MY ACCOUNT
Checkout
Courses + Products
SHOP

Personal

New Memories on Memorial Day

Our New Family Project

filed in:

So, if you follow us on Snapchat (Katelyn Alsop), you’ve already seen A LOT of our secret project. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this project has been a little consuming over the last 6 months!! Before I get into the “project” side of this announcement, let me first explain the story. If you’ve followed me for a few years, you know that we have a deep love for family outings on the boat and RV’ing. We grew up traveling in a camper together as a family because we really couldn’t afford to take a family of five to a decent hotel for a week.

However, as we all got older and one by one the kids started to graduate from high school, we realized that our camping days were slowing coming to an end. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a few camping trips here and there but the reality is, our schedules are hard to align. So, my parents sold their motorhome and bought a used boat! We LOVED the boat!!!! It was the BEST THING EVER because we could all drive and meet at the river or a lake and just hangout together for one day! It was the perfect way to have fun together without having to commit to being gone for a week! So, that quickly became our family’s “thing”. We would all call and text and try to make plans to “go out on the boat” as much as humanly possible!!

Then, life started to change AGAIN. Michael had always been around but then all of a sudden my sister was married and corey had a girlfriend and all EIGHT of us were trying to fit on a tiny little boat. I’m pretty sure we were over the weight capacity!! So we upgraded to another used boat that would hold our growing family and we loved spending full days out on the water. We would pack lunches and coolers with fruit and water so that we could stay out on the water as long as possible! We loved it.

Our FAVORITE thing to do was drive the boat around a lake and just dream about what it would be like to actually have a HOUSE on a lake one day. I mean, how awesome would it be to have a place to pull our boat up to and be able to run in to use the bathroom?!!! When you just have a boat, you don’t have the luxury of stopping for lunch on the dock or using the bathroom! We spent YEARS having a BLAST boating together as a family and it honestly never gets old!! A few years ago we started casually looking and dreaming about small lots. It was fun to dream about having a FAMILY SPOT but we knew that it would probably always be just that…. a dream.

Well, after a crazy series of events, Michael and I found ourselves looking at a tiny, undeveloped piece of land on Lake Gaston back in January. We sold our first house and we were looking to make a little real estate investment on the water but we knew that it wouldn’t be more than a little lot of land and we would be lucky if it even had a dock. We looked at some lots that would require about 5 flights of stairs in order to ever access the water and we knew that it just wasn’t right. After a discouraging tour of lots, our realtor made a last-ditch effort to show us one more property. We pulled into the driveway of a tiny house on a gorgeous lot and we immediately knew that it was going to be out of the question. We were actually kind of MAD that he even wasted his time bringing us to a lot with a HOUSE because that was NOT in the plan.

As we walked into this little fixer-upper, our hearts started to soften towards the property. I don’t know what it was but it was almost like we could immediately see through the 70’s shag carpet, the popcorn ceilings and the uneven trim. This place had potential!!! However, we still didn’t have the budget for it and so on our own, it was once again just a dream. However, what I didn’t share was that my parents just happened to randomly decide to go on this road trip with us!! I really don’t know HOW this happened. I think I just mentioned that we were going to look at some land just for fun and they wanted to join!!!

As we were walking around this little olive green house with so many flaws, Michael and I weren’t the only ones who saw the potential in it. My parents were in love with it too. I remember Momma standing on the back deck of the house and whispering to me “KK, I really like this place!”. About 6 weeks later we were all back in the Lake Gaston area signing papers together on a little lake house that needed a lot of love. We officially co-own a family lake house. It may not be perfect or huge or in mint condition but our family’s dreams CAME TRUE this year. We spent every free moment of the last 5 months working on this family project and I can’t wait to show you the final product one day when it’s done!!!

On memorial day weekend, our whole family was together for the very first time at our little lake house. Michael and I drove STRAIGHT to the lake after a wedding and arrived at 2:30am but we made sure we were up at 8am so that we could see my sister and brother-in-law’s first reaction to the view! It’s the most beautiful view!!!! We loved every moment of our family time together that weekend. Several times throughout the weekend my mom would say to me “Can you believe this is REAL? We have a place of our own?!”. Like I said before, this was always just a dream that no one ever thought would become a reality for us. It’s not fancy but it’s perfect for us. It’s not huge but it’s already full of such sweet family memories just from one little weekend together!!

We are so very thankful for this blessing and we can’t wait to share it with others. I think we already had friends staying at the house before it was really even suitable for over-night guests! We ate breakfast and sat in the living room surrounded by power tools and scaffolding!! We realize that this space didn’t become a reality for just our family to enjoy. We hope that decades from now we can look back and see how this property brought so much joy to so many people’s lives.

We aren’t nearly done with the renovation but we have decided to gradually share bits and pieces of this project on our Home Made for Hosting Instagram account AND on Snapchat when we’re down there!! Up until now it’s been this little secret that we haven’t shared about but we’re hoping that through our renovation journey, we’ll be able to help some others who are fixing up their own space!!

You can follow us on Snapchat with this code: katelynalsop
And you can follow our Home Made for Hosting Instagram account HERE!

We’re not sharing any pictures of it yet but we do have some pretty hilarious pics from our Memorial Day weekend that will be thoroughly entertaining to scroll through!! Enjoy these images and ps. If you remember me sharing about my sister’s little puppy from a few months ago, you’re not going to BELIEVE how BIG he has gotten! HOLY COW!!! You can follow his Instagram HERE!!!!

Ps. I failed to mention this above but it’s a CRUCIAL part of the story! What I didn’t share was that this property is literally TWO DOORS DOWN from a lake house that belongs to the family of one of my COLLEGE ROOMMATES and dearest friends!!! We already go on vacations with Josh and Mandy and now we can have permanent vacations with them!! We’re so thankful to have such amazing friends who know the ropes down there at the lake and look out for us!!! Poes, we’re thankful for you!!!

Also… it was Shuba’s (my sister’s massive puppy) first time swimming!!!!
memorial day 2016_1479 memorial day 2016_1480 memorial day 2016_1481

Happy pup!!!

memorial day 2016_1482 memorial day 2016_1483 memorial day 2016_1484 memorial day 2016_1485

The boys love this SO much!!!

memorial day 2016_1486 memorial day 2016_1487 memorial day 2016_1488 memorial day 2016_1489

Shuba is such a cutie!

memorial day 2016_1490 memorial day 2016_1492 memorial day 2016_1494

And THIS is why my family has always gone to the Chiropractor!

memorial day 2016_1495memorial day 2016_1505 memorial day 2016_1496 memorial day 2016_1500 memorial day 2016_1501 memorial day 2016_1502

Learning to be buds! :)

memorial day 2016_1503

And this is what a summer sunset looks like from the dock!

memorial day 2016_1504

View Other Home Made for Hosting Posts HERE!

Check out other Personal Posts HERE!

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

Free Posing Class

Free Posing Class The KJ Way

Your sessions should be working FOR you not against you!

READ MORE
Education

Welcome to your Lightroom Classic Starter Guide video!

Lightroom Classic Beginner Guide
READ MORE

Lightroom Classic Starter Guide Everything You Need to Get Started!

Youtube
5 Essentials to Turn Pro

5 Essentials Beginners Need to Go Pro and make your photography business a success!

I’m breaking down the MUST-HAVE ITEMS that every photographer needs to be successful at the start of their career! 

READ MORE
Youtube

Danny + Megan A Biltmore Estate Wedding

Oh where do I begin? This wasn’t just another wedding for me. This was a legacy KJ Wedding and I have been looking forward to it ever since my first email from Danny and Megan!

READ MORE
Weddings

I’m really excited about this YouTube video because I know that it resonates with ALL photographers who photograph PEOPLE!!

10 posing red flags
READ MORE

10 Red Flags in Posing And how to fix them!

Youtube
How to Serve a Client Who Isn't a Perfect Fit

Ep. 33 | How to Serve a Client Who Isn’t a Perfect Fit And make it a great experience

Have you ever walked into a client experience and realized “oh wow, this is not what I was expecting?” ….

READ MORE
The Katelyn James Podcast

READER FAVORITES

"Best money I have EVER spent on education! ... and I've spent a lot!”

- Kara Abbey, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I love all the lessons I'm learning from KJ All Access! Thanks Katelyn!”

- Shannon Drummond, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I find very few educational resources worth it ... this one is!”

- Kate gansneder, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Being able to see behind-the-scenes of Katelyn interacting with her clients has been SO impactful!”

- Angie mcpherson, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"SO worth it! It's amazing the amount of knowledge you get out of them!”

- Brittany Lowe, ALl ACCESS MEMBER

"I learned just as much in one All Access as I did in a whole course! SO GOOD!"

- Joanna Krueger, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER
10 Steps to Starting Your Photography Business
Helping a friend survive a season of Infant Loss
How to photograph a first look in Harsh Light
OUR KJ COUPLES REUNION
A Lake Como Destination Wedding - Greg and Kate
A Letter to the Go-Getters fearful of Motherhood

The KJ blog
must-reads

The KJ Blog is where you get to know me, where you meet our KJ Couples and see their beautiful wedding days, where I have been building an archive of education for over a decade and where I let you see a peek into our life, our home, and hear about our purpose! 
don't miss the
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ

YOUTUBE

Join 93,000+ others and learn, grow and get connected via our Youtube Channel! This is where I'm constantly sharing new content, talking all things gear, business, tips, tricks and letting you into the behind-the-scenes of our everyday life! 
MORE FREE EDUCATION + CUTE BABIES ON
WATCH NOW

"I have invested in all of KJ’s education!

The way she teaches makes so much sense and I’m so grateful for her! My business will be forever changed!"

- Renee Nicolo

"KJ education has been life-changing

 It has elevated my work so I could quit my day job and work from home with our baby boy!"

- joanna k.

"I'VE INVESTED IN SO MANY RESOURCES... 

and none compare to what I get from KJ!"

- LAUREN M.