Joyeux Noël 2019 | Hozenji Temple | Osaka, Japan

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Every year, Markus and I travel somewhere and take a photo that will ultimately be our holiday card. This year, we traveled to Japan and I wanted to get a photo of us in front of Mt. Fuji. Usually, Markus and I just set up a tripod and take the photo ourselves, but this year, I didn’t want to risk it. Unfortunately that didn’t work out, but I’ll post more about that later. As a backup, I booked a photography session in Osaka with Manu Akamatsu and thank goodness I did. Markus and I had a great time with Manu and he took so many great photos of us, which I will post more of later.

It was hard to pick one photo, but we loved everything about this photo at Hozenji Temple. This temple can be found in the heart of Namba and is not too far from the popular Dotonbori area. The small temple dates back to 1637 and was actually a bit larger than it is today. Manu told us that people usually make a wish at the moss covered statue, Mizukake-Fudo, and then splash water on it. Apparently a woman did this 80 years ago and her wish came true. Markus and I both made wishes, so lets see if it comes true in 2020!

Happy holidays my dear readers. I hope you have a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!

Joyeux Noël 2018 | Nyhavn | Copenhagen, Denmark

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I honestly cannot believe that we’re only eight days away from Christmas. I’m not going to lie, 2018 has been a rough and difficult year and I’m just ready for 2019. Despite the tough trials and challenges, there were still some really great memories. Out trip to Scandinavia couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. July was a rough month, so a trip right at the end of August was perfect.

For our annual Christmas photo, we had three cities full of great spots to choose from, but we ultimately chose Nyhavn in Copenhagen. We scoped it out the day before and were immediately blown away by the iconic colorful buildings. The next morning, we woke up really early to avoid the crowds, headed out in our matching crane shirts and found the perfect spot. I didn’t think we would top our photo at Château de Boucéel last year, but I think we did. Anyway dear friends, I hope you have a Happy Christmas and a spectacular New Year!