and i'm off

The last few days have been frenzied. Between work, knocking my car mirror off with a light pole, messing my neck up and spending countless hours at the chiropractor, reading and writing for my night class, writing for my online class and other all-around craziness...I've been exhausted.

Which is why I'm excited to wake up at three am (yes, as in four hours from now) to leave for the beach.

Beach. Beach. Beach. Beach. Beach!

I'm giddy! If it weren't for the exhaustion from the past few days, I wouldn't sleep tonight. I could be a beach bum. I truly think I could.

The ocean is in her veins,
Her skin is made of sand.
Her movements like the waves
That sweep the sandy land. 

xo, 
Katy 

P.S. Pray that Mikaela, Teagan and I have safe travels. :)

playing with light

As photographers, we're obsessed with light.


 

Whether we anxiously await golden hour, or delight in the way the afternoon sun streams through a window on a worn hardwood floor, we're constantly gauging the light. Searching for it.

Some of us refuse to use anything but natural light. Others swear by backdrops and lighting kits. Regardless, we all manipulate light and shadow. Light can define a photograph, so make the most of it.

 xo, Katy

the girl with the flaxen hair

Another video!? what is this malarkey!? So, this video was taken a few months ago when I was preparing for my piano jury. I present, La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) by Claude Debussy.

 

xo,
Katy

P.S. I don't know WHAT is up with my hair. Forreal.

Accent Challenge | Video

The accent challenge! I've been wanting to do this for a while. The questions are, as follows:

• Your name 
• Where you’re from.
• Pronounce the following words: Aunt, Roof, Route, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Pajamas, Caught, Naturally, Aluminium, GIF,  Crackerjack, Doorknob, Envelope.
• What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
• What is a bubbly carbonated drink called?
• What do you call gym shoes?
• What do you call your grandparents?
• What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
• What is the thing you change the TV channel with?
• Choose a book and read a passage from it.
• Do you think you have an accent?

Well that was fun. ;) If you decided to do the challenge, let me know in the comments! :)

xo,
Katy

odds, ends, and expired film

These photos require a preface. They were shot on film that expired fifteen years ago (to put that into perspective...I was five when this film expired...) I honestly didn't expect these photos to turn out, but I had to try. This particular roll of film belonged to Bert Tippett at one time. When my dad inherited Mr. Tippett's office, he found the roll lying unshot in a forgotten drawer. I knew I had to try to shoot it. It's funny how the legacy of such an amazing leader lives on in the tiniest things.

I had to visit three different photo shops before I found one that could print these. As is the nature of expired film, the color is off. The photos are dark and grainy. But I think they are wonderful. 

 In other news, I had a lovely weekend. A friend and I took a road trip to Alabama to see Superchick perform and basically relive our middle and high school years. I also spent all Sunday afternoon out on a boat on the lake. It was absolutely lovely!

Also, I recorded this video a while back, but have hesitated to share it because I'm rather insecure about my singing voice. However, as a music minor, I'm having to learn to be more confident in it. I wrote this song, but it's not exactly ground-breaking or profound. :)

xo, Katy

an apology

I apologize for my recent hiatus, though I do have a few good reasons. We still don't have internet at home. Comcast is a nightmare. Nightmare. I've been working 20 hours a week, and I'm taking an online summer class. Marriage and the Family. Oh boy.

When I haven't been at work or doing classwork, I've been watching Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI, Big Bang Theory, and Boy Meets World. I about had a total heart attack today while watching BMW...The Monkees performed. Yes, they were old and a little awkward...but they were still THE MONKEES. Swoon. 

  So tomorrow I have to have an ultrasound done on my kidneys. (And yes, I have to say ultrasound. I called it a kidney scan today and a nurse pretty much yelled at me. Buh. The same nurse thinks my name is Kathy, too. So we aren't exactly friends.) Should be a fun time. Hopefully nothing will be wrong. With all the hate I've been giving my kidneys lately, I hope they can forgive me if everything turns out fine. ;)

So there's some rambling and an explanation to my absence. Yay! Woohoo! Yippee!

xo,
Katy

Oh, the picture is totally unrelated. I took it a month and a half ago and realized I never posted it. :)

a bittersweet day

Today is Mother's Day. It's a very bittersweet day for me.

Bitter: The pain of losing my mom at sixteen hasn't really gone away.
Sweet: I'm thankful I didn't lose her any younger...I was capable of taking care of myself.

Bitter: She won't get to see me graduate college, start a family, or have kids.
Sweet: I'm absolutely certain she's part of the "great cloud of witnesses" that's watching. I know she's proud of me.

Bitter: I can't just call my mom up and talk to her when I need advice or someone to talk to.
Sweet: I have godly women in my life that I can go to, who can give me sound advice.

Bitter: I lost my best friend.
Sweet: Though that hole will never be filled, God has given me some incredible friends and family to help fill that void.

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to those of you that have been praying for me. Your sweet texts and messages made today a little easier. <3

xo,
Katy

music and a hair dilemma

I've only been on summer vacation for a week, but it feels much longer. I've been busy between work and trying to get my room together. I've spent nearly every night at Starbucks using the internet (we still don't have any at home...) It's been nice just getting out of the house and spending some time to myself, drinking coffee, listening to music, and relaxing.

So, I have a bit of a dilemma...I'm getting my hair done soon, and I have no idea what to do with it. I haven't had a hair cut in six months. My hair is ridiculous at the moment. So here's my question: should I grow my hair out or chop it off again? I have a pretty good idea of what I'm gonna do, I just want a few outside opinions. :) So here are a few photos for reference:

long hair

short hair

So yeah. There ya go. Also, if you haven't heard of Admiral Fallow yet, you need to listen right meow. 

 

 Incredible.
xo, Katy

under the bed

 

Light crept into her heart,
Found the darkest corners and
Cleaned under the bed. 

Hope caught her like a snare.
She had no choice but
To believe in tomorrow. 

xo,
Katy

white blank page

My family moved into a new house recently. There are a few rooms that are still sitting empty, and the light in the office is phenomenal. I had so much fun taking these photos. There's something about the clean, blank background that I love. The subject becomes the primary focus. I like that.
xo,
Katy

find a cure for lupus

May is Lupus awareness month. This is a cause close to my heart--my mother had a long battle with this disease. It's a chronic auto-immune disease that can attack nearly any organ or system in the body. In my mother's case, it attacked her kidneys, eventually causing her renal failure. She was never able to get on the list of a kidney transplant.

You can help out this cause a few ways, first, by donating to the Lupus Foundation of America, or by participating in one of their walks. Pray they can find a cure or better ways to cope for those that are affected by this hard-hitting illness.

xo,
Katy

Summer Goals

The air is heavy with humidity. Tree frogs sing in the evenings, our only light cast by the fading rosy sun in the west and the occasional flicker of lightening bugs. Finals are over! Over, over over. My sophomore year is finally over. I'm a junior; I'm halfway done with my undergrad studies! Time is passing so very quickly.

This past school year has been an interesting one. I took way too many classes. Ten this semester alone (but only 17 credit hours. Silly, I know.) I made many friends, for which I am thankful. I almost consider myself outgoing now, though I am still decidedly an introvert. My long term relationship ended. I formed new ones. My family dynamic changed. I learned to accept it. It's been a year of growth. Growing isn't so much fun in the process, but looking back, I'm thankful life has happened the way it has.

I'll continue to grow this summer. I think grow is my theme word for this year. Keeping with that theme, here are my goals for this summer:

1. Be healthy! I'm cutting processed foods out of my diet, as best I can. I really, really need to start taking care of my body. I haven't been careful about what I've put in it, and I'm tired of feeling draggy all the time. I'm also going to start working out: swimming with my sister, hiking with my friends, crunches and push-ups on my own. I'm even considering joining the local Y so I can take Zumba and yoga. This also entails taking my medicine like I should!

2. Grow and re-brand my photography business. I'm hoping to depend on it as a second source of steady income, and frankly, I haven't had as many clients as I'd like. I love taking photographs and hearing stories. I want my photography to convey those stories. I'm looking into being a lifestyle photographer, as opposed to a portraiture photographer. I've already had a few shoots that convey this new direction that I'll be sharing in the near future. That being said, I'm not going to give up senior portraits and the like, since they are my largest clientele. If you want to keep up with my photography, visit my facebook page. I'm afraid not all of my shoots wind up on here, since this is my personal blog. :)

3. Write more! As an English major, I don't get to write much for fun during the school year. I've had many ideas swirling in my head for stories lately, I've just not put them down on paper yet. Look for some of them here in the future. :)

4. Read, read, read. I'm so happy to have time for reading! I don't have a set list of books that I want to read this year. I re-read The Chronicles of Narnia annually, and I'm planning on re-reading The Hobbit since the movie comes out this December! I've also had Divergent recommended to me. Has anyone read it?

5. Travel! My friends and I have been hard at work planning trips this summer! These include southeast Missouri; Gulf Shores, AL; Atlanta, GA; and Memphis, TN (well, that one is for a convention.) I'm really excited about going to the beach!

6. Listen to new music! I've been stuck in a music rut for quite some time. I haven't been able to keep up with what's new, so I've found myself listening to the same things over and over. Simon and Garfunkel, Manchester Orchestra, Jack's Mannequin, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Rachmaninoff, Deas Vail, and Mumford and Sons. Three artists I've been introduced to recently are Silversun Pickups, Ivan and Alyosha, and Of Monsters and Men. Does anyone have any groovy music they could recommend?

7. Renew my relationship with God! I saved the most important one for last. God has been teaching me a lot lately. I hope to share some of that here in the future. I haven't taken my relationship with Him as seriously as I should, and I've been taking so many things for granted. It's only though His strength that I've made it this far. That's become so apparent to me over the past few weeks. I want Him to be the sole anchor in my life.

There are so many other things that I'm going to be working toward, but this post is already much lengthier than I intended it to be. Hopefully I'll be able to accomplish all of this between working, sleeping, and practicing piano. :)

What are your summer plans and goals?

xo,
Katy