I've just been thinking recently how much I'm inspired by my mother. Not only has she spent 21 years of her life working to provide me not only with the basic necessities but also with all the opportunities I could have ever needed, she has also been such an emotional foundation.

I'm not going to lie; in so many ways we are two completely different people. Despite our differences and all the challenges life has thrown at us, we have only grown together. I now consider her one of my Best Friends.

Whether I was crying in my closet, sharing the biggest secret of my life, or sitting next to her on the beaches of Cozumel, she has listened to me, supported me, encouraged me, pushed me, and above all.. she has truly loved me.

Thank You Mom,

you mean the world to me.

I Love You.

This whole blog thing is such a double edged sword. I despise that it'll only further submerge me in the cyber world but the truth is, I love photographs and I love staying connected to all the beautiful people I know

Amanda, who have shown me the joy of modern technology. I absolutely love your video blogs, even though they only make me long to spend good 'ole fashion time in your presence. (Oh, and let us not forget NetFlix!)

(Also, a side note to Jeremy.. Even though you long for me to remove myself from the computer, you continue to support me in all my endeavours. This is the beauty of 'us' and only part of why I love you. Thank You, truly.)

Thus, the beginning of my 'internet diary'.

My main desire is to use this as an exhibit for photography, a forum for discussion, and just simply a place to release a little creative tension. The photograph you see here, sadly, was not taken by me although by the end of the summer I hope to have rolls of my own.

This is the Kroo Bay slum. It is located just outside Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. There will by many more posts on this particular subject due to the fact that this little corner of the world has grabbed on to my heart. In August of this year, Jeremy and I will be traveling there with our good friend Lindsey Bengfort in order to become more established with the people and shoot a documentary (that'll be Jeremy's job). Our desire is to start a non-profit organization, The Kroo Bay Initiative, in order to raise the funds to build and run a school there.

This is one of the biggest on-takings of my life and I'm just so excited. If anyone is interesting in becoming apart of this initiative, please, contact me. There is always a role for you. As I said before, there will be more posts to come as this journey unfolds.

Thanks to anyone who told me to never give up. It's true, dreams really can come true.

Listen. Love.