Hi everyone,

So a lot has happened since I last blogged, I got married June 6th (YAY!) and next Tuesday, I’m moving back to Chicago, which I’m super excited about! I can’t say I’m excited for the actual moving (5 hour drive with a car packed with boxes…) but I have missed the bustle of the city and my city friends for a long time now, and it’s time to get back! I have a whole series of blogs coming up soon, and hope to get them up before I go, but no promises! Before I show you what I’ve been up to, here are a couple shots from MY own wedding, photographed by Lisa from Real Life Weddings in Chicago.

Our main photographer, Karra, shot all kinds of black & white film – panoramic, medium format, 35mm… we are still waiting for them anxiously!

It’s been nearly two months since I’ve blogged. It’s hard to believe how time can fly when you get busy. I’ve had RA training, move-ins, wedding planning is underway, and now school has started. Over the past few months I’ve gotten to feel as if I’m missing out on something. Like I’m not pushing myself as hard as I should be in this field. Tonight in my first Photojournalism I class with John White, a photojournalist at the Chicago Sun-Times, I came to the conclusion that it’s time now to start kicking myself into action. No more lazy days with the camera sitting on the shelf. No more memory cards and film stashed away being unused. No more lens caps. If I am going to be a great photographer, I need to be constantly shooting pictures.

New shot: All I shot today was during class, when my teacher was challenging us to be quick with our reflexes and with the shutter, we were required to shoot exactly when his hands clapped, which is quite difficult when you teacher fakes you out 9/10ths of the time. I caught him twice, out of 45 shots.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some old pictures from late June, Holly’s senior shots:

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah… are you singing it in your head? I know I am.

I am finished with my first year of college and I’m back at home in Iowa!

Well, actually I’m sitting in Panera bread to take advantage of the amazing bagels and free wireless internet. But it’s still home.

My days, though much less stressful than during finals week, are still pretty busy:

Job searching. I had an interview with Karmen (a wonderful Waverly photographer) today, and she is going to give me a day or two per week working/shadowing her and her assistant. I am definitely thanking God for this, because Karmen wasn’t even looking for someone. She doesn’t need someone. But out of the goodness of her heart, she is giving me a small job. I cannot wait. I also have a second interview at Home Depot on Friday, and hopefully they will hire me for 30 hours a week or so. Need to make some money, people!

Sorting/unpacking/repacking. I’m trying to go through all the stuff that I brought back from college. I had WAY too much stuff. Seriously. My parents brought their beautiful 2005 Honda Pilot to pick me up, and with my futon and television, all my clothes, and odds and ends, we couldn’t fit it all. Josiah had loaded his stuff into my car and we had to sandwich as much of the rest of my stuff in there as possible. We got it all in… “easily” as I told Josiah (what a joke. More like “barely”.) Needless to say, I was the designated “blind-spot-checker” for my love. So my room is totally loaded with stuff that I’m putting in plastic containers for next fall. Yay. Can’t wait. Thank goodness I have two and a half months before I have to move it back. Ugh.

Sleeping. I think all those late nights have begun catching up with me. I could probably sleep 20 hours straight for the next week before feeling energized. Oh well, such is life. Can I include that as part of my busy schedule? It does consume hours and hours of my life.

Next post, which I’ll probably post yet today, will be some pictures from my final photography project. Maybe some of my drawings will be posted soon as well.

GLAD TO BE BACK!!!

I first off want to apologize for my blogging… or lack therof I guess. But I did warn beforehand that with school starting up again this semester that the continual blogging would diminish. That being said, I would have to admit I have really missed blogging and reading everyone else’s blogs.

I went home this past weekend to smalltown, Iowa. I was supposed to leave Thursday afternoon since I don’t have classes on Fridays, but the huge snowstorm kept me inside. It snowed a lot in Iowa, but the storm must have shifted, because we pretty much just got lots of rain. (I’m not a snow person, so I am not complaining.) So I made the usually-5-hour-drive on Friday instead, and finally understood this “cold” the Iowans were complaining about. It was so bitter cold. When I called Josiah from Iowa and told him it was -7 degrees that evening, he told me that Chicago was still pretty nice, in the 20s/30s still.

Of all the things I planned to do while at home, I accomplished relatively little.

Original plan:
shoot 4-5 rolls of film, including 2 rolls of portraits; get my federal and state taxes done and my FAFSA started; spend the night with Haleigh Saturday and go to church with her Sunday; have a relaxing weekend at home; get my sketchbook assignment done for drawing class. Ambitious huh?

Here’s what actually happened:

Babysat Bill & Nat’s kids and failed to use that opportunity to take pictures. And to do my sketches. I had hours. But I just chilled while the kids slept. At least I got to see the kids and Bill and Nat and my good friend Megs. I did relax though, overnight got to use the marvelous sleep number bed. My sleep number is 25. Or was for that night, anyway.

Shopped at Goodwill with Mom. I don’t think she fully understood that I take hours to shop there because I try a million things on out of hope for a steal. She had wanted to go so that she could look at all the house stuff like cups/dishes/etc. I bought 7 awesome skirts and two short dresses to wear over jeans. I was pleased. But we were there for probably 2-1/2 hours at least.

Went to dinner with the fam, got to ride in the new family vehicle. Wow, we have never owned something so nice. Good job, Dad. I’m impressed. Leather interior and everything. We ate at Pizza Hut, which was fun, I still get my employee discount because I’m technically still on the payroll. (I never officially quit, I may work there some in the summer.)

Tried to do taxes, but Dad had chores after dinner and I was so tired, I gave up before he could really help me. I went to bed, my federal taxes are maybe half done. Haven’t even touched Iowa taxes, and I may have to file in Illinois also, I haven’t figured it out for sure yet. And FAFSA? Ugh. Not now. Maybe next weekend.

Drove to Ames Sunday morning, saw Haleigh, went to church. Had a great time, ate a good and cheap lunch, shopped at Target. Proved my theory that if I go into Target for 3 things, I will always find more that I “need” and end up spending $50 or more.

Drove back to Chicago. It was the longest drive of my life, I felt. Highway 80 is quite… non-exciting. I had real issues with trying to find a good place to fuel up and use the restroom, the places I pulled off ended up being either way out-of-the-way or closed. Let me tell you, when I saw my Chicago skyline, I got very excited, and got that feeling of, “thank God, I’m home” that I would normally get coming back to Iowa. I love being at home in Iowa, but there’s something about this city that feels so familiar, so comfortable to me. But sometimes I feel as if I don’t fully belong in Waverly or in Chicago. I think a part of me has to have both to feel satisfied.

Pepper spray in my pocket, and boyfriend 15 minutes away again, I am at ease.