clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . the beginning.

October 9, 2009


i-5 & beyond . the grapevine . iphone

So.

Here I am in the beginning, the beginning of all of it.

What is all of it exactly?

Well I’ll tell you. :)

If you didn’t already know, I recently partook in a soul searching, life changing roadtrip. I drove all up and down the west coast, all on my own. I had a lot of time to think, to look, and to see. Why did I take this roadtrip? Well, there were many reasons… reasons that I will be revealing as the sharing of this trip unravels.

Before I began the trip, I honestly didn’t fully know what to expect. I would be driving about 3000 miles over the course of two weeks, seeing various friends, new and old, as well as having a lot of alone time. I put all my expectations aside, really. One of the things that I’ve been trying to work on with myself is expectations for things – often I expect certain outcomes or emotions, or things to happen, and often I just get disappointed because my expectations don’t meet reality (if you’ve seen 500 Days of Summer, I loved the split screen scene with Expectations vs Reality – SO TRUE). So with this trip, all I told myself was that I would be here these days, see these people, and put aside all other expectations and agendas. My only agenda? To enjoy what came. :)

I started Sunday afternoon & jetted off to Berkeley, where one of my oldest and closest friends lived. I would spend a two nights there before heading off on the main stretch along the coast. I was nervous and excited before leaving, mostly because I knew that I would not be the same person I was when I return. I knew things would be different. The night before leaving, we were at a farewell bonfire for some friends who were moving to Chicago that week and in a small way, it almost felt like a private farewell bonfire for myself as well. Goodbye to what I knew; hello to the future.

The photo above (taken with the iPhone) was what it looked like right after I got past the Grapevine, when my stomach started to stir because the trip was becoming real. Once I went past LA (which I drive to fairly often), I began territory that I have never done on my own. And it felt liberating.

I will be slowly blogging my trip in the coming weeks, and I will also try to keep updating with my usual wedding & other posts. But for now, this is only the beginning, with much more to come.

Away I go. :)

4 Responses to “clarity . {the west coast roadtrip 09} . the beginning.”

  1. liz says:

    love this. looking forward to reading more!

  2. Tracey says:

    I am reading your blog like i do everyday……and not sure if you are going through the same things i did a year ago. If you are this trip will do you good and will clear your mind. You will know which path to take upon your return and with no hesitations you will follow it. It feels good to be able to take the time you need to do whatever it is you are thinking of changing…..change is a good thing!!. I know for me, it was a change that was for the better. I can’t wait to read more, good luck and travel safe xo

  3. Hi Susan!
    I’ve been following your blog for a couple months and I just love your work!
    Too bad I live in Virginia now (although I’m from Brazil!) or I’d volunteer to work with you for free, just to have the honor of being there when you take your terrific shoots!
    Congratulations for your awesome work! I’m a huge fan! :)

  4. What an amazing idea for a life changing trip Susan. I am so proud of you for doing this. You are an inspiration… love all of the photos you took. Thats one amazing thing about being a photographer… all the visua cues you will have of some of the most amazing memories of your life.