Wowza…looking back on the past year I’m starting to realize how many lovely things I was able to do. I sifted through the hundreds of pictures that I took (and asked others to take for me) and felt my crafty side creeping back out this cloudy coffee shop kinda day.

I loved all my destinations of choice, and each visit warranted a collage, but I narrowed it down to a select few. The Lord knows my heart…what a year it’s been. To think that He wanted to make it leap and sparkle by showing me the vastness of the world around me - and yet, at the same time, how much smaller it is than we think - by showing me new corners here and there, makes me want to burst.

One year ago (last January), I sat down and assessed what about the past year made up my favorite memories, and saw a pattern develop in the people I was with and the places I went.

Around the same time, felt a renewed surge of creative energy. Under a lot of job stress at the time, I badly needed an outlet to release that pent-up…something. I felt I owed myself a bit of a kindness by creating space to let it flow - what would flow out of it, I had no idea. But it didn’t matter. Whatever it was, it needed somewhere to go.

And here we are - twelve months of photo shoots, styling, scouting sites, and doing the best I knew to capture an incredible new city to get lost in, as I built the blog to capture what I saw, who I met. Everything. I found my hobby and loved every minute I poured into it. A picture says a thousand words, and sometimes my babbling to describe my surroundings just doesn’t cut it. Still, killing an entire morning cranking out a blog post with my latest thoughts and edited pieces remains one of my favorite things.

So, because my trips were a big part of what made my year so fantastic, I’m giving it all a recap. Here are my favorite destinations of 2019, in my first blog post of 2020.

Higlight Destinations from 2019

Paris

The answer is yes…it was every bit amazing as you could fathom. I do a lot of things out of feeling obligated, but planning this trip took months of planning and spending self-discipline and pushback against the urge to roll over and let my days kind of slip by, easily, but dully. Revisiting one of my favorite cities in the world - and the sacrifice to make it happen - sparked joy back in my heart during what had been a stale several months for me.

It was far too short! Next time I’ll plan to take more consecutive time to really immerse, to do the things I want without burning out (or getting sick, as was the case for me.) This was a trip of learning my personal limits and where to balance rest with activity. Whatever, worth it.

Here in sweet “Paree,” I tried AirBnB Experiences for the first time, and I absolutely recommend you do the same. You can find countless guided tours and classes in whatever global destination you choose - from cooking classes to pastry tours (which is what I was doing in the super cool neighborhood of le Marais, where I’m ogling pastries here below on the left), or photo shoots (Parisian portraits make solid souvenirs if you ask me!), they offer every variation of activity you can make up. Check them out, and I can recommend specific items if ever you find yourself in Paris, Budapest, or Chicago. (Honestly, with my endorsement or not, try a new one anyway and please share your experience!)

Chicago

Whooo-ee! I can see why Sinatra had a lot to say about Chi-town. T’was a brief but fabulous weekend in which I still managed to visit plenty in a small area - and in early November, before it got too bitterly cold as the city seems to do quite well. A dainty bit of snow even fell on my last day in town, as if to wish me off.

Check out my blog post for a quick rundown of the food and sights in River North/Streeterville area.

Rural Arizona

Like a moth to a flame, my default is to be drawn to the city, so this little venture fell outside my comfort zone. But, in spite of and maybe even because of my assumption I wouldn’t like it, I decided to give the desert a chance…and I’m so glad I did it. Enjoying a horse ranch haven to myself offered all the R&R I needed before starting a new job. This was one of my favorite spots to recap in Instagram stories, so visit my Arizona highlights for footage.

I spent my mornings with a mug of coffee, seated in these porch chairs, and watching all kinds of critters and furries hop, flutter, scurry, and amble through my backyard. Nighttime visits to the local saloons (where I saw both cowboys galore and my first tarantula “in the wild”…yeesh!) and hikes through a sea of saguaros brought an undeniable authenticity to the whole visit. (You can read the blog post here, and check out the AirBnB where I stayed here.)

Union Station, DC

I love our train station in DC!! This was one of my favorite local shoots with Mark Story (@markstoryphotos). It’s an architectural mammoth, and coupled with ethereal ceilings, marble floors, and flecks of gold accents, the structure stands with a dignified regality. I felt very small and very chic at the same time, surely as Serena van der Woodsen must have felt traipsing Grand Central upon her scandalous return home.

Georgetown

Whether with visiting friends or local pals, I adored my time spent in this lovely posh neighborhood in DC. It’s impossible to make Georgetown look bad, and the pictures only echo this fact.

Very sad about it, but this shot below on the right shows what used to be a local gem, a flower shop called Greenworks, which closed down later last year. It was a very popular spot for pictures, from it’s vivid pink flower wall and sizable corner location. It’s quite a presence in an otherwise quiet part of Georgetown.

Elsewise, make plans to get lost…every other corner boasts an historic aesthetic, like this one I found with Katie Pleckham (@kategracephotography).

2019 - it’s been a year of tremendous wonder and fantastic exploring. But the latter half of the year brought with it new challenges, some that brought me face-to-face with other parts of myself that don’t get captured in pictures and posted. I had to accept that it’s okay - necessary, even - to acknowledge and sit with difficult emotions, and not wanting to feel them (unfortunately) doesn’t make them evaporate. Of course I love capturing the memories I want to remember and hold dear forever, but as we all know, a robust and well-lived life means opening yourself up to feeling everything else beyond the smiles and laughing. While I used to feel ashamed of wrestling with anything other than joy or peace, thinking of it as a failure somehow on my part, it’s the whole spectrum of emotions that adds depth, richness, and growth in ourselves. The Lord is sweet in that way - He does so much work in us in the moments that we often would rather forget.

So while I absolutely intend to keep traveling as I did last year, this year I’ll also remember to slow down and rest when I know it’s needed - not when others give me permission.

There’s a tremendous amount I want out of the next year ahead, but I’ll try not to get too far ahead of myself. ;)

What made 2019 memorable for you? What would you like out of your 2020?