How cute is this family??? This is going to be a lot of random info that is probably TMI, but I promise I'm going to get to what these pics are and why ^^^ just stick with me ;)
Ever since my life went the opposite direction it was supposed to, ever since I went from having a small family of my own to living by myself, I've struggled with finding purpose in basically anything.
I turn 24 in the next few weeks, and it reminds me of my birthday last year when I blogged about what I hoped year 23 would be.
I never thought it would be the year I'd endure the biggest identity crisis.
I expected a lot of things, but not that.
Now that I've had to redefine my life, and how I want it to look, I've struggled to find meaning in day to day things.
Ever since I can remember, I've had at least one or two jobs at a time, and I've found each job to be rewarding for different reasons. But lately any sort of desk job makes me feel completely empty inside.
It turns out that emptiness, is a message in of itself.
While year 23 was the year I had my foundation swept from under me, it's turning out to be the year I'm slowly finding what really matters to me.
This year, I learned to listen to myself.
I learned to stop doing something because it sounds good to others, and find things that sound good to me.
I've learned not to excuse things that don't feel right, just because the majority says it's right.
It turns out that when you learn to listen to yourself, the self that was there before it was told to be anything else, it actually makes you more capable of helping other humans.
The ones who have forgotten how to listen to themselves, or their inner self is telling them things others don't want to hear.
Self love may be more selfless than we think.
So as I've listened to that "voice" we are all trying to be familiar with, I'm continuing to discover the things that make me feel alive.
The things that bring back feeling and purpose to my existence here as a 23 (almost 24) year old human.
The vision that keeps me going late into the night and into the early hours of the morning.
I've learned to follow those things, and not spend a second settling for anything less.
And I realize they all have one thing in common:
They allow me to take a step out of my world and into someone else's.
Service. Nannying. Photography. Videography. Writing.
It allows me to understand others and then create things that will improve their world.
And it turns out when you're looking for the opportunity to step into someone else's world, you'll always find it.
A few months ago Annie told me she wanted to do a service trip out of the country, and she didn't want to go alone.
I wasn't sure I could make it happen.
Then I realized, I can make anything happen.
So we pulled some strings and saved some pennies and now we're so close to getting there.
Annie found an opportunity in Bangkok, Thailand that we couldn't turn down. She'll be in an orphanage there, and i'll be at the Women's Empowerment center.
There is such a huge need for volunteers at the center there, as many of the teenagers and young women have left situations of abuse or neglect. A lot of them are single mom's with no place to go. We'll provide emotional support, English lessons, childcare, and pre/post partum care.
To raise money for it, I'm offering to take your pictures!
$25 for an hour.
I had 5 shoots last weekend and they were so much fun! Above are some pictures from the first one.
How perfect is baby Kennedy??????
She's even more stunning in person, trust me.
Guys, let's do a photo/video shoot.
I promise you'll love the result, and, in a round about way, so will the young women in Thailand.
It's a win-win.