the kingdom of God is like...

so here are some old pictures i took on the old crappy camera when i was working at the hill house. they make me be the person who i want to be. it's not always easy - it's not cute - it's not fun - it's not what most people think it is. but it is a few moments of my life when i am not completely focused on my lame self.

"miss laura, i'm just a little sad because you didn't say you wanted to sit next to me."

"what's your favorite animal?" / "a giraffe."

"what do you want to be when you grow up?" / "a giraffe."

the best child in america.

the aviary

there are some kids who you think about every day for the rest of your life, DJ is one of those kids. sometimes the amount of love that i have for him is overwhelming.

the same story goes for nancy. "miss laura, a man can never beat all of the love out of you."

one of the smartest kids i've ever met.

on this day, no one would let her borrow the pink chalk. so she sat herself down and wrote, with the orange chalk, "i love pink chalk."

a funny thing happened on the way to church...

the last two weekends kate and i have gone to her mother's cabin. this sunday, i was sure that i'd leave in time to get back to be at church. instead, though, we found ourselves at the maple festival in meyersdale, pennsylvania. this was the right decision. again, a little shaky on the pictures of people - but maybe this time was better / i was a little more brave since i wasn't home. also, i'd like to go to johnstown to take pictures. we had dinner in johnstown, and i saw the railroad tracks that i used to ride on the way to central pa / philadelphia. i took some pretty great black and white pictures on those train rides / i'd like to try to take some of those pictures outside of the train, though. anyone up for walking the railroad tracks from pittsburgh to philadelphia with me?

what do we do about the fact that i am destined to be this woman?


this picture's colors are getting washed out for some reason. it looks much different on my computer. when i look at this picture on my computer i think, "damn, girl!"

i call it the happiest place on earth

since i was probably still being held by my mother, the reservoir has been the happiest place in pittsburgh, to me. here are a few pictures. they could be better, if i would be more confident taking pictures of people. instead of being brave, i just usually awkwardly act like i'm not actually taking a picture, which means that i don't really have the time to really make sure the picture is good. time!

i tried to remember, but i said what's a flower? you said, i still love you.

these pictures aren't very good, i don't think. i had some focusing issues. but it was the first time i saw spring this year. and came at a good time. laurie and i were walking in friendship and found a yard full of the crocuses. it was a nice surprise.

that old me is left behind, you are my piece of mind.

companion unrelated post:

i think if david gray is a prophet in my life, then the only option is that lauryn hill is a prophetess. her songs are constantly moving in and out of a conversation with a man and God. constantly trying to get one to replace the other. the transition is usually so seamless that i think most people miss it. it's beautiful. it's our daily struggle, too, right? man vs. God. (somewhere i could make a pun about the tv show man vs. wild...) mmm. but she always ends up realizing that all she really wants is Him.

if for the rest of my life all i have are those unplugged albums and the miseducation, then it's cool.

life's so sweet and so low, burried in the water, yeah, burried in the snow

went to kate's sort of cabin in the woods saturday night. it felt really good. i woke up sunday morning and took a walk. listened to some jesus songs instead of church. the first four are from the field behind the cabin. it was a pretty misty morning.


then we took a little drive and found a covered birdge, a nice little creek, and this red barn. we laughed when i tried to jump over the fence to take a picture because i'm not really good at those kinds of things. things felt really easy. the last picture is me, kate and the dog, pete.

everything that happens is from now on, this is pouring rain, this is paralyzed

these are from sunday. there was rain sunday. and it was good. there's been a lot of rain, clouds and gray. be easy on yourself. these pictures were all taken in schenley park/oakland. except for the picture from mt. washington. which i only took because the cloud was covering the u.s. steel building so i thought the picture might be more interesting than those pictures usually are.

stacks

when it rains or it shines on this pillow of mine, i will lift up my head to the sky

just an afterschool walk. i was hoping it'd be warmer outside than it was. tomorrow is going to be cold - the wind will show you. i've felt sad lately. but usually a walk with your jesus songs will make you feel a little better.

unrelated

i think that david gray is a prophet. and by prophet, i don't mean someone who tells the future. i mean, prophet. someone who speaks the truth. i'm talking jeremiah, i'm talking ezekial. i think that david gray's lyrics are the most beautiful lyrics i've heard in a long time, i also think that if you take them seriously, they're incredibly subversive. i don't have a picture of him. or anything. i just need a place to say this.

we're going to rise from these ashes like a bird of flame, take my hand, we're going to go where we can shine

sunday morning. sometimes i'm too lazy to edit my pictures. they sure look so much better when i do.


sometimes you have to watch to be watched. or be watched to watch. both sort of work. both worked this time.