I Miss Eureka

I'm so grateful for my ability to capture such serene images of the north coast, however, when I go through my pictures, it makes me miss it a lot.

Treading new ground

In the past I've advertised online and used word of mouth to get business. After a complete overhaul on my website, and a year and a half of solid wedding photography to speak for, I decided last week that it 's time to step my business up a level and compete with worthy rivals; I payed for a booth at the Thanksgiving Point Wedding Expo. It's a two-day event where local brides are invited to come and receive a barrage of advertising puked at them from all directions. My booth was in the upper-most tier, away from the noisy festivities on the main floor. People made their way up there when the main floor became too crowded. I discovered that with the correct balance of personality and beautiful photography, there appears a light in the eyes of the young bride-to-be that her mother also recognizes, that says, "the search is over". 

I can tell it's winter by the lump in my throat

So good to be back where I can free myself on the steep slopes of the Wasatch Mountains. This is what my car looked like at the airport after I'd left it there for a week. I really do like this part of Utah.

The Quest Continues Still

Crouched  in the door of a twin prop modified skydiving plane at thirteen thousand feet, I am strapped to Joe Johnson, a member of the golden knights, but more importantly someone in whom I have trusted my life, as it is perched in the doorway of the loud plane. I feel for a moment that I am staring at a huge map that has very clear detail. I am at that moment thrust into a surreal, impossible leap into emptiness. Nothing I have ever done in my entire life could be compared to jumping out of an airplane while looking at the ground thirteen thousand feet below. This is truly a unique feeling. Only a second or two of my stomach pushing on my throat, then the hurricane of wind pulled my arms and legs upward. We were flying. I'm not moving my hands and arms very much while we're falling. The day before, we stopped at the indoor skydiving building and I watched how the slightest movement of the arms or legs sent the jumper bouncing and tumbling through the tunnel. I'm a bit wary of flailing my limbs while in a real free fall. The video tells the rest of the story. I contained my excitement well, but this was by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

A plane, a Team, and Gravity

The sky is perfectly clear and and the air still as we watch the painted black and gold plane climb, circling higher and higher above the small crowd of people standing at the edge of a huge drop zone at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The people attending are close friends and family of the newly inducted members of the U.S. Army parachute team- "The Golden Knights". The plane, barely visible makes the third of its precise 3 minute 15 second passes as a small stream of white smoke appears from the plane. Murmurs race through the crowd and fingers point upward. The source of the smoke drifts slowly behind the plane and it becomes obvious that this is Rachel, free-falling with a smoke canister strapped to her heal. At the precise moment the smoke appeared, the P.A. system began playing loudly the song, "I'm Proud to be an American". Mom gazed upward at her plummeting daughter with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wet, repeating to herself, "not this song". From thirteen thousand feet away, I could feel the same sense of ultimate satisfaction and pride beaming from my sister as she continued her free-fall at over one hundred twenty miles per hour toward the earth, her smile visible from over two miles away. Her parachute opened at what appeared to be the last second and she glided and spun gracefully, and as the smoke from her heel painted beautiful pink swirls in the sky, she made her way to a perfect pin-point landing on a large red "x" placed on the field for the jumpers to aim for. She walked solemnly and proudly to the narrator's podium, shooting a glance and grin at mom and I as she walked. She then proceeded to narrate the 15 minute presentation verbatim and without written aid. The show was inspiring, but as I watched her fall, it made me realize once again that Rachel will always make me pale in my attempt at a life of true thrill and satisfaction. What can possibly tie you down when your job requires you to be thirteen thousand feet above the ground?

Cannot Be Hid

In 1998, after more than 25 years of war ravaged the country of Mozambique, two South African missionaries ventured across the border into a land that had never before been trodden by bearers of the True Gospel. A small branch was organized in the capital city, Maputo. Not long after, another branch was organized in a suburb called Matola, situated just to the south of Maputo. In the year 2000, a 16 year-old girl was walking home as she passed a house with a sign on the front, "A igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Ultimos Dias". She had never seen or heard of this church before. Hearing the sound of young people coming from inside, she decided to find out what it was all about. A youth Family Home Evening activity was in full swing and she introduced herself to the missionaries, two americans. There was a video playing on a small television. She was intrigued by the video and continued to watch. Her heart skipped as the video showed an enormous, beautiful edifice, similar to a castle. The building was rectangular, with three huge spires at either end. At the top of one of the spires stood a golden statue playing a trumpet. She had no idea where the building was, but was overcome with a desire to become more familiar with its meaning. When the activity was over, she quickly approached the missionaries and said, "that building, I will go to it and I will see it, and be married in it." The missionaries found it humorous, and in an attempt to bring her back to reality, explained that the building is in America, Salt Lake City, the other side of the world. A place where few, if any Mozambicans have ever travelled. She took pride in being called crazy, and for setting such a lofty goal. In that same year she was baptized and became one of the strongest members of the church in Mozambique.

Eight years later (three days ago), I passed through the gates onto Temple Square, at the side of this same young girl, now 24 years old, who could hardly contain herself from excitement. She had finally arrived to see this same beautiful building she had seen in a church video so many years before. As she approached the temple, she could do nothing but gaze straight up at its enormity. With tears in her eyes, she reached out and touched the roughly chiseled granite. As she stood there touching the granite, I could feel the presence and the happiness of those who sacrificed so much to give us this wonderful temple. It has effected literally millions of lives. It had been calling to this young girl since the day she saw its picture, and now she was finally there. I could only stand by and imagine the immense gratitude this young girl must have felt to finally have arrived here. I think we should be more grateful for having The Lord's House so close to us.

Unbelievable

I thought alot about where I was a year ago on the Fourth of July. Sitting on a log with a few of my friends on a hill above town, waiting for the long anticipated Ketchikan firework show to begin. They never lit them off. We had an amazing session of freestyle couch jumping that was very well documented. Although we were disappointed by the anticlimactic evening without fireworks, that was one of the most memorable 4ths ever, spent with some of my closest friends. This year, I was blessed with the opportunity to come home once again after three years of absence, and join my family in the traditional festivities of the 4th of July. I had to, howerever, do something to remind myself of where I was a year ago. And here it is- Sobe bombs. Thanks Marc and Bronx.