Cat-uring Memories
For Christmas of 2012, my freshman year roommate Leeann gave me a disposable camera that had "cats show up in every picture." With such a precious gift as this, I decided to use the camera sparingly, and those 24 exposures ended up lasting me through January 2020. And while the photographs themselves are far from purrfect, most of them still capture the faces, travels, and milestones significant to my early twenties.
The first images I made were on a family trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in July of 2013—a trip I really don't remember, honestly. We explored the replica of the Parthenon (only off by 1/8th of an inch!), ate BBQ at a hole in the wall, and played at Fannie Mae Dees Park.
In January 2014, I traveled to Ghost Ranch (left) in Abiquiu, New Mexico, where I took a month-long black and white landscape photography course. Taught by Kent Bowser, the course was demanding and delightful, an invaluable experience. My final portfolio project was on trees.
The image on the right is an attempted self-portrait in my room at Kappa Kappa Gamma, second semester 2014. It fascinates me that I used an exposure on myself, something I very rarely do—had something significant happened that day, or was I trying to capture my emotions?
Roughly a year later in January 2015, my next cat photograph features Hattie, a dear friend made my freshman year, in our hotel room in Paris, France. We spent two weeks on campus studying the French Revolution, a favorite historical period for both Hattie and me, and then two weeks in Paris. Our hotel, located in the 5th arrondissement, was near an elementary school, and the sounds of children playing outside greeted us every morning.
In June of 2015, I spent five weeks in Peru as a summer intern with Buckner International at their Family Hope Centers in Lima, learning holistic social ministry and assisting in whatever projects Guili had for us. We also spent several days at transition homes for women and orphanages in Lima and Cusco. While in Cusco, we took a trip to Machu Picchu, seen in the photos above. To this day, the Andes are the grandest, most unfathomable part of the natural world I've seen. This summer, which includes the month long leadership training with InterVarsity in the U.P., was one of the most impactful times in my life.
Fall Break of my senior year, I went on my first solo road trip, inspired in part by the Beat Generation literature course I was taking at the time. After spending a few days in Asheville, North Carolina, with my friend Cici, I ventured over to Leeann's grandparents' farm in West Virginia. It was a precious experience to see a place that has in part shaped one of my dearest friends. The rest of my trip consisted of a day trip around D.C. with Adriana, a fellow lit major, and lunch at Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh with Angela, a friend from IVLI.
DePauw University knows how to celebrate its graduating class. Commencement week in May 2016 was such a sweet time spent with Leeann, Hattie, and my family. From the English Department Party to the Baccalaureate service, DePauw Under the Stars to Graduation Day, it was a joyful and abundant celebration.
A few weeks before moving to Louisville in August 2016, I took my first trip out to Montana to visit my childhood friend Evie, who moved out to Big Sky Country after graduation to work as a news anchor. We took a day trip to Glacier National Park, my first National Park visit!
After graduating from DePauw, I spent a summer working at home before moving to Louisville, KY, to serve with Love Thy Neighborhood for a year. I took this photo of my teammates Sam, Daisy, Ashley, and Sarah (left to right) outside of our apartment #OnOakAsItIsInHeaven in August 2017, right before the closing reception. That evening I found out I was officially hired by Sojourn Arts!
The last photographs taken on my cat camera were made on January 1, 2020, right before participating in Mallory's annual polar plunge. Mallory and I met in Cherokee Park in August 2018 and became fast friends!