EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED :: SOUTH LAKE TAHOE {TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY}

If there's one thing I've learned time and time again when traveling, it's always to expect the unexpected and EMBRACE it. Unequivocally. Undeniably. JOYFULLY. There are so many conditions and factors that are out of our control. Submitting yourself to the path laid out before you, no matter the conditions, is difficult but usually brings about the deepest of reflections, wisdom and joy. It's where true meaning is found. We know this in our daily life and usually change course, make the necessary provisions, and carry on without missing a beat. (Moms!) But so often we forget that when we pack our suitcases to have that once-in-a-lifetime experience, that life goes with us. And that the very things that make it difficult, challenging and complicated also make it full, beautiful and sacred. Perhaps this is why so many of us leave vacation sad. (Yes, the white sand beaches. Yes, yes the tranquility of turquoise blue water. Haha! Let me rephrase.) Maybe it's ALSO because we make that discovery and somewhere along the way, between making our trip back home and unpacking our suitcase, we forget. We forget that we have a choice. We forget that we can choose to treat every day embracing joy, even when there's sorrow. We forget that every day is a gift. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

"Okay, but what does this have to do with your experience in Tahoe?" Everything. This was my experience in Tahoe. Unfortunately, the King Fire was consuming over 97,000 acres in El Dorado County at the time and obviously, Tahoe was clouded, in somber and smoke. I made a love-drenched vow that day.