How old is this client?

Brandi invited one of her close friends to tag along, which I always encourage women to do to ensure they feel safe and comfortable.  Plus, Julie was able to record some behind-the-scenes footage to use in the video.​

I will say that Brandi is one of the sweetest women you will ever meet and the confidence she displayed during our session was abundant.  There were times when she was already moving into a pose before I could give direction and those poses were FIRE!  

So, if you are on the fence about doing a boudoir session, please watch the video for a quick sample of what you would experience while working with me.  You will be pampered by a licensed HMUA and it doesn't matter if you do not know how to stand or lie down.  I will gladly demonstrate what to do so we can create some outstanding photos for your albums.

Life is like a set of dominos.  We make a decision, which affects the events of tomorrow, which in turn affect future events.  Who would have known that by beginning to learn a second language two years ago would make such a huge impact on my life today.

November 2021 I decided to learn Portuguese because I felt there was a very strong possibility I would like to retire there.  I began with an online program called Talk The Streets, which you can preview snippets by searching for Liz Sharma on Youtube.  Six months later I finished that course and earned the coveted "Sou Pro" coffee mug.

Wanting to become more fluent, I began weekly sessions with online tutors and discovered an online language certificate program with Murray State University.  The program would take me a year to complete and at times it was like drinking from a firehose, but I earned my certificate in November 2023.

By pure coincidence I was asked to assist another photographer who was working with a young Brazilian model.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity so I could practice what little Portuguese I knew.  The model and I clicked and a few months later we worked together for a poolside photo session.  Miriely is a runway model and competed in the Miss Brazil-USA 2023, finishing in second place.  After the competition, she asked me to photograph her in her dress, Miss Brazil sash and tiara.  The photo session was fantastic and we walked away with too many beautiful photos to count.

Unknown to me at the time, Miriely spoke with some folks who work with her as a runway model and also runs a Brazilian/American fashion magazine.  She suggested the magazine contact me and ask me to work with them.  Out of the blue I received a message on Instgram inviting me to a studio in Charleston to photograph more models to showcase their clothing in the next issue of the New Time Closet magazine.

I was invited to be a photographer at a runway show tonight and I spoke briefly with the magazine's CEO and owner (entirely in Portuguese, btw) and I have now found someplace to advertise my boudoir photography business.  On top of that, I spoke with another two Brazilians and asked them to work with me as hair/make-up artists for my boudoir clients.  

I know I would not be where I am today without stepping out of my comfort zone and learning how to speak Portuguese.  Even though I do not think I will be able to retire full-time in the country, I still plan to spend extended periods of time over there, perhaps 90 days at a time.  And I still speak five times a week with Portuguese/Brazilian friends and tutors each week to improve my skills.  I am nowhere near fluent, but I am hoping one day I will be able to baffle a native Lisbonite as to what nationality I am.  

How does all this apply to you?  Take my story as encouragement and motivation to step out of your comfort zone and attempt something you still have doubts about your success.  Do not give up.  Take each challenge one at a time and soon you will achieve whatever it is you dream about.

   It has been a great week so far and the weather has been cooperative for the most part.  Today the weather is considerably more showery, so we are not making any plans at all.  Not that we have had plans since arriving in Ericeira.  I mean, we would literally step outside and randomly decide whether to walk left or right.
. The coastline is beautiful and the waves are impressive.  It is no wonder this town has a bunch of schools for aspiring surfers.  There are so many places I could take my camera and be occupied for hours.  
   A typical day has been going for a walk north or south, watching the waves, stopping for a small beer, walking until we find a fun restaurante or cafe, more walking, chilling, finding another restaurante for dinner, and stopping at our favorite geladaria.  Every day since arriving in Portugal I have averaged more than 10k steps or 5 miles of walking, according to Fitbit.  Cindy has also been walking around 5 miles, but 16k steps, which confirms my theory she takes tiny steps like a red-headed penguin.

   I went to a store this week and found these cookies, or biscuits as the Brits call them.  They are called "Maria" here, but I remember them as "Marie".  These remind me of being a teenagers in Wales and eating these with tea or coffee in my grandparents' small TV room in Briton Ferry.  I loved to dip them in my drink and sometimes challenge myself to see how long I could dip one without it falling apart into my drink.
.  On a different topic, Cindy and I have seen lots of people walking dogs, which are very well behaved here.  Unfortunately none of the dogs seem to be available to stop for Cindy to pet and call "good boy".  I can always here Cindy say, "Aaawwww, puppy", but she never gets a chance to love on them. 
   And another observation we have made is how many parents carry their toddlers in carriers strapped to the front of the parent, much like a kangeroo pouch.  Sometimes, however, we have seen a toddler whose feet extend well below the parent's knees and we swear the child could be old enough to point in the general direction of the nearest pub.  If the child is large enough to find a job, maybe it is time to let the kid walk on its own?  Just a suggestion.
   Well, the sun just poked out from the clouds, so we are heading out the door.  There are a few towns in Portugal suffering from flooding and snow, so we feel blessed the weather is as good as it is here.  

   We started the morning with a great breakfast in our hotel.  Our previous hotel delivered freah bread and Pasteis de Nata to the room and we had eggs and cheese in our fridge, but the hotel in Ericeira has a small dining room with eggs, bread, cheese, fruit, coffee, and cereal.
. After breakfast, Cindy and I walked along a path that followed the cliff's edge all the way to the northern part of town.  We saw several surf schools and people on the beach all enjoying the beautiful weather.  Meanwhile, Cindy carried a bag of stale bread to feed the birds.  Spoiler alert - she forgot to feed the birds so she still has bread in her purse.
  We found a real "supermercado" that closely resembled a grocery store in the United States, so Cindy was able to feed her addiction to Coca Cola products by buying a 12-pack.  
   We stopped at a nice restaurant (Pedra Dura) a few blocks from the beach for a late lunch where Cindy enjoyed a nice steak and I had octopus and sautéed vegetables.  Very tasty! 🐙
   In the process of searching for lunch we discovered the price for a meal in inversely proportional to the restaurant's proximity to the ocean.  For example, one restaurant prices its meal by the kilogram, so if you want grouper, you buy the ENTIRE grouper and pay for it by weight.  At €40/kg, that would have been an expensive meal.
   Our evening was spent enjoying a beer at a local cafe people watching and searching for a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine in our room.  Of course, our evening would not be complete without a trip to the geladaria next door to the hotel! I was once again able to practice more Portuguese and we chatted about all the flavors they sell as well as talking about the translator-induced terror alert in Lisbon last week.  If you didn't hear, a tourist walked into a restaurant and wanted pomegranate juice, but his translator app said "grenade".  Cue up the police sirens and terror alerts!  🍎💥
​   Thursday is expected to be a windy and wet day, so we will probably spend most of the day inside.

   Before leaving Lisbon, Cindy and I made sure to thank our hotel staff for all their help and professionalism while sorting through the reservation mix up.  Again, I do not recommend using @hotel, Expedia, and anything shared by Lisbon.Travel on Instagram.  
  We caught the Metro to the Campo Grande bus station and searched for Line 2740 to Ericeira.  We had only 10 minutes to catch the next bus, so I did not hesitate to ask one of the drivers for help.  My initial instinct now is to speak Portuguese first and only resort to English as a last resort.  Even when I see a "i​" on a map or sign my mind thinks "informação".
  We found the bus, which took an hour to bring us to the coast.  Cindy is not a fan of public transport, so this pretty much met her limit of "fun".
  The hotel was fairly easy to find and checking in was a breeze.  The staff told me I could speak English if I wanted to, but I insisted I wanted to practice my Portuguese as much as possible.   Our room is cozy and the window has a view of the beach.  Everything is within walking distance and we even found a Mexican restaurant for Cindy! 🌮
  The coast is beautiful and there are cute cafes and restaurants everywhere.  While we enjoyed a quiet dinner outside, we noticed many of the children (and dogs) were dressed up in costumes and going store to store for "trick or treat".
   Here is a little backstory.  I have had this trip planned since March, so when I booked this hotel in Ericeira I knew about the Mexican restaurant as well as the galadaria around the corner.  So when we walked back to the hotel from dinner, I made sure to stop for ice cream.  Score another WIN!  Cindy and I stopped for a few scoops and I was able to chat with the two employees behind the counter.  I told them I have been wanting to visit their store since March and they chuckled. It turns out one is Cuban and has been in Portugal for only 6 months, so she is learning Portuguese as well.  Her coworker was also very friendly and asked why I was able to speak Portuguese.  We chatted about my language lessons and the weather in Cuba and South Carolina among other things.  I think we chatted for a good 10 or 15 minutes.  Definitely going there again! 🍦🍦🍦

   Our last full day in Lisbon and we are finally greeted by sunny, blue skies.  Cindy and I hiked up the hill to explore the Carmo Convent.  Let me start by saying it boggles my mind how these stone cathedrals were built hundreds of years ago.  I am not an engineer or architect, but still, how did they create such elaborate structures that have withstood (for the most part) the tests of time?  Cindy fell in love with the fat cat within the convent walls, who is obviously cared for by the staff.  We witnessed some of the staff leaving at the end of their shift and the cat wailed and cried she might not eat again for another 15 minutes!
  Later we took a couple Lime scooters and cruised up and down the river like some misfit biker gang.
​   Finally, we enjoyed a small Fado show not far from our hotel.  The guitar players were absolutely amazing, not to mention the singers.

   This morning I grabbed the camera early in the morning so I could catch the sunrise from Alfama.  It was actually very nice to walk the deserted streets without the need to dodge all the tourists and cars.  It was also theraputic to watch the sky change colors and the city lights gradually extinguish themselves as the Sun peeked over the horizon.  Immediately afterward, I wandered to a couple cathedrals before returning to the hotel.  My goal is to have enough new photos to create another calendar, so I will let you know in November how that goes.
  Our only plan for the day written in stone was to meet Beth Corrick for lunch near the Antique Art museum.  I decided to take Cindy inside the museum first and I found a few displays from one of my college homework assignments; prints depicting the Portuguese discovering Japan in the 1540s and sending missionaries to convert them to Catholicism.  This was one of the "Visita Guiada" episodes on RTP2, if anyone is interested in learning more.  On the way out, Cindy needed to use the restroom, so I asked one of the employees for directions (in Portuguese, of course).  The woman replied extremely quickly, but I was able to catch the key words and not get lost.
   While walking across the street to lunch, we realized Cindy left my umbrella in the Uber.  We still had her smaller umbrella in my backpack, so at least we had a little protection from the frequent rainshowers, but not much.  Cindy and I stood outside the restaurant and noticed the same museum employee walking up the street toward us.  That was when we realized we had asked Beth for the restroom directions!  She had me completely fooled she was not a native Portuguese speaker.
   There were seven of us at lunch and it was great to meet so many kind and funny people.  The food was almost as fantastic as the company.  Thank you once again, Beth, for setting this up. ❤️
   Cindy and I took another Uber down to Belem to see the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, but the internet was down and it took forever to get a Lisbon Card pass.  Meanwhile it was pouring rain and I broke down and bought one of those cheap €5 umbrellas sold by a lone vender on the street.  MISTAKE!  Two minutes later the umbrella was inside out and looking like something from a cartoon.  Cindy and I were quickly drenched and decided it would be better to return tomorrow.
   So we dried off in our hotel room, enjoyed a light dinner out, and watched the hundreds of people walk by.  All of them soaking in Lisbon in their own way.
   An interesting observation by Cindy:  We have been in a major European city for four days, surrounded by tourists and foreigners left and right, and we have not seen a single spy being chased by a band of villains.  All those movies are a lie!