Reflections of 2016 – travel & life

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True to form, more than a week into 2017 and I’m finally posting my reflections of 2016. I usually do some kind of year in review post, though usually on my wedding photography blog. This time I decided to post here because there is a lot to share, and mostly from my travels. I do have a separate post going up there with more wedding and portrait work though, if you’re curious.

Anyway, it was a crazy year! I’m not going to get into politics or anything too very personal, but let’s just say 2016 has been full of major ups and downs! It was a year of trials and heart ache, the likes of which I’ve never experienced before, but those were balanced out with several positive life-changing moments and promises of happier times to come.

As always, I did my fair share of chasing sunrises and sunsets. I continued to explore my own neck of the woods and revisited some favorite places in the state of Washington.

One of many sunrises at Kerry Park, the perfect sky eluding me each time I went. This one was okay.

A sunrise visit to Gasworks Park, capturing the silhouette of a local seaplane about to land.

A bucket list photo checked off my list – Seattle under a rainbow!

Mt. St. Helens visit #1 with my travel blogging friends from MyTanFeet!

Mt. St. Helens visit #2, lasting well into the night for star photos with my local night photography buddies.

A hot and tiring hike to Snow Lake, with views to make it all worthwhile.

A nice ferry ride back to Seattle from a family day in Bremerton.

A second attempt at Dock Butte, this time without the rain and fog!

A short walk at my favorite Seattle oasis, Discovery Park.

Another hike attempted again with better results. In the summer, Coal Creek falls is sometimes just a dribble, so it was nice to see it flowing in the fall.

2016 had some sad endings, but it was full of new beginnings, large and small. I taught some photo lessons locally. Just for fun for now. I completed a massive project – my non-technical photo tips series on the blog. If you haven’t seen it, it starts with this popular intro post. I opened an Etsy shop! I have 75 photos and products on there right now and I’m adding more.

A new puppy joined my Dad’s household. The cute little monster is a handful, but fun to visit when we go over there. Speaking of animal friends, we now have a resident hummingbird, who just the other day drank from his feeder as I was holding it! I am in the process of saying goodbye to my loyal car of 20 years, but I did get a new one. It’s been sad for me to let go of it, but exciting to have something shiny and new. Oh yeah, and I got engaged! :)

My bestie wanted lessons during her visit.

Have some favorites photos from the blog or Instagram? Let me know and I can add it to my shop!

He’s always sitting on his favorite limb. It’s funny how much his presence brightens my day.

I did a mini photo shoot with my old car to honor our great times together. Cheesy, I know.

My love. Ans yes, I took my own engagement photos. ;)

Family and friends were a big theme for me in 2016. I was able to visit with lots of family who I rarely get to see. I also spent some good quality time with some new and old friends. It’s good to know there are some people who you will always be friends with no matter how much time has gone by!

Family time at Mt. Rainier.

I couldn’t believe that our travel plans happened to coincide in Paris for one day! Thanks to Kristin for this shot!

College friends reconnecting. Pretty much the same as ever!

Wedding work was especially fun this year! I had more elopements than ever before and I got to shoot in some amazing locations! Sadly I can only share a few of these with you for now.

My Hawaii bride. I had restrictions for sharing certain shots of this wedding, sadly.

Love these guys! A super sweet Seattle wedding.

A Paris engagement in the fall!

A beautiful elopement at the Seattle Municipal Courthouse.

An elopement witnessed by strangers at Snoqualmie Falls.

And of course, the year was full of travel! Stateside travel included Indiana, California, Utah, and Hawaii. I visited B.C. as well, but that’s technically international despite being so close! I worked with some great companies and even got to check off a few big items from my bucket list!

This is Utah! Pretty close to where our wedding ceremony will be held.

Also Utah. Breathtaking isn’t it?

My first ride in a helicopter with the doors off! And over a lava flow, no less!

A quick jaunt to Joshua Tree after a California wedding.

Swimming with dolphins was huge for me! I’d do it again in a heartbeat… once I have a better underwater camera!

My second encounter with lava on the Big Island.

The grand finale of my lava experiences! This one was big on my bucket list!

I also went to back to Europe! I have an entire post dedicated to highlights of the road trip portion of my trip in Eastern Europe, but here are just a few of those photos and some from Paris.

Primosten, a stunning little town on Croatia’s coast that I stumbled upon.

A third bucket list item was checked off when I finally visited Plitvice Lakes National Park! I’ve got a whole post about it that you won’t want to miss.