My 15 Favorite Photos From 2015

I love taking photos. I love the ability a picture has to take you back in time to a place or moment. I love the different ways you can capture light and color. I love the amount of emotion photos can encapsulate. I love the stories they tell. And I could keep going on and on about my love for photography.

So, rather than write a traditional list of memories from 2015 (or perhaps in addition to - I haven't quite decided...) I wanted to share some of them via photo. And though a picture is worth a thousand words, below I included brief explanations for each image if you were curious to know more.

Row 1:

Last January I traveled to South Korea to visit an old roommate who was teaching there for the year. She welcomed me into her home and we spent just over a week exploring the beautiful (and HUGE) city of Seoul. The first photo is from Gyeongbokgung Palace which was gorgeous. The grounds were breathtaking and the colors were magnificent.
---
While I was in South Korea, a good friend and mentor from undergrad graciously traveled up to meet me in Seoul. We met up at Myeongdong Cathedral, had dinner and wandered around the city. It was such a blessing to see him.
---
In March, one of my best friends from high school flew into San Francisco for a long weekend visit. It was so much fun to show her where I'm living now and have some good quality time together. The selfie was taken after a long walk/hike up to Indian Rock in Berkeley. It's a beautiful spot in the hills with a gorgeous view of the Bay.

Row 2:

One of my housemates ran her first half marathon in April and convinced me to run with her. It was too late in the game to train for a half, so I agreed to run the 10k. The race was in Santa Cruz right along the coast line on a perfect, clear day.
---
The sunsets from my apartment are unreal. This one is from either May or June and other than cropping, it isn't edited. Crazy, right?!
---
At the end of June a group of classmates and I set off to hike the Ignatian Camino in Spain. This is our group visiting the home of St. Ignatius in Loyola a few days before we officially began our journey. I couldn't have asked for a better group of fellow pilgrims.

Row 3:

Our Camino Ignaciano crossed paths with the more famous Camino de Santiago. This tile helps to show pilgrims the way. Naturally, St. Ignatius chose to walk in the exact opposite direction of the other pilgrims of his time.
---
My professor with a walking stick and her grandmother's rosary - possibly my favorite photo of the trip.
---
After the Camino, I worked as an au pair in Italy for the rest of the summer. This photo is of my Italian Family and me after a beautiful hike in the mountains of Santa Stefano. My au pair experience was amazing because of their love and hospitality. I miss them so much!

Row 4:

I had weekends off in Italy, so I was able to do a bit of traveling, including a visit to the five villages of Cinque Terre. This photo is of Monarola which was even more beautiful in person.
---
Taking care of a toddler with a language barrier was a real challenge, but I wouldn't trade one minute of the time I got to spend with this peanut.
---
Il Duomo di Firenze was absolutely amazing. To be honest, Florence was never on my list of places to visit, but boy am I glad that I did. I was only there for a weekend, but it may have become my favorite city in Italy.

Row 5:

For my last week of travel this summer I headed to Poland. My grandfather past away two years ago this New Years and I really wanted to travel to the country his parents were from. While I was there I took a day trip to Wadowice, the city where Saint John Paul II grew up. If you're in Krakow and interested at all in JPII, I would highly suggest taking the trip. The town is adorable and the museum they recently opened to commemorate him is really well done.
---
I finally visited Yosemite National Park in October for a hike with friends. Lucky for us it had rained a ton the weekend before so we were able to see Yosemite Falls. I am definitely planning to visit again before graduating.
---
The last image, though the size makes it difficult to see, is from my house's retreat in early December. We traveled up to Fort Bragg to see Glass Beach and spent the day exploring and climbing. This particular picture involved setting up my tripod and seeing how fast my housemate could make it up the rocks to join the group photo. We took some nicer ones too, but the funny one is by far my favorite.



And that's it. 15 wonderful memories forever saved in 15 beautiful photos. It was a lot of fun sorting through the thousands of photos from the year (...I wish I was joking). I would definitely suggest going through yours and doing the same!

Side Note: This is my 100th post on Simply Sarah! It's been so much fun sharing pieces of my life with you all and I can't wait to see how we grow in the new year! Thanks so much for reading, it means the world!

Peace,
Sarah

** Linking up with New Wife-Style for #15by15in15