November 2, 2009
Hawaii
So a little history. I’m a 25 year old white male raised in rural central Kentucky. I went to Catholic school K through 7th and then attended public high school. I have one sister, 23, and my parents are both alive and still married. After high school I attended the University of Kentucky, and after four years I earned my B.S. in Civil Engineering. Shortly after graduating I married my high school sweet heart. My dad is a Civil Engineer, and right out of college, I started working under my father. My wife and I are relatively new home owners, and proud owners of a 2010 Prius. So here we are, living the American dream, small town U.S. A.
I had never loved engineering, or my job, but I was under the impression that work was work, and we went to work because, well, that is what you do. I had thought of quiting my job many times before, I had played the scenarios out in my mind, but something was staying my hand. I had never had dreams of my own before. My path was laid out before me, and I was meant to follow it. It was easy, it was normal, it was for the best. I never had to think about what I might actually want to do. So maybe, if I had known where to start, what I really wanted out of life, I would have quit my job one of those many times before.
So here we are in Hawaii, a vacation unlike any other. My parents had purchased a two week time share, and had invited us to come along with them, at their expense. Perfect. How could it be any better, how could anything go wrong? My relationship with my parents was strong, or so I thought. Little issues started accumulating, snowballing into an avalanche of emotions. Two weeks was apparently too many. There was lack of communication, there was lack of respect, and there was lack of mutual understanding. So on that night, when tempers were hot, words were said; the kind of words that most people regret. The scenarios had played out in my mind. I was prepared. I quit my job, a burden finally lifted.
But now what? The question that I had asked myself so many times before; “What do you want to do?” finally needed an answer. This blog is a part of that. I aim to find an answer to that question. Surely it is possible to be happy and put food on the table at the same time.
I took nearly 2,000 pictures in those two weeks, below are a few of my favorites. Enjoy.
Ryan
Was that a picture of Angel Falls? Isn’t that the highest waterfall in the world? Great shot!
I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Much love, Your High School Sweetheart.
Shannon, I think Angel Falls is in Venezuela. I took that shot from a helicopter, and the pilot probably told us the name of the falls, but I either forgot or I couldn’t hear him.
Good on you for taking that first step towards doing something you actually enjoy!
Oh, great pics, by the way. What are you shooting with?
Greg I shoot with a Nikon D300. I’ve got a handful of lenses including a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. Hope things are going well for you.
Ah, I know what you mean. I’ve been there for several years now. Looking around and seeing how people live their day to day lives made me think “is this it? Is this what people do all their lives?” What a waste, I say. So yeah, I’m looking for an alternative too. Sucks that there’s tension with your parents. They’ll get over it.
It is interesting how going to a completely different place can change your perspective on, well, everything. We move to Taiwan next year, you should come visit sometime.
I’d hate to be chased by whatever left those toenail clippings.
Dude, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up either! Thought I had it figured out, but here I am on a business trip for a company I that pisses me off a little more everyday. At least you have the balls to say “Enough is Enough!”
Ryan would you consider submitting your photos to The Cat’s Figment?
Sure Chris, I’ve checked it out before, but it’s been awhile. I’ll take a second look and get back to you.
I was going to leave some hokey bit of what I considered wisdom. I then realized the foolishness of that errand. Might I only add the following: Good job, my friend.
I’m proud of you Ryan. You’re doing the right thing; it takes courage to seek out your passion and to deal with issues that most of us run from to avoid the confrontation.
You know I’m a fan of your pics
Beautiful photos!
[...] Yesterday I had busy day driving around Lexington, running errands, and hanging out with friends. All that was well and good, but it left me with no images for today's post. I got up this morning, planning on trekking outdoors for a photo shoot, only to be greeted by a cold rain. Feeling uninspired by anything around my immediate confines, I opted to revisit the nearly 2,000 images I took on my two week family vacation to Hawaii. [...]
[...] be different. I guess that's something we all do. There are things that I miss about my pre-Hawaii life, but overwhelmingly, I am glad things have turned out the way they have. Everyday, there [...]