Two years!  Yes, two years I have meant to start a blog but other things kept getting in the way.  You know how it is: laundry, grocery shopping, work, travel, time with friends, and all the small things that get in the way of what you want to be doing.  So, here goes.

Maybe I should start with a bit about myself.  If you want to know my background in photography, please read “Who is Oscar?”  But, the question remains, who is Erika?

• I love travel, but I hate flying.
• I love Italy.  Yep, everything about where we are living enchants me.  I even love the protests and the mid-day break known as riposo.  Mostly, though, I love the slower pace of life (this does NOT refer to driving here though).
• I was born in Iowa.  I didn’t grow up on a farm.  But I did work at the corn stand at 13^th Street and Duff when I was home from college.
• My dog and I are a bit too close.  There may not be room for others in the relationship between me and Siggy.  He goes to the market with me, he tries on clothes with me, we go to restaurants together, and we even travel together.  Maybe there’s a reason why my husband is jealous.
• Siggy is Italian.  One more reason why I love Italy.  The dog loves pasta, bread, risotto, and even loves prosecco.  But he hates grappa.  Me too.
• I can’t stop reading.  I once broke up with a boy in college because he said I was an escapist and loved books more than people.  Now I know it’s true.  He’s still a jerk though.
• My husband and I met in a bathroom in Asia.  Yep, it’s true.  And it is the least romantic story you will ever hear.  Twelve years later, we’re still going strong.
• I love doing laundry and hanging it outside on the clothes line.  I hate putting clothes in the dryer.
• I love telling stories through photos.  Sometimes they tell a story I wasn’t expecting.
• Cleaning the house makes me angry.  That’s why I don’t do it.
• I love Scandinavian designers such as iittala, marimekko, dansk, bodum, and sia.
• I also love mixing modern with antique and vintage finds.  I am eclectic and I love it.  I want everything in my house to have a story.  And it does.
• I love coffee, but I’m trying desperately to like tea.  This has been my New Year’s resolution for four years.  I think I finally got it this year.
• I will give anything for comfortable shoes.  I hate it when my feet hurt.
• I love walking (once again with the dog).  It clears my mind and makes me happy.  An hour a day that can’t be negotiated.
• I love Indian food.  And there’s not much of it in Italy.
• Photography is my passion.
• I usually end up being great friends with my customers.  I have the best customers and having them in my life makes it better.

So, there I am.  Pretty uncomplicated.  I’m an open book and usually over-share my life.   I look forward to getting to know you!