Get to Know Me: What I Love About Austin + More
I love sharing photos and moments from all the weddings and engagement sessions I do. But I've decided to start sprinkling in some of these posts too, to let you know a little bit more about me! In this week's blog, I'm sharing all things travel, what I'm passionate about (besides photography!), and what I love about Austin.
My favorite places to travel. Mark and I lived in the south of France for 3 months for his internship right after I graduated from college, and that was one of my favorite trips. We went all around Germany, Italy, and Switzerland while we were there.
What I miss most is seeing men and women on their way home with a baguette tucked under their arm. It was so different and quaint. I remember we would eat baguettes every day-- Mark would always get chocolate croissants-- and that was just a normal part of life.
Mark and I at Race Point near Provincetown. - Photo by Shawnee Custalow
My other favorite place I've been to is Puerto Rico, which I wrote a whole blog on here. Cliffs Notes version: it's amazing and you should go.
A place I really want to visit is Iceland. I know, everyone's going to Iceland these days...but for a good reason! I want to see the basalt columns, get blocked by sheep on the road, see the Northern Lights, rent a van and visit all the amazing hot springs. If you've been to Iceland, comment below and tell me your favorite spots!
What I'm passionate about. When you're a small business owner, it can be easy to forget that you're actually a multi-passionate person. I'm really passionate about social justice and especially uplifting women. I feel really lucky that I'm in a place where I can donate to good causes and put forth the effort to help other people more in need than I am. That's really important to me.
On a lighter note, I'm such a foodie and I love to cook. I especially love to cook cuisines I don't really know anything about like Thai food and Mediterranean food. I'm obsessed with the Jerusalem cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. It's fascinating because there's an intersection of different kinds of food-- Middle Eastern, Mediterranean-- and the food is amazing. It's really veggie heavy, which is great because my husband is a vegetarian.
I also just got the Sqirl cookbook by this amazing female chef who owns a restaurant in LA, Jessica Koslow. It's really veggie-heavy as well, and just kind of quirky and super delicious.
What are your favorite cookbooks? Comment below and let me know. I'm always looking for new amazing recipes!
What I love about Austin. Where do I even start? There are so many things to love about this city. I love that there are so many people here dedicated to making Austin a better place to live with a more diverse community. I don't think I've ever been to a city where I've felt so many people were really pursuing their dreams and helping others to do the same. Boss Babes ATX, a local women's group, is doing amazing work in this area and is seriously one of my favorite things about Austin.
I feel so lucky to have been part of Austin's Unity in Color event with them, and to have met so many badass women there. The overwhelming feeling of community and support was something I'll never forget.
One of my photos for Unity in Color. Check out my Instagram and Unity In Color to see more!
I also love how small the city is and how close it is to nature and all kinds of outdoor things to do. When I lived in Atlanta, I had to drive 3-4 hours to get anywhere that felt even a little remote, but in Austin that's not the case. There's a beautiful creek in Greenbelt just 10 minutes from downtown, but it feels like you're deep in the forest.
What are your favorite things about Austin?