August and September have always felt like a time of new beginnings to me. I believe it’s because the start of school always brought new clothes, maybe new friends, a new cross country running season. I would always believe that somehow there was growth of sorts over summer break and I’d see what the reward would look like as a new school year began.
Even after many years of school, I still have felt this in the fall and as I look back on this photo from late August 2013, I can reflect on the significance of that particular time.
At the time, this wouldn’t have been obvious to me. It had been a painful few years after a divorce and two moves across the country. However, when this photo was taken, I was back in Albuquerque and I had no idea that within the next week, I would meet Greg. Then a year later around the same time, we would get engaged.
But there is something else in this photo that I didn’t realize until I found it the other day- what I’m wearing. That’s a Trina Turk coverup. I don’t remember the original price of it, but it was something I couldn’t justify buying at the time. I searched and searched online and then waited for the price to drop. The web site where I bought it, a name I don’t remember but it was owned by Gap, no longer exists.
This was the true beginning of Chelle Summer. I just didn’t know it yet.
I saw something I loved, something I wanted to be a part of. But also something I wanted to start creating of my own. I had no idea how to go about it, especially finding the fabric prints, but the seed was planted when I bought this coverup.
I still have it– it’s in the drawer with all the swimwear I have made– because it’s a part of where I am today. And the photo is a reminder of how much more it means.