4 years ago

My Favorite Photos of 2020

Ahhhh 2020, the year of nothingness?  Staying at home?  I wanted to do a post on my favorite photos of 2020 to remind myself that despite the struggles that this year has brought, there was a lot of good that happened as well.

Among my favorite things: having the time and energy to reconnect with friends and family in a way that I never would have, traveling to Argentina with my husband and having the time of our lives, and starting and keeping a business running in the middle of a pandemic.

Some of these photos are actually really good and others are just meaningful, so enjoy!

Dinner at Casa de Uco in Mendoza, Argentina

Photo by Amanda | Style/ DIY Blogger 💃🏻 in Uco Valley with @alaskaair, @theeverygirl, @tripadvisor, @expedia, @stylemepretty, @beautifulhotels, @jakezivin, @acolorstory, @cnntravel, @dametraveler, @casadeuco, @dametravelerhotels, @overthemoon, and @latamairlines. Image may contain: sky, pool, outdoor, nature and water.

This is truly one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been.  I took this picture at dinner (through a window mind you!) at a small guesthouse/wine resort called Casa de Uco in Mendoza, Argentina.

The elements of the giant Andes, desert and lush vineyards just make this place out of this world.  Plus, the wine wasn’t too bad either!

Redwoods Airbnb

Photo shared by Amanda | Style/ DIY Blogger 💃🏻 on August 18, 2020 tagging @cinalin, and @shop.confete. Image may contain: 2 people, plant, tree, outdoor and nature.

This might be tops on my list of my favorite photos of 2020.  It is one of those magical pictures that just comes out of nowhere.  We took it at an Airbnb that my best friend and I road tripped to, down in the Redwoods National Park.  It had these incredible outdoor soaking tubs.

The magic of this photo is we took it ourselves with a remote control.  And if you are a blogger, photographer, etc, you know how difficult that is.

Second, it just sums up everything I love about life: friendship, travel, wine, a good book and relaxing.  It just makes me smile every time I see it.

Confête Launch Day

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, good friends do anything and everything to stay in touch.  This is a shot from the day we launched Confête, and us having a champagne toast with our best friends over Zoom.  These girls have been my rock for many years and are always the first ones to support me in any endeavor!

A trip to Floreria Atlantico in Buenos Aires

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This may look like an ordinary trip to the florist, but Floreria Atlantico in Buenos Aires is a flower shop turn speakeasy.  The flower shop above, the bar below.  Here’s us visiting during the daytime.  I love finding unique places like this during our travels.  This is a must-visit if you’re ever in Buenos Aires.

Dropping Off Our First Orders

Photo by Amanda | Style/ DIY Blogger 💃🏻 in Portland, Oregon with @shop.confete. Image may contain: 1 person, outdoor.

This is a photo of me dropping off our very first orders the day after we launched Confête.  It took years of hard work to create this business, and there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing people love and cherish what you’re providing.

A Day at the Park

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This is what the spring and summer looked like for us…going and hanging out in parks.  We hadn’t yet moved into our house, so we had no outdoor space to call our own.  We ended up sitting in A LOT of parks.  I love this photo because we finally managed photo perfection with a Winnie smile!

Exploring Sauvie Island

White Lacy Strapless Dress with Brown Hat, english countryside style, wedding event dresses, bridal attire, confête

2020 has really allowed/forced us to explore our own backyards.  We’re incredibly lucky that Oregon has many beautiful and interesting places all around.  I really fell in love with Sauvie Island this year, going to the beach in the summer and returning for apple picking in the fall like in the photo above.

Confête’s Very First Photoshoot

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I discovered a lot about what I am capable of during 2020.  And thankfully, the answer is a lot.  So much of this business has been trial and error.  As I’ve mentioned before, I started this company after being a sports reporter my whole adult life, and before that studying to be a sports reporter, and way before that, only thinking of being a sports reporter.

This photo is from Confête’s very first photoshoot back in February, which I put together and directed.  That means finding a space and hiring photographers, models, makeup artists, having all of your clothes and accessories together, and then somehow telling getting hundreds of items shot in a beautiful way.  Phew!  But I did it, and those photos remain my favorite photos that we’ve taken for Confête.  They are beautiful and fun and elegant and everything I wanted them to be, and somehow I pulled it off!

A Trip to Montana with My Family

Montana is an incredibly special place to me and my family.  I lived there for several years.  Jake and I met there, and we returned to get married there.  My family fell in love with it too.  It’s beautiful and open and freeing.

We took a family trip to Flathead Lake in September, and I took this picture of my dad and brother while boating out on the lake.  Something I have never mentioned here or on social media until this point is my dad is sick.  He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in June.  It’s been really hard to say anything about it until this point because that makes it real.

I love this picture because my dad loves boating and the water, and it was so nice for him to get a little time to enjoy it in between treatments.

Staying at the Belmond at Iguazu Falls

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Cheating with this one because I can’t choose just one pic!  So many of my favorite photos of 2020 were taken here.  This was a serious LIFE highlight.  The Belmond is one of the only hotels inside the Iguazu National Park, home to one of the world’s seven natural wonders.  That means you can visit the falls anytime you want.  We went at sunset, sunrise, daytime.  It is just incredible.  Not to mention the hotel is just so picturesque.

I’m actually modeling a few of designs for rooms in our house after the beautiful colonial, tropical decor.

Cheers to hoping brings a little more of this!

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