Another year has come and gone, the calendar is on the last day of the last page, 2013 is down to it’s final hours. It’s been a pretty good year, but I’m not sad to say goodbye. Hello 2014! I have a good feeling about you and am looking forward to making your acquaintance. It’s been a year of trial and error, of reconnecting with old friends, and of finding my feet in the new world of following my bliss. I’ve learned a lot this year, about photography and life, and look forward to using that knowledge in the coming year. Looking back, it feels like 2013 was a year of preparation for 2014 and beyond. Now, the real adventure begins!

Traveling to Santa Cruz for Christmas seems like such a fitting way to cap off this year and prepare for next year. Getting lost in the forest on a one-lane road for an hour was just a lesson in patience, and a reminder to listen to my instincts. Even GPS’s make mistakes! And even though my plan was to shoot the skyline of San Francisco from the Berkeley Marina, the silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge is the shot I ended up with. Another lesson. Don’t get so caught up in your plans that you miss the real opportunities.

As the sun sets on this year, and the dawn of the new year begins, I can’t help feeling grateful for all the beauty in this world, and the opportunity to take it in. And although I continue to make plans for the coming year, I also remain flexible and attentive to whatever comes my way. I’m very much looking forward to whatever surprises the coming year has in store.

Just as Christmas in Santa Cruz was non-traditional and unexpected, if you really think about it, so is much of life. And those are the things we remember. So, here’s to a year of unexpected and amazing experiences.

Maybe I will see you out on the road in 2014…