Diving into Life

So, today I turn 26.  The first 1/4 of my life is over.  I had to think of some amazing way to celebrate.  Then it came to me!  Skydiving!  There is no better way to celebrate my life than to hurl my body out of an airplane at 18,000 feet.  Last Saturday, that is exactly what I did.

I just got my harness and I was ready to go!

I was so pumped!  That is my instructor, Mark, sitting behind me.  He was so amazing.  Mark pointed out all the landmarks and he even let me steer the parachute on the way down.

This was my first look out of the airplane.  If you look in the bottom left corner you can see how far down the ground was.  18,000 feet is the highest tandem skydive in the world, but it doesn't really hit you exactly how high that is until you're about to jump out of the airplane.

This was the view I saw.  Monterey, CA is so beautiful.  It was the perfect place to jump.

There we go!

The free fall was 90 seconds.  That doesn't seem very long until you are falling and falling and falling at 120 mph.  Then you start thinking, "Shouldn't the parachute have opened by now?"

But just then, the parachute opened.  Thank God.  After that I could just really enjoy the ride down.  It is so peaceful and quiet up there.  The world is so beautiful from this perspective.

Here i am drifting back to earth.

The landing was a lot softer than I thought it would be.

I didn't get nervous about what I had done until it was all over.  I had both feet firmly on the ground when it hit me...I just flew through the air at 120 mph!  Whoa.  The whole experience totally blew my mind!  Even as I write this, it is still blowing my mind.  I can't imagine anything that could top my 26th birthday.

The Quote for the day:

"...and once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return."

-- Leonardo da Vinci

Go Van Go!

I think it really takes a special kind of dedication to art to paint your car like this.  It is so great!  John and I saw this van parked in front of a row of art galleries on our road trip.  A photo had to be taken!

I wish I had the guts to drive a car this awesome.

Quote for the day:

"Art is art. Everything else is everything else."

--This Van

The Dead...reunited AND on tour!

I'm trying to contain myself...but I'm just so freaking excited!!  I just found out that The Grateful Dead (minus Jerry Garcia, of course) is planning a tour in 2009!  Ok, now for the best part....they are making the very last stop of the tour right in Mountain View, CA!

I have a list of bands that I want to see before I (or they) die.  The bands on this list are older classic rock bands that were waaaaaay before my time.  But, some of them do still perform from time to time and I have been lucky enough to see a few of them in concert. The Grateful Dead is on that list and I had given up all hope of ever seeing them in concert.  Until now!  

You can go to their website to see if they are playing in a city near you.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.  I know you are as excited as I am :) 

Now, if I can just get my hands on a pair of those tickets.  It would be a miracle.

*This image was taken from the Grateful Dead tour information page on their website.*

Welcome to 2009 baby!

The New Year has finally arrived in all of its balloon dropping, confetti tossing, champagne toasting, kissing at midnight glory!  I love when the new year arrives.  It brings a feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start to another year of your life.  For me its a time reflect on the last year and make the appropriate changes in my life. Its a time to make new resolutions and re-commit to the old ones.  I look at the upcoming year as a blank slate.  Anything can happen and the idea of that is very exciting to me!

This year I decided that the best way to kick off 2009 was with a road trip!  I had everything all planned out, then I found out that it was supposed to rain the WHOLE TIME!  I was bummed, but plans were adjusted and John and I set out on our journey anyway.

We finally arrived at the Sheraton in Petaluma, CA. Which, by the way, was FABULOUS! Its right on the river.  I would highly recommend staying there if you are ever in Petaluma.

After dinner we arrived at the Mystic Theater in downtown Petaluma to see the Tommy Castro Band.  They are an awesome blues band.  If you are in to the blues, you should check them out.

The Tommy Castro Band.

Tommy jammin'

We headed up Highway 101 and stopped in the most adorable historic towns. We took a break in this park next to a river along the way.  It had the most beautiful, fall-colored trees.

This was the bridge over the river.  Then we headed through the woods and to the coast.

The beginning of day 3. It was MUCH colder on the coast.

We went to Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA.  The beach is covered in sea glass. It really is an amazing site to see.

We made a pit stop in Elk, CA.  This was the coolest toilet.  It even had skylights.  I was impressed.

We decided about 1/4 of the way down the hill just to take a look over the edge instead.

Luckily it didn't rain nearly as much as we thought it would and we had a great time!  I really want to post all of the pictures we took along the way, so maybe I'll throw some more in another post soon.  Of course I took TONS of pictures along the way!  Keep your eyes peeled, many of the new prints will be available in my Etsy shop soon.  I have a lot of new products in the works that will be for sale throughout 2009.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2009 brings you all hope, happiness, and all of the great things that you want in your lives.

Quote for the day:

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

- Oprah Winfrey

Road Trip!

New Print Available!  

I came across this pink-striped building when John and I were on a mini-road trip up the California coast.  Isn't it the cutest? Whenever I finally buy a house, I want to paint it exactly like this!

Chew On This

Speaking of road trips, I am planning (and I use that term loosely) a little New Year's road trip around northern California next week. I want to see Redwoods, lighthouses, beautiful coastlines, the whole sha-bang!  If anyone has suggestions for interesting places to stop, please let me know.  I am open to any and all suggestions.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and I was blogging. Ha!  I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas Eve.  I made Christmas dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing...the works. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself! So good that I have been parked on the couch in a food coma for the past few hours.

However, I still managed to add a new print to my Etsy shop.  

California Dreamin'

This image makes me feel like I'm laying on the beach, soaking up the sun circa 1970. Of course, its December and this is just wishful thinking.  But just looking at this picture, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

I also went to an exhibit about the life of Frida Kahlo this afternoon.  There were many portraits of Frida from throughout her life.  She was friends with and photographed by so many famous photographers: Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham just to name a couple. In every photo she looks so intense, focused and serious.  This one is, by far, my favorite. The colors are so beautiful.

This portrait is titled Frida on White Bench. It was taken by Nickolas Muray in 1939.  

I hope everyone did something fun and inspiring today. Merry Christmas!

Quote for the Day:

"A cloud does not know why it moves in such a direction and at such a speed...it feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift high enough to see beyond horizons."

-- Richard Bach

Carousel

This is the most beautiful, dreamy carousel. I love the texture and soft colors in this image. The lights and the mirrors are so lovely. 

My "Merry-Go-Round" print is panoramic shaped.  The image is 4"x 17" printed on 7"x 20" paper. This would look so beautiful displayed in a little girl's room. 

You can find my "Merry-Go-Round" print for sale in my Etsy shop. This print is also available in smaller sizes, just email me for pricing.

The Tree of Life...

...is in my Etsy shop!

Quote for the day:

"We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward."

 - Everett Mamor

My Website!

It is FINALLY up and running!  

I'm so glad that all of the hard work has paid off and the website is finished! Please take a look.

www.saranorrisphotography.com

Quote for the day:

"The one thing that matters is the effort. It continues, whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the goal is reached it has no meaning."

 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Fall Leaves

John and I took a little stroll in Berkley last weekend and saw the most beautiful fall leaves. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures. 

Pretty soon all of the beautiful golds and oranges will turn to brown and fall away leaving the trees all bare and twiggy. 

Winter is on its way to California...

This print is now available in my Etsy shop.

Quote for the day:

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

- George Eliot