Storytime | Olympic National Park

Rob and I have an external hard drive full of our adventure videos. From our very first road trip where he proposed, to the mountains of Peru. We have documented moments that make me laugh, cry, and excited about what we'll do next. I enjoy creating montages for us to watch now and years into the future. When I sit down to edit a video, I get lost in the process of telling the story. Storytelling is something I became interested in during my sophomore year at Southwest Minnesota State University when I met Dr. Richard Herder. He often discussed the power of storytelling in corporate protest movements, immigration policy, and much more. I was inspired by this creative approach to inform others of these pressing issues. The idea of storytelling became personal when my class had a professional storyteller speak to us about telling our own stories. She also opened my eyes to the importance of hearing other people's stories to connect, understand, and grow.

The type of storytelling I present in our adventure vlogs is just for fun. I used to think I didn't have a core message in these videos because it isn't as important as let's say, immigration policy, but it doesn't have to be. It can be fun. Going through video clips from our adventures together, I have decided that our message is to get outside, enjoy both the simplicity and grandeur in nature, and permit yourself to feel like a kid again.

The video I'm sharing today is whimsical and childlike. Rob and I found our imaginations running free in the ancient groves of Olympic National Park and poking around the tide pools at Salt Creek Recreation Area. I also think sleep deprivation had a hand in our behavior this day. We were coming down from the excitement of a family wedding, woke up a 4 am, I made terribly weak french press coffee, and we drove 2.5 hours in morning traffic from Seattle to the park. We didn't get back to our Airbnb and in bed until almost 2 am. It was worth it. Posting this video makes me feel quite vulnerable because it shows a side of me that comes out when I'm with my husband. But when I think about it, I am truly unabashed in this video, so I think it belongs here.

The unabashed storyteller,

Anna