Very first photography assignment...

So I got my first homework assignment in Photographic Vision. This is basically a 100% creative photography class. Thursday was our first class, and the teacher asked us to go outside and find an object. On our way back, we had to make up a story or history of it. I wandered around and found a few things. A cool tag, a Christmas ribbon, but neither of those were really giving me anything to work with when it came to a story. Then I found a trax schedule. I picked for two reasons. It wasn't gross garbage, and a story easily came to mind for it.

Here are the pictures I chose to tell it...

Can you guess the story? A girl is going to school on trax for the first time. She is really nervous because she's never used public transportation before. She knows it's not a big deal, but she is still nervous. So she makes a few mistakes, is worried, and then figures it out and is happy. She realizes that she doesn't need the map and schedule and drops it on the ground. This is how I found it.

This may be corny, but it was the best I could do!! My friend Hayley helped me out a lot by playing model. She's a hoot and a half. I hope my teacher likes them!!

Here are some outtakes...

I actually like some of these a lot, but they didn't really fit with the flow of the story, that's why I chose the 5 that I did...Thanks again Hays!!

first day of school...

Today was the first day of school....Here is my first day of school picture...

This is in the parking lot at the Library Square center for Salt Lake Community Center. I decided I needed a first day of school picture. I was going to take it in front of my house, but ran out of time. I didn't know what the parking situation was going to be like at the school. So when I got there and saw that parking was not an issue at 7:45 in the morning, I decided to take advantage of the light and the way it was making the garage looked. So here it is. I like it.

This is going to be an interesting semester! Hard, but interesting. One class is going to be all technical and I'm going to learn how to use a film camera, how to develop my own pictures and film in the darkroom, plus all the digital stuff. Pretty exciting. The other class is going to be how to be 100% creative. I don't know which one will be harder!! All I know is that I'm pretty excited. I wasn't excited about all the supplies I had to go buy at Pictureline (photography store). I had to buy a gray card, printer paper for digital and darkroom development. Film, a special kind of binder/portfolio device, regular folders, sharpies, and those scrapbook paper protector sleeve things. All kinds of junk. Thank goodness I already had cd sleeves, blank cd's. I spent $100. Suck!! That was only half the stuff I need. There is still stuff that I'm going to have to buy later. Oh, well. It's all worth it, right? RIGHT!!!

Paris: Day 16...the end

This was our last day in Paris, the last day of our trip...unless you count the day spent on the non-stop flight from Paris to Salt Lake. (I don't.)

We spent it in Montmarte and walking around. We got up in the morning and had a yummy breakfast near our hotel of eggs, ham, baguettes, and a croissant. It was delicious and so French. Well, at least I thought so. We also had one last cup of chocolate. So good. Angela and I decided that we should write a book about hot chocolate around the world after this trip. We also got on the tourist bus again, for a quick last look. Here are some pictures...

Here is the Sacre Coeur. It's really cool. Watch out for the African guys trying to sell you friendship bracelets, it's a scam. Thanks to Rick Steves, I knew this.

Here is the view from the Sacre Coeur. Montmarte is all that you see. Makes you want to go watch Amalie...

This is Youri. He's this Italian singer who just performs on the steps. He is amazing! He sings a bunch of American cover songs. He is great live, and interacts with the audience. We sat there for an hour listening to him. We even bought his cd. Which, isn't as great as his live performances. But it was the perfect Paris moment.

Here's a little taste of what it was like. It was awesome. The perfect Paris moment...After the concert we went around the corner to where the artists corner is...

Here are the paintings that I bought! The bottom one is of a corner near where the painters set up. I also got it with some mad barter skills. She wanted 85 euros for it, I got it for 50. Awesome, even Dawn and Angela believed me when I said I didn't have that kind of money. Oh, I had it. I just didn't want to spend it on a painting. Here is a picture of the corner...

We also ate a nasty crepe here...no bueno...

We wandered a little...I wish we could have wandered some more...next time, I have a next time list, so I have to go back to Paris eventually...

After Montmarte we went back to the main part of Paris, along the Seine. This is where we just wandered until it got dark.

Bridges and lamposts...my two favorite things...

I think this is the tower where Marie Antoinette and King Louis were kept before they were beheaded...

Pont Neuf...the oldest bridge in Paris...

And finite...that is the end. The sun set, we went and got dinner. Not the best way to end the trip that is for sure. We met a lady that said you can't get bad food in Paris. I beg to differ. Our dinner was just so so, and then they ran out of the normal desert so they gave us a fruit cup...it was canned fruit cocktail. No joke. Seriously? And we got the rudest waiter in the world. The only rude French person I met on the entire trip. Oh well, I guess it makes a good story.

This was the most amazing trip of my life. I still can't believe that I got to experience this. It was the trip of my dreams. I wasn't disappointed by anything. Paris was everything I thought it would be and more, Greece was...I just can't describe it. Let me put it this way, Angela and I are always talking about going back to Greece. Not anywhere else. Not England, not Peru, not Italy. Greece. It's just amazing. I think everyone should go to Greece. And well Paris...I can't even imagine not ever going back. New York was my favorite city, and now I have to say it's my favorite American city because I can't compare the two. I'm so grateful that I got laid off. I was able to have a year of just traveling and discovering me. Not that I didn't know before, but the Jennifer now after having experienced this year is not even close to the Jennifer that worked at the Foundation. I'm so grateful to have had this year. So grateful...

Cora...

Go to my photo blog for some sweet pictures of baby Cora!!

New shoes or as I like to call it...Birthday presentpalooza

So I'm 29 today. I spent $900 on my car last week. As a result, I swore I wouldn't spend anything on myself. That lasted about an hour into my birthday. Spent $250 on clothes at Old Navy and $90 on new shoes from Famous Footwear. Oh yeah, baby! I invented a new song, "It's my party and I'll buy if I want to! Buy if I want to, buy if I want to! You would buy too, if it happened to you!!"

I bought my clothes on line, so I will have to wait to do a fashion show. Here are my shoes, though!

Pretty sweet, huh?

One year older, and wiser too!

So tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be 29. Crazy. One more year to thirty. I remember when my mom turned thirty. I'm not depressed about it or having a midlife crisis, it just feels weird because I don't feel like I'm thirty. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way, but I still do. I wish I had more to say about it, but I don't. I went home yesterday for a joint birthday dinner with my brother. He's almost an adult, that is just as weird. I had yummy food, my mom is almost finished with my blanket, I got a lot of jokes about being old from my dad (Ironic, I know), and I got to play with Oliver which is always a good time. Here are some pictures...

This is the outfit I bought Oliver in Thailand. It barely fits him 8 months later...Oh, he's teething like a son of a gun, hence the hand in mouth. I think it's hilarious.

Here is our cake. My mom attempted balloons, I told her it was more an abstract modern art piece. It's the thought that counts, and the taste...yum...

I also messed with my camera and tripod a little bit more...

So happy birthday to me!!! I was thinking about buying myself an e-reader for my birthday, until I had to spend $900 on my car last week. I'm trying not to think about how that's the price of a plane ticket to Europe. Nope, didn't even go through my head...*SOB*