Eek!

Sorry I've been such a blog posting slacker! It's been totally crazy re-adjusting to school life + work! I promise to post a few pictures over the next two days to make up for what I missed. :)

The Playground

The Playground
August 2008

Well, I survived my first day of school as a senior! It was rather uneventful actually. I have 3 study halls in a row {with lunch in the middle} on Wednesdays. Today, to fill up some of that time, Christine and I went outside to recess with the 1st-3rd graders. Of course I made Christine push them on the swings while I took pictures. :)

I took this picture of my cousins {from 2 different sides of the family}, Grant & Carson. They both started first grade and this was their first time having recess. I just thought they were adorable--watching the s on the swings. And they both look so stylin' with their new clothes on. :)

I played up on the cloudy day effect and reduced the color saturation in the photo. It almost gives it a vintage feel--which I love.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the lovely students at RTCS!

Back to School!

School's Out
June 2008

We had our annual "Back-to-School Night" this evening. Very exciting!! It's such a strange and foreign feeling to be so ready and excited to go back, but I am. I'm pumped to have a fantastic senior year. I'm also completely happy about all of my classes this year: AP World Literature, AP European History, Christian Apologetics, Advanced French, Art, Choir, Music Theory, Music Ensemble, Elementary Music Teacher's Aid, Chapel Planning, Senior Project, College Prep., Yearbook, Newspaper, and Gym. Oh man! That sounds like a lot when you actually type it out...eek! Most of the elective classes only meet about once a week though...so I guess it's not too bad. I'm so thankful for all of the musical experience I'm going to get this year. It looks like I'll be spending somewhere around 9 periods a week in the Music room! Yes!! Plus, the fact that I've managed to scrape by with absolutely no science or math classes fills me with joy. :) I really can't wait to start my senior year. I know the Lord has great things planned for me and I'm so excited to see what they are!

I posted this picture today mostly out of irony. I took it on the last day of last school year. The locker room is always a disaster on the last day. This trash can was just randomly sitting in the middle of the room. Decorating my locker is one of my favorite things about the first week--and taking it all down is my least favorite part of the last week. I'm pretty sure this year I'll probably sob the whole time. :)

First Birthday

Birthday Boy
August 2008

Yesterday our family celebrated my cousin Braeden's 1st birthday. Isn't he completely adorable?
They got him his own personal cake and watching him eat it was priceless. But even more hilarious was watching him later--all sugared up. :)

Are you sure this is ok, Mom?

Washing it down with some milk.

And...he's had enough.

Hippie Love

Hippie Love
August 2008

My friends constantly tease me about being a hippie--and I'm completely at peace with that {pun definitely intended.} Sure, I love weird music, tie-dye, my long curly hair, worn out jeans, and hemp jewelry. I found a quote in a magazine that I think describes me really well: "bohemian-modern, with an eclectic flea-market vibe." I'm also pretty sure that my artsy tendencies show through in my work as an aspiring photographer.

When most people think of hippies, they think back to the 60s and 70s--Vietnam, free love, Greenwich Village, peace signs, long hair, etc. From a Christian's stand point, most of these things have negative connotations. The so-called "hippies" of the 60s took Biblical principles and ran with them in a sinful direction. Peace and love are 2 of the top 9 signs that the Holy Spirit is working in a person's life (Gal. 5:22.) What would our world would be like if the Church took as strong a stand for these things as the residents of Greenwich Village did?

So do I consider myself a "hippie"? Am I all about peace & love? You bet. But the kind that only Jesus can bring. :)

Orange

Orange
March 2007

This is one of the flowers I received during my school's production of The Music Man. Our dining room table was seriously covered in vases--I had dozens and dozens of flowers. I especially loved the vibrant and unique color of this one. It stood out to me among the "crowd"of bouquets.

Hands

Hands
August 2008

The hands in this picture belong to my friends, Forrest {David} Williams and Alex DeVore. The Williams family was in Pittsburgh this week to move David into Geneva College (woo!) Alex found out about my love for photography and requested a photo shoot...and of course, I embraced the opportunity. :) I'll probably be posting one or two more pictures of them in the next week or so.

I've decided that I really like taking picture of hands. I seem to gravitate toward them unintentionally (see The Challenge.)

Reflection

Reflection
May 2008

This is one of those pictures where every way you turn it, it still looks cool.

We were outside for youth group one evening, and I noticed the sunlight was providing perfect reflections in the puddles from an earlier storm. My friend, Nate, graciously agreed to be my . :) My favorite thing about this picture is that the clouds are also reflected. It makes his reflection look like he's standing on top of the world or something.