Thanksgiving Break :: The Finals Storm

After driving back to Illinois State University yesterday to beat the rush of students making their way back from thanksgiving break, I found myself waking up to memories from the last couple weeks of all the photos I took.

From friends-givings, talent shows and showcase's, to my nieces 13th birthday (wow, I'm old) and family time with a feast fit for royalty, there was never a dull moment and I'm grateful for it.

As thanksgiving break comes to a close I can't help but smile at everything I'm thankful for. Life has a funny way of playing out, and taking time to acknowledge that is beautiful. Looking back on everything I've done this year I'm grateful for my family and friends and everything they've taught me, from the folks older than me, all the way down to my 5 year old niece and nephew. (You're only kidding yourself if you think you can't learn from a kid and I admire them for it!)

One of the things I'm most thankful for is my (accidental) love for photography. Why? Because when I initially started it was only a way for me to capture everything that I did while "making magic" for The Walt Disney Company in the fall of 2010. As the days, months, and years went by I found myself loosing sight of specific memories as new ones came to fill the void.

Some memories were more influential than others, but that doesn't make any memory less important......it's what makes you, YOU! Photography allows me to capture moments in life, from the huge milestones to that instagram filter that makes ALL the difference (kidding) ;)

 It's something to reminisce, something to love, and something to learn from.

As the never ending story continues, you can find me living in the library over the next two weeks getting ready for the storm of finals brewing..... counting down the days to a fresh new adventure...

in Colorado for the New Years Celebration! :)

Happy Studying! 

See you at "Club Milner"! (the library for non ISU folk lol)

Life is like a camera

The last three months of my life has been a roller coaster, from getting back into school full time and attempting to handle better time management, to joining Alpha Kappa Psi's Business Fraternity. The adjustment was not easy, I've had sleepless nights, one too many "quarter life crisis'", a fridge needing some food ASAP and a bag full of laundry I couldn't tell you the last time I checked.

But in retrospect, I needed those challenges to bring me where I am today. Life continually shapes us and when you become complacent with going through the motions of your everyday life, you're limiting yourself. Potential is endless and so is your knowledge and wisdom. I'm so thankful to have progressed this far over the last few months, but I'm even more thankful to have crossed paths with some of the most driven people I've had the pleasure to meet. They challenged me both academically and personally to strive for more, to not be complacent, and to hold myself more accountable for the future that I WANT.

there's no reason for you to not get involved in college, this is your time to experiment with different paths to make up your life. why?

because college has a safety net that the real world doesn't hold. "if you're gonna fail, these are the people you want to fail in front of." The ones with the highest tolerance for failure are the ones who get the farthest!

 "Life is like a camera. 

Just focus on what’s important

capture the good times

develop from the negatives

and if things don’t turn out....... take another shot"

cheers to FINALLY becoming becoming an Alpha Kappa Psi Brother. Let the next adventure begin!