By the way, this is Christian. We live in Washington now, so we made a pilgrimage down south to visit our family during the month of November and, long story short, it wasn’t an easy trip and things just didn’t go right.

It sort of fell apart right after we finalized our plans, and I wasn’t hopeful about making the long trip away from home (to the city) because we really love the seclusion and quiet of our new place. The thought of just being in the city was enough to make me want to stay home, but how else would we see everyone if we didn’t go? So we went. But I stayed home the first week to take care of some chores. And then returned home a week early.

Considering all the issues, the real reason I went to Texas was because Myesha was there, yet I’m happy we made the trip. Side note: she would never ask me to do something foolish, which is good because I’d do anything for her. After my forty (something) years of stubbornness, forcibly being open-minded is the only reason we connected, and I’m thankful everyday that we did. I have an old habit of being closed-minded, and without her it would probably drive me to live like a hermit.

Crawling all over enchanted rock at 7am-ish was the highlight of the month. We had driven all the way out there the day before and were disappointed by the huge line and the closing of the park due to the crowds, but it worked out because our time there the next morning was perfect since hardly anyone was around. Seemed like fate.

Speaking of fate, that’s something I’ve thought about for years. When she and I met I had basically given up on finding anyone significant, and so at the time I was prepared to live in the woods (or something) for the rest of my life, alone. I mean, that’s my nature anyway.

So when the four of us were out walking around the ranch and finding deer tracks and old broken bones, I walked away from the group and took pictures of things I found. Alone. Without outside forces my life’s momentum would pull me away from everyone; at this point the only counter-balance is my family, basically they are the only two beings who make me want to be social.

That day at the ranch was a little chilly, if I remember right. The sky had been grey all day, until the Sun peeked out of the clouds for the last twenty minutes before it set. Lucky thing I had a camera.

My life is so much richer now that the three of us are together. We have done things that I would have never done alone, and now our family purpose drives me to continue deviating from the track I was on. And thank god for that.

For instance… since we’ve been together I’ve met new people that I love, and I’ve followed curiosities that before I neglected indefinitely. I have grown more in the last five years than the previous twenty.

If you know me (or if you’ve read this blog) you know I’m an engineer by trade. I never considered myself artistic until Myesha and I met, and that’s mostly because I was too closed-minded and a bit lazy to pursue being creative outside of day job. She helped me see what was probably obvious (but not to me). Knowing her has helped me take myself more seriously (and less), helped me find beauty in things I used to ignore.

The progression since we met has been unpredictable. I’m still a hermit at heart, but so is she. But not as much as me, so it helps that she is in my life to help guide me. And the boy, he’s another story altogether, neither of us understand where he gets his charisma. With his innocence and his laughter, he probably helps the two of us more than we help each other.

I’ve met some of my best friends through her; our trip to Fredericksburg was with them. We are both thankful they look beyond our awkwardness and sometimes antisocial attitudes to see us for who we are. They didn’t even seem to mind that I broke away from them at the ranch to go find something on my own, or that I kinda wasn’t enjoying myself in town except for being with them.

Catching a glimpse of the sunset was purely dumb luck, we just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Because of the earlier weather I was totally unprepared to shoot a sunset, but I did something with it anyway. Not the best images (which is why they are here) but I’m happy with the reminders.

Then again, I don’t believe in luck because it implies we don’t have control. A series of events led us to that moment and I wasn’t ready, but I was thankful to be there and see the light when it broke from behind the clouds. One of many recent metaphors.

These images are just a collection of things I saw that weekend. I used to think that to make meaningful images they had to be acutely profound, as if the commonplace aesthetic wasn’t enough to be interesting, and that kept me from even picking up a camera for a long time. But it’s really a lot simpler than that - when you realize every moment everywhere is unique, it becomes easier to appreciate what’s in front of you. That seems like such a simple concept, but I didn’t truly understand until I met her. Stubborn.

I would have never taken these picture five years ago because I didn’t understand. They remind me the trip to Texas was worth all the effort — I’m glad we were there to see everyone and everything, but I was also happy to come home.