September 30-- Final Touches

polaroids.
my most favorite.
they became decoration today.

September 29-- Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

(warning: males may not want to read further)

I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
we've all read that book and if we were anything like ben, abby and emma, we all loved it right up until we had a day that looked similar to poor alexander's.
for my roommate and i, today was that day. it began when waking up with an unwanted monthly visitor (yes, for both of us ironically enough), and ended (hopefully) in ruining the quesadilla I was so looking forward to for dinner. (it was either that or carrots--the fridge is looking a little bare lately)
luckily, one tree hill is on tonight. that should hopefully make my day a little brighter.

September 28-- PostSecret Sundays

Today is Sunday which means new PostSecrets! PostSecret is an experiment that a man named Frank Warren started a few years ago. He passed out postcards to strangers in a subway tunnel asking them to send him their deepest, darkest secrets that have never been shared with anyone before. People followed his instruction and before he knew it, he was and is receiving hundreds of secrets a day. Some are romantic, some are hilarious, some are disgusting and others break your heart. He has compiled 4 books full of these secrets and every Sunday he updates his website with about 20 of the most recent secrets. (PostSecret.com)

September 27--"Seattle-Sick"

As much of my afternoon was occupied by sitting alone in Starbucks doing my homework, I couldn't help but miss Anja and Kate. It was only 3 months ago that the 3 of us were spending hours at our favorite tea shop, Remedy Teas, sipping 1 of their 155 different types of tea and studying for finals together. We spent so much time in that shop that the owner also knew Kate's mom, boyfriend and our favorite tea sandwhiches. Remedy was conviently located 1 block away from my best friend, "Mike the Mechanic" who I was fortunately visiting on a weekly basis, giving us a reason to wander into Remedy and try another flavor of tea. I was definitely feeling a little "Seattle-sick" as Anja moved back into school today, I met a man in Starbucks who just so happened to graduate from SPU and as I sat alone I couldn't help but get a huge craving for a hot cup of Vanilla Sky, an Apple Pie sandwhich and a relaxful day of studying with the besties.

September 26-- Wienerschnitzel Love

No school for the boyfriend today which meant a wonderful day of playing. Some typical play day options for us usually involve playing a little Rock Band (my drumming abilities are ever so slightly improving), hauling our cameras around town looking for photo opportunities, stopping by the local Goodwill/thrift stores, or gaining unwelcomed pounds at Wendys, Taco Bell or in today's case-- Weinerschnitzel (thanks to Trader Joes, corn dogs are my new fav--even if Kate thinks thats appauling).
Tonight I saw Nights in Rodanthe with Katie and it was pleasantly surprising. Mom, you're going to love it, you and Auntie need to see it tomorrow.

September 25- Home Away From Home

Today has been somewhat of a frustrating day. Dealing with the 98 degree weather (I was very spoiled in Seattle), my stupid PC (I need a Mac pronto), my struggling major, my lack of income and the many other things that can frustrated a person in a day. Lucky for me, I have a key to the Hermanson house and was able to let myself in and lounge on their new comfy couch after my classes were over. I love my weekly sleepovers at my cousins house because even though the little ones are usually fighting (see picture on the right--->), I love being a part of their madness (and when it gets too much for me, Logan and I can always lock ourselves in her room) Although they don't look like it, these two really do love each other (when Austen isn't taking things from Landon and making him cry).

September 24-- Photo x2

Last night I had a sleepover with Ben, Abby, and Emma after an afternoon of babysitting. Ben was nice enough to let me borrow his superhero bed (but he was mainly ok with it because he knew I'd leave him a note with stickers afterward)
This morning I was at MHS teaching a couple periods with Schlenks. The photo is of a few girls figuring out which negatives they want to print. Even though I always swore I would never be back at MHS, I am enjoying my job there. Its a lot of fun teaching aspiring photographers how to print their photos in a darkroom (plus I get to spend 2 days a week hanging out with Schlenker which is a ton of fun--and she lets me use the darkroom for my own projects which is quite nice).
I'm back at CSUN now, and getting ready to go to the photo class that I'm taking here. This morning Ben was asking me if I was coming back after I went to MHS today and he couldn't understand the fact that I was spending part of my day teaching a photo class and the other part learning in a photo class. I guess it is kind of confusing.

September 23-- Job Wanted.

I need a job.
I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to fit it in between my classes and my very part time job at MHS, but my decreasing bank account has informed me that I need one. Craigslist has let me down this afternoon, so if any of you residents of Pasadena, Northridge or Santa Clarita need babysitting, house sitting, dog sitting, have an event coming up that you'd like photographed, or are interested in purchasing a wonderfully hand knit scarf.....please contact me! (my email is in the "who am i" section). Or if you know someone who does need assistance in any of these areas, please feel free to give my contact information out! I can easily provide a resume and references upon request

September 22-- My Mother's Daughter

I returned to Northridge this afternoon after a wonderfully long weekend in Pasadena.
And of course, when I got home I immediately got in cleaning mode and cleaned the apartment. Thanks a lot mom....

September 21--Mountain Street

(Click photo to enlarge)

It feels like a lifetime ago that I lived on a street called Mountain. I lived on this very special street from the day I was born until June 15, 2006. Ever since I was little I was convinced that Mountain Street was the best street in the world because I never knew anyone whose neighborhood was as close as mine was. We were blessed to live among neighbors who loved and cared for each other and we celebrated our close friendships with a yearly Mountain Street Block Party. I always looked forward to these parties for many reasons. 1. They barricaded the street off so it was the one day out of the year that we were allowed to run freely in the middle of the street without getting yelled at 2. the fire department always showed up and we were able to "drive" their massive trucks 3. block party=bounce house which is always a fun treat :)
Today, Mountain Street celebrated another great year with another great block party and Matt and I were among the 99 wonderful guests.
It was the same amazing block party with the barricaded street, fire truck and bounce house but this year was very different for me. It was totally weird being back on this street and constantly introducing myself to new people because I didn't know half of the people that were now living on what was once a street filled with familiar faces. Although it was weird not recognizing half of my street, it was really nice meeting all of the great new people that continue to make Mountain Street so wonderful. Although there were loads of new faces, there were also many familiar ones that it was great to catch up with. My next door neighbor for 18 years, Evie (top left) was there (mom, she says hello), our mail lady Laura (whose birthday it was today!) was there (top middle) and of course Christina and Nick (top right), the Griffiths, Dohrs, Garcias, Hedricks, Chuck and Smitty. And with no surprise, 2336's current residents were nowhere to be found....

September 20--Haircut Date

Today Matt and I went on our monthly haircut date to see Jaymie at Karin's Art of Change in Sierra Madre. Matt and Jaymie usually catch up on what brutal hardcore shows they've been to lately while I act like I know what they're talking about :)

September 19--My Favorite Zoo

(click photo to enlarge)
Due to technical difficulties with my laptop yesterday (i'm seriously considering spending my life savings on a mac at this point) I wasn't able to post this wonderful photo.
I tend to spend my Friday afternoons on Mountain Street playing batman, dress up, tea party, cars and many other fun games with my favorite zoo--ben, abby and emma.
Yesterday I was introduced to Teri and Jeff's 4th child, Julianna (see second photo from the left). Julianna is Abby's "baby sister" who goes on walks with us, eats meals with us and does just about anything else that the "real" Griffith children do. While Abby was busy caring for her baby sister, Ben was busy being Batman and riding his bike "as fast as he can!" He's so cute when he puts his Batman (or Superman, Power Ranger, or Speed Racer) costumes on because he immediately gets this completely serious look on his face and walks around the house with a stance that says "I will save the world."
Emma's big news for me yesterday was that she recently graduated to "big girl undies" (see far right photo). Why can't all underwear have Disney princesses on them? They're so cute!

September 18-- Campus Street Fair

So I was walking through campus this morning with Jamie when we came across huge white tents that looked like they were meant for Venice Beach. Apparently our school was having a street fair right one campus! It was a fun surprise to happen upon on the way to Child Development...too bad I was cash-less (although it was probably better that way)

September 17-- XRAY

For those of you who haven't met him, this is Xray. He occupies the third shelf from the top behind my bed. I lost track of time today and never took a photo so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to introduce you to my pretty little fishy, Xray.

September 16-- Meet Jamie

This is Jamie. She's one of my three roommates this year in Northridge. We have our 8:00 Biology class together on Tue and Thurs so we decided to document our long walk to class with this photo. Manal and Lucy are still sleeping..lucky ducks.

September 15--My Very Own Chemical-Smelling Haven

Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week. Its one of the only days that I have barely nothing to do and can sleep in, make blueberry pancakes and spend the day catching up with the stuff that Tuesday-Sunday push aside.
One of the highlights of my Mondays is going to my photography class at 2:00. I get to spend anywhere between 30 minutes and 3 hours working in my own personal, chemical smelling haven. I'm telling you, there's nothing better than figuring out your image's perfect exposure time, projecting that favorite image onto a blank sheet of fiber paper and after agitating it through the developer, stop, and fixer, being able to see your perfectly constructed image that you worked so hard at getting just right. They say digital photography is going to out date darkroom photography, but all the darkroom photographers out there know that you can never get the same satisfaction from printing your image off a printer. You just can't.

September 14--Simplicities.

One of my favorite Goodwill purchases: this $.99 green votive.
There's something so peaceful about a sweet smelling candle while you're stuck at a desk isn't there?

Welcome.

Basically, in a nutshell, I'm creating this blog as a way for my family & friends to see/keep track with what this year of my life looks like. Since my family lives in Nashville, my best friend lives in San Fran and everyone else I love and care about live scattered all over the United States, I thought I'd create a common place for everyone to come, see a photo, read a few lines and get a small glimpse of what my day looks like (and it's archived so when I'm old and gray I won't be kicking myself for my hatred of scrapbooking-no offense mom). I'm not intending for this to be fancy, well thought out, or even very detailed. Just a little piece of my day to share with you.

That's really about it. I'm hoping this project inspires me to carry my camera with me a little bit more and maybe develop my photography a bit deeper.

You got me for a year...enjoy a photo a day until September 14, 2009.