ashley & bucky’s wedding // sayulita, mexico
Actually, the photos that I’m about to share are way less about Ashley & Bucky’s wedding, and way more about the nuts time that I spent with the guys before the wedding. I probably should’ve just named this blog post “just one of the guys” or something… because that’s what I was. Just one of the guys.
The actual wedding photos are just beautiful, I swear! This was one of the weddings that I got to shoot with my girl Jillian Mitchell, on a trip that was so special to me as it was one of the rare times that my family got to come along with me. Since then, I’ve come to adore Ashley & Bucky through social media & also through some hilarious texts & phone calls that happen every so often (you’re adorable when you sleep, Ashley!)… makes me feel so thankful that I have a friend whom I love, who shares her love of photography with me & every once in a awhile introduces me to people who I end up loving too. Like a giant love fest! I’m sitting here writing this, and it is dark & cold outside and I’m all bundled up in thermal underwear, a sweater & thick socks… and I’m just loving immersing myself in the warmth of Mexico, even if it’s just a memory. And I just realized that it’s been over a year since I’ve been to this place that I love so much! How is that possible? There was a time that I was lucky enough to be down there four times in one year, which made Mexico feel like a lover of mine…. have you become an ex-lover to me, Mexico?! Please, say it isn’t true!
I knew that I would be blogging today, but I just happened to finish up a long phone conversation with my friend Matt, who I haven’t seen since our most epic roadtrip through the Olympic Peninsula… and so I’m feeling extra internal right now. Most of what we talked about was the family as well as what he’s been up to, but a chunk of what we talked about is the idea of being “open.” Open to all the possibilities that life has to offer. This may sound so obvious, but a great many good things have happened in my life because my heart & my mind were wide open to whatever may happen, good or bad. Open to love, open to life, open to adventure, open to happiness. Just open. The reason this came up, is because this morning I was writing about living a life of positivity, and as I was thinking about my life story & all the strange & wonderful things that have happened, the resounding message to myself that I kept hearing was “Openness.” Over & over again, no matter if I was thinking about life lessons, positivity, my dreams; everything led back to the notion of opening oneself up to all the possibilities. Matt spoke of recently meeting someone on the road & the incredible lessons he learned from that chance meeting, and let’s not forget that some of my most treasured friendships are from meeting people on the road or on the street, just like how I met Matt… I live a life where I am completely open to the thought that every person I meet is a potential best friend, and from that openness I have indeed gained many best friends. And right now for Matt and also for us, life is opening itself up to us in ways that are both beautiful & scary, but completely what we’ve been asking for.
If your heart was a house, and you wanted life & love & adventure to live in that house, how could you let them in if you left all the doors closed?!
Open those doors… open your heart, and be open to the amazing things that will fill it.
So I apologize if this has gone off on some weird tangent… I have so much on my mind, and so many good things that I’d love to share. But for now, I will wish upon these photos of Mexico, and be open to the fact that I will once again be in its warm embrace, sometime very soon.