today.

i took this pretty girl's wedding photos.

yes, i shot my first wedding today. please join me in jumping for joy!

stay tuned. there are more to come :)

i downloaded the pictures from my camera...

and discovered this one of my niece, lizzie.

her sign says 'jana and britney, you ditched me!'

my mom did it.

and liz looks a little homeless.

i love surprises.

so instead of flying home on the 25th like i had planned, i decided to plan my own little surprise for my family on friday. in fact, my friday morning/afternoon looked something like this:

9:00am - wake up

9:15am - reschedule plane flight

9:20-10:00am - pack

10:00am - head to the airport

11:55am - take off

1:00pm - land in oakland

4:00 - surprise my family in time for little sister's graduation

 i love surprises. it was so worth it.

i love my family.
[this isn't even all of us]




crazy eyes.




sisters


and some of my favorite little people.

21 years.

today i had onion rings and a banana shake for lunch.

but it's allowed because it's my birthday.

sometimes i wonder...

i wonder why i stay up so late, when i really really wish i was a morning person.

i wonder why some times i would rather not sleep at all, even though i love love love sleep.

i wonder why i eat so much sugar. or why i would rather bake cookies than make something with nutritional value.

i wonder about all of life's funny coincidences. what if i wasn't there at that particular moment, doing that particular thing, and didn't meet that particular person? i wonder what i would be thinking about right now instead.

but, mostly, i wonder about what it is that i'm doing, exactly. i wonder what i'm doing with my time, my talents, my education... am i making the most of them, or squandering the things that i've been given? 

i feel like my heavenly father blessed me with a lot of talents. i'm not bragging, i promise. in fact, sometimes it is terrible. especially when it comes to deciding on a major, or deciding what i want to do with the rest of my life. because really, i could do anything. i could be a doctor, or write novels, or be a teacher, or design magazine spreads. i have no doubt in my ability to do any of those things. for the last year or so, i've been perfectly content thinking that i would spend my life taking pretty pictures, painting pretty canvases, and making pretty babies. but recently, i've been wondering... am i wasting my brain? i know that sounds silly, but i'm being entirely serious. i wonder if i should be more ambitious in my schooling. should i care more about pursuing a graduate degree? should i be a doctor or a lawyer because i know that i am fully capable of doing so? 

which brings me to why i love going to school at byu - teachers that not only teach you about a particular subject, but somehow manage to teach you about yourself in the process. on the first day of the term, my photography teacher quoted the 13th article of faith:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

then he repeated this line: If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

he said, that's what being a photographer is all about. seeking things that are lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report. how incredible would it be to make a living out of doing just that?

that was my aha moment. despite all of the things i knew that i could do, i suddenly realized what it is that i'm supposed to do. go ahead and laugh, but i'm incredibly satisfied to know that i'm supposed to make the world a better place. or even, a prettier a place. yes. by taking pretty pictures, painting pretty paintings, and making pretty babies [not tomorrow or anything, but someday]. i'm not going to become a heart surgeon and save lives, or become a lawyer and uphold justice in america. i am simply going to bring a little more beauty into the world around me. i'm not sure if you've noticed, but i think it is definitely needed. and that, i believe, is just as noble of an ambition as any.

whenever i talk about myself, i feel like i ramble. so friends, i apologize if that was rambling.

also, i don't take credit for the photo. i wish i remember where i found it. it makes my heart happy.

i'm happy to report

that i didn't need an umbrella today.

unlike yesterday when i took these fun pictures of my roommate. [it poured right after we went inside]

really, utah? it's june. if it's not sunny for my birthday on saturday, i might have to fight you.

in happier news, i turned these photos in for my last photography assignment today and my professor told me i need to reapply to the program and major in photography. it made my day :)

xoxo.

jana

dear jon schmidt,

i know that it's kind of old news, but i'm obsessed. with this.

in my defense though, john, i've actually been obsessed for a while - i just decided to blog about it today.

in fact, this makes me wish i could play the piano as fabulously as you. sure, the 3 church hymns i have down are pretty cool... ok, i lied, it's not cool at all.

anyway, thanks for the awesome arrangement. and for having it on youtube so i can press repeat for 2 hours straight while i paint. i really appreciate it.

xoxo.

jana

ps. thanks to my friend shauna for the introduction

misha + baby h

meet my friend misha. 

she is a total pregnant babe, and her baby girl will be making her big debut next month. i can't wait.

ps. i love pregnant ladies. sometimes i wish i was pregnant. don't tell that to the boys that take me out on dates though - that could be weird.