"The earth is what raised me, the earth is my home."

Poverty. A word we often times push to the side to get on with our busy days. The fact is, nearly 50 million Americans are currently effected by this _____________. Poverty doesn't just effect the middle age or older.. it effects children as well.

16 years ago a 13-year-old girl by the name of Heather, became homeless when her father left home and her mother kicked Heather and her 15-year-old pregnant sister out of the house and onto the streets of San Fransisco, Calif.

From there Heather began her journey. A journey that would lead her through a life of drugs, alcohol and from one broken home to the next.

Through all the years and all the miles traveled Heather managed to hold on to these two tour flags (Led Zeppelin on the left and Pink Floyd on the right.)

Heather walked me around downtown Oklahoma City and showed me where she and her husband "lived" when they arrived off the Greyhound from Dallas, Texas. This is her first trip back to the city since leaving 8 months ago.

Heather showed me where she would go during the day. She used to walk by this waterfall when she needed to relax.

Just before the sun would set, Heather and her husband would come to this garden and sit. "I pretend to be tough to maintain my street reputation," Heather joked, "but at heart I am a softy for anything nature. The earth is what raised me, the earth is my home."

"My husband and I walked this very alley right after arriving in the city. We had no where to go."

When this house was abandon, Heather and her husband slept on the porch. She recalls the windows being boarded up and this being the only protection from the weather.

Sleep was a good thing to do during the day so that they were not mugged. Heather said they would sleep on these large rocks spread throughout downtown Oklahoma City's park.

Heather's favorite thing to look at was a large metal bird that lit up in the evenings and changed colors.

On the way to the city, Heather mentioned how she wished her family, 3 children, was closer to her. She plans to have them for Christmas once moved into her new apartment.

Heather got emotional walking through the Greyhound station and thinking about how far she has come since this time in her life.

Her whole life Heather has felt like she has been bypassed. I felt this was a great way to illustrate her feelings.

Heather heard about Mission of Hope in Stillwater, Okla. and wasted no time getting to the shelter to start her recovery.

Heather sat in the "community room" at the shelter and told me about her experiences and how she has gotten this far.

This is Heather's transitional room which she will soon be moving out of. The room she stays in offers a bunk bed, a private full-bathroom and a full size bed. The TV's and other things in the room have all been donated and Heather is able to take it to her new apartment.

Heather saw this on the stairs in downtown Oklahoma City and said "that is so true, I wish everyone had this mentality."

Final: Oklahoma Pride

Oklahoman Pride has always stood out among the States. Growing up on a farm in a small rural community, I know the pride a man can have in his work, his family, and his community.

People of Oklahoma are proud of what they accomplish. For farmers it’s the last round on their 9200 in the field, looking down a mile of fresh, straight fencing, or watching the wheat grow week by week. They are innovators, always improving techniques, farm equipment, chemicals, and crop strains. Breathtakingly massive Wind Farms are being built across Oklahoma to generate clean energy.

Not all Oklahomans are farmers but Oklahoma is known for it's strong, hardworking men and women. The oilfield is booming in Oklahoma, Oil Derricks are being built left and right. The land stretches for miles and if you look you can see the Derricks dotting the horizon. The oilfield has given jobs to thousands of people who also take pride in what they do.

Oklahomans are united. We are united in our community, our state, and our military. We are supportive and patriotic. We fly the United States flag alongside our state flag on our porches, vehicles, oil derricks, and tractors. As you drive through an Oklahoman community, you’re likely to get waved at. It’s a feeling of friendliness. Everyone is your “neighbor” in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is a religious state. Oklahomans are proud of their religion. That’s why some areas are called “Bible Belt” and “God fearing country”. Some towns have more churches than places to eat. On Sundays, everything is peaceful and quiet because everyone is in church.

Oklahoma has come a long way since the days of the land run or the Great Depression. We’ve literally built what we have from the ground up. That pride in what we have has been passed down the line from fathers to sons, sons to grandsons. It’s not only pride in our heritage, but its pride in where we’ve been and where we’re going.

In my essay I aspired to show the pride that Oklahomans feel for their state and that I feel in my heart.

 

Final Project: Water Reflections

Water is known to be a symbol of change but a reflection is just the opposite. I wanted to show that although a person's initial thought is that they're looking at the same thing just reversed, they're actually viewing something entirely different.

Just like before, although you're looking at the same thing, the ripples in the water distort the reflection of the building giving a whole new perspective.

Just as water is a symbol of change, a bridge symbolizes the desire for the same. A slow-moving or calm river represents ease, fluidity and grace and the symbolism for a bridge (stability and strength) work together in these two pictures.

Halvorson Ranch

For my final project I decided to photograph and write about my parents' ranch. Halvorson Ranch is located in Guthrie, OK. At the ranch, my parents, Wayne and Rebecca Halvorson, raise quarter horses to be shown in halter competition. Halter is an event where horses are judged on structural conformation and appearance. My mom also gives lessons to horse lovers of all levels. 

The ranch spans about 200 acres and has several pastures and barns. The pastures are a great place for young horses to graze, grow up, socialize and play before they are brought in for training.

Having such a large ranch takes a lot of work. Feeding requires two employees. Fernando rides the tractor to feed and water all the horses in the pasture and Beatriz feeds all the horses in the barns.

Horses are not the only animals on the ranch. We have several dogs and cats that each play their role.
Our cat, affectionally named Dog, is an excellent mouser. She helps keep the mice away from the horses and their feed.

Rosie is a corgi. Many horse people have corgis because even though they are small, they have great herding skills and horse smarts. 

My father is not only a great horseman, he is also a great businessman. He is seen in this picture discussing a horse he found online with Jouquin, a man who boards his horses at the ranch.

My mother gives lessons to a seven-year-old girl named Maggie. She just got her first horse, JP, for Christmas. When they brought JP to the ranch for the first time, my mom taught Maggie how to unload him from the horse trailer and lead him around properly. 

One of the best parts about our ranch is the relationships formed between people and horses. Maggie is excited to begin her new relationship with JP.  

In contrast to Maggie and JP, there are long-term horse and human relationships that exist on our ranch. Trudy and her mare, Red, live on our ranch. Trudy has owned the 30-year-old mare since she was 12. 

Halvorson Ranch is a place where everyone, horses and humans alike, are treated as family. Beatriz has worked for my family for 15 years and my mom has formed a close bond with her. 

Living on the ranch not only taught me about horses, it taught me about hard work. It was also wonderful growing up in a small, tight knit and loving community. Halvorson Ranch is a great place for horses, but it is so much more than that.