Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a middle class Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts. At a young age her older sister committed suicide and she was forced to cope. In high school she was introduced to photography and focused her first show on homosexual and transsexual communities. Goldin began to photograph images that expressed violence and showed drug abuse. Her subjects usually past away due to their addictions. She focused her art on a culture of obsession. Goldin also photographed love, sex, and the multiple ways they can be expressed. Her artwork was often criticized but was in fact reality.

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is a American photographer known for his photos of staged homes and neighborhoods. His photography was always elaborate and cinematic. His art was like a scence that had been ripped out of a movie. Crewdson was born in New York and attended Yale University where he got his masters of fine arts. His photography were very emotional for the people who studied them. The locations of his photos were of homey and cozy neighborhoods but created emotions including sorrow, anxiety, depression, and solitude. He was a part of several exhibitions where his art became famous including the Yale University Art Gallery where it all began. 

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born in New Jersey as the seventh addition to her big family. She grew up in Long Island where she pursued her interest in painting. She felt limited as a painter where paint was her only medium and took up photography. Sherman is a well known American photographer and film director. She was best at taking conceptual portraits. She used costumes, makeup, and other things to create roles for her subjects. Sherman was a big contributor to creating a positive role in society for women. She had a wide range of photographs. She used several different mediums and ideas to portray her message.

Greek Life

This past weekend I was a part of my sororities initiation as a new member.  I would consider this to be a cultural event. As a new member you go through a process of ceremonies and rituals that make you initiated. They ask for your trust and friendship in order to become part of the sisterhood. These events happen all over the country for all sororities and fraternities in greek life. Although there are similar clubs and tribes in other countries that require initiations, they differ from greek life here in the United States.

A cultural event is unique to a specific culture or group of people. Initiation and the series of ceremonies required, are distinctive to the American culture. I was able to experience this cultural event with no background as to what it was all about. I learned a lot not only about my specific sorority but greek life and its ideals in general. I kept an open mind during the process and I have a higher level of respect for the process. It requires putting a lot of trust in people that you may not know as well as you should and gives you the opportunity to network and meet so many new people.

Keith Carter, the Photographers Series

I was absent on the day we watched the video “Keith Carter, the Photographers Series.” So, I did research on Keith Carter instead. Keith Carter was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Texas. Carter taught himself how to photograph and is best known for his imagination. He began with commercial photography and personal projects on the side. Carter believes in that photograph is the writing of light like the Greeks do. He thinks of photography as documenting his life, as if he was making an autobiography. He photographs of places he has visited and people he cares about. This is his form of journaling his life as well as the people’s lives around him. Carter’s work was able to really stand out because of his ability to make it mystical and almost fantastical. In order to do this, he caught himself using a small view camera incorrectly before inserting his film. Carter would later purposefully distort the focus of his photographs.

Myhren Gallery

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Myhren Gallery with my first year seminar class. The Myhren Gallery is the University of Denver’s art gallery located in the art building on campus. The exhibitions change every few months and include art work from a variety of well known artists as well as students. Our class visited the exhibition, Changing Landscapes.

        

When I walked in, all I saw was a display of typical landscape paintings. But, as the guide began to explain and describe the meaning and significance behind the artwork the paintings grew into something more meaningful. He described to us how the landscapes created were very noteworthy because the lack of transportation in the countryside. These paintings allowed people the chance to “travel” to these places and see them in a new light.

Over time, the landscapes changes and evolved due to the transportation by train. The classic landscapes became more industrial. These new landscapes were used to symbolize the new ideas and things evolving in the world. These new landscapes were done with new painting techniques. An example of a new technique used was scattering dots all over the piece of art. This was done in order to create realistic dust and flies in the air.

This event really made me gain and understanding of artist’s intentions behind their artwork. I now have a higher respect for landscape artwork. I stepped out of my comfort zone at this gallery and really learned from a new perspective. This exhibit was definitely a cultural event because it forced me to think in a way I am not accustomed to.

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman was born in Denver, CO and pursued a career in fashion photography in New York City. She committed suicide before her work took off and was well known. Her work was not accepted by society. In general, Woodman's work was in black and white. She was known for using long exposures and creating a blur in her photos. Woodman's work influenced the "Victorian female protagonist," and their work. She worked with abstract subjects in simple and concrete representations and surroundings. It allowed Woodman to challenge reality.  

Robert Adams

Robert Adams was an American professor in California born on the East coast. He photographed mostly landscapes in black and white. He believed that photographs were contradictions between landscapes visibly transformed or scarred by human presence and the inherent beauty of light and land rendered by the camera. He won several awards for his work and had several exhibitions of his work. He wrote a book about the beauty of photography and celebrated with his artwork. Adams was a well known contemporary urban landscape photographer. 

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus was a controversial American photographer. She photographed nudists, and transvestites and other radical things. Her artwork was not highly respected. She was known for a lot of work in magazines. Arbus used soft light to create more artistic images compared to her commercial work in magazines. Her artwork was known to be psychotic and the images were very powerful. Her artwork was compared to a child with a hand grenade. She committed suicide because of personal issues and her family did not want to release her work if it was not respected but later they changed their minds. Its possible that she was looking for herself in the oddities of photo's subjects.

Robert Frank

Robert Frank grew up in wealthy Jewish family and was born in Switzerland. He was notable for his American photography that presented an outsider's view on America and its society. He began with his work in photography and later moved into film and video. Frank, visited several cities in America to get a wider perspective where he took the majority of photos. 

Robert Capa

Robert Capa was born and grew up Hungary. He moved out at age eighteen with the goals of becoming a writer. He was introduced to the world of photography in Berlin and became more interested in art. He was known for his photography and photojournalism of the wars. Capa covered a wide spread of battles and five wars in total. These wars included the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, 1948 Arab- Israeli War and finally, the first Indochina War. Capturing violence in his photography created an impact on other photographers and amateurs. 

Henri Cartier Bresson

Henri Cartier Bresson was born in France and spent a lot of childhood interested in painting and music. His interest in photography began when he studied at Cambridge. He was the first Western photographer to photograph post-war Soviet Union and was well known for using the 35mm format which was the newer format at the time. Bresson was a fan of photojournalism and was also famous for creating street photography. He was able to capture a precise moment and tell an entire story from that one image. 

Margaret Bourke White

Margaret Bourke White was a part of a wealthy and educated family. She was raised by her father in New York City. She studied amphibians and reptiles and later began her career in photography. She graduated from Cornell and opened a studio in Cleveland where she sold pictures to students on campus. She was working for different magazines and was given a variety of projects. She was assigned a project on the drought and saw how people suffered. She was famous for being able to capture that in her art. White was the first female war corespondent and one of the first female photographers for Life magazine. She photographed World War II and survived a torpedo attack. Before she past, she wrote her famous autobiography. 

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was a photographer in California with her family and husband. After her divorce, she remarried a professor at Berkley and was hired by the government to photograph the depression and issues going on in the country. She was running on a low income and became an iconic for people who looked at her art for her ability to persevere and raise her family. She had a passion for exposing people's deeper emotion, beyond the surface images. She later moved on to photography of the pearl harbor bombing and the internment camps. She was struck by the imprisonment of these people because they were innocent. Her photography was emotional and really drove people to think.

Response to Susan Sontag

1 September 2011

How do we know that the mountains outside are “real” mountains? How do we know what “real” mountains are? We don’t. Just like the prisoners in Plato’s Cave never realized that the shadows they saw were in fact people, we have no way of being certain that what we see is real. Although we live in the 21st century and are exposed to a great level of technology, there is still a possibility that we live in an illusion. Maybe we believe in that illusion in order to create a sense of comfort for ourselves. On a daily basis I perceive the world to be real. I learn from the things around me, and I apply my knowledge to create change and growth in my life. As I read about Plato’s philosophy and how he questions reality, I began to inquire about the world around me as well.

This similar occurrence happens when one appreciates photography. The author of On Photography, Susan Sontag, states that we live in mere images of the truth. Sontag believes that these mere images are photographs. In other words, if we live in these photographs, then we are not necessarily living in reality. Photographs make things come into existence, but they are only capturing life through a very small lens. Even though you can learn from these photographs, as soon as the view is specified, the meaning changes. Interestingly enough, the only thing that changes is the meaning. The camera is what is separating you from the photo and the real world. It acts as a shield, and unless that camera is removed, you have no way of interacting. When we look at a photograph, we are seeing what is in that photograph. But, what we are seeing is not necessarily reality. Therefore, the only way to confirm what we see is without a camera lens. The camera lens does not question the existence of things; it changes reality and the meaning of it.

Again, due to technology, photography is becoming more and more popular. People take pictures to confirm that their experience was indeed real. They use their photographs as evidence of reality as if no one would believe what they saw really existed. It follows the same pattern as what I discussed earlier in relation to the mountains.  If people use photographs to prove what they see, it is possible that we use what we “see”, to prove that something is real as well. Even though photographs make things seem real, they do not give us a clear understanding of anything. They are left open for interpretation, and if you are the individual that took the picture then your understanding will be affected.

Whether it is a photograph or anything else, those mere images can change the way we perceive the entire world. When we look at photographs and see through that camera lens, we make a conscious decision of whether to believe in it or not. That choice determines the outcome of our actions and reactions. Plato’s philosophy states that this same effect occurs when you are not looking at things through a lens. What happened to the prisoners could be happening to us as well. The way we perceive the world and create illusions, make us feel in control, allows us to move on, and ultimately help us live our lives.  Sontag states, “Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” I agree with her statement and I would add on that we use those photographs to fill in blanks, to learn from, and to see new things. As each photo is added to our collection we create our own interpretations and our outlook on the world is altered.

Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz, born in New Jersey, grew up in a big army family. He was known to be the man that made photography an acceptable form of art. He was a very important figure in art history. He was not only a photographer, but he was a supporter and promoter to other photographers. Stieglitz was also a writer and editor of "The American Amateur Photographer" magazine. He was a part of two major photography clubs and was nominated to lead them. He eventually merged the two clubs into one. Alfred Steiglitz played a major role in making photography what is is today.

George Eastman

George Eastman was the creator of roll film and the founder of Eastman Kodak Company. He was an American businessman, philanthropist, and innovator. He established several schools in his name including the Eastman school of music and other medical and dentistry schools. George Eastman was born and grew up in a family of five in New York. He helped his mother put him through school, but he left early and began developing roll film. He was from a family known for their philanthropic contributions and was a big part of following in his legacy.

Richard Leach Maddox

Richard Leach Maddox was born in England in the early 1800's. He was a photographer known for his photography of micro organisms under the microscope. After practicing his microphotography for a while, he discovered the lightweight gelatin dry plate process. This was based off of Fredrick Archer's wed plate collodion process. After multiple trials, Maddox's work succeeded and he created a new and improved dry plate process that allowed one to save negatives, and gave people the ability to use commercial dry plates off of the shelf. He ultimately opened the road to cinematography.

Lewis Hine

Lewis Hine was an American photographer and sociologist. He used his artwork to change laws and to make a statement. Specifically, he used them to change child labor laws. Hine studied sociology at a couple of universities. He had the opportunity to study at New York University and take field trips to Ellis Island and photograph the immigrants. He realized soon after that his passion was photojournalism.

Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis grew up in a family of fifteen in Denmark. He was a Danish-American reformer that practiced journalism and photography. Riis had goals of becoming a carpenter. His father did not approve of his dream. He wanted Jacob to pursue a literary career. Trying to become a carpenter and going to carpentry school was expensive. When Riis used all of his money, he decided to fight in the German-France war. His   position in the war brought him to his interest in journalism and that later led him to photography. He began  by sketching and moved to photograph plates and eventually flash photography.

Timothy O'Sullivan

Similarly to Alexander Gardner, Timothy O'Sullivan was an American photographer known for his artwork of the American Civil war. He actually joined Gardner in his work after he fought in the Civil war.  O'Sullivan was commissioned first lieutenant and fought in several battles throughout the war. When he joined Gardner, his photograph named "The Harvest of Death" was recognized as his most famous photograph. As his career continued, he followed United States president Ulysses Grant through other battles and photographed them. His work was considered to be the first record of prehistoric ruins of these wars.

Alexander Gardner

Alexander Gardner was born is Scotland and grew up there before moving to the United States to begin his career in photography. He was known for his photographs mainly of the American Civil war, but also of American presidents and their assassinations. He photographed President Lincoln and his death. Gardner began his busy life as a jeweler and also worked as an editor. His editing career for the "Glasgow Sentinel," brought him several opportunities. He later owned the "Glasgow Sentinel" and this helped him find his passion of photography. As Gardener began his photography of the American Civil War, he quickly learned how to communicate through his work and shoot quality photos. He was quickly moved up and honored as head photographer of the American Civil war.

Frederick Scott Archer

Frederick Scott Archer is known for inventing the photographic collodion process. This process is what replaced the daguerreotype. It was also known as the wet plate process. It was best for creating fine detail. It converts iodide, bromide or chloride to silver iodide, bromide, or chloride with a silver nitrate solution. Archer, the british photographer, also studied sculpture and chemistry. This is how he came up with the wet plate process. Even though he created the process, he never patented it because he considered it to be a gift to the world. Archer did not take photography for granted.

Sally Mann

American photographer, Sally Mann, lives a full life as an busy mother to three. She is married to a full time attorney that suffers from several physical illnesses that can put a burden on her life as well. Luckily it has not held her or her family back. She began her career as a photographer at Washington and Lee University where she had her first exhibition of her well known black and white photography. She created several more collections, but is best known for her third one called "Immediate Family." This collection is of her three children expressing themes and emotions from happiness to insecurity and death. When this collection became public, there was a lot of controversy over the issue of pornography. Mann photographed her daughter naked. It was later settled and decided that it was natural in the mother's eyes and in reality, harmlessly expressed the truth and innocence.

Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron was also a British photographer. She was considered to be the "ugly duckling" in her wealthy family of girls. Her career as a photographer began when her daughter gifted her a camera for her forty-eighth birthday. Although she was an amateur, she was one of the best photographers of her era. Even if her efforts became tiring and bothersome to her family, Cameron would always have notable photographs of the meaningful people in her life. She either took close framed portraits, or would captured stories based on religious or literary work.

Francis Frith

Francis Frith was an english photographer, that worked in the Middle East and in some areas in the United Kingdom. He traveled taking photographs with the intentions of understanding the world from different points of view. Before he was able to embark on his journeys, he attended a quaker school and opened a cutlery business. When he left to satisfy his interest in photography, he founded the Liverpool Photographic Society. With the support of this group, and his new wife, Frith created "Francis Frith & Co." This company traveled the world and helped Frith photograph every town in the United Kingdom. He used his photographs to make postcards.

Roger Fenton

Roger Fenton was an educated British pioneer that grew up in a big wealthy family. He started his formal education studying English, math, Greek, and Latin. After he married his wife, he focused his learning on painting and art in a school in London. After he mastered that, he was assigned to go to the Crimean war to photograph and publish the troops at war. It was a long battle for survival for Fenton at war. He suffered from cholera, broken bones, and dangerous weather. He finally returned and had an exhibition of his photographs. There he became famous for his work and several reporters asked him if they could publish his work.

Felix Nadar

Felix Nadar was not only a photographer, he was also a caricaturist, novelist, journalist and had several other talents as well. Nadar also known as Gaspard- Felix Tournachon, was a French artist influenced by his compassion and inquiry. He was best known for his photography. His portraits would not only capture the detailed physical features, but they would portray the nature of the subject. Nadar's artwork was began with portraits. As he continued, he was able to make improvements and further communicate existence and levels of power in his images. His life had two major stages. In stage one, Nadar was more focused and considered to have been doing his "better" work. In stage two, he left a lot of his work to his assistants and was distracted by his other interests and research. Nadar lived a very full life; he had the opportunity to build a massive balloon, be the first to take aerial photographs, and make the first exhibition of impressionists.

Hill and Adamson

David Hill and Robert Adamson were partner photographers. Hill was a photographer and his partner Adamson was an engineer. They each created their own work and were introduced to one another later in their career. During the time that they spent together they made over three thousand photos. They photographed various things, including landscapes, architecture, and people. Their work is displayed all over, but there are several well known pieces in the Getty Museum. Sadly, their partnership was cut short when Hill unexpectedly past away. They are remembered for their extreme success and dexterity in handling the camera.

Henry Fox Talbot

Henry Fox Talbot was a British photographer. Talbot was well educated and grew up as an only child. He was very interested in politics and published his research in a number of books.  He is known for patenting commercial photography. Talbot was very intellectual and also invented and patented the calotype process. He felt the need to claim this process in order to compete with other artists of his era.

Louis Daguerre

Louis Daguerre was both an artist and a chemist. He began his career as an architect, went into theater and pursued painting. He is known for creating the first permanent photograph. He was responsible for astonishingly precise photography that was one-of-a-kind. Daguerre became partners with Niepce, another French artist. They became interested in each other because they believed they would be able to help each other achieve their goals. They eventually did, and created Daguerreotypes. These were usually portraits, that were taken using their new technology.

Nicéphore Niépce

Nicephor Neipce is recognized by the French as an inventor of photography. He produced the first known photograph to mankind. He grew up in a wealthy family with two brothers and a sister. He served in the military for a part of his life where he met his wife. Neipce experimented with several things including the camera obscure, lithography and silver chloride. He eventually led to bitumen which is also known as asphalt and found a solution. He had trouble tracing inverted images so that motivated him to find a way to avoid that and still photograph.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is not only an amazing experienced photographer, but an enthusiastic mother to three. She has photographed so many people, from Kirsten Dunst to John Lennon. All of her photos were marked with a stamp. Her style was both purposeful and daring. Leibovitz had the ability to convey messages through her photos that told stories and persuaded people. As she learned to photograph she was always uncertain but authoritative and had a focus. She was asked, What is a photograph? She answered, "A life through a lens." Annie grew up in a family of eight. Her family became her stable unit, and as they traveled through the country, she would watch the world through the car window. That became her "frame." The camera was a part of her family as she grew up, and as she pursued her dream, the camera permanently became her life. Leibovitz began her career as a staff photographer for the "Rolling Stones" and her powerful photography smoothly guided her way to becoming who she is today. She is able to humanize photographs and make them really tell a full story. That is what my goal is in photography and why she is so unique.

Downtown Denver

This photo reminds me of an album cover.

This photo was cropped in order to keep the background bricks. It matches her shirt well and I really like it.

I made this photo black and white in order to eliminate the blow out from the bright light on her face.

The background of this photo is a reflection. I love the motion.

I like the simplicity of this photo.

Move-in day!

Thank you josh!! Best brother ever. He was a big help as far as carrying bags up and down the stairs, and assembling things in the dorm room.

Shopping!!

Today I went dorm shopping with my family. My high school days were finally over and college was becoming real! We made trips to Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, the container store, and more. It was such a long day. I was working off of four different lists to make sure I had everything and there were still things I ended up forgetting. This photo is on a corner in Cherry Creek. My brother and I are very close siblings so it was hard for us to separate as I moved out. I will really miss him.

First day

This is a picture of my dessert at dinner my first night in Denver. We went to a restaurant called "dessert". It was delicious. I have such a sweet tooth, so this place was perfect. When I saw this dessert, my mouth was watering and I knew I needed to have it. It was a nice occasion and celebration for making it to my new home. We splurged.  It was a nice place to have dinner with the family after a long day of traveling and delays.

Moving out

Today is the day I officially move out. I fly into Denver today and then I am moving into the dorms on Sunday. I have all of my bags packed up in this photo and I am finally ready to go. I have a so many emotions flying through me. I am excited, nervous, stressed, anxious. I can not wait to meet everyone! I am really looking forward to Sunday. These are just some of my suitcases, but this certainly shows how much I am packing. Too much. My family is traveling to Denver with me and they will help me move in. It is a bittersweet adjustment and I know that everything will go great. I am going to be exposed to so many new people and things and I get to experience it all in the beautiful city of Denver, Colorado.

Hair-care

This is Gadabout Salon and Spa. I got my first haircut here and my last one..until Thanksgiving break. The owners of this salon are our close family friends. We have grown up together, traveled together, and made so many fun memories. What girl doesn't value hair care? With the thick hair that I have, it is important that I get it regularly cut and taken care of. I will continue getting my haircut here with the same lady and obviously supporting this business. 

Puppy Sitting

These are the puppies that I took care of the week before I left for school. There was one 6 month old yellow labrador named Gracie and a 2 year old golden retriever named Puppie Millie. I am a dog lover and they were really fun to be with. I was doing my tennis coach a favor while he traveled to the East coast to watch his son play major league baseball. It was an easy job and I made some good spending money for college. It taught me more about responsibility and how important it is to respect the rules in someone else's home.

The Jeep

This was my first car! It is a dark green jeep liberty. I love this car. It was a perfect size and fit and a really easy car to learn how to drive. There is a sun roof on top that goes from the driver seat all the way back to the trunk. Now that I am leaving for school and my younger brother is turning 16, he will be driving the jeep around town. I will actually miss driving. Several people think of driving to be a pain, but I enjoy the peace and quiet of driving alone. I think it is relaxing and it gives me plenty of time to think. Now I will have to do my thinking as I walk around campus and to class. 

Goodbye Foothills!

This is my high school. I took this photo one afternoon when I went to pick up my brother at school. I have been taking care of him a lot lately because my parents needed some help with their busy schedules before we leave for Denver. This high school has so many memories for so many people. I loved high school. I am certainly ready to move on, but I loved all four years. I made friendships that will last a lifetime, just like the ones I will make in college. All of my friends have evolved into amazing people and I cannot wait to find out where everyone ends up in the future. It was a good school and some of the teachers really helped me create a good steady foundation of academic knowledge to begin college. 

Exercise anyone?

This is a photo of the gym I regularely go to. Every week I go into the gym with my younger brother and we take an hour personal training session. The trainer makes sure we isolate all of our muscles so our entire bodies stay strong. I make a huge effort to have physical fitness be a part of my life in my busy schedule. I have been attending a bootcamp class at Fort Lowell park this summer twice a week with a big group of mothers and daughters. The coach makes sure we work our hardest. It is a mixture of agility exercises, and both aerobic and anaerobic work. Over the years I have found that having a coach or trainer, makes your workouts significantly more effective. They keep you on track, focused, and safe. I will make sure that I continue keeping physical fitness in my daily routine at college. This way I can keep off the freshman 15!!!

To my little brother..

Dear Josh,
You are the best little brother on earth. I am so lucky to have someone in my life that cares so much about me and is always looking out for me. For the most part, little brothers are pains, but you and I have always been best friends. You don't necessarily realize how close you are with your siblings, because they live in the same house as you. Once reality clicks in, you really being to understand and feel the deeper relationship you have with your brother or sister. You have two more years of high school and I think you have already begun to use my advice. It got me where I am today and I wish nothing less than that for you. I want the best for you. I cannot imagine something happening to my little brother. This picture is the perfect representation of our relationship. Look at how far we have come! We love each other and I will always be your big sister. I will be there for you no matter what, and you are always more than welcome to come to me with issues regarding anything! 
I love you so much,
I will miss you like crazy,
Rachel

Mommy-Daughter

This is a photo of the new body glitter shimmer tattoos offered at Gadabout Salon and Spa. My mom and I got these done this afternoon, as celebration gifts. We were celebrating my departure for Colorado. I am really looking forward to the move. These temporary tattoos were a good way for us to spend some time together and a fun way to bond.  These tattoos also have a very meaningful significance. My very own loving mother is a strong and hardworking breast cancer survivor. This pink ribbon is a way for us to celebrate her victory as well.

Tennis

This very court is where I learned to play tennis. I have been playing here since I was 8 years old and I have been enjoying my lessons ever since. My coach and I have developed a relationship over time so he knows how I learn and he has enough experience to teach in a way that makes sense. He shares stories and helpful hints that make the game more fun. I love winning points against him. He always pushes me to focus harder and do my best and he tries to motivate me to be a more competitive player. I am not a very competitive person in general, so it is hard to get me to be that way while playing a sport. But, when he pushes my buttons and makes me play harder, I feel more aggressive. 

my past

Even though I could not get a close up picture of this home, I can still get a visual. This is the house that I grew up in. I lived here from age three to age thirteen. I had my first pet here, I learned how to swim here, I broke my first bone in this house. This house has created a lot of memories for me that I will never forget. I remember playing whiffle ball in the grass outside, throwing Barney birthday parties for our friends and playing my first game of "horse." This is a very special place for me and as I leave the house I am living in now to head off to school, I think of all of the more memories I created here and it makes me smile.

My second brother

This is a silly picture taken on our way home from dinner. My real brother is in the middle and my second brother is driving. I have a second family. My second family consists of my best friend Emily, my second brother above named Nic, and my second mom and dad named Judy and John. I have grown up a part of their family since I was three years old. Both of my families and I went out to try the new Zinburger Sam Fox restaurant in town and we enjoyed burgers and milkshakes. Unfortunately, Emily had already left for college so it was just me and the boys, but we made sure to make her jealous of our gourmet meal. My second family will always be there for me just like my first, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

A night out!

This is one of my close friends Aubrey. We met two years ago and became really close over that period of time. We get along so well. She will tell you it is because our horoscopes match up, (she is obsessed), but I think it is also because we have a lot in common. We have very similar lifestyles. We started hanging out when we went to our high school's basketball and football games to support our boyfriends. We both have goals to do well in school, and our families are a big part of our lives. This photo was taken at her boyfriends new house down by the University of Arizona. We spent the evening hanging out with old friends and saying goodbye to several of them as they head off to other schools. I will really miss her when it is my time to head off but until then...