Somewhat of a world traveler: photo by kim

Posted by: kimthanh

I have been blessed beyond words in my life. Between having been adopted, having grownup in a large family, having been asked to marry an amazing and talented man, and having been able to travel beyond California.

Thanks to my parents, Michael's family, one of Michael's old employers and finally a an anonymous person, I have been fortunate enough to see a bit of the world. My parents have taken me to Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and finally Paris, France. I was able to travel with Michael to New Jersey (his 20th high school reunion) and then on to New York to visit our close friend and his old college roommate. Then with Michael's family I've been able to experience Virginia and the backwoods towns of Mississippi. Michael's old employer treated me to Vancouver, BC so that I could accompany him while he was on doing a press check there. Then anonymous treated us to a cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerta Vallarta. Oh what fun I've had seeing a smidgeon of the world.

I feel extremely fortunate to have visited all of those places, experienced the various cultures, the terrain, the people, the customs, the amazing food, and the sights and sounds. I could never say thank you enough to all of those who have made it happen. And in keeping up with my taste for travel, foods, and cultures, I needed to photograph what I had experienced. The first time I went to Europe with my parents, I think I was too excited that I was going that I didn't think to take many photos. And I'm sure at that time in my life, they probably would not have turned out very well anyway. It's only been in the past five years that I finally have come to where I am now. And that isn't saying a whole lot. I have so much more room to grow and understand when it comes to photography. But for now I have a good foundation.

But fortunately I was able to return to Europe years later and capture somethings that I had seen and not seen in my prior trip. I know I can't take the photos with me when I'm gone, but just having the pure joy and reminder of those experiences is enough to sustain me in the here and now.

This photo is of Venice, Italy for those who may not have had the chance to travel.

I hope one day you are able to do a little or a lot of traveling before you leave this beautiful and rich world.

Shalom,

Kim