31 things: Camera

As I look back over the years at the many cameras I have owned and the many pictures I have taken I have decided that the memories I have strongest, the stories I remember most are those that have pictures associated. "Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." -Dorothea Lange

At the same time I recognize that constantly taking pictures sometimes gets in the way of actually creating memories.  "It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter." -Alfred Eisenstaedt

If you know me at all, you know I love to take pictures and always have a camera with me.  My Android Galaxy S6 phone is the first cellphone camera I trust in quality.  I have a Canon point and shoot (I have also had many Nikon) that I usually carry around.  I have a Canon Rebel DLSR, a camera I have fantasized about owning since high school and finally bought myself for Christmas last year.

I think that the first time I used my own camera was on a road trip with my family from Utah to Washington DC and back.  I don't remember if it was a point and shoot or disposable.  It was 1997 or '98 I believe so it really could have been either.  It ended up being a good thing that a few of us had camera's because a lot of the film my mom took went wrong and only printed black pictures.  Still is sad as many of those places I will never visit again.

In High School I had my own camera and remember taking it on Choir Tours and to the last day of school.  This is when I finally started to learn the importance of being in some pictures rather than just taking the pictures.  I scrapbooked my Choir Trip my Junior year to San Francisco and realized that in about 100 layouts and thousands of pictures I was only in a couple.

In college Toni and I took so many pictures we had receipts from printing them that were over a yard long.  The beginning of digital cameras was a blessing and a curse for us as we could continually take pictures until we had the perfect shot, but we liked most of the other pictures anyway.

The advent of the Selfie was funny thing to me as we had taken pictures like that for years.  Social Media has changed how people take pictures and why.  I think more people are taking more pictures which is awesome but they are of lower quality which is sad.  That is why I still take my real camera in addition to my cell phone for events.  I still take pictures and I will always want to take more.  The Camera is one of my favorite tools.  "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." -Dorothea Lange

31 things: Memory

The sight of an Aggie license plate while I am driving fills me with pride and happy college memories.
The sound of Blessid Union of Souls takes me back to some of the best people I know our High School memories.
The taste of a McDonalds Egg McMuffin  floods my mind with dark parking lots, long lines with my mom, and  4:00 a.m. Black Friday shopping trip memories.
The smell of roasting corn and burning leaves takes me to driving down a dirt road, smiling kids, and other Kenya memories.

The sight of buildings in Venice gives me with anxiety filled memories
The sound of Phillip Phillips song "Home" reminds me of a sad memory.
The taste of Jalapenos brings back irritating memories.
The smell of coffee reminds me of bad college memories.

Memories are created all of the time and can come back at any given time. Let's make as many good ones as we can.

31 things: 11:25 a.m.

at 11:25 a.m. I am awake.  This only occurs some of the week since I usually work the night shift, but today I am working day shift.

at 11:25 a.m. I am hungry, ready for lunch.

at 11:25 a.m. I am watching my Facebook news feed flood with #ShowMeYourStethoscope and #NursesUnite posts in response to the unthoughtful statements made on the TV show the View about Miss Colorado's talent during the Miss America pageant.

at 11:25 a.m.  Loren and I take a picture to join the flood and show that we are proud to be a nurse.

11:25 a.m. is a little more interesting today than it usually is.

*post originally written on Sept 17th

31 things: Laugh

 

"We are the funniest people we know"

 

We said that a lot in college.  We laughed until we cried frequently.  We laughed about people and circumstances, we laughed to deal with the chaos and stress of school and life, we laughed because we really were pretty funny people.  We were the funniest people we knew. And I still laugh with most of those dear souls today.

 

 

This is the best picture I could find of laughter in college.  I don't even remember what was said, I do remember that it was the end of Spring semester in 2004 and the boys next door were our everything.  We have grown apart for so many reasons over the years but I am grateful for the times and laughter we did share.                  

31 Things: Home

"Home is the nicest word there is."  -Laura Ingalls Wilder

Bits of my self feel most at home in the busy streets of NYC, in the loud school yard in Cambodia, in the quiet solitude in the Temple, in the spot where the sagebrush grows.

I just purchased my first house.  It is an exciting and daunting proposition to make it my own but I am excited by the process.  Painting, cleaning, organizing, decorating, this is how I spend my time now, trying to make a house into a home. I want to create a place of safety, of warmth, a place full of treasures and wonder.

I have named my house Grimmauld Place after Sirius Black's home in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  We call my parent's house the Burrow (the Weasley's house throughout the series) and I find it a fitting name. 

"Our homes should inspire us to go out into the world and do great things and then welcome us back for refreshment." 

-Melissa Michaels

31 things: Makeup.

...at some point I will finally recognize that I am too old for shine.  but today is not that day... 

I don't wear a lot of makeup.  I own a lot of makeup but every day I throw on my mascara, a bit of blush, a bit of cream eye shadow for the shine, and move on my way.  I am allergic to most lipsticks, I am terrible at eyeliner.  I break out of I wear too much foundation, so the older I have gotten the more basic I have become.  But every day a little mascara, a little color, and a little shine.

Sephora once ran an ad that said:

 

photo via.

glitter and shine on my friends.



31 Things: Dreams

Daydream believer.  

I rarely remember my dreams at night.  

But I am a daydream believer.

I have an active imagination.  

Daydream believer.

I imagine every possible scenario before a situation occurs. 

Sometimes this is a blessing, sometimes a curse.  

I am still a daydream believer.

My daydreams are full of people I love, things I want, places to explore, and the promise of possibility.  

Daydream believing.

You once thought of me
As a white knight on a steed.
Now you know how happy I can be.
Oh, and our good times start and end
Without dollar one to spend.
But how much, baby, do we really need.
Cheer up, sleepy jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer

-Monkees

31 things: The most important thing.

The most important thing in this life is our relationships.  Our relationships with our family, with ourselves, with God.  How we choose to interact, to love...these are things that matter.  I have decided in my life that all relationships matter, they all have some purpose whether good or bad.  Cultivating good relationships and weeding out the bad are important tasks we each need to complete.  Our relationships influence every aspect and dimension of our lives.  We should strive to care for them more than we do.

This photo is from a FUN concert I attended with Toni, Brittney, and Laura.  I know and love these people from totally different situations and for many different reasons.  All are awesome relationships I am happy I have, and it was fun mashing them all together.

31 things: Drink

As a Mormon I choose not to drink coffee and alcohol.  I don't like the smell of either so it has never been a hard choice anyway.  I am an ice water girl a majority of the time.  I hate milk unless it is chocolate.  I only like orange juice when I am sick.  I love Dr. Pepper and vanilla coke.

Fall is upon us though and it is time to drive to Starbucks for a Caramel Apple Spice.  This drink represents my favorite time of year, the crunch of leaves, and the excitement of new beginnings.  I am not only warmed physically when I drink it but it comforts and warms me emotionally as well.

The story of this picture:  One November Toni and I took a bus from New York City, where Toni was living, to Washington DC to visit our friend Mike.  As soon as we got off the bus we needed a little pick-me-up/warm-me-up and I grabbed my first ever Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks.  With our suitcases in hand we walked from Starbucks to the White House where we were going to meet Mike who was working as a presidential speech writer for President George W. Bush. There was something so amusing about that scene that we had to stop and take a picture.  

31 things: She Says.

I find myself saying...a lot.

For the love.

Oh my hell.

Why in the world?!

For reals.


I recently texted...

Life would be easier if it was all to the point.

That guy that hugged that ref though...

By the power of grey-skull.


I recently hashtagged...

#pippindobby
#forcefriday
#breakfastfoodisthebestfood
#itsnotcrazyitsgameday
#backtohogwarts
#mygrimmauldplace
#nomnomnom

31 Things: Color

Pantone #539 C is the color of Aggie Blue.

I love this color.  I love how it looks, I love that I immediately associate it with some of the happiest moments in my life.  I love that I get to wear it everyday to work since the RN scrubs are navy blue. I love that the New York Yankees and the Seattle Seahawks have some navy blue in their coloring.  I love to decorate with it and wear it. My heart bleeds Aggie Blue and I am totally okay with that.

It was hard to choose one photo because I have thousands, not exaggerating of myself in Aggie Blue.  This is from the last year at a Utah State football game.

31 Things: Passion

I am taking Ali Edwards class 31 More Things right now, but haven't been able to post as my internet has been super unreliable since I moved into my new house.  Now that it is fixed (crossing fingers) I wanted to keep track of the journaling prompts here, since I don't know when my scrapbook room will be unpacked enough to put the actual album together.

The first prompt is:  Passion.

What am I passionate about?  I have been passionate about a lot of things: Humanitarian work, my Utah State Aggies, Harry Potter, Marvel superheroes, Broadway musicals, and throwing movie premier parties. I adore food, creating, good conversations, people in love, serendipity, when the perfect song comes on the radio, and the beauty of nature.  Kittens make me happy, boys make me laugh, nursing makes me fulfilled but exhausted.  It is difficult to describe something that puts a smile on your face, even a smile on your soul.  I have many things that make my heart happy.

One of the major things I am most passionate about right now is also one of the most trivial things but it puts a smile on my face:  Nerdy pop culture.  I love going to comic con, seeing people so excited over this fandom or another, even if I don't care about it. Being a part of a world wide fandom, meeting those who bring characters to life and are as excited about it as we are is a lot of fun.  I enjoy watching and reading as universes come together and everything is connected. Discussing theories and having them validated by the original source like Stan Lee and J.K. Rowling. It is a lot of fun and I have developed a passion for it, as it makes my soul smile.

My first day of my first Comic Con with the first nerdy thing I ever liked...Star Wars.