01/17/2026
Such a dramatic, happy time — I have hundreds of photos from this year, and every moment still feels like it just happened. 2016 felt like a deep exhale. It was one of the most vivid years of my life.
I was finally done with toxic relationships. I got approached to model and ended up shooting for some of my favorite brands — editorials, colorful backdrops, slicked-back bubble ponytails, ombré jumpsuits, ballet sets, raw images that made me stop and think wow. I remember taking photos of the monitor so I could recreate my makeup (see tennis shots, and those shots made it to the final campaign🎾🥹). The blue backdrop where they told me to act like an angry teenage boy? Still makes me laugh — I felt so badass. Also, Alo yellow with leg warmers attached to leggings deserves a comeback. And that Free People tie-knot bralette? Everything.
I was teaching nonstop, spending time with my nieces, and traveling. A big family trip to Mexico. Chris and I went to Kauai after only a few months of dating — hiking Makaleha Falls, me trying to convince him we should move there so I could open a studio and he could build houses. He said we’d get island fever. To this day, we disagree 😭😭
Chris took me to the Getty Villa and proposed. He asked a random guy to film it because he knew I’d want the video — and I treasure it. Then we got our first house. He immediately started ripping out floors and transforming it with the most beautiful craftsmanship. It’s so crazy because now we’ve been adding onto our home with the birth of Genesis. When we got our house, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have babies and it’s just amazing how God spoke to me on my desires overtime.
Looking back now, it’s wild to see how much of what I prayed for came to fruition. Everything I wanted was already on its way — even before I fully knew it. I see now that sometimes the life you’re praying for is already unfolding. God knew the timeline and I got to live it.
It feels like everything has changed… and somehow, nothing has.
