She was six when I went to college. I graduated college and moved back home for a bit, but I haven't lived at home in more than 10 years. And I spent all of my twenties enjoying friends and being gone a lot. Which means, I didn't get to really know Kelsey, and she was stuck in a time-warp as a tween.
This summer, Kelsey graciously volunteered to drive across the country with me and Nadine. That's right, my busy senior-year-in-college sister, who spent the summer on two (two!) foreign music internships, gave up two weeks of her life for me and my family. To help her frantic sister pack frantically. To drive from Maryland to Las Vegas. To help with a 3-year-old. Driving mostly sitting in the passenger seat.
She is a champ.
I very much enjoyed those two weeks with Kelsey, and I especially enjoyed our four days in the car. She is a remarkably good traveling buddy. I loved getting to connect with her as adults; I know she has felt separated from us other siblings. Whitney, my next youngest sibling, is five years older than Kelsey. It can't have been a fun position to hold, to watch all your siblings grow and not be at that point yet; then to reach that point, and have your siblings (or at least Jen) think you're still 12.
To make a long story short (too late), I am very grateful for our four long days stuck in a car, driving eight or nine or 14 hours a day. I feel it cemented my bond with my sister Kelsey.
(Non sequitur) And now she's getting married! I am so excited for her and Daniel. Truth be told, I have been secretly hoping for this event for five years. Kelsey and Daniel were friends in high school, then dated the last bit of high school and their first year of college. Daniel was gone for two years serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; he recently returned and they're getting married in December.
I began this post with my recollections of young Kelsey, because I was blown away how old (in all the good ways) she looks in these pictures. And how happy they both are. I love watching the interactions of couples in love.
Kelsey asked me to take their engagement pictures, and I was excited to use them as guinea pigs. I am not a terrific photographer, but it's a hobby I greatly enjoy, and I have a nice camera and good photo editing software (that I can't fully comprehend yet...). I am really proud of these pictures, though their success is largely due to the subjects.
We took the pictures at my parents' cabin in southern Utah, which is my Happy Place (I think that goes for all my siblings as well). It has many wonderful places for pictures.
They're such a great couple.
Aren't they cute?!
She's beautiful.
Have you ever been photo-bombed by a horse? I have. (There's a horse butt behind Kelsey's shoulder. It cracked me up. I was distracting.)
***************************************
I also made my family guinea pigs for my photography. We found a great place for family pictures, so I decided to experiment. The lighting wasn't great (curse you, shadows! Though also, hooray for shadow-creating-sun in Washington!) but I am happy with the result. We could re-do the pictures, but I am lazy and I don't want to get dressed up and drive out there again. LAZY.
I do love this picture. Hellooooo, Puget Sound!
The rest of the pictures are on the Nani blog.
That's all. Whew.
3 comments:
Those pictures look so good. Well done photographer! You did have some very attractive subjects to work with though!
Crazy that Kelsey is getting married! She seems too young for that. Although I still think that Jeremiah should be 7 and he's going to be a dad next year so my mind is already blown.
We are going to move sometime next spring. It will largely depend on when our house sells. Justin doesn't finish fellowship until the end of June and it would be ideal to move together, but if our house sells early, the kids and I will go stay with my parents and Justin will have to loaf on someone's couch until he's done. His start date would probably be August 1st (we have signed a letter of intent but are still working out the contract stuff so nothing is set in stone yet).
"One boy, one girl..." Ah Colin Ray. Remember when we saw him in concert?
I LOVED your post. What an amazing sister we have in Kelsey.
Aww. I feel lame that I haven't seen this sooner. Sorry that I kind of suck. But I was very touched. :) Our cross-country trip was very enjoyable ("You're a double!"). And I can't believe I'm getting married sometimes either. I remember drawing pictures of you at your apartment in Provo. :)
Post a Comment