Every year I continue to be amazed that people actually visit my site and read the stuff I have to say! For some reason, this summer has demonstrated a remarkable shift in the volume of visitors, so apparently I've finally tapped into some highly demanded topics!  Seriously, who knew so many people were interested in Maryland sunflower fields? That or my photos are appearing more frequently in Google image searches.  Whatever the case, I remain deeply appreciative of your support and engagement, and I hope you're enjoying the photos and stories I have to share.  I also welcome your comments and suggestions because I'm always looking for new inspiration!

This upcoming year, well I'm just really excited about it!  I've got some great travel adventures planned to very special destinations - some new for me and some a "redo" of places I toured years ago when my photography skills were severely lacking.  I don't want to spoil the surprise of where I'm heading, but pay attention especially around late February or early March because I should have edited my photos by then from a trip that is going to hopefully blow your mind, visually!  And, of course, in addition to hopping on airplanes I have a laundry list of places I want to explore locally in and around Washington D.C. that I hope will be fun and entertaining.  Then there are the baking projects to do in between it all!

Looking back on the last 12 months, it's hard to pick some of my favorite posts because I'm really proud of some of the things I did and have very good memories of places I got to see.  I also just counted that I published 131 times in the last year, which has to be my personal best.  That's a post every 2.8 days - crazy!  I'm not promising I can keep that aggressive pace up this year.

Anyway, let's see if I can get the favorites list down to 5 things:

  • While in Belgium for the week, I enjoyed and wished I had more time in Ghent and encourage everyone to experience it with their own eyes.
  • It was a tough hike for me, and I still have the scars on my legs to prove it, but the reward of Zion's Subway was worth all the effort!
  • I really cannot describe the natural beauty of the Palouse region of Eastern Washington. Absolutely picture perfect!
  • These salted caramel peanut nougat chews are to die for!
  • My minion cookies were some of my favorites I've ever decorated.

Cheers everyone!  Don't forget to follow me on Facebook or Instagram!