Detective Dog

Pretty sure that aching hole in my heart has been filled. Tigger is his name and Detective(or Mister) is his surname. I don't need a man when I have that little ball of fur to cuddle with all the time. It's all I need.

Anyways, he did really well in the car ride home, is good on a leash, and adjusted to the house really fast. As of noq, he still won't even think about checking out the basement since he is a little quite the chicken. This little man is pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. Lazy, sits however you put him, doesn't bark, doesn't shed, and chill.

I can't wait for people to meet him. Mom and Dad, you will actually love him, too! <3

Dog

Believe it or not, I'm looking at dogs! I'm debating all of the pros and cons of each of these.

Cash(male)

• Shih-tzu
• Ugly, but adorable! 
• 1yr old
• needs shots and neutered
• Calm but can be playful. 
• House trained
• leash trained

Tigger(male)

• Shih-tzu and poodle
• Smaller than Cash
• So adorable
• 5yrs old
• Has shots and is Neutered
• super excited immediately, but extremely chill soon after
• He's a lover
• He's house trained, but allowed to run around free(not leash trained)

Pumpkins and All Things Nice

I hope you all had a wonderful halloween! Sarah, Joe, and I definitely did. Aside from all of the school work we got to make a good weekend out of it. Friday night a friend of ours from church has a halloween/birthday party. Saturday a good friend Katelyn has a fall party where we got to eat pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple cider, carmel apples, pumpkin cake, and probably more that I can't think of. Sunday was a catch up on homework day. Once things were done we all got our costumes back on and then we headed to Sarah's second home to have homemade tortellini soup followed by some photos at Legacy Photography. Here are our lovely lawn gnome costumes! :)

And it goes like this...

I haven't gotten to say a whole lot lately, but I will leave you with a quick update and a special photo. Recently I have somehow made time to finally get my new website online. As far as I know, if everything goes as planned it should be up today! If it isn't keep checking back. There are so many never before seen photo shoots so I'm excited to see some reactions. Next: Updates business cards with my new website, new e-mail, and new look! I hope it goes over as well as I would like.

New link: www.traciadamsonphotography.com
New e-mail: traciadamson@gmail.com

Also, I will be offering studio portraits! So be sure to spread the word! :)

Now all I need to do is finish 4 weddings, 1 engagement, 2 families, 1 senior, and 1 childrens session... then I will be caught up.




Here is just an ordinary summer/fall night at home. Mom and dad, I hope to have someone that I can share that same love that you still have for each other.

Senior Year

I guess I would say that this is a new beginning. I just started my senior year of college, yet I don't really know what to think about it. I haven't decided if I should just finish it out and find a job or if I should stay in school for one more year to get a higher degree which could set me apart from all other Graphic Designers. Then there is the thoughts that are looming around my head: "Is graphic design where God wants me to be, or is graphic design what God used to lead me to photography." All of those questions raise more questions. One thing is for certain, I will finish my graphic degree and not pursue a photography degree. Why? After this semester(or year), I should have learned all that I need to know about running my camera and studio lighting. Plus, barely any photographers that I know actually went to school for photography, so I'm still ahead of the game. Anways, I love graphic design I just feel like photo has taken over my life as of right now.

Classes:
Photography Lighting Studio
Graphic Design Senior Studio
20th Century Art History
Dreamweaver/CSS (web design in HTML code)
Flash (Interactive website design)

Other than that, I love my job at Legacy even more. The work environment is perfect, I can listen to loud music, talk about photography, get pointers, tell stories, and best of all get to work on the weddings that come through. It's so much fun to watch each story unfold. I often catch myself laughing hysterically at some of the photos. Tyson does an awesome job of capturing every detail of the story which makes editing even more fun! Tomorrow I get to assist/second photographer for a wedding under Legacy. I'm really pumped to see how they shoot their weddings since it's much different than a lot of other studios. It's always fun to see how each photographer handles weddings.

There is so much more on my mind, but I think I need to keep it short. I'm trying to finish editing 2 wedding of my own before I have more photo-shoots in the next few weeks. Although, I can't forget about this Sunday on Monday. Katelyn(photo friend and neighbor), and Sarah(roomie) are going on a photo adventure to have some fun. I'm pumped since I'll get a photo of me for my website so that it can finally go live. Soon we will get to say 'hello' to traciadamsonphotography.com! I can't wait!

Prayers

Prayers are always needed and I have a special request. My cousin Kya is undergoing a Bone Marrow Transplant while her older sister is the Donor on Monday and needs everyones prayers. I know my mom and dad need the link to her Caring Bridge site, so click here. There are photos and  Journal updates each day.

Another request is for my good friend Tiffany whose twin boys were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome while in the womb. They were rushed to Cincinnati, OH and under went Laser Surgery and kept under close watch. The babies were born at 28 weeks and 2days and weighed just over 3lbs. Because of such a premature birth the boys and family will be staying in the NICU in Cincinnati, OH for a few more weeks. This means no income for the past month. As far as I know, the health of the babies has been improving, but prayers and support are always needed. To view their Caring Bridge site, click here and click here to donate.

Tidbits

I know I haven't blogged a whole lot lately so I decided to tell inform whoever may read this about what I am up to lately.


1. It's been one month since we got back from our European escapades. This truly makes me sad, because I would do absolutely anything to hop on a flight to Scotland and never come back. It's quite tempting at times. I think I'm having withdrawals.


2. I recently got a new part-time job with Legacy Photography here in Fargo as a Photographer and Editor which I am loving right now since It's super laid back and the people are awesome! Check out their website here!


3. My photography has definitely picked up, but I'm looking to make moor bookings. I get so excited about the littlest things and I know that this is one thing that makes me truly happy. I love shopping for new props and searching for new ideas. Ahh, I love it!


4. School starts soon which really is a love/hate thing. I absolutely love getting to see everyone again and being on a schedule, but I dislike the work that comes along with it. I'm debating on taking on 18 credits, but I know that may be an extremely bad idea. I'm really excited to learn about studio lighting in my photography class, working on self-developed projects in my Graphic Design senior studio, and learning more about web design in my Graphic Communication classes! I'm definitely going to be well-rounded.


5. I've been attending a really awesome church here in Fargo called River City Church. It's an awesome church plant that is full of people around my age. I love how every sermon pertains to my life in some way, and the way that they have communion is very personal. This week is was about giving your best fruits to God. It was very convicting, and something to definitely think hard about. 'What am I giving to God?' I started attending a small bible study on Wednesday nights which is awesome! It keeps me in the word and has already gotten me connected with some amazing Christians my age! I definitely need that around.


That is a short tidbit of what is happening in my life. I hope you all are having an amazing summer!


T

Fourth of July at the my sister's in the Cites. The Rooftop was a perfect view for fireworks for those who wanted to venture up there. 

Holiday[s] in the Sun

Well, The overwhelmingness of the Amsterdam bike culture may or may not have motivated me make my latest purchase. Or... maybe it's the fact that I have found beauty in old things. On the other hand, it may be because I now have a bike that matches my moms. I'm not sure if that statement is 'cool' for a 20(almost 21) year old to say, but I don't care. This blog is all for you! Mom, I hope you think my bike is as cool as I do! $25 and a quick tune up and now we can ride our blue and red Holiday bikes together!

I bought this 1980's deep red Holiday(yes, the gas station) bike for $25 from a vintage collector. All it needed was a quick tune-up and possibly new tubes for the tires(photos are from the repair shop). Now, I'll have a new bike for my 1mile commute to school! Oh yeah, and I can't forget it's second purpose, photo shoots!

twenty-7

June 27th, 2010


Day 27


Lately it's been really frustrating exploring the city in a group. I've gotten frustrated at people walking to slow, bathroom breaks, everyone has different interests or cravings. It doesn't help that it's so hot out, either! So I decided to have a day for myself. I slept in, took the tram to a shopping center/market, went to a camera store, and had a delicious salad at a wonderful cafe. The waiter even talked politely to me(waiters are really rude here), asked me how my food was(they usually could care less here), and had a chat with me about Amsterdam. It was really nice to see that this city has someone who is genuinely kind. After all of that I went to the a photography museum called FOAM(photography is spelled with and 'f' here). There was everything from fashion, celebrities, and nudes.


Once I came back to the hotel I enjoyed some itunes time to myself and caught up with all of my blogging! Sorry it took a while to get caught up. Oops! Grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant with some friends and had a caesar salad. I was so excited to have a salad with REAL salad dressing and not vinaigrettes. I was really enjoying it until someone mentioned that it tasted a little fishy, only to realize they make their caesar dressing with anchovies. *sigh* I still finished it, but I had bad thoughts in my head the whole time. I still decided to take the night off from going out with everyone so I stayed back and talked with Bob(our professor) on the stoop while he smoked. Another pretty uneventful day, but I cannot wait to get back to the US. The language barrier and craziness of the city is getting overwhelming. Only one more ful day of Amsterdam and I'll be headed home(if thats what you call all of my belongings stuffed in a garage and a house completely bare). I wish I was back in Scotland! 


Traci

It was yet another day that I didn't want to carry my digital camera

 around so I took film photos. Sorry no daily photo today! Since

 tomorrow is my last day I will take some!

twenty-6

June 26th


Day 26


Apparently Holland likes hard boiled eggs. I've never went to a hotel breakfast and instead of a hot plate of scrambled eggs, they have a hot plate of hard boiled eggs. I improvised and mashed them with a fork and put them on my croissant. Delicious. We were off to the Vincent Van Gogh museum which is probably one of my favorite historic painters, although I'm not a huge fan of historic paintings. I grabbed a sandwich and Fanta from a street vendor and we were off to a Canal Cruise which was amazing. It was amazing to see Amsterdam from the grungy-beautiful canals. I felt like I was in Venice. 


Soon after, Sarah, Julian, Justin, and decided to zig zag our way through a shopping district and go to a market. Well, shopping didn't go too hot. One person in our group had to stop at every shop we went into and strike up conversation(aka flirt) with a clerk for 45 minutes. It didn't help that I was hungry and crabby, but tiramisu ice cream made me feel slightly better. Luckily, we made it to the market just as it was closing. There was everything from dresses to cheese. I forgot how much I missed fruit so when we saw all the fresh fruit and vegetable stands we went nuts! I purchased a brown paper bag full of sugar snap peas(grandma Pearl's are still way better) and the rest indulged themselves in the best strawberries ever. After we got back to the Hotel we didn't really do anything. We have been so rushed and tired since it's really hot that everyone seems really lazy.


Traci

It's a grungy-beautiful city

twenty-5

June 25th, 2010


Day 25


Good morning Amsterdam! First on the agenda was the Heineken Experience with most of our group and the professors! Extremely cool place with a movie/ride where they 'Brew You'. I got to learn how to taste beer and we finished the 'experience' with two free drinks at their state-of-the-art bar. I got a few souvenirs for my brother and off Sarah and I went to browse the city on our own! We learned that Scotland does not have bagels which was extremely sad so we were overjoyed when we found a bagel shop!


So far Amsterdam is a little overwhelming since their main way of transportation is bikes. This would be fine except you can hear them coming and they don't obey traffic signals or yield for pedestrians. This is the order that a person has to watch for when crossing the street and in this order:


bikes
scooters
cars
trams
cars
scooters
bikes


Between each lane of those listed is a little pedestrian stop which means, runs across one lane, wait, next lane, wait, and repeat until you cross the street. It's a little hectic and overwhelming! Hopefully I get used to this. 


The rest of the day we tried to avoid the heat and made continuous trip to our un-airconditioned hotel. I think I may need to buy a few dresses or something so I don't die from this heat. I probably should have packed some cooler clothes for this.


Traci

bike parking

twenty-4

June 24th, 2010

Day 24

Today I woke up and finished packing and met up with the group at 9:30 to head off to the airport. Everything went smoothly through security, but when it came to the flight it wasn't so easy. During take-off it seemed that the pilot yanked the plane so that the whole take off was quite shaky and jerky. As usual I slept most of the 45 minute flight up until the pressure on my ears became far too uncomfotable. As my family knows I have had issues with strong pain in my ears during landing and thats exactly what happened. At least there wasn't crying involved! Our luggage came promptly and out the door and into Holland we headed! First of all we were quite surprised to experience 72 degrees Ferenheait that felt like 85! I know Landon will be jealous to hear that outside of the airport entrance they had a grandstand full of people and a jumbo-tron across the road for everyone to see. Welcome to Europe during the world cup! 

Another sweet surprise was that we are finally back to people driving on the right side of the road! With this comes the drivers seat is on the correct side of the vehicle! Life is perfect again.

We were warned that we are staying at a 'European Hotel' and weren't warned about what this meant. Basically it just means we have a room similar to a dorm room(minus bunk beds), but thankfully we have our own miniature bathroom. Sarah and I were roomed together which works perfectly for us since we are sharing the computer and other things. It's also really nice to know that I don't have to worry about being roomed with some of the annoying/dramatic people on the trip. 

A few of us went exploring the city to grab some food and realized that this might be a little tough. Stores, Signs, and the people speak Dutch. It probably didn't help that we went to a thai restaurant. My chicken with mushroom in a garlic sauce was amazing. Oh yeah, and my 2,80 Euro($3) miniature water was too. Apperently many places you have to order a small bottle of water which means no refills. 

Supper was about as exciting as the night got. We went to bed early since we were dealing with yet another time-change. It's now 7 hours later than home instead of 6.

Traci

I was so sick of carrying my heavy backpack around for so many hours so I didn't take anymore photos for the rest of the day. on the far right you can see part of the TV screen. On the left you can see a glimpse of the grandstand. Here is most of our group waiting for the shuttle to take us to our hotel.

twenty-3

June 23rd, 2010

Day 23

Sadly it is our last day in Glasgow which also means it is our last day in Scotland. I have loved everything about this section about the trip and really do not want to leave such an amazing place. I can now say that I have seen the most beautiful place in the world.

This morning I demanded we sleep in a little bit and go shopping! It’s been really frustrating wearing the same 2 pairs of jeans and 7 shirts for an entire month. We hit up every possible hip clothing store and only found things at H&M. I bought a dress, tanktop, and leggings! Hopefully they won’t stand out when I get back to the states since Europe is quite ahead of fashion in Minnesota.

10 or so of us celebrated our last night in Scotland by dressing up and going to the the Horseshoe Bar for the best veggie burgers ever(way better than meat burgers). We continued to the Counting House and ended at Campus. It was awesome hanging out with everyone and celebrating end to Scotland, and beginning of Amsterdam!

Traci

Sarah, Me, Bryan, Jenna, Amber, and Christina at the Counting House

It was another one of those days that I didn't feel like taking photos so this is the only photo from today

twenty-2

June 22nd, 2010

Day 22

Sarah, Justin, Julian, and I needed to see what the city of Glasgow was really about. We climbed up all of the steep streets to the top of the city to visit the Glasgow School of Art and Design where I bought a canvas tote, awesome wallet, and some other random things. The headed to The show at the CCA which was very interesting and object is the only way to describe it. None of the pieces had title or descriptions so it was pretty frustrating. Then, we had to stroll through a really nice park including a skate park full of graffiti and kids that wanted their photos taken! Sadly I only had my film cameras, but Sarah and Julian had a lot of fun getting some action shots. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was next followed by the Hunterian Museum which was home to the Mackintosh House. When we were all museumed out Julian and I took the subway back to our hotel.

Supper was something I had never experienced before. Since Sarah is a vegetarian and I am not, she was a little hesitant to ask to go to a vegetarian restaurant for supper. Little did she know I love trying new vegetarian dishes! So, Julian came along with us for some company. The appetizer was abourgines (eggplant) with peppers and a touch of lemon. My main meal was Gnochi with pesto, and dessert was a slice of lemon-blueberry cake. Delicious!

Traci

inside of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

I only took 9 photos today. I guess I needed a day off.

twenty-1

June 21st, 2010

Day 21

Early rise and shower at 4:30AM

Hour drive 

Hour wait for ferry

Hour and half ferry ride(included nap)

Six hour drive all around Scotland

Stop at Loch Ness home of the Loch Ness monster

Stop at a popular turnout with amazing view

Way too many bathroom stops

Arrive in Glasgow around 3pm

Eat at the Italian place next door

Walk around the city

Sleep

It wasn't a very exciting day, but I would like to thank Dramamine 

for knocking me out for all of the driving!

Traci

twenty

June 20th, 2010

Day 20

Life on the Isle of Harris is coming to an end and things are slowing down for now. My shins, ankles, and arch supports are experiencing the worst pain ever and it is extremely hard to walk. Other than that, I attempted to sleep in while a select few were going on a 6 mile hike(yesterday's was only 2 miles).  Since my attempt at sleeping in failed miserably I woke up and continued to read Dear John, I found Sarah and Noah were on a mission so I decided to jump in. Sarah, Noah, Billie, Katie, Julian, and I decided to venture out to experience a new church style - Scotland Free Presbyterian Church. First of all you need to understand that we are staying in a village of maybe 75 people, in their culture the Sabbath Day is only for multiple church visits and bible reading, there are no instruments, and many people speak the native language of Gallic. Not one word was spoken between members before or after church and no one even flinched throughout the entire service. Luckily only the songs were in their native language. It would be nice to say that I got something out of the hour long sermon, but all that was said(and repeated) was "you are going to hell- God is judging you."In other words, not a whole lot was taken from that service other than a great cultural experience. Apparently words spread fast throughout the viliages because 4 hours later everyone knew that there were Americans in church.

Since it was our free day(packing day) Sarah, Christina, and I took a short walk to the pier and ended up chatting it up on the rocks. It was the perfect end to our last night on Harris. Well, that and burgers were the perfect end.

Traci

Nineteen

June 19th, 2010


Day 19


Today the clouds stayed away and we got our well-needed sunshine once again. After lunch we drove along the coast and off to an island. The teachers said "Alright, here we are, it is an hour hike to the destination. See you there." We were all off in multiple directions to an unknown landmark over a few miles of mountains, sheep, rocks, and bogs. After thinking we were all lost and unsure of our mysterious destination, we spotted the tip of a lighthouse! Up and over more mountains(not hills), having many close encounters with free roaming sheep, climbing a large rock wall, and way too much sweat, we reached our destination! It was well worth it! The old lighthouse seemed to have someone/thing inhabiting it recently. Maybe it was just storage but there arcade games, a pool table and a tanning booth all under under dirt and dust. It was easy to say that the sheep had made this their new home. After a little exploring we were off and back to the vans. Al(my graphic design professor) cooked us chicken chow mein which was absolutely amazing and I happened to spill a good amount on my jacket. Looks like that stain will have to stay there until the next time I can do laundry which could be never.


Traci

note: the size of the person on top of the mountain

Eighteen

June 18th, 2010

Day 18

Wow, sadly I slept through much of the day. We ventured through the  Callanish Standing Stone,  The Dun Carloway Stone House, and The Blackhouse Villiage. I saw lots of sheep from a distance, explored a rock beach, and climbed historic homes. I slept thr entire two hour car ride there and back. we came back and I read a little more of my book(Dear John) and ate way too many tacos. I ended up falling asleep immediately after I finished supper(at 10PM) and didn't wake up until 10AM(on the 19th). In other words I'm writing this a little late.

Traci

Seventeen

June 17th, 2010

Day 17

I'm rooming with Amanda, Ingrid, and Billie which is a really nice and quiet change. I needed to take a step away from some of the drama filled women. After our Chicken noodle soup lunch which was made from chicken from a can(terrible), We went explored rocks, beaches, and drove through incredible mountains(eve up in the clouds).  Our hostel is a fishing theme fully equipped with child-like bunkbeds, ship-like doors, driftwood decorations, and some porthole windows.  While driving, we almost ran into a ridiculous amount of sheep which roam free around here, got in multiple car accidents since roads don't have lanes, and found many jellyfish on the beach. It's crazy to see how the land here is so similar to Alaska. The weather is amazing(light sweatshirt jacket weather). I thought it was really interesting that in all of Scotland the sun sets around midnight and rises at 2AM; I had never expected that! The roads here are so intense since there aren't any lanes so when a car meets another there isn't anywhere to move over with no shoulders(instead they occasionally have 'passing places'). Also the roads are continuously going up, down, and winding around the mountains, but it creates the best views! The teachers cooked up some beef stroganoff and I helped with dishes since I am on dishes duty for the day. After we all enjoyed lounging around the lofted living room to bluegrass music and card games. I had the perfect end to the night with Noah reading a Bible story(Matthew 13) to Katie and I and finished with talking about the amazing things God can do through people. I'm really starting to miss my family, friends, and animals! I love you all so much! 

Traci

I'm really curious to see how my roommates unpacked our Fargo house. I'm going to have so much work ahead of me when I get back since all of my belongings(bed, clothes, and more) are all stored in the garage while my room is completely bare. Oh, goodness

Sixteen

June 16th, 2010

Day 16

Traveling, traveling, traveling. Wake up at 7:30, shower, pack, pack a lunch, drive five hours, two hour wait, three hour ferry ride, two hour drive, and arrive at 11:00PM in Leverburgh(founder of Lever 2000 soap was born here), Isle of Harris, Scotland(population 150?). Thank goodness for Dramamine which knocked me out for most of the day. Once we came to our hostel(Am Botham Bunk House) we chilled to some music and got settled in. Goodnight.

Traci

Fifteen

June 15th, 2010

Day Fifteen

Our first free day was today so I had to celebrate by sleeping in, being lazy, and then heading to town. First of all, I met a cute old man at the bus stop who then payed for my fare! Once I got to High Street I developed a roll of film from my new plastic camera, did a little shopping and ran into Sarah, Amber, and Justin. After grabbing a muffin we ventured to the cliffs where we explored and climbed until we had to make the 3 mile trek back for supper. After Supper went back and rock climbed for the next 4 hours! It was easily one of thebest days that I have had here!! I wish I could go more in depth, but we are packing up and leaving the castle tomorrow morning. I'm extremely sad to leave but the Isle of Harris is calling our names! I'll be without internet for the whole 4 or 5 days while I'm there and to add to it, we have to pay a lot for internet in Glasgow so I probably won't be online there either! Hopefully Amsterdam will be better...

Traci

what a wonderful day at the cliffs! the path is on the left and continues down around 100ft and then comes back up to where Amber is. I climbed to where she is and continued to the left(over the bridge) an around on a different trail.

Fourteen

June 14th, 2010

Day 14


As most people know waking up early isn't my favorite thing, but it was all worth it when we went to Edinburgh. This is a city built on a hilll; an extremely steep one. When climping up 95 steps and doing a massive hill climp we reached to top of the city at the world famous Edinburgh Castle. Most people know it as home of Mary Queen of Scots and also because it holds the Royal Jewels. After climbing the down the hill we decided to climb back to the top to reach an art gallery on the other side. Well to make a long story short, on the way back we made a wrong turn and had to go up 95 steps, down 95 steps, up 130 steps, hill climb, down 95 steps, and sprint to the bus station. I was not a happy camper; I got the last seat on the bus.


The last of the epicness of that day what when we arrive back home here at hospital field. The chefs decided to trick us and serve a very traditional dish of Haggis. This is Haggis: a sheep's heart, liver, and lungs minced and then cooked inside of the sheep's stomach. It was served with mashed potatoes, and neeps(turnips) and luckily we were served creme brule for dessert. The boys in the group loved the haggis, while me and the girls only tried a few bites. The smell is that of meat and cow manure and I just couldn't get over that. Although, when it was mixed with a whole lot of mashed potatoes it masked the flavor and smell.


Traci

Photos for my parents:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038641&id=1281030034&ref=pb

Thirteen

June 13th, 2010

Day 13

Something epic happened today. I'm sure many more of my colleagues were more overjoyed about it than I was, but we were served chunky soup today! This may not sound like anything exciting, but since we are served pureed soup each day for lunch(which is absolutely amazing), many of us have been craving a chunky soup! Also, just to add to the awesomeness we also had pizza with the soup! It was epic.

The highland games were also today which were quite cool! I definitely got my fare share of kilts and bagpipes, running, log throwing, shot-put, and so on. Oh, and you can't forget the photos of castles, trees, gardens, and highland cows(the long haired cows).

After supper about 7 of us girls and our male professors decided to get out of the house and went to the movie theatre to see Sex and the City 2. Decent movie. Well I'm cutting it short. Goodnight!


Traci

This is one of Sarah's photos since I havn't uploaded mine yet

Nine to Twelve

June 9-12th, 2010

Day 9-12

I'm going to combine all of these days into one since it was one trip. It all started on a whim, when we were given two free days to do whatever we wanted. Five of us wanted to take a flight somewhere like Norway or Rome, but we found the best price for Dublin Ireland! So off we headed on the train, plane and finished with the bus. So the bus dropped us off in the middle of the city where it was our mission to find a place to stay for the next two nights. Luckily after an hour or so of searching we found the Avalon House! Unable to check in we still had 5 hours to spare to carry around our backpacks filled with camera equipment, clothes, and etc. I have never had so much back pain in my life! Well check-in was fine and we found ourselves in a room with twelve beds, bachelor party next door, and co-ed bathrooms. It was an interesting two nights to say the least.

Our first destination was the tour of the Guinness factory which was so amazing and was most likely the highlight of my trip. It was the most interesting architecture and design that I have seen in quite some time! I have some amazing pictures from the 7 story plant which even included a waterfall!

We all took a city sightseeing tour bus around the central area of Dublin where we learned all about St. Patricks day, their president, their citizens, and much more. Through the adventures, we ate some of the most amazing food while trying to be really cheap. The whole 'being cheap' thing really wasn't working since the best deals that we found were 13 Euro for a meal($15) which is a little out of my day-to-day budget. Other than that I couldn't end my trip without a bang so i splurged and ordered myself one Jameson Coke(respectfully so since I missed the tour of the Jameson Whisky Distillery).

Travels back to Arbroath, Scotland went extremely smoothly and arrived to an empty castle which was perfect for a much needed nap!

Traci

Justin(in plaid), Amber(blonde), and Sarah(far right)

Seven & Eight

Day Seven - June 7th, 2010

Today the crew ventured out to visit the Fettercairn Scotch Whiskey Distilery. It was super interesting to see how everything is made and see the where the 40year old spirits are kept in the gorgeous oak barrels. After leaving, the entire group found a heard of cows along the fence and took advantage taking photos of them. I'm pretty proud of a few of the shots I got that are only centimeters from it's nose. Mom, do you want some cow photos in the bedroom because it seems that I see more cows than sheep so far?

Immediately after we drove to Edzell Castle which was home to some gorgeous peacocks and beautiful gardens. Mom, I did get one good photo of some sheep, but they are quite far away. After our first horrific supper(a refried bean like concoction) We headed to The Corn Exchange(restaurant/pub) to get our favorite nachos and have a few colas.


Day Eight - June 8th, 2010

Laundry day(and our first day without the obnoxious Illinois kids)! I never thought I would be so excited to do some laundry(and not have those creepy kids around). The whole idea of wearing the same exact plain clothing everyday is getting somewhat monotonous; shopping may be on the agenda one day. Lunch was corn pancakes with guacamole and another pureed potato soup. Since it was raining the teachers canceled our adventures for the day and instead we visited the art installation of Chicks on Speed at the Dundee Contemporary Arts. This definitely was not my style of art since it was a lot of videos of nude women who seemed to be on some crazy drugs. The only good part was visiting the AMAZING gallery store which had everything from kitchen products to jewlery to the best books ever! Two hours spent reading the books and we came back home and enjoyed the rainy day. Naps, Skyping, Supper(pasta and garlic bread), card games with the professors, and booking my next trip! I'll be in Dublin, Ireland in two days! Talk about a spur of the moment trip, but since we have two free days this week the professors encouraged us to take advantage of the cheap European flights so within an hour of talking about it Sarah, Amber, Christina, Justin, and I booked our flights! Well it is past 1:00am so I'm out. Goodnight family and friends!


Traci

Six

June 6, 2010


Day Six


We got to sleep in until 10AM this morning, had an amazing lunch in the Jazz Club here at Hospitalfield, and were off for the day. The entire MSUM and Illinois crew headed to the Cortachy Castle which was the most beautiful Castle that I have seen so far. It's only open for visitors one day a year so we were really lucky to have been able to attend such an amazing thing. There were hundreds of acres of gardens and ponds that spread throughout the entire place. We were serenaded by bagpipes and greeted by royalty. One of my favorite things about Scotland is none of the trees and plant life are anything similar to what we see in America. The colors are far more vibrant the the plants are extremely diverse. The rain slowly came in so we had to put our cameras away and head home.


Supper tonight was porkchop, tatties(potatoes), and grilled vegetable; Desert was a lemon tart with blueberry ice cream. Rod, our cook has been making us some of the most amazing food!


The rain has kept us all inside so we pulled out music and cards and have just been hanging out which is so much fun for a change! Goodnight, I love you all!


Traci

Five.

June 5th, 2010

Day 5

Today started out with a fast and quick run out the door to catch the vans before they ditched me. We took an hour drive to Aberdeen Scotland which is the largest granite city. Nearly every building is made of granite and the city is covered in gray. Other than that I didn't find a whole lot to photograph but I did have a wonderful time when I found a park deep in the city. It was a huge drop off where huinderds of people lined the grass to hang out. There were families, children, singles, couples, and college kids hanging out playing instruments, reading, having lunch, or snuggling. It really made me wish that Fargo had this sort of area.

Once we got back to the castle we ate chili and rice(served on a plate) with some of the Illinois kids. The was followed by playing kickball with the dogs and going for a long walk with the crew. Ahh, we have been blessed with the most amazing weather; it wasn't until late tonight that we have seen the first rain since we have arrived in Arbroath. Well I need to get some sleep! Goodnight, I love you all! :)

Traci Adamson

Three + Four

June 3rd - Day 3

Today we took the vans into town were free to roam and take photos for 5 whole hours. A group of us visited the old Arbroath Abbey which was demolished some time ago. It was still gorgeous. I walked through the cemetery and on the second gravestone that I read It read  these names: Mrs. Susan Adamson, Charles Adamson, and Agnes Adamson. I thought that was kinda ironic. Well, after checking out the shops and somewhat lame harbour we chilled at the castle and called it an early night.

June 4th - Day 4

We went to the town called Dundee which was only a 20 minute drive away. Amber and I were tired of photographing so we parked our butts along a bike path and sketched away. I have some amazing ideas for the next year of Graphic Design! Soon here I should be doing some model photo shoots too! I'm so pumped to see what all this trip has to offer! Well after a Strongbow at the pub we came back home and chatted it up with the professors. For the rest of the weekend the castle is double booked so there are 17 students from illinois along with the 24 of us. It's a full house but should be quite fun. This makes me happy that I'm staying a short courtyard walk in the cottage with 6 others. I feels just like home there since right when I walk through the front door it smells just like the cabin(the toilet squeals the same, too). I need to leave the crew on the stairs and head to bed. I wish I could upload one photo but the internet is way too slow and can take up to 30 minutes for one photo, but tomorrow I should have time. Goodnight, sleep tight! I love you all!

Two

Day two was once again full of excitement, I woke up at 8AM wide awake and ready for action. I did find out that apparently breakfast is usually done being served at 9:30, what's up with that? Once we all met up, we went and got our amazing European vans, and ventured to Stirling Castle; it was GORGEOUS and full of adventuring and wonder. Amber and I shared some amazing mac & cheese which probably wasn't the brightest idea of ours.

After enjoying a long carsickness full car ride through roundabouts and twisty roads we finally made it to our destination, Hospitalfield. Wow, what an amazing place to stay! 6 of us are living in the cottage which is separated by a courtyard, while the rest live in the maze of the castle. We climbed out of windows to find secret porches, through secret doorways to find hidden staircases, and strolled through massive gardens to find magical oasis'. I can't wait to take photos tomorrow and think of some ideas for projects!

The night ended with a 30 minute walk to downtown to listen to some local music and finished with a quite long, but fun walk back.

Traci


Here are the two grounds puppies which are adorable and our "house" in the background

One

May 31 - June 1st

Well, day one of traveling is going to include all of our plane rides and our first day in Glasgow, Scotland. First of all, traveling went wonderfully and with ease. Nothing went wrong except for one student had an anxiety attack on the place. On my end, I got to watch 'New Moon' and played plenty of solitaire.

Once we arrived in Glasgow, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express(how original) and then ventured around the city to find some pub that served a some sort of amazing meat pie. Well, needless to say, that didn't sound so appealing so I enjoyed a burger and chips(fries).

No one was used to the six hour time difference so Sarah and I took a lil cat nap, two hours to be exact. Soon after we peeled our sleep deprived bodies out of our beds and went on a photo walk with my roommates(Tiffany and Sarah). I soon discovered that their chinese food is nothing like Chine King, it may have somewhat to do with the fact that is was a fast food chinese place.

The night was finished with a night walk along the river and finished off with my first night of sleep in a foreign country. I did realize that the sun is up high in the sky by 5AM and I have no idea why.

Peace and Love,
Traci

My First Time

This is what I did today. What did you do?

First time of the year.

Note how tall the mowed grass is by looking at the wheel. 

Then, compare the un-mowed grass to height of the mower. 

It was easily above my knees.

Life's Learning Lessons

I, Traci Adamson, would like to announce that I am now a senior in college. Wow, I can't believe all that I have accomplished and learned in the last 3 years.

• I moved to a new city
• learned to be independant(other than money)
• Went through good/bad relationships
• Learned that I am a strong woman
• I can accoplish anything that is thrown at me with the help of God
• It is possible to stay awake for 60ish hours without sleep
• My friends have been there for me and I will always be there for them in a heartbeat
• I may not start something when I should, but it will always get done in time
• Friends are far more important than boyfriends
• My sister will love me no matter what, and I will love her no matter what
• My Grandpa and Grandma Stoe had/have a love so strong for each other that I don't believe it could exist in today's world
• The fact that I have never and will never have to go through a parents divorce gives me tears of joy
• I'm a very loving person
• I've learned that there are more people then I knew that don't believe in Jesus Christ
• Even though relationships may change a person, I will forever stand strong in my beliefs even if it means ending a perfect the relationship
• I would much rather have one best friend than have 10 best friends, even if we live hundreds of miles away. 
• I have lead a very sheltered life, but I'm proud of it
• Photography makes me happier than anything
• Even though my brother is a nurse(just like my mom), my sister is a teacher(just like my mom), and I am a creative person(just like my mom), I am proud to say I got my business skills from watching my dad as I grew up
• Even If I chicken out on a lot of extreme sports things, If you ask me one more time I will do it. 
• I go through withdrawals from my computer
• I wish so badly that I could be more creative in the way that I dress.
• I have learned to accept myself, my body, and my beliefs.  

I can't wait to see what more I learn about myself in the next 2 years when I finish my BFA. I'm sure my list with be twice as long, but it will be amazing to look back and read this. In 17 days I will be flying out of Fargo on the trip of a lifetime. I'm so excited to see what else I learn about myself in the process. Please pray for safe traveling and safety over all 24 of us. Thank you so much!

P.S. Tonight I just took a leap of faith and made myself a photography page on Facebook. I'm so excited to see where it takes me in the photography and design world. I have contemplated this for months but finally took the plunge since I now have some free time.