SNap.

Sitting here, getting so excited and ready for this class, for college, for pictures in new places... I thought of this picture, one of my dear friends. It's pertinent to this class - photography - as well as the feelings I have right now. Missing my friends that are gone, anxious to meet new ones, looking beyond, trying to focus. 

Let Down Your Hair!

Camera shot! Didn't turn out too bad, eh? 

A little about me - I LOVE love LoVE Disney princesses. Well, Disney in general, but the classics the best! The movies, the princesses (Belle is my absolute favorite!), the amusement parks, you name it, I'm lovin it. So that they are coming out with a new somewhat "princess-y" movie gets me SO very excited!! I love the animation. And the sappy-romantic-over-played story line of boy meets girl and they go through some difficulties and then fall in love by the end.... Something about it just makes me happy, like peanut butter and Harry Potter. It's a little quirk about me that you just have to just know, like the fact that I am only five feet tall. It's just part of me, and this picture helps to describe it. Most people would walk on by in the movie theatre without a second look. I (having already seen the trailer multiple times on youtube) know the upcoming movie, take a picture and use it on my blog. Yep, that's me! 

Double.Take.

Accidentally shot as I walked down my road today, this shot turned out differently than I expected. Double-take for sure after I uploaded it. It caught my eye not only because of the motion it captured, but the images I could pull from it. It looks as if I could be running, skipping, jumping. The road could be anything, shooting stars (yes, I am now imagining myself running on the skY!), a piece of art, a concrete floor, a blanket. This is my life right now - it's open for the taking. I am so ready to do things that make my heart do a double-take, make me push the boundaries and skip through the sky. I also picture myself running towards something in this picture, towards a new beginning and place. This photo reflects my mood and my day, the dim subdued colors of rain and grayness. I am somewhat behind other friends already busy with college, so this could also be me running towards that new future. 

SpuNK.

As I was explaining yesterday, my sister and I are very close. The best of friends. So, the idea of me leaving in exactly one week from today weighs heavily on both of us. Knowing that Rachel's first game of the season (today) would be the only one I could see all year, of course I signed up for the two hour car ride and craziness involved with every soccer outing. I love it all - the screaming fans, the parents freaking out that their darling little girls (who definitely aren't darling out on the field and who are now seniors in high school) will get hurt, the drama/politics that come with every school sport. But most of all, I love watching my sister play and being there for her. I've done it since I can remember, when we both were running around on the field thinking only of the oranges at halftime. We are partners in crime in everything we do, whether it is side by side or with one of us on the sidelines cheering the other on. Rachel is my hero and one can see from this shot how awesome she must be. She goes into life with full force, getting after that ball like it's the only thing that matters in the world. That's how I want to go into college, into this new journey. With the spirit and spunk (do you see that ponytail!?) that my little sister has. May both of our lives, together or from the sidelines, be full of that love and fun spirit we both have, especially when we're together. <3

Down the Town.

I am starting to realize how with each CliCk I make, each day that goes by, I get closer to college but farther from those I know and love. Yes, I cannot wait to get there - I'm honestly afraid of hurting my family's feelings because I'm so excited - but I do know I will miss them all dearly. Above all my sister, Rachel. Today we were able to spend some quality time together, just giggling and goofing off and shopping, a favorite past time for both of us. Our downtown has this special aura that just makes me love my hometown more than any place on earth. Everyone smiles, walks by and says hi while looking you in the eye, it just has this feeling of comfort for me. This shot was taken with that comfort in mind as well as an appreciation for where I live. The cute boutiques (pictured is the most adorable kids clothing store ever) with their unique storefronts just make the tasteful buildings complete. Just like time with my sister completes me, a walk down Main Street fills me up. And the two combined is just a blast! I take these everyday activities for granted, so it was nice to CliCk them today and appreciate them. 

Side By Side

Okay, this is not an everyday sight so I decided to cliCK it. I have these fake wooden deer in my front yard, meant to add to the scenery of our landscaping, I guess. Ever since my mom brought them home and put them on the porch, I was confused to why we needed them. For me, the endless trains of LiVE deer that pass through our yard everyday suffice, and are much more beautiful. 

But the other night as I was running through my house I glanced outside and saw this scene. And I was just stoked. The live deer among the fake ones. What could be more contradicting yet complimenting? I stealthily ran up to my room to grab my camera and sneak a picture from the upstairs windows - I didn't want to scare the real one away! (I wasn't too worried about the others) What wasn't captured in this shot though was the live deer's fawn hanging around, too. Memorable moment, for sure.

From Japan, With Love

So I first must admit that this picture is not at all my favorite. I took it only because a young girl who touches my heart would not leave me alone until I did. But taking a second look at it later on my phone, I realized how cool it actually is. Both because of its content and its little kid style. Jhazmin, who's name you can read at the top, lives in Japan. She speaks and understands both English (because of her American mother) and Japanese (since she's lived there for the majority of her seven-year-old life). On top of that, she can understand some and speak a few phrases of Urdu, her Pakistani father's language. I, being an absolute language fanatic ever since my semester abroad, am always newly fascinated with these cultural family friends we have. We were lucky enough to spend a few days with them during their American summer trip to Montana and Wyoming. Here pictured is Jhazmin's depiction of herself and "decorations" around her, a friend my age and her own drawing, and mine - trying to be witty with the Hannah banana picture. Next to each of our sketches are our names scribbled in Japanese by this giddy little girl. I love the different cultures represented, Elise drew a cobber corn to represent Concordia College where she's off to in two days. The Japanese symbols, english, bananas, stars.... it's all so eclectic and different. The coloring of the photo seems little kiddish and somewhat distorted, which is fitting for a sketch that would not fit perfectly within any one category. Oh the people you'll meet around the world and within your own home town!