est.
2014
GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // JUNE 21, 2016
Gratitudes
I have a lot of gratitudes this week so hold on…
I made a big announcement yesterday, I’ll be in Italy for a month this summer. I’ll head over on July 18 and returning on August 19, just enough time to find the best pizza, gelato and a favorite cafe. In 2012 I had the opportunity to fly to a country I’ve never been before and experience like very few travelers do – like a local. I stayed with my friend’s family, we were entertained by their friends; true, authentic, deep down in their bones Italians. They embraced me, fed me, showed me hospitality I’d never experienced before (sorry southerners, the Italians got you beat). What I truly ended up appreciating from the trip besides the food, the hugs, the stories, was their lifestyle. Their desire to move in a way that makes them happy, never too fast and never too slow just the right pace. They are so in touch with what matters the most in this life, connections. Connections to their family and to their friends, not materialistic possessions. It’s amazing how comfortable and at peace you can feel with simple furnishings settled on the top of a mountain. I’m excited to head back and test out my 4 semesters of Italian, to see some familiar faces and catch up with those I’ve lost touch with over the years that had offered me so much kindness. More so I’m thrilled to head over there without feeling rushed. I’ll be able to really explore and enjoy the country as a local, walking the streets in Rome, or driving through the mountains in the Abruzzo region. There have been discussions of chartering a sail boat in Sardinia and enjoy the coastline, but more so the flexibility and potential opportunities excite me.
I’ll be working while I’m there, editing two beautiful weddings set for this July as well as some schedules portrait sessions. If you or someone you know are traveling around that time and would like to connect I’d love to work with them! Imagine, a totally romantic portrait session while on vacation in Italy. Yes, please! I’ll be researching photographers so I can get my own pictures taken! Anyway, please pass along the information or book your own ticket, I would love to see you!
Summer is officially here with with it came the lightning bugs. Summer is my favorite season and this is one of the reasons why! I’ve been able to sit on the porch and watch them twinkle and move so effortlessly through the air. It’s like a touch of glitter during golden hour that is so special. Last night as I was falling asleep I also had the pleasure of having one light up my bedroom. I thought about capturing him and letting him outside last night but there was something so peaceful about his glow that I wanted to enjoy a little longer. Don’t worry though, I found him this morning and released him back to the wild.
The little farm house that we rent is snuggled between thousands of acres on an old Virginia farm. This past weekend we took Ava out plus two beers and went exploring some of the paths. We love to hike and be outdoors and we are so lucky to have the space to roam on this property. We were able to walk for over an hour without topping out the trails and on our visit we saw a huge buck, a tiny pony, a rippling creek and so many open fields. It was really something. I mentioned that I really wanted to picnic out there one afternoon to watch the sunset, heres hoping he picked up on that!
Nail polish for this week: Well I had a little accident that you’ll read more about below under breakthroughs. In an effort to make me feel better instantly I ran out and purchased three new colors: Where Did Suzi’s Man-Go?, Elephantastic Pink, and No Room For The Blues. I’m still wearing the gels on my hands from my sisters wedding but those will come off this Friday, I’ll be a guest at a wedding on Saturday and I need my nails looking fresh. I went with the Elephantastic Pink because it was just so damn cheerful. If you look at it and aren’t happy, look again. It’s cream – because that what I love and the website describes it as carnation pink but I think it’s way more vibrant than that. I’ll probably use the other two in the weeks to come. There are worse things than nail polish to hoard right…like animals or trash or hair clippings?
Breakthroughs
If you live in the area I’m sure you’ve seen on the news all of the coverage of Middleburg after last Thursday’s hail storm. Let me tell you, it was no joke. I was contacted to work an adorable, upscale cocktail party for a company out of D.C. and we were all stuck in it. Together in the Salamander Resort & Spa we watched in awe and disbelief as ice balls the size of tennis balls rained down outside. The resort lost power and we watched in the dark, many expressing concerns about their cars in the parking lot, other expressing concern about the guests that hadn’t arrived yet. The hail subsided finally and we all took a walk down to the parking lot where there was vehicle carnage. Hundreds of cars damaged, mirrors missing, front windshields blown out, bumpers ripped off of the front or back of cars. It was intense. Mother Nature had unleashed her fury on us that was for sure. I walked along the rows waiting to spot my car and I knew it had to be bad and there she was. I’ve always lovingly called my car Vivian since I purchased her brand new in 2012 – she was the first car I selected and purchased on my own as a big girl. She was sentimental to me. There she was hurting from this storm, hundreds of visible pockmarks on every panel of my car, my windshield was spider web cracked more than 13 times and for a laugh my back windshield wiper was ripped off. (Cue the nail polish splurge on Friday.)
I felt upset and worried about the cost of fixing her. I also felt sad for all of the other people hurting like I was, here I was mourning my little Ford Escape and there were people with Porsches and Masteratis. In that time though we were all in survival mode together. People were offering condolences and reminders to grab things like your SmartTag or your insurance card so you could make a claim. Guests and employees worked together to cover cars with plastic sheets to try and protect them from the next band of storms coming. There is an overall kindness within humanity, I witnessed it and felt it. I think sometimes we are so used to the hate and abuse that we don’t open ourselves up enough to strangers to allow them to feel comfortable enough to reach out. We are all so protective of ourselves all of the time. What I saw out there gave me hope again, even after the horrific events in Orlando, we need to remember people are good, we are good and we can be good to each other.
p.s. Shout out to Tom Bigoski of The Bigoski Insurance Agency, he was so quick to respond to my call and was able to guide me through the process with the insurance company. I did find out yesterday that Vivian is totaled, she accumulated $13k in damages in that 20 minutes. I had a total of 6 payments left to pay her off completely. She will no longer be mine, but I was set-up quickly with a nice rental car and everyone I’ve worked with so far has been so nice. i would highly, highly, highly recommend working with Tom or atleast meeting him for a quote. They’ve treated me well through out this whole process. More to come on car shopping…
As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.
© Krysta Norman Photography 2020
Designed by Brandilynn Michelle
let's connect
PH: (571) 317 - 0811
info@krystanorman.com
NAVIGATE
Serving Middleburg & Richmond, Virginia