Friday, December 30, 2011

Happy New Year Eve Eve!

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Happy New Year's Eve Eve! Bryan and I will be celebrating in San Francisco with friends! We can't wait to see fireworks on the Warf and bring in the new year! We've never done something this exciting! [Ha! I know, kinda lame! But I sorta like New Years in our cozy bed.] We have a couple of New Years Resolutions:

Bryan

  • Set up a forge and blacksmith
  • Build a barn at work
  • Increase yield at farm by decreasing the coddling moth population
  • Learn how to use Sam's old camera and help her shoot
  • Take daily time to reflect in my daily journal
Sam
  • Get business cards
  • Shoot often and put myself out there. 
  • Make more sushi at home than going to those dang gluttonous and oh so awesome sushi buffets
  • More sunrise hikes
  • Continually work at being content where ever I am
And both of us have a couple of goals together =)
  • More backpacking trips
  • Bike around Lake Tahoe
  • Mud run together
  • Save a bit more for that farm of ours
  • Continue our Monday walk and talks together.

We hope all of you have tons of fun this evening! Stay safe! See you in 2012!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Update

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You may have noticed that this blog has got a lot of photos on it lately. Most are of people you probably don't even know. You're thinking to yourself, "I thought this was a blog about Sam and Bryan?!"

It still is, I promise.

Here's a little update for you: I have decided I to become a wedding and portrait photographer--this explains all the photo shoots lately =)

It's been quite a journey getting here. Many of you that know me, know that I have been so frustrated not knowing what exactly I wanted to do. It's not that I've lacked options, but rather I could not narrow down options. But if you don't mind, let me fill you in on what's been going on...

With ending my last semester of college, I was soon approaching my "future". This is what I had been waiting [and stressing] about for four years. But this semester I decided to be at peace with not knowing what I wanted to do. [You can read about this here.]  This process of being content where I am even with the uncertainty, opened my eyes to what I really wanted to pursue.

I reflect back on this whole process and it seems as if I was the last one to know that I should do photography. Everyone around me had encouraged me in one way or another to pursue it and I brushed it off.

I brushed it off for three reasons:

1. I thought I would never be as good as the professionals I respected.
2. I have a degree in Psychology. Surely, that has got to be a more stable career path.
3. I am a perfectionist when it comes to this kind of stuff. I will never be as good as what I want to be in my head.

But I am forever thankful to my family and friends, who have continued to plant seeds in my soul. To them I owe so much. My heart was closed to the idea of being a photographer and with every encouragement my heart began to open up.

I was talking to my family about how maybe I should have majored in Photography. I think I was too scared to pursue it. As if pursuing my dream of dreams and failing would be worse than not pursuing it at all. My mom asked, "Well, why don't you pursue it now?" I brushed it off saying, "Nah, I've spent four years getting a degree in Psych."

Later as a graduation present, my family gave me some of my dream camera equipment--camera and lenses that Bryan and I would never be able to afford.

In another instance, I had a friend say, "Sam, when I get married I want you to shoot my wedding." My response? "No way!" I wasn't that good at snapping photos. But that made me think, "What can I do to be as good as I want to be?" And I started reading my manual [a couple times over], testing my skills, reading anything I could get my hands on. During finals week alone, I read over a thousand pages on photography and practiced shooting.

For once in my life, I found something I couldn't get enough of. It's challenging. It's rewarding. I get to capture how beautiful people and their love have for each other is. And above all else, it makes me feel alive.

Photography has been healing to me in a way. It has given me confidence and it has pushed me to be myself. For years I have been denying myself this passion because I would never be as good a the bar that I've set for myself. Now that bar is still there, but I'm going for it. I'm just going to work hard, be myself, and hopefully people will want that.

With love,

Sam

** Thank you to all the people that saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. Your encouragements have meant more than you'll ever know.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Team Falconry 2011

Now that I have graduated [Huzzah!] I am now on a job search. My dear friend Sarah and I thought that my resume looked a little dull so we decided to become Falconists. What employer couldn't resist a hard working woman who can hunt with birds?!

Ok so not really, we just got a Groupon to take this intro course on Falconry, which ended up being pretty rad. Did you know that a falcon can read a book over a mile away? I didn't. Did you know that a 1.5 pound falcon can take down a 9 pound jack rabbit? Something else I didn't know!

The intro course gives you a bunch of fun nuggets of info, but they also let you take tons of pictures (which makes me really stoked!) and they let you hold one of their birds (which makes Sarah really stoked!) 

These are the little starter birds. I guess if you want to be a falconist, then you gotta start out with these cuties. 


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Next up are the big guys. 

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Then it's our turn to become faconists.

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Team Falconry 2011

Erin

In Davis, there used to be this beautiful abandoned barn. They tore it down last month and I think I've been in grieving mode. Trying to cheer me up, Bryan found another abandoned barn in Davis. So Erin and I went on an adventure to find this abandoned barn Bryan speaks of. Turns out there is a barn. Turns out, it's not abandoned. [Sorry for trespassing, family with small children!] 

However, we did find a shack with pretty awesome graffiti on it. 
I love Erin. She likes to adventure as much as I do. 

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Lizzie

The post is particularly precious to me. Lizzie is one of my high school girls that I am once again so blessed to hang out with.

This year she has been on an exceptionally crazy journey as she is preparing to be a mother. Though this has not been easy by any means for her, I've been able to witness so much beauty with her this year--hearing the heart beat for the first time, seeing her body make room for another life, finding out that it's a sweet baby boy, the excitement of being a mom, and the hardships that come along with it. She is one of the bravest people I know. This is why I feel so honored to take her picture.

Love you, Lizzie.

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