Random

Please excuse the random nature of this post. I need to "blog dump" all of my old pictures and posts that I never got around to before I start with DC posts.

1. Festival of Colors.

I went to Festival of Colors at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork this year. I had never been and I felt kind of lame that I would travel the world to go to cultural events but I never made time to go to the ones a 20-minute drive away. So I decided to go. My sister Losaunne said she was going to be there too, so we could hang out.

The parking in Spanish Fork was out of control. Unfortunately, I didn't really know where I was going and was just following the line of cars or else I would have known where to park. As it was, I parked at a place I thought must be close.

It was close, if you think that 4 miles of walking is close. I don't mind walking. I really don't. But when you have to listen to the same people's conversation as you are tripping through mud and walking around the parked cars lining the road while traffic crawls in the opposite direction, it gets a little old. Especially if your sister who is at the Festival doesn't answer her phone (left it in the car so it wouldn't get colored), so you don't even know if she is still there. (btw, does anyone else hate listening to strangers' conversations while they are walking behind you for an extended period of time, or is that just me?)

Turns out she wasn't. By the time I got to the Festival, she had left. I just walked in, snapped a few pictures, and took the long trek back to my car. Lame, I know, but at least now I've been, right?

I just wonder how they get all the color off of the temple. Maybe they leave it in and let the elements take care of it?

In any case, welcome spring!


2. Happy Birthday.

My birthday this year was kind of crazy. I have trained myself not to expect much from birthdays because my expectations are always too high and thus never met. This birthday was no different. My coworker told me happy birthday, and of course I got 100+ facebook happy birthdays from people who otherwise would have had no idea that this day was the happy celebration of my birth (I love facebook for that). I had a rehearsal that night until 11 in Salt Lake, and when I got home I was ready to crash. I was surprised and delighted to see that my roommate had left me a rose and some chocolate on the table with a happy birthday card. This was one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received because it was unexpected--and given without expectation of reciprocity! It reminded me of Elder Eyring's BYU devotional on "Gifts of Love."

(Don't worry, Mom and Dad. The camera I got for my birthday/Christmas/graduation ranks up there with the best birthday gifts ever given. The picture of the cupcakes, given to me the next day by my mother, was taken with said camera.)


3. Roommate Photo Shoot.
A couple of months ago I looked outside my window. The sun made the lighting on our balcony a soft golden glow. I knew that pictures needed to be taken that very moment to capture the magnificent lighting. I solicited my roommate and neighbors.

Isn't the lighting just beautiful?


4. My Cute Nephew.
I have three cute nephews, actually. But I did a photo shoot of this one (actually several). Isn't he adorable? (Still waiting for the day when I can do a photo shoot of my first niece. Still waiting for her to be born, actually. I just missed her birth, and now I am in Washington, DC and she will be born in Utah. Lame.)

5. Udall Photo Shoot

I feel like I do a lot of photo shoots. One of my dearest friends, Shayla, and her family are back in Provo while her husband attends law school. Her kids are so cute (and funny) that I would practically pay her to babysit them! Although a photo shoot with kids is never a completely enjoyable experience for all parties involved, I love taking pictures of them. 

Max was ready to be done almost before we started. This is him, 8 minutes in, with his desperate "cheeeeese!" face.

Like I said, photo shoots are rarely fun for everyone involved...

6. Easter Egg Hunt.

And to finish off the batch, here are some pictures of two of my nephews gathering eggs on Easter.