My name is Sarah and I’m a local photographer and blogger living on Destin Harbor with my awesome cat sidekick, Stewie.
I have several Destin-related products available including prints, jigsaw puzzles, a hardcover journal, guest comment book for vacation rental owners, quarterly Destin photography magazine, kids activity book, Destin guide book, and calendars.
Click HERE to shop my Destin products
This website, The Good Life Destin, is my blog covering topics and visitor tips about Destin and the Emerald Coast of Florida. This page tells a bit more about me and how and why I started this.
I am originally from the northern California bay area and I still visit there when I can. I left California in 1995 for college in Florida where I got my degree in Psychology with a minor in Marketing and then went on to study Cognitive Psychology in graduate school.
During and after college, I managed several high-volume flower shops in Pensacola, FL from 1998-2008 before opening my own shop in 2008, which I operated until 2015 when I was completely burned out and decided to retire from the flower business. That’s when I moved to Destin and embarked on this mid-life career change.
I started working entry-level jobs in hospitality in Destin during that time and took up photography as a hobby while I bounced from job to job trying to find something I didn’t hate.
It was hard to like those jobs after having my own business for so long, but I ended up meeting a lot of people and learning about hotel operations, front desk, reservations, and everything related to Destin tourism.
I didn’t know much about photography then, but I started taking classes to learn the fundamentals and quickly became passionate about it.
I went through a period of depression during and after my divorce in 2016 and photography was one of the biggest things that helped me through it.
Being in a new place without family or friends, having recently lost my mother who I was very close to, giving up my 20-year career in the floral business, working service jobs I hated, going through a divorce, trying to find a place to live in this crazy town, feeling terrified about the future and anxious about starting over at my age, were all weighing heavily on me.
One of my younger co-workers at the time convinced me to start an Instagram account for my photography hobby and the strangers who liked my Destin photos were mostly what kept me going during that time.
That’s when I decided to start this tourist blog to share what I was learning about Destin, since I felt like a lost tourist here myself. It motivated me to go out and do more things when people started saying they found my posts helpful while planning their vacation.
By March of 2021, I felt ready to make Destin blogging and photography my new full-time career. This came after 6 years of learning web design, blogging, photography, graphic design, and creating Destin content and products while also working a full time job.
I opened my first vendor tent at Harborwalk Village in Spring of 2021 to maintain some extra cash flow during the transition out of my job. There were a lot of challenges that I wasn’t prepared for but I made it through the spring and summer and learned a lot while selling my prints out there.
I really enjoyed meeting so many people at the tent and getting their feedback on my photography while learning what types of questions they had about Destin.
I won’t do the tent again (although I appreciate how many still ask about it!) because it was so physically difficult by myself and didn’t leave time for anything else, but I still sell my products online with shipping and local pickup options.
I spend most days now writing, taking pictures, gathering content around Destin, working on my website, creating books, marketing my products, and running my social media pages. I also run social media pages for a few clients, co-host an airbnb, and do commercial/event photography for some resorts in town.
I am not taking any new clients or jobs right now, but feel free to reach out for future projects if you need something. This blog, my upcoming books, and current clients are my sole focus right now.
As someone who has always loved to travel, I am passionate about bringing quality information and tips to those who visit here so they can get the most out of their vacation. I like to do a lot of research and planning in advance when I travel to get the most out of my trip and I write this Destin blog with those types of travelers in mind.
When I’m in Destin but not working on my business or taking pictures, I enjoy jigsaw puzzles, paddle boarding, running, and my Bravo reality TV shows. I work very hard when I’m here so I can make time for travel because that’s the only time when I really shut off from my work.
My current favorite travel spots are Colorado and Utah for snowboarding, and Disney World–especially for the Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival, RunDisney events, and early December to see the Christmas lights. I love the fireworks there too.
I also enjoy cruises sometimes because there’s not much to think about and my phone doesn’t work, which is great. My next travel aspirations revolve around touring the charming towns of New England and going to various flower festivals around the country.
I hope this blog helps you with planning the perfect visit to the Emerald Coast!
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Connect with me on Social:
Facebook.com/thegoodlifedestin
Instagram.com/thegoodlifedestin
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