Walt's Brilliant Idea

On August 31, 1948, Walt Disney first circulated memos for an idea he had for "Mickey Mouse Park."  An amusement park where families -- children and parents alike -- could enjoy a fun-filled, happy time together.  Nearly 7 years later, Disneyland first opened its gates.  Now known as the Happiest Place On Earth, it is still the delight of families worldwide.

As a Disney nut, I just couldn't resist mentioning this today.  And including some shots of some of my favorite rides at Disneyland Park.

Pirates of the Caribbean -- "Dead men tell no tales."

Snow White's Scary Adventure

Space Mountain

It's a Small World -- "It's a world of laughter, a world of tears..."

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror -- "What happened here to dim the lights of Hollywood's brightest showplace is about to unfold once again...One stormy night long ago, five people stepped through the door of an elevator and into a nightmare...That door is opening once again, but this time, it's opening for you."

And, my own personal sentimental favorite...The Haunted Mansion -- "We have 999 Happy Haunts here...but there's room for a thousand...any volunteers?"

"...and a ghost will follow you home!"











Sentimental

For some reason, I'm feeling rather sentimental today.  I was going through some of my old photographs, back from when I first started branching out on my own and learning how to handle my first SLR camera.  Even then, I was addicted to dance shots.

Back to School

Today, BYU's fall semester kicked into gear.  I'm glad I'm not longer in school, but what I did always love was the dance classes.  My husband and I are starting back into our own ballroom lessons this week, so I guess we have a class of sorts.  But we do miss dancing 20+ hours a week!  If we were still doing that, maybe we'd be up to the level of these wonderful dancers:

The Christus

I thought this might be a nice post for a Sunday afternoon.  I love the Latter-Day Saint temples; they're always so beautiful.  And one of my favorite things about some of them is the Visitor Centers, and most especially the Christus statue.  Every time I go, I love to sit and listen to the message and reflect on Christ's life, love, and sacrifice.  I usually sit through several languages!  His message is so beautifully universal.

I also really do enjoy the incredible paintings that surround the statue -- painted murals of the heavens, of planets and stars and celestial events.

May God bless you today!

The dancer in her element

Last night, I got to shoot a lovely ballet dancer.  I always love working with dancers; they know their own bodies so well and aren't shy in front of the camera.  Plus, you don't have to spend 10 minutes posing them every time you want to take a shot  They're very easy and comfortable and they tend to know what you're asking them to do.  Shooting in the dance studio is great, you really get that feel of the dancer being where she belongs.

More of the lovely bride

One of the things I love best in a wedding is taking photos of the bride -- this is her special, perfect day, and every bride I've ever taken just glows.  I think it's so fun to capture that.  It's what makes my job delightful.

More Ballroom

So, I thought I'd take a brief break from brides and post another grouping from DanceSport Nationals in March.  We had a small ballroom competition recently at BYU and it put me in the mood for dance.