Girl Next Door...

...with a suitcase full of lingerie (and a love of rocks)

Geological wonders will always be dream destinations for me. Exploring new cities and experiencing new cultures have their own thrill, and I love them—but populations do tend to be densest in a space with pared down landscapes.

For all the cities I visit, I equally love a trip with scenic views. I just got home earlier today from a photoshoot trip that I’ve been looking forward to for months, and had the loveliest time! The first few days were spent immersing myself in cuisine and culture, and then the rest of the trip was having a great time with some incredibly fun and cool people—all while taking some incredible shots to share with you guys (can’t wait to show ya)

The black sand beaches where peridot was strewn through like fossilized coral along the shoreline of Petosky were stunning—there were some shots without water in the frame, and if one didn’t know already that it was a beach it would appear as though I were floating in outer space instead of laying on a beach. The volcanic rocks we climbed looked (and sometimes felt) like they had just exploded from the volcanoes dotting the horizon mere weeks ago. We hiked through crevasses formed over thousands of years—wavy, meandering remnants from cooling lava with layers of stone revealed like the rings inside a felled tree.

I haven’t really posted many outdoorsy shots--usually because when I’m traveling for natural beauty I don’t pack lingerie, and would also be taking pictures of the cool things I’m seeing instead of having people take pictures of me. That said, I enjoyed blending the two together and would love to do so again in the future :)

I’m not a fan of labels—people often have different connotations and definitions for the same term, which doesn’t bode well for clarity—but I’ve been told I’m the girl next door type by enough people that there’s likely some merit to it often enough. I love the duality of my life that I sometimes feel. It’s genuinely so fun to live a life of luxurious, simple pleasures—caring for plants, cooking from my garden, cozying up with a cup of tea and a good book (in a home that still smells of freshly baked bread). Taking my cats for walks in the cutest/dorkiest cat stroller because they love a cool summer’s eve. If that’s girl next door vibes, then sure, that tracks.

But if I was your literal girl next door, you’d likely wonder why you rarely saw me in anything but my gardening clothes, bike shorts, or coming and going with my suitcases and dark leather tote bags. Sometimes the answer is heading to dinner with someone (like you, maybe). Flirting over two desserts in the dimly lit corner booth, flagging down the waiter for the tab and a box (if you aren’t saving half your desserts for afterwards, you’re really missing out. Just saying)

This time the suitcase was full of lingerie and hiking sandals, and I was flying across an entire ocean to look hot on some geological marvels. Such a wonderful experience, I’ll have to do it again sometime.

I kept myself too busy to regularly be online while I was away, but I did check my email a couple times just to make sure nothing time sensitive came in. Genuinely made my heart happy to see the generosity from a few of you who wanted to help sponsor the trip and my travels (just wanted to give a little well deserved shout out along with the personal replies I sent earlier!). When someone sees me happy and decides to make me happier—yeah, I think that’s my love language :) Really made me feel adored and appreciated, even from afar.

So long story short, I’m really looking forward to sharing these photos with you all! Very “girl next door finds coolest looking volcanic rocks to drape herself over” vibes. Hope you love ‘em <3