Introducing Myself (and my backyard)

    Being home is fantastic. Most of the year I live in Seattle, but coming back to Wyoming is always such a break. While I miss my friends, boyfriend, and school, there's something about being back where I spent the majority of my childhood that just makes me happy. It might be those beautiful sunsets, seeing family and old friends, or it might just be that simple small town feeling. Whatever it is, it makes a great environment for thinking. I've been thinking a lot about starting my senior year of college and about moving into my new place and living alone for the first time (probably going to be some future posts about both of those things). Today though, I just enjoyed the sunset and took photos with my sister Kristin (thanks to her for taking the first two in this post!). Frolicking around and taking silly photos has always been one of my favorite ways to relax.

    My parents' backyard is one of my favorite places in the world to take pictures. It has this perfectly rustic look, with the tall grass and the old fence, and it has most beautiful view of our wonderful Wyoming sunsets. I love the rough-edged kind of beauty that you find in this area. Things that are naturally beautiful have always appealed to me more than the polished edges of modernity, but I also love the beauty in decrepit fence posts and barbed wire and not-quite-dead grass struggling to survive. The telephone lines and barbed wire should ruin the view, but somehow, they just make it better, and the distant sound of dogs barking or occasional cars on the highway don't spoil the quiet so much as make you notice how quiet it really is. This place has a sort of stubborn beauty; life struggles a little here, and to me, that makes it all the more beautiful.

    I'm hoping to continue to post photos of my beautiful surroundings, both while I'm here and once I return to the wonderful Pacific Northwest. I love to cook, so expect some recipes and food photos in the future, as well as posts about moving into and decorating my new apartment, hiking and other adventures, my senior year of college, Anthropology ( my major), and maybe even some personal style, though I could use some work in that department. For now though, I'll leave you with the beauty of Wyoming and the promise of more to come.