2018 - A YEAR IN REVIEW — Savannah Karee

2018 - What a crazy and beautiful year it has been. The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on all of the memories that were made, cherish the good times, and learn what makes the best possible version of yourself. Personally, 2018 was a huge year for me and i am so grateful for every single moment of it. it was a year filled with a lot of lessons, wonderful people, adventures i will never forget and taking a major step out of my comfort zone. It was a year i graduated college, flew alone for the first time and traveled to a lot of new places from the desert in Utah, visiting the east coast in florida to traveling abroad to Spain & France. perspective is everything and despite the ups and downs throughout the year, i can’t help but look back on these past few months and smile.

I've gathered some of my favorite moments throughout each month that highlight the best of 2018. I hope you enjoy the journey I’ve had through my words & photographs. Here’s to another year of doing what you love with the people you love!

JANUARY

I kicked off the new year by visiting some of my favorite places in Oregon with my favorite people. I hiked to Blue Pool, took a trip down to Central Oregon, explored around Smith Rock, then I ended the wintery month by taking a much needed soak in some hot springs in the middle of a forest. Despite the cooler temperatures, the sunny weather stuck around and I couldn’t have been happier. Needless to say, 2018 was off to a great and beautiful start.

FEBRUARY

February was a fun month full of a lot of spontaneous adventures. My friend Katie and I decided to take a weekend trip to San Fransisco and it was well worth it. SF has always been one of my favorite cities and we soaked up every moment exploring that area in a short amount of time. The rest of the month consisted of heading to the coast on a whim, walking around Heceta Head Lighthouse and hiking up to Spencer’s Butte for sunset and watching the beautifully colored sky turn into night.

MARCH

March was a more mellow month compared to the rest. I spent this month taking the time to slow down after a busy winter and spend some quality time with friends. I had my first coffee shop photoshoot at one of my favorite cafes in Springfield and Lindsey and I had another little getaway to the coast and explored around Manzanita beach.

APRIL

During April, I went out to explore one of my favorite waterfalls not too far from Eugene and soaked up the last bit of snow before it all melted. Towards the end of the month, a group of friends and I took a trip over to Central Oregon and rented a cabin for a weekend getaway. We explored around Smith Rock for a cold, but very beautiful sunset, went to Tumalo Falls and had some of the best gelato. There’s always something so magical about this place that never seizes to amaze me and it was a wonderful weekend filled with great people.

MAY

May was an amazing and fun month. I took a trip out to Crater Lake and watched the sunset as we drove around the rim of the lake and walked through the snow. Crater Lake is one of those places that takes my breath away every time I visit.

I also had the opportunity to go on a helicopter ride for the first time and it was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. Seeing the beautiful cascade range from above is something that I will never forget. The sunset and views were absolutely stunning as we watched the sun disappear behind the mountain tops and the sky turn from day to night. As we flew over the mountains, cascade lakes and waterfalls, I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. A HUGE thank you to @flycascades and @hannah.neill for making this experience happen, it was one of the best moments and greatest highlights of my year.

JUNE

During the month of June, Hannah and I ventured off to Drift Creek Falls, I graduated from college and I started the summer off by taking a road trip down to sunny California. Throughout the trip, we stopped at San Francisco, Big Sur, Disneyland, Los Angeles and we also visited Palm Springs + Joshua Tree. From the desert to the coast, California treated me well between the endless sunshine, laughter and beauty. I loved every minute of it and it was a great way to kick-off the summer.

JULY

The summer I had so far was nothing short of amazing. During July, I witnessed some of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets from Central Oregon, the coast, to the breathtaking sights of Utah. I was beyond grateful to experience so many moments throughout the month with great people to remind me how beautiful and wonderful life can be.

Heading to Utah was definitely one of my favorite trips of the year. I ran around the desert with some of the best people and my heart couldn’t have been happier. I spent a few days exploring Utah from seeing natural arches, to wandering around beautiful canyons covered with wildflowers. Without much of a schedule, we continued to have some of the best laughs and adventures. Thankful for all the memories that were made throughout this month exploring new and old places.

AUGUST

It’s always been a dream of mine to travel to Europe ever since I can remember and August was the month that I made it happen. I flew by myself to meet up with an old friend and we traveled around Spain & France for a little over a month. I couldn’t get over the endless mountains and beautiful landscapes in Spain and the dreamy sights of Paris. Traveling around Spain and France was by far one of the best highlights I’ve had in 2018.

This was my first trip abroad and words can’t even describe how grateful I feel for all the wonderful, amazing and even not-so great experiences I had while I was there. This trip pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’m left craving to have so many more experiences just like this one.

SEPTEMBER

September was a month of transition from enjoying the last fleeting moments of summer to seeing the first signs of fall. From watching the sunrise at Lost Lake with great friends, seeing the sunset at Trillium Lake to visiting the Portland Rose Garden in between. My heart was so full getting to wander around beautiful places not too far from home with wonderful company.

OCTOBER

During October, my days were spent with mornings at Trillium Lake, driving through the gorge in Oregon + Washington and hiking to waterfalls. Fall was in full swing and I took advantage of the changing leaves, fall festivities filled with pumpkin patches and apple picking and embracing the gloomy, rainy weather.

NOVEMBER

November - the month I turned 23, took my first engagement photoshoot and filled my weekends with a lot of wonderful trips with great people. I spent one weekend visiting a sweet friend in Seattle, another going to Eugene and spending some quality time with friends and ending the month by venturing down to Sisters.

DECEMBER

I ended the year by traveling to the east coast for the first time and taking a trip to Florida. I traded the colder weather in Oregon for some much needed sunshine and vitamin D with one of my favorite humans. It was a week filled with exploring the city, wandering through botanical gardens, hanging out by the beach and breathing in the sweet ocean air.

Once I got back from my Florida trip, I immersed myself in the winter weather in Oregon. I made my way up to the mountains, hiked to a frozen lake and saw some of the most adorable cabins covered in snow. It was a perfect month full of adventure to end the year.