Vagabond.

I'm taking a hiatus on adult life and backpacking through Europe. If you aren't completely put off by my not writing in over a year, please do follow my adventures through the link below, as this is certainly going to be an entertaining journey!

emmyhermes.tumblr.com

Rawr.

Emmy

A Belated Mother's Day Post

Has anyone noticed a running theme with my blog? In case you haven't noticed, the theme is "my mom is the only person that reads this."

Today I received a package from my mom. It was a half empty bag of mints. The note said sorry, but she couldn't resist.

So that's my life right now.

Everything worth anything is both terrifying and beautiful.

I couldn't count my reasons for contentment in this moment. 

Very few things in life are more admirable than spontaneity. It's my running theme for 2013. Admittedly, there was a time when I would long for stability and one home and all of the things that would seemingly come with the idea of conventionality. But as I lay in bed on the cusp of this lazy Saturday, mentally walking through the whirlwind that is the past week's events, I just think...I'm fine.

Maybe I am still riding high on the fumes of newfound spring, but rarely does a day go by that I don't think about how happy I am with my decision to move to DC - even if the thought is only fleeting.

I thought I was going to write a post that outlined the week's events...about how a predictably routine five days turned into anything but...or how beautiful the cherry blossoms are this time of year, especially outside of the Jefferson Memorial at midnight...or I would write about how my boss was finally fired yesterday... and how everyone was so happy after the fact...and how sad it is that we were all so happy...or I was going to write about how I spontaneously bought a weekend plane ticket to Chicago...and how I should probably get out of bed and pack since I need to be at the airport in a couple of hours...or I was going to write about how I went to a baseball game and legitimately did not watch one inning...or how a simple happy hour turned into me walking into my apartment at midnight and finding my roommate passed out in our bathtub...or how after 7 months, I've finally met my neighbors and their names are Kingsley and Abe...or how I am very knowingly setting myself up for failure in an unrequited and nonexistent romance...or how I was woken up today by a man yelling through a loud megaphone outside my window with Soulja Boy playing in the background and I wasn't even mad...

All these things I could have written about, but I really think that my first sentence says it all. It's all that is important right now anyway. Plus, I have a plane to catch.

Jam Sesh

My entire family was in DC this weekend. That's insane. There's 8 of us. We live in different states. Enough said. It was every kind of wonderful. But more on that later. 

The point of this story is that, growing up, as much as I used to cringe at the sound of Dylan coming out of our stereo EVERY SINGLE DAY, this video pretty much solidifies the fact that it stuck...it stuck real good.

Forever a daddy's girl, I guess.

Roadtrippin'

Last year I was asked to photograph a wedding in Ithaca, New York. I can't say this enough - I am not a photographer. But...I also don't turn down these kinds of opportunities. I just love it. Being asked to photograph something of this magnitude in itself is a huge ego boost since photography isn't something that I actively pursue.  However, it can be pretty nerve-racking too. So of course, I asked my BFF Linds to come along for the ride and act as a source of positive morale. So she brought her butt all the way from Tennessee to DC just so we could make this road trip together. {PS - If you live in the same state as your best friend, I truly envy you with every cell of my being.}

The footage in the video below was shot during my birthday weekend (September 16 - go ahead, make a mental note), and I have just now had the time to sit down and put something together to highlight our adventure. It takes place during the peak of fall in beautiful upstate New York.

ENJOY!

song: intro by the xx


Oh - and don't worry...I didn't forget about the bride and groom. I was able to give them a photograph or two to remember the occasion ;)


9.15.12

I stand beside you, brother, with you until the end.

For whatever reason, I couldn't get this song out of my head on Monday afternoon. I listened to it on repeat the entire train ride home. Later that night I learned that a former coworker and friend passed away from complications due to Hodgkins Disease, something that he had been battling for upwards of 10 years. 

I don't have a lot of inside jokes with Eric. I don't have countless memories of laughter and good times. I had only one year with him - half of which I spent sitting at the desk next to him, making jokes and g-chatting our little butts off. You should know that I keep deleting every description of Eric that I try to relay because I am too afraid that the online translation would cause it to sound insincere. So all I will say is this - that he is the first person whom I felt truly accepted me at my last job and made me feel 100% included. In large part to Eric, work wasn't a chore, but a place that I greatly looked forward to each and every day. I don't think that I made it known enough as to how much I appreciated him for that.

I could easily continue to type about all kinds of things in relation to this subject, but it would only become misdirected and blurry. 

So with that, Eric my friend, until we meet again...rest in peace.