Year 3

I'm back at Sewanee, and life is exciting and fun and new all over again. It has always been tough for me to get back in the swing of school, but this year has been surprisingly easy. I live in a house now that I share with 5 other girls, as opposed to a janky dorm that I shared with 90 other students the past two years. I have my own bathroom (for the first time), a balcony right off my room, and even air conditioning! It truly is a palace for my roommate and I. The weather is amazing, and my friends and I have already made our way down to our favorite spot, Lake Dimmick. After dinner tonight I went on a solo bike ride to a close second favorite spot on campus, Lake Cheston. The sun was about to set, and I was the only student on the backroads. As the pink sky glistened across the glass-like water (lol), life felt so different from what it has been these last couple of months. Sewanee is such a unique and amazing place and I am so lucky to be able to go to school here.

Here are some of my recent snaps:

1. balcony jamz | 2. morning light

1. turn-down Tuscaloosa on the longest drive ever | 2. inevitably happens to my shoes @ Sewanee

1. new room | 2. arrow always points to balcony

room 2

Dimmick 

I've been jamming to a bunch of girl bands recently. Here are some of my favorites:

"Joke" by Chastity Belt

(side-note I really want to hang out with the girls of Chastity Belt)

"A New Wave" by Sleater-Kinney

THIS VIDEO IS MY FAVORITE VIDEO OF ALL TIME

Driving | Visual Journal #3

1. open | 2. best snow cones in town

1. primary | 2. trying on new glasses

I've been watching so many amazing music videos recently, I have to share them with you. Consider these the songs of the day:

"Queen" by Perfume Genius

"Dazed Inn Daydreams" by Ariel Pink

"Them Changes" by Thundercat

Breakfast | Visual Journal #2

1. yogurt, granola, berries, & honey | 2. table

Bakery Lorraine

1. best vintage store in SA | 2. light fixture

song of the day:

"Half Full Glass of Wine" by Tame Impala

Visual Journal

1. lounging in new shoes on fresh grass | 2. grumpy cat bumper sticker

Bonjour, friends. 

At least until the end of the summer, I want to start using this space as a visual journal. I'm crazy about recording memories, and I've kept a journal since I could write. I've found myself taking lots of photos this summer, so here is where I will share them.

stretching in the sun 

1. dinner with dad | 2. spring rolls

song of the day:

"Life's a Beach" by Django Django

Living Abroad and Getting Used to It

Before leaving for my Paris trip, I wondered for months about who I was going to be friends with, what my host family would be like, and how this trip would change me. Would I become more independent? Happier? Lonelier? Confident? 

I stayed up till 2 am almost every night for a month before leaving for Paris, and, after my usual games of Solitaire burning brightly off my phone screen, I would shut off the strong light and stare into the darkness of my comfortable and familiar bedroom. I felt some of the same pings of anxiety that I did before moving 1,500 miles away from home when I decided to attend Sewanee. Eyes wide with excitement and fear, packing my bags and leaving for Paris for 6 weeks didn't feel real to me until I landed at the Charles de Gaulle airport, when my first thought was "oh ok I guess I should actually start believing that this is happening." 

Now, I'm over halfway finished with my abroad experience. Sitting on the metro, headphones in, staring off into the graffiti-ridden tunnels, as if to not make eye contact with any strangers, I find myself immersed into a phenomenon that is so foreign to my simple, rural life in Tennessee. I am, for once, completely surrounded by people who know nothing about me. My name, my hometown, my history, or why I am even in Paris to begin with are all unknown to the hundreds of people I pass in the metro and on the streets of this new and spectacular city. 

Once and a while I'll receive a text from a good friend saying something like "see you in 3 weeks!" or "can't wait to be back at school!" that rips me from this alternative mystery life into my "old" life. My real life. 

I've made great friends here, seen amazing sights, learned much more French, and gained confidence in my abilities, but I won't really know how this trip has changed me until I return to the United States. I definitely know that I am a changed person, but how I interact with my friends and family back in my familiar haunts is unknown to me.

Found a Friend

As I was walking to a great shooting location, Lake Dimmick, I stumbled upon a beautiful farm and a friendly horse (whose name I can only assume is Buttercup). I wasn't going to approach the beautiful animal, but it came right up to the fence and looked like it wanted some loving. "Buttercup" was a gentle giant, and kept nudging me so I would pet him more!

My friend Sarah snapped this photo of me petting the horse. 

Where is My Lens?

Greetings, friends!

Well, a new semester has begun, and my classes are awesome. Seriously.

I am taking a documentary photography class that is re-sparking my love for photography. I kind of lost touch with my camera last semester, and it's so great to have an excuse to carry it around with me everywhere I go.

Today, I will share the photographs from my first assignment this semester entitled "Where is My Lens?" Here's how my professor described the project to us:

Produce a set of photographs that consider any combination of camera position, focus, shutter speed and lighting in relation to subject matter. These are most of the key qualities, along with time (which we address in the next exercise) that form the basis of photographic language, and they largely determine whether or not a photograph is eloquent.

So, basically, put your lens in a spot you normally wouldn't think of putting it. Here's how I interpreted the project:

Santa Fe

It's no secret that New Mexico is my favorite state. The unique landscape is rich in history and mystery, and I thoroughly enjoy traveling to the Land of Enchantment. I feel as if my whole outlook on life is changed once I see the beautiful rolling mountains of New Mexico. My mind is clearer, life is simpler, and I am happier.

Last week, my sister Claire, my cousin Abby, and my mother traveled to Santa Fe to ski. The weather was perfect, and I found myself continuously wishing I could stay in the mountains forever.

Back Down South

Happy New Year!

Also, wow, long time no blog, am I right? December was a blur, filled with finals studying and fun family holiday time.

Now that it's 2015, I am ready to start second semester with a positive attitude, and I am prepared to work even harder than I did last semester. My major has changed, my schedule has been flipped around, and I am anticipating second semester to be much better than the first. I am signed up for some awesome classes including documentary photography and fencing (yes, the sport with swords).

Christmas was great this year. My sisters and cousins are my best friends, and I always look forward to spending time with them. On December 26, we all headed out to the country to meet my cousin's cows, and to take our little all-terrain vehicle (the Mule) for a spin.