Welcome to the blog.

Crystal Bolin Photography 7/13/17 Crystal Bolin Photography 7/13/17

Trip to Italy | Part II: Orvieto + Siena, Italy | Tuscany

Italy: Tuscany | Part II: Orvieto & Siena, Italy

After a few days in Rome (Click here if you missed Part I: Rome), we began to travel North along the West coast of Italy. The next four days that we spent traveling through Tuscany were my favorite parts of the whole trip! I felt so at home in Tuscany. I really loved everything about Italy but Tuscany, in particular, was a dream. The way the birds chirped in the morning dawn, the smells of the fresh air, the scenic views that seemed straight out of a movie and the delightful food!! It was all heavenly.

Orvieto and Siena were the first towns we visited while traveling through Tuscany. Both of these places were magical. Orvieto was first and it set the bar high! I fell in love with this place. It felt straight out of a fairytale and was so peaceful. After lunch in Orvieto, we headed to Siena! Siena was a much larger city with lots of shops and amazing architecture.

Orvieto, Italy

Our first stop was in this little town built on a steep bluff of volcanic rock called Orvieto. From the moment I stepped foot in this charming little town that felt straight out of a fairytale, I was in LOVE. Visiting Orvieto was my favorite part of the entire trip. I have a goal to retire there one day.

Orvieto was annexed by Rome in the third century BC. Because of its high site on a steep bluff of volcanic rock, the city was virtually impregnable. It was the last conquered by Julius Caesar.

I bought an awesome olive wood cutting board here! Then we had a quick and amazing lunch at L'Oste del Re! We had a wild boar pasta dish and it was the best dish we had in all of Italy! Highly recommend this place!

Orvieto Cathedral

Siena, Italy

After spending the morning in Orvieto, we traveled to Siena where we spent the rest of the day. Siena was another breathtaking town, it was a lot bigger than Orvieto but still so charming! We had our first group dinner in Siena and it was INCREDIBLE!! We stayed in Siena for the night in a gorgeous hotel that was surrounded by Olive trees. Their soap was even made with olive oil and was amazing. This whole second day of the tour was my favorite! From beginning to end it was perfection.

Siena Cathedral

Siena Cathedral is a medieval church and if you noticed looks very similar to the cathedral in Orvieto!

Some of my favorite portraits from the entire trip! Thank you so much, Alexa Sedge for these amazing photos!

The Torre del Mangia

Built from 1338-1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, near the Palazzo Pubblico. When it was built it was one of the tallest towers in medieval Italy.

Molly (red scarf) was notorious for losing track of time... and her whereabouts! She was almost always the last one to our meeting points. This time Molly was only a few minutes late, so we applauded as she joined us again! Miss you Molly! Then we had a delicious 4-course dinner at Gallo Nero! This restaurant was amazing! The dining area was surrounded by brick and dimly lit. The food was incredible too! Thanks for this photo too Alexa! Vino! Salut!Look at that pasta! Then it was time to rest after a long day. We checked into the Degli Ulivi Hotel in Siena, Italy. This was our favorite hotel and we wish we were able to stay there longer than one night. It was a beautiful hotel, surrounded by olive trees!

More from our trip to Italy will be posted soon! If you missed our post about Rome be sure to click here!

Crystal Bolin Photography 7/6/17 Crystal Bolin Photography 7/6/17

Our First Trip to Italy | Part I: Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

My dream trip to Italy finally happened! It has been the number one thing on my bucket list since I was a little girl. Rome was the first stop on our tour of Italy and there was so much joy in my heart. Dreams of tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain, seeing the grand Colosseum, and walking hand-in-hand down the cobblestone streets with the man of my dreams: they all came true and then some. This was my first trip out of the country and, boy, was it one for the books!!

WHY

After talking about taking our trip to Italy for many years, it finally felt like the right time to take some much needed time for us. 2016 ended with a lot of stress, loss, and sadness. In October, we found out we were pregnant. We were thrilled, even though I was terribly sick all day due to morning sickness! Everything looked fine until it wasn't.

We found out right before Thanksgiving that there wasn't going to be a baby and two weeks before Christmas I miscarried. It was the worst thing I have ever been through. Though I am now able to talk about it, it still brings a sadness to my heart that I have never known before.

I'm sure you are thinking, "Well, this is not the story I was expecting to read." I decided to share this because if we hadn't been through that terrible time we may have never stopped to do something for us. As we had mourned our loss, we decided to take the next year to refresh, refocus, and travel.

PLANNING

Christmas 2016 was SO HARD. We were going to announce to the rest of our families that we were pregnant. While that didn’t happen, Andrew did surprise me with the BEST Christmas presents EVER. Books. Not just any books though, books about ITALY. A giant coffee table lookbook of Italy and a travel book! He gave me the gift of dreaming about the trip I had always imagined but never thought would happen. Little did I know it was about to!

We began to read all about Italy and where we wanted to go. It was the best distraction. We quickly became overwhelmed with the options. Finally, after a month of trying to figure it out on our own, we gave up and called Phyllis Horodner of Eileen'sTravel. Within one phone call, she figured out what we wanted before we even knew and recommended a guided tour with Cosmos.

I was skeptical at first but the more she described it the better it sounded. We would stay in a hotel every night, travel by motor coach with wifi (which was actually like a Tour BUS! It was AWESOME!), most meals were included and we would travel to the most popular destinations in Italy in 9 days. It was perfect!

THE BEGINNING

We booked the trip and the anticipation began! It was finally happening! When the day finally came we left with so much excitement. We got to the Miami airport way too early and ended up sitting around for over 4 hours.

While we were there I called my best friend, Emily, who lives in Texas. We had tried to talk the night before but couldn't so I called her one more time before I left. Well, I then found out that she was in labor! It was April 8th, her due date and she was in LABOR! I couldn't believe she was on time with her first baby.

After screaming for joy in the terminal a bit and talking to my other best friend, Brooke, who lives in West Palm Beach (who was also pregnant) about the news, I boarded my first plane to Atlanta, GA.

When I arrived in Atlanta I looked at my phone to see if we had a baby in Texas yet only to see a text from Brooke informing me that she was also in labor! Now I was freaking out even more and called her immediately.

Here I was, getting ready to board a 10-hour flight to Rome, Italy that would not have wifi and both of my best friends were in labor! I was pacing back and forth. I could not believe the chances. Brooke wasn't due for another 3 weeks! The fact that I was supposed to be there and couldn't was heartbreaking. There were so many emotions!

But then a very good friend, Alex, spoke some important wisdom back into my head. "Remember why you are going to Italy. This is a time for you and Andrew. Everyone will be here when you get back and you need to get away and get a breather." With those words and sobbing eyes, I boarded the plane.

ROMA!

The flight to Rome was the BEST flight we had ever been on. Delta rocked! When we arrived, the first thing I did was check my phone while running to catch the 11:00 a.m. shuttle to our hotel with only 5 minutes to spare. They waited for us and we were so thankful we didn't have to wait 3 hours for the next one! That was the first sign that our Cosmos tour was going to be a good one!

When we arrived at the hotel it was noon in Rome. Back in West Palm Beach, the sun was rising on the birthday of my godson, Clayton James. Out in Texas, Emily had given birth to Owen Hitchcock while I was in the air, the night before. The little guys were born on different days but only hours apart. I became Tia Crystal to precious Owen Hitchcock on April 8th at 8:37 p.m. and Godmother to sweet C.J. Carter on April 9th at 1:47 a.m.!

GOD’S GRACE

Everything that led up to our Italy trip was out of our control and everything that happened the day we left to Italy was out of our control. But choosing to see God's grace in every moment of our trip was in our control. And boy, did we see it! We felt so loved on and blessed every moment we were in Italy. It was one of the best things we could have done for our marriage and ourselves. This trip was so much more than a dream. It was a blessing.

Roma!

The first day in Italy was filled with so much excitement! After arriving at our hotel, the first thing I did was FaceTime Brooke in WPB. I wanted to meet my godson C.J. and even over a screen, he was so cute! After organizing my luggage (total type A) and freshening up we decided three hours would be enough time to peek at Rome before our meeting with our tour guide! Boy, did I wish we were right! The bus system isn't the easiest to figure out when you don't have an international cell phone plan... Oh well!

We got our feet wet just exploring Roma! The Spanish Steps! Seeing fresh pasta being made! If you know me you know I have a thing for vintage cars... Especially red ones! Italy had so many! Be prepared to see a handful of them in every blog post!

Then we finally made it to the Trevi Fountain! I was so in awe that I barely took any photos. Oops. There were also a million people there... it was Holy Week.

Then we made our way to the Pantheon!

What do you do to pass the time as you wait for your bus? Get some portraits done, of course!

Our bus finally came!! We were SO late! Then we found out it was the wrong bus, we got out and walked for a while. After several blocks, by the grace of God, we found a taxi that was able to take us back to our hotel! We were only 30 minutes late for our meeting! Lol. After our meeting, we grabbed a quick bite and went straight to sleep! We had been up for around 38 hours and we had a very early morning wake up call!

DAY Two in Rome:

First thing in the morning we visited the Vatican Museum! Since we were a part of a tour we were able to get in very quickly without waiting in the long line and we had our very own local tour guide! Every part of the Vatican Museum was amazing! The colors in the paintings were so vivid that they seemed to pop off the background.

St. John Lateran Archbasilica

While at the Vatican City, we had a break for lunch. We had our first slice of Italian pizza and it was amazing!! Then we just had to have our first taste of Italian Gelato!! It was life changing. Then we arrived at the Colosseum! Thanks for the photo of us Alexa Sedge!!

View of the Roman Forum from the Colosseum. The Colosseum used to be completely covered in white marble! Almost all of it was taken but a few pieces still remain. I got excited when I found a remaining piece! The lower part is where they used to hold the animals.

Then we visited the Roman Forum! This is where Julius Caesar was cremated.

As we left the Roman Forum, I captured the Colosseum one more time from this angle!

Back to Roma!

Afterward, we headed back to the hotel to have a bit of a siesta, but we weren't done. We grabbed another bus and headed back to Roma! I needed to see the Trevi Fountain again!

We were also able to visit the Pantheon again! This time the line wasn't a mile long so we were able to see the inside!

Then we made it back to the Trevi Fountain! This time there weren't a million people and the lighting was so dreamy! And this time we got up front and remembered to bring a few coins to toss in! Strolling through Roma at night is magical. The faces you make after finally finding a bus that could take you back to your hotel! It was super late and we were the only ones on the bus! :D The Grand Hotel Fleming in Roma, Italy. Last night at our first hotel!

Thank you for following along our adventure to Rome, Italy! More from our travels through Tuscany and Venice, Italy will be posted soon!

Crystal Bolin Photography 2/2/17 Crystal Bolin Photography 2/2/17

Winter in Upstate New York

Our Winter Vacation to Upstate New York

We packed up our bags and braced ourselves for the cold. It had been too long since we both had seen any type of cold weather and even longer since we had seen Andrew's family. Even though we tried our best to make it up there for New Years--schedules, flight costs and the weather stood in our way.

After searching everyday for the best flight, we finally found one. We booked the flights and we immediately began packing (okay, let's be honest. I began packing...lol) as the excitement began to build.

A four-day trip was a bit shorter than we would have liked, so we set out to make the most out of every second. We had snowball fights, went exploring, attempted to build a snowman, made a snow angel, found an obsession with take snowflake pictures and took way too many portraits in this winter wonderland. It was the perfect winter getaway.

This was our first time visiting Upstate New York and, boy, did it not disappoint. Andrew's parents moved up over a year ago and we had been trying our best since to make it up there. Andrew's parents moved up there to pastor a church in Port Leyden, NY. Since they have lived there, they have told me numerous times that I would love it up there! And I sure did! We spent as much time as I could outside and enjoyed every moment.

Unexpected Highlight of the Trip

One of my favorite things about the trip was the snowflakes! They were perfect. I spent a decent amount of time everyday outside taking macro photos of them. It was so much fun! However, it was quite challenging. Firstly, I had to patiently wait for the perfect snowflake in 20-degree weather. Secondly, I wasn't able to bring my tripod so I had to hold my breath and stand perfectly still to capture crisp photos of the teeny, tiny snowflakes. Even though it was difficult, I loved the challenge and the final product was so worth it!

Our trip to Upstate New York was the perfect winter getaway and we are so excited to share some of our favorite moment with you! Enjoy a little taste of this winter wonderland.

First, we visited a local ski lodge. Then we warmed up at a charming local coffee shop. There were SO many rustic red barns! I loved them all.

Then we drove up to a extremely windy hill called Tug Hill. On the hill there are over a few dozen huge windmills that power New York City. The view was amazing. After, we stopped in a little town called Rome for a yummy lunch.

It really was a Winter Wonderland! Andrew decided to make a snow angel. Then I had fun capturing some snowflakes.

Then we went to a wood chip factory that had some amazing views and the air smelled like Christmas Trees. It was one of my favorite places.

On Sunday, we woke up to go to church with this view!

Details about of winter trip to Upstate New York:

Locations: Port Leyden, Lowville, Rome, Syracuse & Tug Hill

Photography: Crystal Bolin, Andrew Bolin & Steve Bolin

Crystal 1/23/17 Crystal 1/23/17

A day at Ross Witham Beach + the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island

A day at Ross Witham Beach & House of Refuge

There are many reasons why I love Florida. On any given day you can take a short or long road trip north or south along the coast. Breathtaking views surround you as you cruise along A1A. Even though I have lived in Florida my entire life, I have come to realize I have yet to discover all of the many treasures that make up this place that I like to call, paradise.

On Martin Luther King day, since Andrew and I had a day off, we decided to take a drive north up the coast. We found ourselves at Ross Witham Beach on Hutchinson Island in Martin County. Teal waters crashing against the rocky shoreline filled the scene. The view was perfection.

Just when I think I have seen all Florida has to offer, I come across absolutely stunning slice of paradise. Take a trip with us to the the rocky seashore of Ross Witham Beach! An unexpected gem just behind the historic House of Refuge in Martin County.

History about the House of Refuge

Built in the early 1900's, The House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar is the only remaining House of Refuge. Built as one of ten along the east coast of Florida, it is the oldest structure in Martin County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Houses of Refuge were designated as havens for shipwrecked sailors and travelers along the sparsely populated Atlantic coastline of Florida. Run by the United States Lifesaving Service, the Houses played a critical role in a time when sailing ships dominated the world commerce.

These teal waves were incredible! Tripods are awesome for capturing moments like these! :) The House of Refuge.Then we took a coffee break at the Blue Door Coffee Bar which was the perfect "pick me up"! Lastly, we ended the evening watching the sun set back at Ross Witham Beach The beach looks so different only a few hours later. Just moments before an unexpected wave crashed and got me soaked! But these photos were worth it! :)