What. A. Year.
I ended 2012 with a total of 20 weddings, 12 engagement/trash the dress sessions, and 22 family/newborn/boudoir/senior portrait sessions. I feel as though I finally found the perfect balance for photography, teaching, and personal adventures this past year. I have a ton of amazing photos from these weddings and sessions from the year, but I would like to say goodbye to 2012 with an entirely personal post. And, on a quick side note, so many of our friends have been getting engaged over the past month and we are SO, SO happy for each and every one of you! As truly amazing as 2012 was for us, we are looking forward to an even better 2013 celebrating with you!!!
2012 was an amazing year full of incredible life experiences. Silas and I have been trying to nail down our top 5 moments from 2012, and I finally narrowed mine down to the following 8, absolutely incapable of taking any more of these out. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. 49ers Playoff Game vs. Saints
Not only was this one of the most intense and epic games I’ve ever watched in my life, but we were able to be there, IN PERSON. It was an awesome way to start off the year. Here is my completely unprofessional iphone photo of us after the win!
2. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana
My sister and brother-in-law live on the parade route in NOLA… This probably was the most ridiculous week of my life. Here I am, covered in nonsense.
(….and just FYI, this is only day 2 of 5…)
3. Helicopter ride over San Francisco
I had been visiting Silas up in SF about every other weekend for a few months while he was training there, and really grew to love it as most of you do. But, if you really want to experience SF in an incredible way, go up in the air. Totally amazing.
4. Katie and Eduardo’s wedding
Weddings make me happy. I LOVE shooting weddings. I have been so blessed to shoot every single couple that have hired me. However, there is NOTHING like shooting the wedding of your boyfriend’s sister and husband. Nothing. I was so incredibly honored to be such an important part of their day and play such an important role in a family memory.
Si and I, taken by the their friend Carlos, the DJ!
5. The Olympics
For those of you that missed the 10.5 million photos I posted on my personal Facebook page, here are a few of my favorites. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I was so fortunate to be able to watch Silas compete. He rowed in the pair, and he and his partner ended at eighth in the world. I could not have been more proud.
A Silas Stafford iphone special, holding the Olympic torch
The Final Race at Eton Dorney (they are the yellow boat closest to you)
The rings in the Olympic Village
6. Fall Road Trip (Boston, MA to NOLA)
Road trips are my favorite. Some people would be horrified to spend that much time in the car with another person, but I loved every minute. We traveled from Boston where we went to the wedding of a great rower friend of Silas’ and met up with a few other good friends; to Pennsylvania to visit his sister and brother-in-law; to camping in Shenandoah, Virginia (in the fall, which was GORGEOUS); to Nashville, Tennessee which is my musical heaven; to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to the Alabama college football game which completely blew my mind; to New Orleans to stay with my sister and brother-in-law before heading to Aruba… not to mention the places we stopped in between.
7. Aruba
Immediately following our road trip, we headed to Aruba where Silas and I shot the wedding of our friends Kristin and Justin. It was 5 days of relaxing and pirate shipping with great people. My friend Joy was the maid of honor in the wedding… She and I usually only get to see each other once a year, but I was able to see her TWICE in two months (she also came to the Olympics). I am the luckiest. Lots more of this wedding coming soon!
8. Yosemite in December
Yosemite has a very special place in my heart. My favorite memory from 2011 was our trip in the late summer to Yosemite, and I was SO EXCITED to go back and relive some of our memories. I wasn’t sure that trip could be matched until we went back this December and upon our arrival, we were met with fresh snow covering the trees and the ground. The valley in the winter is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
2012, you are going to be hard to beat. Bring it on 2013!
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