kreative in the home : a photo essay

maybe i'll blog again.

two years ago, i posted that i had a big girl job. i had just started dating. and i had just graduated from college.

but two years can change a lot of things.

i'm getting married in ninety-six days.
my brother got married.
my job situation has changed.
i ran a marathon.
i'll be a homeowner in less than a week.
i have a nephew.

lots can change in two years and it's exciting. in the midst of all these changes, i've been embracing my creative side again. it's mostly out of necessity: i love the office space and desk job but my brain felt dead inside. so i've been taking more photographs. i worked with a bridesmaid to create my veil for the wedding. in the next few weeks, i'll be putting together wedding favors.

it's good to work with my hands and engage my creative juices again.

hello, real world.

holland, michigan

in the last week and a half, i've only been home two days. in less than forty-eight hours, i went from sleeping in a tent to sleeping five minutes from the White House.  my trip to Holland can be blamed on the boyfriend. but the trip to DC is because of my job.  that's right.

a job.

in some ways, i feel i have hit the real mark of adulthood.  i'm now a respectable adult who can make her way in the world with a job that does not entail wiping snotty noses (though i really do love babysitting), flipping burgers or folding clothes. although i must admit: my maturity as an adult is actually debatable.  upon my arrival in DC, i was dumped into this underground city that was musty and dark. most americans would call this dark, musty place the Metro, but i digress. once i figured out how to purchase a ticket and find the right metro, i dumped my luggage at a hotel five minutes from the White House (that's what's up) and set out to discover what might be my most favorite american city.  if you're looking for a guide on how to see every major landmark in washington in under two hours, i'm your girl.

national archives, washington dc.

and then i spent the next day in meetings. because i'm a big girl with a big girl job.  hello reality.  it was weird to wander the streets of washington in a business suit like the rest of the real world, and carry a folder with briefing notes.  (in one sense: i was in heaven. a city of people who were policy nerds like myself.)

after graduation, a job was what i least expected to find, let alone one in my field or one that would interest me.  i suppose i was in the right place, at the right time and knew the right people because an internship landed me a job with a think tank i never dreamt of working for until after my Masters.  i feel like this quote from john steinbeck is applicable here:

"If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."

i could've taken another job. applied for graduate school.  traveled overseas (well, i still could).  there have been so many moments in the last four months where i've wanted to rush things along and take matters into my own hands, but i forced myself to pause.  and i'm glad i did -- i am gainfully employed and i have a boyfriend who treats me like a princess.  a move to washington, a trip overseas and graduate school may still be in my cards, but for now, i'm happy and content that i can spend one day on the beach and the next, discuss foreign policy in our nation's capital.

God is good.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula

my hipster shoes. even though i'm really not that hipster.

covered road, near houghton.

lake superior, au train.

lake superior, au train.

lake superior, munising. 

I'm graduated!

I did it!  This was the year I graduated (with honors) and I couldn't be any happier.  I know that a Bachelor's degree is not the end-all in this journey of life, but I have long anticipated this day.  So excited about all the possibilities and opportunities I'll be pursuing this year!

graduation!

i've been a little busy getting ready to graduate (hence the expression in the above photo. and do you see that large manila folder? that contains about one hundred pages of my research that has to be read by the department chair in order for me to graduate).  for the last month and a half, i've been busy conducting various amounts of research, writing reports, analyzing data and doing other nerdy things that sociologists do.  the entire pre-graduation experience has been a bit surreal; some days i'm extremely happy to finish, but i am mostly sad that i will be leaving the academic world (for a year).  in other news, i have a fabulous internship that will keep me busy through the summer and probably into the fall.

it's funny because so many people keep asking where i'm going and what i'm doing, and for the last month, i had absolutely no idea.  i feel like many college graduates try to "find the path" or "figure life out", but life is happening and there's no need to find it.  consider this: i applied to live in kosovo, looked into moving to Washington, i considered traveling to Europe for six months (and then promptly reconsidered when I saw the exchange rate) and i applied for several internships.  i had no idea where i'd land.  do i wish i were scaling the alps and sipping cappuccino beneath the eiffel tower?  of course!  but i'm not there right now: i'm here. i'm in Michigan working this job and i'm content that tomorrow will take care of itself.

this is life.

j+k: engaged.

pinhole press.

pinhole press

I've been on spring break this week and working like a mad dog on various projects in addition to working additional hours.  In the midst of all the craziness, I discovered Pinhole Press, and specifically this Big Book of Names and Faces.  This is by far the most brilliant business ever, especially for a photographer myself.  I love giving people unique gifts (especially to friends who's children I often photograph) and this is an amazing way to combine it all.

I haven't ordered anything yet, but I've read so many good things about them and I'm looking forward to placing several orders soon!  If anyone else has used Pinhole, I'd love to know your thoughts!

w+p challenge: right.

Yesterday was the Michigan primary, and being the language lover that I am, I couldn't resist posting the following photo from Hamtramck, Michigan:

via the New York Times.

Although I was not the photographer, I thought the photo represented my word of the day yesterday, and that was right.  I can be a political curmudgeon at times and I had considered abstaining yesterday for several reasons.  However, I realized that in America I actually have a right (or an entitlement) to vote, and so I did.