Online Store

As my previous post mentioned I have gone back to school. Turns out books are really really expensive!! I have never understood why text books have to be so expensive. :)  To help offset my school costs, I've decided to open an online store to sell my photos. So if you'd like to help support my school endeavors or just need a pretty picture for your wall, be sure to check out my new store by clicking on the link below.

Thank you

Teresa Hunt Photography - Store

Wow, It's been a while

I knew it had been a while since I posted on my blog, but I had no idea it had been over 2 months. I'll give you a quick update on where I've been. About a week after my last post I found an apartment. I knew it was time to take a step toward a new life and moving seemed to be the easiest way. So I started apartment hunting. It was a very depressing venture. Most of the apartments in my price range were in places I would not live. However one afternoon an apartment within my price range in an area I would live appeared. But the trick was I had to take it right away. So I did. The month of February was spent packing, moving, unpacking and cleaning the old apartment. It was quite the adventure. 

If moving wasn't enough to keep me busy I decided to go back to school. This was a few months in the making as I had to research schools, go through the application process and get accepted. During my very frantic move I found out I was accepted into Multnomah University's Master of Counseling program. Exciting and frightening all at the same time. I spent the month of March settling into my new home and recovering from the shock of having to do homework again. 

Now that my new apartment is mostly unpacked, I hope to settle into a study schedule soon. An assignment for my first class was to create a study schedule that allowed for some balance in life. So I made sure to schedule time for my photography since I think that may be one of the few things that will keep me sane through this intensive 2 year program. Lets just hope the homework doesn't overwhelm me and take control. 

2 Years

2 years ago my life stopped. I've gone 2 years without hearing my son's voices, 2 years without hugging them or telling them I love them, 2 years without reading a bedtime story, 2 years without breaking up a fight, 2 years without their craziness and laughter, 2 years without being called Mom.

It's a heartbreaking thing to have to start your life over with out the people who are most important to you. I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions. My first year I created a book, to help me deal with what I was going through.

This past year I did another project.

My project for year 2

Larch Mountain

Several years about I heard about a place where you could see the entire mountain range, including Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainer. For years I kept telling people I wanted to go to Larch Mountain, but no one ever took me. So one Saturday I decided to drive up there myself. Now I'd done a little bit of research, but had no idea it would be a 14 mile drive through a forest before I'd get to the parking lot . . . then I had to find the trail that let to the lookout.

 After walking a bit down the trail I came to the base of some stairs . . . so up I went.

 The view from the top of the first set of stairs was breathtaking!!

It didn't matter which direction you looked there was a fantastic view.

 After climbing the last set of stairs I had a great view of Mt. Jefferson, which was only 62 miles away. However there was enough cloud cover (and smoke from wildfires in Washington) that I was unable to see any of the other mountain peaks. I guess I'll just have to go back!!

 I always find it amazing when I see what appear to be fragile plants growing out of rocks.

Finally the sun started to set and cast a beautiful light on Mt. Jefferson.

However, when I turned around I saw the most beautiful sunset, over the Columbia River Gorge. Watching this sunset felt like being in a dream. I took several pictures, to capture the changing colors. 

 I love the sun rays above the clouds in the above photo. The last photo is my favorite . . . I may have to print this one for my living room wall.

Random Thoughts: Mary's Grief

A few weeks ago I was listening to one of my favorite Christmas CD's. A song titled "Still Her Little Child" came on. As I listened to the song I realized something . . . Mary, like myself and so many mothers I know, was a grieving mother. She watched her oldest son be tortured and put to death in the most horrific fashion. She had to bury her baby boy. For 3 horrible days she knew the unimaginable grief of loosing a child.

 

But Mary received a gift all grieving mothers can only dream of . . . . she got to see her son again. A mere 3 days after being buried, Jesus came back from the dead. What overwhelming joy and relief Mary must have felt.

 

However, several days later Mary lost her son again when he ascended into Heaven. And here is where I'd like to pose a question for your contemplation. Did Mary still grieve the loss of her son after he ascended to heaven? I think she might have. For even though she was able to see her son again, he was still gone. Even though she was able to see Jesus in his full glory, he was still gone. Never again in her earthly life would she be able to talk to, touch, hug or hear her son's voice. In the end that's all we grieving mothers want to do. We want to hold our children, to talk to them, to hear their voice, to smell their presence, to touch them and to have them touch us. We don't cry and grieve for our children. We cry and grieve for the LOSS of our children . . . for what we no longer have. And that is why I think Mary grieved for her son until she joined him.

 

 

* Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be a biblical study to impart truth or doctrine. This is just some of the rambling thoughts I've had as I process my grief. *

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls has been at the top of my "Places I want to visit someday" list for a very long time. Thanks to some wonderful friends I had the opportunity to see the falls this past August. Niagara Falls is an amazing place I plan to visit again!

You can see the spray from the falls long before you see the falls themselves. That's the Canadian skyline on the other side of the mist.

One of my favorite things about waterfalls is watching the water go over the edge. This photo was taken at the tip of Horseshoe Falls on the American side.

 

 An above view of the American Falls with the bridge to Canada in the background.

I wonder how many people take the time to look upriver? The site there is just as beautiful

I laughed when I saw that someone had thrown an orange object into the river . . . It was fun to watch it go over the edge.

 A side view of American Falls with Horseshoe Falls and the Canadian skyline in the background

 It was so much fun watching the changing colors of the lights shining on the falls.

I love the pink spray of the above photo and the slightly psychedelic look of the lights in the photo below.

                                                 Someday I will go back . . . .

The Last DC Post . . . . A Few Random Shots

For my last DC post I thought I would share a few random shots. There are not enough of each grouping to make a complete blog post. But there are quite a few when grouped together. So this is a long post. Have fun! :)

 

The first 3 photo's are from The American History Museum and the Natural History Museum. The Hope Diamond was pretty cool to see. The history of the diamond is written on the walls. My favorite Hope Diamond fact: the diamond was stolen and exactly 1 day after the statue of limitations from prosecution was up . . . the diamond resurfaced.

 I can't remember the history behind this boat . . . . but I remember that its old :)

                        And of course I had to get a shot of Kermit!!

          This was as close as I got to the White House this trip to DC

                        For some reason this photo makes me giggle

            The Vietnam Memorial is an amazing, emotional place

 One of our stops took us to a Bonsai exhibit. I found this tree with two-toned bark very interesting.

 My favorite part of the Bonsai exhibit was the little people they put in with the trees.

 This tiny little building reminds me of my boy's favorite TV show "The Last Air Bender"

 We spent a little time in the sculpture garden . . . I think this one looks like the Death Star

 The next 3 photo's I'm putting on the blog in honor of my son Dawson. He loved flying and anything to do with space. I had reservations about going into the Air and Space Museum because I knew it would be hard. But I wasn't prepared for how hard it was. I went straight to the Wright Brothers exhibit. I wanted to see the first airplane. As soon as I walked into the room and started reading the history of the Wright Brothers I started crying. My son would have loved this room. He would have loved seeing what all went into making the first airplane fly.

 An actual lunar landing module built by NASA . . . . and The Spirit of St. Louis

               The last several photos are from the National Zoo

 One of these day's I'll get to see a peacock with his feathers on display

 I've never seen a real panda before. It was kinda fun to watch him eat the bamboo

                                  A momma gorilla and her baby

                We could hear the lions roaring before we saw them.

 These were the most active lions I've ever seen at a zoo. In the photo below the younger lion is starting a wrestling match with the older lion. :)