My Photog Side

I'm BACK!

Some images from the past few months..

Seattle sunrise at work

Mount Hood from the sky

The Golden Gate during a morning walk

Seattle's 2012 version of "Snowmageddon!"

Ice from the storm covers branches and causes power outages!

Kisses and hugs from your very own married Kelly :)

Tricking Me Out

Some people say that life is always good, but what about when it's not? I'm not indicating that my life is bad per se, I'm just in a bit of a...transition overload. (What's weird is that I was going to type holding pattern when I realized it's just the opposite.)

I can't wait until Kelly gets her groove back. Or maybe life is just a series of transitions and the trick is figuring out how to constantly be in adjustment. Well, I'll tell you right now - I'm not very good at it. (I'm just being realistic, not pessimistic. Sheeesh.)

And what about the title of this post? It's bad, non? Well, it's certainly not good. That's for damn sure.

A Fresh Start

The arrival of September inevitably brings the change of seasons from summer to fall. Today is the first day I could distinctly smell autumn in the air. And it made me feel so hopeful. This time of year is one of new beginnings: Each year for over 20 years, I was getting ready to go to school and, presumably, make my mark on the world. I was going to make new friends, get all A's, perform for Friday's big game. I was going to dance the night away with my sweetheart at Homecoming, go to college in the fall and make a really big difference, move to the big city and become an adult. I was all dreams!

Not only does the season conjure up good memories of old friends, football games, and dance team competitions, but also of trick-or-treating and bonfires and bearing down for cold, snowy winters. And being with my family. And being a Midwestern.

It's not often that we get the clean, crisp smell of fall in Seattle. Usually, September is so warm (one of our best months) and we're not buckling down for 6 long months of winter, we're boating on Lake Washington before the rain starts!

So maybe it's not necessarily the smell of new beginnings that gets me hopeful. Maybe it's the smell of nostalgia. Hopefully, I can create a life with Jason that will feel the same way: "Oh, remember when we were first married and we had to live in the really small apartment and it was just hell because we couldn't get used to being with each other all the time?" or "Gosh, it was so much work to commute all the way to Seattle from Renton. How did I do that?" or "I can't believe we were just above that noisy transit center. And it was so hot in our apartment! Remember we kept the fans on all day long?" or "Even though the first year was an adjustment, I'm so glad we're married."

I hope I can say those things in 10, 20, 35 years. Because right now, feeling ever-so nostalgic, I'd really like to be 15 years old again without a care in the world.

Home, Sweet Home

We rented an apartment on Wednesday! Our first as a couple: TOGETHER!

We're going to be living in Renton which is about 15 minutes south of Seattle. Jason works in Tacoma while I work in Seattle, so we have to split the difference.

SO EXCITING!

Just one more thing to put on the transitions list.

:)

Throwing Me for a Loop

Sometimes, I can't believe my life.

I came home today to find two 25-inch Samsonite suitcases in my living room.

About a month ago, I found a Dyson vacuum on my doorstep.

At my shower last week, I got a vase from Tiffany & Co and the entire All-Clad cookware set.

Who am I? What life do I have?

Sometimes, I complain for being so far away from home. Other times, I have to pinch myself to believe it all: I live in Seattle. I work at Seattle Children's Hospital. I'm getting married. This summer. To a boy I really like. I have great friends all across the country, I have a family who believes in me, I have a totally amazing guy with whom I'm going to have kids. Kids! Don't even get me started.

My brain can barely wrap around the fact that I've already hit the age of 22! How should I comprehend all of this life-changing business?

It's June.

And I'm going to be a Herzberg in 59 days.

AH!

Holy crap! Where has the time gone?

I'm going to be crying my hazel eyes out before we know it.

I just.can't.believe.it.

It becomes more real every day...

Warm, Sunny, and Under 100.

Actually, it's 73 days until we get married. Crazy shit, right? Every time the word "getting married" comes out of my mouth in reference to myself, I have an out-of-body experience. Seriously, it's surreal to me. Even with a ring on my finger and planning on my mind, I still can't believe it. This must be what happens in life. You think about your future and you have experiences that help you sift through possibilities of what you want -- Do I want to get married? Do I want to have children? Do I want to live in Africa? And when we're young, our lives become a game of "when I get older" or "when I have money" or "when I get married" or "when I have kids..." But as we age and find ourselves in those situations, it's kind of unexpected and a little unanticipated. And it's totally different than how we thought it would be. (You're fooling yourself if you think it's just like you planned.) In fact, so many people give me advice -- "Make sure you do what YOU want for YOUR wedding" -- but in truth, it's the worst advice on the market. It's nearly impossible to do what you want for a multitude of reasons.

1) What you want may not be feasible {I want to have 12 different weddings, each with a different theme...vintage, romantic, ethnic, traditional, rustic...}

2) What you thought you wanted THEN might be different from what you actually want NOW {I always thought I'd get married to a Midwestern man in Green Bay, Wisconsin...}

3) You might not be able to FIND what you want {There is no place I want to get married in Green Bay, Wisconsin...}

4) You might not be able to AFFORD what you really want {If I were crazy and rich, I would love to get the $11,o00 dress and $700 pair of shoes that I originally fell in love with...not to mention fly everyone that I love out to Seattle to celebrate our big day...}

Those are just a few reasons why "doing what you want" is pretty weak advice. Perhaps Jason and I will get married again in 15 years and we'll pull out all the stops! Or maybe, we could mirror Heidi Klum and Seal and renew our vows every year with a different themed wedding celebration! (Oh, that smells expensive to me.) Anyways, if you're really interested in giving me advice about our wedding, please keep it practical. I can always appreciate some pragmatic pointers.

In other news, I can't stop looking at Seattle weather. I'm obsessed with it! In fact, I'm going outside to enjoy it RIGHT NOW! Ciao!