On my birthday we did a little photo shoot with the babe.

Isn't she the cutest? (and Buck too, I dare say.)

Birthday Extravaganza

For my birthday Buck gave me a treasure hunt of sorts. All day I received little note cards with clues on them that led me to the next thing or event. The short version is this:

Clues leading me to:

-Breakfast of eggs benedict and coffee cake (a Harrison family tradition)
-A warm birthday bath
-and massage
-A gift!  : a set of paper lanterns like the ones in Tangled! (we are thinking of setting them off on Christmas day) and a book called "She" it's kind of like a poem book of sorts with phrases such as:

She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible.

Celebrate her spirit.

She added so much beauty to being human.

Celebrate her presence.

She decided to enjoy more and endure less.

Celebrate her choices.

and

She made the world a better place.

Celebrate her.

I think every great woman needs this book. Pages full of appreciation.

Anyway. 

-Then Buck also led me around to find a rose just for me. 

And a homemade coupon book- the gift that keeps giving- with coupons for things such as him taking a day off to watch June for me and dinner and stuff. 

-Then we ended up at the Village Inn for Lunch.

- Then he really surprised me and took me to this Indian temple that I've been wanting to go to for a long time. It was fun to explore and take photos.

knock knock

-Then he took me to get hot chocolate.

-Then we came home and he made me some of my favorite foods-mac &cheese and mashed potatoes.

-Then he made me a hot air balloon cake and some friends and family came over! 

And the last treasure of the day was a hand written love note from Buck.

It was a great way to ring in 26 years of life.

Some Good Advice

Who knew that stop signs provided such great advice and wisdom? Well here in American Fork Utah, our stop signs have something to say to us.

First up:

Good idea. I've been meaning to do this.

 

And in case you were wondering:

That's right folks. You can't stop the cavemen. Especially on Caveman Blvd.

You've been warned.

{I know, these photos are crappy snapshots. I can't win them all. And my birthday on Saturday was awesome. Can't wait to tell you about it, because I know you're just dying to know.}

my birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

Can I say that? Well, I just did.

So I used this photo/s last time on my birthday post (because doesn't every girl deserve a birthday post?) and today I thought, what the heck? I'll use it again. And by-jove, I'll use it every birthday. 

Here's to 26! (years old)

(this time last year I was newly pregnant with June, but didn't know it. I sure hope there are none of those birthday surprises this year...haha)

Warm Water

That afternoon we came home and flicked on the light switch. Nothing.

            Getting your power randomly turned off in Armenia is no surprise. I mean, we only had running water for an hour in the morning and an hour at night. And that was if we were lucky. Some days there wasn’t any water at all.

            But it was the middle of January. And it was COLD. The only heater we had was thankfully a gas one, but it sat out in the long lonely hall and only heated that and a little bit of our bedroom. Cooking and eating didn’t seem worth it. Eating anything amid frozen breath forming in the icy air caused a loss of appetite. We would use the kitchen table as a shelf for our food that needed refrigerating. The bathroom was like a freezer. And sitting on that toilet was like ice blocking with your pants off.  If we wanted to be warm we had to spoon with the gas heater in the hall. Or sleep with hot water in plastic bottles in our beds. And yet, we were better off than most people.

            With no power, however, it  felt colder. We went that day and paid our electric bill, thinking maybe we had been late. But yet, four days later we still had nothing. It was dark all morning and all evening when we were home. We tried to read our scriptures and do our make up by candle light but it was a bust. It was just so black all the time. And cold. It was always cold.

            And we didn’t shower that week. Being dirty was much more appealing than an ice bath. So instead we went to a salon and had them wash our hair and blow dry it, despite the risk of lice. We felt like hair shampoo commercial models walking out of there after three days of no shower.

            In the end we had to get an Armenian to go and threaten them to turn our power back on. For some reason they wouldn’t turn it back on when we asked.

            Whatever.

            That weekend we were visiting a member from the branch. We told her of our hardship. That we survived without power for four days. I’m not sure exactly what we expected her to say to us, but we surely weren’t expecting:

            “Oh. We didn’t have any power for four years one time.”

            I felt like thick molasses was being poured down my face, pulling every muscle down.

            I felt. So. Stupid. What did I even know about life?

Four days without electricity and I went to a salon and had my hair washed and dried. Really?

            There was so much these people knew that I didn’t. So much pain they had seen and felt. Here I am. In America. I have three grocery stores to choose from within a few miles of each other- each the size of a small Armenian village. I have 15 options of milk. Clean white eggs. And isle of cereals bigger than an Armenian home.

            One day a man looked me deep in the eyes and said, “You will never understand. You come here for a short time and leave. But we are trapped here. This is our life.”

There hasn’t been a day that I don’t think about that place and those people and wonder if I learned what I was really suppose to. If I gave all that I could/should have.

            And then yesterday. After weeks of wanting a hot bath I finally found the time and planned my day round it. I had been waiting for my birthday to indulge but there were three days still to go and I was antsy. I wanted that bath.

So imagine my dismay when I realized that half way through filling up the tub there was cold water coming out.

My bath didn’t last long.

During the next couple hours I realized that I wasn’t getting any hot water from anything. And so it continued on for the rest of the day. It got colder and colder.

After Buck came home he examined the water heater. After some rummaging, a series of clicks, and a loud BOOM he declared that it was broken. We still don’t know what we’re going to do. He’s tried fixing it and researched it online. We can’t afford the plumber (bummer.)

Memories of Armenia and cold water or no water came flooding back into my mind, freezing my neurons and frontal cortex. I knew what I had to do. I mean, a girls gotta shave her legs you know? And besides, I knew better. I knew that complaining was selfish. I was lucky to even have water.

And I was lucky to have a gas stove to heat water on. So six large pots later I had some water to clean my dishes, an inch in the tub to shave my legs, a bowl to dunk my hair in, and a side of the sink filled to bathe June in. I was on a roll, so much so that I was offended when Buck refused to use my method. He refused cleaning at all. (I can’t blame him.)

This Thanksgiving I’m grateful that I used to have hot water. Even if I don’t have it for a few days (or the rest of the winter if Buck can’t figure it out.) Whatever, It’s an adventure.

And more than that I’m grateful for Armenia. For everything it taught me. And not just how to get along without conveniences but how to see life for what it really is and keep perspective. We are blessed beyond our eligibility. Warm birthday bubble bath or no warm birthday bubble bath.

American Fork and Photography

Last Week Buck, June, and I went on a walk down Main Street in American Fork. I've been fascinated with it. It has such a small town feel but it's surrounded by urban/suburb sprawl. I've been wanting to take pictures of it for a while now.

Also I have been re-thinking my photography. I started out with so many dreams. None of them really lead to where I ended up. I dreamed of travel and candid photos of things and people. I wanted to work hand in hand with God in showing people why this world is beautiful. I loved showing others how I saw things, my perspective. My testimony. And where did it end up? Taking photos of weddings and engaged people. WHICH ended up being a lot of fun as well. But I started getting lost in just taking a portrait and not telling a story. I've been trying to find that again. Bring the two together. I've been searching for my inner story-teller. Anyone can learn to take a good photograph. But not everyone can make art. I want to make art.

And like anything, it takes practice. Like in dance. Did you know I danced for 13 years? Haha, well, you wouldn't be able to tell now. But that's not the point. The point is that while I danced I got to the point where I was flexible enough to do the splits. A month after I quit I couldn't do the splits anymore because I also quit stretching or practicing. Now, to get back to that point I would have to stretch a certain way everyday for who knows how long. I can't just decide and go do the splits again.

And so it is with my photography. My photos may not be the best in the world but I am working hard and I feel like I am getting better. But it will take time.

Did you know that the word "photography" means "light writing?" Awesome, right? I am writing and telling my story with light. And colors! I use the sun's rays as paint brushes. I think that something that deflated my passion for a while was that everyone suddenly decided they were photographers as well. It's become some new trend. Or maybe that's just a thing here in Utah where everyone does everything. It's overwhelming and hard to find my place.   

So anyway, here are some of my American Fork photos. If anyone even cares. :) (I know you care Grandma) ;)