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KERSTEN OPAL

@kerstennopal

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excuse the mess— ✮
canada ⇔ australia
adhd af millennial just romanticizing the chaos

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Bali, you’ve done it again.

It has always been my happy place. The place that somehow makes me slow down, breathe a little deeper and remember what actually matters. But I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way again.
Because Bali is no longer just the place I go to reset. It’s become part of our family story and the backdrop to so many memories already and now, the place where we had the best day of our lives.

I don’t think I realised at the time just how much I was carrying.
The stress of moving back to Australia, the grief of leaving behind the people and places that made Canada home. The reality of living on the other side of the world from my family and trying to process the loss of Taya while simultaneously celebrating one of the happiest moments of my life.

It felt confusing to hold so much grief and so much happiness in the same hands.

But maybe that’s what this chapter was trying to teach me.
That life doesn’t have to be one emotion at a time.
You can miss people and still be grateful.
You can grieve and still laugh until your stomach hurts.
You can be terrified of what’s next and unbelievably excited for it at the same time.

There will always be pieces of the life we left behind that I miss. People I wish were here. Moments I wish I could freeze forever. But I’m learning that moving forward doesn’t mean leaving those things behind, but that you can carry them with you forever. by @kerstennopal

Did you even go to Nusa Lembongan if you didn’t snorkel? Perfect day, no notes and nothing to report aside from the fact that my husband can’t float by @kerstennopal

Kidding, I still do this by @kerstennopal

There’s something about being somewhere beautiful that makes you realize just how often you’re somewhere else entirely.

Physically there, mentally three steps ahead.
Thinking about what needs to happen next.
What could go wrong.
What you should be doing.
What you haven’t done yet.
Whether you’re doing it all “right.”

And somewhere along the way, you forget that this is the part you were waiting for.
The slow mornings.
The nowhere-to-be afternoons.
The Aperol that takes two hours to finish (or two minutes).
The conversations that don’t need an ending.
The person sitting beside you who you love more than anything. This chapter of my life held so much change, grief, excitement, uncertainty and pressure all at once. And maybe that’s why slowing down felt so uncomfortable. Because when life is moving this quickly, you convince yourself you need to keep moving with it.
But I’m learning that sometimes the most important thing you can do is absolutely nothing.

Stop trying to perfect it.
Stop thinking about what comes next.
Just sit there.
Let yourself actually be in your life while it’s happening. by @kerstennopal

The goal was to bottle up a memory, and I fear we nailed it by @kerstennopal

Life can move so quickly at times and the anticipation of all these new changes coming as quickly as they were caused a wild amount of anxiety and my brain could not handle it.

If this year taught me anything, it’s to forever be present and soak up each moment. From the mundane phases of life to the moments you want to capture in a glass jar and keep on the top shelf. Being present becomes a struggle when unattainable high standards are made, people pleasing tendencies kick in and you catch yourself forever chasing perfectionism.

If there’s ever been a moment in life to hit the pause button, this would be mine. by @kerstennopal

A love letter to my favourite person 🫶🏻 by @kerstennopal

From the customised wedding scent workshop, the pamper-filled mornings, cocktails by the pool, golden hour sunsets and absolutely lapping up every second of the bride-to-be era…

I was also forgetting my wedding dress in multiple locations, losing bank cards, missing appointments, avoiding my phone and having a panic attack every other moment.

Is this what they mean by balance?

Because as much as this chapter was like a dream, there were moments that questioned my sanity.

There was excitement and overwhelm.
Gratitude and anxiety.
Magic and complete fucking chaos.

And funny enough, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because one can’t really exist without the other. The highs feel higher because you’ve known the lows. The beautiful moments feel more beautiful because you know how quickly life can feel messy.

Glad I get to do messy with my person ✨ by @kerstennopal

The moment I’ve been dreaming of. How does one bottle up this feeling and keep it forever by @kerstennopal

When you realize the wedding day is not only to celebrate the bride and groom, but to celebrate those who have seen you through many phases of life and stood by your side every step of the way.

Cheers to the world’s best bridal party, best friends turned family and most adored siblings we couldn’t live without. 🤍✨ by @kerstennopal

Here’s to forever 🤍☁️

wishing we could relive this day over and over again

biggest thank you’s to our family and friends for sharing so many incredible moments together and to the amazing team who made our dream wedding a reality by @kerstennopal

❤️‍🔥 Best day of our lives | 14.04.26 | 4:41pm ❤️‍🔥 by @kerstennopal