i've been officially welcomed to the blogging world

Five years ago, I:
1. was at byu, living in chandell 885 (with natalie and megan)
2. met sebastiao salgado. changed my life forever
3. was back at school after mandatory medical withdrawal the semester before
4. was completely and utterly stupid about relationships
5. not aware of how much my life would be different in 5 years

Five things on today's "To Do" list:
1. go to choir
2. reorganize the living room
3. get a toy basket for wallace
4. nail down my project titles for their unveiling next week
5. put a nail in the wall to hang our job chart/dinner plan

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. celery with peanut butter and raisins (ants on a log!)
2. mini snickers. my completely guilty pleasure
3. cheese. any kind. on triscuits
4. yogurt with granola and fruit
5. trail mix, the kind my mom makes (sorry adri, i know you have bad memories there)

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Start the non-profit I've been dreaming about for years
2. go to P.E.I (prince edward island)
3. Travel
4. Invest in philanthropy
5. buy a better used car than the mazda

Five places I have lived:
1. Garmisch, Germany
2. DC metro area
3. Orson, PA
4. Kansas
5. North Carolina

Five jobs I have had:
1. office assistant at Lambert Metal Services
2. Photog extraordinare at Independent Lake Camp
3. Server @ Madeline's Steakhouse
4. Loan Officer @ AGFS
5. Current-- Freelance Photographer

i'm tagging Mho & Anna

AWARDS

WELL well well. I got an AWARD. how nice! Thanks Carolyn! If I could regift it, it would be heading your way! I tried to look back and find the original, but I didn't find it, so I revamped the award, hope that is okay. There are some rules to it, apparently, and here they are:

RULES about this little award:
(1) give this to people whose blogs mean something special to you - or give it to the blogs whose persons mean something special to you
(2) leave a comment on their blog so they know they got it
(3) you get to pick the number of times you give it

I picked based on either photographic excellence or great writing. I very much enjoy when things are well written... and when they address more than just the "ho-hum" of the daily drum. Like good testimonies, refreshing blogs are not made of travel-logs, i'm so lucky's, or thank-a-monies (I'll readily admit I am sometimes guilty of this), but are genuinely devot about what they are writing on. Some are able to write about these things in a way that makes you feel like you are experiencing it completely anew, and I do love those... I guess it all depends on who you audience is, but I am just explaining how I picked ones to give awards to. (I didn't pick ones that are private... though there are ones I love very much--leighanna--no one else can experience how awesome they are, so i didn't tease them unnecessarily)

And my picks are:
Kaylene-- I know i passed along some of her goodness the other day, but I have to do it again. She's amazing. gifted writer and completely insightful. currently has no power (TX), so keep her in your prayers. (Lady, sorry I'm hitting you on all sides in the blogging world, I just want you back. haha)
Claire-- a fellow photog who has a great photoblog, but also writes swimmingly on her personal blog (hilarious--breaking glasses--and thought provoking--shower contemplation)
Noelle--the prettiest woman I know, hands down. Quick wit, insanely intelligent, beautifully honest and candid. Loved the recent post about smoking. We never knew each other especially well in college on good ol' 50 east, but, boy, am I regretting that now.
Leslie Krout-- her blog is marvelous in so many way, but I can derive my desire to photograph the things in my daily life from her. Beautiful photographs. She inspires me the most right now. There is a way to be a mom and create art at the same time. (for example, high chair)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
Megan-- has a great heart, and makes me laugh. who knew pharmacist's were secretly comedians? Who Knew?!

so, award away, ladies!

just a quick note...

JIM. I'm so glad you finally proposed to Pam. SO GLAD.

how to have great ideas

From the fuzziness of contemplation come some of our best ideas.--paraphrase from Carr article (July/Aug Atlantic 2008)

so i'm going to rework quiet time into my life. i've been needing to do this. I can't keep hopping out of bed just as i am about to fall asleep because i have had yet another idea. I'm very grateful and excited to work on the ideas i'm having, but dedicating time to it is good. My friend Kaylene always inspires me, and she wrote about not regretting time spent well. Her post pretty much sums up my life since Wallace was born, and NO MORE. I am going to enjoy my family when we are all together instead of sequestering myself into busy work that can be done LATER.

the Elizabethan Report

This band is great. Seriously. I love their music and had a great time photographing a little bit (though I wasn't about to bring my SLR with the crazy idiots that were moshing. More about moshing below). It was nice to get some pictures that I am pretty happy with, considering the circumstances. There was a guy there also photographing... looked like he had a canon, but it was maybe a rebel or something, nothing exciting there.... but the funny thing was, I am pretty sure he was laughing at the camera I was using. And probably thinking that his pictures would definitely be better than the ones I took, cause I could see it in his face (he even HUFFED once when I got my camera out for a shot before he did... so we were, in essence, photographing the same thing)... I didn't care, if you have the photography bug, it doesn't matter what you're using. Also, the band that played before them (Neon Trees?) had some sweeeet music. I had earplugs in during them though (because i was saving up the harm for the glorious sounds of the ER)And Now:

A note about MOSHING---

I have an issue with MOSH PITS. Aren't they only supposed to exist (if at all, and I seriously question THAT!) at multi-band shows or for heavy metal venues? How do you MOSH to the ER? It does not make sense. Not to mention, Provo's main residents are BYU students.. or at least LDS. I do not think my standards are too high to expect priesthood bearers to have it together enough to not smash into girls. Maybe its all that sexual tension? haha. I would think that with the way they were smelling (not good), they would at least want to have some sort of space so girls might still be slightly interested. I think the ER is way too cool to be so completely disrespected... I mean, really, do you have nothing better to do than bruise the people around you? Does their music honestly make you want to do that? HONESTLY?!

sorry for the rant.

To see the entire event and order prints, go here.

I love this

We live in an old place. Our awesome landlord has kept it up amazingly through all these years, and it has almost all of the original hardware. For example, our milkman box. There is a door on the other side (that regrettably doe not open any more), and this opens into our kitchen. We can tell him how much we want of what by using the little dials. There pretty much is not such a thing as a milkman anymore (unless you are blessed enough to be involved with these people). But it is still a marvelous thing. I love this place... and I love it even more after going and looking at other places last week. We are seriously so blessed. Haha.

new header

Fall is officially here, and I'm crazy excited about it. I don't mind that is gloomy outside, I don't mind that it is rainy. I don't mind having to wear jeans and long sleeves. I don't mind at all because I LOVE FALL. Thanks for finally getting here, Fall. As a present from me to you, there are some pumpkins and nice colors up on top as my header. I'm looking forward to photographing your leaves. This month's National Geographic has the most beautiful picture of leaves. It is a color gradient from green to yellow to orange to red, all in leaves, and it is glorious! (but of course, i couldn't find it online... so go buy a copy and be inspired!)