SnapKnot Camera Giveaway!

To all you avid photographers who don't necessarily have the means to purchase the camera of your dreams, SnapKnot gives you the chance to win a Nikon or Canon! I know my fingers are crossed!  Big thanks to the SnapKnot wedding photography directory for offering this great camera giveaway!

The Blue Sword

The Blue Sword, my favorite novel for many years running. I first discovered this book hiding amongst it peers, a treasure waiting to be found. The cover art had caught my attention – several horses thundering through a desert, the people on their backs clad in bright colors and carrying swords. As a horse enthusiast and lover of adventure, I couldn’t help but pick up the paperback and flip it over to read the description.

I was immediately swept into the Damarian land; a harsh desert where the residents either love or hate their surroundings. To the immigrants, the native Hillfolk are a mystery and they are content to leave it that way. However, with the threat of war, the young protagonist, Harry Crewe, is about to form a bridge between the two in a surprising and most unexpected way.

Robin McKinley spins a wondrous story: a new world, a new language, a new culture, grand horses, an epic battle between good and evil, folk stories, trials, success, and friendship. I have read this novel several times over and will be happy to pick it up and read it again when the details become blurred once more.

Not all who wander are lost.

I finally started to get nervous as I sat on a black leather couch, studying the pictures on the wall while some burly guy covered in ink and piercings was in the back room making a copy of my ID.

Since I was in high school I have always been intrigued by tattoos: the stories behind the ink; the process; the artists. Everything. I knew that I would eventually make the trip to a tattoo parlor and give up a piece of my skin for art. The hardest part of it all: choosing a design - an ongoing battle for the past 6 years or so.

Finally, I decided, rather spur-of-the-moment, on what I wanted. My friend Bethany and I quickly hopped in my car and drove down the street.

We walked into Sacred Ink, handed over the paper that had the phrase we were both getting and promptly signed our life away with several flourishes of a pen. We chatted nervously until I was called back. Our artist was a very friendly fellow, giving helpful tips for the process. He reminded me not to move, and to remember to breath – which with my nerves I found a little hard to do for the first few seconds.

The pain was close to what I had expected – something close to a cigarette burn. It’s hard to explain, but definitely bearable. Bethany took her turn and we were given care instructions and headed back to school.

The phrase that we both got is from Tolkien: “not all who wander are lost”. For me, the phrase holds many meanings. I am a traveler at heart, always carrying the urge to pack up and explore a new place. I also travel through books, letting them take me to different realities and times. The phrase wraps around my wrist, beginning and ending with the triskele symbol, which to me means that no matter where I travel, I will always return home. I have also heard that is it representative of the Trinity – so I have my God with me on all my wanderings.

Clockwork Angel

In Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare continues crafting her world of fantasy, one filled with demons, vampires, warlocks and humans alike. A prequel to her first trilogy, The Mortal Instruments series, the story is set in England during a time when young ladies were deemed fit only to hide behind layers upon layers of fine cloth and to sit pretty. The main character, Tessa, is no exception to the rules of that era; baffled by the odd behaviors of a group of warriors who call themselves Shadowhunters. On a trip to meet her brother in London, Tessa soon uncovers a power she never knew she had and a world she never knew existed.

Clare takes the reader on an action filled journey, with surprising twists weaved in as Tessa looks for her brother and tries to discover her own history. The reader will also come across familiar characters from The Mortal Instruments series and recognize certain surnames along the way.

Clare’s characters and storyline are easy to follow and understand; good for an afternoon of fantasy filled adventure. Each chapter is accompanied by a quote from a poem that Tessa would be familiar with, and accordingly, suits the chapter as well. I look forward to reading book two in the new Clare trilogy, The Infernal Devices.

“ ‘Not human?’ said an unfamiliar female voice. ‘Well, if she isn’t human, Enoch, what is she?’ The voice sharpened in impatience. ‘What do you mean, you don’t know? Everyone’s something. This girl can’t be nothing at all….’ “

With the West Wind

As the light breeze fills the parchment colored sails and pushes the ship towards the slowly setting sun, another adventure begins. The ship is old, wooden, and weathered from the elements and salt. The riggings and railings are smooth from years of wear from the calloused hands of diligent sailors. I stand at the prow and look to the horizon, glowing pink and orange as the sun continues to descend, and the clouds shimmering with gold and silver linings. I travel on, with the west wind at my back.

Welcome aboard!

I am a senior in college, anticipating a bittersweet graduation coming in May. I will be receiving a BA in Photography & Digital Imaging, but parting company with some of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

I love to read, I love traveling, and I love spending time with friends and family. I come from a small southern town, with railroad tracks cutting through streets; fields of cows, horses and tobacco lining the roads (of asphalt and gravel alike); where most everyone in the community knows you or a near relative; and where time passes just a little slower.

With this blog, I intend mostly to share random thoughts, information, and stories. I hope you enjoy!