Disappointments and Blessings

One week to go!  This month has been so busy, and there’s still so much to do before I leave.  I think I’m going to breathe a huge sigh of relief when I finally get on the plane next Friday!

I was able to make an unexpected trip home to see my parents in Montana this week.  Originally, I had planned to work at my temp job through May 12, wanting to store up as much in my savings as possible before leaving, but my manager came to me last week and said they’d hired a new full-time employee, so my last day would actually be Friday the 1st.

Disappointing and discouraging though it was to my financial cushion, it actually ended up being a great blessing.  I had a few extra days, and my parents wanted to see me before i left, so I get to begin my adventure from the house I grew up in.

I’ve had a marvelous time being back home in Hamilton.  I got to spend time with my parents, my sister and her family, and my nieces and their adorable baby boys. Knowing how hard it’s going to be being far away from them for the next 5 1/2 months, it’s been wonderful to have this extra time.

I also had the chance to go through some old papers and scrapbooks tucked away in my former bedroom.  I ended up throwing some of it away (lest evidence of my teenage crushes ever be revealed), but I also found several pages of my “dream vacations”- pictures of places I wanted to go- including Ireland, Paris, London, and Austria.

A couple of them I’ve already been to on previous trips to Europe, but it was fun to have the reminder that I’m embarking on an adventure that’s been almost 20 years in the making.  I think my 14 year old self would be very proud!

So, since I’m considering this the beginning of my journey, here is the first lesson I needed to be reminded of: even though things don’t always work out the way we plan, sometimes they turn out even better. To quote Alice Steinbach, one of my favorite writers and travelers, “M=EA (Mishap=Excellent Adventure).” I’m sure I’ll be using this formula quite a bit over the next several months!

The time here at home has been priceless, and I’m so grateful for unexpected blessings.

A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord orgasbord…

And while I totally agree with Templeton, turns out it’s also a pretty good place for a fun, romantic photo shoot too!

Last weekend I had the chance to go home to Montana for a few days.  Not only did I have a great time visiting with my family and meeting my new nephew (I’ll post bragging pictures later, because he is the CUTEST first great-grandson ever to be born into our family), I also got to do engagement photos for my beautiful niece, Erin, and her wonderful fiancé, Trevor.

Erin and I started planning and talking about wedding ideas a couple months ago (even before she was formally engaged!) and in discussing engagement photos, I  realized that the most likely weekend I’d be home to take them would also be the weekend of the Ravalli County Fair…well, it was just too good to pass up!  Erin loved the idea, and Trevor loves Erin, so on Saturday evening the three of us spent several hours at the fairgrounds taking pictures.

I am so pleased with how they turned out!  Lots of color, lots of atmosphere, and I even got them on a camel together!  Now Erin can say with the upmost of authority, how difficult it is to kiss while riding a camel. 🙂  In editing and developing the photos I chose to do some of them with a more aged/distressed finish, as Erin has chosen a vintage theme for her wedding.  Check out a few of the samples below.

A summer evening, a ferris wheel, a candy apple, & a kiss. Does life get much sweeter?

"Wow, it's really hard to kiss while riding a camel!" -Erin Recht

It might not be a magic carpet, but a ferris wheel is still a classic!

And of course, who can resist a smooch on a carousel?