Those transcendent moments of awe.

I know we've all had those moments of "awe", where something happens that simply puts a smile on your face, no matter what kind of day or moment you are having. Sometimes, it can totally change your entire day for the better. I have been lucky enough to have my camera on me for such moments.



I love this picture. Ladybugs have always represented the type of insects I do enjoy, and those are few and far between. They innocently mind their own business, and they look so pleasing to the eye, and sometimes, they drop in to give you special attention. Growing up, I always made wishes on ladybugs, and then set them free. They have always managed to make me happy, but for this particular picture, I had been having a rough day. I'd gotten news from a friend that her father had passed away days before, so during that week, things were rough as I reminisced and felt pain for her situation. This ladybug popped in and stayed with me during a good chunk of my walk to the bus station. My ipod had run out of battery power, and I was alone in my sad thoughts, until my visitor decided to pop in and make things feel okay for a while.



This was my first winter snow as a resident of Bellingham, Washington. At this point in time, I've been here for well over a year, but at that point, I had just moved from Oklahoma, where white (or in this case, blue) winters just don't happen very much. I mostly got the chance to play in snow during the few winter snows we had, or the random ice storm or trips to snowy peaks in Colorado or various other places. I remember looking out of the back glass door in my new apartment, and just wanting to tear up at the beauty of falling snow. My childhood dream was to move to Alaska and see gorgeous snowfall all of the time and view mountains in the distance. I have things like that now, just in a different state that I have become extremely fond of. That first snow remains one of the most beautiful things to me. I remember the phone call with my mother about it. She'd grown up in Oregon and loved snowfalls like these just as much as I loved the idea of them.



In case you don't recognize him, this is Daniel Johns, lead singer of the Australian band Silverchair. I have been a fan for many, many years. By the time this concert rolled around, I had been waiting over 13 years to see them live. When they first stepped out on that stage, Daniel in particular, I realized that it was very real, he was very real, and the voice I'd invested so much time enjoying was literally 5 feet away from me on a stage. I was also standing next to one of the best friends I have ever had in my life. The entire experience can easily go into my top ten favorite life experiences ever. Music is such an important thing to me, and Silverchair's wide range of music has always been a part of my life, it seems. The fact that he is insanely beautiful helped my jaw drop as well. People can definitely inspire awe, and he is a force to be reckoned with. I can still hear his raw, live guitar ringing in my ears.



This photo means the world to me. It may look like a simple couch to anybody else, but that, to me, is the exact view you had when sitting on my Grandparent's couch in Arkansas, where I spent countless summers that helped shape me into who I am today. Looking at that photo is a direct connection back to my childhood. I look at it, and I know once again what it's like to look to my right and see my GrandDad in his chair, watching his normal television programs. My mother would be in the chair next to his, separated by a small table, cluttered with his numerous tv remotes and newspaper clippings. I can still hear their conversations, and feel like I can reach out and touch them. That afghan and it's bright colors always made me happy, despite it's scratchy feeling and years of wear and tear. The photo meant a lot when I first took it. I wanted to capture the spirit of that house for a day when it's inhabitants were no longer around. It's safe to say that I have done that, and managed to awe myself with my foresight.



One more before I sign off and go to eat dinner with the love of my life. :) This photo represents a moment of awareness for me. It was a beautiful Oklahoma day, and Judd took me out to his parents house to play around on the property for a while. They had a good chunk of land with ponds and plenty of fields. I was taking silly pictures of the pack of dogs that followed us out on the four wheeler, and had been taking tons of photos of the trees and flowers and horses, and then I caught this one. He was sitting by one of the ponds, killing time while I snapped away on my camera. I tend to take tons of photos, so he took a moment for himself. I was feeling particularly happy, and then this sight caught my eye. I often stole that shirt he was wearing to sleep in, and you can see just how curly his hair is, and he just makes a beautiful backdrop to those wildflowers to me. Everything in the moment dawned on me, and I felt safe and happy about EVERYTHING. Going on 7 years, I can still look at him and feel this way, and I'm beyond grateful to have him in my life.