2025 in pictures. Where was I last year?

2025 is gone. Wow. This is a shock to me still. I can’t believe the year past by so fast.

Looking back, I just feel tired and resourced out of this year. I don’t know about you guys? Maybe it is just the seasonal winter depression starting to kick in or maybe it is just the abundance of people and rules I had to juggle with for the past year.

I never felt so overcrowded in my life than I feel now. Banff last summer was a mess. So many people everywhere. I moved to Canmore in March in order to avoid the transport every couple of days but oh boy. Living in a touristy place is challenging for my mental health too. Dogs can’t be off leash anywhere and when you find a dog park, dogs in there are not friendly (happened to me 3 times already!). As if the owners bring their dogs to the off leash park to walk their dogs because they don’t want to have to do it.

More recently (aka yesterday) I was playing with my cross country skis and Silas (I literally JUST put on the skis when this happened) and a guy comes to me to tell me to keep my dog off the tracks. I just wanted to walk my dog in the backyard (because I live on the golf course where the tracks are) for like 10 minutes. I don’t want to drive 2h to have to do this when I have the perfect place to do it right here. Plus I checked before, him walking on the tracks didn’t even make a mark as the snow was hard. Anyways. Too many rules and such limited freedom in the “nature of Banff”. Funny how they promote Canadian Nature in the Canadian Rockies but there is nothing actually free. Everything is expensive (don’t get me started about housing), cars everywhere, no cabins or houses can be bought in the middle of the forest as EVERYTHING is a national park or a provincial park…

After very busy summer months working for Banff Photography again, I felt the need to disappear. To get away from everything and every one. I bought an old school bus, my friend and old roommate at Two Laddies and a Ladder helped me make it functional and we both took of with the dogs for Vancouver Island. This was such an amazing trip. I didn’t want it to end. The bus is not the most full one but the bed is amazing, I have a sink and a table. I am missing a shower and power though. This was an issue to be fully off grid but I made it though! After Vancouver Island I went all the way to Texas, going in some amazing places I had never heard of before.

Now that I am back, I am glad to be back with more space (especially for Silas) but I miss the road. I want to fully prepare the bus for next year – or maybe sell it and find one already set up? Anyways.

After my two months road trip, I went back to France for the holidays. It was really not what I was expecting. Everyone was busy and on edge it felt. My grand father is not doing well – he just turned 98 years old!! – and it was all kind of morose and sad. I also went to see my dad’s grave that finally arrived (1.5 years later). I also can’t believe it has been 2 years already. It feels unreal.

Another thing that has been very stressful to me this year is money. I did better with my business (I finally had to register to GST so i guess it means I made more) but to me, it is not enough. How can you live with 30K a year when your rent alone is 24k per year? I had savings but I have been using them for the past three years of me being in the business. I am starting to run out and so far, I have 0 contracts signed for next year. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and when I think about going back into software engineering, I get almost panic attacks. But I do need to live and make money. I have dreams and goals and if I don’t make enough with my photography, I need a back up plan. Especially in winter where I have very little work.

If anyone is reading this, I would totally do websites, blogging, photos or social medias as a freelancer!

All in all, stressful year. I told myself I had 3 years to get my business somewhere before finding a solution… I am now going into my third full year (fourth if you count the beginning but I don’t). Let’s see where 2026 brings!

Let me know how your year went, was I alone in this struggle?

Wholeheartedly,

Dorine

Manifestations for 2026

Go to Iceland in August to see the solar eclipse (anyone wants to take photos or elope there meanwhile??)
Double my revenue and find a way to make a passive income
Have Silas in another publicity or movie campaign
Get 10K followers with both Silas and The Barktrotters instagram accounts
Find someone to share adventures with
Go to somewhere new (Still have to figure out where yet)