Sunday

I have had such a great Sunday. I got to hear a wonderful Relief Society lesson on Elder Oak's talk on service. I then got the opportunity to go and hear two of my friends give their homecoming talks. They were brother and sister and were out at the same time, both in Mandarin Chinese speaking missions. I hadn't seen them at all for a few years and not much before that since our freshmen year; I remembered that they were both amazing individuals but I didn't expect the incredible spirit I felt as they both told of wonderful and miraculous experiences they'd had and bore their testimonies. I wish I could always feel the Spirit so strongly and that everybody could know that feeling. I then went to church at my own ward where the Bishop gave us a lesson on faith and referenced the Lectures on Faith, which I'd never heard of but I now want to read them. As I understand it the Lectures on Faith are a sort of study in faith and came through revelations to various brethren in the church. In Sunday School our lesson was on section 135 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was written by John Taylor on the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I can't recall what the speakers talked on in sacrament meeting, I just remember that it was very good and that the spirit was there. Sunday is a great day and it's nice to be able to go to church and get back on track, ready for the week ahead; to be reminded of your beliefs and to reset your goals to do and be better.

flowers and geometry

Flowers are beautiful, I know that, I'm sure we all do but lately I've been looking closer at flowers and taking lots of pictures of them. I believe earlier in the summer I was thinking of using flowers in a serise, now I look to find bees in them and also they're really beautiful. I've noticed in this last little while, just how geometric flowers are, you might not think of them like that at first or even second glance, but they are. Take these flowers for example, when the flower's open you can't really tell but in this picture where it's closed you can see that it has five petals and makes a pentagon.This hibiscus is also five sided.And these petunias (I think).This flower has tons of petals, and it's almost like a rose window in a cathedral.And these little flowers have eight petals, like an octagon.Flowers are pretty, but they follow patterns, patterns of shape and number that make them unique and beautiful.

busy, busy and Gloria's Little Italy

Things have gotten a bit busier for me, on Tuseday I recieved the notification that I will be in the 29th Faber Birren National Color Show. I'm really excited because this is the first show I've entered and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get in. Now that I'm in it means there's a lot to do to get my painting to the show. The show is in Conneticut and so I need to get my picture and frame all set up and then arrage shipping too and from the show, write a biography etc. I've also been busy because deadlines are coming up for more shows and competitions. Utrecht, my favorite art supply store is having a competition to celebrate their 60th anniversary and I'm entering the 40th Annual River Road Show. I've been a little frantic trying to decide which pieces will be entered where and what needs to occour for that to happen.
Yesterday I went to get pictures taken of the paintings that I'm entering in the show. While there my sister and I also stopped to have lunch at Gloria's Little Italy. I've been wanting to go there for a long time and it didn't disappoint, it was delicious, just the smell when I opened the door was simply amazing. I can hardly wait for lunch to have my leftovers.

It is not exactly easy to photograph bees. Bees are on a mission and very busy, they don't have time to pose for you.
My neighbors have a honeysuckle or something like that and both the bees and the ants love it and are swarming all over. I went out to get some pictures of bees that I could maybe work off of for my series. It was a bit funny and frustrating but I'd get my camera to where a bee was and then the bee was gone, I have several almost identical pictures, all without bees.I also am a bit frustrated with my camera, the few times I actually did get bees they were blurry...but maybe that's their fault for moving.I did get a few cool shots though. This one had no bees in sight, I just thought it looked cool.

Back to school

Today is a little bit strange, it's back to school for almost everyone, except me. This is my first year not going back to school in the fall and it's a little strange and also kinda nice. I had a dream last night about school and work and crazy kinds of projects and homework and upon waking up it was really rather nice to remember that I'm done with school and so there's no worries there.
Anyway good luck to those who head back to school today or soon. Enjoy it while it lasts...if you can't enjoy it then remember that it doesn't last forever.

I love an umbrella shot

My cousin is apparently rather a natural photographer and after taking engagement pictures for another cousin, she took pictures of me and my sister... in a field of wheat that was by her house.

Wyrd Sisters

This is another Terry Pratchett book, about the same witches and kingdom as in Lords and Ladies. I think this was only the second time I'd read this book, I didn't like it much the first time I read it. The book is a parody of Macbeth, and perhaps a slight bit of Hamlet, anyway I've actually read Macbeth since the first time I read this book and that probably helped the most. I really enjoy these books because they're so in depth, they're so well done, I like that I can read these books time and time again and still find things that are new, still come to understand the plot better; they don't get old.