2018 was our first full year living in North Carolina. I worked hard in 2017 to make North Carolina feel like my home. I’ve succeeded because home now feels equal parts North Carolina and Texas. 2018 was my third year owning my photography business, and I doubled my income from 2017. I still struggled to feel financially secure, but doubling my income from the previous year made me feel empowered and motivated going into 2019!

I have mixed feelings about this year. As I started writing this recap today, I was going to simply say 2018 sucked. But going through it month by month, I was reminded that it’s never that simple. 2018 broke my heart, but there were many moments of beauty along the way.

So here goes, my annual month-to-month review of the year.

January

In January, I experienced my first snow storm! We had about a foot of snowfall in a day. This Texan learned that snow seeps into zippers and that snow boots are worth an investment. I made my first snowman! Also in January, I spent a good chunk of the month planning my first event with my friend Danae for February. We had weekly meetings over drinking chocolate and churros. The meetings were basically friendship dates which were so lovely.

February

That event was a Galentine networking event and Danae and I were excited to sell out our tickets. I met a few great friends that day. I have no idea if we can pull it off it again, but I’d love to make this a yearly event. (Finding a venue and keeping it affordable are our biggest challenges.) Also in February, I took Valentine portraits of my doggos. And lastly, my podcast that I shared with 3 of my long-distance girlfriends ended after 2 years and 100 episodes. As I’m writing this, I still miss meeting these girls once a week via Google Hangout to talk about pop culture.

March

In March, I visited Duke Gardens twice. The first time because I overate at dim sum and needed to walk off the food baby. The second time, one of my best friends had a job interview in North Carolina and we had a couple of days to play! She didn’t get the job, but it was for the best as now she’s in an awesome role in Austin, her favorite city. On a silly note, I read about a fun trend of taking portraits at ugly locations. So I roped my friend (also named Danae, I have two friends named Danae!) into being my model at Hobby Lobby. My only regret was I forgot to take behind-the-scenes photos. It was so funny to see her crammed inside of floral displays.

April

I started the month of April with an April Fool’s joke that bit me in the butt. I posted photos from a styled wedding shoot and said that Sugarface and I got married. I didn’t think it was that convincing of a prank but I fooled some of my closest friends and had quite a few people upset with me.

I had set aside money years ago when my parents still worked at their convenience store. One of my worries was them not being able to travel at all when they had given me such a privileged life that included the ability to travel. So many years ago, I started squirreling away money specifically to treat them to a trip. I had visions of taking them to Vietnam when they retired. They retired 5 years ago, and the trip they requested was Vegas, much cheaper than what I had wanted. So some time after Vegas, I treated them to a trip to Miami because my bestie made it very affordable by letting us stay with her. This year, I still had the last of the money left in that gift fund and thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to take mom and dad to North Carolina?

So I did! I flew to Texas twice so I could literally and physically escort them to and from North Carolina. I spent nine days with them in North Carolina, which was the longest amount of time I had spent with them thus far. (Little did I know, I’d be spending weeks in the hospital with both of them later this year.) It was such a special trip to me. Before my dad immigrated to the states, he was a high school teacher in Vietnam. He was actually sent to UNC in the 70s for an extended stay to learn how to teach birth control to high school students. I was able to take dad to some of his previous haunts and recreated a few photos from his first trip here almost 50 years prior.

Because of all the traveling in April, I also quit my part-time job and became 100 percent self-employed.

May

In May, Sugarface and I and the dogs experienced one of the North Carolina beaches for the first time! Our friends Cassie and Justin invited us for a weekend at their beach house. It was such a wonderful treat. They were perfect tour guides and travel buddies. I was shocked to see Neva, our lab who usually loves swimming, not enjoy the ocean. I guess she’s more of a lake dog. You can read more about that weekend on my food blog. I also joined a few bloggers on a day trip to Fayettevile.

June

I started the month of June in Texas working photo shoots. I am forever thankful for my Texas clients! Finding work in Texas made moving to North Carolina easier for me because I could also see my parents and friends. This was also the month that one of my heroes died. I spent a full day crying over Anthony Bourdain’s death.

July

In July, Sugarface and I hosted his mom for a few days. The three of us went to see the lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center on Fourth of July. My friends Aaron and Gloria visited the Carolinas and I met them up at a great Kusama exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Arts. Mid-month, I drove down to Charleston, South Carolina to go to a blogging conference with my friend Jane. It was fun to see a few Austin bloggers in South Carolina. Finally, I turned the dreaded 35 and had mixed feelings. On the day of my birthday, I had dim sum with a few North Carolina darlings and then officiated a wedding for strangers I met on the internet.

August

August and April of this year tie for my favorite months of 2018. In August, one of my old Texas coworkers and friend hired me to shoot her family reunion on the Outer Banks. While I was there, I also photographed a collaboration with Red Bull Organics soda. It was one of my favorite branded collabs of the year. As part of that same collaboration, I also went with Danae to Asheville for a day. It was her first time in Asheville and I couldn’t have picked a better partner in crime. It rained all day and she walked around the gardens of the Biltmore barefoot, practically singing in happiness because she loves rain.

Mid-August marked living in North Carolina for a full year. That year flew by so fast!

I closed out the month of August by going to Mexico with my friend Hayden of Austin Food Magazine. He went for a press trip and so generously invited me as his guest. During that trip, we stayed at a wonderful new resort called UNICO. I ate cerviche and drank pina coladas while taking a bubble bath outside. I know. Ridiculous. It was this trip that made me decide I want to save up for a drone.

September

In September, Sugarface and I took a mini trip to Asheville with the dogs. We stayed the night and spent a day hiking Catawba Falls. It was our first time and now I can’t wait to take our out-of-town visitors to this park in the future! Hurricane Florence was supposed to hit the Triangle really hard. The day before, Parlor Blow Dry Bar treated me to hair and makeup. It felt a little wasteful because I went home to work and prep for the hurricane. At least there is a photo to commemorate and prove that I can clean up nicely with professional help! I also spent a few days of September stalking a big red ball around town.

October

October was the turning point this year. October turned what was a good year to a terrible year. Still, I couldn’t deny the amazing thing that’s tied to my dad having a stroke. I typically plan my work trips to Texas when I get at least two inquiries for photography work. I had Texas trips planned for November and December and wasn’t going to come for October, but coincidentally two of my previous clients inquired about family sessions. I will always be grateful to these two families because they essentially saved my dad’s life by being the reason I was in Texas. I finished my last shoot in Austin on a Monday morning and had lunch with my good friend Jane. She snapped that photo of me before I headed to my parents’ house in Houston to spend one night with them before flying out the next day. It was that very night, that my dad showed signs of a stroke. It was the scariest 48 hours of my life and the only thing that could have made it worse, was if I didn’t happen to be there in Houston. My mom’s instinct was to put him to bed early. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but there was also something incredibly lucky about that night.

November

In November, I left for North Carolina on the 5th after extending my trip from October. While I was feeling helpless in North Carolina, I channeled some of my helpless energy trying to support my parents from afar. I created a Go Fund Me page for my dad to help with the financial strain of serious health issues. I shyly published it to my Facebook late night on a Monday, something I wouldn’t recommend if you’re actually trying to get eyes on an online post. I was so humbled to see within a week, we raised $10,000 dollars to help with my dad’s care. I was able to spend another 10 days with my parents mid-November. We were lucky to have exactly ten days approved at this amazing rehab hospital, the fourth best in the nation. The level of care my dad received during his short stay here was so wonderful, and I miss it every day. My dad suffered some complications and was readmitted to ICU towards the end of my trip. We never made it back to that rehab hospital which is one of the many small heartbreaks I find myself nursing.

I flew back to North Carolina and spent Thanksgiving with Sugarface and his mom. His mom made us duck confit for Thanksgiving. It was the first time for me to experience this famed dish of hers. I have vivid memories of Sugarface back when we were just friends raving about her duck confit. Life is funny sometimes. I had no idea when he was just a cute co-worker and friend telling me about his mom’s duck confit, that years later, I’d be dating him and have a relationship with this wonderful human being who is his mom.

December

At last, December. I attended a wedding of a couple of my dear friends in Austin. I flew into Houston the week of their wedding, to spend most of my week with my parents. Dad’s facility required a lot of micromanaging to get dad good care. He lost a lot of weight since his discharge from that beloved rehab hospital. I found out he lost about 20 lbs in just a few weeks. I’m still worried about his weightloss. Sugarface flew into Houston the day before the wedding. It was so nice to have him physically there with me in Texas. We drove to Austin for the wedding and spent just short of 24 hours there. It was our first time back there since moving a year and 4 months ago. We squeezed in two meals at places Sugarface missed, and I took him to one of my gigs early in the morning. We drove back to Houston for his flight, but his flight got canceled because of snow in North Carolina. Which meant Sugarface was at the mercy of my packed schedule of a full day of photo shoots. I flew back to North Carolina mid-December. During the week of Christmas, I was heartbroken because my dad was put in a nursing home a few days after Christmas. I spent a few days stomping around because I wanted to put off his nursing home admittance so he could have more days of therapy. I’m finally less angry. My next trip to Texas is in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait to see him.

Tonight on New Year’s Eve, I’ll be doing what I did last year. Eating dinner with Danae. I’ll be home before midnight to ring in the year with Sugarface and our doggos.

At the end of this year, I’ve felt disheartened, defeated, and scared. But I’m glad I took the time today to write out my traditional month-by-month recap. It was a good exercise to see that nothing is all bad. I’m praying hard for my dad’s recovery in 2019 and my goal is to double my photography income in 2019.

If you made it through this whole post, thank you so much for all the support. Be it by sending me kind words and vibes for my family, hiring me for photos, helping me fundraise for my dad’s care and medical debts, engaging with my content, recommending books and restaurants, letting me vent and rant, or simply reading what I put out there. Just thank you for every little thing. I appreciate it and am so grateful.

I wish you a Happy New Year filled with love and light!

Your turn! What are five highlights of your 2018? Please share in the comments!

Recaps From Previous Years

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

You can probably tell if you clicked on the links in this recap that I do a lot of my life-telling on instagram. Come follow me! @lindaeatsworld @curiousnotionsphoto @bobthedogatx

The post 2018 in Review appeared first on Curious Notions.

Have you heard about the Hobby Lobby Challenge? It’s a photography challenge that went viral amongst American teenagers. The challenge is to go into a Hobby Lobby and stage a photo shoot. Since it went viral, Michael’s actually extended an invite to photographers to come and shoot! This challenge is the first time I’ve found a teen fad enticing! So I invited my friend Danae to be my partner in crime, and we scheduled a afternoon shoot at Hobby Lobby. I had so much fun, I now think you should do it too. Here are 6 reasons why!

6 Delightful Reasons to Do the Hobby Lobby Challenge

1. The lighting in Hobby Lobby and Michael’s is even.

There is no need to carry bulky reflectors or flashes!

2. Speaking of lighting, you don’t have to worry about sun placement.

The sun never sets in Hobby Lobby and Michael’s!

3. It’s a unique and fun social outing!

I like it when I can socialize with my friends outside of restaurants and bars. I mean, I never tire of going out to restaurants, but I love novelty.

4. It’s an easy way to be creative.

Anyone can do it! If you’re on your own, challenge yourself to a cell phone selfie!

5. You don’t have to wait until spring for photos with flowers!

6. It feels like childlike play!

Seeing Danae squeezing into nooks and crannies in public and waving at bystanders as her photo is being taken made me feel like a carefree kid just playing with her friend.

Some Tips:

Don’t be like me and forget to take behind-the-scenes photos! That’s half the fun! Also, be respectful. Put things back and do not block patrons from merchandise.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in doing?

To see more of my work and book with me, check out my photography website. You can also follow my portraits on Facebook and Instagram.

The post 6 Delightful Reasons to Do the Hobby Lobby Challenge appeared first on Curious Notions.

As I reviewed all 50 books I read in 2017, I could connect reoccurring themes. For instance, the theme of wanting to belong was beautifully depicted in Braving the Wilderness, Autobiography of a Face, Leavers, and Born a Crime. Deep and uplifting friendships can be traced through A Little Life, Stephen King’s IT, and Lab Girl.

I find that the more I read, the more of a community I build in my imaginary world of characters and authors. With each book read, I build a collective memory that informs and influences how I experience my reality. This fuels my yearly goal of reading 50 books!

So finally, here’s my list of books read in 2017. If you make it through my list, I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of these books and what your favorite reads were from last year!

Books I Loved

1. March is a three-part graphic novel memoir series by Congressman John Lewis. You can buy all three in one set. I started gifting this series as soon as I finished the third book. I think everyone should read it.


2. March: Book Two
3. March: Book Three



4. A Little Life is probably tied with the March series as my favorite for 2017. Unlike March, I don’t feel comfortable gifting it because it was maybe the darkest novel I’ve read. Though this coming-of-age story is an unrelenting tale of pain and suffering, there was also unconditional friendship.
5. Brené Brown is one of my heros and Braving the Wilderness is a balm to today’s political climate.



6. Pachinko is a historical family saga about a Korean family living in Japan. It covers four generations and it was so engrossing. Save this one for a cozy rainy weekend. You won’t want to leave your couch.
7. Lab Girl is a memoir by a scientist. She writes about work, plants, and her friendship with one of her coworkers. It gave me insight into Sugarface’s academic and scientific world. It also inspired me to consider getting another houseplant.




8. IT was such a fun experience last year! One of the first books I read in 2017, I originally picked up the 1775 paged novel out of curiousity. Shortly after finishing the novel, I made my podcast friends watch the original TV miniseries. We were all unaware that a remake was being released later in 2017. The remake was the first movie I went to see as a resident of North Carolina. It was awesome!
9. I want everyone I know to read Homegoing so I can have long conversations with them about it. I think this debut novel condensing 300 years of family history into 300 pages was masterfully written. Okay, let’s make it a three-way tie between Homegoing, A Little Life, and the March series. Final answer!

Books I Liked

10. American Wife is a novel loosely based on Laura Bush’s life.


11. The Hate U Give is a YA novel centered around the murder of an unarmed black youth by a policeman.
12. I almost didn’t read Hold Still. It is almost 500 pages and I had just a few days left in the year to finish my reading goal. Luckily, I had a leak in my car tire that needed to be attended to and Hold Still was the only book I had on me to keep me company during the wait. Photographer Sally Mann did not hold back in diving into her family history and laying it out for us. Her writing is whimsical and free-spirited. I googled Mann after devouring her book and stumbled on this interview between her and Ann Patchett.
13. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body is a raw and powerful memoir by Roxanne Gay about her life as an overweight woman. It’s heartbreaking, especially when she writes so candidly about a violent childhood trauma, a trauma that catapulted her into a troubled relationship with food and her body.
14. I read Street Car Named Desire for a podcast assignment. I was already a Tennesee Williams fan!
15. As a World Domination Summit alum, I’m a Chris Guillebeau fan girl. In Born For This, Guillebeau shares case studies on how to find the work best suited for you. I loved the Joy-Money-Flow model he presented in this book.
16. Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime, sheds light on South Africa’s history of apartheid and what it was like to literally be born a crime.
17. I Let You Go is a mystery page-turner!


18. Carry This Book is a cute picture book about what people carry with them in their pockets and bags.
19. Scratch: Writers, Money, and Art of Making a Living is a collection of essays by celebrated writers centered around making a living around your art.
20. I listened to Three Wishes as I drove from Texas to North Carolina. It’s hard for me to stay focused listening to audio books but Three Wishes, written by the same author as Big Little Lies, had me entertained and helped me stay awake during the tedious parts of the drive!
21. It’s Okay to Laugh is a grief memoir told with a touch of humor.


22. When I was feeling vulnerable and homesick for Texas, my friend Amy recommended I read Brave Enough for comfort. It worked!
23. One of my new friends in North Carolina lent me Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too. I found it so charming, I bought it for one of my best friends for Christmas.


24. Option B is a comforting read offering hope to those who are grieving an Option A.

25. Leavers toggles between the perspective of an immigrant mother and the perpsective of a boy grieving her disappearance.

26. Conversations with Friends reminded me of the show Friends from College.
27. A short Stephen King to make up for the long one I read! A Good Marriage is a creepy short read about a not so good marriage.
28. I like Lauren Graham and thought her first book, Someday, Someday, Maybe was a light and fun read. I related to the struggling creative point of view.
29. Carrie Fisher’s memoir Wishful Drinking had me laughing out loud a few times.
30. The Red Parts is a true-crime memoir. The author was just about to release a book of poems about her murdered aunt when over twenty years later, her aunt’s unsolved murder case was reopened.

Personal Development Books

31. I read Start with Why because I loved Simon Sinek’s TED Talk.
32. I recommend Refuse to Choose to anyone who struggles with having more than one passion.
33. Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want provides some practical tips on how to mitigate the trials of being entrenched in the gig economy.
34. I enjoyed Rich Bitch and liked her realistic and practical approach to money. I recommend this book if you’re looking for an introductory book on personal finance.
35. The Curated Closet motivated me to pare down my closet. Perfect for moving across statelines!
36. Rob Bell’s How to be Here is a comforting read if you’re feeling stuck or impatient about your life.
37. Careergasm reads like a career pep talk from your bestie.
38. Better than Before is Gretchen Rubin’s study on habits. Her rigid personality really comes through in her writing, but I still enjoyed some of her reporting on the varying approaches to habits depending on aspects of your personality. (I’m an “upholder” according to her!)
39. Never Split the Difference
40. She Means Business
41. Permission Marketing


42. Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Books that Disappointed Me

43. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl was the last book I read in 2017, picked for its brevity and the fact that it made NPR’s 2016 book list. I was captivated and really felt for the overweight protagonist in this collection of vignettes. It traced Elizabeth’s life from her being an overweight teen to finally losing weight as a professional adult. I thought the writing fell a little flat halfway through the book when she lost the weight, which felt like a deliberate narrative choice, but it sadly lost me as an engaged reader.
    
44. I chose Autobiography of a Face, a memoir by Lucy Grealy, who lost half of her face to childhood cancer, after reading Ann Patchett’s memoir about her friendship with Grealy. While I loved Ann Patchett’s memoir, Truth & Beauty, I had a hard time getting into Grealy’s. I hated classifying this well-written memoir as a book that disappointed me because I think had I flipped the order of which I read these two books, I would have really appreciated Autobiography of a Face.

45. It’s hard for me not to compare similar books even if it’s unfair. I think I would have liked Happiness Like Water had I not been comparing it to The Thing Around Your Neck. The girls of the podcast loved Happiness Like Water!
46. All Grown Up


47. Troublemaker
48. A Life in Parts
49. The Universe Has Your Back
50. I’m Judging You

You may also like: 50 Books I Read in 2016 and 50 Books I Read in 2015

Question: What were your favorite reads of 2017? Please share in the comments!

The post The 50 Books I Read in 2017 appeared first on Curious Notions.

Happy New Year, friends!

In 2017, I recorded one second videos every day and the app I used is called 1 Second Everyday. I thought I’d update this post (originally posted in July) with an updated video and republish it in time for a new year, the perfect time to start this project!

This project satisfied the sentimental diarist in me by giving me colorful, moving slices of my everyday life. Some of my favorite seconds captured are my dad making Bob play the piano, indoor skydiving, riding a Mardi Gras parade float, and Sugarface being goofy. I’ve always thought there is magic in the mundane and love that this is a heartfelt time capsule I can hopefully keep for the rest of my life.

I will say the biggest challenge of taking on this documentation project is remembering to film a one-second video while I’m out and doing something interesting. There are many days where I get home and remember with bitter disappointment that I forgot to film that interesting thing I did or the people I was with. On those days, I half-grudgingly and half-lovingly film my dogs.

I loved the final product so much, I’m committing to doing it again in 2018. Will you do it with me?

P.S. If you missed it, yesterday I reviewed my 2017 on the blog. Two posts in two days after a 5-month hiatus! Next up on the blog is a list of the 50 books I read in 2017.

The post Celebrating Both the Magical and Mundane Through the 1 Second Everyday App appeared first on Curious Notions.

2017 was my second year owning my photography business and I booked more than double the shoots I did in my first year! The growth this year has me motivated to keep leaning in. My challenge is to grow it from scratch in North Carolina, which is proving really difficult.

Which brings me to the new and big chapter in my life, North Carolina! Sugarface took a job at the University of North Carolina in August and I decided to move with him. I cherished our life together so much, I decided to take the biggest risk I’ve ever taken and leave my life in Texas. It was a bittersweet decision for me, as most of my loved ones are and all of my freelancing work were in Texas. It’s been hard and great at the same time. Hard because I had such a lovely and stable professional life, and it didn’t transition so smoothly into a new state with little connections! Great because I’ve really enjoyed meeting awesome new people, people I already love. I wouldn’t have met them had I not uprooted my life.

With the passing of each day, North Carolina feels more and more like home. It’s a funny thing, to miss a home and fall for another at the same time.

So here goes, my annual month-to-month review of the year!

January

In January, I met up with some Houston food Instagrammers and it was the start of a delicious friendship. Nevermind that I’m about ten years older than most of them and they call me Grandma Linda. I also tried indoor skydiving and ate a lot of matcha desserts. Oh, and I took on my first photography clients in Houston!

February

In February, I went on my first media press trip (representing Austin Food Magazine), and it was such a treat! It was a Mardi Gras trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana. I did some food coverage of Lake Charles on my food blog: Ember Grille Wine Bar at the L’Auberge Casino and Resort, and where to get crawfish!

February contained one of my big failures. I tried to eat two pounds of noodles, a half pound of meat, and two quarts of broth in an hour with Jane. We failed but with class and grace.

March

In March, Jane hosted a fun spa day for some of us lucky gals. I definitely recommend Lake Austin Spa and Resort for a luxurious spa day or weekend. I almost went to see one of my new heroes, Congressman John Lewis, speak at a screening of a documentary about his life’s work called Get in the Way. He couldn’t make the screening because he was busy serving us, fighting the healthcare bill. I still enjoyed the documentary (it reairs in February 2018 on PBS) and have been gifting his graphic novel series, March, one of my favorite books read this year. I ended the month with a fun girls’ weekend and staycation with Jane and our friend Chelsea in East Austin. It was fun to be tourists in our own town!

April

In April, I went to Houston to celebrate my dad’s birthday. My brother and I took our parents to the butterfly exhibit at the Natural Science Museum, a fun place to grab gorgeous photographs of beautiful butterflies. Sugarface and I went to North Carolina for his work. It rained the whole time there and we had dinner and brunch with our old coworker. (Did you know I used to work with Sugarface a few years before we started dating?)

May

May was full of photo shoots, client meetings, and eating a lot of tater tots. On the last day of May, Sugarface and I went to his last Fancy Dress Night, an annual event with his work. It made me feel a bit emotional since I partook in this event even before we started dating!

June

In June, I went to New Orleans for a long weekend with Sugarface. We met his new niece and I fawned over her through my camera lens. I really need to visit New Orleans more often and now we have his adorable niece to add to the reasons why we should visit more!

After sixteen years of living in Austin, I finally scratched off Fonda San Miguel’s brunch off my Austin bucket list. It’s as good as its reputation! I also published my tater tot guide to Austin.

July

I loved how active my life in Austin was. I had been in the food blogging circle in Austin since 2009 and Austin’s restaurant community really welcomes collaborations with influencers. My friend Shelby took one of my favorite photos of me at a blogger happy hour on the Westin’s rooftop pool. (Check out the rainbow in the background!) I planned my last blogger happy hour as the social chair of Austin Food Bloggers Alliance. I had served for over 2 years and had been a member since its inception, so I might have cried at the happy hour! For my birthday, I did a week’s worth of giveaways on Instagram, and my dear friends Michelle and Chris hosted a themed party I had been wanting to host. The theme was “A Merry Chipmas!” It was chip heaven and the party doubled as my going away party. Such a happy time with sweet people who were able to make it.

August

August was an emotional blur. I relished my last two weeks in Texas. Being in Austin for sixteen years meant I developed very deep roots and friendships. Consequently, every social interaction felt bittersweet. I visited Hamiliton Pool one more time, the first time in ten years!

On the 13th, we started our three-day road trip from Texas to our new home Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We spent a night with Sugarface’s family in Arkansas and a night in Nashville. The drive was NOT easy. During the second day of driving, both our cars were heavily infested by ants. We drove all day with ants crawling all over our cars. I was killing them with a lint roller as I was driving! In addition to the ants, there was a three-hour standstill on the freeway because of a car accident.

The first few days in Chapel Hill, I was a weepy mess. But luckily, I met my first friend on the second day here and he’s just the first of a handful of friends I’ve made here that have made my new home feel special.

Five days after driving from Texas to North Carolina, I got in the car for another ten hours to have a mini-reunion with a high school friend. We drove to South Carolina to see the total eclipse. It was an awe-inspiring experience to see a total eclipse. I already made loose plans with Sugarface for seven years from now to travel to either Arkansas or Texas for the next eclipse. Both states will be in the paths of totality!

September

In September, I spent a lot of time getting to know the area by visiting new-to-me coffeeshops with new friends.

Also in September, I celebrated six years with my rescue dog, Bob! You can hear me laugh-sing to Bob on his Instagram. Towards the end of the month, I went to an event in Raleigh in an effort to meet people and possibly make a friend. I ended up feeling very shy and going home without meeting anyone, but there’s a happy ending to this story.

Lastly, Sugarface and I went on our first double date in North Carolina! My penpal from my teenage years lives in the area so we met up with her and her husband and watched IT. Coincidentally, the first of fifty books I read in 2017 was IT. During the movie, I yelled out “OH SHIT” but I don’t remember doing that. We can’t wait to have more double dates with this couple in 2018!

October

Lucky me, less than two months after moving, I returned to Texas for the wedding of my dear friend Jennifer and her now husband, Wes. I took my friend Himanshu as my date and was sad I had to cut our time at the wedding short because the dress was so tight, I couldn’t breathe! I learned an obvious lesson that one should always try on old dresses before an out-of-town wedding.

In October, Sugarface’s parents were our first out-of-town visitors. I felt so much gratitude to be able to see both my parents and his parents in the same month! We did a lot of exploring together and loved Brewery Bhavana so much, we went twice in three days. Speaking of tasty eats, I ate a lot of sandwiches.

November

In November, I went on a nature walk and photographed my first experience of a real fall. This was my first Thanksgiving not spent with my family and friends in Texas ever. It was sad but what made it better were my recent trip in October and being invited to Thanksgiving dinner by the owners of Pie Hole. Neither Sugarface nor I had met the owners yet, so they literally took in a couple of strangers into their personal Thanksgiving. We were so touched by the invitation and happy to eat turkey with a loving family!

December

In December, I had a few photo shoot inquiries in Texas and managed to lump them together in one weekend to make it worth coming to Texas without having to hike up my usual rates! It ended up being a bit ambitious squeezing in both Austin and Houston in a three day weekend, but I’m still thankful I managed to see a few friends and my parents.

Sugarface’s parents came to visit us during Christmas break and we took a weekend trip to Asheville. It had a rocky start but we quickly turned it around and had a ton of fun together (no thanks to TurnKey Vacation Rentals). Highlights included delicious food and a Christmas trip to the Biltmore.

And here I am. This post took six hours to write today. I have a New Year’s Eve dinner date with one of my North Carolina darlings and then I plan to be home early enough to bring in the New Year with my main squeezes, Sugarface and the pups.

If you made it through this whole post, thank you so much for all the support. Be it by hiring me for photos or social media management, or engaging with my content, or sending me private words of encouragement, or recommending books and restaurants. Just thank you for every little thing. I appreciate it and am so grateful.

I wish you a Happy New Year filled with love and light!

Your turn! What are five highlights of your 2017? Please share in the comments!

Recaps From Previous Years

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

You can probably tell if you clicked on the links in this recap that I do a lot of my life-telling on instagram. Come follow me! @lindaeatsworld @curiousnotionsphoto @bobthedogatx

The post 2017 in Review appeared first on Curious Notions.

It’s my birthday today! And truth is, I’m feeling all sorts of pressure and anxiety. Some of it is related to that feeling of not being where I thought I’d be at this age, with the traditional milestones under my belt (like mortgage, stable career, babies, etc.), and did you know that when you have babies after 35, they classify it as “geriatric pregnancies”? What a mean scientific term!

Anyway, what I’m saying is, I’ve been stressed and anxious and a little self-conscious about my position in life, but then I look around and feel very lucky for what I do have. Good people who love me and share french fries with me. A photography business to grow that lights me up. Friends to laugh with and readers who encourage me to keep going even if they haven’t met me yet! Adorable poochies and handsome loving life partner with good hair. It’s a sweet life. Thank you for the birthday wishes, friends! Cheers to us and all the sweetness we already have!

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I hope you enjoy this week’s list of links that made me feel feelings.

• Powerful Photos That Capture the Indomitable Spirit of Kids in War Torn Regions


• TEDx talk: Handle your feelings before they handle you. Thought provoking video that is 18 minutes.


• I love this so much.


• Wes Anderson movies in real life.


• This made me smile.


• Remember being bored?
• How to have an amazing relationship. Note the first listed tip.
• Let’s stop apologizing for delayed responses for emails.


• How to weekend well.


• Social media’s impact on friendships.
• And another TED talk. 12 Truths Learned from Life and Writing by Anne Lamott. (16 minute video)
• 58 tips for a happy life. (6 minute video)
• I started listening to this podcast about art and making money because Nicole from our own podcast recommended it.

Personal Plugs


• I took a Tater Tot Tour of Austin.


• I Feel Better’s podcast episode about The Keepers” I might have cried on air.


• I Feel Better’s podcast episode about Master of None Season 2! Much lighter.


• Are you following me on Instagram? That’s where I hang out the most.

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]]> http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-47/feed/ 2 http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-46/ http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-46/#comments Fri, 09 Jun 2017 17:41:50 +0000 http://linda.curious-notions.net/?p=24219 Happy Friday, friends!! I had a really busy week that seemed to zoom by. How about you? Accomplished any nagging tasks? Have fun things lined up for the weekend? I’m... [Continue Reading]

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Happy Friday, friends!! I had a really busy week that seemed to zoom by. How about you? Accomplished any nagging tasks? Have fun things lined up for the weekend? I’m heading to Houston tonight for a photo gig tomorrow and to celebrate an early Father’s Day with the pops.

Enjoy this week’s round up of links that made me feel feelings.

• I’m half entrenched in the gig economy and health benefits is top on my list of concerns.


• Speaking of gigs, here are 12 women and their side hustles.
• This is beautiful and heartbreaking.
• I can gawk at National Geography photography all day.
• Currently reading and enjoying American Wife. Thanks Lisa for the rec!
• Difference between inspiration and imitation.
• A good-hearted and creative roast is sometimes tickles me. Enter Bow Wow challenge.


• I only won’t eat one thing off this list. Can you guess it?
• Was just talking to one of my besties about how breakfast dates make us happy.
• I was having a conversation with a friend of mine recently. Maybe the question isn’t what makes you happy but what are you willing to suffer for?
• I love the kinds of people who would fill potholes with plants.


• A master class on conservation by Jane Goodall.

Personal Plugs

• My favorite cupcakes in Austin.
• I’ve been spending a lot of time on Instagram. Wanna hang?

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]]> http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-46/feed/ 10 http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-45/ http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-45/#comments Fri, 12 May 2017 17:08:07 +0000 http://linda.curious-notions.net/?p=24149 Hi everyone! What do you have going on this weekend? I’m driving down to Houston to spend some time with my mom in honor of Mother’s Day. I’m trying to... [Continue Reading]

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Hi everyone! What do you have going on this weekend? I’m driving down to Houston to spend some time with my mom in honor of Mother’s Day. I’m trying to prioritize seeing them more. Time spent with parents gets even more precious when we get older. What are you doing this weekend? What’s been making you laugh these days?

I’ve been sitting on some of these links for a while and thought it’s time to share them for a round of Friday Feels, a list of pieces of the internet that made me feel feelings.




• Joe Biden meets Joe Biden.
• Currently reading: Start with Why and All Grown Up.


• Now that I’m really into photography, I appreciate good timing even more.
• Speaking of books.
• This clip of Nicole Kidman made me laugh. I have a renewed admiration for her!
• I’m not sure Sugarface would be up for this, but for everyone else, relationship goals?
• Cleaning goals!


• I love this one by The Oatmeal.
• I like this story about mistaken identity.


• Hayyy Houston!
• Loving something who is self-employed
• Speaking of working for yourself, the gig economy celebrates working yourself to death.


• This was lovely to read.
• To stay married, embrace change.

Personal Plugs


• I’ve been featuring a mom a day this week on both my photography account on Instagram and Facebook. Come give me a follow and read my thoughts and tributes to mommas! I’ll be posting my own momma on Sunday.


• We covered one of my favorite writers on I Feel Better!

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]]> http://linda.curious-notions.net/friday-feels-45/feed/ 2 http://linda.curious-notions.net/bluebonnet-family-session/ http://linda.curious-notions.net/bluebonnet-family-session/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2017 12:16:42 +0000 http://linda.curious-notions.net/?p=24156 It’s Bluebonnet Season in Texas! A widely anticipated hallmark of spring in Texas is the arrival of our state flower, Bluebonnets. Their season is short so when you start seeing... [Continue Reading]

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It’s Bluebonnet Season in Texas!

A widely anticipated hallmark of spring in Texas is the arrival of our state flower, Bluebonnets. Their season is short so when you start seeing them popping up on roadsides, it’s time to take note of where the big patches are. They’re perfect for family portraits! I was happy to meet my friend Traci and her darling family in South Austin to capture some precious moments between her and her boys. The last photo made me laugh. Her son saw them kissing (again), turned to me and asked, “Will they ever be done kissing?” I hope not, sweet one, I hope not!











To see more of my work and book with me, check out my photography website. You can also follow my portraits on Facebook and Instagram.

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