What happened?

I started a blog a couple days ago... (I was so excited to be officially start blogging!) Unfortunately I ran out of time to finish my blog because finishing dinner was more important. I thought I'd saved it.. but apparently not. So here I am again, taking a 2nd attempt and my 1st blog. Unfortunately all the grandeur and excitement of it being my first has flown away.

Anyway, I suppose it'd be best to introduce myself. My name is Harmony. I was named after the harmonic convergence of all the planets. [hey harmony... what's that?] ...its when all the planets line up in a straight line. Its rare, and occured (as my parents would say) when I was just "a twinkle in their eyes." My parents were hippies when they were younger, and although they weren't hippies when they raised me, some of it's influence trickled over. [We recycled, did lots of camping, and celebrated the summer/winter solstices..] I used to hate my name when I was younger. Kids can be cruel. However, I was better off with Harmony than Cosmo (thank goodness I wasn't a boy...) Today I love my name, it makes me unique, and usually means that people don't easily forget me.

I'm a native Nevadan, born and raised in Carson City and Tahoe. I'm a small town girl, and love being outdoors. I'm also a college student, hoping to graduate May 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Art, emphasis in Photography, and a minor in Business. My first semester I was declared as a Math major and a photography minor (I've always been good at math so I figured that's what I get my degree in). I quickly changed to undecided. For the next two years, I took all kinds of classes trying to decide what I wanted to do. I took accounting, social work, economics, information systems, ceramics, and a few other courses. All the while I was still taking photography classes for my minor. I knew I wanted to do photography on some level, but always felt pressured by society and my parents to make sure I got a degree in something I could do something with, even if it wasn't something I loved. In the end, however, I decided to go with what I loved and switched to photography as my major and since I'd enjoyed some of the business classes I chose business as my minor. I love all sorts of arts (ceramics/pottery, painting, photography, music) but photography just seemed like a better fit for a major.

I've always been an artist at heart. My mom taught me how to sew and make my own clothes when I was little. Together, we made all my halloween costumes and dress up clothes. As I grew older, I commonly shopped at thrift stores and then altered my purchases to make them into something new. High school is the time when my love and talent for art emerged. The only art class I took in high school was pottery (for 3 years). I also tried my hand at painting, and began exploring photography when I received my first camera at 16 years old.

Since then I've grown immensely. I've taken drawing, ceramics, and photography in college. In college I discovered there are two sides to photography: commercial (portraits, weddings, stock) and art (conceptual based). I love both sides. In my courses we focus on the conceptual art side of photography, and in my free time I'm working on building my commercial portfolio. I'll post pictures or links to pictures later.

I'm 20 years old, and some would say I'm mature for my age. I'm married. I've been married for two years. I got married 3 months after I graduated from high school. The question I always get after I tell people this is, "do you have any kids?" No, my husband and I don't. But we do plan on having children in a couple years. For now, we have a fun (and aggravating) golden retriever named Gracie. (More to come about her later). My husband's name is Jeffory, or Jeff for short. He's an amazing husband. Being married isn't like how its portrayed in the movies. Its takes dedication and patience. Love is not an emotion but an action that you must choose to do. Marriage is one of the most if not the most challenging relationship in life, but it is also the most rewarding.

One other key thing about me is that I am a Christian. I believe that the bible is the inspired word of God. I believe in the doctrines of grace, and that Christ should be the center of my life. I attend Grace Community Church. You can visit there website here: http://www.gracenevada.com/ or read their blog here http://gracenevada.blogspot.com/

So why blog? I'm not completely sure, but lately I've really noticed how fake people are. Maybe fake isn't the right word. What I mean is that everyone puts on some sort of mask or facade for others. You aren't an open book for everyone to see. You choose very carefully what you say and how you say it (even if you don't always realize that you are). This is my attempt to be me, to be open and share my thoughts and feelings. A way to let go of the shield I put up and try to openly be me. I'm not sure if anyone will read this or any of my blogs. I hope that what I have to say will be interesting to at least some people.

;] Thats all for now! More to come soon!
Harmony