Live like a disposable camera

In July, I bought a pair of disposable cameras before Lakota and I went on an all-day summer adventure.

"Why're you buying disposables when you've got a DSLR that can hold far more photos - in way better quality - for free?" he asked.

"I like the way the photos are a bit blurry, a bit discolored. The effect is really cool. Besides, whoever gets to use a disposable camera anymore?" I said, as I pulled the cameras off the CVS display hook and wiped the dust off the cardboard packaging (no joke - there was actually dust on the package).

That day, we went out on a great adventure and I snapped a few photos with my camera, but definitely not enough to use it up.

So I took it back to Tulsa for a few days, where I snapped a few more pictures.

Then it traveled with me to Austin, for a "graduation celebration" trip for my best friend's impending graduation.

Then, on a whim, I brought it back with me to Tulsa, where I snapped the final exposures on the camera while home for the holidays.

In looking at these photos, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy. At first, I thought it was simply because I was enjoying the faded, vintage look of the colors and the blurred, noisy effect of the film that made the photos look a lot older than they actually were and appealed to my love of all things retro.

But then I realized what about these photos was making me so truly happy - the fact that they were 100% genuine, candid representations of some of the most beloved people in my life. They were taken at a snapshot in time - random seconds that seem meaningless in the moment, but resonate with memories upon later reflection. 

And the best part about these photos? 

They were complete surprises. Complete, beautiful surprises. 

They weren't immediately gawked at on the back of a DSLR screen. They weren't scrutinized and frowned upon, declared "unfit" because a hair was out of place or an expression was not "just right." They weren't uploaded to a computer, where they spent hours being processed, color-corrected, and retouched to create a sterilized, "perfect reality." They were just moments in time, captured as they were - hairs out of place, "not right" expressions and all.

And then I thought to myself, "What if we lived life in that way?"

What if we didn't immediately overanalyze, pick apart, and critique every single thing that we had just done, said, acted upon? What if we just took a step back and allowed time for our "photo" to develop? I think we'd find that we'd be pleasantly surprised with the finished product.

Food for thought (especially for me).

xx

ola

Reawakening a passion

Overall, college has been wonderful for me. I have loved all the people I have met, all the experiences I have had, and even a vast majority of the classes that I have taken.

One deleterious thing about college, though? It sucks up all your time.

I'm a double major in the business school, so when I'm in the midst of the semester, my life revolves around projects, tests, and internships. As a result, I tend to forget to give myself some time to just do what I love and be happy.

My photography has definitely suffered quite a bit because of it.

Every year, I print new photos to put in the dozens of frames that adorn the walls of my room. Last summer, I realized with disdain that I had very few new images to choose from to print - I was limited to just the few snapshots I had taken during my trip to Seattle.

This summer, I vowed to change that. I faltered a bit at the beginning (because I was - and to a certain point still am - dealing with some things), but now that I've less than a month of summer left, I'm determined to make it count. (Better late than never!)

So Kylie and I went out and had an impromptu photoshoot last night. It was absolutely brilliant and it made me so happy beyond words. It reminded me that a camera in my hands and a model in front of me really put me in my element - something that I had been missing for so long.

So take it from me, y'all. Don't put your passions on the backburner - always make a little bit of time for them. Because when you put your passions on the backburner, a little piece of your soul goes there with them.

Enjoy these shots of Kylie from last night!

xx

ola

Icepocalypse: Tulsa Edition

Hey y'all!

So today's been quite a day... It's been raining all day, and because temperatures have been hovering slightly below freezing, we've got a nice thick coating of ice along everything... Our power has been on and off since this morning, and I've seen incredibly large tree branches break off old trees, so it's been quite an adventure...

However, the one thing that this storm has been good for has been the photos. So, for y'all's enjoyment, here's a collection of some of the photos that I've snapped thus far:

This weather is pure insanity... For any of y'all braving this nasty storm (be it in the form of ice, snow, or thunderstorms...) stay safe!

xx
ola

Things for Happiness: Week 11

It gets really hard to put one of these posts together when your week is chock-full of meetings, presentations, tests, and deadlines... So, that's my reason for this delayed post. Also, I kind of wanted to purposely delay this so that I could be sure to include some photos from today. :)

Here are the things that are making me happy this week (in no particular order):

1. Big/little reveal was this past week and my lovely twin added a new member to our little family - her little!!! I was really excited because I actually had an opportunity to talk to her lovely little during recruitment and I remembered that I loved her right off the bat... A good feeling to know that she had chosen to stick with AOII!
2. Went and saw Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco with my beautiful roomie Shelby on Thursday night... What a great night of reliving middle school memories by jamming out to some quality pop-punk tunes... Pop-punk is so not dead, y'all!
3. It's parents' weekend! So so excited that I got to see my parents after two months of being away... They're wonderful and I feel as though I appreciate them more and more each time I see them.
4. When I bought my dress to victory, I also bought a "sticky bra" to go with it. However, the sticky bra was awkward was still visible when I had my dress on, so I returned it and used the store credit to get this necklace instead. I'm way happier with this purchase - such a simple necklace, but I adore it!
5. I really liked what I was wearing today (and it finally got a tiny bit cooler to allow me to don my long boots and something with a bit of a sleeve woo!)

Tomorrow I think I'll be heading to Dallas with my parents to spend the day together. The Texas State Fair is on the table as a possibility, as well as some of the museums in the area. We'll see what ends up happening! Either way, I am quite excited - it should be a fun day!

What's making y'all happy this week?

xx
ola

Things for Happiness: Week 10

Hey y'all, I know this post is late! I apologize... I've been in a very scatterbrained mindset as of late... Tons of things floating around my mind, and they've been distracting me hardcore (and making me forget things too... Yikes!)

Anyway, here are the five things that are making me happy this week (in no particular order):

1. Today, Texas got a break from miserable weather. Yesterday, it was humid and gloomy, with a steady rain all day. Before that, it was miserably hot. And today? Today finally felt a little bit like fall. The temperatures were only in the 80s, and the breeze had a bit of a chill to it. It was wonderful. I sat in my room with all of my windows open and the fresh air was exhilarating.
2. I had my victory on Thursday - it was a fun excuse to gussy myself up and hang out with some of the most amazing girls in the world. Sadly, my boy couldn't be there, but I had a good time with my friends nonetheless.
3. My victory dress! This lovely little creation made me feel really really pretty. The entire back was bare except for some delicate, black criss-crossing straps.
4. Pretty, tasty food always makes me happy. Today's lunch was no exception. Egg white omelet with feta cheese & spinach, toasted sandwich things with cream cheese, and berries. Yum!
5. Finally, finally have a photo of the boy for the blog. His name's Lakota, and he makes me smile a lot, so he'll probably see a fair share of "Things for Happiness" posts in his time.

This upcoming week is looking to be a long, arduous one. Proposals, quizzes, tests, oh my! I hope that it goes by relatively quickly... I've got far too much on my mind as it is.. No matter! I shall always keep my head up because the world is full of too many beautiful things not to smile.

What's making y'all happy this week?

xx
ola

Things for Happiness: Week 9

Yet another week flown by... It's scaring me just how quickly this year is zooming past. I worry that it'll be time for my senior year before I even know it!

Anyway, here are the five things making me happy this week (in no particular order):

1. My momma sent me another care package this week! I truly love that woman. This week's treats? New comfy sports bras (I live in these things - they are wonderful), a happy photograph of my parents and I (my favorite one!), and a few ribbons that I won with my photographs!
2. The crew (minus one). We celebrated Herschell's 21st birthday with dinner at a wonderful sushi restaurant, and then fun "family" photos afterwards. I love how they turned out - they were hilarious!
3. Got an excuse to pick my camera up this week - I took some photos for the V-Day girls (& Trevor). Such a fun group and it was definitely a great way to spend an hour of my Wednesday. It feels good to have photos to edit again.
4. A random culinary creation that turned out to be far more delicious than I anticipated - it's the "tomato chutney" that I wrote a blog about before, but a bit modified - I threw some yellow peppers in there and some baked tofu... SO GOOD. I've been eating leftovers of it for three days, and I have not gotten tired of it at all!
5. Meet Kayce, my beautiful little, and her darling boyfriend. I took their photos this evening and they brought such a huge smile to my face. They are completely infatuated with one another, and it's one of those things that just makes me really happy. I love seeing others happy, and these two are definitely happy. Plus - another excuse to pick my camera up and to edit some photos! What more could I ask for?

I'm going to a lake day with my boyfriend and his fraternity tomorrow - I'm way excited about it, it should be a great way to spend the afternoon. :)

What's making y'all happy this week?

xx
ola

The Okie spirit

I have family in town from Poland until the 8th of August. They arrived last Monday, and my parents and I have been slowly introducing them to American culture and the great state of Oklahoma. Today, we ventured south to Oklahoma City metro area. Since we were already there, we decided to venture down to the Norman/Moore area. We showed them the University of Oklahoma's campus, and then on our way back towards OKC to visit the bombing memorial and the art museum, we drove through Moore.

On May 20th of this year, a huge F5 tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma, completely flattening a two-mile stretch of the city. It caused billions of dollars of damage, killed about two dozen people, and most notably, completely leveled two schools, which were an unfortunate source of many of the fatalities. As an Okie, I hurt with the people of Moore. The raw images on the news brought tears to my eyes, and I wished ardently that there was more that I could do to help the people who had lost everything - donations of food and money didn't seem to be enough.

As my family and I drove through the ghostly ruins of what once were thriving neighborhoods, I was overtaken by emotion. It wasn't my first experience with ruins after a large tornado - I had also passed through Joplin a month and a half after the large tornado that struck there in 2011 - but the impact was still very significant. Though the physical proof lay in piles before my eyes, it was still unfathomable that such destruction could be wrought in a manner of minutes; that people could lose all the things that they had ever worked for to a meteorological force that was usually completely harmless - merely wind. It was unbelievable.

One of the worst things was seeing momentos of shattered childhoods in the piles of rubble - I saw a large plastic race car bed, a pink wrought-iron bed frame, and dozens of colorful toys amongst the piles of splintered wood, shattered glass, and gnarled metal.

Eventually, we came upon the site of what was once the Plaza Towers Elementary School. The building had been completely demolished - what remained was a slab that once housed the structure, and a chain link fence that surrounded the property. The fence was visible from many feet away, because it was adorned with hundreds of momentos - mostly t-shirts. As we approached the fence, we saw that all the knick-knacks attached to the fence proclaimed handwritten messages of faith, hope, and love from all over the country. I noted messages from Florida, Texas, and of course, all over Oklahoma. The top of the fence was adorned with dozens of American flags that waved proudly in the wind. 

 
In addition, a lone, tattered flag differed from the rest - it was the bright blue flag of the state of Oklahoma, its edges torn by wind, its color slightly faded from the sun, but it still flew proudly, billowing in the wind.

In my mind, the flag was a perfect symbol of the unwavering Okie spirit.

After living in Oklahoma for about four years, it's about time I consider myself an Okie. That being said, I can proudly say that the steadfast Okie spirit cannot be dampened. We get blown around by tornadoes, tattered by hail storms, buried by the odd snow storm, and broiled by the hot summer sun, but we never give up. If we get blown over, we dust ourselves off and stand right back up again - with the help of our neighbors, of course.

Oklahoma is not the only state I've ever lived in, but I can truthfully say that it is one of the most determined, loving states that I have ever experienced. The love that Okies have for one another is remarkable, and it is a bond that cannot be broken. Days after the Moore tornado, volunteers flooded the area, ready to grab a pair of gloves and work. Donations flooded in to local churches, food banks, and missions. Eventually, people actually had to be turned away because there were too many donations and too many volunteers on deck. That is the steadfast Okie spirit, y'all. It cannot be fractured, it cannot be cracked, it cannot be broken. The people here love their state and they love one another.

There's a reason it's called Okla-HOM-a - it's home, y'all.

xx
ola

Things for Happiness: Week 2

What's making me happy this week (in no particular order):

1. This wonderful little elephant box! I purchased it at the flea market for half off - it only cost me $2.50! It's going to find a nice little home at my duplex, and house random trinkets (and possibly some extra jewelry I have laying around).
2. An awesome photoshoot with the lovely Olivia - I had forgotten how much I truly enjoy grabbing my camera and taking dozens of photos of a gorgeous, fascinating new model. I haven't had the chance to edit all of the photos yet, but I will this weekend, and I am so excited!
3. Electricity. A mere 23 hours without power in the middle of a humid, stagnant Oklahoma summer does wonders for your sense of gratitude.
4. My amazing coworkers. Despite some long, trying days at work, my wonderful coworkers always brought a smile to my face and I treasure their friendships. I will miss them tons whilst I'm at school, but I know that I will always have some friendly faces to visit in Tulsa!
5. Oscar, the wonderful office dog. I absolutely love his presence in my life - his inquisitive little face reminds me of a cantankerous old man sometimes, but he never fails to bring warmth to my heart with the way he nudges my hand with his nose, begging to be scratched. Plus, he's incredibly intelligent, and so full of fun and life that he truly wins everyone's heart when they first meet him!

What's making y'all happy this week? :)

xx
ola

Sneak Peek

Finally had a fun photoshoot this summer! Here are a few sneak peek images... More to come! ;)