It has been a whirlwind of a summer over here in the AAP office…can you believe we’re already creeping up on late July?! My summer has been filled with Weddings, Anniversary Celebration Sessions, planning a few special projects that I can’t wait to share more about (!!), spending time with family and friends, and organizing the details for our European adventure! I’ve been excited about that last thing ever since Rachel and James booked me last year to photograph their wedding in the UK and I can’t believe it’s finally so close! It’s about to get real guys. I need to start packing soon!

Aside from the obvious exciting reasons to visit Europe, the fact that I leave in less than two weeks means I get to see my family in Germany really soon! My dad moved to the U.S. in his twenties, but his whole side of the family still lives in a quaint little town near Nuremburg…and of course I visit them every chance I get! So my journey will start there with my sister who has been living there all summer…and then a week later Ryan and some friends will be joining us! There’s really no place like Europe. I think the best word I could choose to describe it would be “enchanting”. It’s kind of like Disney World for adults, but infinitely better…if you love experiencing new multifaceted cultures, soaking up history, outdoor cafes, beautiful architecture, and romance…then you should definitely add making a trip there to your bucket list! Every time I visit I am overwhelmed by it’s charm.

With half of my family living there, I visited Germany and the surrounding countries quite a bit growing up, but we will be going to Scotland for the first time for the wedding and I am so over the moon excited! I can’t wait to visit the Highlands and experience the culture. If you’ve been before and have any advice or know of things that we shouldn’t miss, I’d love to hear about them! The wedding is in St. Andrews, but we will have a few days to spend in the Highlands and in and around Edinburgh with our friends Liz, Daniel, Jill and Buddy!

With the announcement I made in the spring about refocusing my business to make more time for Anniversary Celebration Sessions, I am unbelievably excited to be photographing a few of these for some special couples while I am abroad! I do have time for one more session while I’m there, if you and your love or any other special couples you know of might be interested and living there or traveling there at the same time! I’d love to hear from them!

I hope your week is off to a great start! Don’t forget to share if you have any advice about Scotland! I’d love to hear it!