Happy Mother's Day /  by Megan Carey

I looked out the plane window and watched the buzzing airport as I waited to leave Dallas to head back to Philly. Trucks drove back and forth, people loaded planes with hundreds of luggage bags, workers directed huge jets on their way. It made me think how unpredictable, exciting, messy, emotional, and thrilling life it is, that every one of those people has a story and I am just starting to write mine. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be making this trek, that I’ve done many times, in reverse. That Philly would be a visit not a destination and that I would have a whole new world beginning in a city miles from Philadelphia. 

On October 15th, I had a phone interview that lead to a Zoom interview that ultimately led to a job offer at a company in Dallas, TX. What followed was a decision that was bigger than I ever imagined it would be. A dream and an exciting adventure suddenly became very real in the best and worst ways. I would be able to begin a career in a brand new city and be near someone I love very much but I’d also be leaving part of my heart behind in Philly, my family, my puppy, and an area that I love so much. It was hard, it still is and I don’t think it was ever be easy. But I did it, I made the choice to say yes and before I knew it, I quit my job waiting tables at Bartaco, filled a week with errands, packing, doctors appointments, and I was off. I said bye to Schoodie and Dad, then mom and I headed out on a three day long car ride across the United States. We drove from Philly to Knoxville, TN, then to Little Rock, AR and finally to Dallas. We talked, we cried, we laughed and most of all we slowly came to terms with the decision I made. 

The support that my parents both showed was something I will always be so thankful for and amazed by. I knew it broke their hearts as much as it broke mine to watch me choose a career in a city over one thousand miles from home, but they never put themselves above the fact that they knew this opportunity was something that I should jump on. No matter the outcome, the lessons I learn, the people I meet, the places I see and the things I experience will all help me to grow.

I wrote that on the plane about to fly home for Thanksgiving in November. A lot has changed since then, including a global pandemic that has kept everyone quarantined for the past two months, cancelled trips home, a trip for Ally to come see me, and has left uncertain the next time I’ll see my favorite people.

This weekend is Mother’s Day and although I haven’t spent every single Mother’s Day with my mom, this year feels different. I know that there are people all around the world that are feeling the way I feel today. This year I am in Dallas, Texas while she is 1,277 miles away in Wayne, Pennsylvania with the rest of my family. I have not seen her, hugged her, or laughed with her in 131 days and right now, when the world is in the most unique scenario many of us have lived through, I am feeling this distance and timing more than ever. Thank goodness for Facetime.

I know that this too shall pass and there will be a time, hopefully so soon, that I will reunite with my whole family. There will come a time when you can once again grab your groceries with your bare hands, see your coworkers face-to-face, and hug your grandparents, but for right now we remain in a state of unknown, of what-ifs, whens and hows and for Mother’s Day this year I decided to reminisce on one of my favorite things that my mom and I love to do together.

Anyone that knows my family well, knows that we are a bit obsessed with Maine. In a lot of ways, I feel that I grew up each summer in Maine, even if it was for a week or two at a time. Some of my most cherished memories with my family and from my childhood are on those rocky beaches, watching lobster boats rumble through Frenchman’s Bay.

One of our favorite things to do in Maine is to search for seaglass. My mom and I love to comb the beach for seaglass, looking for ones that the sea has worn from years spent in the rough surf. It’s a game of iSpy between you and the beach, a constant search for colbalt blue, seafoam green, white and brown. We’d chat about the approaching school year, laugh about something silly Dad did that morning, or in recent years talk about me moving out. Somedays we would just walk the beach in silence, holding up the pieces we’d find in the air and later that evening we’d proudly display our collection with the rest of the family.

My mom is one of the most inspiring women I know. Growing up, Ally and I were raised in a household where my Dad was the stay-at-home parent and my mom went to work everyday. I didn’t realize when I was young, how unique that was but I am so thankful to have been raised seeing such an amazing woman bring in the income and have my dad during the day help to make our childhood as creative and memorable as possible.

I miss my mom and my entire family so much, but I am so thankful that we all have our health, we are all safe, and that we will see each other soon. Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I can’t wait to celebrate soon. <3

I'd Like to Thank... /  by Megan Carey

I remember the first time I visited Trinity College’s campus in Hartford, Connecticut. It was October of my senior year of high school and my mom, sister and I were on one final college touring trip up the East Coast. My high school guidance counselor suggested that I stop by Trinity on my way up. I had no expectations and certainly did not think that her suggestion would lead to my top choice school. 

Hartford itself is an interesting city. Its downtown economy is deeply rooted in the insurance industry with companies like Travelers, Aetna, and The Hartford stationing themselves there. I would later discover that living in downtown Hartford would shape my overall view and understanding of the world, and the disparity between the luscious Trinity College campus and the poverty surrounding us, breaking me away from the Philadelphia Main Line.

We arrived on campus and I immediately loved the beautiful old buildings that in just over one year’s time I would take classes in, explore and come to adore. The chapel, the centerpiece of Trinity’s campus, rose off the quad as if it had been Photoshopped. It stood perfectly on the hill looking out over the city of Hartford and the rest of Trinity’s campus. Throughout the college selection process, I was told that there would be tours when I would get to a campus and know immediately that it was not the place for me and that there may be a moment where I would know for certain that I was standing right where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. That happened at Trinity. It was a grey, cloudy, dreary day and I still found the entire experience to be magical. From the people I encountered to the actual campus, I was hooked.

Fast forward nearly five months and I am in the Orlando Airport with an email on my phone that contains the decision from the Trinity College Admissions Office. I was too nervous to open it in front of my peers who I was with for a high school trip. I decided to wait through the entire plane ride and 40-minute drive home to find out. I opened the email around midnight that night in my bedroom with my whole family right there and burst into tears as soon as I saw the word “Congratulations!” I was so beyond excited for what the next chapter held in store.

At the time, I had no way of knowing just how much those next four years would mean to me, the people I would meet, the experiences I would have, the classes I would take, and the ways in which I would grow from a young 19-year-old girl into a 22-year-old woman. My time at Trinity will go down as some of the happiest years I have yet to experience. I will cherish all of the memories, from late night studying in the library freshman year to the night after graduation staying up to watch the sunrise on the quad with the Class of 2019. 

All of those amazing memories and moments would not have been possible without a few people who I would like to thank (cue Oscar music). 

First off, Mom and Dad. Thank you so much for being my biggest supporters, biggest fans and always having my back through thick and thin. I know I can count on both of you for anything and I am so grateful for that. For going to everyone single one of my soccer games, band concerts, singing concerts, parent/teacher conferences, back to school nights and more. For pushing me to be my best, even if it meant me being upset that I had to take another SAT practice test on a snow day. For instilling in me a set of core values that have guided me and set me up for success in college and beyond. The compassion that you share for others, the enthusiasm to achieve goals, the belief that you should never take yourself too seriously and carry yourself with pride. I love you both and words cannot fully describe how much you mean to me.

Ally. Thank you for being my best friend. For being someone I can confide in about anything and everything and for having the biggest heart of anyone I know. We were close in high school but our time apart from Philly to Hartford to Geneva to Lancaster only strengthened that bond and I am so grateful to be able to say that. You truly are a ray of sunshine and the memories that we’ve made together in the last four years during your visits to Trinity will not be forgotten. 

Blake. Someone who at the beginning of my time at Trinity I would not know I would be thanking. But thank you, for making me realize how much I can love someone, how happy I can be and how great a lazy Sunday with Chinese take-out is. Much of my time at Trinity is punctuated by memories of the two of us, from 6 am talks freshman year outside of Wheaton Hall to many trips to Bartaco, Trinity will always hold a special place in our hearts. I never went to college imagining that I would end up dating a guy from Dallas, Texas for the next four years but meeting you was one of my favorite things that Trinity gave me.

My friends/roommates. Here’s to the crazy nights we all shared and to the more low key wine nights watching the Bachelor. Here’s to Tap Tuesdays, Psi U basement, hockey games, days on the quad, walks to class in the fall or in a blizzard haha and all of the songs that for years to come will teleport me back to our four years together. Only we will know the real emotions behind “Always Remember Us This Way” from A Star is Born. I’ll miss nights when all of us tried to cook dinner at the same time, nights getting ready, and adventures around campus and to West Hartford but I know we’ll be friends for a long, long time. 

So thank you Trinity, for the people you allowed me to meet, the experiences you allowed me to have and the memories you allowed me to share. I am forever grateful.

Acadia /  by Megan Carey

This past weekend, for our fall break, Blake and I drove six hours from Trinity College to Trenton, Maine to spend a few days exploring Acadia National Park and the beautiful colors of fall.

Country Roads, Take Me Home /  by Megan Carey

Before I met Blake, the farthest southwest I had ever been was probably Orlando, Florida—my point, not far at all. Being born and raised on the East Coast you have the privilege of so many places being near each other. I live two hours from New York City, three from Washington D.C. and can reach the ocean in just an hour and a half. My parents both raised my sister and I to adore New England and our summers were spent between the Maine coast and Vermont lakes and mountains. We took trips to Florida occasionally for school to Disney World, Universal Studios or with my family but mainly stayed North of Maryland. 

That all changed October of my sophomore year of college. For my fall break, Blake and I decided to fly to Dallas, so I could finally meet his family and experience a part of the country I had never been to before. I tried okra for the first time, true Texas BBQ, and met his lovely family and dogs. It was the beginning of what would be many firsts over the course of a year that all came about through meeting Blake. In May, after the completion of our sophomore year we packed up the car and drove from Hartford, Connecticut to Destin, Florida. We drove through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and then Florida. We stopped at Auburn University to have lunch with his childhood friend and by the end of the day, we were saying cheers on the beach to a nearly 20-hour drive behind us. At the end of our week stay in Florida we drove from Destin to Dallas. Through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on another 12-hour trip.  

Now over a year later, I am about to do this trip in reverse for the fourth time. Our trips are spent talking about almost any topic you can imagine—stories of growing up, reminiscing on past years at college, to our most recent favorite—listening to crime podcasts and then debating whether or not the convicted committed the crime. I find that some of my favorite memories are with him on those trips, random funny moments at rest stops in the middle of nowhere Virginia, binge-listening to a podcast for hours, blasting "Sweet Home Alabama" as we cross the state line. 

This last trip we took was different than the others–not only did we take a different route, through the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee but a kind of nostalgia was in the air as we drove north. This would be the last time we drove from Florida to Trinity. Our school, the place we met nearly three years ago. A place we have come to love for our friends, the memories and the proximity it is to Chick-Fil-A. We are so lucky to have had such a great experience and education, but I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. One more year of hockey games, of Tap Tuesdays, nights at Psi-U, lazy Sundays with the snow falling outside, one more year until bills become a reality, until we are in the workforce, until we are no longer college students. There's a kind of excitement about the idea of being an adult, being completely independent of our parents, but I know that when the time comes I will quickly realize that I was incredibly lucky to have loved my school and the people I met there so much. For now, enjoy the pictures we took along this last journey from Florida to Hartford.  

Annual Maine Vacation /  by Megan Carey

This past week my family packed up our car and headed north from Philadelphia to Winter Harbor, Maine. Since I was a toddler, my summers have always been marked with a trip Downeast. It is a place of wonder where my little sister and I had the privilege of growing up in every summer.  

After a 12-hour drive, we arrived at the property and unpacked our goods into the cozy cabin that would be our home for the next week. With nearly 2.5 million visitors each year, Acadia National Park is only 35 minutes from the house we stay in, but we tend to avoid the mass of tourists. Our escape is Schoodic Point, which is a part of Acadia National Park that sits off the well-worn path. It is located on the mainland and hooks around Mount Desert Island, so views of Cadillac Mountain and MDI are at every turn. Schoodic is the quintessential representation of the Maine coast, the Atlantic Ocean crashes into the massive slabs of granite that jut out into the 50-degree water. Lobster boats rumble by off the shore with seagulls in tow hoping for giveaways. On sunny days you can see pods of porpoises passing by and the occasion seal head breaking the surface. Eider ducks ride the 'Coke bottle green' waves and Cormorants dive for seafood.  

These photographs show the landscape that I dream of when I'm holed up in the library during finals week in December, the land where I spent every summer growing up and one of America's hidden gems.  

Weekend in NYC /  by Megan Carey

New York City saw its first major heatwave of the summer of 2018 the week of June 30th and I can attest to the fact that 90 degrees in a concrete jungle feels like 110—at least. I was visiting my college friends who are taking classes at NYU for the summer and despite the awful heat, the residents of the Big Apple were still bustling at their normal pace.  

New York always amazes me as its own world. With 8 million people living there, its easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer mass of humanity that you interact with in a single day. People zip along the sidewalks in their own heads, on the way to thousands of destinations. Growing up in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I've always appreciated days spent downtown to see museums, concerts, sporting events, or to enjoy the delicious restaurants, but I always came home to my house with a big backyard, far from the skyscrapers and Billy Penn. For a photographer, New York is a treasure chest of opportunities, as you can imagine, from the diverse architecture, influx of colors and above all–the people. 

That weekend we battled the heat and explored the city and those that call it home—here are some of the highlights.