FINDING TREASURES IN BOOKS.

i think i heard an audible cringe break the silence.  we were on our break at school, and my friends and i were talking about how we can't seem to ever pull all-nighters.  it's a good thing we all hang out together.  and NOT pull all-nighters.  the majority of us all agreed 3:00AM was our breaking point.  the need-fingers-constantly-keeping-eyelids-open time. and i proceeded to say something about coffee not evening working by that point.

SILENCE.

oh yaaaa.  the majority of utahns (mormons) don't drink coffee.  or tea.  silly me!  so here i sit enjoying a nice cup of tea blogging.  and it's lovely.  :)  once finished, i'll probably pick up a good book and snuggle in a fuzzy blanket.  i know i've talked about my love of books before (okay, countless times) on my blog, but this summer i've been a readin' machine and i hope i can continue to do so!  driver's ed is getting super busy and time-consuming, but i'll try to push through.  ;)  my latest book finished was northanger abbey by jane austen.  oh loveee!  i think what made me love it even more was the movie though, which i viewed on da 'tube.  you don't hear that everyday do ya?  -- liking a book even more after seeing the movie?  BUT they did a great version that's current AND amazing.  i'm not a huge pride and prejudice fan (a little too mainstream to suite my taste), so i just wanted to see what the rest of austen's work was like and now i want to finish reading her collection of books!  very cool.

before that, my last read classic was wuthering heights by emily brontë.  i finished it in the best of places, the SUU painting lab.  ohhh how i love SUU.  the library, the buildings, the campus.  meanwhile it was pouring rain outside.  the gigantic drops splattered on the huge glass windows looking out to the campus.  if you've ever read it before, think heathcliff in his room with the windows open, curtains blowing wildly from the wind, and excessive amounts of rain (THAT part!) pouring into his room.  woah.  perfect setting i was in, right?




i just love an old book.  so classic and enjoyable.  :)  i love going through my grandparent's old books.  i have a few of their 1940's school books. (like the kind with charts to use because they didn't have calculators!  tough stuff!)  very interesting.



i was stopped in my tracks when i saw this photograph.  WOAH.  this is my great grandpa's (i have no idea how many "greats" he was) old bible.  this print is soooo cool to see in person.  it has this interesting metallic print quality to it, but you can't really tell in these images below.  the part that stopped me was i have absolutely no idea who these two children are.  i don't even know where this is.  i think my grandpa grew up in california and always lived there, but i'm not really sure...either way, this print is special to me.



wow, long post with lots of words!  you get a gold star and ice cream sundae if you actually read all this!  ;)  before returning northanger abbey to the library, i wanted to leave a little somethin' inside.  :)  a blue post-it fell out halfway through this book and i've always wanted to find a book with a note in it!  unfortunately, there was nothing on the post-it, but i thought i'd return the book with one.  :)  enjoy your weekend all!



mandi mae shoots weddings in utah!

RUNNING TOWARDS MY GOALS :)

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain.  Or at least what my brain was telling me was rain.  I inwardly thought, "If it downpours maybe I can opt out and I won't have to run this 5k!  Then I could grab my t-shirt and number and leaveee!"  Haha!  I've had allergies recently so I'm a little blocked up and running didn't sound like it would help.  I swear my brain has been in a different time zone and it takes forever to realize what's going on.  Or what someone says.  Or that so-and-so got a haircut.  Ya'know.  I've been drinking tea like a mad woman lately because of all this.  So I can't complain about having to restock my tea supplies.  :)  Anywho, this morning it wasn't really raining (just sprinklers) and it didn't downpour.  And I ran a 5k.

AND I RAN A 5K?  Wooh!  :)  35:55 baby.  My goal was to get under 45:00 (15:00/mi with the last .1mi being a little faster.  Alright, alright pro. runners.  Cue the scoff.  I'm slow & I love it.) and I ran under that time!  But I swear the race route wasn't 3.1mi long.  That, or my pedometer is messed up.  On our treadmill at home, running a mile is about 2,000 steps so I figured 3.1 was a little over 6,000 steps.  Um, no.  My pedo clocked in 4 thousand-something steps today.  Whaaa?  And 3.1mi on the treadmill was, in fact, 6,000 steps.  Whatev.

That big furry mass of fluff and cellulite is my cat, Tippy.  She did not come with the medal and t-shirt.  ;)



Hooooly cow.  I loved that race though.  So fun & I was so PUMPED.  :)  All those runners together to race for fun and all being active at the same time?  Amazing.  Amazing, amazing!   Makes me want to do more of these thaaangs!  I almost always run to music or the radio, but today, spur-of-the-moment, I decided to run to a podcast.  Not any podcast, a Judah Smith sermon from the City Church.  I read about fellow photographer Jamie Delaine lovin' his podcasts and I can't turn down a good preacher so helloooo, PERFECTION.

After laying down on my living room floor for fifteen minutes to recover (ha ha) I headed out again to go to the parade on main street.  I love small towns.  Cedar's getting bigger and bigger, but I still see it as the small hometown America it used to be.  Nothing beats seeing the veterans float while hearing "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm freeee!" play and everyone clapping.  And even though the rest of the parade feels like advertisements and tons of businesses marching down the road, I'm proud to be an American.  Because, truly, I'm free.

 





cedar city wedding photographer mandi likes running.  a lot.  believe it.  ;)