Somehow, anxiety and stress always find a way into my life. I’ve gotten pretty good at balancing it out and not letting it consume the sunshine, but somedays, I just need a break, to hit reset, and breathe in fresh air.

Today, Winston and I woke up slowly, drinking my coffee and sharing the whip cream with Winston. It was super windy and annoyingly cold, but we headed to the beach to reset and recharge. I let him lead this time, allowing him to choose where we went and what trails we took.
Stress has been wearing on Winston too, increasing his desire to be by my side, even when he is off leash, free to play and explore. I encourage him every chance I can to be wild and silly, but I adore him for wanting to be by me. I love hiking along, looking down, and seeing him smiling back up at me, or knowing when I stop, he’ll stop, patiently waiting until I begin hiking again.

I brought my camera along… more because I have a hard time leaving it at home… but in all honestly, I have gotten pretty bored of photographing Winston. There are only so many trips to the beach you can take before your photographs become repetitive. So today, I challenged myself to focus on storytelling and what caught my eye as we walked, as well as capturing the imperfect moments of Winston’s personality that always make me smile and fall in love with him even more.

The collection below isn’t perfect, but not every day is perfect. What is perfect, is the bond I share with Winston, through ups and downs of life, he will always be my buddy, and despite how he rolls his eyes at how many photos I take of him, I will always love our adventures and his magnificent array of facial expressions.