Is it really true? Is Blogmas 2016 already over? So many mixed emotions about this I can't even describe it. This month was INCREDIBLY difficult. My personal life was basically having a major freak out and there were so many days that I just wanted to call it quits. Not just my blog but also my job, friends, family, everything.

I can't pretend that my personal goal of completing a full blogmas didn't add to the stress. I wanted to make quality content but felt emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. There were posts I questioned or even downright didn't want to publish. They weren't perfect and they felt half-finished which I can't stand. But I worked with the time and energy I had and in the end didn't miss a day of posting.

Tired of me complaining? Honestly, me too. So how about I turn this around and talk about the good moments of December. There were a lot of them but, naturally, the negative events can overwhelm even the happiest memories. 

Sooo as of today it will have been exactly one month since I purchased my DSLR camera. I can truly say it was worth every single penny (even if it was worth a whole lot of pennies). I had always wanted to purchase a nice camera. Especially when I was living in Spain and traveling Europe, the crap point and shoot I owned just didn't take the most incredible pictures. It also ended up breaking the second to last weekend I was there so... there was that.

Let's be honest here loves, there isn't a person out there that doesn't appreciate a good filter. And as we blogger, well... it needs to be done. Don't get me wrong, if you have the best lighting and setup that allows you to shoot raw images then you are a master at photography and I commend you! But for us picture lovers who maybe don't own studio lighting you can really make your images look special with a fancy little filter and editing.

So I decided for today's blogtober post I would share my favorite editing apps and software. And here we go!

I think there is one dream I have in life that I am pretty positive will never come true. What wish could that be? To find a time machine that would take me back in history. Literally nothing could make me happier than walking around Versailles at the time of Marie Antoinette or walking along the banks in Paris in the 1920's. But alas, that is just not really an actual possibility (still doesn't make me want it any less either).

Why do I bring this up? Well, on Friday I drove down to San Diego to celebrate my step-dads 60th birthday. My mom decided to visit Balboa Park for the day since no one had been for quite a long time and I myself had never been. And lordy lord... IT WAS AMAZING. 

Just some back ground on Balboa Park, it was the site of the World's Fair in 1915. The best part? Nothing has been changed since then and it is incredible. If I ever want to pretend my dream of time traveling was a reality, this is a perfect place to start. Here are some photos I took of this unreal place and I hope you enjoy!

Sometimes the nostalgia of holidays is incredible to think about. There are so many memories packaged into one day. All of the changes of your life can be marked by what you did that day a year ago, five years ago, or even 45 years ago. As a child, who was there holding your hand when you walked to the door? As a teenager, were you going to cheesy discos or still secretly trick-or-treating? As an adult, where are you headed on halloween night or do you sit by the door waiting for the new wave of children to come ask for sweeties? 

There is so much power in holidays and sometimes those past memories can even make you feel sad or angry. Maybe you feel anxiety whenever someone mentions Christmas or New Years because old feelings from years past rise to the surface. Either way many of these holidays are milestones in your life. That's why I thought it would be fun to look back at old halloween costumes just as a little reminder of what I was doing at this time years ago!