it seems like last year couldn’t be topped…between getting engaged and married…but this year seemed to top it! we kicked it off on our honeymoon in thailand (chiang mai and phuket). side note: when you take a trip over new years, it’s both amazing and not amazing. amazing in that you start your year off in a big way. not amazing in that it feels like it was 10 years since that trip. time to start planning another one! a trip, not a honeymoon.

the obvious high note for us this year was becoming pregnant. pregnancy, while i’ve touched on it some (and intend to delve more deeply, if you’ll allow me), has been an interesting journey for me/us. while it was many things i expected, it’s been a lot of what i didn’t. with that said, i am so incredibly excited to meet baby p in a few short weeks. we are truly blessed.

other high notes were revisiting a few cities (and friends who live in them) i love: chicago, dc, josh’s family lake house in michigan, la, and san francisco, while exploring a couple new ones: big sur, carmel, detroit. quitting my full time job to pursue photography full time was both monumental and scary as hell. thankfully, i quickly fell into a solid routine backed by amazing clients. oh and adding another musical to my repertoire, with the book of mormon, is always fun.

no year is without its low points, and saying good bye to josh’s grandfather as well as our family dog, lilly, were the absolute pits.

a couple years ago i got to cheer on my oldest younger brother, luke, as he won state marching band. it’s so gratifying being able to cheer on loved ones when they achieve something so great. this year was no different as i saw my middle brother, andrew, make it all the way to the babe ruth world series in washington state. such a proud moment.

i’ve hard some dark years in my life (who hasn’t), but the past few have me pinching myself. how is any one person so lucky?! i’m so thankful to have some wonderful friends (who are there no matter what, no matter how far away they physically live), great family, a job that makes me so utterly happy and a husband who makes this life so damn much fun. looking forward to this-coming year, i see lots of joy in the birth of our daughter, new travel adventures (always), and hopefully lots of smiles and giggles.

all photos from my instagram account (along with a few stolen from josh’s).