This past year was a year with lots of challenges, uncertainty and above all gratitude. It was the first year that I worked for myself and being the all-or-nothing kind of person I am, I forgot to set boundaries, to look after the people I love and above all maintaining some balance. But with a hectic season (shooting 49 weddings) behind me I decided that there would be no more ‘what if’s” which equals the fear of doing new things and no more “if only’s” which equals regret. My mom turned 60 in June and she’s never been to Europe or for that matter any other place overseas. So knowing her dream I decided us two should do a trip to France & Italy. The best part of the trip was seeing my mother’s reaction to all the wonders of a different culture and country. From trying new things, like cooking classes in Siena (we ate Rabbit) and driving on the wrong side of the road to taking the ferry with our car in Lake Como. So I’m glad to say that I’ve had time to tick off one of the things on my bucket list – one less “what if” and “if only”. Mom I had so much fun, we laughed so much and thank you for memories I would never forget –  thank you for giving up on al lot of your dreams to be able to make mine come true – I love you so, so much!

These pictures were taken with my Canon 5D ii, a Sony Cybershot Point-and-shoot and my iPhone.