So I feel like I have already failed at this blog thing! I have so much going on that it’s hard to set aside time to write out everything and process this crazy thing called life.
Last Monday I arrived home from an amazing trip to Morocco with Veronica Hamlet. There is so much work involved on these trips with styling, sourcing, and photographing. What’s neat are the people we have met and made friendships with, and the new friendships we cultivate each trip. One of the best parts of our trips are the riads we stay at. By far my favorite is Riad Jardin Secret. The owners have become sweet friends of mine and their hospitality is like none other! We feel like family when stay there and it's hard to leave! This past trip they hired me to photograph their newly decorated rooms. We had a blast styling each room, and capturing fun vignettes. Here are some of the images from that shoot:
So if you are looking for a peaceful place to stay in the busyness of Marrakech Riad Jardin Secret is for sure the place.
One of the most enriching parts of our trip was our stay in Fez with our friend and his family. He was our driver on our first trip, and on our five-hour drive, we ended up sharing our stories. His was very similar to mine with similar struggles with drugs, alcohol, and broken relationships. It’s amazing how God places us in situations to share our stories to resonate with others in deeper ways.
From that one conversation, God gave me a new brother. A brother that would be a constant source of prayer and friendship, even though we live 6,000 miles apart. This last trip, we planned a time to meet his family and children. It was cool to see how a true Moroccan lives, eats, and sleeps. His family welcomed us with open arms and loved us like we were their own. He took us to an amazing place to shoot in Fez, and it was for sure one of the most epic places we have styled a shoot.
I feel so grateful to have friends that became family. Even though our cultures are completely different, we were brought together by a loving God and by living life on purpose.
We were also able to attend a Moroccan wedding, which was an experience of a lifetime. When our friend, Ismail, asked us to attend his wedding, we felt so honored. It was by far one of the most beautiful weddings I have attended, and experienced traditions that blew me away.
Over all, our entire trip was blessed! I am so grateful to experience things I would have never dreamed of 7 years ago. God is so sweet to allow someone so underserving of these life experiences to enjoy these beautiful moments that can only be described as His creation and beauty.
I am so happy to be home, and now find myself in the midst of home renovations. Can’t wait to show ya’ll more of this process!
<3 Carley