Home sweet home.
Carli
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Today I am grateful to be home.
Home sweet home.
Carli
Today I am Grateful for Family.
Living so far away from home has helped me to appreciate my family better. I don't know what I would do without them. Friday night we had a family night and went out to dinner and then to see the movie Brave. I didn't realize how much I had missed those little family outings while I was away.
Carli
Break Down.
Last night I had my first official “so far from home (and a combination of other things)” break down . I called my mom and just cried. I am not at all ashamed to admit it. I am actually really surprised that I lasted almost a year. Moving so far from your family is really hard! It’s just a fact of life. Especially when you have absolutely no family where you move to. Sure I have friends… but it’s not the same. I never realized how much I missed family dinners until last night. I miss sitting around the table and just eating, talking and laughing.
I feel like I have been pretty strong about my move and living that decision. I love my independence. I like being in Utah, my job and my school. But sometimes I just need a little family. Or even a situation that resembles my family. I want someone to spend time with on a Sunday night. Is that too much to ask?
Since I have been out here I have become a lot more grateful for the family I have. My mom always knows exactly what to say to lift my spirits. She is so reassuring and brings to my attention so many things.
As for the combination of other things… I realized. I am not going to settle for the ideals of others. I am not going to wait for my dreams to come true. I am not going to sit at home and wait for anyone. I am going to go out there and make it happen. I am tired of feeling sorry for myself, making comparisons, and feeling pressured to search for something that I am not at all ready for.
Maybe you know to what I am referring… Maybe not.
Carli.
Christmas In Texas.
Besides being deathly ill and going to the emergency room… I had a glorious time in Texas. The weather was perfect, it was good to be back at home with my family, and of course Christmas was wonderful. I do apologize… I didn’t take very many pictures. I was a little preoccupied I suppose. I’m truly annoyed with myself for that. I haven’t been doing hardly any photography or guitar playing lately. Where are my priorities?
The following are some of the shots I did get.
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake at Hester. Lunch with mommy.
Unsuccessful shot of the Christmas tree. I thought it looked pretty cool though.
Bokeh shot. I made my brother make me a bokeh for my camera.
Unsuccessful bokeh shot. Christmas dinner centerpiece.
Christmas present from Dad. Is it not completely fantastic?! P.S. most of the pictures I took in Tejas were taken with my Holga. I am still trying to finish the roll of film. Pictures to come soon. I promise.
Old truck that has become a permanent fixation in the ground at our Ranch. This truck got me into photography. It is so beautiful.
Texas horizon.
Bonfire at the ranch.
A bonfire is not a bonfire without fireworks… It is so true.
Christmas was great. No snow. No cold. Just warmth & sunshine & family & good food.
Thats the way it’s supposed to be.
Carli
P.S. Don’t know what bokeh is? Or want one of your own?! Find a tutorial HERE.
Thanksgiving.
My first Thanksgiving away from home. I don’t like not being with my family for the one day a year that my dad will eat bird, the one day a year that my mom makes pumpkin pie, and the one week a year that I get to eat multitudes of left over turkey. Here are just a few of the many things I am grateful for.
1. I am grateful that I didn’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone. Thanks Ashley and your wonderful family for sharing your delicious food with me!
2. I am grateful for my family and friends and the love and support they give me.
3. I am grateful for my talents.
4. I am grateful for my trials and flaws.
5. I am grateful that my hardest trials are small in comparison to others.
6. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to make and follow my dreams.
7. I am grateful for the beauty of the earth, and the way the night sky takes my breath away.
8. I am grateful for my abilities.
9. I am grateful for my past and future.
10. I am grateful for this body that allows me to accomplish all the many things that I set out to do.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Carli
The Other Stuff.
The wedding was not the only thing I had going on this weekend. My Dad came in to town! He was the official wedding photographer. When he drove me up to Utah in February we had hardly had any time to explore Salt Lake together. We only got to go to Temple Square for roughly 30 minutes before it closed. My Dad didn’t get to stay too long this time either, but it was much longer then the couple hours we had in February.
Friday I took him to down town Salt Lake, showed him my school, got some grub sandwiches and then went to Liberty Park to eat them. The weather was stunning, except for the heat… I am now a pansy when it comes to the heat. Ridiculous right?! We did have a great time. Of course Friday night and all day Saturday was dedicated to the wedding, but Sunday we were free to do as we pleased. I took my Dad out to Antelope Island so that he could experience the unusual beauty of the Salt Lake. We had a great time. The following are several pictures from the island.
So all along the shore were these little black rocks. When I got closer to them they started moving. It felt like I was parting the seas as I walked. They weren’t rocks. They were gnats. Bellow is a photograph that is intended to capture this sickness. I think I succeeded.
The heat was like a dementor sucking the life out of our bodies. I got tired really quick, but I was enjoying the time with my Dad and the scenery. I particularly love how the mountains and clouds are reflected in the water, and how the road curves with the terrain. My dad taught me some photography techniques that will come in handy next time I photograph scenery.
The only thing that upset me was the fact that we didn’t see many buffalo. We saw a few but they were all far away….
Already missing my daddy.
Carli
The Wedding.
My weekend was insane. And when I say insane, I mean histerically insane. My weekend was so huge that I will have to break it up into several blog posts just to explain it all.
Courtney’s wedding was Saturday. Can you belive she is married?! I cannot. I feel like it is a dream. All the time leading up to that one moment was something I will never forget, but never want to have to go through again. Can I just say this? Why do weddings bring out the worst in everybody? This includes me. Thanks to my buddy Kaitlyn I thankfully made it through to the end. Thanks my friend. I was so not prepaired for what I had to deal with. I almost gave up several times. I was so stressed that my body went crazy. But I am glad I pulled through because it turned out amazing. Courtney looked stunning in her vintage inspired tea length. Ben looked smashing aswell. I’ll have to admit, after all the bridesmaid dress drama, we looked pretty hott. Saturday morning was a blur, all the running around, speeding to the temple, and picture taking. Here are a few select pictures from the temple.
After the temple we had some lunch and then headed back to the place of the reception to finish the last minute details. I have got to say, I did not think that the decorations would come together, but they did. The reception was so Courtney. A complete reflection of her wonderful self. Here are some pictures of how wonderful the place looked.
I am so glad that we were able to incorporate the photobooth. It was a hit.
Do you see that kid looking through the mouth hole of the beard? Histerical.
Suffice to say. I had the time of my life…
I am so glad that it is all over… I am excited for my life to get back to normal and be less stressful. I don’t really know what to do with myself now. I am sure I’ll figure something out.
Carli.
Cameos
I realized that I talk about a lot of people in my blog. Every time I write about them I find myself explaining who they are and their importance to me. I thought “Why not put some names to some faces!?” So here is a list of some of the most important people in my life.
This is Courtney. She is my best friend and has been so for over 8 years! She is 21, and is a soon to be bride. We currently share the party basement that her Aunt Julie is renting to us. She loves Doris Day movies, The Nanny, and her soon to be husby Ben. Courtney loves crafting (like me!), the outdoors, and is a cheese enthusiast. She often sees hobos on the street that know her by name and that have a crush on her. They all feel that if it weren’t for Ben they would have a chance with her. HA! She is stunningly beautiful and amazingly fun to be around.
This is Ashley. She is my Canadian roommate and can do a mean jig. She is an ASL Interpreting major who makes me very jealous of her mad sighing skills. Shes absolutely gorgeous and has long luscious lashes (can’t you tell!?). We have plans to have as many adventures as possible this coming fall. She often looks down upon places like Eye Masters and other commercial eye glasses shops because her father is an awesome optometrist. She has a blog! You can check it out right HERE! She has an amazing sense of fashion and has long beautiful hair that I can not wait to try out some crazy braids on when she comes back from Canada at the end of the summer.
This is Ben. Nickname Bendable. A combination of First Name: Ben Last Name: Dabel. I actually have no idea if the guy is at all bendable or double jointed. I guess this is something I need to find out. Ben is Courtney’s fiance, and a technology enthusiast who loves his iPhone. He enjoys playing Plant Vs. Zombies and similar games. He is an enthusiastic walker, a bacon lover (he recently bought a 5 pound bag of bacon bits… that’s what I call dedicated), and loves Courtney. He is a new fan of Phineas and Ferb, and often plays the theme song on my guitar. He once made a Perry the Platypus out of clay with the help of Courtney (which means Courtney pretty much made it, but we give him credit). He only buys two pairs of shoes a year and has restricted Courtney to a $5 a month shoe allowance (good luck with that). He’s a brave soul.
This is Kaitlyn. She’s a stunningly beautiful artist who knows what she wants and will no doubt get it. She currently lives in Hawaii and attends BYU. She is an amazing photographer, artist, and friend. Kaitlyn is very stylish, funny, and comes from a beautiful family that I love very much. Her big dreams have no boundaries. She’s an inspiration.
Andy. I met him soon after Kait and him became friends in the Del Mar college art department. Much like Kait, he is an amazing artist who will doubt be successful in whatever he does. His creativity is inspiring, and his laughter is contagious.
This is Kristy. She is a stunning red head who is always there for me although she lives so far away. She is the person who picked out of obscurity and set me down in the life I live today. She brought me to the gospel and gave me unwavering support. She is the most kind and generous person I know. She puts her family and friends before all else. She is very dear to my heart. She also has a blog! Check it out HERE!
This is Whitney. She currently resides in Florida. She is an aspiring author, and is currently working on a book about mermaids. She loves mermaids, and dolphins, and pretty much any other sea life. She is my “The Office” buddy. We’ve enjoyed making sand castles on the beach, and nighttiming in downtown Corpus Christi. She’s such a beautiful person and friend.
This is my Mom and my Dad. They are amazing. I am so grateful I have them. They have always supported me in everything I do, even though they don’t necessarily agree with it. Although they don’t like it one bit, they let me move up here to Utah so that I can accomplish my dreams. I love and miss them very much. They have always taught me to do what is right, and I am the person I am today because of their love, support, and the example they have set for me.
Don’t judge me. This is Izzy. He’s my buddy. He’s one vicious feline that can also be a little sweet heart. He is kind of like those Sour Patch kids commercials. First he’s sour, then he’s sweet. He spends most his time sleeping. The rest of his time is spent between eating, terrorizing others, and being a naughty kitty. He likes to be petted in the early morning hours and will often wake you up with a bite so that you can give him a good rubbing. You will not be left alone until he has had enough. You will know when he’s had enough by the way he attacks you. He enjoys sleeping in boxes that are much to small for his big body, and looking out the window. I miss the little guy. He’s back home in Texas…
These are the people that I love and care about the most. I wouldn’t be where I am without them, and I would have no idea what to do with myself if they weren’t in my life. Here’s a shout out to all my favorite people! Love ya!
Temple Square
Friday night I was extremely tired of being in the house and just needed to get away. Aunt Tavie and her two kids Kendy and Kevin are visiting for a couple weeks. So we decided to go do something in Salt Lake. Of course the only thing that we can think of doing is either going to the beautiful Liberty Park, or to Temple Square. Since it was 8:00pm and getting dark, we decided that Liberty Park is not the best place to go at night. I transforms from a nice family park into a hobo hangout after the sun goes down. So to Temple Square we went!
The temple is so beautiful at night. This is one of the many things that I love about living in the Salt Lake Valley. At night you can see many of the temples from a far because they are the brightest points in the valley. It’s so beautiful to see their bright heavenly white light amongst the yellow city lights. The Salt Lake Temple is exquisite. Can you believe that it took 40 years to build?! Because of purescution the building was postponed several times. The temple foundation was buried to to hide it from those who came to destroy it, and through all that it now stands as the shining beauty of the city.
Here are a few pictures… ( They aren’t very good due to my lack of camera skills and the fact that the other day I changed a whole bunch of settings for my sparkler pictures and couldn’t figure out how to reset them. I have since then fixed it. All is well.)
After this spirtual adventure we lightened the mood a bit. Tavie decided to take us to some mysterious place that she went when she once lived here. On the way there was a car of attractive men who waved at us. Of course we waved back because I find joy in waving it random people in other cars. Especially children. Tavie then tells me that if I take a picture of them she will give me ten bucks. Of course I do this. TEN BUCKS! She rolls down the window and asks them if it’s ok if I do so. They happily agree and then pose for the picture. Because the light turned green and the cars began moving these are the shots that I was able to get…
I find them very funny, and kindof cool. A little artsy maybe?
Unfortunatly Tavie did not give me the ten bucks she promised, but I had a great time.
Carli
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