540 Miles

No, that’s not a count of the miles I’ve run this year or the distance to some exotic vacation spot we’ve found.  540 miles just happens to be the number of miles we put on our car this weekend. . . most of this in one day.

What were we doing?  I’m so glad you asked. 

Our travels began on Saturday. . . the day we covered all but a few of these miles.  The five of us woke early in the morning and were settled in the car before 9 a.m.  I don’t know about you, but I love planning adventures.  As the details come together and plans are set in stone I get a rush of excitement and enthusiastically talk the event up in my mind.  As the day approaches, though, the real Summer begins to emerge.  The introverted and slightly antisocial Summer.  That Summer? Well, she taunts me. . . what were you thinking?  Do you really want to do this? This is completely outside your comfort zone.  There’s no need to stretch yourself.  You’re comfortable.  Stay in the box.  

The voices were loud and while I was tempted to listen to them, I didn’t.  The five of us were headed just over the state line to gather with other bloggers, most of whom, I have never met.  Bloggers who I have communicated with through the comment section of Blogger, or emails, or even texts. . . but in person?!  That is so not me.  Despite the taunting voices we stuck with our plans (thankfully, Chad was driving or I might have completely backed out of this day.) and headed to meet these “strangers”. 

I must admit. . . I’m so thankful that I didn’t listen to those voices and I wasn’t driving the car, because I was thrilled to meet Sassy Times, Wrestling Kitties, and to see my old friend Two Pretzels and others in person.  It’s crazy when you merge the lines of online/real life friends.  It’s like you know each other, but you don’t?  It was such a pleasure to see these ladies and their lovely families and to expand my world wider than it had been the day before.

And you want to know something?  You might want to sit down for this.

Sitting?  Okay, here it is. . .

I did not take one picture at our little gathering.  Crazy, right? 

After a couple of hours our family of five had to load back into the car and make our way to our next destination.  Since I was stretching myself, why not take it even further. . .

Next we drove to Toledo where I was to take pictures of the kids of the sister of one of my sisters friends.  Did you get that? 

Once again, Saturday brought me right smack in the middle of a new situation that, quite honestly, intimidates me.  I’m comfortable taking pictures of my kids.  There is no pressure and no expectation.  I have fallen in love with the process of capturing our life and truly, it comes easy to me.  Strangers. . . I’m not so sure I can do that.

Our family arrived at a park where we were to meet this family.  I wondered if they could heard my heart pounding as they approached. . .  Look professional, Summer.  Be calm.  You can do this. . . I attempted a pep talk. 

When I laid eyes on these two little boys, Oliver and Liam, I was immediately calmed.  They were sweet, adorable and easy going.  Apparently, they had been unsuccessful with studio photos. . . the boys just weren’t digging it.  Mom hoped that outdoor might be different. . . we have no expectations, she told me.  My plan was simple. . . let the boys be boys and shoot. . .

This is what I have learned about myself and pictures. . . I’m not real good asking for smiles or calling out say cheese.  I’d much rather capture the moments as they are happening.  And that is all I did.  I followed these little guys around as they explored the park and snapped away. 

I must admit. . . it was quite fun.  I was even lucky enough to capture a few moments with Mom and Dad. . .

I’m still wading my way through this photography thing.  I’m learning (slowly) as I go,and there is so much I still have to learn. . . but there is something about it that keeps me coming back.  Again and again I come back hoping that seeing the pictures might bring smiles to faces. 

(I’m continuing to work on my watermark. . . bear with me, okay?  SummerK Snapshots is the latest. . what do you think?)

After spending a couple of hours with this lovely family we were ready to load back into the car. Charlie, Chanelle, and Meadow were quite the troopers. . . as was Chad.  I had drug them along for a long day.  How might we best reward them?  The answer came quickly. . . we were only an hour from my Dad. . . how about extending our road trip?

In a bit under an hour we arrived at my Dad’s boat and after all the “out of comfort zone” experiences of the day. . . it was nice to be somewhere      comfortable. . .

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen Meadow so chill.  She smiled, laughed, sat solo, and didn’t fuss a bit while we were there.  I think we have a boater on our hands.  We sat with my Dad for several hours and talked, had dinner, and chilled out after a crazy day.  Chanelle was gifted with bling from the boater next door and she wore it proudly. . .

Of course what big sis does, little sis must do, as well. . .

There could not have been a more perfect way to stretch our miles than a cozy visit with my Dad.  It was just the right mix of unfamiliar and familiar to make the day feel perfectly balanced.

As we drove away I picked up my phone and sent a text. . .

. . . My heart is so full. . . Thank you, Dad!

And that is exactly how I felt. 

As we drove through the darkness, the car became more and more quiet as three tired little ones finally succumbed to sleep.  While the miles ticked higher and higher I thought about how much life has changed.  How the old me never would have been open to meeting strangers across the state on a Saturday afternoon.  I thought about how sometime you think your life is going to look a certain way and then you are in a park taking pictures of strangers and all the while you are wondering how did I get here?  And as the miles ticked up I realized that what life has become is so much more and so much fuller than I ever thought it could have been.   And even though I am prone to want to plan it all out and make it all look perfect, I realize that the beauty lies in the discovery of the path. . .one step at a time. . .

If you hold on to the handle, she said, it’s easier to maintain the illusion of control.  But it’s more fun if you just let the wind carry you. –Story People