18

I remember being 18.  It has been, to date, the best age.  I Graduated high school, had a great summer,  threw myself a going away party before I started college.  Next… I started college.  I was so excited about life.  about the new adventures coming up.  about growing up and becoming a nurse.  about the new friends I would make at college.  I remember getting dropped off at college.  How dad helped my roommate and I get our room set up because her parents were still in Germany.  I remember saying goodbye, and being scared to death, until the next day when this crazy girl named chelsie said hi and started the best group of college friends I could have asked for.
Life was good at 18.  Really good.  And so full of promise... I was positive only good things were going to happen.  Looking back, from the advanced age of 23, I know life isn't as easy as I was hoping it would be. I know about different challenges.  I know how hard being  a grownup really is.  But at 18? I had the world and it was mine.

My 18 year old patient has tried to kill herself 3 times in the past 6 months.  I look at her, and I know she has no hope.  She doesn't look anyone in the eye, but willingly took a massive amount of medications trying to end her life permanently. at 18.  I don't know her life story.  I suspect it isn't pretty, seeing as how her step mom was the only parent anywhere around, but still.  How, at 18, can life look so bleak that you just want to end it?  Life is just beginning at 18.  The world should be full of hope. 

It makes me sad.

Favorite Time of Year!!!

I love autumn.  I love not wearing flip-flops and putting back on my favorite rocket dog shoes, putting back on the denim jacket. (and can we get a cheer for the return of hoodie weather?)

I love the colors. the way red leaves look on green grass.

I love the way they look on trees… especially the baby trees!

I love autumn flowers, both alive and dead.

and I love autumn skies through leave-less trees. 

I love this time of year.  After the heat has stopped and before the cold has begun… I love autumn. 

 

part of you capture!

:)

Last week walking around the local college campus, I saw a millipede.  does that count as an animal? I guess it is more like a bug, but still….

it is awfully cute. and it had this little guy pushing it to go.  I don’t know what he is, but once again, cute :)

(yes. the millipede is wearing high heels. )

on Monday I took pictures of my friend Katy and her husband for Christmas cards.  oh, and their two 6 month old puppies.  do you have any idea how hard it is to get 2 puppies to look at you? Add in a husband who didn’t want to be there and a wife who spent so much time making sure they were looking that she never was, and it was… interesting. Oh, and it had been raining all day so it was wet and muddy.  We had fun, but it was definitely a new challenge. that required lots of laughter.  which actually made holding the camera still quite difficult.

  

I also learned that sometimes with dogs, it matters less that they look at the camera and more that whatever they are looking at holds them still enough that their heads aren’t a pure blur. 

It was fun. 

You Capture