Cloudbursts at Sunrise

Pin It I awoke this morning to a daybreak saturated in pictorial cloud character; gray and puffy cauliflower blossoms, like clumps of cottonwood fluff caught in the wind clustered around the rising inclines of Mount Timpanogos—heaps of whipped cream upon a vanilla mountain. Rich, buttery sunlight inked its way over the slopes like caramel topping slathered over a savory dessert.

Even being caught on my early-morning commute behind a slowly moving yellow school bus couldn’t damper my day for - with windows down - the freshly mown grass glistened with the early-morning dew, coating the very air I drove through with the early flesh of summer.

The music playing became the moment.

What a truly glorious day.

100% Natural Beauty Challenge

Pin It A friend of mine threw the challenge down via her blog the other day to take a photo of yourself right as you get up, another one of what you look like after getting out of the shower, and then a final shot after you’ve put on your makeup.

Well, this would be a bit of a difficulty for me, but I decided to take her up on this particular dare as she’s been taking me up on the challenge that I recently threw down…besides, she double-dog dared. Who in their right mind can refuse a double-dog dare?

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

Just so as I’d remember, when I went to bed last night I set my camera down on the table so I would remember to take a photo of what I looked like first thing in the morning—it’s not always the prettiest, but remember: she dared, therefore, I did it.

When I awoke—face creased and pillow-wrinkled—I stumbled toward the bathroom and saw the camera. Once I did, I remembered the challenge and grumblingly snapped the picture, not even caring how the image turned out; however, after taking a hot shower, the ‘monster’ inside (and outside) of me just seemed to melt away with the rushing of water and down the drain. It wasn’t but a few minutes before I found a transformation taking place—I was rapidly becoming who it is that I usually am on a daily basis.

Well, pre-shaved version of course...

Next came the most (insert favorite adjective here) _____________ part…

Whilst I'm not usually an avid makeup wearer, I decided to throw off all inhibitions and go for it—I went all out and now I have to ask the masses:

What do you think? Is Maybelline really my thing?

I awoke to an orchestra

Pin It The flash of light ignited against the other side of my closed eyelids; that’s probably what awoke me from a restful slumber. The low, guttural tones of thunder followed only moments behind it, chased by the rain. The glorious downpour smattered down upon rooftop in cascades of monsoon. It layered the sidewalks in shimmery wet, inviting worms to surface for schoolchildren to step on as they make their way to my classroom later this morning in this watery-shimmered world.

I moved through the house with lights off, attentive to the wondrous orchestra playing all around me—reverberating through the four walls and ceiling—and even permeating through the very earth below me.

Light flashed, bringing to life the images hanging on the walls of my home for a brief moment of time.

Exhilaration.

Windows were thrust open, and the sounds were fully welcomed into my world—or I into theirs. Above, the lights of the city reflected off of the dark, twisting clouds as a train whistle pierced the darkness from someplace off in the distance; a melancholy souvenir of places far away, and stages of summer I loathed, yet hunger to live again.

But for now, the rain continues to fall in its eternal drizzle from the skies above me, and the August rushing of wind hits the trees in my Olympic-sized backyard, adding to the ensemble which continues to acquire its musicians.

Like before, I am prepared to meet with a smile whatever challenge is here to greet me today,

Welcome, rain.

The call

Pin It I drove.

The open road was beckoning to me.

I heeded its call.

To fields of sunset-drenched wheat…

Warm summer winds blowing away my frustrations…

A Cannon Mark II camera…

Biting red ants climbing on my legs in the long grass on the roadside.

…euphoria.

The Crow

Pin It

“And the crow makes wing to the rooky wood…” ~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

Evening is overtaking the day.

I sit on a comfortable chair out on my deck, enjoying the last rays of sunlight as they ebb away over the mountains beyond the lake.

The last sounds of park patrons diminish, along with the calls of night birds.

All is becoming steadily quiet. All is calm.

I find myself reflecting on my drive home from work this afternoon, passing through the farmishly-rural neighborhoods around which I work. As I drove, I couldn’t help but notice two crows circling overhead.

They were barely flapping their wings as they soared gracefully over the landscape below them.

I’d never really visualized crows as being the most striking of birds; I’d always considered them being downright unsightly.

I’d never want to be a crow...

A hawk is what I’d envision myself returning to existence as—that is if I subscribed to the belief in reincarnation—but by no means a crow.

As I gazed at these two birds gliding over the air currents, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

These were crows

They were not the most beautiful or majestic of birds.

They were not the most striking

But they could fly

No matter what they looked like on the outside, they had within them the capacity to take to the air, and leave the earth far below them; they enjoyed the glories their wings afforded them, just as any other bird

It was at this moment that I felt envious of these crows.

As I gazed at them, I began to wonder…how often did I imagine myself as a crow? How often did I see myself as a being of little splendor; a person with so little to offer the world around me?

Yet, we have so much potential within us…more than we are aware of.

For some reason, we often only ‘see’ ourselves as how we believe others view us…how we are perceived. This is simply not the case. We have unlimited, untapped promise. We simply need to spread our wings and take it.

As I drove home, the crows were on my mind the entire way.

Oh, to be a crow.

Sunset snowfall

Pin It Last night the snow was falling from the heavens.

As I sat at my kitchen counter composing a post for the day, the sun broke through the distant clouds on the horizon out over the lake.

I looked out the window, and found myself amazed at the sheer beauty this world has to offer.


I went outside and stood in the falling snow, glazed over with an iridescent wash of evening light.


This world, indeed, is a wonderful place.

Perceptions of Beauty

Pin It I recently found a blog which had used a quote from my Christmas posting. I was moved that somebody felt that I was worth quoting. As I perused a few of the pages on her blog, I came across a video depicting what 'beauty' is as seen by today's society. Because I do photography, I knew about the process shown, but to actually see it in action was shocking. I must have watched this video six times.



When I was involved with the Safety Net Mentor Program I was a Big Brother to a boy who shared a song with me by the band, "Simple Plan." This song echoes the perceptions many of us have developed from society. All of these things are weighing heavily on my mind as of lately. What type of world have we become when we base what beauty is on things that are falsely manipulated and largely fictional?