Within walking distance...

So I've made my way back to Texas. It's amazing how being gone for a year can really throw you for a loop! Am I who I was when I left... no. Can life be exactly as it was in Massachusett's... no. So where do I start?

Well, I decided to take a walk. See the neighborhood with new eyes. Here's a few things I found "within walking distance"...

If I were a supermodel...

... my shadow would look like this ALL the time. Funny, huh? Can you imagine?

Just thought I'd drop in and say "hi". I spent the day on a random road trip. I woke up this morning and decided I'd drive somewhere. Little did I know that the somewhere would end up being Cape Cod. Me and my trusty GPS had some laughs... I'll save those for later since I've been on the road all day.

Oh, and that model thing. No worries. I had "Cape Cod" chips in the Cape today. I'm sure they went right to my hips.

Gratitude Day

I am officially a Hallmark Institute of Photography alum!

The hard work put in over the last year paid off (and in a surprising way). I was granted not only a Certificate of Completion but also the award for Highest Graduate Credit. What an honor!

Congrats to all the graduates of 2009. I am humbled by the talent that surrounded (and supported) me this year! I will miss everyone dearly. Please keep in touch! You don't have to write... just send pictures. ;)

... for Life

Every so often in life you are given opportunities that leave an imprint on you deep enough that you know you'll always hold a "visual of the experience". The past two days have been like that for me. I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Franklin County "Relay for Life"... an experience that I won't soon forget. Along with 20 or so of my fellow Hallmark classmates, instructors, and alumni we spent 20 plus hours photographing in incredible event! Yes, all night and into the next day. What I will take from this experience is a better understanding of what it means to live with, live through, live without and live for...

For more info on

the Franklin County event...

http://hallmark.edu/news/

For more info on

Relay For Life...

http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/

Roller or Coaster?

A day or so ago I described my life to someone as being one of the cars on the track of a roller coaster, slowly climbing the first peak. Click-Clack-Click-Clack. Ten months of work at Hallmark and I somehow wonder whether I am ready for that moment when my "car" is released at the top of the incline. Often in life people describe themselves as being "stuck in a situation". It occurred to me that can't actually be the case. Life is in a constant state of motion, we have only to choose whether to roll forward with intention or coast. Today I choose to roll... maybe even jump the tracks.