This is definitely going to be a lazy day. There hasn't been a lazy day in almost two weeks; amazingly I don't feel as frazzled as I imagined I would. Maybe it's the stormy weather. Thunderstorms are easily my favorite. I find them to be envigorating, fascinating and enthralling - and oddly calming. Aside from my usual fascination and reverence for the natural world, I attribute much of my attitude toward thunderstorms to my childhood. My family lived in Texas when I was very young and while I don't remember very much of the three years that we spent there, certain memories remain. I will never forget the way the desert looked - yellow, dusty, almost barren. It was always a favorite pastime of my sister and I to chase after the tiny little road runners, or to try and catch the quick little lizards that only looked so lazy in the sun. I will never forget the first time I saw a scorpion, an armadillo, the quintessential tumbleweed rolling aimlessly down the street or the first and only time it snowed.
Another favorite was going to the river walk in San Antonio. It was beautiful, especially at night when the light would reflect off the river in rainbow colours, the sound of music and the chatter of tourists and vendors alike would always fill the air. It was bustling with activity day and night. I loved every minute of it, (though I'm sure as a child I still did my fair share of whining). Last, but not least, and certainly one of my most fond memories were the thunderstorms. They were montrously powerful but I was never afraid. Every time there was a storm I would sit on my father's lap and watch and listen. The deep sound of thunder would rumble across the desert in rolling waves and the lightening would flash across the sky. It would reach down to the ground or snake across the bellies of the low-hanging clouds and light up the darkness almost as bright as day. There would be no rain, of course, but it was one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed in my lifetime and I have yet to see a storm here in Michigan that would hold a candle to the beauty of those southern desert storms, but I don't think that I would want to. Those moments are a memory that I would like to preserve as they are.

It has finally been decided. My last vacation for this year will be taking place way up north in the Porcupine Mountain range at the end of September. Kevin and I deliberated about it quit a bit yesterday but settled on breaking the trip into day-trips instead of backpacking the whole trail. This way we'll be able to see more of the waterfalls and hopefully we'll be able to save the main attraction for last - The Lake of Clouds. I would be more than happy to get up at the break of dawn, (even though I'm the worst morning person on the face of the planet), just to climb up the side of a mountain and look down into a narrow valley that is filled with clouds. I can only imagine how beautiful that would be. Of course, my new Xsi DSLR will be coming with me so I'll be sure to take plenty of photographs while we're up there. I've promised myself that I won't look at any photographs of the Porcupine Mountains,(and especially not the Lake of Clouds) before we go. I don't want to even have the slightest idea what I'm going to see there just to maximize the effect of the awe and because I don't want to be getting any inspiration from other people's photographs. So, the countdown begins until the 23rd of September.

Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen! It has finally arrived. The Canon Rebel Xsi Digital SLR is in the hands of Yours Truly! (*girly squeal*)

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to me! I think we all know what I will be doing this weekend and the great thing is I won't have to wait to process the film and convert the images to digital files so I can post them on here. Hooray!

I'm finally starting to get caught up on all the photographs that I've taken and haven't been able to post. It's been tedious work but it feels good to get through it. I can't wait to get my new camera. I ordered a Canon DSLR Xsi! It was about all I could do not drool all over the page in the catalog.....and the price is unbeatable right now. I swore to myself that I would never go digital, but at this point the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. At least this way I'll still be able to shoot manually with the much added convenience of cost efficiency, instant gratification and the ability to provide much larger file sizes for prints. I feel giddy just thinking about it.

Today is a good day. The first time that I've been able to get some real sleep in almost three weeks and it feels fantastic. Of course, getting up at 10am is a bit earlier than I'd expected to, but it's still sleeping in 4 hours later than when I would normally crawl out of bed. Still, I fell into my normal morning routine - feed the cats, (they were circling around my ankles like little furry sharks by now - breakfast was late!), make some coffee, water the plants. Even though this is what I do every morning, it was different. Not rushed or panicked as I try to get everything done and still be on time for work, so I began to realize how ritualized my movements were. Everything has to be done in a certain way and in a certain order. It sounds anal doesn't it? It very well my be, but it's a comfort to me - it's something familiar and these are important parts of my day.
As to the rest of today, well, there is a lot to be done. So much to catch up on that I've been too exhausted to keep up with for the last few weeks. It will be a busy day, but I'm looking forward to it and the feeling of accomplishment I'm sure will follow at the end when I can settle down to enjoy whatever I please for the evening.




*by the way.....is anybody having difficulty changing the "mood" on your journals? Apparently I am to be perpetually nervous. Every time I click on the button to change the mood icon it just keeps trying to load and won't let me change anything.......*