All of us can come to a consensus that 2016 was shit. Maybe not 1968 bad, but still not great, Bob.

The Election That Wouldn’t End brought out the worst in people here in the US; ISIS continued to be a-holes to everyone in the world; and for God’s sake we lost Bowie and Prince.

Like I said, shit.

But while the rest of the world went up in flames, things were pretty okay here in my bubble. A quick recap:

• Published an essay on Salt Journal.
• Published a post on the Click Magazine blog.
• Photographed my first newborn.
• Got to revisit my childhood via Fuller House.
• Flew to Boston for a day and visited the Museum of Fine Arts, then reunited with old co-workers for dinner.
• Took a writing course with Jeanette LeBlanc and discovered the wild that lives in my soul.
• Solidified the fact that I live in Stars Hollow because our town installed inflatable orcas on the water tower in an effort to ward off vultures.
• Co-hosted Celtic Crowns and Cocktails at Catoctin Creek Distillery.
• Saw my photos in print in Mingle Magazine.
• Completed the Whole 30.
• Visited our friends Keith and Paula in Atlanta, and Keith gave us a tour of The Weather Channel. Childhood Alicia rejoiced.
• Visited Savannah and loved it, as expected.
• Celebrated my fifth wedding anniversary with Jon by visiting a couple of local wineries and getting a wee bit tipsy.
• Saw Flight of the Conchords perform at Wolf Trap.
• My little brother got married in St. Lucia, and it was glorious.

• Reunited with my college roommate in Chicago!
• Attended/photographed the Resonate Retreat for the second year.
• Started working with Bernina for freelance product photos for their education blog.
• Finally read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
• Cashed in my Disney Visa points and took my mom to WDW to see the last running of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
• Watched the Olympics and had my quadrennial resurgence in feeling athletic. It lasted two weeks.
• Worked with Bernina to photograph products for their education department.
• Drove around Scotland with my husband!
• Turned 33 in Scotland – Islay, to be exact. Drinking scotch in Scotland on my birthday!
• Went on a mother-daughter trip to Disney World.
• Hired by my business coach to take her new branding photos and holy shit, are they awesome. Also, the images are being used as her book covers, so NO BIG DEAL.
• Photographed a few shoots with Laura Hooper Calligraphy.
  
• Worked with Alison Glass to photograph her latest fabric collections and quilt patterns.
• David S. Pumpkins entered our lives. Any questions?
• Flew across the country alone, which is mega huge for me.
• Fell in absolute love with southern California while I was there for the Steer Your Ship retreat and to visit Tori and Chester.
• I pet a porcupine, fed a kangaroo, and swam with otters. Swam. with. otters.
• Finally achieved my dream of owning a pink Beetle.
• Took a road trip with Jon and my parents to visit the Christmas Story House and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
• Adopted a dog after years of saying we were going to. Bronson is the cutest dog in the world and I love him so much even after only two weeks. He’s beside me right now gnawing on an antler and I just want to snuggle with him and his squishy furry face.
• Had my photos published on Salt Journal, Green Wedding Shoes, Style Me Pretty, Lace and Loyalty, Click Magazine blog, Lemonade and Lenses, and Knots Villa.
• Had photos printed in Mingle Magazine, Trend Magazine, and Belong Magazine.

All in all, it’s been a good year for my business and personal life. My highlight (besides traveling) has definitely been the adoption of our dog, Bronson. He makes our family complete and warms our hearts (and my feet). My loved ones and myself are healthy, we have jobs and shelter and food on the table. Everything else is just a cherry on top, for that I am incredibly grateful.

Here’s hoping that 2017 brings joy, peace, safety, good health, and happiness to us all! Happy New Year everyone, and buh-bye to the global train wreck that is 2016. Bye, Felicia!