My Midwest Nostaligia ... and tractors!!

I apologize in advance for how long winded this may be but it's been quite a 48 hours and I'm feeling a need to give props . . . (above pic: for those of you west of Ovid... my childhood driveway)

So, I'm not sure if I'm feeling overly nostalgic, emotional . . or just extremely sleep deprived (probably a mix) . . . but this past weekend truly made me feel blessed for the rainbow of people who have and are continuing to show up in my life. Not only am I continuing to meet amazing people with every event I shoot but I continue to have amazing people support me along the way, whether they came along my journey at the age of 10, 18, 25, or 30... this weekend I felt them all...

I came to fall in love with my friends from back home all over again.. be them from grade school, high school, or college... seeing these people I hadn't seen in over ten years.. and bonding as if no time had passed... I saw how we have all changed, and grown . . yet when it comes down to the root of it all... we are all the same and will no matter what have roots in each others lives... I have no doubt that no matter how much time passes, how many miles separate us, we will all be there for each other (this wedding showed me that). The strength of the small communities born in the Midwest is indescribable and have helped me become the person I am today.

It all started at Brownies Diner outside Detroit at 5am where one of my best friends from college drove 40 minutes to meet me (at 5am on a Saturday . . . wow, she must still like me) ..if you are looking for Flo from the 80's TV show Alice I found her...

Then the wedding . . . me as a bridesmaid at a childhood friend's wedding. . . a perfect mix of elegance with a hometown family community bbq . . . and hunting?!?!? (didn't think it was possible) . . . but somehow Jamie pulled it off... she and her parents drove up on the back of a tractor to cross the covered bridge her grandfather had built for her grandmother to begin the ceremony (that's where the tears started flowing) . . . then after that all 500 guests reconvened at the Oakley tractor club (yes... tractors) where the pavilion was beautifully decorated with gold silks, cat tales, wheat stalks, pine cones and . . . animal calls..duck, deer... you name it... oh and how could I forget the camo vests and flip flops... I loved it!!!

It's amazing how when you are away from home for so long the everyday things you saw growing up can all of a sudden become so unique (like barrels of hay . . don't laugh . . it's true)... I shot this pic because I thought "oh, how cool, look at all the hay rolled up in the corn fields".. my high school buddies couldn't hold back their laughter and just rolled their eyes... somethings never change "You never did know much about farming . . . you don't usually see HAY in CORN fields..."

After Saturday night's late night (early morning) catch up session at the "Little Bar" with High School friends... I was up and on my way to the airport... but not before two more stops to visit one of my best friends from childhood and her adorable little ones and then on to lunch with my "second parents" who have been there for me beyond explanation.

AND THEN . . .you would think it would end there. . .but nope... once I landed at LAX, I happened to get a hold of two friends from college... and we met up for an awesome dinner filled with laughter and sushi before heading back to SB and finally passing out from exhaustion...


One last thought . . . and this may be cheesy but it's true, the night before I left for this weekend; Sweet Home Alabama was on TV ... and there was a line I haven't been able to get out of my head... "You can have roots and wings too", that's exactly how I feel...

May you all rediscover and appreciate the roots that have made you who you are and continue to grow wings along your way...

Love,
A

(Please excuse the photos ... I didn't bring my camera, only the little point and shoot that wasn't working but I hope you all get the idea)