reminders:

I had forgotten how exciting and nerve-wracking film photography can be. i was dancing the whole day, and then more on the way to the developer, and then three times that on my way home after picking up the negatives. then it progressed to straight-out squealing when i saw the photos. 

so embarrassing. 

Good Karma.

last week we had a "pay it forward" project at the club. we spent all week planning, calling,  organizing and getting everything ready. come friday, i drove our 15 person van all over town, full of squealing and squirrelly teenagers. i would pull over discreetly (okay, almost discreetly) on neighborhood streets and seconds later, the van doors would be thrown open and one of my kids would bolt out, sprinting down the sidewalk, giant pinwheel in hand. after reaching the house of one of our cute grandmas, volunteers or single moms we had in mind, they dropped off their pinwheel with a little note on kindness and paying it forward. they would make it back into the van with a face flush with excitement and adrenaline and i would peel off into the sunset. the night was full of heart busting random acts of kindness and i loved seeing my kiddies have fun and feel good helping others.
postscript: four hours in a van with 13 teenagers is one heck of a trip. whining, complaining and farting, oh my!

anyways, after driving around town with my hooligan children for hours and keeping my cool, i felt like i was home free in collecting my month's worth of good karma points. and i was right. i met the sweetest man at a photography gallery later in the weekend and he let me test out one of his cameras! i then promptly bought some film and took to the mountains. and these were the results.
what would i do without the kindness of others?

Meet Penny

The penny farthing bicycle that I found in Aztec, New Mexico and promptly bought. The penny farthing bike that was stuffed into my car and then seven hours and over 400 miles later was revealed to my beyond elated grandfather and ridden by every family member up and down the street. The penny farthing bicycle that is now prominently displayed in my grandpa's front room for all the neighbors to see.

hoodoos and goblins

 Visited Goblin Valley State Park in Utah and couldn't help but imagine it being the best place in the entire United States to play hide-and-seek. and capture the flag. and sardines. and to have a picnic. and in that order preferably.