Choices

"Life is about choices. 
Some we regret, some we're proud of. Some will haunt us forever.
We are what we choose to be." --GRAHAM BROWN

This is just a cropped excerpt of the flowers delivered to my teller station one Friday in January. The note said, "Happy last day of work!" I was quietly choking down a lump in my throat that day. I had chosen to leave behind a fun job, so I could better dedicate myself to photography, and actually have time for my family. Yet change always terrifies me, so the choice to let go of this financial security and all the friendships it had cultivated in hopes of succeeding as a photographer was bold and daring and scary. 

It's been two weeks, and this copper tone bouquet is still sitting on my table. While the petals fall listlessly, one by one, to the platter below and the greenery slowly wilts, I still hang on to them just one more day... by day... by day... Because I feel passion and motivation every time I look at it. It's such a pretty reminder of choices and blossoming within them. And friendship too, of course.

Choices close chapters and open new ones. You don't always know in the moment if your choice is ultimately good or bad. Sometimes the choice seems so perfect--cut-and-dried, only to wake up and realize it was nothing short of devastating, leaving you with painful scars. Other times you might think you're biting off a piece of hell, but it ends up being the closest thing to paradise this side of heaven. 

Choices. We make them every day. They're as simple as deciding which socks we put on in the morning or as complex as the person we choose to spend the rest of our lives with. Choices chart the course of our lives, they are who we are. It can be scary, choosing to let go of your secure comfort zone to free fall into an abyss of dreams and the great unknown. But today I dare you to choose to not be ordinary. 

Dare to be brave, to trust God and to believe in yourself. 

Perspective.

It was the last rose of Summer, plucked gently off of my sad but brave worm eaten ruse bush. I was pretty certain I had destroyed that poor plant earlier in the Spring, because I am notorious for my inability to keep green things green even with the best of intentions. My poor little bush was indeed dead. Until one day, in between the spindly worm eaten veins of former leaves, was a little bud of pink. And then another, and another. That brave plant came back and with roses. And this was the last one.

It was so pretty and delicate I took a picture of it. And then I changed my angle and took another picture. Same spot, same settings, different perspective, completely different images.

I just can't help but think about how much like life this is. A simple matter of focus can change your circumstances. Not to be cliché or anything, but perspective is everything. You can look at the dark things in your life and dwell in the depression of your circumstances, or you can find the bright things in your life and experience the light of the blessings you do have. There will always be plenty of things to complain about, but there is always, always something to be grateful for. A lot of things, when you stop and think about it. So change your life and dwell in the joy of those things and be grateful.

Contentment

Do not spoil

what you have

by desiring

what you have not;

but remember

what you now have

was once

amongst the things

you only hoped for.

--unknown

Any Old Butterfly

Funny thing about this picture... I actually thought this particular bug was a rather mundane sort of monophyletic creature. Annoying and maybe even ugly, really. But he had crossed my path and seemed enamored by the ugly puddle on the ugly pavement and while not presenting a particularly lovely photogenic scene, he let me come in close and snap a picture. So I did, because that's what I do. Viewing the image on my computer, I was rather shocked at how little I appreciated this insect. The detail, the color, the pattern. There's even a heart on his wing! 

This is why I love photography--you just have no idea how intricate and amazing life and creation in general are until you can view it through your camera. Photography is therapy because I am continually inundated by the observation of unexpected detail. If a little bug can sport such design, how much more can I rest assured that our own lives have design and purpose?

Lilacs f/1.8

Hi folks! Long time no see? Yes? Well, tell me about it. Turns out, I have a case of heliophilia this year, it seems. It is a condition that presents itself in the Summer. I am addicted to the sun. If the sun shines unhindered, I want to be in it. I want to be taking pictures, digging in the dirt, playing with my kids, painting my nails, folding the laundry, mending the boy's pants, writing letters to Grama... in the sun. I crave it. I soak it right up like a sunflower.

Which would explain why the only computer work I have been doing lately has been for my lovely clients. If I'm not editing their images, wrapping up their print orders, answering their emails, I am not wanting anything extra to do with this corner of my home where a large portion of my heart's work actually resides.

But at the moment it is evening. The sun has set. My children went to bed early, and I found these images taken way back when the lilacs were in bloom, and I wanted to share them with you. Because if you're a geek such as myself and you like to know specs on the details, these images would be from that afternoon where I decided to challenge myself to capture my luscious smelling bouquet at an aperture of f/1.8. This is the result.

I love flower photography. I want to see your flower images! Link up in the comments!  

{ ISO 100 | 50mm | f1.8 | 1/100sec }

Our First Cross Country Flight

And so the day came when the pilot assigned me as Chief Assistant to the Chief Navigator and together we boarded (crammed) our small adorable little crew and took off for the plains of Nebraska. Our first cross-country flight and we didn't have a GPS. Let me assure you, the world looks a lot different from the skies. Turns out we're a great navigating team, he and I. We made it without having to stop for directions. I will let the pictures speak for themselves because I can't do the majesty of the skies a whole lot of justice with words, nor the personalities of my nieces and nephews. 

That, and I'm sleepy. 

 Kind of like how these boys were supposed to be. But they loved the experience. They shouted happily on take off and landings; unlike their mother who remains calm as she turns her face away so nobody can see her gritting her teeth and holding her breath and wondering why she would agree to such a way to take her family out and why is she putting her children through this?

 Don't worry, my life flashes before my eyes on any flight in any plane with the most experienced of pilots. Defying gravity isn't exactly my comfort zone. Not at first.

 And cutting our travel time in half to see these crazies is so worth it!

 The Mississippi River

Iowa

Okay so no offense to my Iowa friends, but Iowa is just a little bit.... monotonous.

 Nebraska reminded me of lovely and creative patchwork quilts.

 Coming back home.

Wisconsin... home sweet beautiful luscious rolling home. 

Wait, what was it that I said about being sleepy? 

Discover Wisconsin | Let's Go Flying

"Let's go flying," he said. "Bring your camera, it will be fun," he said. 

After months of hard study while juggling crazy work schedules, home life, and flight school, he finally had his pilot's license and a plane to show me our Autumn-bedazzled countryside. Just him and me. What could possibly be a better date to take your lady on?

That Saturday morning dawned crisp and still. The rising sun pierced rays through the gently rising Autumn fog. Peaceful. Quiet. Perfect. It couldn't have been more beautiful. 

This is Wisconsin. 

This was my first flight in a small aircraft. I didn't know what to expect. With my capable pilot at the controls my only fear was motion sickness. But even that fear was unfounded as we took to the skies. The ride was smooth. The views were breathtaking. The adventure of it all was exhilarating. The flight was inevitably too short.

Yes this. This is the place I call home.