I didn’t realize how much we traveled in 2018 until I started putting together this blog post. I had planned on writing a blog for some of these trips and (as it does), time got away from me.
In January, Bart & I met his brother Brad and his wife Beth in New Orleans for a few days. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities to visit. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta, which is where Bart and I stayed in 2012. I thought it would be great since it is located in the French Quarter, right on Bourbon Street. Our first day was great weather, so we walked around Jackson Square and Royal Street before taking in a walking ghost tour that evening. The next day was cold and rainy so we took a bus tour of the city, which was great because we saw parts that I’ve never seen before, including the levees that failed during Katrina. We’re already planning another trip there to visit the WWII museum.
In the spring we took two trips to my home town of Jackson, Mississippi for family weddings that I was photographing. I had seen this beautiful mural on social media and knew I had to get a shot in front of it during one of my trips. I didn’t have much time to shoot down there, but I managed to get one good shot looking at Mississippi’s Old Capitol Building at the end of State Street.
During the summer, I went to visit my mom and brother in Venice, Florida. At the time I was starting to play around with film to see if it was something I wanted to add to my wedding packages. Some of these Florida photos were shot on Ektar and some on my digital camera. Oh and at my mom’s complex, they happened to have a car show while I was there. I enjoy car shows so much!
In August, we met up with Bart’s family for a trip to Washington D.C., another favorite city to visit. We went to the Museum of the Bible which was way bigger and more overwhelming than I imagined. We took a tour of the Capitol Building and our guide even got us out on the Speaker of the House’s balcony for an amazing shot down the Washington Mall. Bart and I snuck away to go see the Arlington National Cemetery since we haven’t been there the last few times that we visited. The changing of the guard ceremony was so moving.
Our hotel was in a fun area called the District Warf. Luckily we were steps away from boarding a ferry to Historic Alexandria, Virginia. I was so glad to see a super cute historic town. It reminded me of Historic Franklin, Tennessee. I loved how patriotic this town was with all their American flags proudly displayed.
PS. Bart’s such a great sport and a great Instagram Husband.
In September, we flew to Chicago to photograph a wedding just outside of the city. Since we haven’t been to Chicago together we decided to stay an extra day to explore the city. Unfortunately, there was a major strike by Hilton hotel workers and since the Palmer House is owned by Hilton, there was a lovely (insert sarcasm) picket line in front of the hotel as we were checking in. As soon as we checked in we headed straight for Giordano’s Deep Dish Pizza before taking a crime tour. We’re so fascinated by the mobsters of the early 1900s that it was so perfect for us. Seeing the spot where John Dillinger was killed (around the corner from the Biograph Theatre) was very interesting. We then decided to do a river architecture tour. It was way hotter at that time than I thought it would be, so we were boiling in the sun for a second, but as soon as we got in the shade it was quite lovely.
In October, we went to Jackson for my 3rd wedding in that area. We stayed an extra day so that I could go to Natchez, Mississippi (yes, another fav to visit) for my cousin’s engagement session (which you can see here). We were there for less than 4 hours, but I managed to get a sunset shot of the Mississippi River.
In November, I went solo to Bermuda Run, North Carolina for the Creative at Heart conference. I’m still decompressing from how amazing that conference was! There may be a post in the next few weeks!
We drove down to Biloxi, Mississippi in early December to see the last Lynyrd Skynyrd tour of the year. My husband recently launched his podcast, ‘Thinkin’ and Drinkin.’ He interviewed his longtime friend, Rickey Medlocke from Skynyrd (which just came out this past Monday). It was a quick trip and a fun show and I’m so glad that we had a chance to do that.
We ended the year with a trip to Nebraska at Christmas, to celebrate with Bart’s family. It sure was a whirlwind and I’m excited for where we may travel in 2019!
filed under
January 24, 2019
POSTED ON