April 30

I realized that I neglected to tell you, my lovely readers, about something wonderful that happened a while ago.

I got a dslr.

(!!!!)

If you've been following since earlier this winter, you might remember some posts in which I either mentioned or fully expounded on my dreams about a big, nice camera. That dream came true about a month and a half ago.

April 30 was a rainy day. My dad took me to the camera store, where we met my grandparents, who were a big part of that good day. The salesguy brought out the box from the back room, the box full of the camera I had chosen a few days before. He set me up with a few accessories, the bill was paid, and home we went over the slick streets.

Arriving at home was when the fun really took off. I fetched my point and shoot to chronicle the event of unpacking, play by play.



I was sa-vor-ing that moment. Excitement was coursing through my veins, but I was happy to sit back, snap some photos, and enjoy the happy disbelief.





Ooooh....major excitement mounting!



I couldn't believe that this curious synthetic-wrapped black lump was mine. :)



The whole time, I felt slightly dazed. In the best way, of course! ;) I hadn't been expecting a camera like that, right then.

I was blessed with that camera. It's opened up so many possibilities. Sometimes, it feels unreal. I wasn't lucky when I got this camera; I was blessed.

Incredibly, amazingly blessed.

I'm indebted to so many people; the men and women who encouraged me, helped me financially, gave advice. I'm indebted to Jesus, who laid the foundation for everything good thing that has entered my life.

Thank you. Thank you.
~M

Giveaway winner!

Good morning everyone!

Well, the giveaway has come to a close. Thank you all so much for entering, posting and following!

Now, as for the winner . . .


Number 13 = Anna!Congrats, girl! Email me at hello_world_blog@yahoo.com with your address so I can send the goods on their way as soon as possible.

I've really enjoyed this giveaway - getting to know you all has been so fun. I hope to host another one sometime soon!

Cheers,
Margaret

Believe in every shot.

I've been learning some things about photography lately . . .



Know that the best shot will happen tomorrow.

Willingly fill up your memory card with photos. Have fun!

Then ruthlessly delete the shoddy ones.

If you've been barefoot for a while, try on some pumps. Or vice versa.

Take photos of the thing or place you've taken photos of for years. Find or make new eyes for yourself.



Shoot in the wind.

Take a picture of something plastic.

Fail if you need to.

Don't let dust settle on your camera.

But rest from searching for a photo every so often..

Don't let yourself down.



Get up at sunrise.

Work for excellence.

Shoot golden hour to the point of exploitation.



Be humble.

And grateful.

And adaptive.



Don't wait.

Carry paper and pen.

Be inspired.

Don't grieve over the fabulous shot you miss.



Chill out.

Do something about your dreams.

Ignore the curmudgeons.

Have strong convictions and an open heart.

And believe in every shot.

~6.7.2011

Home.

It's been a long week at camp. Feelings like awe, exhaustion, joy, near-misery, peace, and many others flew through me at a million miles a second. Camp is like that. I'm in a different environment, the kids are in a different environment, and we're there simply to have fun and meet God.

The growth I see in the kids is worth all the challenges. God's ability to soften hearts, forgive our failings, and show His love simply awes.

When I'm away from home, and wildly busy at my new location, my perspective changes. Coming home makes that clear.



My driveway becomes a source of pleasure to look at.

I remember how much I love the trees in the yard.



I'm reminded, delightfully, of how much fun my sister is.



I remember how good it feels to take pictures.



It doesn't matter that the floor isn't spotlessly vacuumed or that someone forgot to put away their shoes. It only matters that I'm back home.

It's a hard word to define....I still don't have my definition figured out, even though I'm reveling in it. :) I think that if I melded contentment, peace, and simplicity together, I'd begin to get to that meaning.

Anyway, I should go finish the laundry. :)
~M

Moleskine + Pens = Giveaway!

Giveaway now closed!

Presenting Hello, World's first giveaway!! I'm pretty excited.

Summer is a great time to write. Lots of cool mornings, sunshiny afternoons, gorgeous skies, peaceful rain showers . . . it all just begs to be written about. So, to address that need, I am giving away . . .

A classic Moleskine notebook! It's 5x8^1/4, a nice size for a shoulder bag or a laptop bag or a camera bag, and has 240 pages of squared paper. I love squared paper . . . it feels like I'm designing something with my words. Oh, and this notebook is a lovely bright red color. Very spiffy.

And because I really, really believe in good pens, I'm sending the winner a 3-pack of medium-tip Sharpie pens. These guys are some of my favorites, and I think you'll like 'em, too.

Think you could put these to good use? Here's how to enter:

~Follow Hello, World~1 entry
~Blog, Facebook, or Tweet about this giveaway (leave a link for the blog post in the comment - I won't be able to see your FB or Twitter posts, so I'm relying on your honesty!)~1 entry each
~Put the Hello, World button on your sidebar~1 entry
~Put this advert on your sidebar~1 entry

<a href="http://helloworld-life-people.blogspot.com/2011/06/moleskine-pens-giveaway.html"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/Zszuc.jpg" /></a>

~~~~

The giveaway will end on the 22nd, then I will use a random number generator to see who wins. I'm leaving for camp today and won't be back until Thursday, so I'm turning off comment moderation and looking forward to seeing this play out.

Good luck, entrants!
~M

sunset

I was visiting family out of town last weekend, out in the wide open countryside . . . and the light on Saturday evening was splendid.



So I grabbed my camera and cousin and tripped out to the road where the view to the west was ah-mazing.



I loved it. Being with my family, enjoying the beauty of the surroundings, celebrating a graduation, taking photos . . . eating cupcakes . . .



Lovely, simple time. New memories and photos . . . life is so beautiful.

~~~~

I've been experimenting with different means of getting my photos onto this blog, so if things have been looking untidy around the edges...that's why. Today's idea: opening a Flickr solely for the blog photos and their html codes. :)

Learning Experience

Che-eck it out!! I got the proof copy of Cadish!

It's unedited, unadulterated, and the same novel I wrung out over the course of five months. I renamed it Misadventures and Realizations off the cuff. Maybe to add to the general flippancy of the thing. ;)

I didn't edit before requesting the free copy. I just wanted to move on after finishing it, but the offer from NaNoWriMo expires in a month, and there's no way I could rewrite an improved version in that time. Writing Cadish was a learning experience, pure and simple.

I learned that:
~I shouldn't mess with love story threads
~Or death scenes
~.875 is too a wide a gutter margin for a 350-page book
~You need to make the title and copyright pages by yourself when you publish with CreateSpace. That somehow slipped my mind while prepping the file!
~I need to be myself when I write. I need to say what I want and need to say.

And a few other useful things, too. All said, I am soooo glad this is my first novel. It's my map for the future. :) Now as I form my new novel, I know what I need to avoid, and what I need to strive for! I love that.

Smiles,
M