I was very happy at the end of 2014 because I had just completed my biggest travel year in my life and enjoyed it very much! I had no idea that 2015 would surpass it for the most traveling I’ve ever done! It became a joke with one of my friends who would leave a voicemail for me and always say, “I assume you’re out of town so call me when you get back in.” He was right every time.
My friends keep asking me how many places I’ve travelled to in the past year so I thought it would be interesting to sit down and add it all up. Just from the first week of October to the first week of December, I traveled through 10 different airports and three countries! And technically speaking, I visited eight countries in 2015 but never left the airport in three of those countries (France, England, Amsterdam) so my final total is five countries (Italy, Turkey, Japan, Mexico, Canada) that I actually visited and a total of 17 airports! Surprisingly, for some people I know, this is not that many. And yet others I’ve met in my area say that they haven’t ever left the country. All they have to do is drive 2.5 hours north to beautiful Vancouver, Canada which has been ranked number one in different surveys from around the world! If you live near Seattle and still haven’t been to Vancouver, B.C., now is definitely the time to go! Gas prices are low and the Canadian exchange rate is the best it’s been in years (1 U.S.D. = 1.39 Canadian at the time of this writing)! And did I tell you that it’s one of my favorite cities in the world?! Go now and enjoy!! But first, make sure you have a warm waterproof jacket. If not, you can get a good one there at Mountain Equipment Co-operative.
I’ve been very blessed, not just in my travels to many amazing places this past year, but also to have met many great people! I’ve had the honor of photographing many weddings, senior photo sessions, family sessions, as well as exciting photo shoots that allowed me to travel extensively. It’s been fun seeing Christmas cards or postings online of photos of people that I’ve photographed. It makes me happy knowing that it brings smiles to their family and friends.
Directly below are photos of people (including Seahawks kicker, Steven Hauschka, and former Sounders goalie, Kasey Keller) and below those are my nature scenes from Italy, Turkey, Japan, California, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico, all from 2015. As you can see, I first started writing what I wanted to say on this blog deep within the old Ottoman Empire with a good Turkish coffee in hand before I transferred my writing to this blog. :>)
A big thank you to God, my family, friends, assistants, photography groups, and clients who have made this year the best! To all my friends and family who have had a difficult year (i.e. health, finances, marriage), please know I’m praying for you and wishing you a better and bright new year filled with lots of hope. Happy New Year! 
After having a fantastic year with my photography business and exploring new places around the globe, I feel like I’m on top of the world! Looking forward to what’s in store for 2016!
