08/11/2026
I have been pretty quiet on social media this summer. Not because I haven't been behind a camera (can't stop, won't stop -- ever,) but because I’ve been in school working on a completely different skill!�
Last year on one of my frequent drives to Birmingham I pulled up to an accident that had just occurred moments before I came around the bend. Two cars had collided head on and flipped off the road, and the occupants were just crawling out of the vehicle as I ran up. I had two thoughts: "I need to help these people" and "I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to help these people.” I didn't like that second thought. I made eye contact with another woman who was running up and confirmed that she was on the phone with 911. I helped one of the drivers fish his phone out of his upside down, smashed up car, and I prayed for them and thanked God no one was seriously injured. Over the next few months I kept thinking about that second thought -- the "I don't know what to do here" thought. I decided I wanted to learn exactly what to do in that situation, so that I could be the person who shows up when you call 911 instead of just some guy who happens upon an accident and wonders what to do. So this summer I decided to go back to school to get my EMT license! I went in with zero medical knowledge -- I don't think I even took an anatomy class in high school (If I did, I'm sure I slept through the majority of it.) The first few weeks I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I worried I had made a mistake. It felt like my instructor was speaking another language (and technically, medical terms are mostly in Greek and Latin, so he WAS speaking another language.) But I didn’t let it stop me. I spent hours and hours watching videos, taking practice tests, going over protocols and anatomy. I pushed my mind harder than I ever have. If I wasn’t editing photos, I was studying. A lot. And although I was overwhelmed at first, I really grew to love it. It slowly started to come together week by week, bit by bit, until I had all the pieces of the puzzle and could see a clear picture. I ended up passing with one of the highest grades in the class, and last week I took the national registry test for emergency medical technicians and got my license (first try!) I’m pretty proud of it, and I’m happy to say that I know exactly what to do when I pull up to an accident (in an ambulance, now!)�
Here are some photos I’ve taken this summer that made me smile. I am still a full time photographer and look forward to continuing to capture all the special moments for my amazing clients.
