Rochester

At the end of each night while we were at Mayo, I would edit and transmit photos, start importing video, and then satisfy some cabin fever and general emotional unrest with a walk around downtown.

Scary movies

Features needed a photo illustration for a Halloween story they did about the best scary movies. Seth helped me out by rounding up some friends, and we wrecked the floor of a local theater. I can now add "vacuuming" to my list of things I will do for a photo.

Daycare

Barb did a story on daycare certification a few weeks ago. I photographed a daycare up in Belle Fourche. These kids were getting ready to go outside and play.

Storybook Island

A really annoying theme park in town decorated for the holiday. I say really annoying because it is the biggest eye-sore and I have to drive past it like nineteen times a day. But if you're four, it's probably a real hoot.

Non-voters

Barb did a story on non-voters for a pre-election story. This is super late. Anyways, this woman doesn't vote. In the process of talking about her life and the difficult things she deals with everyday, she starts telling me about her granddaughter and how her granddaughter needs a feeding tube to survive. The woman then proceeds to lift up her shirt and show me where the feeding tube goes. I have to say that was the first time an old lady has ever flashed me.

State Volleyball

We had a handful of state tournaments in Rapid this year: basketball, golf and volleyball. There have been some long days and late nights shooting sports. This is how I felt at the end of the volleyball tournament. Oh, and catwalks rule.

Rush home opener

We got a new hockey team in town. And Seth is their number one fan. Trust me, I wouldn't have pegged Seth as a hockey fan either but seriously games are more fun with Seth there. Here are some images from the home opener a few weeks ago.

Deadwood

A National Geographic Traveler review of Deadwood prompted our business reporter to do some digging around in the tourist and historic scene of Deadwood. The review basically slammed Deadwood, saying that it lacked character and basically chalking it up to being a smaller Reno. Can't say I totally disagreed. I think what we both found out at the end was that you really need to look hard to find a Deadwood that isn't just slot machines and overpriced crap.

Veteran's Day

Found a folder lost on my desktop with a bunch of photos I meant to post here. Here's one from the Veteran's Day parade downtown. Ryan's critique from my take was that nothing said "parade." Touché Ryan, touché.

January 5th

In two weeks I will have been here for a year. I've been pouring over archives from the past twelve months, trying to put together a tight edit for a review. This year has been... indescribable. It has been incredibly challenging. I've never lived this far from home. And it's not so much that I miss my friends and family (which of course I do), it's more of an adjustment of making a place a home. When I left for internships, there was always an expiration date on my stay. But a job isn't the same. Any reservations that I may have had when I was doing the move are long gone.

This is home.

Karaoke

Shot karaoke over at the local Christian coffee house for a story we're doing on the rising trend of karaoke/need for family fun activities.

Deadwood

Shot snow features on my way home from Terry Peak ski resort today. This lady was salty. She said winter has been "rotten." She gave me hell for wanting to take a photo of her. But she obliged and I was greatful.


"I think the good old Lord is really giving it to us this year," she told me. "This is like an old-fashioned winter."

Piano repairman

A photo from a few weeks ago. Followed a piano repairman around for a while on his visits to schools tuning pianos for Christmas events.

Job Shadow

Photos from a job shadow assignment a few weeks ago. A high school girl was following around an eye surgeon. This meant that I was following around a high school girl following an eye surgeon. Oh, and I got to wear some sweet scrubs.

Isabel

A few weeks ago, Kayla and I went up to Isabel for a story on the school that is closing. We hung out at the school, with ranchers, and around town.

Come and gone

Christmas came and went pretty fast. Spent Christmas Eve at Ryan and Barb's with Ryan's folks and a few people from work. Spent Christmas over at Emilie's watching A Christmas Story before meeting up with Seth for dinner at a Chinese place. I'd say that's a pretty proper Christmas. Fun to make new traditions. This is the first time in my 24 years of life that I didn't spend Christmas with my family. But we video chatted on Christmas morning, so it was like I was really there.

crosses

don't you know that i'll be around to guide you
through your weakest moments to leave them behind you
returning nightmares only shadows
we'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now
crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders
the sirens inside you waiting to step forward
disturbing silence darkens your sight
we'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now
crosses all over the boulevard
the streets outside your window overflooded
people staring they know you've been broken
repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces
ignore them tonight and you'll be alright
we'll cast some light and you'll be alright

.

i came home, and i cried. i cried for ali. and her family. and for everything that i couldn't say the past four days. i cried for my own family and loved ones. thinking about them being in that situation. i just cried until i couldn't anymore.

deep. breaths.

Ali

I'll try to post more of a wrap-up in the morning. We are about to board our plane in Minneapolis, making our way back to Rapid City. It's been a long week. Exhausting. Emotionally draining. Ali's family has been incredible. So much love. So much faith. Just as Ali needed them to be.