April 20, 2016

I flew back to the States on Sunday before starting my new job on Monday.  Prior to accepting the job offer, I requested that I had certain dates off just so I could make it to my good friend, Anna’s wedding.  Super jet lagged and barely caught up on sleep, I flew out again on Wednesday night to North Carolina.

Anna, was probably one of my first friends when I was working at Urban Outfitters.  I’m grateful to have a friendship that developed where we didn’t need much contact but still felt super close with each other.  Her wedding reminded me of all the memories we shared with each other and that the depth of our friendship remained the same.

What struck me most about Anna and Jeremy’s wedding was their love for one another, openness in connecting with everyone at the wedding, and Brian’s, Jeremy’s best man and brother, speech:  “I’ve never seen my brother try so hard for anyone up until he met Anna.  He believes that if someone or something is not important, you won’t put in the effort, but when you find what’s important to you, you’ll chase whatever your dream is.”  #newkimontheblock

Caught in the Act

Shortly after I took this shot at the Duke Gardens, the two men looked up.  The man on the left jokingly asked me if I just took a photograph of him because he was good looking.  I smiled and replied that it was hard for me to not capture this moment for them because they looked like they were having a great conversation.  The man on the left shared with me that he is 90 years old.  I replied that he does not look his age.  He replied that is part of the transformation when you live.  He then went on to say this:  thank you for sharing this moment with me.

A part of the Duke Gardens consisted of bright, purple tulips.  I was ecstatic because these were one of my favorite types of flowers.  The flowers reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting:  Irises.

I was super excited when Anna and Jeremy extended the invitation for me to attend their rehearsal dinner.  It meant a lot to me.

I was not sure how I was going to feel, but when I saw Anna and her father dancing together, I was filled with happiness and gratitude.  Instead of thinking that I could never experience that with my father, I thought about how lucky it was for people like Anna to still be able to experience moments like this with their father.  Anna was filled with emotions and was in tears when she was dancing with her father.  I sat watching and was so happy for her.

Reflections

Anna and Jeremy’s Wedding was one of my favorite weddings that I’ve ever attended.  It might’ve been that I was not actively involved and was merely a guest.  However, I think the reason I had so much fun was because Anna and Jeremy both are very genuine people.  They planned the whole day as if they were having a very intimate dinner with the people closest to them in their lives.  I think that’s what made me feel so welcomed and appreciated.  One of the things Jeremy mentioned, granted I only met him in person a couple days before the wedding, that he was thankful for all the guests, especially the ones that traveled all the way from California just to attend this wedding.  I laughed when he shared this with everyone.

Where have I traveled in the United States?

United States