I'm a Rainbow Today- All the Colors of the World

I hope this isn't too shocking for any of you, but I have a confession to make.... I'm a total nerd. At first glance or meeting, many wouldn't think that about me. That doesn't make it any less true. Those of you who know me well can attest to the fact that I am indeed, very nerdy. One example of my nerdiness? I LOVE new office and school supplies! (new folders, pencils, erasers, post-it notes... the list goes on) They make me so happy! I partially blame my mother for this. Due to my special brand of "Art Nerdiness" this love exponentially increases for new art supplies. (Paints, fancy tapes and adhesives, charcoal- you name it!)

You can imagine my excitement then, about my recent purchase of a set of 132 Prismacolor Pencils! That's every color that Prismacolor currently makes. For those unfamiliar with these pencils- they are super high quality colored pencils that blend amazingly well. They are one of my very very very favoritest art mediums. The reason I had to buy them is actually a little sad. The large set that was given to me as a gift in highschool somehow disappeared. I'm still hoping that it is only temporarily misplaced, because it was a huge set that I added to... worth lots of money and very important to me. My mother and I were unable to find it in either Utah or Idaho though, so I had to buy a new set to use for a school project.

I'm so in love with them! Look how pretty!:




More examples of my nerdiness:

1- They didn't come color sorted like that.... I did that myself.
2- Logically one would just sharpen them as needed, but I was so excited that I sharpened every single one of them before I ever used them.

I used a very effective electric sharpener for that process. I was not crazy enough to try to sharpen them all using this little guy that came with them:



I also am not sure why they included a couple of blue oil pastels... there was no advertisement or explanation included. And I actually haven't tested them yet so they could be something else, but they look like NuPastels.



So what project did I need these for? It was one I developed myself for my Secondary Methods class. I designed my own project and lesson plan for a drawing class and then created an example of what my students would do as the assignment. The drawing itself is fun and cool and all that jazz, but I was most excited about the feedback I got about my lesson and project development. Both my teacher and the class hotshot gave me lots of great feedback about the appeal my project would have to students and how well it incorporated the 4 components of Discipline Based Art Education. After that critique I called my mom and cheerfully announced, "I'm going to be a good art teacher!" Here's a photo of the final product:




*New Prismacolor set------------------------------------------------------ $115
(actually a really good deal)
*Drafting Tape and Illustration Board-------------------------------------- $10
(ish)
*Feeling like I may one day actually be effective in my chosen career?------ PRICELESS

Can't You See That It's Just Rainin'?

The weather here in Rexburg is fairly unpredictable. There's a popular saying that explains "if you don't like the weather, just wait an hour- it will change." That doesn't always hold true, but it can be pretty accurate. A couple of weeks ago (I believe it was a Wednesday), as I was preparing to walk out the door and head to my 8 a.m. Head Drawing Class, I realized it was sprinkling. I knew full well that it could stop at any moment, but I also realized it could start coming down harder just as quickly. I decided I should take an umbrella. I ran to my bedroom closet and (in the dark because Katey was still sleeping soundly) grabbed the first umbrella I could reach. I slid it over my wrist and headed to class lugging my large portfolio bag, and art supply tackle box.

It started raining harder, and as I walked quickly through the final stretch to the Spori building, the wind also increased considerably. I was pretty soaked by the time I got to class. It's a three hour class though, so I had plenty of time to dry before I had to brave the outdoors again. As I left the building, rain was coming down pretty hard. I decided to open the umbrella. The umbrella I had grabbed is a very cute shade of pink, but rather flimsy. (Not flimsy by normal standards, but flimsy by "able to handle Rexburg wind" standards) I pointed it into the wind and headed to the library to print some assignments. Running on very little sleep, I quickly zoned into my own little world as I trekked across campus.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of that world... someone was talking to me. It was a young man, complimenting my umbrella. I'm fairly sure all he said was, "I like your umbrella" but it really caught me off guard. I tried to say "thanks", but I'm really not sure if it actually came out or not, at least in any audible degree. My face must have portrayed the confusion I felt as well. I had not been prepared for human interaction. (Yes, I do realize that is silly seeing as I was walking in the heart of campus at 11 a.m.)

The encounter was incredibly brief, but as I left the library to head back to my apartment, "Umbrella Man" was still on my mind. Later that evening he still kept popping into my head. What was it about this boy?! I figured it out that night (as I ridiculously compared him to a recent crush that was sitting in my living room). Umbrella Man, though good looking, wasn't extraordinarily physically attractive. He did however have an extraordinarily kind personality. I can't explain it very well, but it was so easy for me to sense what a caring, kind, genuinley sweet guy he is.

The tragic thing? I'll probably never speak to him again. I don't know that I'd even recognize him if I saw him. My ridiculous confession? Even though, I have 2 or 3 other umbrellas that are tougher and more sensible than that pink one (all of which are very cute)- that is the one I carry in my backpack every day. I secretly hope for rain, even though I know it will be cold and windy and unpleasant. I hope against hope that as I walk into the wind, Umbrella Man will cross my path and compliment my weather gear once again.

I know it's silly, and that even if I did see him again he's probably married or something. He's definitely a nice idea though. Someday I'll find an Umbrella Man to keep: the kind of guy who would notice something as silly as a pink umbrella, a guy considerate enough to offer a genuine compliment, a guy who warms my rainy days just by existing, a guy who carries the sun in his pocket and shares it everytime he smiles. So here's to my Umbrella Man- may he continue to brighten the world, one person at a time :)

Writing this reminded me of one of my favorite paintings by Jack Vettriano:

And Don't You Worry What the Bitter Hearts Are Gonna Say

I'm currently participating in a Practicum project for my Book of Mormon class. I had the option of choosing from 4 areas and I chose language. This means for two weeks I am following 4 rules, creating a plan of action to follow them successfully, keeping a daily journal of my progress, and writing a review of my experience at the end of the two weeks. My 4 rules are:

1- no complaining
2- no gossip
3-no sarcasm
4-only say positive and uplifting things about others

So far I've been doing really well, and it's been a really good experience. I have complained twice though... both times it was about Head Drawing. While doing my homework I told my roommate Emily, I was drawing a "stupid skull". And when I talked to my mom after class yesterday, I whimpered that "drawing was hard". I went on to tell her about some of the success I'd had while drawing that day, and was mostly positive, but I definitely started with a complaint. Apparently my attitude about my Head Drawing class is a weakness.

Along with that realization- here's some things I'm understanding better, because of this assignment:

1- Bad things happen, and talking about them isn't complaining. What makes the difference, is attitude.

2- Though I don't believe sarcasm is always inappropriate, thinking a little more about when you use it, can help one be a little more sensitive to those around them.

3- Being positive really is contagious.

4- I know that I'm already an optimistic person.. but my roomie says that this project has increased it. That's okay with me, because I really like being happy :)

You and Me Together, Workin' on Forever

It's time for me to do a little back tracking and post about some of the awesome stuff that happened while I was too busy to blog. The subject of this particular trip down memory lane? The wedding of two of my very best friends! Daniel and Elissa Larsen were married on Saturday, August 15th in the Bountiful,Utah LDS temple and I couldn't be happier for them!

Daniel and I have been really good friends since high school, and I met Elissa right when they started dating. She and I hit it off, pretty much from day one, so I was a big fan of them as a couple. That came in handy when Daniel stressed after realizing how young Elissa was. I don't think I did that much, but Elissa likes to give me credit for helping him come to his senses and not worry about it. It also came in handy when I helped Daniel plan and arrange the big proposal :) I may or may not post that complete story another day, but here are some pics from that evening:


I was given the wonderful privilege of taking their engagement photos. They turned out fabulously, and we had so much fun taking them! Here's a collage that I created with some of the photos and framed as a gift for Elissa's bridal shower. The quote is a favorite of hers.



Their wedding day came so fast (though I'm sure the wait seemed much longer for them). I was so excited for them! One might ask- what is the role of a girl who is basically best friends with both the bride and the groom? On their wedding day- it was very multifaceted. My main roles were bridesmaid, babysitter, and photographer.

The only major trickiness was how to take pictures that I needed to be in. This was solved by my wonderful brother agreeing to be my assistant for the photography outside the temple. For group shots I needed to be in, I simply set the shot up and left him to press the button. He was also a good sport about carrying my junk around.

The whole day was perfect and wonderful and full of interesting adventures. Luckily for everyone involved, Daniel and Elissa are the most chill bride and groom ever, and stressed out about absolutely nothing.

Adventure #1: Traffic

Pretty much everyone was late to the temple. (Except those who stayed the night before up in Bountiful) I rode up with Jason (friend and groomsman) and I think we were about 40 minutes late. It was bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway. We never did figure out why there were so many cars on a Saturday morning, but at one point all the lanes closed except for one, so that didn't help the situation all. Jason handled things pretty well, and I was in a chill mood- knowing there was nothing I could do about it. Things worked out. People got there, and most importantly- Daniel and Elissa got married :)

Adventure #2: Bug (this is a small one)

A large bug ended up in the train of Elissa's dress. For some reason, Pickle was the one who ended up in charge of evicting the creature from its new home. Jason and Daniel were apparently in charge of supervising. These pics are priceless.


Adventure #3: Dead Car

During the ceremony and the photo shoot we had outside the temple.... Jason left his car headlights on. When we returned to the car, it wouldn't start. fortunately, he had jumper cables, and it didn't take long for a kind family to stop and help us out. We were only a little late to the wedding luncheon.



Adventure #4: Bleeding...

While riding up to the wedding, Jason informed me that his arm was all scraped up from a long-boarding crash the previous day, and that he may end up bleeding through the sleeve of his shirt. I shared with him (from my vast depository of random knowledge) that if he bled into his shirt, the best way to remove his own blood was with his own spit. There's something about the composition of your own saliva that reacts with the composition of your blood to effectively remove it from fabric. He was impressed, and rightfully so. It's a useful thing to know.

Later that evening while taking a few couple shots before the reception started, I pinned Daniel's boutonniere on his lapel and poked my poor little thumb. We took a picture:

I wiped the blood away and proceeded with the photo shoot. I began arranging Elissa's dress when we realized I was bleeding all over the skirt!! smears and drops everywhere! So what was I to do?..... that's right...I licked it out.... all of it. I did a pretty spectacular job, if I do say so myself. I wish we had taken pictures. And in case any of you are wondering.... wedding dress does not taste very good.

The reception in Orem that evening was lovely as was the second reception they held in Idaho two weeks later. That whole weekend was spectacular and possibly deserving of its own blog post at a future date.

I love working as a photographer so much, and it doesn't get better than getting to capture treasured memories for those you love most. Here is a small sampling from the very immense collection of pictures of the various wedding festivities:

I just love Elissa and Daniel and wish them every happiness in their life together. I'm so glad we're friends!!

Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

***note- despite my better judgment, I decided to type this up directly in the blog window instead of a word processor... bad news bears. I was almost done with the post when I somehow clicked away from the page and erased everything! Ack!****


I’ve been a horrible blogger for the past couple months! My life got pretty crazy towards the end of the summer, especially with work, but with other things as well. Then I moved back up to Rexburg to go back to school, and things haven’t really slowed down. I don’t anticipate a slow down any time soon, but am going to try to make time to post regularly, regardless of my intense schedule.

I am back in Rexburg, attending BYU-Idaho, studying Art Education. Life in Idaho is fabulous, and I love it here, but I do miss Utah, specifically the people in Utah. I was able to visit over General Conference weekend, and see lots of the wonderful people I love. I’m hoping to visit again very soon and pretty regularly throughout the semester. I tend to be able to visit home quite a bit during Fall semester. For those of my Utah friends reading this, you’re always welcome to come visit me in Rexburg as well! It’s only 4 hours away :)

School takes up the majority of my time right now as is prone to be the case for college students. These are the classes I’m taking this semester:

ART 414- Secondary Art Methods 2: This is the second half of the methods class for Art Education. We cover a wide range of concepts for teaching art, particularly at the secondary ed level. In this portion we deal with a lot of curriculum development, assessment, and things of that nature. A large chunk of what we’ll be doing throughout the semester is developing our own projects that we would use in a future class, and then creating them ourselves. It’s fun for me to have so much control over what I’m creating for a class assignment. It’s been awhile since I’ve had that! I’m currently working on a project for a drawing class, using Prismacolor pencils.

ART 212R- Head Drawing: It’s what it sounds like… drawing heads. It’s way more intense than most people would think, and is very time consuming. My teacher openly admits that his class should be worth more than 3 credits based on how much he packs into it. It’s going to be so so good for me in the end, but right now it’s still kicking my trash. (This is the class responsible for my first all-nighter of the semester.)

ART 220- Ceramics I: This the first of a few ceramics classes I'll be taking. So far I'm LOVING it! Working in the clay is very therapeutic, especially for a kinesthetic learner like me. I love hands-on work. We'll see how well I do on the potter's wheel, but if I get that down, I pretty much plan to rock ceramics :)

FDREL 121- Book of Mormon Part 1: We're studying the first half of the Book of Mormon. My teacher, Ross Baron, is incredible. I love every minute of that class, and every assignment he gives us is an extraordinarily valuable and enriching experience.

ED 304- Education Psychology: I'm learning all about learning! We're learning all about how the brain and body work together during the learning process, what methods are effective, how male and female brains differ, and the list goes on. It's a brilliant class taught by a brilliant teacher.


So, that’s my schedule. Outside of school and homework, my time fills up pretty fast. I just finished my first photography assignment for a non-profit magazine called Mormon Artist. I did a photo shoot of the author, Jack Weyland for the upcoming issue. It should be released soon, so I’ll post a link for y’all to check it out. My portrait photography business is growing slowly, but surely and I enjoy it SO much. (Keep referring all your friends who need engagement, wedding, family, baby, whatever portrait photography my way :) pilmerportraits.com) I also am working as an Apartment Assistant for my complex which mostly consists of helping manage our public areas (laundry rooms, workout room, and lounge) and letting girls into their apartments when they get locked out. I’m serving as Music Coordinator/ Chorister in the Relief Society for my student ward at church. It’s a pretty chill calling and being all musical, is just delightful for me.

I know this post is rather long… but it still needs some pics! Here’s my cute little bedroom.

My bed and side of the room:

The view from my bed, including my awesome roommate Katey:

And for those of you (like my fam) who know me well, you’ll be proud to hear that my room really does get picked up and clean like that at least once a week :)