Little Alice...

It is a tradition in my brother-in-law's family to have each girl at the age of two get her picture taken in this old dress made by their great grandma. I had the pleasure of taking the pictures of my niece. I call her Alice, not because it's her real name, but because that's what these pictures make me think of- Alice in Wonderland.

It was fun and I am excited about how they turned out. It was good for me to take a break from routine and get to create and play with such a fun project. I wanted the pictures to look like they might have if they were taken decades ago when the dress was new.

The lighting wasn't great but she made it up for it with her own. (and if you can guess where I took them I may have to give you a prize) -It's thrown me on this kick of vintage/old style photography- here I go! More fun to come.

*Those who I've already told where the photo-shoot took place are not eligible for prize/contest. :)

Thought you should know.....

I luh the string cheese!

String cheese has become my summer passion. I like that it is quick and clean. It's verstile, every string is unique and different. It's tastey, chewy, and cheesy- "yes pleasey..."

Instead of ON-the-GO string cheese try it gourmet-

with garden tomatoes and fresh basil. Try served with Marinated Mushroom Seared Chicken and Cauliflower bake.

Reviewing my Viewings- To the Boy Who Lived

[This post is lengthy. If you're looking for the condensed version of my Harry Potter 7.2 experience read what is in italics. if you have some time and patience feel free to read it all.]

I'm surprised by how much is on my mind. It's late (3am) , I should be in bed but my thoughts

are racing and if I sleep, by morning they will have fled. Awkwardly enough, the mental churning surrounds the topic of Harry Potter. I feel somewhat a geek.

I feel like such a wizard right now. This evening I got dressed and gathered my essentials-- which included my 11" Mermaid scales-Birch Wand and headed out to face the end of what has been a long journey. Driving swiftly south down the freeway, the full moon shone brightly and amplified the dark silhouette of the mountain peaks in front of me.. I felt like I was on a Firebolt, in a midnight escape, off to some adventure.

My mind was caught up in reminiscence. I thought of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; the beginning, in the aftermath of Voldemort's downfall, James & Lily Potter's death and the survival of their son Harry. The wizards were walking about, amongst the Muggles with no thought to try and blend in. They were celebrating, joy overflowed into the streets, sparks and stars are shot thru the air, people gathered together and raised their glasses to- "the boy who lived." The imagery, the memories and feelings felt a lot like tonight.

It was easy to see the parallels between what Rowling wrote and what was happening around me: There was so much hype surrounding Harry Potter today. The dozens of witches and wizards I saw around town as I ran errands, recent fireworks celebrations and the simple atmosphere of summer. I looked down at my Hogwarts School Boy outfit and smiled.

"I'm part of this story," I said to myself. Anyone looking at me would be like the Muggles in the first book as they observed the Wizards and witches frolicking freely about the streets in their 'non-muggle' attire. I was clearly "one of them..." as Uncle Vernon would've put it.

I was happy to be a part of this. My outfit was decent, but wasn't nearly to the degree of some of the others. As I passed the theater two wizard boys stood casting spells at every car that passed. I felt at home amongst all of these 'witches and wizards. I haven't felt that much cohesiveness in such a diverse group of people. It's amazing what can happen when we gather together with one intent and purpose.

The purpose being to watch the final installment of the Harry Potter film series. Our show began with a pre-show of a couple guys in a wizard dual casting spells, running around the theater. Epic- right? :) And from that point on I was pretty well captivated.

I enjoyed what I saw. I was felt there was a good balance between the action and some of the fun details. It was appropriately emotional in the appropriate places. The dialogue was good. I was happy to see some of the better actors (not necessarily the main characters) set the tone and create some of the emotion to the story through their dialogue and acting ability (Mostly Maggie Smith- Prof. McGonagall) This was the Harry Potter series at its best, from cinematography and soundtrack, to the acting and script. I really enjoyed the themes and message of the series especially this last one. I laughed, I cried and Made a Horcrux. A little part of me will always be in the Harry Potter series.

I'm not sure if I liked it because of it being some stellar, epic film- or simply because of the experience and what it means to me. I recognize now how much a part of my life this has been. Harry Potter has been around for nearly half of my life. The world of literature and reading were came alive to me when I picked up the first book of the series. And Oh the places that's allowed me to go, and the things I've been able to learn. It's brought me closer with friends, it's created a venue mystery, novelty, imagination, conversation, interpretation. It's given me a place to create magic. That's the beauty of it all- at it's core Harry Potter follows the Universal Story- The Archetype. We get to follow the Heroes journey. and in a very real sense we can place ourselves into the shoes of the hero. That is why it is so universal. In a sense it inspires us in our own stories. As we see the hero sink to his/her lowest and defeat the archetypal dragon, rising victorious- suddenly our depths of despair become lighter and our dragons less beastly.

* * *

In our society we are trained to be critics. When was the last time you sat back and fully allowed an experience to consume you, instead of standing by and judging, analyzing, critiquing the experience? Have you been in a situation and found yourself liberated at peace and empowered because you weren't distracted by placing value on the situation for what it was or wasn't or what YOU thought it should or shouldn't be?

Many people have much to say and critique

about J.K. Rowling and her creation. I'm grateful I entered the world of Harry Potter before I trained myself to be too much of a critic. I'm grateful I was able to fully invest myself in the experience of Harry Potter. I am glad to have had 'the Potter' on my journey over the past several years, and I will carry it with me for years to come. And I trust that there will be much more joy and magic to come. I'm taking up the practice of non-judgement and overcoming the need to place a value (monetary, moral, comparative) on every thing, person and experience. It's not easy, but it is liberating.

P.S. I am kind of, majorly crushing on Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) Like-we're meant to be.

South Pacific- Introduction

The postcard I made for my Facebook photo to display while I was in

Fiji.

I caveat by saying that experiences like this are hard to put into words. I find I've done best in communicating my experience when people ask good, specific questions. So, if you have questions, feel free.

From June 12-26 2011 I left on a Service exp

edition, with my university's Service Center, to the Bua province in Fiji. Bua is the poorest province of Fiji. I spent those two weeks in the South Pacific helping out with two service projects. One: in a village called Vuya where we dug trenches to lay pipe for a septic system and built septic tanks. Two: at the Vuya District School painting the school buildings inside and out and building a library to house 7,000 new books and 12 computers we shipped down beforehand. But, my primary focus was to document and record the story of our trip as the photographer. It was a really special opportunity to me.

I came well equipped with two weeks worth of wilderness survival supplies, but most importantly with my babies for the trip:

My Baby- Canon 50D using a fixed 50mm Canon Lens.

A point and shoot on Steroids-

Canon G12. For backup and quick shots. (Ended up using this one more than my big one)

And my the home of my two Cameras- National Geographic Expedition Camera Bag.

It turned out to be quite the experience. An experience that I will continue to share over several blog posts through word but mostly photo. I look forward to it. Till next time I leave you with this:

Our 10 Hour home from LAX to Nadi Fiji- double decker Boeing 747 Jet- We were on the second deck. They gave us 'refreshing' wipes twice, played island music and it smelled like tropical flowers.

Sunset from our hotel in Suva, Fiji. The night before we took the Ferry to the service site in the Bua province.

Check-In

I love this tree.

I sit up late at night trying to decompress from the mind-blowing journey I just had. [I also think I need a little time adjustment] I arrived this evening to SLC Int. Airport from a two week service expedition to Fiji. It's always seemed a bit oxy-moronic to have 'Fiji' and 'service' in the same sentence in conversation with people before I went. But now my view has changed. There is so much to process and digest from my experiences in Fiji. I have a lot to record, and filter through. I assure you it will come soon. In fact- after I post this I'm going to go do some recording and processing. Till then- Moce [pronounced Mo'they: Goodbye]

[I took over 7,000 pix because I was the expedition photographer, so I have extra to filter through but above & below are just a taste]

Describes how I'm feeling right now.

To be revisited...

Needed to throw somethings out just to get them off my back...

My back: it's acting up again, causing issues with the sciatic... can't drive too well, but heading to SLC to get some work done. Want it fixed so I can function, clean my room and make it to a great friends big day.

Chronic pain doesn't do good for the emotions nor the capacity to focus on spiritual things.

Unexpected changes + being on edge... This change is what broke the Samel's back today.

Philipians 4:13

I feel like life, our progress, our growth happens in seasons. These seasons are not on the same time frame as the 12month seasons, but the cycle is still the same. It seems you are coming out of a bitter winter in your seasons, but appropriately after winter comes spring. May the blossoms, tulips, birds and sunshine fill you with hope and be a reminder that with spring comes new growth- comes life. You are in a new and different place, new situations, new thoughts and emotions, you are a new you. What an amazing opportunity to prepare yourself for a summer of growth. Remember, at times Spring carries with it (like this week) chilling reminders of winters past, and even summer has its storms but nonetheless we are intrepid and we keep moving forward, because there is the hope that 'this too shall pass.' Everyday we have the opportunity to start anew, to absorb some of the Son into your being and grow a little closer to Him. Remember the lilies how they grow- the move with the sun.

Spring and seasons have obviously been on my mind. I love the change in seasons. each has its good an bad, some may be better than others, but in all they are essential to life. I do strugle with the unpredictability of the spiritual/emotional kind. I am working on reminding myself to look to the sun.

If you have never watched Madea, please do. It is 'Hellur'ious"!

I couldn't help but bust a gut when I saw these pix. Made my week.

When life give's you lemons....

It's disgusting how cliche' the title of this post is.... But tonight I had an experience. Not a whole lot was panning out tonight... I was throwing in the towel and went to the kitchen to make my self some comfort food- The Classic College staple- Quesadilla. (important backstory: I bought the raw tortillas and a giant bag of cheese yesterday, my bag went into the freezer because my roommate already had a giant one in the fridge, we're sharing, it is communal cheese.) I got the pan warming and the tortillas prepared and went to grab the 'queso' - I opened the fridge and felt the lemon, that life threw, broadside me in the face. -NO CHEESE! Seriously the bag that was there not three hours earlier was missing. The bag in the freezer just wasn't an option, it was too much work and it was meant for later. What would happen when the other cheese returned and then I had two bags of cheese opened? So I had to figure something out.... I quickly scoured the fridge and grabbed what would soon become the best lemonade in the whole world. Recipe:

Italian Quesadilla:

Raw Tortillas (two tortillas per quesadilla)

Ham (lunchmeat style)

Garlic Spinich Artichoke Dip

Directions: Heat pan to appx 300 Degrees. Place raw tortillas on to surface to begin cooking. Flip regularly for even cooking. When the tortillas are about halfway cooked (they will be less yellow more white) place about four slices of ham evenly on one of the tortillas, on the other half spread a healthy(or unhealthy) amount of Artichoke dip evenly on the tortilla surface. Let sit and cook for about 30 seconds before placing both sides together. Grill for a few more minutes until the outside of the tortillas is crisp. Cut and serve.

*If you're feeling adventurous- spread a very small amount of butter on one side of the cooked Italian Quesadilla to compliment the flavors. and/or sprinkle some shredded Mizzithra cheese on the Artichoke dip before you join it with the ham side.

It is so simple yet so tasty. More than anything I am blogging about it to help myself remember that

"When life gives you lemons make: lemon glazed duck served on a bed of arugula greens with biscuits and jalapeno jam on the side."

Sure it's a bit of a stretch. But I was reminded of how often I get into the routine and go through the motions. And how pretty much the simplest of things can be turned into something to remember. It is funny how shook up I was when I didn't have any cheese. It is amazing what can happen when I am forced to think a little bit. To step outside the routine and improvise. I like it. I feel more connected with the moment. To think if life hadn't given me any lemons today I wouldn't have experienced this new favorite at all.

The Overzealous, Self -acclaimed-

-College Chef

I've sat here.... in the library for the past hour and thirty minutes (at least) doing NOTHING. Well... nothing is an understatement. I have wasted time away switching back and forth from yahoo, toFacebook, to pandora, to iTunes, to blogger, to gmail, pause- open peanut butter crackers trying not to make a sound with the obnoxiously loud wrapper (thank goodness I didn't get Sunchips. Have you heard the packaging on those things! Thank goodness they're compostable.) continue- hotmail, yahoomail, ksl.com, my school e-mail account, back to Facebook, pandora, gmail, school e-mail, shopping... pause,- queue waterbottle, drink, stare blankly out the library window at the expansive view of the valley, back to Facebook, check text messages, respond, yahoo, fruit snacks wrapper was only a minor concern but scared to death that everyone could hear me chewing these things, they're so loud! (Wait.... maybe it's because I have headphones in....ahh that's why i can hear every movement of my jaw and neck or swallow in vivid detail. ) - back to Pandora, readjust scarf, Facebook, get out planner...gaze into it's depths... Check the time, pull out journal try to write something epic.... epic fail, Facebook, yahoo, NOTHING HAS CHANGED! What?! Drink Orange juice.... too sweet, drink water... mouth dry drink more, gaze, adjust headphones, research fitness shoes- seriously?... I don't even use tennis shoes! check blogger, Facebook, yahoo, podcasts... Think about golf... yeah I'm learning about it from my roommate. Drink..... Whoa, pull myself back and decide to blog about it, break the cycle!

So here I am, being somewhat productive creating my first blog post. It's been two years coming an I can't describe my disappointment at how epic it isn't. There is nothing philisophical or captivating about it. And I think I like it that way. I am breaking lots of cycles, the list above is just a small scale version of what's gone on with this blog- it's time to just get started! I have NO idea exactly how to do this, make it look pretty, format it correctly or even organize my thoughts at the moment. But isn't that what it's all about?

Doing

Starting

Beginning

Making mistakes

.

Its funny, because I'm actually working on a research paper right now... (well I should be) and the topic is Being present, also known as Mindfulness. Choosing this topic came naturally from an interesting story I'll have to share later. But the whole premise behind it is living in the moment doing and experiencing in the present rather than living in the past, or future outside of ourselves.... Ironic isn't it?

And so begin the chronicles,

Signed,

A Paralyzed Perfectionist.

Learning to embrace and glory in imperfection...

I