12/30/09

Two Thousand and Niner

I've been editing through photographs from this last year, catching up and slowly chipping away at making a new website. With each grouping of pixels, I'm reminded of all of the surprising and amazing things I've been lucky to experience, and the incredible people, places and emotions I've encountered. As I scan through the thousands of raw files and dozens and dozens of selects, all I can think to myself is 'my god, what a wonderful life.' The photographs all flash before me: a memory, a thought, a question, an answer, a fleeting feeling or dream or tiny miracle that once happened before my eyes, and I sit awe-struck. This year has been full of love, pain, and growth, as any good year should be. One year ago I had just moved back from NYC and before I knew it I was in Vermont trying not to freeze, then a cabin in the woods of Athens, Ohio battling huge spiders and waking up to red foxes, then back home on the farm for harvesting the garden, then in a new home with my non-biological sisters, waking up everyday to laughter and falling asleep every night with a heart bursting with love, and here I am now, sipping on coffee and watching the snow falling.

I am so thankful for every one of you and for this glorious chance to be alive and share all of these things together.

Here's to you and you and you.


And here is a semi-random grouping of photographs from the last year, starting at exactly this time one year ago and ending at the first snow earlier this month.

olivia, moonlight, trees.

town meeting, vermont. (valley news)

blizzard at the atlantic, maine.

somewhere in new hampshire.

self portrait at window. hartland, vermont.

noah's car. burr oak lake parking lot. athens, ohio.

cameron with bubbles at the cabin.

late at night outside of my bedroom.

allegheny mountains.

jenna. allegheny mountains, pennsylvania.

dan laughing. athens, ohio.

zena. summer.

unnatural nature.

east village. flesh.

cheeseburger in the sky. coney island.

noah and ryan. burr oak lake.

mother in the secret garden. chatham, ohio.

welcome home.

johnny and larry.

the giving tree.

golden afternoon. athens, ohio.

sophia.
ryan at strouds run lake.

american escape.

celestial.

caught star. nyc.

first snow. athens, ohio.

love and peace,
shaena