I am not exaggerating at all when I say that I was smiling ear to ear as I was editing this entire video. If you follow me on any other forms of social media, you're probably 100% sick of hearing about them, but they are my two best friends, and it makes my heart so happy to see these two so happy. Literally, it makes me utterly giddy, haha. Tomorrow is their big day, and they'll seal the deal for eternity in just over 24 hours. 

Cami and Kyle | Couples Shoot from Kalynn Petersen on Vimeo.

Kaleb + Aurora | First Look

                       Have you ever seen two such beautiful humans in your life?! All the heart eyes.


   
Aurora and Kaleb | First Look from Kalynn Petersen on Vimeo.

Goals + best friends.

It is September. This morning I wrote "April" in my journal. Get with it, Kalynn.

About two months ago, I set a goal to be more consistent at writing in my journal. It's about the only goal I'm really succeeding at. I've been failing pretty miserably at my other goals such as: 

-Go to bed early. This never used to be a problem for me! Around friends and family, I'm known as the grandma because of my typically-early bedtimes. But over the summer I moved in with girls I didn't know, and I didn't want to be lame, so I often stayed up late hanging out with them. Now I'm stuck in the habit, and it's been really hard to break! 

-Play the piano. My mom is incredible at playing the piano and has been a piano teacher my entire life, so nothing makes me feel as guilty as my inability to play the piano. I'm not gonna mention how long it's been since I've attempted to play.

-Learn Spanish. Duolingo says I'm about 11% fluent, so I think that says enough about how I'm doing with that.

However, I've had some awesome moments lately. I've been filming a lot, and something about all these happy moments I get to capture really brings me so much joy. Tonight I got to film a First Look/Bridals session for my two best friends. Cami and I have been friends with Kyle for over 2 years, and he's always had a major thing for her, but she only gave in this past summer. It's been the most magical thing to watch!! They give each other everything I would want for them. I'm a little obsessed at this point! I can't wait to edit their video, but since I can't share it yet, these are some screen-grabs from their couples session we shot a few weeks ago. 

PSA: if you haven't yet, hurry and get up to the Alpine Loop! We've only got a few weeks left before it closes for winter. 

Parker and Jade | Wedding Video

You wanna hear a funny story?

One of my best friends, Carlee, has a younger brother. That's Parker. When he first got home from his mission, we would invite him to come to game nights at our apartment complex every Sunday night. Another good friend of ours that would come to game nights is Whit. She had a roommate named Jade, but Jade always declined to come to game nights, haha. I guess those were Parker and Jade's many chances of meeting, but since it didn't happen any of those Sunday nights, they ended up meeting eventually anyway! I always say, if it's meant to be it'll happen! Now they're happily married, and spending their wedding day with them was so much fun. I always wondered what kind of girl Parker would marry, and Jade is just perfect for him.

Parker and Jade from Kalynn Petersen on Vimeo.

LOVE + PEOPLE

Tonight was a good night. I got to head up to Alpine Loop with an adorable couple to shoot a video for their first anniversary. I knew it would be a good shoot because I already knew that this couple a: was super attractive and b: had lots of personality; two things that always make for fun, easier filmmaking. However, never having met them in person, something that I didn't know before the shoot, something that you never really know and sometimes don't get to know, was the real sort of love and respect they have for each other. I know a lot of couples personally, and I've met many more, and it's sad, but not every couple has that. 

I feel like every time I film a wedding, someone will say, "You spend so much time filming details of weddings, I bet you know exactly what you want at yours!" I actually still have no idea, haha. 

I do, however, know what kind of love and relationship I want. 

Three of my favorite books are Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and The Red Pony, all written by 

one of my all-time favorite authors, John Steinbeck. A few years ago, I learned that while Steinbeck's son was away at boarding school, he wrote a letter to tell his father he was in love. 

Steinbeck wrote back, and the following was part of that letter to his son:

"First -- if you are in love -- that's a good thing -- that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. 

Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second -- There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you -- of kindness and consideration and respect -- not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness 

and even wisdom you didn't know you had."

I've always felt that was a wonderful way of putting it. 

But I think it can be applied to many of the relationships we have with others. 

Just something to think about.

BOOK CLUB, ANYONE?

 

Can we talk for a minute about how I used to love reading so much that I brought some books to pose with in my senior pictures? ha! 

*nerd alert* 

But for real, I still love to read. 

So I've got three questions for you:

1: What are you guys reading these days? I still need to pick up a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! I'm just nervous about it...

2: Do you have any other book recommendations for me? I'm open to anything other than Charles Dickens! 

3: MOST IMPORTANT: Would anyone out there be interested in doing a book club with me?! You know, the kind where we meet probably once a month with yummy snacks and geek out over mesmerizing stories. lmk. Because I'm being 100% serious. 

TIRE POPS + CANYON WALKS

 I am SO happy that it's finally Friday. This has been such a weird week! And I'm convinced that it's all because of how my Monday started out. It was a normal day, in that I woke up wanting to head up the canyon! I love it up there. I decided to go look for a location that a couple had told me they wanted to shoot at. So, I get in my car and head out. I drove up the AF side of the canyon and continued up near Tibble Fork. Right after you pass Tibble Fork, if you keep to the right, it turns into a pretty rocky road, but it's most likely fine IF your tires are good. Apparently mine weren't, because after about 2 miles past Tibble Fork, POP goes a tire. I literally just felt the front driver side of my car sink all of the sudden. So I pull over to the side of the road to assess my situation. I wasn't going to be able to go anywhere with my tire like that. I had never changed a tire by myself before, and even if I felt 100% confident that I could do it, I had never needed to change a tire on my Xterra yet, and couldn't find where the tools were located in that car. (Insert that monkey covering his eyes emoji here. Talk about not being prepared!) I had no cell service, but that didn't stop me from trying to call my mom 4 times, haha! I hadn't seen anyone on that road while I had been up there--what! on a Monday afternoon late in the season??...--so I decided to start walking out, figuring I'd come across someone eventually. I was so wrong though! The ONLY people I came across before getting to the part of the canyon where it splits between Tibble Fork and the Alpine Loop were construction workers, but I just didn't feel comfortable asking them for help because they were already working hard! So I kept on walking, haha. It wasn't a bad walk, if I'm being honest. I mean, I was in the beautiful canyon after all! The weather was perfect for a situation like that, because it wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too cold. It was simply a really long walk that I hadn't planned on taking that day. AND...I kept thinking about all the women that get murdered and raped while walking alone in canyons, and seriously freaking myself out a couple times. At one point I even could've sworn I saw a man coming out from behind the trees! Haha. Finally, about a mile or two from the mouth of the canyon, a guy in a truck pulls over and says he's working in the canyon, he's passed me 4-5 times, and asks if I'm walking for pleasure or if I need a ride somewhere. I'll never recommend taking a ride from a stranger to anyone, but I definitely took the ride in this situation! haha! Luckily, it ended up being a really nice dude, and I only stayed in his car until I got cell service, and had him drop me off there.

---Long story made a little shorter, I was finally able to reach my mom, she picked me up, we taught ourselves how to change a tire (!!!), and I was able to finally drive out of the canyon. The situation put me in a weird funk for the rest of the day; I just hate having such a lack of control over my situation. However, now I know how to change a tire all by myself, and I'll never be in that situation again. :)

Everyone be prepared and play it safe this weekend! :)

R O A D T R I P

Early on in the summer, my brother and I made a special deal; I would watch his kids for a few days while he took his wife on a vacation, and then later he would take me to AZ to watch the Braves play the Diamondbacks! Well, finally late August came around, and it was time for our road trip! Because the thought of driving 12 hours straight sounded insane to us, and we had to pick up our sister, Julie, anyway, we decided to stop in St. George overnight.  I was so happy when Julie decided to come with us! Derek was able to work remotely while we were on the trip, and I don't know what I would have done all day by myself if Julie hadn't come along. 

Have you guys ever stopped by a state sign to take a picture while you're on a road trip? Apparently everyone on the road hates you for it! haha! I couldn't believe how many angry honks we got during the 30 seconds we were posing for this picture. My siblings were so embarrassed! Which only made it more fun for me, haha. The funny thing about taking our picture by this AZ sign is that we all grew up in St. George, a mere 15 minutes from this sign. But I don't care! I road trip to AZ requires a photo by the state sign. And that's final.

The drive down went by a lot faster than I expected it to! Probably because I never get to spend that much time with my brother and sister anymore, and it was easy to soak it all in. You would've thought it was one of our family vacation from when we were children by the way we were acting! "Fighting" over the music, jammin' out to the  Goofy Movie soundtrack, and teasing whoever fell asleep first, haha. That was a fun drive! Still, I wasn't upset when we finally made it and were able to get out of the car. ;) 

We were so lucky to be able to stay with my brother's friends while we were there. Derek had a friendly place to work during the day until it was time for the game, and Julie and I were able to head to the Gilbert and Mesa LDS Temples. We also planned on doing some shopping while we were out, because Julie needed one specific thing, but she found it within 5 minutes, and that was the extent of our shopping trip. Anyone else out there not really much of a shopper?! I can shop online wayyyy longer than I'm willing to walk aimlessly around a store.

I'm the only actual baseball or Braves fan, but I still made them wear the team apparel for the game. We sat right in front of this group of drunk guys who were trying really hard to make us laugh throughout the entire game. At one point, one of them spilled his cup of beer right on Derek! Personally, I thought it was hilarious. But I also wasn't the one who smelled like beer all night. 

 

In the end, the Braves ended up losing that game, but it was so close the entire time! I was proud of them, because they are the worst team in the league right now, lol. Hopefully next year they can step it up! 

This trip was so special to me at this time in my life. It's something I'll always look back on and be so thankful for. I've got the best siblings on the planet Earth, I really do, I'm tellin' ya!