Days 286-292

The following pictures are from the week of March 14-20.

Day 286: Too Cool for School

Katie loves those sunglasses.  She wore them during her entire visit at our house today. Too cute!

Day 287: FAIL

Oh guys...saddest day ever.

I forgot to take a picture yesterday.  Completely spaced it!  I remembered around 3pm TODAY that I never took one.  I double-checked my phone, my iPod, and my camera for stray pictures, but there was nothing.

So SAD!  But since I'm so very close to the end of my journey with this project, I've decided to keep going anyway.  So here is a picture I took this evening that I will use as a filler for yesterday's screw-up.  I call it: Walk on By

Day 288: Headless

Self portrait number...whatever.  I still feel awful about missing yesterday's picture so I'm portraying that frustration by cutting my head out of the shot here.

Day 289: Old School

The two most used cook books in our house: Grandma's Betty Crocker cook book and the Better Homes and Gardens cook book we've had forever.

Day 290: One of These Things is Not Like The Other

I didn't stage this.  I found the cans perfectly lined up like this in our food storage shelves.  Pretty cool.

Day 291: Fun and Games

Hyrum and Esther trying to play Foosball tonight at the family dinner.  It's a good thing they're both on the same side because they were slamming those rods back and forth and were sure to poke somebody's eye out.

Day 292: Movie Food

Yum!

Day 270: Amusement Parks and Motion Sickness

The sign reads, "Nourishment for the Weary Traveler and Those Possessed of Voracious Appetites"

We went to Knott's Berry Farms today and - silly me - I decided not to bring my camera in the park with me.  That would have been fine, had I already taken a picture for the day, or if I had returned to my camera before midnight.  As it is, all I had with me today by way of camera equipment was my iPod, so this is the best picture I was able to produce.

It's better that I didn't bring my camera anyway.  I had a great time at the park with everyone, but after one of the rides (I wish I could remember the name, but I don't think I ever paid attention to it) I was so motion sick that I was completely useless for a few hours afterwards.  I wasn't the only one who got hit with the queasiness either.  Both Ryan and Brittney were pretty sick after that ride as well.  We all had to go find a place to sit and recover when we got off.  After about 20 minutes, Christine and Lalo got bored of waiting for us to feel better so they went off to another ride while we sat in misery.  When they got back, we all decided to head over to the next ride even though we weren't ready yet because it was getting so cold that sitting around outside wasn't helping.

I think it was around this time that I took the photo above.  Things got a bit hazy for me during the second half of the day, but I think it's pretty funny that I chose to take that picture when I could barely open my eyes without the world spinning and my stomach contracting uncomfortably.  I also feel it important to mention that I only took 2 pictures at all today.  The other one was a blurry mess of everyone's backsides as they were walking in front of me.  And I took that when I was actually feeling good!

Day 246: Month 8 Complete!

The Mt. Timpanogos Temple

So today marks the first day of month NINE!  I only have FOUR MONTHS LEFT!

This extremely exciting to me because I've got to tell you...I've had it with this project.  It's not that I don't enjoy taking pictures anymore.  I still love to take pictures, I just wish I could do it on my own terms again.  It's so annoying when I realize at the end of the day that I still didn't get a good shot, and then I have to wander around my house or neighborhood, or bug one of my family members just to take a stupid photo that I know won't turn out because my heart's not in it.

But, I'm in it for the long haul baby.  The other night I contemplated just exactly what I would do if I totally spaced out (still a very real possibility with my A.D.D.) and didn't take a picture one day.  I'm proud to say that this has honestly never happened yet.  I've let my midnight deadline slip a few times, but those times didn't feel like the start of a new day yet.  I didn't go to bed without taking a picture.  Ever.  So what would happen if I actually missed a full day?

I've decided that, having gotten this far in the project, I would simply take two pictures the next day and keep going.  Obviously it wouldn't be quite the same for the remainder of the project, but I hit the point of no return a few months ago.  To just give up because of one spacey day is ridiculous.

And I've got to say, this is a huge improvement for me from the beginning of the year.  When I started this project, I never would have kept going if I had missed a day.  It just shows that this project has really helped me grow not just with my photography, but with my responsibility.  And to me, that makes it 100% worth it!

Day 232: Cheap Shot

My lame attempt at capturing the sunset cloud.

So tonight on my way to the temple I noticed the awesome pink cloud domineering the sky.  I was pulling out of a parking lot so I didn't have a lot of time to take a picture.  Still, I whipped out my camera as fast as I could and snapped a few quick shots without checking the settings.

The pictures turned out like crap.

Luckily I like to edit the heck out of every picture I take, so I was able to salvage at least one of them.

Day 231: Flooding Hassles

The new padding for my carpet.

So...

Monday morning I woke up to a soggy carpet and wet furniture.  I live in the basement bedroom with my sister, and apparently our drain pipe outside got clogged and flooded the window well next to my bed.  At first we just tried to dry the carpet by moving all of the furniture out of the way and putting towels down and a fan on the area.

Then Dave (my brother) stepped in and reminded us of the padding underneath the carpet and it's mold potential.  Immediately mom was sure she smelled mold, so up the carpet came.  Dad rushed out in his sick state and bought new padding, moved all my furniture (bookcase, dresser, clutter of junk, bed, cabinet, etc.), ripped up the carpet, cut out the old padding, and dried off the cement in 2 days!

Tomorrow he'll place this new padding and replace the carpet before he Mom leave for Arizona for at least a month.  Crazy!!

Day 224: Static Daydreams

Steam rising in the morning air.

This picture is me.
It's everything I like about poetry, books, music, art, movies, etc.
It's dark and beautiful, and a little confusing.
It's inexact and interesting.

One day I'll be able to write the perfect story,
Filled with melancholy
And beauty.
And intrigue.

Someday I'll find the words to express,
This thing that I love about the world.
But the words are lost somewhere.
Wherever this dream is that I keep chasing.

So for now I will have to show it in pictures.
My love of that imperfect beauty.
That static dream that is just beyond reach.

Until I get it right.

Day 215: Month 7 is Here!

A button I have that says, "Kiss me before another year goes by!"

So, month six is complete, and we are on to month seven!  I don't know if I should be counting myself as successful on this little project or not.  I may have taken a picture every day, but I was horribly neglectful with the blog posts last month.  Sure, I made excuses, but they weren't very good ones.  I have resolved to be better this month and the rest of the project.  Let's hope that resolution lasts.

Day 207: Merry Christmas Day!

Dad/Santa

This is my favorite reaction of the day!  This is Dad's face after he opened his Christmas present from Dave (an iPod Nano).  I didn't catch the initial reaction he had which can only be described as a mixture of disbelief and chastisement.

It was so funny!

He asked for an iPod for Christmas a while back, but promptly took it off his list because he thought it was too expensive.  So when he saw that Dave got him one anyway, he was shocked and a little worried that Dave paid too much.  This is the face he made after he found out that Dave didn't spend anything on it because he won it at work. Ha!

I hope you all had a great holiday!  I'm sorry for being so remiss in my blog posts.

Day 204: Colorful Darkness

Our front windows.

I'm so sorry for such a long absence.  I've been so stressed out trying to get everything finalized at work, and get all the presents ready for Christmas, that I've actually gone and made myself sick again.  This time it feels like the beginnings of a head cold, but still...quite possibly the worst timing ever.

So the next few posts will probably be short, since I don't have a lot of time.  But then again, by the time I get around to posting these, I'll probably have time to add a few lines.

We'll see.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Day 202: White-board Christmas

A Christmas Tree I drew on the white-board at work.

No, this is not a home made greeting card from a first grader.  Unfortunately, I drew this Christmas tree for my office potluck today.  I was so impressed at the immaturity of it, that I had to take a picture.  Once I saw the picture, I realized it would need a lot of help to make it look not so bad...so that's why there are lights and stars all over the place.

My favorite part on this tree?  The lone blue ornament hanging from one of the branches.  I didn't think to make any of the other ornaments hang from the branches like that.  Just the blue one.  It's like something you'd see on a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Day 187: A Case of the Sundays

Lauren

Today is quite possibly the closest I came to quitting the photo project.  Not that I was contemplating failure in any way today.  I simply didn't feel like picking up my camera, and when I did pick it up, I couldn't bring myself to take anything.  I completely spaced the fact that I have to take a picture every day to keep up with this project.  I would have been lost completely if I hadn't taken one, pitiful shot of Lauren tonight when her family was visiting.  I tried to take better, clearer shots of her, but like I said, I lacked motivation.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great time with Lauren around.  In fact, I think I was so busy cracking up at her playing house with our toys and making up stories that I forgot about my camera.  Shocker, I know.

At any rate, I did survive the photographic lethargy of the day, and I'm still on track with the project!

Day 175: Storm Warning

The calm before the storm

We heard all sorts of very scary warnings about the storm today I mean, I was waiting for the next snow apocalyps the way they were talking about it.  We were supposed to be snowed in for three days, and then...

a few snowflakes and a lot of wind, for about 10 minutes.

But hey, let's close all the schools and businesses just in case it blows us all away!

At least we had an awesome sunset because of it.  Unfortunately I was driving on the freeway during the awesome sunset, so this is as close as i got to it.  It turned out to be a blessing for me and my sister though.  We didn't have to postpone our trip to Washington.

Day 169: Self-Portrait #9

My hair...it looks longer than it is.

I'm thinking of chopping off my hair again.  I haven't decided for sure - I keep going back and forth about it - but just in case I make a split-second decision, I wanted to take a picture of how long it's gotten since the last time I chopped it.  Now, this picture makes it look super-long because I was tilting my head back, but still.  It's a good length.

A little too good, actually.  It's driving me crazy.  And I end up wearing it in a bun 90% of the time lately, so it feels pointless to have it this long and not show it off.  Plus, I hate the cut.  From the back, all trailing behind me, it looks great.  But from the front it's frizzy and limp at the same time.  It's my own fault though.  I tried to trim it myself.  Anyway, it's really annoying and it doesn't make me feel cute.

But, there's always that little voice in my head (usually my brother's voice from when he was in high school and wanted to indoctrinate me with his wisdom) saying, "Guys aren't attracted to girls with short hair.  It makes them look manly, and that's not what guys like.  Guys like long hair...it attracts their attention...you want their attention, don't you Valerie?"

It's a sneaky little voice, and 80% of the time it wins out...mainly because it's been whispering that to me since I was 7 or 8 years old.

Thanks Dave.

But, we'll see.  I've ignored the voice before.  Once I even went so far as to attempt a pixie cut (it wasn't a pixie cut, but it was definitely boy-short)...I'll never do that again.  But I do have a few favorite short cuts, so I might decide to "carpe diem," as they say, and do what I want.

Or I might not.

Day 160: New Perspective

A piece of my new desk.

This weekend Mom, Christine and I did a major deep clean of the desk and TV area in Christine's and my room.  We planned it all out, bought new bookshelves to hold the expected volume of carry-over from our old shelves, moved furniture around, got rid of other furniture, and threw a lot of junk away.  It wasn't our biggest deep-clean by far, but it felt like a monumental task to me.  And when we finished, the fruits of our labor paid off with this awesome new "media center"!

Now - instead of having my TV crammed in between two large pieces of furniture, the miniature we called a desk shoved between our beds, the now-ugly red rug tripping us up every time we tried to walk in the dark, or the broken dresser wobbling precariously every time we made any sudden moves - we have one long desk that holds the TV, my laptop (which was previously homeless and stuck on or under my bed most of the time), Christine's computer, the printer we inherited, all my movies, and the A/V equipment.  And it looks much better than the old setup!

Sure, it's not completely perfect, and sure I'm still stuck with a few ugly bits of furniture, but it's progress.

Plus, now I can write my blog posts without popping my hips out of joint by sitting cross-legged on my bed for hours!

Day 152: Happy Halloween

Our Jack-O-Lantern.

Again, I'll update tomorrow with specifics.

UPDATE 2 Nov:
So Sunday was Halloween.  I was so tired from celebrating the holiday on Saturday night, that I didn't enjoy much of the day.  In fact, I ended up leaving church a little early because of a migraine, and taking a very long nap which only served to make me feel groggy and slightly nauseous when I woke up in the evening.  Still, I had so much fun on Saturday night, I didn't even mind the pain on Sunday.

It's been a really long time since I've been able to say that about an evening out. :)

Day 151: Costumes!

Ryan, Christine and Casey.

I will update this tomorrow with the story behind this picture.

UPDATE 2 Nov:
On Saturday a few of us went to a Halloween party up Hobble Creek Canyon.  Setting aside the slightly stressful expectancy of having to hang out with a huge group of singles, or the part where we got lost trying to find the place, it was really a blast!

I dressed up as a doctor in scrubs, Christine was the blue fairy (or some other kind of fairy), Ryan was a guest at an Indian wedding, and I'm not sure what Casey was but it was scary.  We lent him the wig and he borrowed the polka-dot dress from the girl he came with, but he never really said what he was.  I'm going with hillbilly girl.

I think the biggest thing I got out of that party was how many NORMAL people there were.  I forgot what it was like to go to a singles event that wasn't swarming with the prowling socially inept.  It helped that this crowd was significantly younger than the ones we usually see, but still...it gave me hope. :)

After the party we watched a scary movie and laughed a lot about stupid things (that's what you do at 3AM when you're way past slap-happy).  All in all, it far exceeded my expectations for Halloween this year, and I'm so glad for it!

Day 150: Daisies and Blackouts

Mom and baby June.

I'm sorry for the lack of posts this weekend, and even more sorry for the next part.  I'm way past my bedtime on a school night, so I'm just putting the next few posts up without an explanation on them.  I'll update them tomorrow because I have some fun stories to go along with them.

UPDATE 2 Nov:
So on Friday we had a family Halloween party, and most of us dressed up.  It was fun to see everyone's costumes and to visit.  And with what seemed like very little effort on RoseAnne's part, she was able to - once again - pull off the perfect party, complete with an unscheduled blackout in the middle of dinner.  The only thing we were missing was a thunderstorm and maybe a hunchback of some sorts.  Unfortunately I was having one of those panic-in-a-big-crowd nights and we had to skedaddle a little earlier than expected, but it was still a great night.

And I got some fun pictures out of it too! :)

Day 147: Mirror Images

Ryan, Christine and Me.

I went to the movies tonight with Ryan and Christine.  After the movie I made them pose for me under the mirror ceiling in the lobby.  I thought it was a cool perspective, but having the camera in front of my face messed it up so I needed other people in the shot.  Anyway, they kept making me laugh and blur the pictures.  I had to mess with this one quite a bit to cover up the blurriness.

I also saw my first snowfall this season.  I was driving on an errand for work when I got hit by a few flurries. I would have stopped to record the moment on camera, but I was on the freeway in a construction zone, with no where to pull over.  It was fun to see the snow coming down, but I was glad when it went away fast.  I may like the look of falling snow, but I hate the hassle that comes with it.  But bright side, this season will give me many opportunities to practice taking pictures with snow!

Day 142: Tree Envy

A tree by the side of the road.

Today I left the office at 5:10pm to go home.  It normally takes me anywhere between 14-18 minutes to get home from work, but today was different.  Today, the line of cars waiting to get onto the freeway stretched all the way to the road in front of my office building.  That may not sound like a long way unless you know where my office is in relation to the freeway.  It's maybe half a mile (might be closer to a mile, I'm not sure).

That half-mile stretch took me 39 minutes to cross because of traffic.  THIRTY-NINE minutes to go half a mile.  During that time, I admired the scenery.  The trees are turning red and yellow in sparse patches on the mountains, and the fields of crops looked beautiful with the stark contrasts from the sunset.  Since most of the time during my half-mile journey I was at a dead stop, I took some pictures as I waited.

The picture above looked much cooler in person, but the shot on my camera turned out horribly.  It was faded and hazy.  Obviously over-exposed.  But since I don't have the good editing software on my home computer, I had to be creative.  I don't hate the way the shot turned out, but it's also not right.

Oh well, at least I had some fun!

Day 135: Junior Chef

Esther helping her dad make sandwiches.

I went to visit RoseAnne today, and I got some great shots of the kids just being kids.  But more importantly, I had a great time just hanging out.  I'm not the type of person to drop by unannounced.  I get extreme anxiety just thinking about texting people back half the time...let alone visiting or calling.  But with family it's always a bit easier, and with RoseAnne it should be easier still because she's the type of person who loves spontaneous visits.

And I've got to say...it's REALLY fun to just drop by for no reason.  I don't feel an invisible presence pulling me toward the door, or making me steer the conversation a particular way so that I can get my business done.  I'm so neurotic sometimes, that I can't ever enjoy the moment if I know there's a goal that is not being met. :)

Anyway, enough about that.  I'm dead tired and I wanted to be in bed BEFORE 11pm tonight.

Oh well.  At least I'm close this time.