I’ve never really felt I’ve truly belonged anywhere. But last fall I visited Anchorage, Alaska, and that all changed.
Fast forward a few months and a friend from college told me that she also was feeling led to move to Anchorage. From there our hopes blossomed into a a few months of consideration and possibilities. Today, I am gleefully postinIg from beside my travel companion and roommate, in our new hometown in Alaska.
Though I will continually travel and work in the lower 48, but for now, I am so happy to call this wonderful place my home base.
So many people have said things to me in the past two years like, ‘when are you going to settle down?’ ‘I thought you were going to move to New York City after graduation.’ ‘Did you get cold feet?’ ‘Are you ever going to get married?’ ‘You can’t live life on the road forever.’ ‘Why in the world are you going to Alaska?’ And ‘Be realistic.’
Though they’re valid questions, they go against every grain of my being. Settling down seems so boring to me! And changing your mind is okay. I mean, that’s what college is for, to help you learn who you want to be. We are all made differently, and just because I don’t want to live as I am expected, doesn’t mean I’m being unrealistic. I’d love to get married, but it’s definitely not the first thing on my mind. I gotta find a guy to keep up with me first 😉 I’m being who I was designed to be.. and I sooooo encourage everyone to live the life they are designed for. It’s okay if you are happy where you are. But it is also okay if you want to make a drastic change. And it’s okay if it’s scary! That’s what makes it exciting.
Below are photos of the road trip up to Alaska, and my photo shoot in Glacier National Park for Pendleton Woolen Mills. I am so thankful for such wonderful people in my life who humor my wishes for photos: those whole travel vast distances in tiny planes, whip their hair around while balancing at the edge of a canyon, and volunteer their awesome skills (like flying a private plane to Glacier park for me). I can’t wait to begin sharing the beauty of my new home with you all!
