My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been! I absolutely love traveling and feel so invigorated, inspired, excited, and privileged to experience all the different cultures that this lovely planet has to offer. My husband is from Bulgaria and grew up in Bulgaria, and we try to visit his homeland as often as we can. Unfortunately, since 2004, that has only equated to a trip every two years, but I think everyone can understand how life just gets in the way. A trip to Eastern Europe (or anywhere!) involves coordinating schedules, taking time off work, not booking weddings, saving money, flying half way around the world. There are always dozens of excuses why we can’t travel, but we’ve really tried to make it a priority in our lives. Even though every two years is sporadic, to say the least, I feel lucky that we’ve been able to travel to Bulgaria so many times. It makes the visits really special and I can’t even imagine how much it means to my husband, who only sees his parents and the rest of his family every two years, or for special occasions, like weddings in Africa! These trips are a really big deal, so I appreciate all of my clients who have been so supportive when I jet off for 2-4 weeks during the middle of wedding season. Whenever we visit BG, we try to see new places within the country, as there is so much diversity and so much to see.

I realized while looking through these photos, and my photos from our last trip in 2010, that I barely take any pictures of my husband’s hometown, Sofia; the capital city. I’m not sure exactly why, but I think it’s because it sort of feels like home to me. I rarely take pictures in Minneapolis or NYC any more (unless you count Instagram, which I do, of course) because I guess the novelty has worn off, so to speak. My next trip in 2014, I promise I’ll capture images that show a different side of Bulgaria! My husband wanted me to note that the images that I so love capturing, do not accurately depict life for the majority of Bulgarians. He was not a big fan of the car pic below (one of my favs!), but I happen to love those old villages, old junky cars, and those mountains. :)

Here are a few of my favorites from 2012. All of these images were captured on my favorite, my Contax 645, with Fuji Pro 400H film.  Enjoy!

In July, I had a chance to take a mid-summer break and sneak away during the craziness of wedding season to relax and refresh for a week in Boston and Cape Cod. It was such a lovely trip. I just wanted to share a few of my favorite images that I captured on my Contax 645. Thanks to my gal pals for hosting me!

I’m very excited to announce lots of travel for the month of September. I’m going to be out of the studio from Sept 6-24th. During much of this time, I will have very limited email access and no phone access. First, I’m headed to NYC for several engagements, meetings, and a fabulous Long Island wedding. Then, I’ll be departing for Bulgaria, where I’ll join my husband for a lovely 10 day vacation visiting the parents-, sister-, and grandparents-in-law. We only make it back to Bulgaria once every couple years, so needless to say, we’re ecstatic about this trip! Your patience during this time is greatly appreciated, as we spend every moment with our family, who we see far too rarely. On our way back from Bulgaria, we’re stopping over for a couple days in Paris, before heading back to Minneapolis. I have a brief time to sleep off my jet lag before heading up to Duluth for an amazing wedding that I’ve been looking forward to for over a year!! Yeah, it’s this couple, and it’s gonna be good! (Like, Royal wedding good!)

If you’re a prospective client, I’m so very excited to hear from you, and know that responding to your inquiry will be my top priority upon my return. You can contact me here.

Again, I appreciate your patience during this time! I have several blog posts scheduled while I’m away, so check back often. I’ll also try my best to post updates on my Facebook page and Instagram. In the meantime, feel free to check out our last trip to Bulgaria. Ciao bella!