THE ADVENTURE HAS JUST BEGUN.

After ten glorious weeks of silence, I'm officially back in the world of blogging. It's crazy to think that my last post was about Week 41 and currently, we are entering Week 52...


I'm not going to lie, it's taken a lot of effort to get this blog back up and running (not to mention I've been procrastinating for weeks), but in light of the changing seasons and our one-year-living-in-London anniversary only a few days away, I figured now's a good time as any!

Man, oh man, that blog-cation was exactly what I needed to turn off, revamp, reboot and get my head back in the blogging game. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy blogging, but damn if it isn't a LOT of work! I think most bloggers can attest to a certain amount of stress and competition in the blogosphere (that can sometimes often take the fun out of it), so for me this break was the perfect time just to get back to basics... You know what I mean?!

Sharing my thoughts and bits and pieces of my life with family and friends all around the world is a lot of fun, but the thing I love most about blogging is actually documenting our life, for me, for my family. This is a place where I manage and organize all the memories we have acquired over the course of our first year of marriage and first year abroad. I love being able to look back at where we've been and what we've done, and I also like to see the evolution of my writing and photography skills. This blog is a time capsule and one that I hope to continue for many years to come.

First things, first—can we talk about Fall? Where has the time gone?! I love Fall, but sheesh that came around quick! We've been transitioning into Fall for some time now here in London, but it doesn't make it any less dreamy.

The Cerceo's (our last set of friends) came to visit us mid-August. Their stay with us was very relaxing and low-key, which included long walks in the park and around town, delightful dinners and good ol' fashion heart-to-hearts. They left two little kiddos back in the States, so it was nice for them to catch up on adult conversation and SLEEP!

Overall, we've just been focusing on the future and enjoying the company of our friends and our time in London. It looks like Team Starnes will likely be moving out of London towards the end of the year— moving on to a new adventure. As we get more clarity on our situation, I will update everyone on what's going on.

So, back to the blog. Hope you like the new layout. Don't get too comfortable, things will likely be shifting as there will be an update to the template in the next few weeks. Sorry, I'm design ADD.

(Q): What I am focusing on now?
(A): My photography skills and creating engaging content.

Currently:
- I am teaching myself how to use Photoshop and Lightroom more efficiently.
- I am learning how to use filters, how to NOT use filters and how to create my own filters.
- I am starting to delve into a little bit of who I am.
- I am looking to talk about things that interest me, such as fashion and lifestyle related topics, etc...

I want this blog to continue to be heavily travel and sightseeing oriented—as that is very important to me and a big part of who Team Starnes is now—but it's not going to be the only thing I focus on because it is unrealistic for us to constantly be on the go, go, go and traveling all the time. There is a HUGE community of extremely dedicated "travel bloggers" out there, and honestly, I'm a lazy blogger. So shoot me.

I think I'm all about low-pressure blogging now.

Well, I'm excited to see where the blog goes from here, and I hope to catch up with all of my favorite blogging buddies and see what they've been up to since I've been MIA... The summer might be over, and our time in London might be coming to an end, but for Team Starnes, the adventure has just begun.

Cheers!
xx, Team Starnes


** a BIG THANK YOU to Alex Hering for capturing these photos of J and I! xx