enroute to Victoria | travel scrapbook

A holiday would not be complete without a few (ahem-ahem, a few hundred I mean) images to document our time away.  With a little bit of time off of school last week the kids and I decided, very last minute, to fly to beautiful British Columbia to visit my family.  It has been awhile since I've been back home during a November and I forgot how soggy it can be.  I guess that is why everything is so lush and green in the Pacific Northwest.  

We did an overnight in Victoria by taking the ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay which is one of the most beautiful 1.5 hour ferry rides you could take.  One of my favorite parts of the journey is sailing through Active Pass which is a narrow passage-way separating Canada's Southern Gulf Islands.   I haven't sailed that passage in many years but, man oh man, is it ever gorgeous.   Orca whales are often spotted through the icy cold waters but the closest we got to any sea creatures were a few seal heads bobbing up and down.  My son and a couple of yappy seagulls were the only ones brave enough to come up to the top deck with me while I happily shot away.  Enjoy the view.

3 boys and a one giant tree swing | chatham, nj family lifestyle photographer

From the summer when it was possibly the most hot and humid day of the year.  They were all such great sports to ignore the stickiness that we were all feeling and to just go with the flow while I snapped away.  I'm so happy in the long run that we didn't reschedule because the light coming through the trees that evening was magical.  Its always so nice to meet a new family that has moved into our town and this was no exception.  So nice to meet you Z family!

montauk | travel scrapbook

Memories of our last summer 2016 weekend.  The weather was gorgeous, the water was near perfect and the sunsets each night were simply out of this world.   I can hardly wait to go back next year!

sweden | travel scrapbook

After spending a few days in Denmark we made our way back to Sweden.  Out of the blue we came across the most beautiful seaside town called Mellbystrand where we stopped for lunch and dipped our toes in the cool ocean.

Prior to our trip as we were Googling routes along the way, we found out that the Ikea Museum had just opened a month before.  It is in the city of Älmhult where Ikea was born and now lives a museum dedicated to the iconic Swedish furniture giant.  We decided to make a stop and luckily for us it was during lunch time so we enjoyed, yet another, meal of Swedish meatballs and chokladbollar (or chocolate balls as my kids call them). They also have an Ikea hotel nearby.

Next stop was a lovely city called Växjö in the middle of Sweden.  We made it our home base for a couple of days.

We visited a moose farm where we walked along acres and acres of forestland and tried to spy a moose or two.  We were lucky enough at the end of our visit to spot a few lounging around.  Because they are used to people they did not charge or get spooked by us, which was quite surprising. They really are amazing animals!

We decided to take a break from staying in hotels so we booked an Airbnb in the countryside of Mörbylånga, in the south-eastern side of Sweden, on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea.  The house we stayed in used to be an old general store which the kids found super cool and they ended up loving it the best of all the hotels we stayed in.  It was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of all the busy cities we had visited.

Our next stop on the journey was in Vastervik which is a beautiful coastal town.  The property we stayed at was right on the Baltic Sea and of course we had to go swimming in it, along with experiencing an authentic floating Swedish sauna which was pretty heavenly.

We spent the last few nights in Stockholm which is definitely one of my new favorite cities.  The vibrancy of this city can be felt everywhere you go.  It is a very walkable city and the fashion, arts and design can be found all over.  

Good-bye Sweden .. I'll definitely visit again!

Previously:  Our travels in ... Copenhagen and Gothenburg

Spring Minis at Murray & Finn

I'm happy to announce another collaboration with Murray & Finn ... Spring Mini Photo Sessions.  This is a perfect opportunity to get some updated fun and fresh photos of your little kiddos.

Dates:  Friday, April 1st and Saturday, April 2nd between 10:00am and 2:00pm

Each 20 minute session is designed for up to 2 children and comes with two high resolution digital images.  If you have more children, please book two sessions back-to-back or contact me for more details. 

TO BOOK:

Friday, April 1st click HERE:

Saturday, April 2nd click HERE:

P.S. And as an added bonus, Murray & Finn is offering 25% off all merchandise on the day of the shoot for those who book a session.