ouds that precluded me from getting my desired picture. I wondered around the area for a little bit, hoping to find something else delicious I could sink my photo hungry teeth into, but my hunger was not satisfied. While I took some "okay" shots, nothing really jumped out at me, and I found myself sinking into my usual rack focus shot.With that little hiccup, I was on the lookout for another opportunity to capture the day. Last night I started studying for the Iowa bar. For those of you not familiar with the process, admission into one state's bar (not go in and get a drink type bar, but the legal bar) admits you into that state's bar only; typically, you must take and pass each state's exam before you may practice in that jurisdiction. The bar exam, and the preparation, are as close to hell as I have ever come. (If you would like to journey back in time and "experience" that anguish first hand, click on nearly any of the entries from June or July 2008, located in my archived entries.) Since I have little siblings, I'm taking the Iowa bar as a precautionary measure so that I may move back to Iowa on a moment's notice if, God-forbid, something should happen to my parents.
How does this relate to my picture taking quest, you ask? One of my two favorite coffee shops in town is Signs of Life down on Mass(achusetts) St. It's a nice clean place that is usually is pretty quiet. Often you see people you know, which provides a nice break. Lastly, it's connected to a Christian bookstore, and usually employs people who are strong in their faith, which is a nice underlying presence. The "usually pretty quiet" however, is not the case on Wednesday nights when the Lawrence Folk Band Jam Society (or some name like that) gets together. They play lots of different songs and usually provide some very nice background music for studying. I took a variety of pictures of the group last night, but this one seemed to work the best. The colors are warm (albeit a little bright), the lights create a nice patter, there is a lot--but not too much--going on, and I think it captures one of the great things about Lawrence-- the good hearted people. It's not a photographic masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but in writing this entry, I realize it's looking for the little things, such as a quartet of guitars in a small-town kansas coffee shop, that makes life sweet and reminds us that God is good. The leader of the band asked me to e-mail her some of the pictures, so if you'd like to see the others, I'll post a link when I upload those to a photo sharing site.
Those of you who know me know I can be extremly long winded. In an effort not to bore you any longer, I'll finish up in a sentence or two. THANK YOU to everyone who is leaving comments. I LOVE to hear what you think and your encouraging words! Please continue to do so, and if you haven't left a comment yet...START! :) Second, I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but Pete is also taking 365 days worth of pictures. A link to his blog is on the left and is called "One Click, One Pic a Day." I know some of you have already found your way there, but I wanted to tell everyone. He has a little more picture taking expereince, has a fresh perspective on some seemingly ordinary things, and is much more eloquent and entertaining in his writing than I. Finally, feel free to share this blog with anyone and everyone you think may enjoy random thoughts and pictures from a fun loving, big hearted, pretty ridiculous midwestern girl.
