Something I Love

While I do find waterfalls and bridges interesting and entertaining, what I really love is photography. I love being able to capture a moment as I see it, overcome the difficulties of technology making something NOT as I see it, and producing something that is again, what I saw. I like that photography preserves memories but also helps to recall other's memories. For example, you may not have ever been to this waterfall that I took a photo of in Oregon, but that does not mean that it doesn't draw up any memory or feeling for you. I think photography is a pure art. There is a lot you can do now with digital photography and what not, but if you stick to the basics, it's all about what you see in the places around you and how you portray those places to other people. What angle struck you? How is this different from the angles that strike others? Photography is also so relaxing and makes you look at the details of life rather than just the big picture because it's the details that make the big picture so amazing.

Something I Hate

The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold. ~Aristotle

I hate liars! This picture is applicable because it is my poor car after it was hit by a couple of girls in a rental car who, six months later, still can't tell the same story twice. I don't know how long it will be until I get my car paid for, but I swear I will get it paid for. I was not at fault in any way. The damage shows that. The fact that they have lied a thousand times shows they have something to hide. Why can't the just be good people and own up to what they did wrong? I feel like this is something that is applicable to SO many situations but SO few people follow through with it. Lying is just frustrating, wrong, and hurtful. In the end, when people find out the truth, it is going to be much worse for the liars because first there was something to lie about and second, obviously, they lied. I can't even express how frustrated I get when people lie. Just tell the frickin truth and everything will be better in the long run. For real. Just don't do it. It just pisses people off.

A Picture of My Favorite Book

This book isn't anything that represents me being an intellectual in any way. It isn't one that I can get pompous about when talking about favorite books in English classes. Nonetheless, it is my favorite book. I read it every year before or right after classes start. It reminds me about having imagination and looking at the details and the finer things, things I tend to forget throughout the school year. It's a children's book, one that makes an impression and reminds me not to look at the sidewalk while I'm walking because there are so many amazing things to focus on. I think everyone should read this book whether they are an adult or child. I do not expect everyone to like it, as I do, but it would be nice if people gave it a shot.

A person who has gotten me through the most

My mom has definitely been there for me through a lot in my life. Through losing boyfriends, skinned knees, stitches, and going off to college, my mom has been the one who has seen me through. In high school, I could have honestly called her my best friend and my close friends all called her mom, too. She worked at countless swim meets, watched basketball games, and came to mock trial tournaments. She counseled, listened, and parented, pretty much single-handedly. She coached my softball teams, was the "room-mom" in elementary, and chaperoned trips all over the state.

Though we have had our typical mother/daughter disputes, my mom was always there growing up.

A picture that makes me laugh

"It's the altitude," was the family mantra the week we spent in Colorado for my uncle's reunion. Clearly, this picture is a perfect example of that. My cousins may or may not have had a few drinks but I don't think that would have changed anything about what allowed this moment to be captured on film. Weird things happen when we all get together, but it wouldn't be quite as much fun without it!

My Most Treasured Item

My most treasured item has changed over the years and I am sure it will continue to change as time goes on, as my life changes, and as I reevaluate what is important in my life. However, at this time, my most treasured item is this photograph of my dad as a young boy. There are very few photographs of my dad as a child and I am lucky to have this one. It makes me wonder, what exactly was he like as a little boy? What were his biggest hopes and dreams? Was that dog his best friend? (I don't remember the name of that dog, though I am sure my mom or his brothers would remember) Did he ever dream he'd end up the way he did? I see potential and hope in this picture which is something I lost when he died. This picture re-invites my imagination to hope for a better future, not just for this little boy, but in general. It allows me to hope that changes are made for the better from now on instead of a spiraling path downward as we grow up.

What was this moment to my dad? I don't know, and I will never know; but to me, this moment captures the reason I want to be a better person, why I want to never let myself down, and why I never want my children to look at a picture of me and wonder, "What if?"

The Person I Would Love to Trade Places With For A Day

Janet Napolitano

I should start out by saying I would not want to BE Janet Napolitano, rather, trading places with her for a day would be an amazing experience. Perhaps it's because I am nosey and would like to know what's going on in the world or perhaps it is because I think there are so many problems pertaining to her department right now, I would love to be in the position to have my opinions heard. Either way, trading places with her for a day would give me an amazing opportunity to meet our country's leaders, be in a position in which they would listen to me, and of course give my peers the opportunity to meet Janet Napolitano as she attended my classes and worked my job. Funny thing, we are both in "security" positions, though that's probably about where most of our similarities end.