An odd conglomeration of photos I took last week.

The Great Salt Lake. Pearls. Tulips. Lace dresses. Kennecott smelter. Utah Lake. Multigrain Cheerios. Sunsets. Nathan Bayles. 

Quite the combination, right?

I took 187 photos between Friday night and Monday morning. All in an attempt to complete my photography assignment. We were supposed to turn in one "high key" image (LOTS of light values) and one "low key" image (LOTS of dark values). Google high key/low key photography if you want to learn more.

Anyway, the assignment seemed fairly simple but actually proved to be exceedingly difficult. There's a fine line between making an aesthetically pleasing picture composed almost entirely of light values, and overexposing a photo to the point of a crappy picture. 

Hence the 187 photos.

The majority of what I shot this weekend didn't work for my assignment, but I got to do tons of experimenting and came up with some cool shots, nonetheless. And spending some quality time with family and friends who were willing to aid me in my endeavors was just an added bonus. As for the 50 or so mosquito bites I had come Saturday morning...definitely not an added bonus.

The weekend's first adventure took us to the Great Salt Lake on Friday evening. The original plan was to go to the Salt Flats, but Siri lied to us about a shorter, easier route out there and we missed the good lighting. So we improvised.

When I called Austin asking him if he wanted to drive out to the Salt Flats with me, he IMMEDIATELY accepted and came along to take his own pictures. Cousinly bonding! 

For some reason, these footprints just kind of spoke to me.

I LOVED the way the light was reflecting off the small waves (ripples?) coming in, and I probably crouched at the edge of the lake for about 20 minutes trying to get the lighting just right.

Next up, on Sunday night, was a lovely photo shoot with my darling friend Nathan. I wanted to use him for my high key images, but ultimately the lighting was off and I couldn't use his photos for the assignment. I do, however, like how some of the pictures turned out. I might just be able to use them for a future assignment!

Anytime you're working with a goofball like this, you KNOW you're in for some fun pictures.

Cute, much??

We were totally goofing off at this point. It was SO windy out and there were some birds hovering right above Nathan, hence this pose. When I got the picture on the computer, I ended up REALLY liking it. Funny how things like that happen!

He was a pretty good little model. :)

So then, since my original high key plan didn't work out, I had to improvise early Monday morning to throw together something that WOULD work. I had some tulips and (obviously fake) pearls lying around. Add a lace dress and you get....

I liked how the light was almost coming through the flower petals....

....but I could never really get the composition right.

I knew looking at my camera's display screen I didn't like the pictures very much, but at that point, I was SICK of taking pictures and endlessly playing with my aperture, so I just decided to use what I had. 

I then went to the kitchen to get some breakfast, at which point I poured myself a bowl of Multigrain Cheerios. And then it hit me.

Sometimes having a white dresser is really convenient....

Nom nom nom. (That's actually a fork in the bowl!)

And so, the pictures I turned in this week were in no, way, shape or form part of the original plan.

I turned in THIS photo of the Kennecott smelter for my low key image... (The larger this image, the better it looks. So open that baby up in a new window!)

....and THIS photo of Multigrain Cheerios for my high key image. (Not bad for my first attempt at still life, eh?)

And that's what life's all about, right? Improvising. Being OK with doing something that's not part of the plan. Experimenting. Taking chances. Not being afraid to take pictures of your Cheerios. Suffering 50 mosquito bites in the name of a good photograph. 

And above all, having fun while you're at it.

So I'm taking a PHOTOGRAPHY class....

I asked for an iPad for Christmas.

So on Christmas morning when I opened a box containing a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with not one, but TWO lenses, I was in complete and utter shock. 

I had really been expecting that iPad. Not a really, really nice camera.

Long story short, the camera has proven much more useful than an iPad. And now, I'm taking an Introduction to Photography class so I can learn how to work the dang thing in something other than automatic mode.

So this weekend I set out on my first assignment. The instructions were vague: do something fun and take some creative pictures.

I, being one of the least creative people on this planet, had a hard time coming up with stuff to shoot. Nevertheless, this is what I came up with.

On Friday, Cameron and I spontaneously drove to Wyoming to watch our alma mater (Sheridan) play football, and to see one of our old teachers. 

I didn't like the majority of pictures I took, but that's all part of the learning experience, right?

I tried to get shots of the game from different perspectives, and I kind of liked this one. Watching the game on the fringes of the action was kind of interesting.

This picture didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped, but what I really like about it is the sky. Few things are better than a Wyoming sky :)

On Saturday, I hiked Mt. Timpanogos (Utah's second highest peak at 11,752 feet) with a friend. I've been wanting to hike Timp since freshman year, but have always been lacking in the execution. I can't even tell you how many times I've set out to hike it, but one thing or another (flaky friends, crappy weather, you name it!) got in the way.

So on Saturday, I finally climbed that dang mountain (cross THAT off the bucket list!) and took some pictures along the way.

Not only did Spencer (aka the power hiker) push me to do my best on the hike (it's BRUTAL and tons of people end of giving up on the way to the top), he was patient while I took pictures and even posed for a few.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Part of our hike was IN the clouds. Which was stunning and beautiful and fantastic. 

Pretty moss!

It's not everyday that you get to be at eye level with the clouds. Being that high up gave me a great opportunity to work with my aperture and figure out how much light to let in to get both the clouds and the pretty stuff behind them!

As if the view from the top of Timp isn't stunning enough, I felt like I was playing in the clouds. I could just reach out and touch them!

And so, my journey toward learning how to work my camera has begun. I find myself constantly wanting to explore, learn, grow, go on adventures and, of course, take pictures of it all. 

So if you have any great places to explore, let me know! If you feel like adventuring with me, come along! And above all, if you have feedback, tell me! 

It's only just the beginning!

So we went on vacation....

So, my family and I went on vacation last week. The first time we had all just gone and done something together in literally years. Between graduations, moving, weddings, new babies, holidays, we have seen each other plenty. But it's a real struggle remembering the last time we just up and did something for the heck of it.

So, we changed that and went on vacation. To Washington.

And during that time, I took lots of pictures. So here they are.

On Friday, we rode the ferry from Bremerton into Seattle.

I ordered Cameron to look "artsy."

Good morning, Seattle! :)

Then we acted like tourists and took a Duck Boat tour of the city — half on land, half on water.

    

Alexander was clearly NOT impressed.

A water plane took off literally right next to us. Water EVERYWHERE.

Then we went to the Pacific Science Center and played in a magical room full of butterflies.

Then we went to the top of the Space Needle, which was actually throughly disappointing and you can see it on our faces.

On Saturday, we climbed aboard the U.S.S. Turner Joy, a retired naval destroyer, where we laid in sailors' beds for about 15 seconds before getting weirded out, and Ethan got to sit in the captain's seat. Like a boss.

Then we went for a drive up the coast, where I tried to act like a photographer and take pretty pictures, and I also dipped my feet in the freeeeezing Puget Sound.

Pretty flowers!

Quaint little lighthouse!

Then we went to the park and had a barbecue, at which point I took numerous pictures of "Baby Xander" until he got sick of me, Cameron and I made a valiant attempt at a jumping picture on the dock and we saw a car sink into the ocean (unfortunately no pictures of that).

Hey, at least we tried.

And I also snapped a purrti pic of my lovely momma and Cameron.

Sunday we sat around like the bums that we truly are and did nothing! And Ethan also literally took hundreds of pictures and videos of himself on my phone.

On Monday, we ventured back to Seattle and took a tour of the city's underground.

Cute little sailboat on the Sound. :)

Ethan and Grandpa!

 Semi creepy, but pretty cool.

Old elevator. No longer in operation. Clearly.

Then we went to Pike Place Market, bought some gorgeous flowers for dirt cheap, ate delicious pirozkis from Piroshky Piroshky and sipped Starbucks Refreshers from the original Starbucks. Which tasted exactly like Refreshers from all other Starbucks, but whatever.

And then we left and it was sad.

And in the in-between, our ferry stopped in the middle of the Sound and Cameron thought it was going to sink and her reaction was absolutely priceless; Ethan attacked me while I was sleeping on the floor and it was painful; Alexander LOVED pulling my hair; Cameron took about 519859096 selfies; Adrienne made us some delicious homemade meals; Dad got to eat all the fresh fish he could ever want; Cameron gave her number to the Duck Boat captain, who was like a billion feet tall; I beat everyone in Scattergories; Adrienne got not one, but TWO giant flower arrangements; Mom took the middle seat on both flights because she's nice; and we had tons and tons of fun.

Moral of the story: spend time with your family and go do awesome things. Because I'd be willing to bet your family is pretty rad.

Germany — The Journey

Press play. Read.

 

GERMANY.

I knew this was coming. I knew that, at some point, I would have to write this. The last blog post about Germany. The blog post that would say: "I did it. I did it! I DID IT!!" The last blog post about the biggest, craziest, most fulfilling adventure of my life. The blog post signaling that it really was all over.

I knew this was coming, but I didn't think it would be this hard.

How could I possibly sum up three months of living, working, playing, learning and growing in Germany? How could I sum up all of the discouraging times, all of the incredibly fun times, all of the adventures, all of the trials and all of the accomplishments in one blog post?

I was watching One Tree Hill (a.k.a. my favorite show EVER) the other day, when something a character said hit me:

"I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of a successful life, then some would say that I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that everyday won't be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it's only in the black of night you see the stars. And those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, or stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wished for. Maybe you'll get more than you could have ever imagined. Who knows where life will take you? The road is long and, in the end, the journey is the destination."

That was it! My German experience all rolled into one fictional character's statement.

#1: Germany did not turn out the way I wanted it to.

I had every intention to travel every weekend, to see as much of Europe as possible, to become a true globe trotter. But I only left the country once. And I guess some people would call that disappointing. A failure. I, however, know differently. Rather than constantly traveling, I was constantly making friends and getting close to the most incredible people in the world.

Germany didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. It turned out better.

#2: I learned that everyday won't be sunny. 

Literally. Germany had one of its darkest winters on record this year, and Frankfurt got some of the worst of it! Coming from places where the sun shines even when it's cold outside, dealing with cloudy, semi-depressing weather for three months was hard.

Figuratively. I had some really dark days in Germany. There were days when I was frustrated with work, frustrated with a culture that was so different than my own, frustrated with doing almost everything on my own. There were times I just wanted to give up and go back home. But I didn't. I kept my head up and kept going.

Once you learn to accept the bad, the good will only seem that much better.

#3: I learned that it's only in the black of night that you can see the stars.

It seemed like just when things in Germany got the hardest — the most overwhelming — something would happen that made it all better. A friend would show up with Cherry Coke (which is kind of hard to find in Germany!) because he knew how much I love it. I would get to do something really cool for work, like meeting Elder Holland. The Lord would make it known that He's looking out for me.

Don't avoid doing hard, challenging things. Don't avoid the hard times. Because it's during those times that you'll discover just how beautiful life is.

#4: I overcame some of my greatest fears while in Germany.

Prior to living in Germany, I had never been out of the country. Not for vacation, not with my family. Never. So, LIVING in a foreign country all by myself was terrifying. I didn't speak the language, I didn't know anyone and I had limited internet and cell phone access. I'm also fairly shy, which made the idea of starting with a completely blank slate in the friend department seem like the end of the world.

But I did it.

I made friends! I learned to live without constantly checking Facebook and always texting my friends. I learned to get out of my comfort zone and stretch my limits. I learned to love the country and people around me, even though I usually understood very little of what was going on. I learned to stand on my own two feet. I learned that I'm capable of doing anything I set my mind to. And most importantly, I learned that there is no fear too big to overcome.

#5: I enjoyed the journey.

The crazy, unpredictable, scary, exhilarating, incredibly fun journey.

For the first little while, all I could do was think about how much LONGER I would be in Germany. "71 days," I thought. "You're halfway done. Only 45 more days!" And so on. All I could think about was that flight back to America at the end of my 90 days in Germany.

But somewhere along the way, I learned that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters most. It's not the end result that you'll remember one day. It's the blood, sweat, tears, hard work and growth that you'll remember. It's all the incredible experiences you have, all the trials you go through and all the memories you make that matter most.  

It's the journey that molds you into the person you're supposed to be. And that's exactly what happened during my three months in Germany. I came that much closer to the person I'm supposed to be. 

There is no way I'll ever be able to adequately describe my experiences in Germany. I find myself looking back on the last three months and asking, "Did that really just happen?"

All I can say is that my life has changed because I went out on a limb and applied for an internship. I am a different person because I took a giant chance on something I didn't know if I could do. I had the most incredible adventure doing something I had never really planned for. I enjoyed the journey.

"Who knows where life will take you? The road is long and, in the end, the journey is the destination."

Go out there and have yourself your own little journey. I promise you won't regret it.