Happy new year! I figured that I better reflect on 2011 before the second week of January was through. There is much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. I wanted to share some of my memories from last year with you and some of the things I’m looking forward to in 2012 (please excuse any mismatched verb tenses. I’m going with the flow on this one). You can read 2010′s recap here!
January : Starting the year with a refreshing and peaceful trip to Lake Tahoe with dear friends. Jumping in to the lake with Zac & freezing our buns off. Andrea & Zeph’s divine caesar salad dressing. Doing lunges down the dock and seeing nothing but pretty pretty pretty. Being able to say “next year I’m moving home.” The nervous excitement I felt flying to Jacksonville to take Ashley & Sky’s engagement photographs.
February : Zac flew to Houston and the sunshine won him over. We made pancakes and fell in love with Hermann Park. We spent two days in Fredericksburg with friends and experienced Texas’ Hill Country. I was lucky enough to see my lovely college roommate, Jamie, on three different weekends this month.
March : I flew to Portland and spent time with Zac’s family. Erica had just found out she was pregnant with baby Blake (who I’m going to meet this Saturday for the first time!! Wheeeeeeeee!), and Kelly & Timm were in town. We spent a night at our favorite spot in Lincoln City, went out for breakfast, and played frisbee afterwards. In photography news, this was the month I second shot for the very first time with Christina.
April : Zac flew back to Houston (phew, a lot of flying, huh?) and we visited our beloved Hermann Park again!
May : The excitement of seeing my family in Connecticut and bringing Zac to my alma mater, the Coast Guard Academy. Seeing Laura. The heart bursting pride I felt watching my brother graduate and earn his commission. The frozen speechless feeling I had shaking President Obama’s hand (this moment was pretty cool)! Saying goodbye to my family, especially Mumsy & Dad made me sad… but knowing that we still had our trip to Brooklyn ahead of us buoyed me up. I met Cholula & Runtley for the first time, and Kelly & Timm hosted the most wonderful delicious housewarming party Brooklyn has ever known.
June : Olivia & Kevin, two of my friends from Oregon came to visit in Houston, and I second shot another wedding with Christina! After running past an Etsy meetup that looked like fun, I decided to take a quick shower and head on over… I ended up meeting Alicia & Bri, two exceptional ladies and fellow creative megaminders (more on this group soon!).
July : Zac flew to Houston and we spent the first weekend of July in Austin (also my 1 year-a-versary of living in Texas). We watched a million bats fly out from underneath the Congress street bridge at sunset, and there should have been a symphony playing, it was that moving and beautiful. I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Making Things Happen intensive in Gulf Breeze, FL (and even video blogged about it), and I went for it. I road tripped to Florida by myself, met some amazing folks, swam in the ocean, and left with a renewed sense of purpose and drive toward my photography and goals, as well as an awareness of the opportunity and responsibility I have to create good in my life. I think about my experience at MTH every single day. I flew to Portland at the end of the month and ate cupcakes with Amy on a sunny windy day. I also went on an incredible hike with Zac in the Gorge (Mt. Hamilton). When we got near the top, we stopped to have a snack on a flat grassy spot overlooking the Columbia River. I can distinctly remember the expansive joy and closeness I felt sitting there next to Zac, eating baby tomatoes and goldfish. This memory is one of my treasures.
August : We flew to New York to photograph Ashley & Sky’s wedding (my very first wedding!). Hurricane Irene threw things off a little: namely, bumping the wedding up a day. No biggie. On the 27th of August, Zachary asked me to be his wife! It was such a thrilling day and I feel so lucky that we had Kelly & Timm to come home to and celebrate with. There is nothing like having the love and support of your family, and I feel so lucky to be able to call Zac’s family my family.
September : I flew to Portland and we enjoyed a sunny early morning at the PSU farmer’s market, and an adventure with Brody in the woods. The 6th of September marked the second anniversary of the day we met: the luckiest day of my life.
October : Zachary ran the Portland marathon at the beginning of the month, and flew to Houston at the end of the month…. so we could GET MARRIED!!! I know I haven’t told the story or shared photos with you yet here (I will!), so here’s a little re-cap. We eloped and got married in a courthouse on Caroline Street. It was wonderful. That evening at home we made tacos and a tres leches cake (on Zac’s request), and went out for margaritas… guided by our Mexican intuition, I suppose! Also worth mentioning is my blender because it has revolutionized my mornings & dinners. Limitless smoothies & soups!
November : I turned one year older, made two big batches of stuffing and spent Thanksgiving in Portland.
December : I discovered a fantastic new yoga studio. My brother Gio came to visit and so did Zac. It made for a simple yet festive Houston Christmas. We played card games, watched lots of shows on Netflix, and ate lots of yummy food. Joel took us bouldering and I’d never been so sore in my forearms and shoulders before. This climbing also inspired us (mostly my brother & Zac) to go on a Christmas night walk around Houston climbing any statue and tree we saw. I may or may not have climbed a small birch tree and jumped off a fountain yelling “parkour!” Ahhh, that was fun :o) It was sad saying bye to Joeyy, but nice having Zac around for a few more days!
Right Now : I get to say “I’m moving back to Portland this year!” In 3 months, actually :o) Zac and I are planning our road trip/honeymoon back as well as our wedding. Yes, we are still having a wedding even though we’re already married! I can’t wait for my family to be together again and for them to meet Zac’s family! I haven’t seen my youngest brother Bimsy since December 2009. Now that he’s living in California rather than in Asia, we should be able to see a lot more of each other. I’m looking forward to living with Zachary again. To starting our married life together. I am also so excited to grow this business in big ways… so I can do this full-time, build a studio, and make more things happen. 2012, let’s do this!
Wishing you love, energy & zeal, peace, balance, and joy. Happy 2012!
