Black Beauty

The beauty of tonight pleased me very much. Our family enjoyed dinner for three birthdays: mine, my sister's, and my cousin's. My father made a surprise visit and ended up treating us all to dinner by paying for everyone, even though he did not eat himself. He also brought me my birthday present, a new camera. I'm excited about it!

I got another surprise visit tonight from my friend Ryan who was passing through town. We drove out for tea and talked about life, sitting in an empty coffee shop.

I haven't had much time for photography lately. In fact, my entire life has become engulfed in a single monumental task related to the mission work I'm taking part in. It's very rewarding and I believe it's for good, but it's also emotionally and physically draining to be so absorbed in one thing all the time. Today I was thinking about how my life has become very unbalanced. Before I spent adequate time alone and adequate time with others. Now I am almost never alone to think and rest. I am with people almost all the time, and they are people I mostly am just meeting for the first time. Spending so little time with myself or with people I am comfortable around has had a big effect on me. The good thing is, that I'm being pushed and growing a lot. I only hope my family and friends don't become offended by my radical unavailability to them in the short term.

Here are some photos from earlier this summer. I haven't had time to take photos on my new camera yet.


This is a lily in my garden. The cultivar is called 'Black Beauty'


The House of Blues in Chicago. I walked 12 blocks with my mom and 89 year old grandmother to get here. We took a cab home.


A cool underground library at the University of Illinois. Most of my phone conversations in June took place as I walked around the perimeter.


A turtle in my driveway.


My mom's dog Cindy.