Week Thirty-Two

I never expected to be writing about this so soon. It's always too soon, but I always imagined too soon would be farther away.  It  never really is, though. 

Time is so precious and life so fast.

My Grandfather passed away on August 20th. I don't even know how to describe how wonderful and what an incredible and amazing man he was. And how blessed I was to have him as a Grandfather. <3

He was a WWII, Vietnam and Korean war veteran. He was a fighter pilot and proud of it. He basically flew every plane there was...and he loved it with such a deepness within him I'll never forget.

He was one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, and I am going to miss him so much. I could really go on and on and on and on about how much I loved him. He meant the world to me.

I'll miss the times when he would tell his stories about the good old days - and the WAY in which he told them. No one will ever tell them quite like he did. For him, it wasn't just talking, his whole being got into the story, not just his voice. Passion is what it was. Because when you are passionate about something, every fiber of your body tingles with excitement. And that's what my Gramps' was- passionate about life. His whole outlook on life in general was so inspiring - he had a love for the everything in this world. Anything got him excited, even the slightest thing. I think as time goes on and life progresses we often lose that awe and wonder for the everyday things, because they become so normal and routine. But not for my Grandpa, he really knew how to enjoy the little things in life, which in the end are the most important of all.

I hope that I can be like him in that way.

Even though he didn't live close, my heart aches knowing that he is no longer in this world. Over the past few years I had been able to visit him quite often and I'm so thankful and blessed to have spent so much time with him. Even though it makes it harder to say goodbye, I wouldn't trade those moments with him for anything in the world.

Nothing at all.

I know one day I will see him again, and that right there, is the greatest gift of all.

I love you so much, Gramps. Your memory will forever be inside of my heart.

<3

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At 'em boys, Give 'er the gun! (Give 'er the gun now!)
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under,
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!"

"Minds of men fashioned a crate of thunder,
Sent it high into the blue;
Hands of men blasted the world asunder;
How they lived God only knew! (God only knew then!)
Souls of men dreaming of skies to conquer
Gave us wings, ever to soar!
With scouts before And bombers galore. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!"

"Here's a toast to the host
Of those who love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send a message of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old,
Then down we roar to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast, the U.S. Air Force!"

"Off we go into the wild sky yonder,
Keep the wings level and true;
If you'd live to be a grey-haired wonder
Keep the nose out of the blue! (Out of the blue, boy!)
Flying men, guarding the nation's border,
We'll be there, followed by more!
In echelon we carry on. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!"

 

Week Thirty-One

 

   This is a tale about a girl whose name was Envy. She cherished what others had, and not her own. She envied everything about anyone that came into her life. Whether they were young or old, she despised them for what they had. She had no brothers and no sisters, and her parents were always away. 

   One day when she was tired of being alone, she decided to take a walk through the woods. She came across a beautiful green tree with magnificent ivy and vines intricately wrapped around its trunk. She stopped to look at this tree, for she had never seen it before. She was in awe of its beauty, and was drawn to it. So, she decided to sit down and lean against the big tree. Soon she began to tell the tree of her sorrows and misfortune and of everything that was lacking in her life.  The tree was a great listener and heard every word she said. One day when Envy was telling the tree of how she wished she could be as pretty or talented as others, the tree proposed a plan. It gave her an emerald necklace, ring and pair of earrings, saying that if she wore them, all those who she envied, would soon envy her. For a little while, it worked. Envy’s peers were in fact jealous of her beautiful jewels, and it made Envy disgustingly happy. But all too soon, it faded away. It faded away like everything else in this world, something bigger and better came along and the envious eyes took themselves elsewhere. 

   Envy was distraught. She wasn’t the person that every girl wanted to be, and she wasn’t what everyone was talking about anymore. It bothered her. Far more then she would admit. She felt a darkness growing inside of her heart, but she hushed it away, telling herself that there was no fault in having a little confidence. But that was where Envy was wrong. True, she was right about nothing being wrong with having confidence. But it was where she was putting her confidence in that was the problem. She had such a desire to be the next best thing, and was always chasing after what new and wondrous item everyone else had that she forgot that sometimes the best things in life aren’t even things at all. Envy was choosing to put her self worth into material items, but nothing in this life truly lasts. Unknowingly, she was slowly becoming a prisoner of her jealousy, and in more ways then she knew. 

    So in a desperate rage, she ran to the tree and told it of everything that had happened. She told it that she wanted something even more magnificent then the jewels, something to have that nobody would ever stop talking about till the day she died. She wanted to be better than everyone else, and she wasn’t going to stop until she was. The tree thought for a moment, pondering the words that Envy had spoken. It asked her if she truly, deeply and wholeheartedly wanted to be something that nobody else was, someone that would be talked of forever and ever. She said yes, desperately so. She was tired of being just her. She wanted more.

Well, in so many words, Envy got what she wanted. She was somebody, and there was no way anyone was quite like her. But she realized it wasn't what she wanted. She liked herself just the way she had been. She promised over and over again that she wouldn't be jealous anymore, if she could just have everything back to normal again. But it was too late now.

For she was a tree now.

And people talked about her forevermore, the girl who was utterly green with envy.

Week Thirty

My brother and I had the opportunity to spend some time in New York City this summer. :] We were on a road trip driving my Grandfather's car back home from New Hampshire, so we stopped along the way! I didn't have time to take a well-thought out photo, so I had to pull a typical selfie. It's pretty grainy, but oh well.

 

Yes, I realize these are all of Grand Central Station, but it's such a beautiful place. :] Every time I walk into it, my breath is taken away. It's just so... well, GRAND. The beauty of it is so majestic, and the ceiling just so happens to be my favorite color. Maybe I am a little biased, but we don't need to focus on that. ;) I think anyone would find it so lovely there. It's officially one of my places to be. <3

Week Twenty-Nine

Well, I've been a little busy as of late! I've gotten somewhat behind in my photos, so bear with me. :) I'll be posting the one's that I haven't had time to post as quickly as I can. The last blog post was about my trip to California, and it just so happened that a week later I went out of town again! But, without further ado, I must first share that I have acquired a new lens. Well, a new optic. A fisheye optic to be exact! It's for my composer Lensbaby. :D
And man, are those things fun to shoot with. It's like an addiction.

 there's something about fisheye lenses that automatically evokes the ridiculousness out of people.

but, in my opinion that's a good thing.
life's too short not to be. :]