In Honor of 38

February 28, 2019 In Photography, Travel, Writing By Annie

This time last year, I was an absolute wreck. I was so excited to leave for my dream trip to Paris, but I was also terrified.

When I booked the trip, I was in a weird place. Exhausted, heartbroken, and bored. I had been moving through my days doing some record-breaking emotional gymnastics to keep my ship right, and I needed a break. So instead of a weekend away, I went full throttle and gifted myself my ultimate trip to Paris for my birthday. Researching and booking the trip was incredibly fun, but as the time got closer, my fears were screaming at me. Who the heck was I to just pack up a bag and go to the other side of the planet on a whim? At one time, I had been the shy girl who felt crippled at too much attention, but I was determined to get on the plane and figure it out.

It is amazing how loss can lead to flashes of bravery. Maybe that’s how all great things begin… a dash of fear, some stubbornness, unrelenting determination, a need to prove yourself, and a longing for something new. Of course, the Paris trip was amazing. And once that door was cracked open, a windfall of wonderful things landed on my doorstep, I caught a heavy dose of wanderlust, and started to feel like myself again.

My 38th year changed me, and I am so thankful for it. All of it. I let go of some dreams, and made others a reality. I met some amazing people and found even more love for the amazing ones I already know, had a love affair with Paris, swam with sharks, stood on top of a snow covered volcano, loved on some beautiful turtles and sassy killer whales, biked Amsterdam, ate WAY too much amazing food, found out trains were just as exciting as I hoped, met with the hearts of Van Gogh, Monet, and Rembrandt, became a coffee drinker, saw the Northern Lights from a frigid fjord, watched the beauty of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean, wandered around New York City in the rain, and returned to tell my tales and share my photographs.

Thank you, 38… here’s to the next chapter of adventures, 39.