Wow! Today is my one year anniversary leaving Portland, Oregon.
It seemed like such a crazy and sudden thing to do at the time, saying goodbye to a town I adore and close friends I cherish for uncharted territories, but I had a feeling if I didn't leave Portland right then, it might never happen. I wanted to see what the world had in store for me. I wasn't ready to say "Pdx forever" just yet.
I couldn't in a million years have imagined where this year would take me. After one blessed month sleeping under the stars in the American Southwest, one month learning Spanish in Guatemala, quality weeks with family on the east coast, and a long, partly-cloudy winter in Barcelona, for the past 6 months I have been living, learning, loving, and creating here in Berlin. I'm happily establishing roots. I'm making images I'm excited about again, and I'm constantly challenged by this new life! There have been so many incredible highs and lows this year, and it's unbelievably hard being so far away from my close friends and family in the States, but I have not regretted the decision to move across the world for one itty bitty second. I am living MY dream now. A big thank you to everyone close to my heart for your love, support, and above all, your patience this past year.
And a few people in particular who may be reading this (you know who you are), I really couldn't have done this without you. I'll never, ever, be able to thank you enough: "I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)."
Photo: Bye bye, Mt. Hood, Oregon, Oct. 4, 2012
Here are my favorite memories of the six months between Oregon and Germany: