Life...or a reasonable facsimile thereof

366: Week 4

2012-01-29T11:13:00.003-07:00

22/366

January 22: Self Portrait. That's me on the right.

23/366

January 23: S'mores on a stick.

Here's the recipe: Take one tooth pick, skewer a marshmallow, dip it in melted chocolate, roll it in graham cracker crumbs.

Eat.

One.

It's pretty hearty.

24/366

January 24: Yes, this week I took pictures of toys. My toys.

These are my Mulder and Scully action figures (they're NOT dolls! -- that would be my Ken and Barbie as Mulder and Scully...)

The X-Files was a show specifically designed for me -- the weird and the unexplained are right up my alley (whenever I go to the library, the first place I head is the 000-100 section -- that's where all the weird subjects are), and at it's peak, was one of the best shows on television. But, by the end of the run, it was pretty ridiculous -- and the last movie is unspeakably bad.

The truth is out there.

25/366

January 25: Bokeh is a Japanese term referring to the quality of the out of focus portion of a photograph. The art of the blur, for lack of a better term.

I shoot a lot of zoomed in pictures, which results in a lot of blurry backgrounds, but this was the first time I intentionally tried to incorporate the blurred background as an essential part of the picture itself.

I kind of like the effect.

26/366

January 26: In fact, I had so much fun, I tried it again the next night. Can you tell who my mystery guest is?

27/366

January 27: Chuck vs. The Goodbye

Chuck is one of my favorite shows, and tonight they aired the final episode. The show had it all -- action, a LOT of humor, and heartbreaking sincerity. I freely admit I can get pretty sappy at times (I choked up several times in the recent Muppet movie), but I make no apologies.

Every episode of the five year run of this show was good. Not many shows have that kind of record.

28/366

January 28: So, I stole this idea from the internet, but it looked like so much fun I just had to try it.

I am very pleased with the way these pictures turned out (I have several others), and it gave me some great ideas for some other pictures -- stay tuned!

It just occurred to me that this week is full of pop culture touchstones from my life -- that was completely accidental.

That usually means something has tickled my nostalgia bone.

366: Week 3

2012-01-22T17:05:00.002-07:00

15/366

January 15: This is my nephew Ethan, he's the next advancement in human evolution...how else do you explain that enormous cranium, except that it contains an enormous brain?

16/366

January 16: In the Salt Lake Valley, during the winter, we often have what is called a temperature inversion, which is when a strong high pressure moves in, and holds the cold air down in the valley, making it actually warmer at the ski slopes than it is on the valley floor.

It also holds the smog in the valley, making for air so thick you can chew it ... and pictures like this.

17/366

January 17: Throw me the idol, I throw you the whip!

Turns out I already have both...

And the hat...

And the jacket...

And the shirt...

And the Head Piece to the Staff of Ra...

18/366

January 18: Self Portrait

What can you tell me about myself, from this photo?

19/366

January 19: My Emma June. This is a typical Emma smile -- sly and subtle, like she knows something that you don't.

Because she does.

20/366

January 20: Jordan got her first cell phone on Christmas. She dropped it in a puddle less than a month later. It's not really her fault, you see my family is cursed. It's not like we have had a lot of puddles around, it's just that there is a universal decree that if there is a small puddle, about the size and depth of a cell phone, a Thornblad MUST drop their phone into that puddle.

If you've ever wondered if burying a wet cell phone in a bowl of rice to suck out the moisture works, I'm here to tell you that two days later, it's as good as new.

21/366

January 21: Snow finally fell on Salt Lake today. It was really wet and sloppy -- like living in a great big, white Slurpee.

366: Week 2

2012-01-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

8/366

January 8: Here is this week's self portrait. It's a "C" chord. Chris starts with "C." And so does cookie.

I taught myself to play the piano several years ago, and it all started with the "C" -- it's the only note I can identify by sound.

9/366

January 9: Sean and Gus, the Psych Bobble Heads -- you know dat's right!

If you grew up in the 1980's and you don't watch Psych, you're missing out on the funniest show on television.

Seriously, what's wrong with you?

10/366

January 10: Fire and Ice.

And chain link.

One of the things I love about this project is how it opens my eyes to the world around me -- especially in the winter, when daylight is scarce. I see light and lines and shapes in places that I would normally pass them by. I saw this little chunk of ice hanging on a fence at work and, yes, I stopped everything I was doing, grabbed the camera from my car, and spent five minutes exploring the scene.

Hey! This isn't the Employee of the Month Project.

11/366

January 11: I swear, there was nothing important happening in FRONT of my car. This is what happens if I don't take pictures at work in January -- I'm limited to shooting out the window on the commute or taking pictures on my kitchen counter.

Both of which are in evidence this week.

12/366

January 12: We're going to Disneyland in October, for my (cough, cough) fortieth birthday, and we started planning this week. I love Disneyland. I want to marry it.

Actually, I need to pace myself, because I am fully capable of going right off the rails with enthusiasm.

Hold me back.

13/366

January 13: The thirteenth day of the year seems a little early (and desperate) to be taking pictures of the backyard fence already...but look at those lines... they were calling to me.

"Chris...." said the fence, "Chriiiiiiissssssss....look at my pretty, straight lines...look at the nail pattern...and when are you going to stain me...?"

14/366

January 14: You know what I love most about this picture? It's not the sunburst. It's not the silhouetted conifer. It's not even the subtle lighting on the mountain peak...it's the OBVIOUS dust spots on my camera's sensor!

Sheesh.

Bonus

Pam, over at No-Ordinary Life, and who's heading up the Facebook portion of the 366 Project this year, challenged us this week to "Look Up." Here's my contribution: Mr. Fredricksen's house, from the movie "Up."

It's authentic, inside and out.

So there :)

366: Week 1

2012-01-07T20:44:00.001-07:00

1/366

January 1: A new year and a new beginning.

In 2009, I took a picture (almost) every day, for the entire year. It was quite a year -- my wife was diagnosed with cancer, we went to Disneyland, and I lost my job. It was as tedious as it was rewarding. By December 31, of that year I was ready for a break -- and then some friends talked me into doing it again. So...in 2010, I took a picture (almost) every day, for the entire year. Again. By the end of 2010, I was done. I put the camera down for almost six months. I lost myself in the beauty of life, without feeling compelled to document it.

It was liberating.

But, by the end of 2011, I found that I was ready to start looking for moments again. The first moment I wanted to see through my lens was sunrise on New Year's Day.

2/366

January 2: We went to the Clark Planetarium, and everyone got mood rings (go figure). Blue/green indicates that my teenage daughter is relaxed.

Evidently she was asleep.

3/366

January 3: The First Dance.

4/366

January 4: Spending my last day of Christmas Vacation shooting a wedding, necessitated my calling in sick my first day back to work.

I spell relief N-Y-Q-U-I-L

5/366

January 5: And so it begins. This will not be the last picture I take while hanging my camera out the window, on the drive home.

Maybe I should do a series...

6/366

January 6: Self Portrait.

I'm thinking about participating in my friend Corey's year long experiment in weekly self portraits, but since I can't stomach the idea of looking at fifty-two images of my own face, I thought I would take a self portrait of the inner me :)

7/366

January 7: SMILE!

I paid a visit to the new Natural History Museum of Utah today.

(Along with 95% of the rest of the state)

There were skinny jeans wearing, scraggly beard growing granola types and uber-moms trying desperately to educate their over stimulated children, there were teenagers plugged in and tuned out to the centuries of wonder they were passing through, and dads rushing the family along so he could get home to "the game" -- whatever game it was.

Then there was this guy, just begging me to take his picture.

New Year: No Words Left Behind

2011-12-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder if your best days are behind you?

I don't.

Never have.

But as I sit here, thinking about the turning of the year, I feel like I should express my gratitude for the year that is passing.

Do you ever wonder if you're having more choice experiences in your life -- or if you're just paying better attention?

2011 was the year I lived.

It was the year that I felt.

It was a year of friends. It was a year of memories -- rekindled and refreshed.

It was a year of awe and wonder, of beauty in new and unexpected places.

It was the first year that my age has ever profoundly affected me.

It was the year that I saw and heard and sang and laughed and thought and breathed and believed and prayed and watched and smiled and sighed and cheered. It was the year I held closer to what is important and the year that I began to learn to let go of what is not.

2011 is a year that I am profoundly grateful to have spent on this planet with all of you.

And finally, a toast to the year before us...

May the New Year find you in a better place than the old. May all that blessed you before, bless you twice again. May the roads you walk be as full of joy and beauty as the destination they lead you to. May your sorrows remind you that life is precious and that experience is a treasure. May your thoughts be noble and your words be kind. May you be a light that brings hope.

And may your life be as choice as your friendship.

Happy New Year.

A picture a day....ARE YOU NUTS?!

2011-12-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and LolliSo, it's the new year, and you're full of ambition and excitement. The world is your oyster. There is nothing that you can't do.

"I think," you say to yourself, "that I'm going to take a picture, every day, for the entire year."

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!

I'm kidding. I'm sure you were just born that way.

Ha ha, really, I'm kidding. I applaud you for taking on this challenge. It's going to be a very rewarding experience, but there are some things you need to know...

First, and foremost, you should understand -- this is going to take a YEAR!!!! You know how it seems like the older you get, the faster the years go by? Well, that's absolutely true in every aspect of your life...except this one. Actually, though the year can really drag, the days and hours will fly by -- you will take more than one picture at 11:59 pm. You may even resort to some wishful thinking/time zone manipulation ("it's still Friday in Hawaii"). By February (or maybe the second week of January) you're going to feel overwhelmed, but stay true. You CAN do this.

Second: You will not take 366 (this is Leap Year) award winning pictures. You will not take sixty-six award winning pictures. You will take a LOT of mundane shots. You will take a fair amount of GOOD shots. You will take a respectable number of extraordinary shots. And you will take a handful of take-your-breath-away-blow-the-doors-off-stand-in-wide-eyed-amazement-this-is-why-I-started-taking-pictures-in-the-first-place-my-neighbor-WISHES-she-could-take-pictures-like-this shots. And that's the payoff.

Part of it, anyway.

TIPS

1. Take your camera with you. EVERYWHERE. Never put your camera away. Leave it by the door, or your car keys. I hang mine on the stair railing, by the front door.

If you ever forget your camera, snap something with your cell phone camera. You can just lump that picture in the "mundane" category.

2. Take pictures. Duh.

But seriously folks, take pictures. There are going to be days -- many days -- when you feel uninspired. Don't wait for your muse -- she has a notoriously bad sense of direction, and is frequently lost. Something magical happens when you place your eye up to the view finder -- the more you try to create, the greater your capacity TO create will grow. I truly believe that. Shoot something. In fact...

3. Shoot 'em all!

Shoot ANYTHING that catches your eye: lines, shapes, smiles, tears, clouds, weeds, messes, cars, hands, fences, shadows, cookies, household appliances...well, you get the idea. You may find something better later on. Actually, I can't can't count the number of times that I have worked, painstakingly, for a shot -- shooting several dozen pictures to get the right image -- only to stumble, serendipitously, upon something better later on that day. Taking A picture relieves the pressure of that day's obligation, and opens up your senses to find and take THE picture.

4. Most importantly, if you miss a day, DO NOT STOP! One year I shot faithfully, everyday, until mid-April. Then one Friday I forgot.

I just forgot.

I was watching a marathon of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, on the Food Network, fell asleep on the couch, and woke up a failure. I did it again in August. I blame Guy Fieri.

Don't think of this as a project to take one picture per day for 366 days, think of it as a year long project to document your life in pictures. If you miss a day, pick up and start again. The great pay off, in the end, is not the sense of accomplishment at surviving, but the amazing documentation of your life's journey over the previous year.

5. Share your pictures on a regular basis (I recommend weekly) -- it's easier to stay committed once you know people are planning on dropping by to see your pictures.

6. Know that I am here for you! If you feel like dropping by and berating me for talking you into this project, that's okay -- as long as you keep taking pictures. And not just me -- others WILL find your pictures, and you will meet new and wonderful people.

And last of all, remember that even though 2012 is leap year, if the Mayans were right, there's a good chance the world will end in December -- so you get off easy!

Good Luck!

Photostory Friday: Now

2011-11-10T23:06:00.001-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and LolliHave you ever taken a picture that taught you a lesson?

A few weeks back, I was driving through an unbelievably beautiful scene. Before me, thousands of aspens, just changing from green to gold in the early autumn, stretched away to the horizon. Behind me, the same scene extended back beyond the bend in the road I had come around. Ferns carpeted the meadows on both sides of the road. The beauty and intensity of the moment was overpowering. I jumped out of the car, and tromped through the trees, shooting close shots and long shots. I shot up into the blue sky, and down into the golden meadows. Every picture was full of October beauty, but none was capturing what I was feeling.

What I was experiencing was the unique sensation of being present in the moment.

Sometimes we get caught looking one way or the other, along the path of our lives. We look to where we've come from for reassurance and wisdom. Or we look ahead, searching for hopes and promises. One is a memory, the other is a dream. There's nothing wrong with either of these -- every journey needs a beginning and an end.

But the most important moment of every day, is the moment you're living in right now.

It's a cliche. It's also true.

Every experience that you have ever had, happened to you in the present. That moment helped to determine what you would be in the future, and what you would remember, when you looked back. But sometimes -- often, in my case -- it seems I'm so focused on what lay ahead or behind me, that I lose track of the beauty I'm passing through.

When I got back in my car and snapped this picture, I thought of the stunning scene that lay before me, and the magnificent beauty I had left behind, and realized how lucky I was to be there, present in the moment.

Between our memories and our dreams, is our life.

Photostory Friday: Thirty-Nine

2011-11-03T21:58:00.000-06:00

I turned thirty-nine a month ago.

And all of my dreams have not come true.

The day after my thirty-ninth birthday, Steve Jobs died. I've spent the last month thinking about this man, who revolutionized the world, in a few short years -- and then passed away at the age of fifty-six. What makes him different from me? What took him to the height of success, and would he define success differently than I do? I suspect that answer might be yes.

I've always been comfortable with my age, but thirty-nine feels like a wake up call. Barring anything catastrophic, I figure I'm about half way there. Or almost half...but not quite.

So, I ask myself, have I ever come close to being the person I am supposed to be? The person I can be? I'm not sure, but I know I've spent a lot of life preparing to live my life and, truthfully, you're never quite ready.

I know I want change -- I want TO change -- but I ask myself what...

See...I don't want to be a better father or a better husband or a better son or a better friend or a better employee or a better neighbor or a better writer or a better photographer...

I want to be a better father AND a better husband AND a better son AND a better friend AND a better employee AND a better neighbor AND a better writer AND a better photographer...

It's time to learn to live. I think it's time to do a few things differently.

It's time to walk the beautiful paths, beyond where the roads bend, and to see where they lead.

It's time to find the source of life.

It's time for perspective. When you have perspective you can find beauty in the highest peaks AND the lowest valleys.

It's time to learn to put reflection to good use.

It's time to look at things from a different angle...

...and maybe find the light, hidden in the darkness...

It's time to let the colors of life run together.

It's time to see what lies across these bridges that I've been standing at, for most of my life.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To the Skyline High School Class of 1991

2011-08-07T00:59:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite ready for this night to end.

Like so many of you, I approached this weekend with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Would I be remembered in a positive way? Would I be remembered at all? What if those I was closest to don't show, who will I talk to? I came right up to the doors of Skyline Friday night, and almost turned around and walked away. What lay beyond those doors, that was of any value to me? My life, as I hope is the case with all of you, has been far more interesting and far more fulfilling in the last twenty years of my life, than in the first eighteen. But I took a deep breath, and walked in, and I'll always be grateful that I did.

What I found beyond the doors Friday night, and at the family picnic this afternoon, and the final presentation this evening, was a group of old friends, who have had the widest range of experiences, but who also share the common challenge of making our way in this world, of raising the next generation, of trying to leave the world a little better than we found it. I found friends to whom I was once tied by the bonds of school spirit, and the Blue and Gold, and the struggles and joys of adolescence, but to whom I am now bound by the greater shared experiences of life.

Every new generation faces the challenges we have faced, it was our lot to face them together. Twenty years ago, we stood together at the edge of childhood, and faced forward. Then, together, we took that first step into adulthood.

So, to you, the Skyline High School Class of 1991, to you who once walked those halls, who wore the Blue and Gold with pride, to you who shone in the spotlight, and to you who stayed in the shadows, to you who came, and to you who wish you could have, to you who have soared, and to you who have your feet firmly planted on the ground, and to you, timeless friends, I say thank you.

Thank you for this weekend. Thank you for twenty years ago. Thank you for remembering with us. Thank you for being extraordinary.

It is honor to be counted among you.

Photostory Friday: A different kind of place

2011-04-14T21:59:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

It's different than everywhere else, and I keep asking myself why?

Walking through the tunnel, into the Disneyland Park, feels different.

I find myself at a bit of a loss for words in trying to describe the experience.

It feels right.

It feels magical.

It feels like home.

But why? Why is Disneyland different than other places? Why do I sometimes find myself homesick for a place 700 miles from where I live?

I've always been a fan of Disney in general, and of Walt himself in particular. If ever there was a man who embodied the American notion that with a lot of imagination and hard work, your dreams really can come true, it was Walt Disney. He spent his life creating and dreaming and improving. He went from cartoonist to media executive to urban planner, always plussing, always dreaming bigger.

And in 1955, in an old orange grove in Anaheim California, Walt opened Disneyland. And nothing was ever the same.

In Disneyland, they can speak, with not a hint of irony, of wishes granted and dreams coming true, and we believe them. When you're there, riding through the landscape of Walt's imagination, watching Princesses and Dragons and Mice and Lions come to life, and immersing yourself in the curious atmosphere of nostalgia and anticipation -- all that was wonderful, and all that is yet possible -- you believe that your dreams can come true.

That they ARE coming true.

The thing is, it's not dreams of riches or luxury or of an easy life, or of fame or power that are coming true. It's a very simple dream, one that we all share.

It's the dream of happiness -- real happiness -- the kind of joy that is born of love and memories and long association, and the knowledge that we are lucky to have one another.

After all, Walt didn't call his kingdom the "coolest place on earth", or the "most fun place on earth..."

He called it the Happiest Place on Earth.

And that's what sets Disneyland apart from all other places, why it feels like home. It's a place dedicated to happiness.

As I walk that magical park with my family, I find myself smiling so much that it almost hurts, and as I look around at those dearest to my heart, I see the same thing on each of their faces -- in the steps they take and the words that they speak.

They are happy, and that is a dream come true.

Photostory Friday: Feet?

2011-04-02T00:22:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Are you ever scrolling through your photo files, and suddenly a pattern emerges? I know that I take a lot of pictures of hands, and a lot of pictures of people walking away from the camera. But, it turns out, I also take a lot of pictures of feet...

Actually, I owe this observation to my lovely wife Sharon, who...

(SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!!!!!!!!!)

...crochets these adorable dolls...

...and, who mentioned the other day:

"You take a lot of pictures of feet."

And so I do. But why?

I have been completely unconscious of this fact. So, I looked into the psychological factors of foot fancy, and it turns out that all psychologists are perverts, and I can't print what they say here.

This is a family blog.

I'm pretty sure THAT'S not why I take pictures of feet.

The truth is, for better or worse, I think of myself as a storyteller. And the still photograph can be a very powerful storytelling tool.

I see the life going on all around me as a great story -- millions...billions...of smaller stories, running around and into and through each other, weaving a living tapestry, writing the biggest story of all.

Once in a while, I'm asked to help tell someone's story.

I thrive on that opportunity, and I try to make each frame count. Each click of the shutter is another sentence, a statement, sometimes an exclamation point, another moment, another piece of the story.

I love to see that the closer you get, the more story there is to tell. For me, the big picture is nothing compared to the very small one. Our story is told in everything we do, and all that we are. Every word we speak, every look or gesture, each hair on our heads, our hands and eyes and belly buttons, and even our feet help to tell the world our unique and beautiful story.

And I guess that's why I take pictures of feet.

Or not...

Photostory Friday: When the colors run together

2011-03-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

I've never been one for coloring inside the lines. It's not that I think of myself as a non-conformist, I've just always thought the picture was prettier when the colors run together.

That's my life, to tell you the truth. I'm not a very practical person. I have no aptitude for the mundane and the humdrum chores of life.

I can't fix anything. I can't build anything. I can't even cut a straight line. But, I can see life in color.

My interests, my hobbies, my loves and passions blend together in an impressionistic mosaic that makes up my life.

I write what I photograph. I photograph what I feel. I feel the shades and subtle blending of work and play and family, of art and life.

The dark colors mix with the bright. Hope and happiness overlapping with struggle and stress.

The warm tones and cool shadows give vibrancy and definition to the world before me.

The colors whirl in a cacophonous flurry of life and love, politics and religion, pain and pleasure. Sometimes the lines blur to the point where I can't tell which part of the picture I'm looking at.

I'm not saying everyone should live this way, it's just the way I see my world. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Because, the truth is, there may not be a lot of definite lines in my life, but the canvas I see before me, full of colors running together, where somehow the blues fade to reds, and the shadows define the lights, is a picture I've come to love.

Photostory Friday: Happiness is...

2011-03-03T20:34:00.002-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

When I walk down the street, I hear a tune in my head. It goes like this:

"Hm Hm Hm, Hm Hm Hm, Hmmm Hmmm, Hmmm Hm Hm Hmmm"

The title of this song is "Linus and Lucy" but is probably more well known as "The Charlie Brown Song." You know the song I'm talking about.

I love Charlie Brown, I've always felt like a kindred spirit to the round headed kid (as Snoopy refers to him). He is so eager, and so desperate to be accepted -- and so often behind the eight ball. I can relate.

I think most of us can.

Back in the 60's, a musical was written based on the Peanuts Characters, called "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," and from that play came the song "Happiness" which defines the word, in a series of sentences beginning with the words, "Happiness is..."

We've hit a bit of a rough spot around here lately -- nothing insurmountable, just compounding issues that seem to come in bunches. My water heater is on the fritz. My washer stopped working. My muffler needs fixing. My fence blew over. And on. And on. It's like living in a country song.

Tonight, when I asked my wife what I should write for Photostory Friday, she said two words:

Happiness is...

It was just what I needed.

Happiness is...

...a kiss

Happiness is...

...God's own mural...

...AND...

...being rewarded for patience

Happiness is...

...fighting evil

Happiness is...

...turning weeds...

...into flowers

Happiness is...

...getting your sun and your rain at the same time

Happiness is...

...all the colors running together

Happiness is...

...finding love in unexpected places

Happiness is...

...botched cosmetic surgery

(Hey, you never know...)

Happiness is...

...five olives

Happiness is...

...daring to be different

Happiness is...

...having ANY job but this guy's

Happiness is...

...making the best of your situation

Happiness is...

...being comfortable with your age...

...that's thirty-eight candles on a cupcake!

Happiness is...

...knowing you've found The One

Happiness is...

...new life

Happiness is...

...Sharon's hand in mine...

...and Jordan's eyes...

...and Matthew' heart...

...and Emma's Emma-ness

Happiness is...

...ME!

How about you?

Photostory Friday: Up

2011-02-17T21:31:00.001-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time looking up.

It wasn't that I was short, and it wasn't just that I fell down a lot (did you ever get in the bath tub, as a kid, and wonder where all the bruises came from?). I looked up because I came of age in the warm, but fading glow of the Space Age, and astronauts were up there.

These men who sat atop the Saturn 5 rockets, and blasted off through the stratosphere, leaving gravity, the planet and all of us behind, to see the stars - to go farther and higher than anyone ever had before - were heroes to me.

Actually all of my heroes were up there. Up was where you found Superman and Spiderman. Up was where you found that Galaxy...far, far away.

Up was possibility.

Up was where magical things were happening.

Looking through my pictures tonight, I find that I still spend a fair amount of time gazing skyward.

Up is where things are clear.

Up is beautiful.

Up is the direction in which we dream.

Photostory Friday: The Kiss

2011-02-10T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

The Kiss.

There is nothing in the world like The Kiss.

The Kiss is not A kiss.

It's not a peck. It's not a smooch. It's not a tease. It's not simply the touching of lips. There are kisses before The Kiss, and kisses to follow.

But The Kiss is different.

The world around you fades to shadow.

Two souls become one.

One heart.

One spirit.

This time.

This moment.

Everything you are, or ever hope to be.

Every dream.

Every wish.

Every challenge and risk.

Every commitment and promise.

The spotlight shines down on you, and the universe erupts with applause.

And you don't even notice.

The Kiss is timeless.

Our lives are made up of millions of mundane instances -- seasoned with a few perfect moments.

The Kiss is perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Photostory Friday: 365 Weeks 51 & 52 (plus a day)

2010-12-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

And so it ends...

Day 348

December 17: Just over a week to go -- and this is the only snow to be seen for miles

Day 348

December 18: I just couldn't make myself delete this image.

Day 349

December 19: Whoops. Again.

Day 350

December 20: Not many Silent Nights around here at this point...

Day 351

(Is it just me, or is the day count seeming a little off?)

December 21: This is the festive cord which attaches the fuzzy white ball to the soft, plushy redness of my Santa Hat.

Hint: If you EVER decide to take a picture every day for a year or two, when you get to the cold, dark winter months, take your picture early in the day, or you will end up just like me -- taking pictures of everything in your living room....

Day 352

December 22: Ok, here's how I look at it -- Two years of daily picture taking, and I've missed roughly a week's worth of pictures.

I'm giving myself a pass.

Day 353

(Yeah, something's wrong here...)

December 23: Very. Angry. Birds.

Day 354

December 24: One last family photo shoot before the big day.

Love those big eyes.

Day 355

December 25: He's eleven but still gets overwhelmed by the big day.

Matt literally stopped talking to me in mid sentence.

Day 356

December 26: Assemble the minions!

Day 357

December 27: If you don't have a carbon monoxide detector, get one. If you have one, change the batteries.

I changed mine Christmas night. Monday afternoon, the alarm went off. Fire trucks came. The gas company came. Emma slammed her finger in the fire engine's door, and got a sweet stuffed bear. And, eventually, we got the ok to come back home.

Day 358

December 28: This is all I see when I look in the living room now.

It's time for it all to come down.

Day 359

December 29: Um.....beauty products?

Day 360

December 30: I love Christmas, but after about December 27, this is the best sight of all.

Day 361

(Whoops. I know today is December 31, I'm not sure where I lost four days, but I'm not going back to find them)

December 31: Two years. I only meant to do one.

This picture is symbolic. You'll notice I'm not behind the camera, and the lens cap is on.

I'm not giving up on photography, I'm just taking a couple of days off.

I'm honestly glad I did this (now that it's over). I'm grateful to so many of you who have followed me on this journey -- though I've been almost completely absent from my blog, except for this weekly journal entry. I'm really looking forward to the new year -- I'm looking forward to coming back here to share more moments and images from my life. I look forward to writing again.

In a day or so, I'll go over the pictures from the last year and marvel at what a life I am truly blessed with.

365...adieu.

Photostory Friday: 365 Weeks 49 & 50

2010-12-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Limping toward the finish line...

Day 334

December 3: I swear it's NOT made in Heaven.

This stuff sucked -- but it came in a cool bottle...

Day 335

December 4: Say hello to Maddie. I was her favorite target at the neighborhood Christmas party (I was also a wise man in the live nativity :).

But Maddie didn't want to throw snowballs at me -- she wanted to throw snow boulders at me.

And she did...

Day 336

December 5: A couple of Christmas ornaments.

(And a couple of inadvertent self portraits)

Day 337

December 6: Kinda says it all, doesn't it?

Day 338

December 7: I love Christmas lights.

(maybe not to the extent of, say, Clark Griswold...)

I love turning off all the other lights, and basking beneath the soft warm glow of the Christmas tree.

Day 339

December 8: Dawn + rolled down window + camera + 50 mph = this picture.

Day 340

December 9: "Fun" at the beginning band concert.

Day 341

December 10: Magi...as interpreted by Jim Shore.

Day 342

December 11: Eventually I may photograph every decoration in the living room....

Day 343

December 12: This Sunday afternoon, I was really feeling down. I felt like I hadn't taken a good picture in -- well, it felt like months. So, I determined to get in my car and drive, until something caught my eye.

On my way up the canyon, these gnarly old trees were everywhere.

It's hard to explain to someone else, and I don't know how it is for other photographers, but I feel that everything -- every time, everyplace, every moment -- has a picture locked inside of it.

Like a soul.

I don't always know what I'm going to find, but I always know when I've found it.

I took a hundred pictures of this scene, and eventually, I found it's soul.

Day 344

December 13: Have I ever told you how much I love my son?

Spending the evening with Matthew at the Jazz game, just the two of us (and 18,000 other fans), was a fantastic night.

Day 345

December 14: Day number 345.

Actually, let's call it what it really is: Day 710

I am so ready to be done with this little project.

Day 346

December 15: What it's all about.

Day 347

December 16: Happy Holidays, from all the people I work with.

I wasn't in the picture.

I was in the middle of the road.

Two more weeks.....

Photostory Friday: 365 Weeks 47 & 48

2010-12-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 320

November 19: Guitar. Again. Burning out. Glad this year is almost over...

Day 321

November 20: Evidently I missed another day. I'm finding it really hard to care at this point. Don't ever commit to taking a picture a day for TWO years.

Ever.

Day 322

November 21: Chris just pawn in Game of Life.

Day 323

November 22: This little polynesian fish hook has been hanging from my rearview mirror for about ten years.

What hangs from your mirror?

Day 324

November 23: Armageddon.

To listen to the news reports, this was going to be a whopper of a storm. People left work early, they invaded the stores for survival supplies. They hoarded gasoline and food. I was prepared to eat one of my children, if necessary.

We got two inches.

Day 325

November 24: No matter what else you've done that day, you can't NOT take a picture of your little angel, asleep on the couch.

That's in the manual folks.

Day 326

November 25: Thanksgiving!

I LOVE Thanksgiving, and it saddens me to see it more and more overlooked each year.

This year, my caramel apple cider was the hit of the holiday. Let me know if you'd like the recipe.

Day 327

November 26: Up close and personal with one of my wife's latest crocheted creations!

Day 328

November 27: The last day of the regular college football season. Rivalry day. The cougars held strong for fifty nine minutes and fifty six seconds, and then....

Four seconds...

Field goal to win it...

BLOCKED!

Great game Utes. Have fun wallowing in the middle of the Pac 12.

I'm not bitter...

Day 329

November 28: Ample reward for shoveling the driveway, and the sidewalk, after the REAL snowstorm.

The one no one told us about.

Day 330

November 29: I love to shoot into the sun, on a crisp winter's morning.

Day 331

November 30: 'Tis the season for Christmas movies! Which ones are your favorite?

Day 332

December 1: Eye see you!

(sigh...is the year over yet?)

Day 333

December 2: Flying my spaceship out of the mouth of an ice monster.

Really.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 46

2010-11-18T19:53:00.001-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 313

November 12: Some people identify with generals or presidents or great athletes or philosophers or any number of other notable personalities.

Me? I identify with three characters: The Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, Charlie Brown and my favorite character all -- Kermit the Frog.

Day 314

November 13: Yeah, we're still working on the family protrait...if we could just learn to smile...

Day 315

November 14: We had a houseguest for most of this week. This is Bella, and she's just as cute as she looks.

My philosophy, when it comes to dogs is the same as my philosophy on babies: they're a LOT more fun, when you can give them back.

Day 316

November 15: A truly rare photograph.

Bigfoot? The Loch Ness Monster? Child's play next to trying to find a sharpened pencil in our house.

Day 317

November 16: This didn't turn out quite the way I imagined it would -- I was envisioning an abstract amalgamation of autumn colors.

Instead, it just looks like potpourri.

Day 318

November 17: Emma crafting a personalized birthday card for my mom.

Incidentally, it was my mom's sixty-FIRST birthday -- not her sixty-SECOND, as I discovered, much to my chagrin.

Day 319

November 18: As if Thursdays are not hectic enough, along comes standard time, and takes away all of my evening light, making it that much more difficult to get a decent picture.

Soooo....when you're driving home, and the sunset is beautiful, and rapidly fading, you stop the first chance you get, and shoot it -- even if you have to shoot through a chain link fence.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 45

2010-11-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 306

November 5: When it's just you and dad...

Why get an extra bowl dirty?

Day 307

November 6: The end of Daylight Saving Time.

The last evening light for five months.

Day 308

November 7: A night of no sleep.

A raging abscess.

An early Sunday morning, emergency trip to the dentist.

Swelling, ibuprofen, lortab, vomiting....

Not the best day of the week.

Day 309

November 8: Matthew, putting the finishing touches on his Earth.

I wonder if this is what it looked like when God did it?

I'll bet God clips his fingernails.

Day 310

November 9: I took a picture! I swear I did!
I know I did!

Of course, I was still on a lot of narcotics...

Day 311

November 10: This is how Chris "C's" it.

Day 312

November 11: Between the sore teeth and the "falling back" into the darkness of winter, my attitude could sure use a change of latitude.

About twenty degrees ought to do it.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 44

2010-11-04T20:35:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 299

October 29: For as much time as I've spent on the computer lately, I would have thought the keyboard would be a little less dusty.

There is honking in my head.

Day 300

October 30: Who knew you could say so much with your feet? I wish I could think of more to say about this shot, but my daughter is practicing the clarinet ten feet from where I'm sitting, and I'm losing my mind...

Day 301

October 31: A sure sign of the coming of winter: dusting off the old Wii controllers. Earlier this week I went to an actual batting cage...I hit more balls on the Wii...

It's not that I mind the clarinet, and Jordan is learning to play pretty well...it's just so...loud

Day 302

November 1: I'm fourteen times smarter than I was before I ate this candy.

Day 303

November 2: That guy there is a pretty good golfer.

At least he was before his kids deleted him from the Wii.

There is a gaggle of geese flying through my brain.

Day 304

November 3: The aborted first attempt at family pictures.

Honking...honking...honking...

Day 305

November 4: Getting closer...

...it's a work in progress...

Just like the clarinet.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 43

2010-10-28T19:42:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 262

October 22: Neighbors. Friends. We adore the Evans family and it was my great honor to shoot their family.

Their family photos, I mean.

Day 293

October 23: Really...have you EVER seen three cuter kids?

All three of them crack me up, but that one in the middle...she has my number.

Day 294

October 24: Little specks of peppermint joy, wrapped in a thick blanket of cocoa....hmmmm....

....where was I?.....

Day 295

October 25: The quintessential, indispensable, undeniable color of Autumn -- pumpkin orange.

Day 296

October 26: Garden variety cobweb, or authentic Halloween decoration?

You be the judge...

Day 297

October 27: You should have seen this guy's magnificent web -- before I inadvertently destroyed it.

Sorry dude.

Day 298

October 28: The true bond among all men.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 42

2010-10-21T20:26:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 285

October 15: Who knew death could be so cute?

Day 286

October 16: One of the reasons we encourage Matthew to play soccer, is to learn the value of sportsmanship. This is one of my favorite things that the boys do. Whenever a player is injured (which happens a lot more frequently now that they are eleven), all the boys, on both teams, take a knee until the injured player is ready to play, or is removed from the field. And then they all applaud that player for his effort.

Sportsmanship.

Day 287

October 17: Sooooo......

You want to hear an Emma story?

The other night, we were watching the movie "Date Night" -- which is funny, but not necessarily for seven year olds. I had actually forgotten that Emma had come into the room...and then Steve Carrell said the word...vagina.

Let's pick up the scene right there:

Emma: What's a vagina?

Me (trying to get my heart started again -- staring frantically, and expectantly at Emma's mother)

Sharon (leaning over and whispering in Emma's ear)

Emma (eyes as big as plates --at first anyway -- and then accepting): Hmmm. I call mine the Declaration of Independence.

Day 288

October 18: Little pumpkin cake balls.

Make that happy little pumpkin cake balls.

At least one anyway.

Day 289

October 19: This is was one of the hardest days of my life. Photography was on the back burner.

Day 290

October 20: A better day.

Much better than Ghost Face seems to indicate.

(Did you know they're filming a fourth Scream movie? Yep, it's due out next April...which makes total sense...)

Have you ever seen a ghost? Do you ever wish your house was haunted?

Day 291

October 21: So the new IN-N-OUT Burger opened in Centerville a few days ago...

The line of cars, everyday, is insane.

To the Good People of Centerville: This is not a mobile fast food joint. It's not going anywhere.

And I have had their burgers -- they're good.

They're not THAT good.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 41

2010-10-14T19:29:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 278

October 8: Yep.

I missed another day.

That's three.

I'm glad this year is almost over :)

Day 279

October 9: A wild herd of soccer players.

Or is that a gaggle?

Day 280

October 10: A portal to the stars.

I've always been fascinated by looking up at the stars.

By the idea that you're not just looking at space, but literally into the face of time.

Day 281

October 11: Or...

You could just lick it off...

Day 282

October 12: Rounding up the usual suspects.

Except the ones on the ends -- they're rather unusual.

Day 283

October 13: Our local fire department held their annual open house tonight -- which basically means inviting all the neighborhood kids in to climb all over their trucks, and wear their clothes.

Notice the foot wear; flip flops are an essential part of any fire fighter's wardrobe.

Day 284

October 14: This is how you know when it's time to trim your eyebrows.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 40

2010-10-07T20:28:00.002-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Mary

Day 271

October 1: I love October.

It's my favorite month of the year. The weather is perfect. The colors are at their boldest. And college football is in full swing.

But this October started off with a fizzle...namely due to my team.

I don't usually take pictures of the television, but the slaughter on the screen was too much for me to look away from. I know you're thinking that 16 - 31 is a respectable score...

But not when you're BYU, and this is your fourth straight loss. And not when you're playing Utah State -- one of the worst college football programs in the nation -- a team you've beaten ten straight times, and twenty of the last twenty one times. And not when it's nationally televised.

The good news: things can only get better from here.

Day 272

October 2: Multitasking has really gone too far.

Who would have thought that there would be a need to wash your car while tie-dyeing your clothes?

Day 273

October 3: Every time we go to my mother's house, this little face calls to me.

"Chriiiiiissssssss......take my picture, Chriiiiiisssssssssssss......" it says.

You know, I think I've been hitting the Nyquil a little hard lately...

Day 274

October 4: The greatest day of the whole year!

...He said, modestly....

Today was my birthday, and I was just curious enough to see if I could jam 38 candles into a standard cupcake.

And then I was just curious enough to see what would happen if I lit them...

The flame was four feet high.

Day 275

October 5: If my son, Matthew, could buy me a football for every gift giving occasion, he would.

And I'd be okay with that.

Throwing the football in the back yard is one of the strongest bonds my son and I have. Would it seem weird if I told you that I also feel the presence of my father, when Matt and I participate in this family Fall ritual?

Day 276

October 6: Um...Yep.

This one's going to cost us a pretty penny.

It's pretty bad when your teeth look like gag teeth.

Day 277

October 7: The gifts just keep on coming!

I got a birthday package in the mail today from Pam.

You may know that Pam is my sister-in-law, that she lives in Germany, and that she's one of the best friends I've ever had.

In my package today was a book on Exposure, an authentic Oktoberfest T-shirt (made in Honduras), and a wide selection of German chocolate and other candy, that I'm apparently supposed to share with the rest of the family.

Right.

And to think, all I gave Pam was Chlamydia.

(please follow the link, before you judge me :)

Words: A love affair

2010-10-02T21:17:00.000-06:00

I used to blog.

I used to write about life and family, about love and adventure. I used to think deeply and pour my soul on to the page. I used to love the act of composing a moving sentence. I used to soar on the wings of words.

I'm a photographer, but my choice of self expression will always be the written word. Words are powerful. By a word, God created the universe. By words we commit our lives to each other.

A word -- love -- reaches the farthest corners of our souls, and changes our lives.

Two words -- thank you -- civilize us.

One word -- friend -- binds us together.

Words -- We hold these truths to be self evident... -- free us.

Words -- Four score, and seven years ago... -- define us.

Words -- Come follow me -- save us.

I have a love affair with words. I am unashamedly, unrepentantly in love with the written word.

This blog I write is very unimportant, in the vast panorama -- except to me. And I've neglected it for too long.

Here is where I tell the world who I am.

Here is where I tell you how I see life.

Here is where I open up the direct vein to my heart, and let it flow.

Here is where I discover truths about myself that I never knew. Here is where I say what I mean. Here is where I speak as I think. He is where I define me.

Here is where I promise my poor neglected blog, that I will try to be a better writer.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 39

2010-09-30T19:49:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 266

September 24: Holding hands is unlike anything else. It's a very intimate, yet very innocent act.

It's a very human, and simple way to say I love you.

Day 267

September 25: Oktoberfest, for a non-drinker, leaves a LOT of time for doing all the other things that Snowbird has to offer --- like taking the tram to Hidden Peak, and riding the chairlift down -- amidst nature's annual patchwork quilt show.

Bonus Picture!!

Also from Oktoberfest -- this is a picture taken by my wife, as I courageously rode this wild (albeit headless, and legless) bull, for 10 seconds!

Take that Luke Perry!

Day 268

September 26: I was in a bad mood. I was in a rut. I was sick and tired of taking pictures in my back yard, on my kitchen counter, or hanging out my car window -- so I decided to drive until I found something...

I drove up the mountain, past the houses, past the sign that said dead end, and up, and up -- and suddenly there was a meadow, with five of these beautiful buckskin colored horses in it.

Problem solved.

Momentarily.

Day 267

September 27: It took 150 pictures, a bruised shin, a bonk on the head, two sprained fingers, and convincing my son that I would not kill him for throwing a football right at my camera, to get the shot I wanted.

Well, to almost get it.

I wanted the football closer, but it's hard to keep things in focus as you're diving out of the way.

Day 268

September 28: Jordan, doing her best impression of the planet Saturn.

Day 269

September 29: My best friend tonight. And good news!

It tastes better than ever!!

Nyquil makes me stupid, in case you were wondering.

Day 270

September 30: I may just make a permanent date with my guitar every Thursday night.

It just shows up for the photo shoot, and gives me it's best smile every time.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 38

2010-09-23T19:53:00.002-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 259

September 17: It's 11:59 pm...

Do you know where your camera is?

Day 260

September 18: I'm not even sure they're on, but they're ALWAYS in there.

Day 261

September 19: This is not as easy as it looks.

My new Sunday ritual is to take a late afternoon nap in the hammock. In order to capture this serene moment, I had to set up my zoom lens clear across the yard, set the timer for ten seconds, run like crazy, dive in to the hammock, get situated, stop swinging, and try to look completely relaxed.

Did I pull it off?

Day 262

September 20: I love chocolate. I love roses.

(Yes, I'm still a man...)

But the truth is it was late...and there was this cake....and, well, you know...

Day 263

September 21: The Vitruvian Girl.

Day 264

September 22: My intent was to drive up the canyon and take pictures of the changing leaves, on the first day of Autumn. And I swear the leaves on that tree are yellow, but the silhouette was too powerful -- I couldn't resist.

Day 265

September 23: Yellow Slug Bug.

So, here's the story: Remember last week, when I griped about Thursdays? When I told you that my Thursdays are insane? Today was no different.

I was TRYING to get home and write this blog entry, and one thing after another was piled on my night. I was steamed! And I was not very quiet about it -- everyone knew how I felt. Dad was Mad!

And I griped. And I moaned. And I yelled. And I ....well, you get the idea...

It was not my finest hour.

And on my way to the store, between runs to soccer practice, in the midst of my tantrum...Emma punched me.

"Yellow Slug Bug," she said.

After every thing else, Emma decided that what I REALLY needed, at that precise moment in time, was to be punched.

I love that kid.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 37

2010-09-16T20:00:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

The week I pointed my camera at Emma

Day 252

September 10: What you can't see are the rabbit ears behind my head: the source of my sorrow and Emma's maniacal bliss.

Day 253

September 11: The transformation

A little make-up. A little time. And a little girl becomes a very big giraffe.

Day 254

September 12: Here Emma is modeling one of the latest hats created by her mother -- an essential accessory in your Autumn 2010 wardrobe, and now available on Etsy!

Day 255

September 13: I play the piano. But I have neither the talent or the patience to try and teach my children to play. So we leave Emma's musical education up to the professionals -- with an occasional assist from her mother. Like in this shot.

Day 256

September 14: I have two cameras: A Pentax, and a Canon.

Technically, the Canon is the better of the two, but when I point my Pentax at the sky, it does this.

It's probably the result of some setting that I need to adjust, and don't know how to.

Which is why I have two cameras....

Day 257

September 15: How do you make a shot of two green tomatoes cool?

The answer is: you don't. No matter how hard you try, it's still just two tomatoes that refuse to ripen.

Day 258

September 16: I hate Thursdays.

Ok, that's not really true. I love Thursdays. The week is almost over, and it's the one day I get to spend being creative, and spending time with other wonderfully creative people. I get a MUCH needed mental workout.

Except that the universe constantly conspires against me. Thursday is the night when nothing else is supposed to happen, and it always turns out that it's the night when EVERYTHING else happens.

Thursdays hate me.

PhotoStory Friday: 365 Week 36

2010-09-09T19:46:00.002-06:00

Yes, I still don't have my button.

Cecily...HELLLLPPPP!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

My summer has been a blur of weddings and reunions. And I think it's really taken a toll on my daily picture taking. I've only missed one day, but when so much of my time is spent shooting, and editing bridals, engagements, and weddings, the desire to get out and shoot anything else drops off significantly.

This is a long way of saying, I needed a recharge. So, this week I went back to themes.

It's been a refreshing week of pictures, as I've had the chance to crawl back inside my camera, and look at the world with new eyes...

Day 245
Something Blue

September 3: My kids all have blue eyes.

I do not.

I've always been drawn to eyes, and there are none so exquisitely hypnotic as those that belong to my daughters.

Day 246

Something Dynamic

September 4: Miriam Webster tells me that the definition of "Dynamic" is: of, or relating to, physical force or energy. Also, marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change.

They could have saved themselves a lot of words, and just printed a picture of Emma.

Day 247

Something that represents love

September 5: While lazily laying in the hammock, contemplating this assignment, I looked up, and realized that the leaves of the tree looked just like hearts.

But love is not love, unless there are two hearts involved.

Day 248

Something that resembles a letter

September 6: Day number 248 is brought to you by the letter "K" -- as interpreted by Emma.

Day 249

Something that makes you think of light or sunshine

September 7: I realize that I took a picture of a sunflower last week too, but they grow in abundance around my house this time of year, and I love to look at them.

Sunflowers are not like other flowers, they bend forward, with their faces (as it were) to the sun.

Every sunflower that I can see from my house is open, and looking westward, toward the afternoon sun.

Day 250

Something Alive

September 8: I went out to the bird refuge to shoot life.

I should say, I went out to the bird refuge to PHOTOGRAPH life. They don't like the word shoot out there.

The birds were remarkably uncooperative. There were great blue herons, and hawks and falcons and pelicans -- and they all hate to be photographed. I didn't think I had anything worthwhile.

But then as I was editing, I came across this throw away shot that I had fired at the sunset. What I thought had been a static shot, suddenly became vibrant and full of life, with the addition of a few surprise visitors.

Day 251

One thing I cannot live without

September 9: My life is so intertwined with this little symbol -- from entertainment to business to communication -- every tool I use, seems to have this little symbol on it somewhere.

I cannot live without my Apple.

PhotoStory Friday: 365 Week 35

2010-09-02T21:25:00.002-06:00

Hosted by Lisa and Cecily

I just realized I lost my button, I'll try to have it back by next week. I do still care about this blog, I SWEAR!

Day 238

August 27: I took a picture today. I did! But I can't find it

I'm losing my mind...

Day 239

August 28: I shot my last scheduled wedding of the summer today. And I was going to post a picture from that shoot...

Instead, you get my "Thank goodness the wedding season is over, because I'm exhausted" self portrait.

Day 240

August 29: Sunflowers.

Is it still a weed if it's beautiful?

Day 241

August 30: When all else fails, when I've burned every photographic idea I can think of, when I've hit the wall on day 241, my guitar never lets me down.

Day 242

August 31: This is Emma, modeling one of her mom's crocheted hats -- about to go up on Etsy.

I'm not sure what the leg thing is all about, but it's a very Emma thing to do.

Day 243

September 1: The day I've been waiting for all summer.

We planted our tomatoes late this year, and they're just ripening. I am SOOOOOOOOO excited!

I could just sit out in the garden, and eat them all day long.

In fact, if you need me....

Day 244

September 2: It's soccer time.

Matt has been working out hard in the back yard, preparing for the upcoming season -- and I have a dozen loose boards in the fence to prove it.

PhotoStory Friday: 365 Week 34

2010-08-26T20:34:00.004-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 231

August 20: Exhausted.

This summer has just about done me in.

Day 232

August 21: Matt and Kelsey's Wedding. I got a lot of great shots today, but I'll be honest, this one is my favorite.

He actually took the phone call!

Day 233

August 22: Nothing says late summer afternoon like corn on the cob.

Thank goodness for toothpicks.

Day 234

August 23: Some nights you just have to settle for the sunset.

Day 235

August 24: One of the things that makes me most proud is that my children are all good readers. More than that, they enjoy reading.

Reading for pleasure is a gift of immeasureable worth.

Day 236

August 25: Dead daisies.

Between the dead roses and the dead daisies, and the mourning glory that's taking over, I'm thinking of changing our address to 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

It's really getting quite out of hand...

Day 237

August 26: Which is why...THIS is my favorite shot of the week.

Those are my son's hands on the handle of the lawn mower.

We may save the property from condemnation yet!

PhotoStory Friday: 365 Week 33

2010-08-19T20:54:00.003-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 224

August 13: Annie Love.

This little girl and I have a history (and a future, as you'll see in a couple of days).

Annie is my niece, she's four and she's the only one of the grandkids to have brown eyes. Since the day she was born, Annie has held a special place in my heart (and not just because I love her brown eyes). She's been in town for the last few weeks (she lives in Germany right now), and she and I have bonded again.

Her hair is naturally very curly, but as you can see in this picture, she had it straightened -- just for me.

How can you not love that?

Day 225

August 14: One last summer hurrah.

Day 226

August 15: Fun on the trampoline!

Doesn't he look like he's having fun?

Day 227

August 16: The last day I got to see Annie, before she headed home to Germany. We decided to celebrate the occasion by getting married. The service was intimate -- just close family, and bouncy -- it was on the trampoline. My daughter, Jordan, officiated.

When I went to kiss Annie on the cheek, she grabbed my face and laid a big one right on my lips.

Sigh.

I'm going to miss you Annie.

Day 228

August 17: Late night + no picture = Sprite bottle.

Day 229

August 18: My sister-in-law, Pam -- mother to Annie, which I guess also makes her my mother-in-law now (our family is rather sordid), has been in town for most of the summer. You all know Pam from her blog No Ordinary Life. Pam is a great photographer, and I enticed her this year to enter some pictures into the county fair. She entered three.

Two of her pictures each won a third place ribbon, but the third photo won a "Best of Division" ribbon AND a "Judge's Choice" ribbon.

This is a big deal!

Nice job Pam, I am very proud!

Day 230

August 19: So you think I've been neglectful of my blog? You should see my yard.

Note to potential squatters: Our house is not actually abandoned.

PhotoStory Friday: 365 Week 32

2010-08-12T19:50:00.005-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Dear blog. It's not you it's me. I'm not abandoning you, I've just been really, really, REALLY busy this summer...

Day 217

August 6: Mirrors.

Day 218

August 7: It took some doing, but I finally coaxed a smile out of the little guy.

Day 219

August 8: Nothing says love like copping a feel on your brother.

Day 220

August 9: I was on a date with my daughter at the local amusement park, and didn't feel like hauling the camera all around the place. So there.

Day 221

August 10: A bad day all around. I could tell, but that would force me to think about it again...

Day 222

August 11: Piggies.

These are Pam's toes.

Our time with Pam is quickly fading, she heads back to Germany next week, but for a couple of wonderful hours on Wednesday night, we ate good food, and laughed, and celebrated family.

Day 223

August 12: The last in my Cooper series -- at least for a year or so.

You may recognize this as the universal sign for "Rock On"

You'd be wrong.

Cooper is "Peacin' Out"

Peace out Coop.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 31

2010-08-05T19:44:00.004-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 210

July 30: Walking in circles for cancer.

The Relay for Life, Matthew and Emma are walking in support of their mother, who is a cancer survivor.

Day 211

July 31: Boy was this a day. A long road trip, a fabulous wedding, an AMAZING reception.

And I haven't edited one single picture.

This little guy was rockin' the air guitar, as the band played on.

Day 212

August 1: One hundred yards from home. The end of a long, long road.

Day 213

August 2: The Tiki Torches, full of mosquito repellent oil.

It worked like a charm, the mosquitoes did not bite the torches once.

My ankles on the other hand...

Day 214

August 3: Out with the daisies, in with the black and yellow, whatever they ares.

Day 215

August 4: Chasing the light.

And not quite catching it...

Day 216

August 5: Cooper, again.

Rockin' the Hawk!

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 30

2010-07-29T21:02:00.003-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Caitlin

Day 203

July 23: Bachelorhood: It's not my thing.

My wife was out of town, my kids were out of town, and I had taken myself to a movie (Knight and Day -- don't bother). Afterward I just drove around, listening to music, taking pictures of my hand, and praying for red lights, so I wouldn't have to go home to an empty house.

Day 204

July 24: Kelsey's Bridals.

These were taken at an amazing place here in Salt Lake, called The Garden Park Ward. It's a church yard full of bridges and columns and ponds and arches and little pagan gypsy stages.

I see no reason for any of these things to be on the ground of an LDS Meetinghouse, other than for the benefit of photographers.

Day 205

July 25: Fifty shots later...

Day 206

July 26: When you go visit my sister-in-law Pam's blog, you'll see that she took a picture of a Dr. Pepper can today.

And her's is much better than mine.

Day 207

July 27: Pam is visiting tonight as I throw this blog together. As she was helping me choose a picture to post for Tuesday, she said she liked this one because you can see stars in the sky.

Turns out that was just the dirt on the computer screen.

Day 208

July 28: Blank.

I've got nothing.

Day 209

July: This is my nephew Cooper. He's half nerd, half beaver.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 29

2010-07-22T19:13:00.002-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 196

July 16: This is a terrible picture of a great memory.

What you're looking at here is a shot from a family reunion we attended last weekend.

The blurry figures are my uncles -- cowboys to the bone -- sitting around the campfire, with their guitars, serenading the family in a two hour impromptu concert.

I live for times like these.

Day 197

July 17: La Luna.

I was comparing this moon shot, to the last one I took. It's amazing how different the moon can look, considering we're always looking at the same side.

If I was thinking, I would have shot this picture on the twentieth of July -- 41 years to the day that mankind took that giant leap.

Day 198

July 18: Annie was having a hard time blowing the bubbles -- my theory is that she has so much power in those giant cheeks, that she just blows the bubble into oblivion.

Day 199

July 19: My sandals are held together with Gorilla Glue and wishful thinking.

The soles are cracked and lopsided. The pad under the sole of my foot is completely worn away. They are ugly.

I've had them for about three years, and I've replaced them at least twice, but I still haven't been able to make myself throw them away... it took too long to get them just right.

Day 200

July 20: I always forget about these milestone days.

After the Daffodils and the Day Lilies (and the Dandelions), I constantly forget what these flowers are called.

They're daisies -- and they're fading fast in the summer heat.

Day 201

July 21: Jordan is already a great student, a world class baby sitter, my best model and an award winning photographer -- so why not add clarinetist to the mix?

Day 202

July 22: Sometimes the sky is just blue.

No clouds to add contrast and chaos. No streaks of scarlet and flame to sear into your memory. Just blue.

Plain old, ordinary, beautiful blue.

And somedays, that's just fine.

Incidentally, do you know why the sky is blue?

(And have you ever tried to take a picture of the blue sky with your camera set on auto focus? Mine won't do it)

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 28

2010-07-15T20:54:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Momma

Day 189

July 9: Sometimes you just HAVE to stop and watch the sunset.

And then take a picture of it.

And if you don't have your camera handy, you HAVE to pull the car over to the side of the road, and get it out of the trunk.

And if you can't stop on the freeway to watch the sunset, you just HAVE to shoot it out of the moon roof, as you drive.

Okay, maybe YOU don't have to do that...

Day 190

July 10: If you like fireworks, then Farmington, Utah is the place to be in July. We get them three times!

Day 191

July 11: It started out as an innocent game of badminton...

Of course, that's how it always starts out with Emma...

(Did you know that badminton had an "N" in it?)

Day 192

July 12: I'm continually surprised by how many new angles I find to shoot pictures of my guitar.

Day 193

July 13: A photo of a photo.

These are my in-laws.

They are about as straight laced, buttoned down, by the book people as you will ever meet.

They are also converts to the LDS church -- which means no smoking, no drinking, etc...

Which is why I find this rarely seen photo from their more hedonistic college days so funny.

This is also why my mother-in-law is going to kill me...

Day 194

July 14: The latest addition to the "Crap in my backyard" file.

Day 195

July 15: So I asked Cecily -- you know, THE CECILY -- what I should take a picture of today, and she said to shoot a picture of something shiny that showed my reflection. I tried, but ran out of time (I do have a cool idea, but it's going to take some work).

But, in honor of her suggestion, I took this shot of my shadow on the backyard fence.

I was going for the cyclops look, but really it just looks like I have a hole in my head.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 27

2010-07-08T21:25:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Day 182

July 2: The pleasant surprise was good chinese food, and the kids sleeping over at Grandma's -- and, you know, other stuff.

My favorite thing about this picture is that the left piece of the fortune cookie looks like a nose. :)

Day 183

July 3: Cross Brigham Young with Uncle Sam and Farmer Brown, throw in a little Jimmy Buffett for good measure, and what do you get?

By gosh, you get America!

Day 184

July 4: On your birthday, you should be able to do whatever you want -- and Emma wanted to spin around in the sunshine, in her new tutu.

Truthfully, Emma's birthday is July 3, but we were busy celebrating the Nation's birthday on the 3rd (because that's when all the parades and fireworks were), so we celebrated Emma's birthday on July 4.

Or something like that.

Now I have a headache.

What a weird year.

Day 185

July 5: Augusta and June, my five year old twin nieces, in town from Georgia. They're the very picture of innocence right?

Ha.

They're nuts.

These are All Star Wrestling-kill and clean their own chicken-trying to catch and cook a squirrel-Crimson Tide lovin'-absolutely fearless-southern fried maniacs.

But they're so dang cute.

(And I'm June's boyfriend)

Day 186

July 6: I love my daisies almost as much as I love my tulips.

Day 187

July 7: Emma and I on the Sky Ride at Lagooon (a local amusement park), looking very cool.

Emma just about lost her shoes on this ride, and I nearly dropped my camera.

For a very slow ride, it was rather breathtaking.

Day 188

July 8: I hate Play-Doh.

I know it's fun, and I loved it as a kid, but as an adult...

Eventually it all gets mixed into one big gray blob, and then it dries out and breaks down into smaller and smaller crumbs which get everywhere. Not to mention the stuff that gets mashed into the carpet and the upholstered furniture (even though EVERYONE knows it's ONLY supposed to played with at the table!)

Other than that, I have no strong feelings on the subject.

Did you know that they have a Play-Doh scented cologne?!

(Whoever THEY are...)

Equality

2010-07-04T16:03:00.000-06:00

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thirty five of the most important words ever written.

This is the American Revolution.

Not Bunker Hill, or Valley Forge, or Yorktown, or the ride of Paul Revere. Not George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. Not Minutemen or tea parties or fireworks or any of the other things we think of when we think of July 4, 1776.

Universal equality is the shot heard round the world.

What the Founders of our nation said to the world was something every man born on this earth already knows deep inside -- that he (or she) is as good as anyone else. Since the beginning of the world, mankind had segregated itself into classes and castes, arbitrarily privileging some and denying most.

It was time to begin the world all over again.

Equality is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp. It doesn't mean that you're as big or strong or smart or attractive as anyone else. It doesn't mean that you are born into the same conditions as others. It doesn't mean that the portions of life's bounty will be distributed to you and everyone else with equity and fairness.

The truth is, the principle of the equality of man is defined by Jefferson in these thirty-five words.

You have an equal right to live upon this globe. Your life is your own, to do with as you wish --to become as great or menial as you have the capacity and the will to achieve.

You have an equal right to live free of the subjugation of another -- to move, to think, to act and to speak independently of the influence or coercion of others.

You have an equal right to pursue those things that bring joy to your life.

And never forget, though it remains unwritten, with unalienable rights, come unalienable responsibilities.

The price of equality, like that of liberty, is eternal vigilance.

My equality is dependent upon your equality. The best way to ensure the safety of my unalienable rights, is for me to see that your unalienable rights are not infringed upon.

Happy Independence Day!

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 26

2010-07-01T19:29:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily

Day 175

June 25: These are the shots I miss taking, as a wedding photographer.

When you are the principal photographer at a wedding, you have a certain responsibility to capture certain images. And I love beautiful pictures of brides and grooms, and their most beautiful of days. But shots like this picture are the ones that the artist in me longs to take -- and I find myself with less time to try and capture them.

I find them very evocative and meaningful.

The little things that happen unexpectedly on a wedding day, like a forgotten corsage or a missing earring, are like a microcosm of the life these two are about to embark on -- full of trials and missteps, but also opportunities to be the answer to each other's needs.

I just love that.

Day 176

June 26: When this project is all done, I'm going to post all the pictures that I took this year, from this point of view.

Day 177

June 27: Passing it on.

Before you become a parent, you think that life as a parent will be full of teaching opportunities, but the truth is, parenthood is mostly about surviving another day. Most of the teaching we do is by example.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when my son asked if I would teach him how to play "Over the Rainbow" on my ukulele. Sometimes it comes as a shock to find that our children have an aptitude for something. Matt picked up the chords rather quickly, and he and I sat out on the porch swing and played (and sang -- but only with each other) a little duet.

I'm not handy. I don't do woodwork. I can't fix anything. ANYTHING. But this was one of those rare moments where I actually felt that I had something to teach my child.

Day 178

June 28: We saw Toy Story 3 tonight, and I loved it. But I didn't cry at the end.

...I just had something in my eye, Okay?...

The touching ending of the movie made me think of the toys of my own childhood. Nearly all of them were Star Wars related -- and nearly all of them are gone (most were destroyed by my own hand, with a golf club), but these three remain.

They are ragged -- C3PO is nearly silver now, Han Solo was buried in my front yard for ten years, and got his face caught in the lawn mower, and Luke Skywalker's a little stiff in the joints -- but they are original. Han Solo and C3PO are from the original toy line, in 1977, and Luke Skywalker is from 1980.

But, they are old, and dear friends.

Day 179

June 29: This is my nephew Cooper. He's two and a half, and visiting from Germany. He was over having a water fight with the other kids on Tuesday night, but there was a slight problem...

Cooper is kind of tiny, and he doesn't have the strength to squirt the gun, unless he stands directly over it, and pushes down with all his weight (such as it is), which, as you may imagine, results in Cooper mostly shooting himself in the face.

And then exclaiming "Oh! I gotted mysewf in my own face again!"

Day 180

June 30: Yeah, that's the high dive.

And yeah, that man can displace some water.

Day 181

July 1: And finally this week, I have another in the series I like to call:

"Crap that I can shoot on Thursday afternoon as I'm walking in the front door, so I can get this post up before midnight."

It's my new, giant Sharpie marker.

I could paint the house with this thing.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 25

2010-06-24T19:39:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Do you ever feel like you're neglecting your blog? That's how I've felt lately, I've just been insanely busy this week. I apologize to those of you that I haven't gotten around to -- I will, I promise.

And I'll try to get another "Photo Class" up this weekend -- I know you're just dying for it :)

Day 168

June 18: This is Emma. She's preparing to chew down a tree, with her hillbilly beaver teeth.

Day 169

June 19: Tiffany and Jaden. On Saturday, I shot bridals for their upcoming wedding, in July.

July in St. George Utah.

It's hot in St. George, in mid June.

Brigham Young once said that if he had a house in Hell and a house in St. George, he'd rent out the house in St.George, and live in Hell -- because it's cooler.

But, in the end, it's all about the pictures and the memories, right?

Day 170

June 20: On the way home from St. George, I took a side trip up Cedar Canyon, to Cedar Breaks National Monument. It's so beautiful up there -- not to mention SUBSTANTIALLY cooler than St. George. The only problem is, the air gets a little thin up there.

Judging from this tree, I wasn't the only one having a tough time at 11,000 feet.

Day 171

June 21: The first day of summer.

The longest day of the year.

And Matthew's birthday.

Matt outgrew his hands this year, but with a little help from Emma, they got the job done.

Day 172

June 22: As far as my kids are concerned, I have hit the jackpot.

Yep, nothing says you've reached the pinnacle of bluecollardom, like a shirt with your name on it.

I'm not required to wear this, but I work in a very dirty place, and well, you know...

And it comes in handy too. For example: I went to McDonald's for lunch today (which I often do, because they have free wi-fi, and I can mess around on my iPad), and when the kid took my order, he didn't ask what my name was, to write on the little order slip -- he just said "Your order will be right up Chris."

I thought "I must come here enough that they've finally gotten to where they remember who I am! -- It's like going to Cheers!"

Then I looked down at my shirt. Everybody knows your name, when it's written on your shirt...

Day 173

June 23: Emma, Matt and the Neighbor Kid (that's not really his name, but I don't want to use names with faces without permission). Are they flashing the Peace Sign or are they claiming victory?

I prefer to think they're just counting to eight.

Day 174

June 24: I have a thing about my sunglasses. I have very specific criteria. I like them small, thin and black -- which makes the pair in the front ideal.

But.

I also like to be able to put them on top of my head, when I'm out and about -- especially taking pictures -- I'm always taking them off and putting them on again (only people on CSI take pictures with their sunglasses on). The problem is, I have a giant, misshapen head, and the glasses in front don't fit on top of my head. So the second, slightly bigger pair, are my walking around glasses.

The pair in the back are my outdoor safety glasses for work. I only wear them when I have to, because they make me look like I should be wearing a "No Fear" T-shirt, and going to a Monster Truck Rally.

Which just isn't me.

Lonesome

2010-06-19T22:50:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting in the lobby of a motel in Cedar City, 250 miles from home.

It's late, I'm tired and lonely as I've been in a long time.

I'm not cut out for this solo traveling thing. I miss my family, and wish I were home tonight.

Whenever I go away on my own, which isn't frequently, I always look forward to it. I enjoy going places, I enjoy long drives and I occasionally crave solitude. But in the late hours, when I sit alone, it never fails, I only want to be home. It's hard to go to sleep without a hug.

It's hard to end my day without the soft kiss on my cheek, and the whisper of "Goodnight Daddy" in my ear.

It's hard to not get the World Cup update from my son, as I watch his eyes light up like a birthday cake.

It's hard to sleep in a bed alone -- I left that life behind long ago.

As I sat on a quiet bench in a serene and beautiful place today, and thought about my family, I started to cry.

I'll see them all tomorrow, but what brought the tears was thinking about how heartbroken I would be if I never did. If I never held Sharon's hand again, or watched as Jordan blossomed into a beautiful young woman, or played catch with Matt or listened to Emma convince me, for the hundredth time, that she is the smartest person on earth, my life would be no life at all.

If you're reading this Sharon, I love you. If the kids are asleep, please look in on them for me. Take in the beauty of the three miracles we have created, and know that I am thinking of them too. And you...

When canyons were mountains and oceans were raindrops, I loved you. When the stars blink out of existence, I'll still love you.

I love you with all my heart, and I always have.

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 24

2010-06-17T19:55:00.002-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecilyand Lisa

Day 161

June 11: My twelve year old, who already looks like a fifteen year old, cut her long blonde hair.

Now she looks like she's seventeen.

Sigh.

Day 162

June 12: I paid a visit to my old elementary school. Some things have changed, but I was surprised at how much remained the same. These hopscotches look exactly the way I remember them.

It was an amazing visit -- it was a walk among ghosts. But, very friendly ghosts.

Day 163

June 13: One more white rose picture.

I have an old shot of Jordan, that is very similar to this. But where Jordan's eyes said "Innocence," Emma's say "Mischief."

Day 164

June 14: We went to a Peter Breinholt concert tonight. If you don't know his music, I suggest you go to iTunes and check him out. Start with "What About."

In front of the stage there was a little area where they let the kids dance to the more upbeat songs. It was like a little mini-moshpit. It was a whirl of light and color -- and Emma (the blue blur) led the way into the fray every time.

I know, shocking, huh?

I never listen to a Peter Breinholt song without becoming happier.

Tell 'em Pam!

Day 165

June 15: She claims she's a Tomboy.

Day 166

June 16: She bought it herself. Along with a three hundred-fifty dollar sewing machine, and she still has far more money in her savings account than I EVER had as a child.

Jordan has made more money from babysitting this year, than I made at my first job.

Apparently we don't pass everything on to our children -- Jordan certainly did not get her father's financial sense.

Lucky her.

Day 167

June 17: My Ukulele. I bought it for one reason: to learn to play Over the Rainbow.

Mission accomplished.

Okay, I'm not saying I couldn't use some practice...

I Poo in Blue

2010-06-16T21:37:00.005-06:00

We left diapers behind years ago, but I'm almost -- ALMOST -- tempted to have another kid, just so I can make him wear these things.

Almost, but not quite.

Things I did Once: #13

2010-06-15T22:10:00.001-06:00

Did you ever work in a giant warehouse?

Was it freezing cold in the Winter, because your boss figured if he didn't have to spend time in there, what was the point of heating it?

(Was it always dark for the same reasons?)

Did you store refurbished exercise bikes in this warehouse?

Were they of all makes and models?

Were there some pretty old ones?

Did you like to hop on one of them in the mornings to get your blood pumping, and to heat yourself up?

Did you pedal as hard and fast as you could?

One day did you decide to ride one of the really old ones, the kind where the pedals are attached to the wheel, the kind where the weighted wheel didn't stop until it darn well felt like it?

Were you unaware of this when you started riding?

Did you pedal faster and faster and faster and faster?

Did you yell "Eat my dust Lance Armstrong!"?

Did your legs suddenly start to cramp up?

Did you try to use your feet and legs to forcibly stop the wheel from Hell?

Did you suddenly find yourself flying -- a' la the Greatest American Hero -- over the handlebars, and landing in a pile of broken treadmill parts?

Did you stick with the Stairmasters to warm you up from then on?

Huh. That EXACT same thing happened to me.

The Next Ten Songs on my iPod: Round 4

2010-06-14T23:29:00.001-06:00

More filler -- but this is a pretty good playlist (if I do say so myself)

Set the iPod to shuffle...

Aaaaaaannnnnnndddddd......ACTION!

1. Let it Be: The Beatles

Hands down, the best Beatles song ever. EVER.

Best Line: And when the broken hearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer. Let it be.

2. And so it goes: Billy Joel

I used to listen to a lot of Billy Joel (I have a soft spot for piano players), but I've gotten away from him in recent years. But lately, I've been rediscovering his music again. The thing I love about Billy Joel is his range -- he doesn't have a "sound." Every song is it's own.

Best line: But if my silence made you leave, then that would be my worst mistake. So I will share this room with you, and you can have this heart to break.

3. Dear Father: Neil Diamond

From the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack. The book was lame, and the movie was ever dumber -- but the soundtrack is magnificent; Neil Diamonds best work. If you're into sky watching -- and who isn't in the summer - then this is the music for you.

Best Line: Dear Father, we dream while we may.

4. Song for a Grounded Angel: Joshua Kadison

Joshua Kadison had a hit with "Beautiful in my Eyes" about fifteen years ago. And then he kind of went underground, but he's still been writing beautiful music, and singing beautiful words. He has something of an Elton John sound - if Elton John were from the French Quarter.

Best Line: Fly on little angel, fly away, I pray for you only beautiful things.

5. Forbidden Friendship: How to Train Your Dragon Soundtrack

I love movie soundtracks, and this one just soars.

6. Faithfully: Glee Cast

Everything the cast of Glee does sounds better than the original, and this is no exception. I love the original version of this song, as performed by Journey, but for the season finale of Glee, they turned this song into a male/female duet, and it just seems right.

Just like everything else Glee does.

Best line: I'm forever yours. Faithfully.

7. What about: Peter Breinholt

Peter Breinholt is a local artist. We actually went to one of his concerts tonight. You cannot see Peter Breinholt perform without coming away a happier person. And this song is about precisely that: everything that's right in the world.

Best Line: It's been said that to live is to sorrow, it's been said that there's no room for tomorrow. But what about all the September moons, and what about all the flowers in June, and what about every holiday song in a small town?

8. Like a Rock: Bob Seger

This song has always given me goosebumps. I love songs that build and build -- getting more powerful as they go.

Best Line: I stood arrow straight, unencumbered by all these hustlers and their schemes. I stood proud, I stood tall, and high above it all, I still believed in my dreams.

9. Over the Rainbow: Glee Cast

This is the ukulele version of the song made popular by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. But this version is MUCH better, because Iz just slaughters the words to one of my all time favorite songs. The Glee folks get it right.

Of Course.

This is why I bought a ukulele last weekend.

Best Line: Someday I'll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far away.

10: Free/Into the Mystic: The Zac Brown Band

I've only recently discovered these guys. Their sound is something like classic southern rock, mixed together with Van Morrison and Jimmy Buffett. It's a great sound, and this song is a terrific anthem to living for the moment -- and halfway through, for good measure, they fall into a magnificent rendition of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic."

Best Line: We drive until the city lights, dissolve into a country sky, just me and you. Lay underneath the Harvest moon, and do all the things that lovers do, just me and you. Free as we'll ever be.

Well, that about wraps it up. Check all these guys out on iTunes! Now!

You'll thank me for it.

Chris's Photographer's Code

2010-06-13T17:20:00.001-06:00

They're more guidelines than actual rules...

These suggestions may not be the first things another photographer would tell you -- but I'm not that guy.

Today's lesson is on vision.

I hope you packed a lunch -- this is kind of long.

Seeing is more than the physical act of using our eyes. We see with our eyes, and our brains, but we also see emotionally.

The human brain has the ability to focus on a single subject -- both visually and auditorily -- even in the midst of clutter and confusion. Our eyes and ears can block out the distractions surrounding the subject on which we have focused. This keeps us from being overwhelmed by our environment, but it doesn't help much when we're taking pictures.

For example:

You walk into the living room, and you see your youngest, curled up on the floor, next to the puppy. This is possibly the most precious thing you've ever seen, and you decide you want to capture it, to show to all of those not lucky enough to have been there to witness the blessed event first hand. You grab your camera, you aim, and you fire.

And the picture looks nothing like the scene you remember...here's why:

While your eyes took in the scene before you, your emotions filtered out all the clutter. You didn't see the dirty sock on the floor, or the half eaten sandwich, or the lamp, or the blanket, wadded up in the corner. But the camera saw, and recorded all of it. So we need to learn to help our cameras to see what we see.

Which brings me to this weeks three guidelines:

1. Compose

I mentioned last week that your camera should be your pen, or your paintbrush. It's your storyteller. And just as you would with a paintbrush, you get to decide what goes onto your canvas. You aren't taking a picture -- you're making one.

We tend to get a little quick on the draw with our cameras, and usually when we get quick, we get sloppy. Every picture tells a story and we need to make sure it's telling the story we had in mind. So take a few seconds, evaluate what you're looking at, and ask yourself why you wanted to take a picture of it. This will help you to tell the story you had in mind. Then, through the view finder, compose the picture that you want to see. Put the key components of the story into place, and eliminate the distractions.

(While all three of these pictures capture images of colorful hot air balloons, the last two focus your attention on the intended subject)

2. Watch the Background

When taking pictures, as noted before, our minds see our subject, but our camera sees everything. The worst picture is the one that distracts your viewer from the intended subject. And the thing that distracts us the quickest is the background. Backgrounds are very sneaky, not to mention passive/aggressive. They lurk (in the background, of course) unnoticed and (in their own minds) unloved. This has made backgrounds a little pathological, and they've learned to take it out on us, through our photographs. Just when you think you've created the perfect picture, up pops the background, to ruin it.

So, be aware at all times what the background is doing. This is especially important when photographing people -- or your child could end up with a tree growing out of his head.

Zoom: The easiest way to eliminate background distractions, is to zoom in on your subject. As you zoom, the background is blurred, and neutralized. Most cameras today have some type of zoom feature on them, but if yours doesn't, try taking a few steps closer to the subject -- and then a few steps more. You may also simply need to change your angle to get rid of those pesky backgrounds. Watch the edges of your viewfinder, and make sure you get everything you want in to the picture -- and nothing you don't want. Which brings us to:

3. Fill the Frame

If I was only allowed to give one piece of advice, this would be it. Fill the frame with the story you want to tell. From side to side, and from top to bottom, be sure that your picture has everything that you want, and nothing you don't. Get closer. And closer.

And closer.

Here I wanted to capture the sheer joy, and the adrenaline rush that Emma was getting on this ferris wheel.

Since photography is a form of visual story telling, we have to be sure that the images we record tell the story we want them to tell. Decide what picture you want to take, and take THAT picture.

No more. No less.

(I wanted to capture the whimsy of It's a Small World, and I found I could do that by simply focussing on, and filling the frame with, the clock tower, and eliminating the distractions of the fence and the moose bush -- I don't know what else to call it :)

Fill the frame by zooming, or walking toward the subject, until the focus is on your subject -- and nothing else.

(Filling the frame is most dramatic when taking head shots)

In summary, evaluate your subject, compose the story, eliminate the back ground distractions through moving and zooming, and most important of all -- fill the frame!

Capture the memory you want to capture.

Things I did once: #12

2010-06-12T22:52:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard a praying mantis scream?

Me either.

But I'm pretty sure this guy was screaming at me, it was just too quietly for me to hear. In fact, I'll bet he was calling me every name in the book, as well as calling down curses upon my head, and generations of my family yet unborn.

See, life is precarious -- especially when you're a bug. You spend all of your time either searching for food (important) or trying not to become food yourself (even more important).

So, when I found this little guy in the warehouse that I worked in, my heart went out to him. Where would he ever find food inside a dark warehouse? So I did the only thing I could do -- I set him free.

I'm pretty sure this is where the screaming started.

It never occurred to me that he WANTED to be in the warehouse, that he'd worked hard to get where he was.

At least it didn't occur to me until I decided to ask him to sit for a portrait. I figured, as his liberator, I could impose on him for a few pictures. Shortly after this picture (where I can almost see him flipping me off), an opportunistic bird flew down and ate him. I had him so exposed that an astigmatic bird could have found him.

He was probably a virgin too.

I feel terrible about this.

The Sandy Kids and The Twilight of Innocence

2010-06-11T23:46:00.001-06:00

We were born in the Twilight of Innocence.

In the fading glow of the Space age, and before the dawn of the Information Age, when kids were still allowed to be kids, we were raised to dream big. Our world was very small -- a few blocks only -- and very safe. We were left to ourselves and our friends, because it was okay to do that then. It was like Neverland.

My generation are the last of the innocents. As children, the world was not intruding into our lives. There was no 24 hour news cycle. Days ended and began again, fresh and new. Each morning we took a blank canvas and painted it with life and adventure, and at night we hung it in the grand gallery. The next day there was a fresh new canvas to paint that day's story on.

No internet, no video games (not quite yet), no texting or cell phones or ipods or any of the hundreds of other distractions that we can no longer live without. We had dirt hills and basements and backyards. We had bicycles and roller skates and swings and monkey bars and jump ropes and four-squares painted on the ground. We had each other. We interacted. We laughed and cried and fought and played.

We were happy. And we were innocent.

Innocence is neutral ground, and once you leave, you can never return. The problem with innocence, however, is that you don't know what you have, until you no longer have it.

No one really wants to be innocent again. What we really want is to return to neutral ground, knowing what we know now. We want to be happy, and to know why we are.

What prompts me to write this is something that has been taking place over the last few days:

I grew up in Sandy, Utah, in the greatest neighborhood in the world. It was a new community, where all the families were young, and had young children. LOTS of young children. My family was one of the first to arrive, in 1975, when I was three years old. Over the next couple of years, they poured in -- family after family, kid after kid -- filling the streets and the neighborhood. And no one left. Almost all of the kids were within a couple of years of my age -- hundreds of kids -- and no one moved away. We all grew up together, and we all knew each other. It was a perfect storm for creating a magical childhood.

Eventually, we did move on. We married and almost all of us moved away. But we each kept this childhood neighborhood in our hearts. Then, two days ago, through the magic of Facebook, and the determination of one of us, who finally decided to push us to do what, inside we all longed to do, we started to come back together.

The call went out. A neighborhood reunion -- for any and all who had once lived in our neighborhood. Come home. Talk to old friends. Share your new lives with your oldest friends. It's a spontaneous and phenomenal experience to be a part of.

I knew how I'd always felt about my home and childhood, but it's amazing to hear the same sentiments from every other person who grew up in that neighborhood.

And they came, and are coming still. If one person reaches the end of their network, another picks up the trail and keeps searching until everyone who can be found is found. And on July 10, in a park in Sandy Utah -- our home -- we'll come together to shake hands and to laugh and to tell stories. We're chasing that elusive dream -- to be innocent again, but also to be happy.

And to know why we are.

I, for one, can't wait.

Photostory Friday: 365 week 23

2010-06-10T19:56:00.003-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Day 154

June 4: Blowing Bubbles: Part One

"We're bored."

Five hours into summer vacation, and this is what Matthew and his best friend, Oscar, were reduced to: sitting on the patio swing, blowing bubbles.

Day 155

June 5: Blowing Bubbles: Part Deux

Emma was decidedly NOT bored.

It's so simple, and yet so basically appealing, to give flight to something, even for an instant. To this day, I still can't pass up the magic wand and the sudsy water. How about you?

Day 156

June 6: I end every week thinking that it was a total disaster (photographically speaking). And then I start preparing my pictures to post, and serendipity always slaps me right in the face. This was a triple rainbow, above the foothills to the east of my home (have you ever noticed how rarely you see a rainbow in the western sky? But, I digress...).

It was brighter in reality -- you can just barely make out the third rainbow between the other two.

Actually, my favorite part of the picture is that little cloud right in the middle.

Day 157

June 7: Great skies two nights in a row. We live close to some train tracks and I've always wanted to shoot a train silhouette (hey, we all have dreams...). The problem is, there's a freeway between me and the tracks, so it's hard to get a picture without cars in it.

I must have shot thirty pictures trying to shoot between the cars -- ultimately, I just cropped them out :)

Day 158

June 8: I know I posted a picture almost just like this, last week, although this is not the same flower. I killed that one.

But this week I'm looking for advice. I know nothing about raising flowers -- I think I've made that abundantly clear -- but all of these giant, beautiful roses bloomed this week, and now they're just falling apart...literally. If I touch them, they crumble.

What can I do (or not do -- besides touch them)?

Day 159

June 9: I love summer rain, and I love gigantic raindrops, and I love torrential downpours.

This picture is all about what you're willing to do to get the shot. I was willing to lay down in the flooded street.

Day 160

June 10: So, I have this best friend, Aaron. You may have noticed him around. He comments here occasionally, and thirty-five years of friendship makes him think its okay to be snarky.

I asked him to give me a photo subject today, and he said "shoes."

And THEN he laid a guilt trip on me.

"Do you know how lucky you are to have shoes?"

Of course he's right. These are my steel toes that I wear to work. I can't wait to get home every day, to get out of them and slip in to my sandals. And the ability to do that (not even mentioning all the other shoes that I am constantly tripping over in my house) put me, and my family, in a small minority of the world's population.

Today, I am grateful for my shoes.

Thanks Aaron.

Here's what I think

2010-06-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

You want to know what I think?

Ok, I'll tell you.

I think rainbows are beautiful, and I hate that they get co-opted and attached to controversial things. Just leave the rainbows in the sky -- they belong to all of us.

I think the Tea Party movement is full of misinformed people. I don't have a problem with their politics so much as with their historical revisions. If you're going to look at American history, you need to look at the whole picture.

I think President Obama is discovering that the country doesn't much care how cool he is anymore.

I think EVERY politician everywhere should live in mortal fear of their political lives. At. All. Times.

I think nothing will ever be accomplished in this country until we all learn to give all we can, take only what is necessary and try to see one another's points of view.

I think there are no more statesmen in this country. The idiots who run this nation haven't had a thought that ran deeper than a soundbite in nearly a generation.

I think they're all replaceable.

I think I'm already tired of writing about politics.

I think Glee is the best show on television, and that the Glee cast sings every song better than the original.

I think Star Wars is the bedrock of philosophy for my generation.

I think Taylor Swift is awesome!

I think homemade strawberry lemonade is ambrosia.

I think Mark Twain is the greatest American Author.

I think I'm Huck Finn, and my best friend is Tom Sawyer.

I think I live in the loveliest place on earth.

I think cargo shorts are a great invention.

I think my camera has given me a very interesting perspective on life.

I think Pink Floyd is timeless.

I think my iPad loves me as much as I love it.

I think I blog to avoid doing laundry.

Or dishes.

Or yardwork.

Or photo editing.

I think my guitar's out of tune, if you know what I mean.
(I mean my guitar's out of tune, incidentally...)

I think God loves His children, but we must frustrate him a lot.

I think my wife sometimes wonders what she got herself into. But I think she loves me -- sometimes because, and sometimes in spite of -- who I am.

I think I shouldn't just sit down and write out random thoughts anymore.

Slow Dancing

2010-06-08T23:18:00.000-06:00

The lights are low and the music is loud. My palms are sweaty, and my tie is a little tight, but my acne is under control. Overhead the mirrored ball slowly turns, painting the walls with a kaleidoscope of light and color. Oddly, a smoke machine blows an ankle high cloud of atmosphere into the room. I see her across the crowded dance floor, and begin to make my way towards her. My heart beats faster, and my breathing becomes shallower. As I reach her, my mouth is dry and my chest is constricted -- I might just pass out -- but I manage to ask her if she would like to dance. To my utter (and continual) amazement, she says yes.

Hands on hips and hands on shoulders. That's how it starts. By the end of the song her arms are around my neck, and we are swaying slowly.

Slowly...

The slow dance was not a means to an end, it was the end. For a shy teenage boy, that's about as far as I dared to dream. Just the chance to hold one of these mysterious creatures close, with her itchy sweater and shoulder pads, and the smell of her perfume and her hairspray nearly intoxicating me, was a chance for four minutes in heaven.

The slow dance is a conglomeration of hormones and music.

The hormones weren't a problem (in a manner of speaking). They were in ready supply.

But, the music was a delicate balance, and different songs produced different results. You basically had two kinds of slow dance songs: soft, pop songs, and hair metal power ballads.

When taken in the proper sequential order, the right slow dance songs could transform even a dull school stomp into an evening of modest groping and sweaty, hormonal, teenage euphoria.

Here's the secret formula:

You're the inspiration: Chicago

A great "getting to know you" song.

Right here waiting: Richard Marx

A lot of hair for such a little guy, but he had it where it counted vocally. Forces her to think about whether she could go on without you.

Lady in Red: Chris Deburgh

Introducing a crucial component to the slow dance: Melodrama. Especially effective if she happens to be wearing red. (And once she was)

Faithfully: Journey

One of the greats, with a message of fidelity and eternity -- these are the overarching themes of youth.

Crazy for you: Madonna

The greatest of all soft rock slow dance songs.

Heaven: Bryan Adams

She's holding you closer now, and the friction between her sweater and your jacket have made you so hot that you're going to need a drink of water after this dance. There's only one more song.

Never say goodbye: Bon Jovi

No one -- NO ONE -- does melodrama like Bon Jovi, and this anthem to youth and the eternal nature of friendship will end your night of slow dancing at the crescendo. Guaranteed.

The music has stopped. The fog machine is turned off. The mirrored ball is winding down. Parents are out in the parking lot, waiting, not so patiently, to pick up teenagers, and still get home in time to catch the end of Dallas. She's still in my arms -- momentarily. I thank her for the dance, she smiles and turns to go. Just as she reaches the door, she looks back, briefly, one last time.

Of course this is just one scenario.

What does your slow dance playlist look like?

A frank discussion about sex. And praying mantises.

2010-06-07T22:12:00.004-06:00

Do you know what the female praying mantis does after mating with the male praying mantis?

She bites his head off, and eats him! I guess you can't say she sacrifices a virgin, but it's pretty darn close!

Which begs two questions?

Does he realize what's about to happen to him?

And is it worth it?

The answer to both of those questions is: He's a guy.

Have you ever noticed that males think about sex constantly?

This is not a stereotype. We really do. It's not always in the forefront of our minds (contrary to popular belief), but it's always lurking somewhere just off stage. The problem is, although intellectually we know the truth, biologically we believe that each time we have sex may just be our last. And that's pretty hard to bear. So we think that if we just hint and remind and constantly bring it up, then you (the female) will not forget about sex.

We're pretty sure you will otherwise.

It's rather humiliating, but the alternative is unthinkable.

As a sexually driven male (is there another kind?) our Praying Mantis friend is likely pretty stupid. This is what happens when the limited amount of blood in your body spends it's time some place other than your brain. But he has to wonder what ever happened to some of his buddies.

"You know, I haven't seen Frank around much, since he hooked up with Wilma. And Jerry hasn't come by since he met that hot little Tenodera Aridifolia Sinensis number. And Bobby...hey, wait a minute...something's going on here..."

But, before he can figure it out, She walks by. And his fate is sealed.

And even if he knew what she would do to him, he would still make his move. I would bet my last dollar on it.

Why you ask?

Because it's going to be the BEST.SEX.OF.HIS.LIFE!!

Yep. It's late. And I'm tired.

(But, I'm never too tired for sex. Let me be clear about that)

Photography by a Dummy

2010-06-06T20:44:00.001-06:00

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to teach a class on photography. It was a very interesting, and nerve wracking experience. See, I don't do things the way other people do them. Most of the time I learn things the hard way, and in an expression of my "male-ness," I NEVER ask for directions. I work at something, and weary it, until I finally get ahold of it. I do this with my photography, and I do it with my piano playing.

And it's not that I'm displeased with the results, it's just that it's not a very teaching-friendly process. So, I have generally tried to avoid ever being put into a situation where someone might ask me to teach photography. I had to avoid being put into the situation, because I'm such a push over, that I knew if I were ever asked, I wouldn't be able to refuse.

Well, they caught me, and I said yes.

What surprised me, as I prepared (overly so) to teach thirty women how to take pictures, was to find that I actually had something to say.

Since that time, I've been considering refining what I said, and making it a little more comprehensive -- not to mention more comprehendable -- so that next time (should that fateful day ever come), I won't sound like such a babbling idiot. And that's where you come in, dear blog readers: for the next several Sundays, I'm going to give you a crash course in Photography according to Chris.

Or,

Photography by a Dummy.

So, here goes:

Lesson One: Philosophy

I get asked, from time to time, what makes a good picture. My photographic philosophy, in a nutshell, is this: if you like it, it's a good picture.

Photography is art, and the word art is short for articulation -- the act of giving utterance or expression. Art is something we create and whether it is drawing, singing, dancing, painting or photography, it is our personal expression to the world.

To create art, is to gather the elements that surround us, and form them into something unique in the Universe -- something no one has ever seen before. It is an expression of the divine that exists within each one of us. You have the right to create it, and you have the right to call it good.

Having said that, it's one thing to express yourself, it's something else entirely to be understood.

I can bang away on a piano, in a fit of self expression, and clear the room in seconds. No one is obligated to appreciate or even to acknowledge me.

But, if I learn some of the fundamentals, if I learn how to read the music and what notes sound good together, if I begin to grasp the ideas of rhythm and timing, then I just might get a few of you to stick around.

Eventually, if I practice, and if I refine and hone my skills, I will create something sublime. I may even begin to draw you in to hear what I have to say.

When we express ourselves to the world, it's because we have something to say. We need to learn to communicate.

We take pictures for two basic reasons: to document, and to remember. Most people want to take nice pictures, but most also treat their camera as a piece of documentation equipment. I want you to learn to think of your cameras in a different way. I want you to stop thinking of your camera as a piece of recording equipment. Your camera is your pen, it is your paintbrush.

The camera is no longer a documenter, it is a storyteller.

Next Week:

The Photographer's Code (more guidelines than actual rules...)

Rambling and incoherent babbling about signposts. Read on.

2010-06-05T22:33:00.002-06:00

Have you ever started blogging, with a vague idea in mind, just to see where it would go?

Well, that's what I'm doing tonight. And I make NO promises.

I've been thinking about signposts.

Specifically, pop culture signposts. As we travel the road of our lives, we periodically pull over and erect a signpost, to commemorate an event, that will shape the course of our life. Maybe historical marker would be a better term than signpost, but I'm not going to keep writing "historical marker" over and over again. And it seems we often stamp these sign posts with a piece of pop art.

What got me thinking about this was listening to a podcast today, called the "Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe." It's put on by two guys, Clayton Morris and Mike Quackenbush, who are probably five years younger than I am, so they're in their very early thirties. These two have been best friends all their lives, and their podcast is about whatever they happen to want to talk about -- which is often about the pop culture of their childhood, and not infrequently about Transformers. And, specifically, about the Transformers Movie -- not the Shia LeBouf film, but the animated movie from 1986.

Apparently this movie has a MASSIVE following from people just a few years younger than me. As a child of the 70's and 80's -- a smack dab in the middle of it, Generation Xer -- I am fairly saturated with pop culture, but I have NEVER seen this movie. I only vaguely recall that there even was one. But for the next generation -- the Generation they call "Y" -- it's a defining moment in their lives.

And that's my point -- if I actually have one -- they don't love this movie because it was a fantastic piece of cinema (it may or may not have been), they love it because it reminds them of their childhood. Not the chores and the homework or the daily drudgery of life childhood, but the idealized childhood of their imaginations. The Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn childhood. They've erected a monument to youth.

We all do this, and we stamp a pop culture image on to it to make it recognizable, and easier to see (and remember) as we look back down the path that we've been traveling.

Sometimes the images on these sign posts are relevant, and sometimes they're just random. I find that fascinating. For instance, whenever I hear the song "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics, I think about driving home one winter evening when I was sixteen, after having just kissed a certain girl. That song has nothing to do with High School romance of any sort -- it would be more appropriate to think of my late father (but when I think of his funeral, I think of Sarah McLachlan's "Full of Grace").

But when I think of the night I proposed to my wife, it's always accompanied by Celine Dion singing "When I fall in love," from the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack.

For those of us born under the sign of "X" there are a lot of these signposts, but there are two that loom larger than anything else.

Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

These two movie franchises permeate some aspect of my life to this day. I may not be out playing with Star Wars figures (then again, I just may), or even watching the movies. But they are always there. They are integrated into my very thought processes. I think, morally, in terms of the light and dark sides of the Force. Yoda is one of the most profound philosophers in history to me (Wars not make one great. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.)

I trace my intense love of history directly back to December 9, 1981 -- the night I sat in the giant Villa Theater, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, for my best friend Aaron's ninth birthday.

Some people would find these notions ridiculous -- the idea that Star Wars is the most profound piece of philosophy in the last two hundred years -- and I wouldn't blame them, it is. But no one ever said that truth isn't ridiculous. And, I'd be willing to bet that they have a few of these sacred historical markers of their own.

So, as you look back down the path of your lives, what images appear on your signposts?

The Last Day of School!!

2010-06-04T23:14:00.000-06:00

School was here, but now it's gone

Ring the bells and dance 'til dawn

Summer's come, sing Freedom's song

Carry on kids, carry on.

Have fun! You've earned it!

(mostly)

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 22

2010-06-03T19:14:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Chris

Hosted by Cecilyand Krista

Day 147

May 28: Emma's hair had natural curl to it, from the day she was born, until the day of her first haircut. It's been straight as an arrow (just like all the rest of us) ever since.

Except for Thursday night, when Jordan put Emma's hair in curlers.

Friday morning, Emma was the definition of glamour.

By Friday afternoon, Emma looked like Medusa -- but that's another story.

Day 148

May 29: One last tulip picture, before they fade away.

And, I was already laying on the ground, and was too lazy to get up.

It was a holiday weekend, and that's how I roll.

Day 149

May 30: The engagement session with Kelsey and Matt.

I had asked the groom, Matt (duh), to jump up and click his heels together.

I'm not sure what he's ACTUALLY doing, but I think it's a cool shot.

Now that I really look at it, I think he's taking flight.

It's a bird! It's a plane! NO! It's Groom Man!

Day 150

May 31: Do you remember Wilson, the volley ball with the bloody handprint for a face, who costarred with Tom Hanks in Castaway?

This is his down-on-his-luck and leprous second cousin.

He's been leaving little pieces of himself all over the yard, the house, my car...

Day 151

June 1: New shoe day is always a great day when you're a kid.

Nothing in the world feels the same as a new pair of shoes -- and you never really realize how decrepit your old shoes have become, until you slip the new ones on.

I was a classic "New Shoe Kid." I believed they made me run faster, and jump higher. Well that, and the fact that I was 1/32 Paiute. :)

I also secretly hoped they'd point the babes in my direction. Of course, that was the motivation for pretty much everything I did...

Day 152

June 2: The First Rose of Summer. And companion.

This beautiful flower sacrificed it's life seconds later, when I turned it ever so slightly for better light, and it snapped off in my hand.

Day 153

June 3: I don't do a lot of things right, and my memory is hit and miss, but the one date I never forget is June 3, 1994.

The day she said yes.

I've tried to acknowledge the day that Sharon agreed to marry me, each year, with some kind of small gift.

It's the least I can do to thank her for giving me love and a life beyond my capacity to describe.

The ring is an Irish Claddagh Ring. It is a centuries old design, and deeply symbolic. The hands holding the heart symbolize friendship, the heart is love, and the crown at the top stands for loyalty.

Incidentally, the little box was hand carved in Russia, out of birch bark.