Introducing Kimball Marcus

I know, just about the cutest thing you've ever seen, right? Almost three weeks ago my newest nephew was born and I got to visit Rachel and see him last weekend. What is it about babies that are so heart warming, I don't know, but I just couldn't get enough of him. He's pretty much the perfect baby too, and I don't think he was set down more than five minutes all weekend...and I have no idea whose fault that was...tehe :) It was a pretty quick trip, but there's always time to grab a few pictures. There sure is nothing quite like a newborn baby.

Sheila and Josh's Wedding

A couple of weeks ago Sheila and Josh got married, and Colleen Donovan let me tag along with her and help her in photographing their wedding. Colleen is an amazing photographer and I always feel so honored when I get to work with her. The wedding was at the CMA church here in Moses Lake, followed by a reception at Hidden Meadow. I had forgotten how much I like to photograph weddings. I had so much fun. Here are a couple highlights from the day...

Taking a quick breather before the ceremony begins.

The lighting of the unity candle.

They looked so happy as they walked back down the aisle as a newly wedded couple.

Everyone had fun with the confetti exit.

I got to ride in the limo with the wedding party to the reception location and got some fun shots, lucky me!

Is this not a guilty face if you've ever seen one? I bet you can guess how the cake feeding turned out...



The couple's first dance turned into one of funk and jig. It was very original, and very fun.

Congratulations to the new couple! Go Sheila and Josh!

Family Happenings

Wow, what a full two weeks I have had filled with family, enjoying every second of it. A couple of weeks ago my family got together at my uncle's ranch in Idaho for a family reunion. It's not very often that my family gets to all be together like that, so it was a real treat to hang with my sisters and parents, and watch all the little nieces and nephews interact and play together. We packed everything we could in our time together including fishing, horseback riding, trekking, swimming, four wheeling, pinata-ing, treasure hunting (put on by Grandpa for his grandboys, but the boys might argue that the junk yard hid some pretty great treasures as well.), and the list goes on. It took me quite awhile to go through my pictures and pick out my favorite ones to post, but I was finally able to narrow it down to these...

If you have not yet noticed, may I please draw your attention to Elsie's ability to stuff as much candy in her hands as possible. I'd say she's pretty well mastered it.

This was the first time Abram was able to ride the horse all by himself. I think he could have ridden it most of the day, despite the fact that the horse was about three times taller than him.

Elsie loved the horses as well. She would giggle so hard when she rode one with her dad, and even harder when she would watch them gallop around.

A highlight for Peter was the fishing. I don't think a day went by without him asking if somebody would fish with him. Once caught, he would pick those wriggling fish up and grip them as if there were no tomorrow, despite the fact that he is at the perfect height to be slapped in the face (see above).

Seth was one boy ready for adventure. With his pillowcase full of a slingshot, bow and arrow, walking stick, a "Dangerous Book for Boys", compass, etc., he was set for anything that might come his way.

I couldn't help but throw this last one in. After the reunion I went home with Lanita for a little while. This was one outing we took with the little boys. Can you tell Chase was a little more than happy?

Happy Independence Day

And what a great holiday it is. What a wonderful time to celebrate this country. I too often take it all for granted, but how grateful I am for the endless freedoms we take advantage of without even thinking about them (at least I do). How grateful I am to our founding fathers that sacrificed more than we know to make our country into what it is. How grateful I am for our Constitution and government that sets boundaries to keep our country free. How grateful I am to the many soldiers who are fighting across the world to sustain and preserve this beautiful, blessed country. How grateful I am for the United States of America. My heart goes out to you. God bless America!

Transition to next topic: In light of a Fourth of July tradition my sisters' and I started several years ago, I post a picture. Every year we make a Fourth of July "fire engine red" cake, meaning we dye the batter bright red, and then proceed to decorate the baked cake with red, white, and blue frosting. This year, it is just me and my Dad this holiday, so the tradition was left up to me, probably the least artistic of all the siblings. Having said that, here is my feeble attempts at cake decorating...the finished product:

Pretty comical huh? I purposely didn't show you the drooping frosting on the sides.

Nutella

It is possible to eat chocolate without really eating chocolate.

It is possible to smear a piece of bread with chocolate, and actually get away with it.

It is possible to have a chocolate sandwich with about the same amount of nutrition as peanut butter. (I know, it may sounds gross, but you're just going to have to take my word on this one.)

It is possible to turn a chocolate milkshake into something it has never been before.

It is possible to dip a banana in chocolate and not feel overly guilty about it.

It is possible to have a delectable chocolate filled crepe without the hastle of melting any kind of chocolate.

Not only is it possible, but it's acceptable.

It's possible to have chocolate without really having chocolate. It's not chocolate. It's hazelnut.

Nutella, welcome to my life.

Ode to Summer

I have never been a true lover of summer. It's often too hot for me, and my skin burns easily; however, something about the long winter months stirs a longing for those warm, sunny, summer days. Now that I'm in the midst of the heat of the summer and camping out in my cool basement with a sunburned back, trying to will myself to get up and actually go for a run, but deciding it's not worth the heat exhaustion that will result, I try to remind myself why I was wishing for this season in February. While going through some pictures, I was able to come up with a few things I have decided I can enjoy and do love about this time of year, despite my feelings toward it already. I love to play on the lake--boating, jet skiing, tubing, the works. Although I am by no means a swimmer, I do enjoy floating around in a swimming pool sometimes. I love bar-b-ques. There's nothing quite like that juicy hamburger Dad grills up and that yummy potato salad Mom whips out. Although they are slightly foreign in Moses Lake, we have enjoyed several thunders storms over the past couple weeks, and I have loved every one of them.

You don't see clouds like this in the winter. Only summer makes 'em like this.

Although I am personally no fan of fishing, I love watching my nieces and nephews fish and get so excited about catching one. We are having a family reunion coming up in a couple weeks, and I cannot wait to witness these episodes again.

Okay, so even though the sun can be way too hot and intense, the sunshine and blue skies are beautiful. Plus sun flare is way to fun to play with :)

Who doesn't like that spontaneous water fight that is bound to happen at least once a summer?

Okay, so maybe summer isn't quite so bad after all. But what about you? What is your favorite part about summer?

Photoshop class

My sister recently emailed me about a photoshop class online that anybody can join. The best part about it--it's free! Plus you can go through the lessons on your own time whenever you have the time. I promptly signed up for it and can't wait for it to start! Here's the link for anybody that's interested. Even if you don't have Photoshop, there are free trials available online.



http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=976:free-photo-editing-class&catid=1:latest&Itemid=148

The Vestibule of all Viruses--What you'll need to know

I have come to discover that the germ's playground is masked under many different aliases. Some countries call it the tube, others the metro, and yet another, the underground. It's more properly known (that is if there's anything proper about it) as the subway. No matter what it's called, it's the same thing everywhere--the mainstream of microbes, the burrow of bacteria. Having said this, there is one thing everybody should know before using this unsanitary and unfun underground system--try not to worry. Try not to think. Just go with the flow and be like everybody else and become the animal you will feel like, just for this time. It's the only way come out alive.


The first thing to hit you as you descend the stairs, leaving the real world above and entering the depths of the underground system, is the sudden change in smell. You immediately feel the need to take shallower breaths to avoid as much of the recycled air as possible, intermingled with scents of body odor, some one's old fast food (who would expose their food and then proceed to eat it in this pit of germs, I never was able to figure out), traces of urine maybe?, and who knows what other foreign smells that you'll never be able to discern and that you'll never smell again except in this world of the underground.


The next thing that hits immediately after is the constant rush and feeling of anxiety as you hurriedly try to find your pass while being shoved through by some strange character. You'll pull out your little tiny pass with a sigh of relief and continue to stick it through the machine to let you into the dreary halls. You'll say a littler prayer that your ticket will work like it's supposed to and not be rejected for whatever reason. Despite your hopes, when this happens, not if, but when, you will be stuck between the door contraption that refuses to open for you, a stranger who is trying to get through, and a long line of hurried, impatient people who are yelling out of frustrations and annoyances for you to keep moving, possibly even in another language. Try not to worry. It's the human that would give over to the stress, but it's the animal that survives in this world.


Once you've made it through, you'll feel the need to get to your platform in a big rush, even though you'll most likely have to wait for the train once you get there. Don't ever count on the subway waiting for you as you enter the platform and being able to hop right on, it just doesn't happen. If anything, you will arrive just as you see the doors closing and the back of the train leaving you behind, maybe even carrying half your party along with it as well. Somebody else in your party might get a little upset when this happens. They might mumble something a little less than happy under their breath and be a little cross, regardless of the fact that another train will be coming in approximately two or three minutes time. Rather, the less than human you enjoys the company of strange people of every kind you will be surrounded by that only exist in this part of the world. Meanwhile, your human friends are busy stressing and making sure you are all still with the rest of the group, hoping they aren't the only ones that didn't make it on the subway the first time around.

Once on the train, the animal instinct disregards the thoughts of how many people have shared the same air, and touched the same spot you are, and just pretends like it's normal and not disgusting. Just don't look at the peculiar drips and substances clinging to the walls and windows, and don't think of the mice you are probably sharing the subway with. The animal feels no claustrophobia as you shove your way on, while the sensitive humans try not to get shut in the doors as they close.

Just when you think not another fly could squeeze on, suck it in and get a little more cozy with your eccentric unknown neighbor, because more people will always stuff in despite what you may think. Oh, but be careful of the pickpocket you might also be standing next to as well. When you are slowing down for your stop, you'll wonder how in the world you will shove past all these people to get out, and your human conscience might worry you'll miss your stop because you can't. Relax, somehow, by some magical miracle it works, and with an animal-like push and shove, you'll find your way through and discover yourself back out in the open air with gratitude and forgotten thoughts of any diseases you might or might not have caught through your journey. You'll walk around a while and do what you needed to do, forgetting the horrors you went through just in time for the return trip home to go through it all again, but just relax and give yourself over to that animal within one more time and you will survive just like every other time before.

I can sense your hesitancy, but see? Not to worry, this particular area is under video surveillance.

Try to disregard the bones that curiously look human, and I know it's hard, but do your best to ignore the blood splatter on the window too.

England and Paris and all that's fairest

England is where most of the adventure took place. We went all over. We hiked the vast expanse of the Moors, explored Sherwood Forest while scouting out for Robin Hood, played on the beach and walked along the Cobb in Lyme Regis, and made so many more good memories. We visited the poet Wordsworth's home along with the Bronte Parsonage, one of Jane Austen's homes, Beatrix Potter's house, and many different Shakespeare properties, including a visit to his grave. It was very stirring to walk through these places where such incredible writers walked and lived as I contemplated the impact that they have had on the world. It was such a great experience.

The spirit was so strong in this little chapel where Shakespeare is buried. He was definitely an inspired man, and his work is definitely virtuous, lovely, and of good report.

It was in England that we visited even more castles and palaces, old monasteries, nunneries, abbeys, and cathedrals, including Westminster Abbey. For those of you that don't know, Westminster is a church where every monarch of England has been coronated since William the Conqueror. Many of them are buried here as well, along with countless other historic artists and scientists such as Handel, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and many others. It was so neat to be in a place of so much history.

Tintern Abbey, the remains of an old monestary.

We also had the opportunity to attend a couple Shakespeare plays put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. I must admit, because of them, I am now a big Shakespeare fan. All I've ever seen are little plays put on by high schools and little groups, but these don't even compare.

Along the lines of theatre, while we were in London I went with a group to a showing of Les Miserable. This musical is so powerful and so moving and I loved every second of it. I could have continued to sit there once it finished and watched it from the very beginning all over again and been perfectly content and happy. It was amazing. While we were there, we couldn't pass up the chance to go to the Globe Theatre either; however, I was a little disappointed to find that tickets to Romeo and Juliet playing in this historic theatre were completely sold out, so I had to just let a tour of the theatre satisfy. It was really interesting to listen to the tour guide and all the little bits of information she shared with us though. I was happy I was at least able to go look at it.

Of course we couldn't miss Stonehenge while we were there. Such a neat, mysterious place. When I die, you can bet this will be one of my questions for Heavenly Father!

The last couple days of the trip were spent in Paris. People aren't kidding when they say the French are a passionate people, and Paris really is a great city of passion; passion for art, passion for their culture, passion for their heritage, and yes, even passion for each other as we witnessed floating down the Seine River. While in Paris, I developed some passion myself. I now have a passion for stain glass. I've never been a huge fan of much stain glass, that is until I entered the Sainte Chapelle. Upon entering the old chapel covered in stain glass from wall to wall my mind far changed from its unimpressed impressions of stain glass. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and was my highlight from Paris.

Sainte Chapelle-imagine this, times about 17, completely surrounded by stain glass. It's literally breathtaking.

The Eiffel Tower at sunset. It's funny to think that when it was first erected it was thought of as the most hideous monstrosity.

The view of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Another passion I gained in Paris is for the opera. Okay so not really, more for the opera house. I didn't actually attend any operas, but I did walk through the opera house, and that was enough to change my mind. Even though I'm not a huge opera fan, I wanted to go to one just so I could go into the building again. Big, ornate, and gorgeous. Loved it.

What would Paris be without going to the Louvre, right? In addition to the Louvre we went to the Musee d'Orsay and saw some more very famous, very beautiful art. It was great.

The Opera House-I think I heard faint ringings of the Phantom of the Opera echoing from the basements (that's right, plural).

The Louvre

Although it's good to be home, I want to go back at the same time. I learned so much about so many different things. It really was a once in a lifetime experience. I loved it, and I would do it again in a second.

Where to start

It's been a while and my blog has been neglected. I've spent the past month in Europe on a study abroad, and let's just say my blog was not at the top of my priority list. Now that I'm home though, I must come back to life as we know it, and face the realities of life again...sigh. As far as blogging goes, I don't quite know how to go about tackeling it. I have seen and experienced so many incredible things. There is so much to say and show. It's kind of daunting. There's only one thing to do but get started!

So, a month ago I flew out of Salt Lake City, and after saying good-bye to American soil, I found myself in Ireland 24 hours later. Ireland is probably the most green place I have ever seen. I have never seen that brilliant shade of green in nature before. It was beautiful. In our several day stay in Ireland we visited the Cliffs of Moher (a.k.a. the cliffs of insanity from Princess Bride...for real). We went to the Irish writers museum in Dublin, rode bikes around the island of Inishmore in the pouring rain, visited castles, and stayed in creepy/gross hostels, but we won't dwell on that. While in Ireland we made a stop at Trinity College where we viewed the Book of Kells, which is an ancient manuscript of the four gospels written and decorated in a remarkably beautiful way. Within Trinity College is a room called the Long Room as well, which, like it sounds, is a very long room. Go figure. What is neat and unique about this room, however, is that the walls are lined with bookshelves full of ancient books written by Socrates, Aristotle, and many other great philosiphers of old. I absolutely loved this room. Everything from the smell, to the overstimulation of the eyes trying to take in so many books, and the feeling that came over me to be in the midst of so much history. Yes, it sounds silly, but this room was one of my highlights from the whole trip. I just loved the special spirit the room contained.

Dublin Castle

The street in Galway we stayed on, and yes, many streets are cobblestone and narrow in this part of Ireland. It's pretty neat.

Overlooking the Galway Bay. You can see the city of Galway on the horizon of this picture.

The Cliffs of Moher. If only pictures could do them justice. They don't even come close to showing their majorist enormity.

First comes Ireland, then came Wales, home to some of the most genuine and welcoming people. We stayed in Cardiff and visited Chester for a couple hours where we walked along the top of the wall encircling the the city. The Romans would stand guard on this wall and watch for any threats. In addition, we traveled some more, walked through more castles, and then headed into England.

Skipton Castle

On top of the wall surrounding Chester. P.S. Just disregard any closed eyes :)

On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Holyhead. Isn't it beautiful?!

Rather than taking on the overwhelming task of trying to tell you everything I ever did on the trip, and to save you, my fellow reader, from reading a saga of events, I have decided to end this entry here. Keep checking back for part 2 of the European adventures of the British Literary Pilgrimage Tour. England and Paris have yet to come!

And there goes the final project.

Well, my photography class is about done and I turned in my final project yesterday. Hurray! For this last project we just had to take a bunch of pictures of a single theme and put them together in some sort of scrapbook, web gallery, multi media presentation, etc. I decided to take pictures of several different pianos and put them together in a slideshow. Hope you enjoy!

More photography assignments

My mom requested more photos from my photography assignments a while ago, so here are a few more. They are from a conglomerate of assignments we've had regarding composition, color, motion, lighting, etc.

This assignment was about composition, focusing solely mainly on the rule of thirds and leading lines and such. I owe my roommate big time for sitting out in the snow in the freezing cold weather while I tried to hurry and take the shots. She's a gem!

There are four difference color schemes we learned about in my class: harmonious, complementary, monochromatic, and polychromatic. For this assignment we were supposed to pay attention to those color schemes. This photograph is monochromatic, meaning there is only one dominant color.

For this assignment we were required to experiment with different kinds of artificial lighting as they all cast different colors. I figured I'd make my brother-in-law proud and used good ol' LED.

Last but not least, that is if you're still reading this (sorry, it's kind of a boring post this time), our motion assignment. Yes, there's my roommate again. She makes such a great model!