David

More from my first day with David Wheeler
David's fiancé watches as David talks with an employee at Paquin.

Last days

I met and hung out with David Wheeler all day Friday to begin a new story. He and his fiancé have been together five years but are unable to afford marriage because as soon as they do, she will lose all her medicare and medicaid and his will be cut in half. The two live in Paquin Towers, a place in Columbia, MO that is similar to an assisted living community for the elderly or those who are mentally or physically handicapped. Wheeler and his fiancé will be moving into an apartment on their own next week and out of Paquin.

Paquin Nights

Paquin Towers. Began a new project Friday at Paquin Towers. These are just a few details and pics I took walking around Thursday night.

Trip to DC

I went to DC with some friends to meet more friends during this year's POYi and CPOY awards ceremony. It was hosted by the Newseum and National Geographic.

Nobody took the dress

This dress was left hanging at the end of the Cinderella Project.

Cinderella Project

Ethics and Toning

If you haven't seen this yet, it's well worth your time and thought afterwards.

CLICK HERE

Ethics and Toning

If you haven't seen this yet, it's well worth your time and thought afterwards.

After the Bars

Moe's Southwest Grill opens its doors around 1 AM Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for people to eat food, dance and bring their own drinks.

Green

Parker with his masterpiece.

Random snapshotiezzzzzzz

Ballet

I don't know if I like this. I photographed these two local dancers for a performance poster and program.

Arbitrary post at 1:19 AM

I haven't written anything on this blog in a while and generally try to stay away from doing so. I usually end up removing it. But writing things out helps me make sense of something.

Everyone wants to travel. It's a pretty generalized view, but most people I've talked with want to travel and take photographs. I hesitantly include myself in this group and with graduation coming in May, I'm reminded that traveling costs money. I often forget this because dreams are free. Looking through magazines and newspapers and cruising online, it's easy to imagine yourself climbing a mountain, sailing across the big pond, or dodging bullets. But when the pages turn or the light goes out, you're brought back to the reality of a situation that may never happen to you, for better or worse. Or at least yet. So, May is just around the corner and just at a time when I thought I had everything planned out, I come to a fork in the road. There's no right or wrong way, no headless horsemen and a creepy bridge steering me to an obvious choice to sunny fields of lollipop wielding midgets on unicorns prancing over rainbows made from skittles. But it's a decision of going back to something I've done and having security in an industry that is already hard to find a job OR taking hold of a new but temporary opportunity and creating an adventure afterwards that has a 50/50 chance of making it or breaking myself to live in my parent's basement for an unknown amount of time.

So does the risk outweigh the reward or will I find that it was the best decision of my life?

When in doubt, risk it all. It always works out in the end.