Spooky...

Things are getting a little spooky around the Free house lately.

What can we say,

We loooove

HALLOWEEN!

stay tuned for more tricks & treats...

Why live anywhere else?

These beautiful photos were taken by my amazing little sister Lena and I thought they were too pretty not to post. Such a photographer.

It's gorgeous outside right now, one of my favorite times of the year.

I think this calls for a hike...

Sicks

Also featuring music from Brandon Free.

You won't want to miss it.

I Used to Believe...

I used to believe that the world was black and white. That, like Batman and the Joker we were all simply good or simply bad. Such easy days those were, when right and wrong seemed so obvious and understandable. Drawing on the walls, bad. Drawing a picture for mom, good. I'm afraid that age and time toughen the questions we're faced with, making me long for the days were all I had to fuss over was whether to place my crayon in the lines or out.

I remember the day when I looked down to discover i was no longer standing black or white, suddenly there I was in yellow, surrounded by pinks, reds, greens, with only bits of black and white scattered here and there. That was the day I realized there are sometimes more than two straightforward answers and that life is beautifully and tragically unpredictable.

At first I was overwhelmed by the color, by the options and decisions that lay before me, asking for a choice, I wondered how I would I ever define myself when there was so much too choose from, so much to be. I find that I am still defining, that I am a work in progress and probably always will be. How boring would life be if it were all black and white, one or the other, this way or that? What on Earth would I write about, how would we ever discover new inventions or ever truly learn about ourselves?

Today I know that black and white is dull. That life is messy so that we build character, so we are challenged and compelled to choose for ourselves who we are and what is important to us. Today I believe in the chaos of color, the disorder of life. I believe that I am an artist with my very own canvas, that I am the clay waiting to be molded but I am also the sculptor, that there is no need to try to paint in only blacks and whites when there is a variety of color begging to be used.

Today I am a deliberate chameleon, changing colors on my own terms. I believe I am free to create my own masterpiece and that it needs to be shared with others, that our colors change shades as we incorporate others into our masterpiece. That they contribute to our work and we contribute to theirs. I believe that we need each other to learn, to grow, to be inspired, to truly make something of this mess of color I call life.

{photo via sodahead}

A Life Without Love is Like a Year Without Summer

Here is our summer & our loves...

some of my favorite kids.

Nothing says eternal love quite like Lagoon.

The rarest of wildlife in the Grand Tetons!

my best friend.

Such photogenic animals.

Every occasion calls for a photograph.

love & miss Elder DeYoung (Elder Heaton too!)

Such a perfect summer.

Viva La Lena

For those of you who didn't know that my sister is a rock star...

Now you know!

Congrats Lena! I'm so proud of you & so lucky to have such a beautiful and talented sister! I can't wait to see how you'll change the world!

25!

Brandon turned 25 years old on May 21st!

For his birthday all he really wanted was a video camera, he has this crazy idea that we'll make movies together with it like he and his best friend Nick used to do. I think he's just sad he couldn't marry Nick. So far all we've filmed is me beautifully eating Indian food while I blatantly ignored the camera and my little rock star sister's graduation speech. No movies are currently in the making. I told him Ben Affleck and J Lo made a movie (with a name I doubt IMDB even remembers) when they were married and not only was it supposedly the worst film ever, but J Lo and Ben aren't even together now. Nothing ruins a marriage more that a bad movie review. Anyways, back to the video camera, a few weeks before his birthday we bought the most perfect, affordable camera we could and like a good wife I immediately hid it the moment we got home.

What I realized half way through my work day on May 21st was that I had absolutely no idea where I'd put it! I decided to sugar coat this situation with doughnuts. Brandon loves doughnuts, so I headed on over to Beyond Glaze and bought a half a dozen. I also stopped at the store to get a card, candles and matches and realized I had no idea what aisle to find matches on.

Finally, I made it home.

Naturally, this is Brandon doing his birthday dance as I walked it singing to him.

I knew after Brandon blew out the candles he was going to want his present, it was at that moment I was so glad that I couldn't find the matches...

Because a lighter is such a more thoughtful gift!

"Honey, I think you're old enough now that you can officially play with fire! Happy Birthday!"

Obviously, with a present like that to entertain you a camcorder seems kind of ridiculous.

HAPPY QUARTER OF A CENTURY BRANDON!

hopefully, we'll find that camera in time for your next birthday!

kidding folks, we found it an hour later. As my opening paragraph gives away.