Before Christmas, I did something I’ve never done before. I drove more than 2,000 miles over the course of 5 days through Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. (Let’s be real, most of it was Texas!) It. Was. Incredible. The solo holiday road trip was so much less stressful than airport madness and seriously good for my soul. I visited with friends I hadn’t seen in a while, witnessed incredible landscapes and discovered my eternal love for Texas martinis (up, dirty and infused with jalapeños #drooling).

Before I left, I told some friends of my plans and their responses really stuck with me. One was impressed, “By yourself?! You are so brave, I could never do that!” and the other’s response made me smile each time I thought of it afterwards – “It’s like your own ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ trip!” Initially I giggled off their comments, but then I realized they were actually pretty dead on. It’s not something that everyone could (or even want to) do and I’m proud of myself for seeking out adventure. I needed some fresh air, a new perspective, soul searching and some unplanned, raw experiences. That’s exactly what I got.

To make the trip a bit more interesting, I rented a tilt shift lens that I’ve been dying to play around with. I still don’t think I have it entirely figured out, but it was a fun creative challenge and I’m really loving the dreamy style. A goal that I’ve given myself for this new year is to really hone in on my creative style and have a bit of fun shooting anything and everything I can get my (usually glittery) hands on!

I’m splitting up the trip into several, easily digestible posts so I don’t go too photo crazy in one post, although it is tempting. These photos were all taken in New Mexico with the exception of the first image of my beloved Boulder Flatirons.

Check back in for the next leg of my trip! The weird, the creative, the quiet, the one and only … Marfa, TX.