It’s annual review time. A time to reflect on the highlights and the things that didn’t go quite as planned. A time of new goals and visions for the year ahead. 2014 was a quiet year. 2015 was a bit more exciting:
- Wrote and published my first photography guide.
- Redid my entire website complete with a shop so you can buy my photos and books.
- Went to four countries in Africa which included a safari in Kenya—A dream come true.
- Traveled to Australia, my fifth continent…officially. Visited my mastermind friends, only the second time we’ve met in person but we’ve talked almost weekly for three years. Country count is now at 40 since I’m counting Taiwan.
- Volunteered at my favorite conference, WDS. Even lead the 5k run of 50 or so people.
- Attended Camp GLP (Good Life Project).
- Went to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
- Traveled through 11 new states bringing my total up to 35. (Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota.
- Had two epic road trips! One to the southeastern corner of Oregon with a new friend and the other to Yellowstone for my five year anniversary. Five years of marriage is also an accomplishment!…something worth celebrating.
- Another amazing road trip took me to my seventh and final wonder of Oregon, the Wallowas. What an awesome place to camp and hike. It was fun to explore more deeply the seven wonders this year. I think I visited or revisited all but one in 2015.
- My photo was selected (1 of 10 out of 1,000+) by Lonely Planet to participate in a photo adventure in Seattle.
- One of my photos was in the top 9 on a feature page on Instagram. Yeah!
It was a year of many road trips and two big adventures overseas. I saw a lot of growth and transition in my business. I saw a lot of growth in myself as well.
What went wrong?
I lost my sunglasses in an epic wind gust in South Africa. I just wish “act of god” was covered under the warranty.
I forgot some of my own travel rules.
- Always bring cash (more than $70!)
- Always carry cards from two different banks with chips (preferably a Visa and a Mastercard)
- If your card has a PIN, know it well and make sure the card has a chip.
Next year
As always, in the coming year, I have to grow more in my business. I’d like to make more clients happy and be able to save some money. Happiness for all!
Continue supporting my husband and his business goals. If you live and Portland and want delicious hand cooked meals delivered to your door, I must connect you with him. He is the most amazing chef I know. I am blessed.
I’d love to make it to at least one of my top five bucket list countries: Peru, Iceland, New Zealand, Croatia, Turkey. If I make it to Peru I also get to add a 6th continent to my list.
Publish my next book. It’s a travel book! (comment if you want to know when it launches, I’m currently in the editing and designing phase)
In between blog posts, you can follow my 140 character adventures on Twitter and my photo adventures on Instagram.
Wishing you an amazing 2016! Cheers.
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