It started Saturday morning. My eyes shot open and I hopped out of bed with a sense of eagerness and excitement. It was my first wedding of the season and I was super excited…and scared to death all at the same time. I looked at the weather channel app on my iPhone to confirm what I was afraid I’d see – bright, sunny skies all day. Us Connecticut photographers? Well, we aren’t used to the bright shining, hot sun all day. We love the frequent softbox that the lovely clouds of New England offer. But, truth be told, I knew I had this one. I would find a way to not just make it work, but to make it rock.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I arrived at the home of the grooms parents, where the wedding would be held, took a brief walk around the grounds, and then got to work. The morning progressed as most wedding mornings do – you know, a bit of hair and makeup, a dress that all of a sudden is too big, lots of hustle and bustle, groomsmen tuxes that don’t fit perfectly – same ‘ole. Everyone was running around putting the finishing touches on the decorations outside, making sure the food was all set and ready to go, and occasionally stopping in to gasp in awe at the beauty of the gorgeous bride-to-be. We were running a bit behind time, but when she walked up behind him for their first look, all of a sudden time stood still.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I woke up the next morning on a complete high from the day before. It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding including a helicopter arrival and fireworks send off. It reminded me why I love what I do. I headed out with some friends to go kayaking (my first time!) and play beach volleyball in the hot Florida sun. I kayaked around little nooks and crannies and was enjoying every moment of soaking in God’s amazing creation…until I noticed a spider crawling on my leg. Holy.flipping.OMG.should.I.jump.or.should.I.stay.calm.or.should.I….AHHHHHH!!! I screamed bloody murder. You would have thought I had just seen Jesus Christ in person. Seriously. I screamed so loud and would have undoubtedly capsized my kayak except that I was holding my iPhone in my hand. Or that I knew there were gators in the water.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

We got home that night and after an awesome day in the sunshine I unexpectedly began feeling a bit under the weather. It was only a short amount of time before the porcelain throne and I became very well acquainted. As in, I was kneeling before that throne every 30-45 minutes for the next 12 hours. I didn’t sleep at all and by 6AM I was completely dehydrated and feeling lightheaded from vomiting to severely all night. As the morning progressed I found I was not the only one, but that some others had also had the same experience and we narrowed in down to food poisoning.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I got to the airport after my flight had been delayed for 2 hours. It was overbooked and people were upset. The plane was hot and stuffy as they packed us in like sardines and it was obvious that nerves were running high around me. As we taxied down towards the runway, the pilot turned on the engines. Still feeling under the weather, I was not paying much attention to what was going on around me. That is until someone started screaming “STOP THE PLANE!!!”, which caused an immediate chain reaction of most passengers flipping out. It was like a scene in a bad comedy. People screaming to stop the plane. A middle aged guy ran up to the cockpit and started banging on the door. A young mom, baby on hip, ran to the emergency door looking for a way to open it. This was all as we were in the middle of taking off. Like taking off, as in off the ground going up in the air. Why? Because of condensation. If you’ve ever taken off from a hot, humid place you know that sometimes when the AC turns on in the airplane, condensation comes out. The one man who started this insane chaos thought it was smoke. He thought the plane was on fire. So, naturally, everyone followed him. This really deserves a whole post in itself.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Due to the fact that almost all the passengers (except *ahem* me) were freaking out, they decided to land the plane as soon as we got up in the air. This started a chain reaction of protocols, paper signings, deplaning, rebooking flights, hotel vouchers, and a bunch of other stuff that I frankly did not care too much about because I just wanted to be home in my bed. At 2:47AM I arrived in Hartford, 6 hours after I was supposed to arrive.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

About the time we had to deplane in Orlando, my stomach began feeling rather uncomfortable. It progressed as the night went on and by the time I got to Hartford I was in such excruciating pain that I almost couldn’t walk. Adam brought me home, carried my stuff upstairs as I took each stair one at a time, breathing deeply between steps. I had never felt pain that severe and I was actually rather scared of what it could be. I knew he had to get home because he had to get up for work in just a few hours but instead he stayed. he rubbed my back and offered me Gatorade and saltines. That, my friends, is love. At 5AM.

And right then I realized that I am living the life I have always dreamed, of unparalleled adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.