SO. My grand adventures begin on Monday. Lately I can’t help but to think that I’m going to have a heart attack daily from the excitement. For those of you who don’t know, here is my summer thus far: Europe for 3 months, 10 midwest weddings & 1 East-coast wedding, Alaska for 10 days, Iceland for 16 days, and Vancouver, Canada for 1 week (plus a week of roadtripping there).
First on the list is Europe. I will be living out of one 40L pack for 3 months. SO many people have asked if I am scared or nervous, but I’m not really. I think my roadtrip this past summer to Oregon prepared me very well. Though it wasn’t out of country, I lived out of a 30L pack for almost a month and was honestly the happiest I have ever been in all my life. Once you get down the basics of what you need, it makes life simpler. I don’t need tons of outfits, honestly my problem was narrowing down what camera gear to bring, haha. That being said, I promise to take lots of photos. Lots and LOTS. That’s also a reason I finally got my more official blog up and running this week. So, until my trip begins, here are some photos I’ve done lately to tie you over.
A session with Amanda at the Hostess House in Marion, IN.
A session with R’Bonney in Austin, Texas.
A session with Rossi in Austin, Texas.
I will be gone for 3 while months in Europe and there is so much planning to be done still!!! I can remember buying the plane ticket months ago, and suddenly my flight leaves in just 6 days. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!? I am so overwhelmed with excitement and joy and good feelings; but on Sunday, I said goodbye to my college friends, for some, the last goodbye I may give them for years, and something hit me… I realized how sad I was.I’ve never really felt that way when leaving somewhere. I always move on and fixate on the next big thing. But as I walked out of the house with my two best friends still inside, tears welled up and I ran back in to hug them once more. Something inside me was so sad to know that life is now and forever going to be different. These two people who have been with me for my most life-changing years would no longer be one door away. They will now be states away. And they’ll be celebrating their graduation without me. While I’m literally oceans away in countries with people I barely know. How lonely I felt. But as I said my goodbyes to others in that last hour at IWU, I got some perfect words from another beautiful friend of mine. It was something along the lines of, “We are so afraid that things will change while we are away, but everyone will still be here for you, they will all still love you, and they will all still be just living their lives. It is you who will have had the change. The change that many of us won’t ever even begin to dream of having, ever in our lifetime.” And suddenly I was no longer lonely. The Lord always has a way of using Ariel to speak to me right when I need it. I am now so excited for the day of a reunion with my friends when we can look back on all the joy we had together. I know these people will always be in my life, and that sadness has turned into something else in my heart. I’m not sure exactly what to call it, but it’s a warm fullness I’ve never quite had before and I am sure it resonates from the beautiful people I was so sad to say goodbye to on Sunday.
Some of you may or may not know, I graduated college in December, and praise the Lord I was able to do it debt-free. Having my Bachelor’s in photography is a nice check on the life to-do list. I’ve been working a few jobs the past two months in preparation for this summer. I needed something that paid well, but, because I was going to be leaving in a short amount of time, I had to collect a few part time jobs in order to make enough money. I had a few photo shoots here and there, but my every-day jobs have consisted of the following: An executive assistant to a clinical psychologist, a secretary at a local tax firm, and a nanny. It’s been quite fun actually, having so many eclectic jobs. And what’s even better, is that I’ve actually learned skills to help in my business! (Filing quarterly personal business taxes is a scary thing when you don’t have help). I am almost stuck, because now I like the idea of little eclectic jobs not held for very long. I’m even entertaining the idea of WOOFing (working on an organic farm) in Hawaii starting in the fall. We’ll see how that goes! ha.
All this to say, I cannot be more excited for what is to come. I know it will be grand, and I am so so excited that I have no idea what is to come.
Thanks for reading,
XX – Kristian
