some of my favorites

Just a few photos I have taken over the past 1 to 2 years...

ballet feet at Blank Canvas practice

one of my all-time favorite photos--Matt and Cooper

winter in Greensboro 2010

the sun at the D Day Beaches

Venice Gondola

photo story project

This past semester, I was enrolled in a photojournalism class. My final project was to shoot a photo story-we were supposed to pick a subject (a clothes designer, a family overcoming an obstacle, etc) that we felt passionate about and take photos of that subject. Then the photos we picked were supposed to portray the subject and tell their story, as well as convey the message we wanted to portray about the subject. I chose to do a story about a woman and her two dogs that work in a elementary school near Chapel Hill. The dogs are trained to be therapy animals; they do things like play and sit with kids who have anger problems, get read to by kids who have reading problems, and simply just hang out with kids who are having  a bad day or feeling stressed. Therapeutic dogs have been shown to help kids overcome their problems and increase their academic potential. Check out the photo story :)

out with anna banana

I got to hang out with Anna today! She asked me to take some portraits of her. We got some great shots and had so much fun! I added and edited the pictures today :)  Check them out! More can be seen on my Facebook

Me and Anna after the shoot :)

which color should I choose?

Today was a great Saturday! It was the first day I didn't work on a weekend in the summer (last summer I had my office job AND a pool job on the weekends). I woke up at 11, it was sunny, I made eggs and watched Kathy Lee and Hoda on the TODAY show. The best part of my day was getting a manicure and pedicure with my best friend Maggie and my second mom, Mrs. Cavanaugh. It may not seem like a big deal, but I NEVER get mani/pedis and really don't even like them, but I reallyyyy needed one and got to do it with them. It was actually pretty fun!--and ticklish :) We all had tough decisions to make when choosing a color, but we each got very pretty ones! I'm so glad I went and got to spend time with my best friend and Mrs. Cavanaugh before they leave for Ireland--for two weeks! I'm going to miss them so much and I cannot wait for them to get back! It'll be a little lonely on the Drive. But I'm pumped for two Sundays from now!

any old friday

Today is my first Friday of work. The day is almost over and every one is gone, but I have to wait around til 2. It's not so bad, it just gives me a lot of time to think about stuff. First of all, I am thinking how I really just need to start blogging and keep it consistent if I am really going to do this-otherwise it's just a waste of a new email address. I am also thinking how excited I am to see my amazing friend Julia today in Chapel Hill, although not to psyched for an hour drive by myself :(. I also do not think it has hit me that SUMMER SCHOOL starts Monday, because no mental break is long enough for me! I am also thinking how much I love my cousins. Lately, we have all been checking in with each other and seeing what one another is doing. Most recently, this popped up on my facebook:

J. Whiting

Check it out cousin! Download "The Audacity of Dope", the new album now available on ITUNES. Help us spread the word! http://tinyurl.com/5wob6j5

The Audacity of Dope by Class Project - Download The Audacity of Dope on iTunes

itunes.apple.com

Preview and download songs from The Audacity of Dope by Class Project on iTunes. Buy The Audacity of Dope for just $9.90

AHHH! I was so excited! I'm so happy my cousin and his friends are making more music--and it so AWESOMEEE that it's on iTunes! (Download it if you get a chance--it's so good!) It just makes me happy to see what he is up to and to know that I get to see most of my family this summer at our lakehouse, which is always so much fun!

I am also just so glad that it is Friday. The first week of work in the summer is really hard and I am glad that it is almost over. I could really use a nap seeing as how I was up at 6:00 this morning working out to DVDs by Bob Harper, the guy who coaches The Biggest Loser. 

Ahh so those are apparently my Friday thoughts. I still have 25 minutes at work, but I'll find something to entertain myself with-probably just Facebook, per usual.

I have never started a blog before. Rarely do I even update my Facebook status. But since I am living, working and attending school at home this summer, I thought it might be fun to do a personal project, discuss my life and get opinions and feedback on photos that I have taken. I'm starting on a Monday night as a sit in my basement and watch The O.C. and Gilmore Girls for about the fourth hour in a row, so we will see how long it lasts. I feel that this is a very good time to be starting a blog though, there is a lot going on in my life; my second year of college at UNC ended which caused a lot of sadness for me and my friends-I can't believe it's all half way over, my favorite person in the world, Casey Maree, just graduated college, which makes me realize that college is going to pass that much more quickly but also makes me very excited for her and to know that we can start planning at any moment our move to finally live near each other like we have always wanted, my brother is about to graduate high school and head to UNC which makes  me sooo excited, I'm moving into an apartment next year with some of my oldest and newest best friends, and one of my best friends from home has just found the one and I am honored to be part of the celebration. I am excited to continue with photography and publish some of my work. Like I said, we will see how long it lasts, but as of right now, I am very excited!