A Look Back at 2016

This past year has been quite the whirlwind. Between work, school, photography, volunteering, dating, friends, travel, and politics, I pushed myself hard. While it’s been rewarding on many levels, it also came at a cost that caught up with me recently.

Driven by my desire to learn more about graphic design, film, website design and photography, I spent the first half of the year as a full-time student at Portland Community College (PCC) in addition to my full-time work load at ECONorthwest. I found the multimedia program fascinating and learned a lot of cool things while enrolled there including how to do more in Photoshop, shooting/editing film, how to create multimedia web-based programs, design elements, photography concepts, and more all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Meanwhile, at work, an employee’s leave of absence allowed me the opportunity to learn and take on a new role over the summer. Sadly, the demands of that role did not coincide well with my course load at PCC so I had to make the difficult decision to take a step back from the program after just two terms.

My parents in Bandon, Oregon

This summer I was surprised to learn that my parents could finally come visit me in Oregon. I planned an action packed, ten-day adventure that spanned three states. I was worried that I may wear them out with all the places I wanted to show them and things I wanted to do but I was surprised to see that they could keep up. I underestimated their energy level, perhaps I even discovered where I get my own energy from. I showed them the Oregon coast, three mountains, the Gorge, eastern Oregon and the California Redwoods not to mention all sorts of things in Portland. It has been a long-time fear that my parents may never see Oregon through my eyes. They had seen plenty of my photos but there is a huge difference between seeing something in a photo versus in-person. I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend that time with my parents this summer here in the Pacific Northwest, a place that is so special to me.

Once things calmed down at work this fall, I turned my focus back to photography. I started volunteering at two organizations: Newspace Center for Photography and Blue Sky Gallery. At Newspace I cover the front desk each Saturday and help answer phones, check out equipment, take payments, and process class registrations. A group of volunteers there gathers once a month to do a photo critique and I have found that eye-opening and insightful. Through connections at Newspace, I learned of the Portland Photographers Forum and became a member there as well. We meet once a month, share prints and listen to a different speaker each time we meet. 

Cole with the prints for the
ShelterCare art auction

One Sunday per month, I do a gallery sitting shift at Blue Sky Gallery. There I answer the phone, greet visitors, answer questions about the exhibits, and process membership, book, and art sale payments. I’ve also returned to my Meetup.com roots and now host a photographers networking group at the Blue Sky Gallery once per month and am happy to report that the group seems to be well received and growing. I think it will be hugely helpful for connecting with other local photographers in Portland. In addition to these two endeavors, I also find myself attending many of their artist talks at the gallery which have been quite eye opening as well.

Earlier this year I was introduced to the Photography Council Brown Bag series at the Portland Art Museum. Each month, a new photographer is brought in to present a body of their work. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of the photographer’s presentations so it seemed a no-brainer to become a member of that group as well. I’m looking forward to doing more with that group in the New Year. So far, I’m rather impressed with all they are doing.

My photography endeavors had some pretty cool moments this year as well. I received wonderful feedback from an accomplished photographer/instructor at Portland Community College which was hugely encouraging. Two of my prints were accepted into an art auction for ShelterCare to benefit homelessness prevention programs in Lane County. Through my membership in the Portland Photographers Forum, I was able to show three prints at the Cedar Hills Recreation Center for almost two months. I won an honorable mention for my entry in the Wallowa Country Photo Contest. I was privileged to have the opportunity to do my first engagement photo shoot this spring. I was invited to jury my work for consideration to join the Portland Artisan's Co-op. 

This year I moved twice, first from my home of almost two years near Union Station to a shared house in St. Johns. I quickly learned that I am not cut out for roommate living nor long commutes to and from work so I recently moved back downtown, this time right across the street from my work. The two-minute walk to work is my favorite part. It allows me to walk Cole pretty much whenever I need to with ease. It also makes getting to all my volunteer and photography meetings rather painless. The easier commutes have greatly helped me manage my stress level better.

Cottonwood Canyon State Park

What would another year in Oregon be without spending time in the beautiful outdoors? Despite my schooling and heavy work load, I was still able to squeeze in some visits to state parks, wildlife refuges, beaches, viewpoints, mountain lakes, waterfalls, and even snuck in two camping trips. I would have liked to do a lot more and feel some regret that I did not get to explore all the places I had intended this year.  

2016 has been a lot of things: stressful, busy, difficult, fun, emotional, and rewarding. I learned a lot this year in many ways. Perhaps most important, I learned that I need to prioritize my well-being. In the New Year, I want to keep things simple. First, I want to focus my energy on continuing to advance my name in the photography world and improving my craft. Second, I want to spend significantly more time exploring the Pacific Northwest and beyond with Cole by my side. I will continue to surround myself with people I look up to and who I can learn from, who inspire me to be a better person. I hope I’ll be able to be that same kind of person to others I meet as well.

I’ll be ringing in the New Year with a gathering of friends at my new apartment. I wish all of you the best in the coming year and look forward to sharing my adventures with you. I hope you’ll continue to follow along.

Prints Available

www.KristinRoosmalenPhotography.Zenfolio.com 

Wisconsin, Portland Snow Storms, and Yet Another Move

It had been two years since I had been home to Wisconsin for a visit with friends and family so I decided it was time to make a pilgrimage to America's Dairyland the first week of December, before it got too cold and snowy. Getting ready to head out for a ten-day vacation was a bit more stressful than imagined but after wrapping up things at work, packing, and dropping Cole off with friends, I soon found myself being shuttled off to the airport by a dear friend. After a very quick layover in Salt Lake City, Utah, I safely landed in Madison, Wisconsin where the air temperature was a chilly thirty-four degrees, a significant difference from Portland at the time. Shortly after de-boarding the plane, I grabbed my luggage and quickly headed for the rental car pickup counter. In no time at all, I was on the road, headed to my favorite dive bar, Topp’s Hideaway in Windsor, to see my first round of friends and take in a traditional Midwest Friday night fish fry.

At Topp's Hideaway

 On Saturday morning, after crashing at a friend’s place in Windsor, I headed to the west side of Madison to treat myself to sushi at Takara, a place that just happens to have the best California Rolls I’ve found so far in all my travels. I had a little time to kill before my next meet up with friends, so I drove by my old apartment, the one I had been living in last before moving to Oregon, to see how it was doing. As much of the city, it appeared as not much had changed so I headed downtown to wander around the state capitol building and take some pictures. Unfortunately, my camera went on strike, apparently it did not appreciate the cold Wisconsin temperatures, so I had to make do with my iPhone. After exploring each level of the capitol building, I met up with a friend at a new microbrewery, Octopi Brewing, that had opened in Waunakee. After sampling a flight of beers, I was off again and headed to Middleton to see my favorite local jazz pianist at Louisiannes. After a dirty martini and a delicious appetizer sampler, I was off to meet up with some friends for dinner at Sa Bai Thong, my favorite Thai restaurant in Madison. It was fun catching up with everyone over the familiarly delicious food but before we knew it, we found the restaurant eerily quiet and it was soon clear they were closing down for the night. After saying farewell, a few of us girls headed over to a wine bar, Eno Vino, to keep the conversation going. A couple hours later, I found my eyes too heavy to continue with the festivities, so I headed over to my friend’s house to crash for the night.

Sunday morning snow

Sunday morning, I awoke to a winter wonderland of falling, fresh, white snow. I quickly took a shower and dressed in my Packers gear and headed out to make the one hour drive east to Delafield to meet up with my family for an early Christmas celebration. The drive was a bit nerve wracking at first, after all, it had been three years since I had to drive in snow but, I soon found it was like riding a bike and before I knew it, after grabbing some lunch at Culver’s, I had safely arrived at my parent’s house in one piece. The Packers game was in progress and my sister and her boyfriend had already arrived so it was easy to slip into the festivities; it almost felt as if I had never left. Throughout the night, we drank my dad’s famous brandy old-fashions, cheered on the Packers as they went on to win their game, exchanged presents, and ate a decadent dinner prepared fresh by my dad.

Packers Christmas with family

Monday morning, I said farewell to my sister and her boyfriend and once my parents were ready, we headed out to their local U.S. Cellular store to trade in their old flip phones and get them new iPhones. That process took a little longer than expected but once all the paperwork had been signed, contacts had been transferred, and accessories had been installed, we were off to lunch at Applebee’s next door to begin the training process. My parents had never used smart phones before let alone texting or Facebook. After a slight technical setback in the setup process, they were soon on their way to practicing texting, making phone calls, using FaceTime and so forth. I wish I had had more time to spend with them to get them better acquainted with their new phones but as in most of the trip, I was on a tight schedule and needed to say farewell and make the drive back to Madison to meet more friends for dinner and drinks. The night flew by and it was so good to see everyone and catch up with all the things that had been happening in my friend’s lives. Before I knew it, it was late, I was exhausted, and it was time to head to my cousin’s place to call it a night.

Dinner with friends at Bonefish

Since my cousin didn’t have to work on Tuesday, we had the entire day to hang out with each other. We ran a few of her errands before stopping at her favorite wing place, aptly named Chicken Lips, for lunch. We then grabbed a Bloody Mary at the Eagle Crest Tavern before heading north to see my sisters new house in Pardeeville. After getting the grand tour there and hanging out a bit, we drove to Topp’s Hideway (aka the best dive bar ever) to meet up with some more friends and watch my DJ friend host karaoke night. Before I knew it, it was time to take my cousin home. While at her place, I gathered up my things, and headed back to Topp’s to finish out my last night in Wisconsin, karaoke-style. After the bar closed, I got a room next door at the Super 8 hotel, and hung out a bit talking with a friend. In no time at all, it had gotten way too late and I had to say goodbye and get some rest.

A few hours later, with a bit of a headache, it was time to get up and get on the road. After checking out of the hotel, I stopped next door at the Mousehouse Cheesehaus to pick up some cheese curds for friends back home. Then I met up with some more friends for my last lunch in Wisconsin at Ha Long Bay. Again, it was great seeing everyone and catching up over delicious food. When the time came, I hugged everyone goodbye and headed to the airport to drop off my rental car and catch my flight back home.

Landing in Portland was a bit frightening, there were some strong winds that night that shook the plane around and even turned our stomachs a bit. Luckily our pilot could navigate through all that and we landed safely. My same friend who originally dropped me at the airport picked me up and took me to pick up Cole from my other friend’s place before taking me home. It was great reuniting with Cole, who expressed his excitement for my return by running around in circles, barking a high pitched, excited whimper, and essentially climbing me like a tree until he was in my arms and licking my face. It is my humble opinion that everyone should get to experience that kind of greeting at least once in their life, it’s a very special thing. After my friend dropped me and Cole at home, I unpacked, got in my pajamas and hit the sack.

Cole relaxing with me while I was sick

Thursday morning, I woke up with a cold. I wasn’t surprised, my trip had been a whirlwind six days of go-go-go, with lots of drinking and not a lot of sleep. I was relieved that it had held off until after I got home though so that I was fully able to enjoy my time in Wisconsin. I still had four more days of vacation time, originally slated for a road trip to Eastern Oregon, but since a snow storm was approaching and I was sick, I decided to stay home and simply focus on resting in the hopes that I would be feeling a lot better by Monday when I returned to work.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. Saturday and Sunday nights, I was unable to sleep and was experiencing mini-panic attacks every time I dozed off. I had the feeling that if I were to allow myself to sleep, for some reason, I would stop breathing. After 48 hours of not sleeping, I went to urgent care on Monday morning, desperate for their assistance. They gave me some medication for the anxiety, which also helped me sleep, did a chest x-ray to make sure I didn’t have pneumonia and monitored my heart and oxidization rates while I dozed to make sure I was getting enough oxygen and that my heart rate was ok when I slept. The medication did wonders and soon I was feeling a lot better. Since I couldn’t drive on the medication they gave me, a friend picked me up from urgent care and drove me home. Once home, I slept for eight hours, woke up to eat dinner, and then went back to sleep for another ten hours. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling so much better and went back to work to begin the long process of catching up on all that had built up while I was out of the office for eleven days.

By Wednesday though, we had more snow in the forecast. I had left early for an appointment that day. It was already snowing heavily (by Portland standards) when I left work for my appointment and by the time I was done with that, the traffic was almost at a standstill. It took two hours of slipping and sliding but I eventually made it home without any incidents (or accidents). A lot of other folks in the city were not that lucky. Many people slid off the road, into other cars, while others had to abandon their vehicles because they couldn’t get up hills. Unlike Wisconsin, Portland does not use salt on the roads. The whole city shut down and most folks enjoyed a snow day at home on Thursday and even some on Friday too since most schools were still closed at that time.

My new home

I had gotten word on Wednesday night that my application for an apartment I had looked at earlier that day on my lunch hour had been approved and that I needed to take possession of the unit by Friday in order to get the special concession they were offering. Having one day to prepare, I spent a good chunk of time on my snow day making arrangements to move to my new apartment. I managed to get everything in order including packing all my belonging before I left for work on Friday morning.

At 1:00pm on Friday, I signed my lease and by 7:00pm my helpers had arrived in St. Johns to load up my belongings and by 10:00pm, everything had been unloaded into my new apartment in downtown Portland. Shortly thereafter, a friend and I headed out for celebratory cocktails and food a few blocks away at Luc Lac. My new apartment is conveniently located just across the street from my work so my commute is now a two-minute walk instead of a 45 minute drive. It’s much easier to walk Cole whenever I need to and my stress level has significantly been lowered by the move. I’m excited to start cooking at home again and can’t wait to host my first party on New Year’s Eve. It’s amazing how much can happen in such a short period of time. 

NEW PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE

www.KristinRoosmalenPhotography.Zenfolio.com 

Election Meltdowns, Road Trips and Photography Goodness

The past couple of months have been busy, emotional, difficult, motivating and inspiring. Let's get the difficult part out of the way first. The election results were extremely difficult for me to process. I, like many folks I know, were shocked with the outcome. I had a really strong and emotional response -- it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before so needless to say, I was ill prepared on how to process the reaction. I think this comic sums it up pretty well.

I knew I couldn't hide under the covers forever so I took a day trip with Cole to the coast to clear my head and regain my composure. After I failed to find my intended trailhead for the God's Thumb hike, which has been on my "must hike list" forever, Cole and I ended up at Roads End State Recreation Site in Lincoln City and spent the day walking the beach, taking photos and chatting with a few people we ran into along the way -- mostly though we were alone and that is exactly what I needed. During my walk, I came across a heart-shaped rock which seemed like just the sign I needed amidst my sadness, fear, anger, disappointment, and frustration. When I got back home that night, I did a lot more reading about logical things I could do in light of this new incoming administration. I decided to increase my monthly charitable giving so I could add in some new organizations that I feel will be more important now than ever to support. I also decided to get more involved in local politics here in Portland in hopes to be more informed about the issues locally and nationally and can take action if and when needed. I'm looking forward to attending my first Civic Drinks event at Portland City Club in just a few weeks. If you're in the area, maybe I'll see you there?  

Found at Roads End State Recreation Site

On the upside, I have been lucky to attend some especially great lectures these past couple of months at Blue Sky Gallery, the Portland Art Museum, and the Multnomah Arts Center. Rich Rollins' presentation at Blue Sky Gallery was a breath of fresh air to how photography can be approached, what it can mean and how it can be shared with others. The stars aligned the other month when I reached out to the gallery to become a volunteer. The gallery manager had been wanting to start a networking event for local photographers through Meetup.com but didn't have the time to get it off the ground. Lucky for her, I have a successful history of leading Meetup groups and am happy to report I organized and hosted the first Blue Sky Photography Explorers Meetup event at the gallery as well as began my monthly gallery sitting shifts there the other week. The networking event was a success: it was fun, a diverse group of photographers showed up, and it seemed to be well-received by all who attended. I'm looking forward to resuming our Meetups in the New Year, after everyone is finished with the holidays.

I've been regularly attending the Portland Art Museum Photography Council Brown Bag lunches since earlier this summer and was lucky to be present for Charlie Haughey's presentation in October. After Charlie was done showing his photographs taken during the Vietnam War and opened up the presentation for questions, we (the audience) all watched as a man from the audience stood up, announced which division of the the army he served during the Vietnam War, then held up a pencil and said "and I have a pencil here with your name on it". Charlie squinted from the stage to see who the man was and shortly thereafter, recognized the man, called him by name, obviously surprised, and then asked him to join him on stage. The audience erupted with applause as the two men reunited with a hug on stage. Charlie said they hadn't seen each other since the war (40+ years) and it was clear he had no idea the man would be there that day. Charlie shared with us the story of how they met in the army, how Charlie asked the man for a pencil, then erased his civilian job title from the documents that were completed during his intake that he was carrying. Charlie asked the man to write in "photographer" instead (so it wasn't in his own handwriting). When the time came in Vietnam to determine what role he would play in his unit, after a slight misrepresentation of his professional background to his commanding officer, Charlie was given the role of army photographer and hence, the wonderful images he shared with us that day. It was such a special moment to be witness to.

Who truly most inspired me so far at the brown bag series was November's presenter, Austin Granger. His choice of words, so poetic, give me hope that it is indeed possible to beautifully meld words and images into something spectacular -- just like what I hope to achieve with a project I've been working on the past few months, the Spaces Between Collection. You can listen to Austin's presentation here and above and I highly recommend you do. His words are like poetry and when combined with this images take the experience to a whole new level. I also purchased his book, Elegy From the Edge of a Continent, a selection of photographs from visits to Point Reyes spanning ten years as well as a collection of his essays. If you're looking for a great gift for a friend who enjoys photography, this would be perfect.

Cottonwood Canyon State Park

On Thanksgiving day, in light of last years misadventure, Cole and I decided to give the whole holiday road trip idea another try and drove to Cottonwood Canyon in eastern Oregon to do some hiking. If you've been following along my journey here for some time, you may remember that I attempted to hike this park last summer but sadly, due to a poorly timed pulled back muscle, I only got to experience the park for the time it took to setup a tent, make a sandwich and then tear down the tent once realizing that camping, let alone hiking, was not going to cooperate with my back. I'm happy to report that this years visit was successful though and Cole and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the canyon via a trail that runs between the John Day River and the edge of one of the canyon walls. The fall colors were spectacular and the desolation of the place was exactly the sort of thing I enjoy. That alone time to just be, to take in the sound of the wind and river and the smell of the grass. To imagine all the history that comprises the area -- a place that predates civilization. It was a wonderful reminder of exactly why we need to preserve places like these.

Lastly, some shameless self-promotion! I currently have three photographs on display in the Portland Photographers Forum Annual Show at the Cedar Hills Recreation Center. That show goes through December 3rd so if you're in the area, I highly recommend you check out all the great photographs on display and for sale there. While on the subject of items for sale, I also have 2017 calendars available for purchase. If you would like to order one, please shoot me an email. With the holidays just around the corner, I also have a lot of new prints available on my website, so please be sure to check those out, they make for wonderful gifts!

My photographs available for viewing & purchase
at the Cedar Hills Recreation Center

2017 Calendars $25/each

NEW PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE

www.KristinRoosmalenPhotography.Zenfolio.com

Next Chapter

A couple of friends and I decided to do a girls weekend camping trip on the Nehalem River in the Tillamook State Forest shortly before Labor Day. One friend got there early to hold our walk in, non-reservable camp site. The other friend arrived the next day and I arrived the following morning. Cole enjoyed running around the site, hanging by the fire and of course eating some camp food. My giant new tent definitely took up some serious real estate at our site but we managed to all squeeze in. It was nice; with how stressful the first half of this year has been, I needed to get away and just relax with my friends for a bit, even if for only one night.

I had been living downtown near Union Station since November of 2014. I liked my apartment and parts of my particular neighborhood. It was close to my job, the Saturday Market, the waterfront and the Pearl District. It was super easy to get just about anywhere in town because I was pretty much in the center of Portland. The rent was fairly reasonable for the area but still way more than I wanted to keep paying. I started looking on Craigslist for apartments and rooms for rent. I met with one couple in Hillsboro who had a room for rent in their house. They seemed nice enough but it quite didn't feel like the best fit. Then I met with a group of women in St. Johns who had a room for rent in their house and after three hours of conversation and two glasses of wine, it was clear the chemistry was right. So, I gave notice at The Yards at Union Station and began planning my move.

Hello, St. Johns!!!

Since I was going to be condensing my life into one bedroom at the new place, I decided to downsize and get rid of a lot of my furniture and belongings. I sold a lot of things on Craigslist and Offer Up and gave a lot of things away to my neighbor as well. Since I didn't have much to move after that, I decided to forego my usual hiring of movers and planned to move everything myself and with the help of a few friends. Instead of boxes, I used Instacart fabric grocery bags. Instead of a truck, I used my Toyota Corolla and made several trips back and forth as well as hiring a couple on Task Rabbit who got the majority of my personal belongs transported to the new place in one trip. For the bit of furniture I had left, a couple of friends came over with their pickup truck and made two trips. After cleaning up the old place, I took one last look around, turned in my keys and with my bike strapped to the rear end of my car, drove off to start a new chapter in my Pacific Northwest adventure.

After getting everything situated in my new place, I sat on my bed, took one deep breath, a quick look around, and said to myself, "Now what?" The move was rough and took a lot more work than anticipated. The thought of heading right back to work the very next day felt like more than I could bear.  Since it was Labor Day and most folks were headed back to Portland, I decided it was the perfect time to treat Cole and myself to a pampered night on the coast. I used some travel points and reserved the nicest room available at the Salishan Spa & Golf Resort. When Cole and I arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our room was super spacious, had a gas fireplace, balcony overlooking the bay, a jetted jacuzzi tub and super comfy King size bed. I ran into town and picked up some snacks and wine and proceeded to enjoy a night in by the fireplace, watching the sunset over the bay while some relaxing music from my iPod filled the room.

Cole enjoying being dried off on his birthday

The next morning was officially Cole's 8th birthday so I wanted to make it an extra special day for him. I ordered him his very own room service breakfast to enjoy in bed. We did lots of lounging in bed, listening to the gentle rain fall outside. We went for a walk in the rain and afterward, Cole enjoyed one of his favorite things: a towel rub down to get dry. He always makes the funniest noises while he rolls around in the towel, usually falling over at some point and then wiggling around until he gets his footing and starts the cycle all over again. After I enjoyed a much needed foot treatment at the spa, we took advantage of our late checkout by lounging just a little bit more before hitting the road, heading north along the coast, stopping at Cape Kiwanda to enjoy some beach time before heading back to Portland.

I recently started volunteering at Newspace Center for Photography, helping out at the front desk, answering phones, registering folks for classes and such. There is a group of volunteers who meet once a month to do a photography critique and I've been to one meeting so far. Every photographer there is super talented and I'm looking forward to getting to know each of them better. Through one of the staff people at Newspace, I learned of another group called the Portland Photographers Forum which, after checking out their website, seems like a really good fit for me. Soon, I'll officially be a member and will begin enjoying lectures, outings and opportunities to showcase, and possibly sell, my work. While on the subject of submitting work, I submitted some photography for the first time ever for consideration in a gallery exhibition whose black and white theme seemed like a good fit for what I've been most interested in lately. Unfortunately, my work was not selected but, as usual, it was a good learning experience. Soon, I will also begin volunteering at Blue Sky Gallery and already have an opportunity to help with closing down an exhibition to get it ready for the next one.

Last weekend I went hiking with a friend on Mt. Hood at Catalpa Lake. The weather was supposed to be clear but just our luck, the rain did not let up until we had already hiked to the lake and were on our way back to the truck. Cole didn't seem to mind the rain too much until we were in the truck on our way home where I imagine the lack of movement helped the cold set in.  He did enjoy being wrapped up in a blanket and cuddled most of the way back to Portland though.  Once home, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I could watch the Packers play and then not so pleasantly lose to the Vikings.

Reminiscing with the forest

This past weekend, with the weather beautifully sunny and warm, the same friend and I returned to Mt. Hood and explored some other areas, including one off-road spot near Bonney Meadows. After a mile or two in on the rocky, dirt "road", we turned back and decided to check out High Rock, where we ran into an older man in the area for a funeral who decided to check in on the forest that he once managed before heading back home to John Day. He told us he started working in forest management when he was 20 years old in 1967 and then pointed out toward the mountain and explained how some of the work was done in specific areas. It was fascinating to listen to him explain the work, it was obvious he had a strong respect for the trees and landscape of the Mt. Hood National Forest. He also explained how the industry changed over the years, especially in the 1990's, and admitted mistakes were made with the cutting of some areas of the forest. After parting ways with the man, we went to a nearby lake where the fish were jumping and the salamanders were swimming. After leaving the lake, we went to two different meadows where the afternoon light was perfect for photos. Once the sun receded behind the tree line, we began the drive back home.

It's been a busy couple of months with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. There are lots of things coming up and I look forward to sharing those experiences with you here soon.

To view more of my photography, please visit:

www.KristinRoosmalenPhotography.Zenfolio.com

Also, check out my newest and ongoing project: The Spaces Between

So Many Lives to Live

Ghosts of Lives Past and Future

For those of you who use Facebook, you may be familiar with their memories feature where each day, you can see what you posted on Facebook on that day one, two, three, and so forth years ago.  I think it's great! I love to look back at those memories, to see what I was doing, to know how I was feeling, and now knowing everything that has happened since that point in time.  In a way, it's kind of like having the ability to see the future.  I look at a picture or a status update and I know what will happen in the next day, week, and year after that point in time.  It's a strange feeling to be able to look back at one particular moment in your life, knowing that in that moment, you had no idea of what was to come next.

When I look at these moments in time, sometimes it's as if they are a completely different life,m. I'm overcome with the realization that so much has happened since that moment.  So many people have come into my life. Each significant interaction like a chapter in a book. How many lives do we live in our lifetime? I'm not sure if I believe in reincarnation, but if it exists, how many have we lived before?  How many will we live after this one ends?

To this affect, I love buying new-to-me used books. The books sometimes have items left in them like a business card, old receipt or piece of scratch paper. My mind wanders when I think about who read the book before me, what was happening in their life at that moment, how did the book impact their life, if at all?  These items seem to get to live many lives of their own. Kind of like the old Redwood trees that have stood for 300 years.  Imagine what they've seen? How many lives, both human and animal, storms, sunrises and sunsets have they been quiet observers of?  So much life has crossed their path.

Often I feel insignificant in time and in the world when I think about these things, knowing that my life is a small moment in history compared to the history of time and all of the things that have happened before me and will happen after me.  It's easy to feel like I have no impact on this world and perhaps I don't really need to.  Perhaps just being present in these moments of each passing day is all I need?  The pictures I take and the words I write are a small way to immortalize my moments here in time.

To view more of my photography, please visit:

www.KristinRoosmalenPhotography.Zenfolio.com

My newest and ongoing project: The Spaces Between