in with the new

i've felt the need for a change on my blog for a while now.

it wasn't that i disliked my old blog layout, but i started to realize it didn't

seem to match the direction i was going in nor who i was anymore.

my blog has become a lot more than it used to be and i was ready

to change it up. i'm not much of a "floral" gal anymore and i was ready

for something a bit more mature. with all of the changes in my life these days,

i wanted this creative outlet of mine to represent how far i've come and 

*hopefully* where i'll go.

kaelah has been one of my favorite bloggers for about a year now.

i admire her for so many reasons but the primary being that

she is just who she is and she's never apologized for that.

she carries herself with grace, poise, and rocks her style the way it is.

i knew there was no other person for the job and i knew

she would design something for me that felt me.

working with her was amazing and at times i felt like the worst

client in the world (not really knowing what i wanted and changing

up the colors and design completely from the original plan) but

once we got it figured out, she ran with it and captured my vision perfectly.

i love that it feels so me and i'm so excited with how it turned out.

THANK YOU KAELAH! 

Let's talk about something...

I can't lie and say that in the weeks following our break-up, I started to wonder how exactly I was going to keep up my blogging momentum without a photographer boyfriend. I wasn't panicking nor was I self centered enough to be concerned about the demise of my blog as I knew it; it was more that I curious as to exactly how I was going to make it work. Well, three months later, boy did it work and dare I might say...better? That's not to harp on his photography (which is beautiful), but I always did feel a little bit guilty stealing time on our "dates" to "pretty please come take pictures of me for my blog". In retrospect, it doesn't seem like taking ten minutes out of a date would be of any nuisance (and maybe I'm wrong and Niklaas never felt any strain on our time together because I asked if he would take pictures for me) but for me, it definitely started to impact what we did together and I'm ashamed to admit that. If I ever date someone who is a photographer again, I probably won't ask them to take pictures for me unless it's a very infrequent occurrence because who wants to date a girl who wants to go to dinner only at a selected location that's close to a wall she really likes to take pictures in front of?

So how did I make it work? Naturally after a break-up, suddenly I had more time and in that time, I busied myself with my friends (and spent more time with them than I did before, sadly) and with new hobbies. I have found that it has become so much easier to not have to rely on someone to always take my pictures but to instead make it work as it fits. I usually don't plan out shoots anymore nor do I really think about what I'm wearing before I go out. These days, I tend to get dressed as I normally would and if there's a pause in my evening I either beg my sister while we're on an errand to pull over to snap a few pictures or call a friend right then and there to go out with me somewhat spontaneously (and most are willing because they're awesome people). What's crazy is how well this is actually working out and how I'm posting more regularly than ever before. I tend to shift from my sister to either one of my friends; Margaret, Julianne, and Omni. I'm not really sure how to explain the difference between calling a friend to take my pictures and taking time out of our hang out session to and asking Niklaas to do it and taking time out of our date, but I think it largely has to do with the frequency in which one person does it.

As I move into the school year, I've invested in a better tripod and I'm hoping that I can still steal some of my friends between their school work to snap pictures. But if not, I've learned in this process how to go with the flow and I'm actually more proud of my blog and the work I have put into it than I was before because it's 100% my responsibility now.

time is on our side

I went back through some of my old blog posts yesterday and it kind of struck me how much things around here have changed. I've always blogged for the same purpose and I don't think the content has changed drastically, but I would say that my writing and narrative has changed. It's actually pretty embarrassing to read some of the posts I wrote when I was 16/17. I want to slap myself in the forehead rereading certain posts. But, unfortunately, I realize that we all probably look back at ourselves at a certain age and think we were all pretty ridiculous and in another couple of years, I'll probably think I sound ridiculous this very second. Unavoidable.

It's safe to say that I am a big fan of colored denim. I've worn these pants three times already and I already have my eye on another pair for fall. Today for the first time in a while, though, I got ready to post these pictures and felt a little bit underwhelmed because yet again, it's another "separates" post. Oops. Have no fear, I have a dress on today. Things will change up here pretty soon, I promise!

Let's just be honest here, everything about this post and the experience we had taking these pictures felt so very "Idaho". How many times when I take pictures do I get stopped to ask if everything is alright on the back country roads? Every single time. Also, as soon as we stepped outside of the car, we heard the loud "BAHH!" that was the sound of four sheep looking at us like we were dinner. Yeah, I'm going to miss Idaho when I go back to Montana in a few weeks.

shirt: Jcrew // pants & belt: Ruche // shoes: Modcloth

22 before 21

(one) get all A's for one semester.

(two) skinny dip.

(three) sew my own article of clothing/alter something from goodwill.

(four) go an entire year without facebook.

(five) train and complete a 5k.

(six) photograph a wedding.

(seven) finish a writing project.

(eight) buy every piece of furniture for my apartment used.

(nine) go on a road trip to seattle.

(ten) ask someone well dressed on the street or on campus if i can take a picture of what they're wearing.

(eleven) go on a road trip to portland.

(twelve) stick to a clothing budget.

(thirteen) make my own stationary and get back to regular letter writing.

(fourteen) pay off my car.

(fifteen) learn to take my own pictures with a tripod.

(sixteen) order something other than grilled cheese/chicken fingers at restaurants.

(seventeen) move forward in the future without looking backwards.

(eighteen) learn to use the public bus system.

(nineteen) rent a tandem bike with a date/friend and ride around missoula.

(twenty) keep a cleaning routine in my apartment.

(twenty one) network my photography in missoula.

(twenty two) meet some bloggers IN REAL LIFE!

what's more surprising?

...that I woke up before 4:30AM to take these pictures,

that these pictures are completely unedited,

or that last month, I somehow tripled my normal monthly blog views

according to my stats? 

because honestly, all shock me to no end (but especially the latter).

peplum

Alright, alright... I'm sorry. Polka dots? Again? Red and mint...? Again? Hat? Again? What can I say, I'm milking summer colors for all their worth while also continuing my separates streak. Last week I was wearing skirts and now I'm wearing colored denim? Yeah, that's happening too. I'm a pants lover it seems. Polka dots, mint, and mauve? Changing it up but still in predictable summer colors. When I like something, I guess I really like it.

This week, I got to go with a graduate student in my lab to collect samples for research, and it was awesome. For the past two summers I've pretty much been strictly a dish-washer and the occasional tag maker, but I've never gotten to do anything hands-on in the field. It was awesome! We spent the whole day at the lake and it was pretty much exactly what it sounds like: I bent over the side of a boat and collected water samples and then used some fancy science gear to dig up sediment from the bottom of the lake containing invertebrates that we also took samples of. It was much better than a day inside doing dishes.

top: Ruche // belt: Ruche // jeans: Francesca's Collections //

hat & shoes: Urban Outfitters

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