Kyle Hepp

December 19, 2009

I’m sitting here editing photos on a Saturday night. I have three sessions and a wedding in the queue. Before you feel bad for me, remember, I can take a weekend pretty much anytime I want aside from actual weekends. And I wouldn’t be working right if I didn’t enjoy it. Never pity someone with a glass of champagne in her hand — that’s all I’m saying.

The new computer we bought this week, an iMac, is ridiculously fast compared to any of the computers we’ve ever used before. I just edited a session in record time and I’m wondering why we hadn’t bought one of these monsters before. I’m seriously about to add hours to my life because of time that I won’t have to spend on the computer waiting for Photoshop to run. Happiness. So far though, all I’ve really done with the extra hours of my life is to spend way too much time thinking — always dangerous.

I’ve been a little down since we got back to Chile, not because of anything the country’s done to me in particular — it’s been a while since I got run over or assaulted or anything so I’m pretty good on that front — but just because ever since this family emergency I’ve been thinking maybe we should move back to the States. My parents might think they’re still spring chickens, but they’re not. Sorry, Mom. While it is true that you have freakishly tight skin, you’ve been alive for FIVE DECADES!!!!

While I’m not a particularly sentimental person, if I’m anything, it’s practical. Of course I really miss my Mom and Dad, but that alone isn’t enough to make me move to the U.S. — obviously. But, living near your relatives is practical. You can be anywhere in a matter of hours when you’re in the same country rather than a matter of days, which is what happens when you’re in another continent. However, if we’re in the U.S. then it’s not practical for us to be able to get to Seba’s family quickly. And, believe it or not, they’ve been alive for even more decades than my own Mom and Dad. Fortunately, we’ve had the opportunity to go back to Michigan and Florida quite often for work, so right now this arrangement makes sense. Hopefully we’ll continue booking weddings in the Miami and/or Chicago area to enable us to continue being able to see family regularly. But, really, there’s nothing like big, bad, health problems to change your perspective on well, pretty much everything.

The other option would be to convince the Hepp family to begin immigrating to Santiago. Instead of coming over on the Mayflower, they’d get here on Lan flight LA 500 and instead of celebrating Thanksgiving, we’d start a new tradition called Dieci-och-giving where we’d eat delicious turkey-mashed-potato-empanadas. If only.

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December 18, 2009

A lot of other bloggers have done this and I’ve really enjoyed going back and reading some of what they think are their best posts. I did this a little differently. I don’t necessarily know that these are my bests posts, but they’re the ones I had the best time writing, that I think are the most interesting or thought provoking or funny, divided into Chile-related and non. My favorite post of the year is the very last link.

Non-Chile related:

• Love, Loss and What I Wore, Part I and Part II — something a little out of the ordinary for this blog. Some of it is Chile related, but not all. I talk about what I wore during lots of the major events of my life, a walk through nostalgia, if you will.
  
• Seba’s Guest Post — a glimpse into my crazy husband’s head.
  
• Visiting Dachau in Germany — Aside from Anne Frank’s house, this was the part of our big trip to Europe that had the most impact on me.
• Couple’s boudoir photography — this was my favorite photography session all year. Not because I’m a perv, but just because it was really a challenge.
• My friends’ happy love story – My friends from elementary school got engaged. It made me happy!
• I’m still amazed that I wrote one day wondering about the person that was showing up in my statcounter from Moscow, Russia. And then she delurked! It was awesome!

Chile related:

• The difference in flights in Chile and in the U.S. — which basically just sums up huge cultural differences between the two countries.
  
• My accident — that one came to you live from intensive care after I got hit by a car. I have no recollection of writing this post. Not the best read, I suppose, but this was certainly the biggest life changing event I had this year.
• Different Types of Gringas in Chile — judging by the comments I don’t think I forgot too many different types. Lots of people identified themselves in there.
  
• The Great Expat Dilemma — why I don’t understand how some people want to only be friends with Chileans and no foreigners or vice versa.
• Chileans on an Individual Level v. Chilean Society – trying to figure out Chilean crankiness. Ok, that’s an understatement. Just read the post.
• My own joke about Chilean cows and economics – so many people added their own jokes in the comments, that I was rolling on the floor by the time I had read them all.
  
• Trying to put my finger on an exact definition of the Chilenismos, “cuico,” and “flaite.”
• My definition of what Chile is to me. The only thing I would change about those words is that Chile is much more mine now than it ever was.

And my number one post of the year goes to: Top 5 Reasons for Living in Chile I wrote it in a ridiculously sarcastic mood, and clearly, received a number of hate mails regarding that particular post, but I still think it’s funny.

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December 17, 2009

Seba’s aunt found this dog and I love her. She’s so stinking cute and friendly. I want to keep her but I know it’s not really feasible to keep adopting random animals off the street when we travel so much and don’t even have a home to call our own. Seba’s mom has a possible home for her, but if that falls through — anyone want her?

On another note, we have a busy weekend coming up, photo shoots every day so after this there may be a few photography related posts in a row. I’m just warning those of you who only read for the words and not the pictures

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