping your much needed nap to go to the pool until…….

You get upstairs to find that the space is rather small (understandable– rooftop real estate in Miami is a premium) and happens to be filled with a gaggle (to put it nicely) of South Carolinians (the f* word spouting, bud light drinking kind) have taken over. Because of course, they are leaving for a cruise in the morning and somehow, the universe thought this hotel would be perfect for them.

I had to laugh. And cry inside. Because all I wanted was to eat my poke bowl (Publix pit stop for the WIN! This is my new favorite food, found in their fresh sushi section!) + crack pie and read my book. Headphones in the room, I took a deep breath and tried to channel “zen energy” or whatever it is that millenials do these days. And it bought me 30 minutes in the shade, enjoying my treats, the view of the city/water and trying not to question the state of humanity based on the behavior of these fine folks.

5:30-7:30PM: Post Pool Nap. No Photos. Wake up just in time for brilliance to strike. 

Brilliance in the form of rushing valet to pull my car up so I could try and zip over to South Beach to catch the tail end of sunset. This was for two reasons: 1. I’m cheap and was bummed about renting a car (honestly needed to… but still) & having to pay valet, so determined to get use out of both! and 2. Another chance to do my travel specialty: frugal & fast sightseeing. 

Yes, I know the sunset doesn’t set on Miami’s coast. And YES, I know that South Beach is NOT the scene for 80 year olds like me. But, it was my shot to get over there. And so I did! Parked 1.5 blocks from the beach and it was perfect to see a bit of the Art Deco district, the remnants of sunset skies (which were beautiful!) and more skin than I wanted to see at 8:30PM or any other time of day. That part isn’t pictured, though. Ew. Ha!

Low key obsesssed with this lifeguard/lookout booth. Literally matched the colors of the sand and sky, too. So fun!

And as the base started to bump throughout the streets of South Beach, I got myself out. 30 minutes was all I needed and while I’d like to see more of the Art Deco area again, the rest? Nahhhhhh I’m good.

Sunday at 9PM: A rooftop movie, you say?

Added bonus to the timing of my trip? The Atton hosts a rooftop movie every Sunday! The not added bonus? It was the live action version of Hansel and Gretel and…. it was not my cup of tea. But, just like with the SC folks from earlier, I took it as an opportunity to get some fresh air, enjoy the buzz of the city & kick my feet up. Before ending up in my room watching back to back PBS specials (see, I’m 80), of The Beatles and The BeeGees One Night Only concert (which I’ve owned since highschool…..)

The nap + a quiet space kicked up my productivity and I snuck a bit of my brownie treat (which was for me to fly back to J, whoops!) while editing 1,000 + images, working on contracts– just getting er’ done. My night owl self went to bed around 3AM (yep… i’m crazy).

Monday at 10AM: Post work pool time, with high hopes the SC are off on their cruise adventure… (probably with Carnival- ha!)

The reason I ended up turning this into a little trip for myself was that I was able to give myself a little bit of cushion on both Sunday and Monday to rest and enjoy between travel and work– critical, especially right after a wedding. Love a noon checkout and took full advantage of very minute. And guess what? The Cabanas were open this morning, I got to wear my other new Amazon Mom Suit (love!), hit page 100 in my book (read another one by this author on the cruise, really loving her stuff!)- it was so nice.
Oh, and pro-tip: I always pack a protein bar when I’m traveling so I don’t have to fuss with (or pay for) breakfast. Allows for a slow, free ($ and scheduling wise) morning! 

Monday at 12PM: Guess I should actually go to work now.

The shoot went great! This one was unique in that I photographed two employees for this company feature who have been friends and business partners for decades. No images to share for now, but, I’ll post soon about my work with this company as it’s been a great part of my year! What matters for this post is that, like all of the employees I’ve met on these projects, these ladies’ motto is “work hard, and play harder”. So, they wasted no time in making sure I had an excellent post-shoot lunch before zipping back to the airport.

Monday at 2:30PM: Mexican? Walking Distance? DONE. 

If you know me at all you know that I will practically do anything for a.) chips + salsa, b.) a fresh marg, and c.) an amazing taco. And if there’s queso involved? Forget about it, I’m all yours. So when my new friends said “just follow this sidewalk one block and you’ll run right into this amazing restaurant”, I didn’t even look up a Yelp review, I just walked.

Great decision.

Cantina La 20 immediately met me with a gorgeous interior & excellent service. It might seem silly, but eating by yourself at a fine dining establishment can be a little strange. Especially when you’re hot and sweaty from shooting/walking. But my server was kind, helped me rearrange to take photos of the fresh fruit beverage + lobster tacos I had, and helped me to just take a breath and savor.

Eating meals like this by myself are really therapeutic. I can photograph things without stopping anyone from eating, sit and enjoy, choose anything I want. The menu was a splurge (welcome to Miami) but a treat and truly so well done.

TACOS DE LANGOSTA
Rosarito-style lobster tacos served in flour tortillas with yellow rice, black beans and chipotle mayo.
Highly recommend ordering. Also, the complimentary house-made chips + salsas did not disappoint. 

3:30PM: A successful 24 hour trip! Time to go squeeze my peeps. 

What a good reminder of how full and refreshing just 24 hours can be. I don’t know about you but my days often feel both hustled and mundane, so, this was a really fun time to honestly, also explore creativity I don’t get to as frequently! Following Google Maps to new spots, wondering city streets without a pin point to end at, blindly ordering food & resting while still being productive are all good things in my books.

Also, this blog post is reminding me of a blog I had back in college called “Pondering Picnics” where I would share about my small town adventures in Central Kansas. It makes me glad to be writing & sharing again, and excited for lots more travel this summer to share. Definitely going to be penciling in a few more “just Laura” overnights, too

Tell me, have you traveled alone before? If you could go somewhere for 24 hours right now, where would you go and what would be your top 2-3 “to-dos”?!
Laura

I’ve been present for several proposals this year and they have been some of my favorite moments! I have to catch you (the blog!) up, because they’ve been pure magic (Disney… The Beach…!) but it’s perfect timing to start with Caroline & Julius’ proposal that happened last night at Cooper’s Hawk Winery just outside of Downtown Tampa. Also perfectly timed because yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of their first date ever!

My friend, stylist, wedding planner/florist extraordinaire Amber is friends with Caroline (the new bride to be!) and her bestie Katie, and graciously shared my information with Katie & the friends helping execute the proposal! Rose petals perfectly placed, tropical storm clouds of the way, I hid in my post anxiously waiting (for this couple I’d never met!!), and Julius wasted no time. The ring was out of his pocket before he could get down on one knee and Caroline’s face… priceless! Clearly she went to Cloud 9 immediately and stayed there all night.

After saying YES of course!

As sweet as the proposal (which was a total surprise to Caroline!) went, my favorite part of the evening was that Julius had most of their family & best friends waiting inside Cooper’s Hawk Winery as a surprise! There were endless tears, hugs, and cheers. They were truly surrounded with love and I can only imagine how much more of that will follow them through their engagement, wedding, and life together!

Caroline & Julius, I am so thankful to have been a part of your day! You have so much life and love ahead of you and I’m thrilled to have been a part of the start of this chapter! All my love,

Laura