I fell asleep last Tuesday night around 10:30pm.  I drank my medicine…took my Tylenol…and buried myself under the blankets.  It was strange to look out my window and know that a new year was going to pass over head as we slept.  Strange to know that when we woke up the next morning, a blank new calendar would lie ahead.

I woke up feeling about as awful as I had the four days prior to that one.  The flu hit me hard when we returned from our Christmas holidays.  I was sore.  I was tired.  I was completely and entirely uninspired.  And as far as I’m concerned, that is no way to ring in a new year.  I love clean slates…blank pages…starting over.  I love the idea of script yet to be written and a story yet to be told…but I loathe the idea of it being written with a runny nose and a sore throat!

Today – seven days into the new year – I am finally feeling like my self again.  As I write this, the sun is shining and the house is silent.  Hudson is back at school…Steve is back at work…and Avery is quietly playing by herself in the other room.  It makes the holidays feel like such a long time ago.  And yet, it was only a few days ago.  I feel like sickness changes everything.  Even time.

So, as I sit here, with our health and routine renewed, I am declaring this to be a New Year’s Day do over!!  I’ll raise a glass…eat lots of wonderful food and reminisce about a year that was more than good to me.  A year worth reflecting on.

Most of those reflections will occur within the leather binding of my journal but nonetheless…what a year it’s been.

What an adventure…what a ride…what a lesson in the grandness of dreaming.

I traveled last year.  I saw the world with fresh new eyes last year.  I laughed last year.  I cried last year.  I got published last year.  I fell more in love with my husband last year.  I learned that tiny little feet can make really loud noise last year.  I cuddled last year.  I documented last year.  I took my niece out on a date last year.  I developed a crush on Chris Hadfield last year and an addiction to Kid President last year.  I listened to Imagine Dragons pretty much every day last year and had my heart broken by the writers of Dexter last year.  I witnessed love last year.  I photographed love last year. I wrote about love last year.  I was loved last year.  And I loved last year.

More than I ever thought possible.

Last year was kind.  Last year was gentle.  Last year gave me room to grow.

But what about you?  What did you love about last year?  Like always, you – my sweet readers – have been unwavering in your devotion to this blog…this space…this little corner of the internet I call home.  You come here to read…to share…to support, and you make every moment spent posting here worthwhile.  And you’ve left the stats behind to prove it!

I’ve finally managed to go through the numbers and frankly, they are nothing short of mind blowing!  You come here from everywhere!  EVERYWHERE!!!  Canada, the U.S., Taiwan, the United Kingdom and even the Netherlands.  And you come here often…with over 80% of you coming back time and time again.  And I can’t thank you enough for that.  You always hope that when you put something out there into the world, that it’s well received.  But to put something out into the world, and to have you come back for more?  That leaves me truly humbled.

So let’s get down to it and take a look at the top five posts of a great year gone by…

5. Anastasia & Nic: Wedding
It was a fairytale come to life.  A princess and her prince charming.  An ever after for the record books.  After a few curve balls in the months leading up to their big day, Anastasia and Nic finally said their vows on a perfect August day in the truest of love stories.  And I don’t know about you, but I always love a happy ending!!

 4. Marianka & Damon: Engagement
Few things are sweeter than a boy in love!  Add in the gorgeous girl who stole his heart and you’ve got a couple that you can’t take your eyes off of!  And that’s exactly what Marianka & Damon did!  Virtually overnight, these two lovebirds took your breath away and made the blog stats go crazy!!  Understandably so…because really, look at them…what’s not to love?!?

3. Love Changes Everything
It was the evening of Sunday, April 14th when I held my breath and finally hit publish.  It was the evening that we had been waiting months for…the evening we had been working months for.  It the was the evening that I put my heart on my sleeve and revealed the new direction of my business.  After a year of personal struggle and a year of healing…it was time shed my fears and move forward with my goals.  It was time to stand tall in defense of the dreams I’d been carrying around with me for so long.  And you rallied around me in masses.  Your support was truly and sincerely overwhelming.  You held me high through the process and you became just one more example of how love changes everything.

2. Liane & Ryan: Wedding
Sometimes, when you get involved in a wedding…it’s not just about two people who fall in love.  Sometimes, when you get involved in a wedding…it’s about everyone falling in love.  Myself included.  Liane & Ryan are two people who have become so near and dear to my family’s heart since their wedding.  From dinner together while they are in from Yellowknife to hours spent playing with my children on the carpet to the birthday presents they’ve left because they know they won’t be around…these two are magical.  Magnetic.  So full of love for each other, our God and all those fortunate enough to share in their lives.  It is truly impossible not to adore them.  And like the rest of us who fell in love with them on their wedding day…you did too!

1. Nicole & Chris: Wedding
Well, this year’s top spot goes to a couple who pretty much melts your heart in every way!  And what an amazing day it was!  As a photographer, I tend to share in some of the most personal moments of a wedding day, and in turn, I take away so much from the experience of being a part of these moments…these days…these lives.  I remember Nicole & Chris’ wedding as though it was yesterday; walking into the family home while everyone was getting ready.  So much of what these two shared was about family and what it meant to bring two families together.  Through love…through faith…and yes, through marriage.  I remember driving away that night thinking a lot about the ties that bind.  Thinking about the relationships that keep us tethered to this world and to the things that matter to us.  The beautiful experience of sharing in Nicole & Chris’ wedding warmed my heart so much.  And frankly, no couple has ever looked better atop a giant bail of hay!

And there you have it, guys!  Just a little glimpse of what I get to be thankful for every day.  And a glimpse of what you enjoyed most this past year.  Thank you for always helping to bring my dream to life…today – on my New Year’s Day do over – I raise a glass to you!!!  To the best readers in the world…the best clients in the world…and truly, the best job in the world!!

Hold on, 2014…we’re coming for you!

– Gen xoxo