Goodnight

When I was little my Dad would sing this song to me and my sister when he put us to bed. 

Sometimes I like to listen to it before I put myself to bed now that I'm away from home.

Goodnight 

The house that got squished...

Sunday night me and my friend went exploring in a house that had been smashed by a tree.

I loved it. 

Climbing over branches, scraping up my legs, working with limited light and honestly feeling a little scared. You never know what weirdo could be in an empty smashed house at night!

Oh yeah... that was me.

Anyways, it was fun wandering around and I knew I wanted to return again but when the sun was out. 

The next morning was decided.

This is what I saw in and around the house Monday morning.

 

 

 

P.S.- No one was living in the home when the tree fell on top of it. The block the house sits on will be demolished for new apartments.

Words

(photo from the end of my roll)

I've been thinking about words today. 

Words in general and these words specifically.

I think about people who have written hymns. Did they know how much comfort the words they wrote  would impact those to come? Same with any kind of writer. There have been countless times where I have been struggling and turn to a hymn in search of peace. Someone's creativity/inspiration from long ago travels to me and provoke me to feel something. Words act as a bridge between two or more human's feelings. The feelings may not be the same, but they are there. The more I think about it the bigger the picture gets. How words travel... how they can help... how they also have the power to damage.. How do I use my words? Do I talk about worthwhile things? Do I use my words for good? Will my words be remembered?

I have lots of questions.

Specifically, the words above said by Abraham Lincoln have been on my mind. They calmed me down. Sometimes the future gets to me in a stressful way. Then I break it down and think of all the days in between now and what's coming. I'm grateful for the in between days.

Last Stretch

It never fails.

Every semester there comes a point where I hit a wall. 

I catch a glimpse of the end of the semester and I suddenly lose motivation.

My attention shifts from homework to travel plans and summer activities.

For the record, I have four more weeks lefts of the semester.

28 days.

Heaven help me.

Inspiring stuff

Yesterday morning I decided to watch another episode of the Film show. I am so glad I did. This episode talks about the fact the you don't need to over do things to produce a great image. After watching this video I woke up my little sister, bought two $3 slips from the DI and drove out to the country until we found a good location. We ended up stopping at a deserted barn. It was so perfect.

This is the video I watched, it's quirky, but it's what motivated me to develop more with film. 

And these are two 2 of the 24 I took yesterday

You can see more photos at Melaniemeikphotography.blogspot.com 

Have a great Saturday!

Yellowstone National Park

If you want to see a zillion photos of Yellowstone you came to the right place. Yesterday my sister and I spent the day in this BEAUTIFUL piece of America. If you have never been I hope that you can make plans to. It is amazing. I was in heaven. Taking pretty photos never felt so effortless. The scene was provided I just had to compose and adjust settings. I hope these photos can give you a little glimpse into Yellowstone's beauty. 

 

 

 

If you are interested in having any of these photos in your home you can contact me at Melaniemeikphotography@gmail.com for pricing.

Work before play

(Portrait taken yesterday of my younger sister)

Right now there is a ton of spanish online homework waiting for me.

I'm wishing it would get itself done.

Instead of finishing homework I have been thinking about 

shooting another roll of film

 mod podging things

 sewing a skirt

going to the thrift store

 making some pasta salad 

cleaning my room 

and pretty much anything that doesn't have to do with school.

BUT if I truly want to be happy while doing these things I need to not have school on my mind and to do that I must finish my homework. 

This is like pulling teeth.

Where has my motivation gone?  

Pretty Little Things

I'm in a great mood.

Why? Because...

Tonight I see Bill Cosby. I can hardly wait.

I'm reading a great book, "The Writings of Camilla Eyring Kimball." She is such a strong faithful woman. I love reading her words.

This weekend Yellowstone is free! Consider it a trip.

And the semester is half way done. Only 5 1/2 weeks until summer.

Life is good.

These are some pretty little things I saw on a walk two weeks ago.

40 degrees in June

My little sister is staying with me.

Seeing her all cozy in bed makes me want to skip class and stay in bed too.

But I won't.

On this cloudy cold day I'm replaying this song in my head:

Shout out to teachers

Last night my younger sister graduated from high school.

My parents now have three college students!

While at the graduation I saw some old teachers of mine.

This is Mr. Blanchard and Mrs. Boykin.

They were my favorite english teachers. I'm not sure if either would remember me but they left lasting impressions on me. I took english from Mrs. Boykin my junior year. At the time I had a separate lunch from all my friends. Mrs. Boykin was kind enough to let me eat lunch in her classroom pretty much that whole year. I learned a lot while she listened to NPR on the computer during the lunch hour. She also had a sweet mother-likeness about her. She played soft classical music while we wrote in our journals and had a lamp on her desk that made the classroom feel like home. I knew she genuinely wanted her students to succeed. Not just in her class, but beyond high school.

I had Mr. Blanchard my senior year. I'm not a very strong writer, but Mr. Blanchard helped me think that I was. He built my confidence in writing and made me feel more comfortable expressing my thoughts. His humor is so goofy and I think he sets such a great example at showing that people are people. He treated the students equally and took time to hold real conversations.

I wished more teachers took tips from these two.

They are amazing people.

And Mr. C.

I had Mr. C for all four years of high school. We didn't have a very close relationship, but I still acknowledge all the amazing work he did and drive he instilled in students. I am so impressed with the talent he helped cultivate in the students he taught. His love for music and teaching is inspiring. In his class I also learned how to learn a scale within five minutes before a test. haha