These days all I think about, past school, assignments, projects, tests, essays, articles, interviews, photos, etc. is sleeping and eating.

Ah, the life of a college student. Trust me, it's not glamorous in any way. Nor is it easy. 8.5 hour days at school, studying for tests til 1am, writing & re-writing, so MUCH researching, databases, reading dry textbooks twice because you can't understand them the first time through, experimenting until you come up with the perfect photo even if it takes an hour to do so, falling asleep at your desk, skipping lunch because you don't have the time, a meager diet of TEA and granola bars, stressing out because you don't have the time to do errands, falling asleep on the way to school and work and then on the way home in the car...sleep and food are our best friends these days. Hallelujah for spring break!

I am dreaming of spring, and for some reason when I think of spring, I think of "Bright Star". I know I'm in the minority of my friends who actually loves this film. I've heard it called: dark, depressing, sad, pathetic, pointless, a waste of time, boring...but that is not how I see it at all.

I remember the very first time I saw it, I was left breathless, intrigued, teary-eyed, and inspired. This movie is anything but boring, in my oh so humble opinion.

It is magical. The way it's filmed, the silence, odd soundtrack...it is poetic, colorful, dynamic, imaginative...it is memorable.

It is romantic, touching, heartbreaking...it is breathtaking...

It's a rather gray-ishly cloudy day...going to be a long day for me. A math test (one I've been studying for all week long...and the one I studied for 2 hours just last night alone), photography class, meeting with a client for my class project, and plenty of homework.

And a long, gray day like this is in need of a few things...like tea, chocolate, aspirin, and...Bobby Darin. If you're one of those people who never listens to "oldies", you need to listen to Bobby Darin and change your mind. He is marvelous.

Perfect rainy day music. And if you want to branch out from Bobby Darin, there's always Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Nat King Cole...add Norah Jones and Jane Monheit for a good mix.

What exactly is a college student's life like? Envision this:

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Studying/working those kind of problems for 2 hours straight in preparation for a math test.

Yup. And you thought we have it easy.

Still, there is something quite satisfying about finally figuring out how a math problem works. The logical-ness of math is somewhat comforting. You know there's always a correct solution.

Thank you to God for:

- causing the car to work ALL day, enabling me to get to school

- not allowing me to succumb to the stomach bug as of yet

- giving me the time I needed to study for said math test

(Pardon the lack of quality in above photo...'twas taken with webcam because I'm far too lazy to use Booth)

Letters...you know, the good, old-fashioned pieces of paper with scribblings on them, folded up in an envelope (en-vah-lope....not on-vah-lope...), with your name addressed on the front, and stamp in the upper right-hand corner.

What is so lovely about a letter? It's a piece of magic, that's what. There's something intriguing and at the same time, exciting! about receiving an envelope with your name on it.

And yes, while texting, emails, private messages on Facebook, IM, Skyping, and all other electronic means of communicating ARE definitely much more handy and quick and easy and immediate, they just aren't as romantic and lovely as a real, written letter that travels across the states or world to get to you. (And don't try to tell me that a romantic text beats a romantic love letter. It's just not possible. Let's not even try to contemplate it.)

But, oh, darn...where to start? How does one write a GOOD letter?? I cannot speak for my own writing habits...but hey! my friends still respond to my letters! Anyhow, firstly, what are a couple things I love about receiving letters and can be used as tips to create a great letter?

- A sweet, interesting, funny, and DIFFERENT form of address.

Instead of the boring "Dear Sam," my best friend begins her letter with a "My dearest Sam". It is sweet, touching, makes me feel loved, and is not at all a boring way to begin a letter. Don't follow the formal, impersonal address of just a "Dear ". Show straight off how you feel about them...show your reader that you do care about them. (Unless, of course you're writing a hate note. Then, by all means, use the sarcasm behind a "Dear ". Or better yet, "Dear Scumbag"...that'll get the message across. Joking...)

- Personality!!

What I Love about my bestie Amy's letters is just how MUCH of her sweet, quirky, funny personality shows through her letters. She writes in LARGE letters to emphasize something, she uses smiley faces galore, she calls me by the wacky nickname of Rabbit that she gave me. She uses exclamation points, she underlines things, she uses LOL...to put it simply: her personality just BURSTS from the page. And it makes me smile. Don't restrain yourself. Don't let letters be impersonal...let them BE personal!

- Ramble. Let it all out.

Fact: rambling increases the length of letters. Long letters = WONDERFUL. Plus, rambles make for some of the best conversation starters. And even if they don't, they can be TERRIBLY amusing. The latest letter from my bestie, HannahBeth, is FULL of her rambling on and on about how much she LOVES fall, and rainy days, and cups of tea, and writing letters, and watching movies, and curling up with a book. It makes me smile, laugh, and miss her like crazy. Again, this is personality shining through, and it's like sitting down in-person with a friend and listening to her talk and talk. It is happiness. And don't try to tell me shorter letters are better than long ones. So not true. (Unless, of course, it's that hate note...)

- Questions. Ask away!

What I love about my dear, dear friend Maddie's letters are that they always have questions for me. She's always wondering what I'm up to, what I've been watching, what I've been reading, what I've been listening to, what's new, my thoughts on things, etc. It makes writing back extremely easy. And again, it's personality...just as she would be genuinely interested in person about what's going on with me, so she is in her letters.

Letter-writing was an art for such a long time and suddenly started to die away. Nowadays, so many people don't know the loveliness of receiving a real letter in the mail. Try your hand at it, you'd be surprised just how lovely and fun it can be.

"I'm gonna give all my secrets away..."

The taste of surprise, the flavor of mystery, breathless excitement, the shockingly unexpected, shiver of the unknown...elements of a mystery. All reasons why I love to write mystery...not only is the reader guessing what will happen next, but so am I as the author. Sure I start with the basic frame of the plot...I usually know whodunit, who gets murdered...all the questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. But just the very basic information. Like a reader, I like to be surprised with where the story goes. The brilliance of mysteries is how you never know just where they'll go next. I am often more surprised than a reader when an unexpected twist appears in my stories. It's devastating when a character I've fallen in love with has to be killed off...even if the original plot doesn't include her/his death, sometimes it just happens.

The wonderfulness of mysteries is that whenever you're stuck, you can just throw in something that even you did not expect. Go all out...the majority of the time it will just work out perfectly...occasionally it takes some scene revisions to get it all to tie in, but the greatness of mysteries is that unexpectedness and strangeness and even absurdity, at times, is the norm.

Mysteries are the unpredictable.

What girl doesn't love a good fairy tale? What girl doesn't want to live in a fairy tale?

I've talked to girl friends before about fairy tales, and every one of them expressed

a desire to be in a fairy tale. What is it we love about fairy tales? The magic?

The sparkle, true love, happily ever after, the thrill of hearing the words

"Once Upon a Time".

But we do live in a fairy tale. Each one of us. We have "Once Upon a Time"'s, just as every fairy tale does. We are the main characters in our fairy tales. And just like any princess-in-the-making, we have conflict rise before us. Our actions, our decisions define just what kind of character we are...are we the damsel in distress, waiting for a knight to save us? Or are we the heroine, who steps up valiantly and courageously to save the day and change things for the better? Do we risk everything for the right choice? Do we stand up when everyone backs away?

The makings of a fairytale are there. Your life is a fairytale...the choice of what kind of fairytale, what kind of heroine, if there is to be a "happily ever after" is up to you.

I am a photographer, for those of you who didn't know.

A portrait/family/engagement photographer. That is the extent of my photography business so far. Just friends and family. One day it will branch out.

My absolute favorite kind of shoot is an engagement. Nothing beats the sweetness and happiness that show through the photos from an engagement. (Perhaps a wedding does, but as I have yet to shoot a wedding, we'll ignore that and stick to saying engagements are best.)

I am going to shoot an engagement today, and here I am, getting excited as I plan the shoot.

What exactly goes into my planning? What is it that I, as a amateur photographer, do to prepare for such a shoot?

I am low on equipment, so you'll have to just grimace along with me as I list them:

18-55mm lense

55-180?mm lense

Tripod

Reflector

Good ol' Booth.

Yes. The equipment factor is a sad one, indeed. I am but a poor, humble photography student, though, who must make do with what she's got.

Other things I bring along on a shoot:

-An umbrella (for bouncing light as well as shading...a black umbrella is ideal for shading)

-Towels for clients to sit upon instead of the cold, wet ground (fold it in such a way and shoot at such an angle that you do not get it in the photograph. It takes an art. *wink*)

-Bottled water...gotta keep the clients hydrated. Yes, yes, I generally only shoot an hour's time, but still...it's a nice to be considerate to one's client. Shoots can make them nervous.

-Release forms. (Do NOT forget your release forms. I repeat. Do NOT forget release forms. And do NOT forget to have the clients sign them BEFORE the shoot begins. Otherwise, you will not own a SINGLE photograph you take, and thus lose any privileges that come with them, such as posting on your website.)

-Notebook and pen. I like to keep a list of possible shot ideas with me at every shoot. I do not stick to it...they are not laid down MUSTS. They are simply ideas. I generally look my list over just before the shoot, and go from there. I am also very open to ideas from my clients. I make it a priority to ask them if there are any poses they'd like. For the most part, they allow me to direct them as I will, but occasionally there are some poses clients will ask to be shot.

- Tissues. Some fiancees may get weepy...I have yet to experience this. :P I bring the tissues along for any windy day shoots. Wind = wet eyes.

- Blanket. You never know when it'll come in handy.

- Step-stool. I may be tall, but not as tall as some of those 6' tall fiance's!

- Of course the necessities like: extra memory card, extra battery.

- An assistant. I never like to go on any shoot without an assistant. Even if it be just a sibling to stand there, holding my equipment, and helping me tote stuff. Generally, though, my mom is my assistant/2nd photographer. A 2nd photographer is great. If you don't get the shot the way you wanted it to come out, chances are that your 2nd photographer may have.

Did I forget anything? That's always something at the back of my mind as I go on a shoot, but my chances are that I won't remember whatever it was that I forgot, until I get to location. And by then, what's the use of crying over it? So long as I have my necessities, then I'm good to go.

And best thing of all, I bring: enthusiasm. I love what I do and I'm going to put that love into what I do.

I just got back from seeing "The Vow" with my mom and a friend. I can't say I'm a fan (seriously, what was with her HAIR?) But there were some sweet parts. Leo's love was sweet and faithful, which was admirable, in spite of Paige's reluctance to even give their life a chance, at first. (What the heck, girl...seriously??)

But the best part of the movie was when Paige's mother, speaking of her husband's affair, explained to Paige why she remained with her husband. It was because they were a family...and because "I chose to forgive him. I chose not to remember the one thing he did wrong, but all the things he did right."

When do we ever see that kind of attitude in movies these days? It was a pleasant surprise, I thought. To show that kind of forgiveness in such a movie? Best part, in my opinion.

Note: This post is not a movie recommendation...merely a post expressing pleasure and surprise at a quote from said movie.

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."

I have been realizing lately that God has blessed me with the gift of being able to write easily. I never thought much about my writing ability before I started school. I've always known that I love to write. That much I knew. However, I never thought of that love as a gift. It wasn't until I started college and was faced with the tediousness of English classes. The classes full of writing that were boring. Not to say they were easy, but so far, they have not been that difficult either. Where my friend struggled with having to write a four-page essay on a character analysis from a short story and took hours to write that essay, I sat down, and completed a quick draft in just an hour and a half. Only two things were pointed out as "mistakes" in my essay. Something that I disliked writing and was not at all interested in.

This post is not to brag about my writing abilities. I still do not have a high opinion on my writing. Note, I said the gift God gave me was a gift to write easily. To write easily is very different from writing well. I have to work hard and focus well to come up with my best written pieces. I have to care. To write well, I have to sharpen the tool God gave me. I cannot expect myself to write well without the work, the caring..it's just made me realize: instead of being lazy about the gift God blessed me with, it is necessary to practice this gift, to use it and work at it in order to perfect it.

Writing takes practice, is what it boils down to.

I still remember you

Ben Palmer:

"Word of the day: Dwarf
Noun
Definition: Someone shorter than Ben, but also thinks they are big and tries to act like it. Hence the surly attitudes, sometime beards, weird looking hats, giant axes, and an inability to drink like an elf. Very unstable people. Avoid them at all costs. Or you could just put your hand on their head and keep ...them at arms distance and be safe.
Use in a sentence: Samantha Skinner is a dwarf."

I've been listening to one of your favorite songs all week. The song that you MADE me listen to over and over. I miss you, Ben.