Where the hell have you been loca?

Washington... you are stunning.

Believe it or not, this was my first solo trip I’ve ever taken and it was the most amazing weekend. I learned so much about myself, my wants and what I need to get where I want to be, I met some amazing people both on the plane there and back, by the time I made it home I was questioning a lot of my beliefs and habits. I highly recommend everyone take a solo trip. It is so eye opening and the things you learn, you’d never realize before.

When I first landed, it was past midnight. I got a cheap hotel just for the night right next to the airport. When I arrived I was very skeptical of my room and the whole place (I listen to too many true crime podcasts…) my room was at the end of the hall tucked into a corner, my door a different color than the rest. When I got inside not only was the window broken and letting all the night air in but the heater and thermostat were broken. It was about 30 degrees or less in my just room all night, the hall was warmer than my room. I hate to be a burden so when I called the front desk about it I only asked for another blanket, the front desk girls were very nice and welcoming and I was only going to be there for a few hours so I didn’t want to bother them changing rooms. I got the extra blanket and took a hot shower, when I got out I realized the only thing I forgot to pack was my hairbrush… I’m terrible and door dashed a hairbrush at 2AM. So my hair was wet, I was freezing in my hotel room and had my biggest sweatshirt on with all 2 of my blankets. My hairbrush came surprisingly and I finally went to bed around 3AM, I kept all my blankets up over my head to warm my face from the cold air coming in. Note, it was only 20 degrees outside. BUT even with all of that, I wasn’t even upset. Nothing could bring me down this weekend.

Next morning, I woke up around 8AM to go pick up my rental and explore a little bit. I got up, got ready and called a taxi to pick me up to take me to my car rental place in downtown Seattle. When I got to my car rental place I was still in the best mood and ready for my adventures ahead. I got in line, 4 people in front of me. Everyone was in a bad mood and getting mad at the workers who weren’t doing anything wrong. It hurt me. I couldn’t believe how the guy in front of me was acting to the workers, he was another photographer and I understand being stressed and irritated from traveling but the things this guy was saying and acting was just uncalled for. Finally he got his car and it was my turn. I went up there with the biggest smile and I was so excited to get my rental car, I asked about their day, we made jokes and they checked me out so quickly (minus the interruption of the guy before me coming back and demanding a new car). All goes to show that being nice even if you are in a bad mood, It can go a long way and help you in the end. When I got in my car the smell of weed and cigarettes overwhelmed me but instead of making a big deal I decided I would just go buy some air fresheners and call it good. I understand some people couldn’t handle that and that’s okay, all I’m saying is even if you can’t there are a lot of ways to let workers know nicely you need a new vehicle. But it’s Washington, it didn’t bother me much so I just let the workers know about the smell so I wouldn’t be charged and I was on my way to explore!

I drove straight to Pike Place Market, parked and walked around for a bit. I stopped at this awesome alternative coffee shop and got the most amazing cup of coffee. I went to the market and walked around looking at all the different shops and artwork. Went to the gum wall, the spheres which were sadly closed then made my way to another coffee shop where I got another coffee and a sandwich. I love getting the same coffee at different places and seeing how different they taste, which was still amazing. When I walked back to my car it was 11AM, I had an amazing session with a videographer at 1pm about an hour away and decided to head there a little early to explore the forest area, good thing too because I got lost and was not early at all. I worked with @karliannefilms to make the most amazing branding video for my photography I can’t wait to share! After that it was off on a three hour drive towards the coast to get ready for my busy day Saturday with the most amazing and wonderful people. When I got to the coast I was welcomed by the best host at the most stunning house I’ve seen. We talked, ate pizza, drank some wine, watched a little bit of twilight and called it a night. It was perfect.

Saturday, I woke up at 8AM and got ready for another three hour drive to my shoot location, stopped at Starbucks for my usual coffee and sandwich then I was on my way. I drove a lot this weekend and I wasn’t even mad about it one bit because every road, every turn, every mile was just beautiful.

I arrived to our shooting location and was BLOWN away by the scenery, I cannot put into words the beauty of this place. Started with some pre shoot mimosas with Leena + Lane then headed off to the dock for some gorgeous gorgeous photos. After some stunning lake photos we made our way to the forest across the road. Now, I’ve worked with Leena and Lane for a few years now, they are some of my favorite people. Lyndsey + Dean and Leena + Lane are all best friends and I look up to all of them so very much. The love they have for each other is so beautiful and pure. Their love is the type of love everyone strives for, the type of love that makes you believe in never settling for less than what you deserve, the type of love that you think only exists in movies and books. I have built an amazing friendship with Leena + Lane and Lyndsey + Dean. I am so grateful for photography and the people I’ve met and the relationships I’ve made. I am just in love with all of their love, the most adorable, in love couples you’ll ever meet. ANYWAY my point, when I first arrived to Leena and Lanes cabin for mimosas to head to our shoot Leena mentioned one location we would be taking photos at… Leena trusted me with one of her most cherished places. When she told me she wanted to take photos at this place I was so extremely excited and grateful she trusted me this much to take me to this place where she felt this emotional connection, this bond, this feeling I can only hope one day I can feel and experience in my life. It was the most beautiful experience, it almost brought me to tears.

Now this place you are wondering about, Leena has given me permission to tell her story but In fear I will leave something out or tell it wrong I will keep it short and sweet with what I know. When Leena was a little girl the school she went to as a kid would take all the kids to Olympic National Park. They would specifically take them to this one amazing, huge tree that stood alone off the trail and try to have all the kids link arms to see how many of them it would take to surround the big tree. To anyone else it was just a fun adventure, they saw a big tree and moved on but for Leena, she felt something I hope everyone can experience at least once in their life. She felt a deep emotional and beautiful connection with this big gorgeous tree. Since that day, Leena has always come back to her, it’s been 20 years and Leena has gone to her when she’s needed help, support, to vent, etc. It was so amazing to go with Leena not only to see her and how big and beautiful this tree is but to experience and witness that connection, that love, I honestly don’t have words for how touching this experience was and I can’t tell you how honored, grateful and special I felt and still feel that Leena trusted me with this, in these photos they aren’t just your normal photos in the forest. They are so emotional and beautiful and you can just FEEL the emotion. I can’t wait to share them.

After that Leena, Lane and I took the trail to walk back to the cabin and took some very cute photos along the way. When we made it back Lyndsey + Dean had arrived right on time and it was time for the most beautiful engagement session! Lyndsey + Dean brought their new rescue puppy to the session for the cutest family photos and engagements. We went back into the woods and found a cute stream off the path. When we headed back to the cabin Leena + Lane had set up the cutest backdrop for some cute fireplace photos! After those, everyone did a stunning outfit change for some dramatic, moody STUNNING photos by the lake. It was so incredibly perfect. Lyndsey + Dean are so incredibly gorgeous! This has to be my favorite engagement session yet. It included witchy vibes, smoke bombs, wine, and lanterns which resulted in happy screams of how stunning everyone looked PLUS THE FOG that generously rolled in during the sunset, then the light snow with the pine trees, lake and everyone. It was PERFECT. Not to mention Leena got INTO the lake while it was snowing for the most amazing witchy lake photos… when I tell you “lady of the lake” vibes…

After warming up, our day of photoshoots came to an end. Off to the Airbnb to relax for just a moment before we all met up for dinner again! When we arrived in town for dinner it was a lot busier than it probably should have been. Went to a bar and waited over an hour for a restaurant that never sat us, a little frustrated trying to find a new place to eat it all ended up working out for the best. We didn’t just find a restaurant to seat us immediately but it was the one and only Twilight restaurant in Port Angeles! We made friends with the coolest manager and server, I shamelessly didn’t get the mushroom ravioli BUT I got yummy chicken alfredo and we had some good wine. We were there for I don’t know how long but we ended up being the last ones in the restaurant and when they were closing ended up helping close by setting the tables, it was honestly a blast. After that we went down the street to a bookstore I THOUGHT was the bookstore from the movie, it wasn’t. But now I have some cute photos of me in the middle of the night in front of a cute bookstore in Port Angeles. It was so much fun, after that we said goodbyes and went our separate ways.

The next day I was off back to forks to explore. Drove about an hour to forks to go see the museum but when I got there it was sadly closed. Apparently they’re only open Fridays and Saturdays at noon for only a few hours. pft. I was bummed but it was okay, I went to a café down the street for some breakfast that was really yummy. Pro-tip though, if you’re travelling alone or just sitting down to eat alone, don’t leave your table. I ordered my coffee and my food, waited a while so they knew I was staying then got up to go to the bathroom really quick. By the time I came back out my coffee was gone and the table I was sitting at was set for the next person. The host was really nice and just got me another coffee and made sure my meal was coming. The café was very cute with walls and a ceiling like a greenhouse so when it started to snow/rain while I was eating it was so cool to watch. After that I went on my way to La Push beach which was about another 30 minute drive. I’m used to my SUV here in Utah that has AWD. My rental car was not that… on my way to La Push you take just one straight road to get there and it’s not very packed with peoples and cars, so it wasn’t plowed at all. While driving there, the worst of the storm hit and I was sliding everywhere, but I was determined to go to La Push. It was my only chance. When I got there the weather was like it had never even snowed, it was odd. It was a little windy so I didn’t stay long but it was such a pretty beach with little islands that you could walk too by a trail made out of what looked like sticks or tree branches. After that it was time to drive the three and a half hours back to Seattle for the night, so queue my jam session and lots of coffee.

After getting back to Seattle around 4:30pm I checked into my hotel which was definitely an upgrade from my first one, glad I decided to spend a little more my last night. I caught up on some things for photography on my phone while I waited for one of my best friends of nine years who lives in Eugene to get there. I haven’t seen her in a while so I was super excited to spend my last night there with her! We took my rental back then went to the cheesecake factory, went to a pretty fun bar, played pool and got back to the hotel around 2am. I slept a good 4ish hours before I had to be up and ready for my morning flight home. I took the shuttle back to the airport, got my Starbucks of course and was on my way home. When my flight boarded I was so curious to see who was going to sit next to me… but nobody really did. I had the window seat, the middle seat was empty and there was a woman in the aisle seat. I sat basic economy on this flight and first was supposed to sit in a middle seat a few rows ahead but was playing around with my delta app the night before and somehow was able to change my seat to the window seat I sat in. Now, they say you meet a lot of amazing people and have such amazing experiences traveling alone more than if you were traveling with someone and that is 110% true. I still wish I would have gotten this woman’s last name or something. I was not in the best mood flying home, I was stressed about certain things and just tried my best to just figure it out when I got back, I put my headphones on just to cancel out noise no music was even playing, I was wearing my huge twilight hoodie and put my hood on and went to sleep. When I got woken up by a flight attendant that we were landing, there was a little note under my elbow where I had my head down on the tray table. It was asking if I needed someone to talk to and if I was okay. I knew it was from the woman next to me as I saw her notebook before we took flight. I prefer not to go into specifics on this as its very personal and after this conversation it has made me question a lot of things I thought I knew. I did end up talking to this woman whose name was Jessica, she helped me in ways a lot of people would not help another. By the end of the conversation we were both crying and she quickly got off the plane before I could know more about her or try and help her with anything she needed as she mentioned she was having a hard time as well. I tried to run after her but lost her in the airport crowd. I was crying the whole walk to the pickup and I just could not believe what had just happened as well as I felt I should have done something to help her as well and questioning everything I knew. There was so much running through my head and being tired did not help. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and if I wasn’t alone, if someone had come with me that weekend none of the experiences I had would have happened. This woman, Jessica mentioned to me that she tried to change her seat multiple times and they wouldn’t let her which is just so odd how I was able to change mine to that specific seat and row that she was in. That whole interaction was a big coincidence and I will never forget that plane ride home.

I am so grateful for this whole weekend and everything it taught me and all the things I learned about myself and what I need in life. Honestly I believe everyone needs to go on a solo trip at least once in their lives because that whole experience was one of the best weekends of my life. Definitely will be doing more solo trips in the future. Not only did I get to live out my Twilight dream and got some cool merch, I got to see some amazing people in my life that I just adore, got some amazing photos and got to be myself and figure out more on who I am. Also, I CAN NOT WAIT to be back for Lynsey + Deans wedding next year! It’s going to be a BLAST! I just love them to death!

Now to go through over 5,000 beautiful photos <3 if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading! more posts to come and Washington photos coming soon <3