College

Friendsgiving 2019

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to my friend Luke’s cabin in Leavenworth, Washington.

There were 10 people, including myself, and we had a great time exploring in town, playing card games, and watching “Friends.” Of course, we downloaded all of the iconic Thanksgiving episodes to watch.

We had our meal on Saturday afternoon, and enjoyed spending the time to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal.

Saturday evening, we went to Leavenworth to explore the town, and we even went to the ’59er Diner so Lexi and I could recreate our “Riverdale” photo from last year.

  • 2018
  • 2019

I don’t have any photographs of Ryan and Allison, other than this one of everyone at the table.

This was the best Friendsgiving yet! However, I did miss the one freshman year due to being at a different college, however Luke said it was the best one, so I will take his word for it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I hope you are all enjoying the start of the holiday season.

Couples Costume 2019

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Hello everyone! I recently went to a school-hosted costume party event, and I wanted to share some photos from the event.

Christopher and I went as Monica Geller and Chandler Bing from “Friends”, aka my favorite television show EVER.

My friend Allison took photos of us posed just like Monica and Chandler in the show, so I have included some side-by-sides.

Inspiration: Season 3, Episode 6

I chose this photo because it is a favorite episode. This photo is such a personality match for Christopher and I.

Inspiration: Season 5, Episode 14

This photo was my favorite one we recreated from that night, in fact it is the main one I posted on Instagram.

Inspiration: Season 7, Episode 5

I actually wasn’t going to recreate this photo, but Allison recommended it, and I thought it was a fun one to do.

Inspiration: Season 3, Episode 6

Since this was the look I was recreating with my outfit, I was excited to capture more of it than I did with the first photo.

Bonus Photos

Allison also took some fun photos of Christopher and I just being ourselves during the party, and they were so cute I had to include them.

College Journey Part Eight: Summer 2019

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Hello everybody, and welcome back to Capturing College! It is the start of another academic year for me, but before I start posting about all that entails, I want to share with you some highlights from this past summer.

This summer started on a high note about half way through June. Christopher surprised me with tickets to see the Broadway show “Wicked” while it was touring in Seattle as a birthday present. We spent the morning in Seattle grabbing coffee and then headed to the show. It was phenomenal, and I would see it another million times if I could!

Of course, the big news of the summer was the fact that we got a puppy. His name is Lewis, and he is an American Mastiff. We actually got him at the end of May, but I wasn’t able to be around him really until summer, so I thought that I would include it here. I took some adorable photos of Lewis with his big brother Patrick, a great dane who is about a year older.

These photos are from Independence Day when they wore their matching bowties!

Later in the summer, I was able to take a day trip with Christopher and his family to Seabrook, Washington. We walked around town, took photos on the beach, and played with his dogs. It was a wonderful day.

A few weeks passed, and then Christopher and I went on a day trip with his father to explore the many coffee shops in Portland. It was a wonderful trip. By the way, if you happen to be in the Portland area and want some AMAZING food, the Lardo fries at Lardo are amazing! Let me know if you try them, they are my favorite for sure.

Every weekend for about eight weeks, I joined my parents and took Lewis to puppy kindergarten. He did really well most of the time, but since his breed tends to be a lazier breed, he did not really want to participate. Honestly, I can’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to wake up early on the weekend and then be forced to behave for an hour either.

Lewis on his first day of puppy kindergarten

While the above activities make my summer look like it was all fun and games, it was not. I was taking a yoga class at a local community college for credit. The class met twice a week for two hours and was about five weeks long. It was a good experience, and I really enjoyed it in the end, even though it required waking up early.

I also was able to have a job. This summer I ended up being a photographer at JCPenney Portraits. It was a very taxing job, as I was one of two employees at the studio by the end of my first month, and I was running through the studio by myself at least once a week.

Although the hours were long and hard, I did learn a lot in a short amount of time, and I did appreciate having set hours and having a lot of evenings off to spend with my family and friends.

That pretty much sums up my summer. It was wild and fun and crazy in every possible way, but I am excited to get back to work at school and learn more about myself and my chosen field every day.

I will be updating this blog on a more regular basis now that I have returned to school, so keep an eye out, and be sure to follow so you receive updates when I post!

Five Memories From My Sophomore Year of College

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This is my finals week from my last quarter of my sophomore year of college. To celebrate, I thought I would post some of my favorite memories from this year.

1. Friendsgiving at the cabin

My friend, Luke, has a cabin that we all go and visit sometimes. This year was my first time going to the cabin. It was Luke, Lexi, Ryan, Harrison and I. We cooked, baked cakes, watched movies, and played games. We even got to explore the town of Leavenworth, Washington. We had a “Friendsgiving” meal which we all worked together to prepare, and we enjoyed getting to know each other. We went to a diner that reminded Lexi and I of “Riverdale,” so we had to take a Betty and Veronica pic. Check it out!

Lexi and I as Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper
2. Weezer Concert in Portland

For my boyfriend’s birthday, I bought him tickets to see Weezer. We went with his friends and had a fun time exploring Portland for the weekend. I wrote about it in a previous post, so I won’t elaborate too much here, but it was one of the most memorable things that happened this year.

3. Boise trip

Another friend of mine, Harrison, lives in Boise, Idaho. During a long weekend, Christopher, Lexi, Kailee and I went home with Harrison and were able to explore his hometown. This is another thing I referenced in an earlier post, but I had to mention it again, especially since I was able to explore a new town with my new friends.

4. Joseph, Oregon with my family

One of the first weekends in October, my parents rented an RV and drove out to meet me at school. They even brought our Great Dane, Patrick! The four of us all went camping for the weekend in Joseph, Oregon. We had a wonderful time, despite the cold weather, and really enjoyed spending time as a family to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

5. The many, many photoshoots.

I have done so many shoots this year! I have met tons of people and it made me more comfortable shooting with people I am less familiar with. I have loved all the content I have produced this year. I won’t make you scroll through all the images on this post, but if you would like to see them, please check out my posts on my Instagram and Twitter, @kirstenimages.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my memories from my sophomore year of college. If you want to read more about it, check out my College Journey series under the college tab on this blog, Capturing College, and don’t forget to follow to see more content!

College Journey Part Seven: Spring 2019

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I am currently just finishing up the spring quarter of my sophomore year at Walla Walla University, and I have to say I have really enjoyed this year over all. I will be returning in the fall for my junior year, and I already have my schedule mapped out for the whole academic year.

This quarter has been tons of fun. I surprised my boyfriend, Christopher, with tickets to go see Weezer in Portland, Oregon, with me and two of his friends, Andrew and Maria. The concert was the first weekend after spring break, and it was totally worth it. Weezer was super entertaining, and we had a wonderful weekend overall.

We also went home randomly one weekend to spend some time with our families. It was a nice break from the grind of school, and I think we both seriously enjoyed it.

Over the course of the quarter, we enjoyed spending time with our friends. We had about a billion cups of coffee and enjoyed the sunshine, which was a welcome change from the buckets of snow from winter quarter.

We went to Bennington Lake with Harrison and Lexi earlier in the quarter, and took some fun photos. Christopher walked away with 17 bug bites, I ended up with 21, and Lexi ended up getting lost. It took us a while, but we managed to help her find her way back to the car.

Christopher and I at Bennington Lake
  • Lexi and Harrison
  • Lexi and Harrison
  • Lexi and Harrison
  • Harrison
Christopher and I
  • Lexi and I
  • Lexi and I

As far as school goes, this quarter has been a pretty strong one. I have really enjoyed my classes this quarter, and I even got an amazing job that I love. I am so thankful that I ended up at WWU this year, and I can’t wait for a new year with more amazing memories.

College Journey Part Six: Winter 2019

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By the time I entered my second quarter of college at Walla Walla University, a lot had changed. I had a boyfriend, Christopher, who has been my best friend for years. I had new classes and was excited to go on some fun trips with my friends.

Over winter quarter, my roommate Lexi, and our friends Luke and Harrison, joined Christopher and I on a trip to Portland, Oregon. We had a great weekend. We went shopping, took some photos, and stopped at about a billion coffee shops.

Christopher and I at Multnomah Falls on the way back from Portland

Later in the quarter, we went to visit Harrison’s hometown, which is close to Boise, Idaho. This time, it was Kailee, Lexi, Christopher and I, and we all stayed at Harrion’s house for the weekend.

We, of course, took some amazing photos, and had a lot of coffee. As you may sense, this is sort of a theme for us: coffee and photos.

Christopher and I at a park in Boise
  • Lexi and Harrison
  • Lexi and Kailee
  • Kailee and Harrison

This trip was super fun. I was able to get to know Kailee since I hadn’t spent much time with her.

There were some fun ski trips we also went on, and we also were able to have some fun in the snow, since it snowed a lot that quarter.

While I was making more friends and going on trips, I was having a hard time adjusting still. The dark and cold weather was rough to handle every day, but I eventually adapted, and looked forward to the sunny weather coming with spring quarter.

College Journey Part Five: Transition and International Education

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Once I figured out I was going to attend Walla Walla University in the fall, I had less than two weeks to figure everything out.

I told only a few friends, wanting to surprise the rest by my showing up on campus, and began the process of signing up for classes.

My friends were happy to see me on campus, and several people I knew from high school were puzzled by my appearance on campus. Once they all learned I was attending classes, they realized I had transferred.

I was unsure about how I felt for the first few weeks, but soon grew to like it. I made new friends, and I enjoyed my new major, Strategic Communications. Don’t worry though, I still decided to get a photography minor.

About half way through the quarter, I made a meeting with the registrar to see if it would be possible for me to go to England for two quarters.

After a few hours of juggling classes and transferred credits, we came to the conclusion that I would not be able to go to school in England. I was crushed, and it took several days to process the fact that my dream of traveling abroad for school was not going to become a reality.

My friends were very supportive, but none of them could really help me since they didn’t fully understand what I was experiencing. It was a really hard week for me, and I had to lean on Christopher, who was then just my best friend, a lot.

He helped distract me by watching movies with me and talking to me about things like cars and making sure I was around other people. I was really thankful for his help.

So that settled it. I was staying at WWU for the rest of my college years.

What kind of trouble would I get up to? Would I make new friends? Would I ever get another chance to study abroad?

Those questions swirled around in my mind for the remainder of fall quarter, and soon, winter was approaching. What was next for me?

College Journey Part Four: The Decision

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When I returned from my impromptu road trip back from Michigan with my former college roommate, I returned to a lot of unanswered questions. The largest of them being: what am I going to do now? 

I was accepted to Seattle University, and I had toured the campus, which I really enjoyed. It was stunning, not too far from home, and offered a degree in photography. I scheduled a meeting with the department, and went to the university to get a department tour. Everyone I met was kind, however something was off. While I was excited, I was also nervous to figure everything out. 

Once I realized that this wasn’t going to be an easy choice, I decided I wanted to take some time to think about it, and to give myself that time, I was going to take time off of school in order to determine my next steps. 

I waited for my parents to return home from work, and then we decided to sit down and have a conversation. They seemed open to it, and I was glad to be relieved of the pressure of making a decision. 

The next afternoon, my dad called me and told me that he didn’t want me to take time off of school, and I had essentially two days to make things happen. I started to panic. How was I supposed to make that choice in a matter of hours? I could feel the clock ticking, so I went to work. I continued registering for Seattle University, even though I was conflicted as to whether or not I wanted to go there. 

That evening, my mother returned home from work and I discussed with her what I was dreading. I didn’t know what to do, and I was so anxious and panicked by this decision. We spoke about what was important to me, and what I wanted out of my university experience other than a degree. 

As we discussed my options, I spoke the words that I never thought would come out of my mouth: 

“What if I went to Walla Walla?”

Now, you may remember that I have had a complicated past with my feelings toward Walla Walla University. I was originally against going there because they didn’t offer a photography major and everyone from my high school attends there.

However, when I visited my friends that were attending there earlier in the summer, I really enjoyed being around them. I loved the way that they all were close to each other, I enjoyed the church services, and I thrived being around familiar people, even though it was a relatively new place. My eyes were opened as to what college life could be like, and I was glad my friends had found a university they enjoyed more than I was enjoying my time at Andrews. 

Those memories played through my mind as I heard the question echo through the room.

“Did you really just say that?” my mom asked, her voice filled with surprise.

“Well, yeah. It wouldn’t be so bad. If I didn’t like it, I could transfer to Seattle University after two quarters,” I explained.

My mom was happy to help me research my decision. I made a chart with columns for the things that mattered to me, such as social life, cost, and distance. 

In the end, I looked at the chart and saw that it ultimately pointed me in the direction of Walla Walla University.

College Journey Part Three: A Summer Epiphany

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Once I had been home for a few weeks, I decided to go to Walla Walla and visit all of my high school friends, plus it was one of my closest friend’s birthday weekend, so we were going to celebrate. I had visited a few times during high school, but had never really enjoyed my time there, but most of that was circumstantial due to things happening in my personal life. I was determined to have a good time this weekend, plus I hadn’t seen my friends since Christmas break, so I was so excited to see everyone.

While I was there, I found an entirely different type of college experience. All of my high school friends had made a bunch of new friends. They were always in each other’s rooms, spending time together, going to parks, sharing clothes, and having fun together. I was not expecting that at all. My college experience was nothing like this, but I was happy to see them satisfied with their chosen school. Plus, it was refreshing to see that college wasn’t terrible for everyone.

Over the summer, I decided I wanted to do a semester abroad in England. In order to do this, I had to drop my honors program and do regular generals. The bad thing about this was that my only other friend was in the honors program, so I wouldn’t have any friends in my classes anymore. It was a tough choice to make, but I knew I would have an amazing time abroad during spring semester my sophomore year. Plus, one of my friends from high school was planning on going to the school in England as well, so I would be able to room with her and explore Europe by her side.

While I wasn’t excited for being back in Michigan for fall semester, I was super jazzed about going abroad for the spring, so it made up for it. I knew that it would be fine in the end, plus, I just wanted to travel. I would do anything to get out of Michigan.

I had a busy summer. I was working, helping out at home, and also trying to make time to spend with my high school friends, who, by then, had finally returned home for the summer. Finally, in my busy schedule, I had found time to fly down to Los Angeles and visit my aunt for the first time since my junior year of high school when we looked at colleges together.

At this point, I was supposed to return to Michigan in two weeks for school. That was when she asked me why I was going back at all if I didn’t want to go at all. My aunt had kept in contact with me though out my freshman year and she knew how hard it was on me, so when I told her I had a new plan and was going abroad, she was glad. She made a good point though, if I wasn’t happy, then why was I going back at all? Ironically, earlier that day I had a received an email from a school that I started applying to on a whim during fall semester when I was sure I was going to transfer, before I settled on just remaining where I was. 

I mentioned the email to her, explaining how they said there were two days left before the application deadline. She encouraged me to apply, and to get out of the school that I wasn’t happy at. Just one problem­–– I hadn’t even toured this school before, and I wasn’t sure I would like it. This school, Seattle University, was within an hour of my house, and located near the heart of Seattle. 

She helped me finish my application the next day, and kept me on task while I made calls to the head of admissions and the photography department. It was nearing the weekend, and I needed to know if I was even accepted as soon as possible, especially since I needed to find out if I was going to be going back to Andrews to stay for the semester, or just to pick up my car and drive straight home. Luckily, the people at the school were super accommodating, and told me quickly that I was accepted, and I arranged a tour with the school and then the department afterwards. 

Then came the hard part, telling my parents. They were very understanding and supportive, however I stressed my mom out since she was out of the country visiting family, and she was going to be gone and unable to help me for a while. 

Once I knew I was accepted, I was sure I wanted to leave Andrews. While I didn’t know if I would be attending Seattle University in the fall or taking time off from school, I did know for sure I would not be attending Andrews. Luckily, I had a flight and bus ticket booked in order to get me back to where my car was already since I was planning on returning for school, but instead, I decided to pick up my car and all my stuff, and then drive back to Washington. 

Luckily, my old roommate was able to join me on this expedition, and we drove from Indiana to Washington in three days. It was a wonderful adventure, and I am so thankful for everything that happened. 

I was relieved to be home, but I didn’t know what I was going to do next. Where would I end up? Was Seattle University the answer? I had a lot of thinking to do.

College Journey Part Two: College Life

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Andrews University has a special program where you can go four weeks before the start of the year, technically three weeks before orientation week, and take one class and get that whole semester-long class out of the way in three weeks. Due to my achievements in high school, I received a scholarship for this program, and was able to go for a discounted rate.

While this was wonderful, I was also devastated to be leaving so soon. My friends were all going to be attending Walla Walla University in the fall, and they were going to be on quarter system, so they didn’t start until September. I had to leave halfway through July to drive out to Michigan and start my jumpstart classes and actual college before all my friends were even thinking about their dorm room décor. 

Saying goodbye was the hardest part. I had been told for the past year by my parents that these people I had been friends with for the past four years would no longer be my friends by the end of my freshman year of college, and that I would be making new friends, and saying goodbye to them, knowing I may never see them again, was absolutely heartbreaking. 

I’ll skip over the sad details of all the goodbyes I said, and skip to the packing. As some of you may know, I drive a Volkswagen Beatle, which isn’t necessarily a huge vehicle. I had to fit all my stuff for school, as well as my mother and her bag, and myself, all in this tiny car and drive it across the majority of the United States. Surprisingly, this wasn’t as difficult as it sounds. To be fair, we did wait to buy quite a lot of stuff until I was in Michigan, but the car wasn’t super full, even with basically all my stuff in it.

The morning I left was hard on me. We woke up early to get on the road, and as the sun was coming up, I was hugging my dad and saying goodbye to my dog, who I was unsure would still be there when I came back, due to his old age.

Once my mom and I were on the road, my tears had dried a little bit and I started to try and focus on the road ahead. We had a fun road trip, and stopped to visit a few loved ones on the way over to Michigan. 

We arrived in Michigan on a Friday evening, and my mom was flying out on Sunday afternoon, so we had some time to get me settled before everything ready for me to start my summer session class on Monday. 

Those few days flew by, and I said a tearful goodbye to my mom before going up to the room and having my new roommate and her family come help move all of our furniture around so we could unpack and get settled. 

I really lucked out on the roommate front, and I was able to bond with her fairly quickly. Since she was a graphic design major, and I was a photography major, we had a lot in common, and we spent a lot of time together. After summer session ended, and we started our classes in the fall semester, we fortunately had a lot of the same classes together, so we became pretty close fairly quickly. 

As the year progressed, I had a hard time making more friends. I had two solid friends by the end of the year, one of them being my roommate, but she wasn’t going to be returning to Andrews the next fall. I was super sad about this, but I knew I would get to see her since she was going to come visit me over the summer.

While I wasn’t completely satisfied with my college experience at the end of my freshman year, I ultimately decided I was going to stay, even though I had explore the idea of transferring to another school for my sophomore year. I ended up leaving my car and all my stuff in a storage unit in Michigan so it would be ready for me to return to in the fall.

Finally, after what felt like years of being away from home, I was returning home for the summer.