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| My Great-Grandma and one of her uncles... |
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Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Mental Snapshots
Recently, a name from my past cropped up in a conversation. She was a friend of mine while I was at the Academy and for a few years after. Then something happened, I still don't know/remember what it was, and she stopped talking to me. We got back in touch through e-mail a year or so ago but then she deployed to Afghanistan and I never heard from her again. I'm not sure if she's still there or back home or what...I feel as if I can't really go looking for her again because she seems to have made her choice pretty clear.
Anyway, thinking of her made me think of the four or five rolls of film she offered to get developed for me (she had a place to do it real cheap and then she could get doubles made for both of us to have prints) that I never got back. I know what's on at least one of those rolls - pictures from the day of and week leading up to the USAFA class of 1994 graduation. Since I started out with that class, and their graduation day was the day I re-entered USAFA, there are a lot of pictures on the roll of people/events I cared about. So instead of having lots of pictures to record the year I spent in Colorado Springs, I have about five. I've asked this friend in the past if she ever found the pictures and that I would like to see them. She always said she didn't know where they were since she's moved so much. At least I have the mental snapshots...
I have a horrible memory. That's why I like taking pictures and now scrapbooking. It helps me to remember people and events. Yet there are times where for one reason or another I don't have pictures to help me remember. For example: it's been almost 15 years since my USAFA graduation and I've never even seen, let alone gotten my hands on, the video my father took...On several deployments while in the AF, I didn't want to look like a geek (or too girly) by taking pictures, so I didn't pull the camera out...on a trip to Poland, I dropped and broke my camera - I didn't get a new one for most of my assignment in Germany...most recently, while at the beach with my husband and Bubba - I wanted a picture of our three footprints side by side in the sand but had forgotten my camera up at the house...
Despite my bad memory, I've got some mental snapshots from these time periods and these events. I cherish those mental images even more than the pictures I can put my hands on. Mostly because those few images are all I have from those moments. Do I wish I had something more concrete? Yeah. But since I don't, I'll treasure what I can remember. I just wish my mental snapshots weren't so few and far between...
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Nostalgia
Recently, I got a tweet from Pioneer Woman about a website that "sucked her in." When I went to check it out, I could instantly see what she meant.
The "Dear Photograph" site seems to be pretty new and what an awesome idea. It has people taking an old printed photograph and then snapping a picture while holding that photograph in the same place it was originally taken. Pretty cool to read the comments people include with their pictures.
Part of why I think I'm intrigued by this site is that I can't imagine living in the same place long enough to be able to take the picture of the past in the present. I have tons and tons of pictures but I'm no longer anywhere near where they were originally taken. Sometimes I think about how nice it would be to have grown up in one spot...to have friends who have known you since you were little...to remember when the giant oak was a newly planted seedling...It must be nice to have roots.
Then I think of how lucky I am to have lived so many different places. To have met so many people and encountered different things that I never would have had I stayed in one spot. I am not the same person I would be if I had never moved - and since I like the person I am (for the most part) I'm glad I've had those opportunities to live in different places and to visit even more.
Maybe someday I will retrace my steps and be able to take some pictures of the past in the present. In the meantime, I'll just have to be nostalgic looking at someone else's pictures and reading their thoughts...Not a bad way to pass some time.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Journal
For Christmas, I received a Five-year journal. I love the idea of jotting down a few lines a day and having five years all in one spot.
I've kept a journal off and on for most of my life. Going through them though, I've noticed that I tend to talk about my feelings more than anything else and they were usually only sad or upset feelings. That, of course, is part of why I kept a journal. However, the older I get the more I realize how much I have forgotten and how I wish I had been a little more detailed concerning events in my life.
I don't remember details about trips I've taken, or people's names, or even some events. This is especially evident as I try to scrapbook. I have pictures that help me remember events but I can't remember who was with me or exactly when it occurred. Sometimes, I have only a couple pictures - and sometimes as I look back I realize I took only one or two pictures of really stupid stuff and not of anything that really mattered in the long run.
A lot of times I didn't take pictures because I didn't want to look silly or look like a "tourist." While I was deployed, I didn't take pictures of people or things around me - but I have a lot of pictures of the airplanes. Cool, but they don't really tell the story.
So between the lack of pictures and incomplete journaling, I feel as if I have gaps in my history.
Hopefully, the new journal will help me keep track of people and events a little better. By having limited space to write in, it seems less daunting - sometimes all that white space was overwhelming and kept me from writing anything at all. Now all I keep thinking is that even one line is better than nothing...
I've kept a journal off and on for most of my life. Going through them though, I've noticed that I tend to talk about my feelings more than anything else and they were usually only sad or upset feelings. That, of course, is part of why I kept a journal. However, the older I get the more I realize how much I have forgotten and how I wish I had been a little more detailed concerning events in my life.
I don't remember details about trips I've taken, or people's names, or even some events. This is especially evident as I try to scrapbook. I have pictures that help me remember events but I can't remember who was with me or exactly when it occurred. Sometimes, I have only a couple pictures - and sometimes as I look back I realize I took only one or two pictures of really stupid stuff and not of anything that really mattered in the long run.
A lot of times I didn't take pictures because I didn't want to look silly or look like a "tourist." While I was deployed, I didn't take pictures of people or things around me - but I have a lot of pictures of the airplanes. Cool, but they don't really tell the story.
So between the lack of pictures and incomplete journaling, I feel as if I have gaps in my history.
Hopefully, the new journal will help me keep track of people and events a little better. By having limited space to write in, it seems less daunting - sometimes all that white space was overwhelming and kept me from writing anything at all. Now all I keep thinking is that even one line is better than nothing...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Gift of Photography and Flight
One of my favorite magazines is Smithsonian. Kind of geeky of me, I know. But it is a really cool magazine and usually has articles about stuff I never would have known about otherwise.
For instance, in the January 2009 issue, there is an article about the photography of George Steinmetz. Mr. Steinmetz takes pictures while "flying" his motorized paraglider. With the paraglider, he is able to get much closer to his subject than people taking aerial photos out of a plane or a balloon.
First of all, the idea of flying around in a paraglider sounds incredible. Kind of like soaring in a glider - but better since you actually feel the wind in your face...
Second, he has travelled all over Africa taking photos of the landscape, people, animals - everything. I have always wanted to go to Africa. During my interview with Congressman Hopkins (and a board of other big wigs) for a nomination to USAFA, one of the last questions was what I would want to do if I found out I had only three months left to live. I said I would want to fly in a bi-plane, go to Africa and save the elephants (or at least one). Pretty cheesy, I know, which is probably why I remember it so clearly. Imagine how mortified I was when I left the Congressman's office. I was sure I had blown it!
I still have dreams about travelling around Africa in a Stearman, stopping wherever I want along the way. Oh, and saving the elephants.
Several years ago, I read a book called West With the Night by Beryl Markham. While reading it I had such daydreams of flying around Africa and spending my days spotting animals for safaris. How much cooler that would be than simply sitting in a jeep and driving around to see the animals. Though, of course, I would jump at the chance to sit in a jeep in Africa and see those animals up close. Animals you only see in pictures or in a zoo, behind bars.
Which brings me back to the photos of George Steinmetz. They are simply amazing. Photography is such an art. Seeing something no one else can see and capturing it in such a way that people feel as if they were there. Or simply, just to make them feel. That would be an amazing gift.
George Steinmetz has a new book out, African Air, which I want to check out. Based on the few pictures in the Smithsonian magazine, I can only imagine the book is filled with amazing photos. I would bet that it won't just be the photos I enjoy looking at, but also the idea of flying above the earth and seeing it as the birds do...
For instance, in the January 2009 issue, there is an article about the photography of George Steinmetz. Mr. Steinmetz takes pictures while "flying" his motorized paraglider. With the paraglider, he is able to get much closer to his subject than people taking aerial photos out of a plane or a balloon.
First of all, the idea of flying around in a paraglider sounds incredible. Kind of like soaring in a glider - but better since you actually feel the wind in your face...Second, he has travelled all over Africa taking photos of the landscape, people, animals - everything. I have always wanted to go to Africa. During my interview with Congressman Hopkins (and a board of other big wigs) for a nomination to USAFA, one of the last questions was what I would want to do if I found out I had only three months left to live. I said I would want to fly in a bi-plane, go to Africa and save the elephants (or at least one). Pretty cheesy, I know, which is probably why I remember it so clearly. Imagine how mortified I was when I left the Congressman's office. I was sure I had blown it!
I still have dreams about travelling around Africa in a Stearman, stopping wherever I want along the way. Oh, and saving the elephants.
Several years ago, I read a book called West With the Night by Beryl Markham. While reading it I had such daydreams of flying around Africa and spending my days spotting animals for safaris. How much cooler that would be than simply sitting in a jeep and driving around to see the animals. Though, of course, I would jump at the chance to sit in a jeep in Africa and see those animals up close. Animals you only see in pictures or in a zoo, behind bars.
Which brings me back to the photos of George Steinmetz. They are simply amazing. Photography is such an art. Seeing something no one else can see and capturing it in such a way that people feel as if they were there. Or simply, just to make them feel. That would be an amazing gift.
George Steinmetz has a new book out, African Air, which I want to check out. Based on the few pictures in the Smithsonian magazine, I can only imagine the book is filled with amazing photos. I would bet that it won't just be the photos I enjoy looking at, but also the idea of flying above the earth and seeing it as the birds do...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Missing Friends
In the last few months, pretty much since I started going through old pictures to try my hand at scrapbooking, I have been thinking more and more of missing friends. Some that I have lost forever, some that just somehow drifted away over the years.
Facebook has been a great thing for getting back in touch with old friends. I can't believe the number of people I have "found" again through FB. Yet, FB also has some drawbacks. There must be some contest I don't know about to have the highest number of friends on FB, because sometimes I am totally confused as to why these people want to "friend" me. They are friends of friends or siblings of friends or people I have never even heard of who have no "mutual" friends so I don't know how they found me.
Then there is what I have come to think of as the "High School Hang-up." I wasn't the geekiest person at my school but I wasn't the most popular either. When I look back, I think I have had a pretty successful and surely happy life in the 18 or so years since I graduated high school. Yet, somehow, being on FB and seeing people I graduated with "friending" my siblings or other friends instead of me brings back all those old HS insecurities. Do they just not like me? Why don't they like me? WHY DO I CARE? Yet, I do. So I have been avoiding Facebook like an insecure high school freshman. Hopefully, I will get over it soon, because I really do like FB....
I have also used the internet (mostly Google) to find some old friends. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have been pleasantly surprised at the response I have gotten from some long-lost, missing friends I have managed to track down. Now, I just have to keep in touch!
Then, there are those missing friends that are truly gone forever. Today marks one year since I lost my friend Carrie and her son Lucas. Today I talked with another friend who was also good friends with Carrie and we just spent some time reminiscing and missing Carrie. Sometimes it is hard to remember that Carrie wasn't perfect; there were so many good things about her. She was a great friend who truly cared about others - often doing little things just to show you how much she cared and that you were thought of; she was a great mother - she loved Ashley and Lucas so much, you could tell just being around her that they were her world; she was a good wife - (though Jim would be the better judge on that) when I stayed with them for two months, it was easy to see how important it was to her to make a good home for him, to support him and how much she loved him. The main thing I will always remember about Carrie was her love of life - she was ALWAYS moving, always doing something. Sometimes she thought of it as a flaw, that she couldn't slow down or sit still...but she was able to fit so much into her way too short life. She touched so many people who are changed forever for knowing her.
While I know I can never be exactly like Carrie, nor should I want to be for I am my own person, I do hope that I continue to grow in my love for others and learn to care more about showing love than worrying about what others may think.
I guess part of that will be continuing to search for those other missing friends and keeping in touch with those I have found. Being a good friend is probably the best legacy I can think of to remember Carrie.
Facebook has been a great thing for getting back in touch with old friends. I can't believe the number of people I have "found" again through FB. Yet, FB also has some drawbacks. There must be some contest I don't know about to have the highest number of friends on FB, because sometimes I am totally confused as to why these people want to "friend" me. They are friends of friends or siblings of friends or people I have never even heard of who have no "mutual" friends so I don't know how they found me.
Then there is what I have come to think of as the "High School Hang-up." I wasn't the geekiest person at my school but I wasn't the most popular either. When I look back, I think I have had a pretty successful and surely happy life in the 18 or so years since I graduated high school. Yet, somehow, being on FB and seeing people I graduated with "friending" my siblings or other friends instead of me brings back all those old HS insecurities. Do they just not like me? Why don't they like me? WHY DO I CARE? Yet, I do. So I have been avoiding Facebook like an insecure high school freshman. Hopefully, I will get over it soon, because I really do like FB....
I have also used the internet (mostly Google) to find some old friends. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have been pleasantly surprised at the response I have gotten from some long-lost, missing friends I have managed to track down. Now, I just have to keep in touch!
Then, there are those missing friends that are truly gone forever. Today marks one year since I lost my friend Carrie and her son Lucas. Today I talked with another friend who was also good friends with Carrie and we just spent some time reminiscing and missing Carrie. Sometimes it is hard to remember that Carrie wasn't perfect; there were so many good things about her. She was a great friend who truly cared about others - often doing little things just to show you how much she cared and that you were thought of; she was a great mother - she loved Ashley and Lucas so much, you could tell just being around her that they were her world; she was a good wife - (though Jim would be the better judge on that) when I stayed with them for two months, it was easy to see how important it was to her to make a good home for him, to support him and how much she loved him. The main thing I will always remember about Carrie was her love of life - she was ALWAYS moving, always doing something. Sometimes she thought of it as a flaw, that she couldn't slow down or sit still...but she was able to fit so much into her way too short life. She touched so many people who are changed forever for knowing her.
While I know I can never be exactly like Carrie, nor should I want to be for I am my own person, I do hope that I continue to grow in my love for others and learn to care more about showing love than worrying about what others may think.
I guess part of that will be continuing to search for those other missing friends and keeping in touch with those I have found. Being a good friend is probably the best legacy I can think of to remember Carrie.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009 Goals
1. Start/write a blog
Goal Met: Started early! 30 Dec 08
2. Sing! Join a choir
I have always enjoyed singing - it makes me happy. As a cadet, I was in the Catholic Choir; as well as the Catholic Choir at Lajes AB. I loved it. At Lajes, I was even an avid participant in Karaoke night at the Club (as long as I had at least one other person with me)! Lately, I haven't been doing much of it and I miss it. OSC has a choir - I plan on looking into it; churches usually have choirs - so, just have to find the church we like enough to stick with.
Goal Met: 16 Jan 09 (joined OSC choir)
3. Do yoga regularly either at home or in a studio (at least 2x week)
I enjoy yoga and I feel better when I am doing it; I just need to do it more regularly.
Goal Met:
4. Try three new activities
There are a lot of activities I have never tried (and some I haven't tried in years). There are also many things out there that seem really cool; hopefully, if I try several I will find at least one I really enjoy! Things like Pilates, Rock Climbing, Kickboxing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Horseback Riding, etc.
Goal Met:
5. Go on minimum of four “day trips” to see Midwest
Every time I have moved, I have regretted not getting out and seeing more of the area. I don't want that to happen again. Some of the places I'd like to see are Hermann, St Charles, historical sites, etc.
Goal Met:
6. Pamper myself regularly (monthly massages, mani/pedis, haircuts, etc.)
Goal Met:
7. Read minimum of 18 books (with at least 2 biographies and 4 classics)
I love reading, so this shouldn't really be a problem - I just wanted to have a couple goals that would be relatively easy to attain. I did make it a bit tougher by asking myself to read a couple biographies (such as George Marshall, Madeleine Albright, Lincoln and/or Teddy Roosevelt) and a few classics (such as Hunchback of Notre Dame and Robinson Crusoe). I have way too many books on the shelves that I have never read - it's time to read them,!
Goal Met:
8. Publish a Poem/Send poem(s) to be published
I have been writing for quite a while but have never had the nerve to send it anywhere. Yet, I have spent numerous hours looking through poetry contests, literary magazines that publish new writers, etc. Whether or not I actually get something published, it will never happen unless I TRY!
Goal Met:
9. Make health/exercise a priority (yoga, walk/run, vitamins, food choices – journal)
This pretty much speaks for itself. I just need to make my health a priority instead of an afterthought.
Goal Met:
10. Get “professional” photos taken
I have never had "professional photos" taken as an adult (outside of official AF photos). Usually, because there is something I am not happy with. Maybe I should stop listening to myself, and instead listen to those who think I am beautiful. I would really like to have some nice pictures of Tom and I (and maybe some with us and the kitties?) for next year's Christmas card.
Goal Met:
I have some "Bonus" Goals which I will add later. However there are three "expectations" for the coming year - meaning these are the things I WILL be doing no matter what and are so basic they shouldn't even be a "goal"...but since I haven't necessarily been doing them up until now, I am writing them down.
Expectations:
- Eat “good” more often than “bad”
- Attend church regularly
- MOVE a little every day
Goal Met: Started early! 30 Dec 08
2. Sing! Join a choir
I have always enjoyed singing - it makes me happy. As a cadet, I was in the Catholic Choir; as well as the Catholic Choir at Lajes AB. I loved it. At Lajes, I was even an avid participant in Karaoke night at the Club (as long as I had at least one other person with me)! Lately, I haven't been doing much of it and I miss it. OSC has a choir - I plan on looking into it; churches usually have choirs - so, just have to find the church we like enough to stick with.
Goal Met: 16 Jan 09 (joined OSC choir)
3. Do yoga regularly either at home or in a studio (at least 2x week)
I enjoy yoga and I feel better when I am doing it; I just need to do it more regularly.
Goal Met:
4. Try three new activities
There are a lot of activities I have never tried (and some I haven't tried in years). There are also many things out there that seem really cool; hopefully, if I try several I will find at least one I really enjoy! Things like Pilates, Rock Climbing, Kickboxing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Horseback Riding, etc.
Goal Met:
5. Go on minimum of four “day trips” to see Midwest
Every time I have moved, I have regretted not getting out and seeing more of the area. I don't want that to happen again. Some of the places I'd like to see are Hermann, St Charles, historical sites, etc.
Goal Met:
6. Pamper myself regularly (monthly massages, mani/pedis, haircuts, etc.)
Goal Met:
7. Read minimum of 18 books (with at least 2 biographies and 4 classics)
I love reading, so this shouldn't really be a problem - I just wanted to have a couple goals that would be relatively easy to attain. I did make it a bit tougher by asking myself to read a couple biographies (such as George Marshall, Madeleine Albright, Lincoln and/or Teddy Roosevelt) and a few classics (such as Hunchback of Notre Dame and Robinson Crusoe). I have way too many books on the shelves that I have never read - it's time to read them,!
Goal Met:
8. Publish a Poem/Send poem(s) to be published
I have been writing for quite a while but have never had the nerve to send it anywhere. Yet, I have spent numerous hours looking through poetry contests, literary magazines that publish new writers, etc. Whether or not I actually get something published, it will never happen unless I TRY!
Goal Met:
9. Make health/exercise a priority (yoga, walk/run, vitamins, food choices – journal)
This pretty much speaks for itself. I just need to make my health a priority instead of an afterthought.
Goal Met:
10. Get “professional” photos taken
I have never had "professional photos" taken as an adult (outside of official AF photos). Usually, because there is something I am not happy with. Maybe I should stop listening to myself, and instead listen to those who think I am beautiful. I would really like to have some nice pictures of Tom and I (and maybe some with us and the kitties?) for next year's Christmas card.
Goal Met:
I have some "Bonus" Goals which I will add later. However there are three "expectations" for the coming year - meaning these are the things I WILL be doing no matter what and are so basic they shouldn't even be a "goal"...but since I haven't necessarily been doing them up until now, I am writing them down.
Expectations:
- Eat “good” more often than “bad”
- Attend church regularly
- MOVE a little every day
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