Thankful November – Page 2 – nancy merrill photography

Thankful November 19th: Light

I know it may seem obvious and a bit silly to say, but I am so thankful for light, and not just as a photographer. The other evening, we had the most glorious sunset. I was driving and couldn’t stop and grab a picture of it. Sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy the beauty and not worry about angles and f-stops and aperture. C.S. Lewis once wrote “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Thankful November 18th: Traveling

I know that I’ve already expressed gratitude for the earth and its beauties, but I am also very grateful for the chance I’ve had (and continue to have) to travel many places around the world and also close to home. When my husband and I got married, he hadn’t traveled much. A couple of years after we married, I convinced him that we needed to take a trip to Great Britain to visit a nephew who had been transferred to London for a year, along with his wife and three boys. It was the best thing that could have happened to us. Since then, we have made a few more trips across the pond to the east, across the pond to the west, and headed down south for my first experience in Mexico (besides Tijuana). I’m looking forward to many more adventures around this amazing globe we live on in the near and distant future.

Thankful November 17th: The United States of America

In January, my husband and I started a class on the United States Constitution. It included the history of the American Revolutionary War, the Constitutional Congress, and many of the writings from the men (and some of the women) who helped to create my country. We studied the entire Constitution, from the Declaration of Independence through all 27 amendments and what they mean. It was a fascinating deep-dive into history and government. It made me eternally grateful for my country and the men and women who put everything on the line to fight for its beginnings. All things being equal, the colonists should never have won the war. Britain was the greatest empire in the world with the strongest navy and best trained ground troops. King George V hired the best skilled mercenaries from Germany to fight for him as well. The colonists were out-manned, out-armed, and under-trained. Many miracles happened over the course of the war that ensured the colonists would win, and in his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789, George Washington covenanted that this nation would serve the God who had preserved it. I love history, but I especially love the history of my own nation.

Thankful November 16th: Food

I always like to joke that without food, I would die. I suppose for me, the real truth is that I would die a little inside if I couldn’t cook and bake. I love making good food for people I love. And I love watching them enjoy what I’ve made. My mother and both of my grandmothers were very good cooks, and I learned some fun recipes and technics from each of them. Now I get to bake and cook for my husband, who isn’t a finicky eater, but always goes out of his way to praise whatever I make for him.

Thankful November 15th: Murphy

We have a dog. His name is Murphy. He is a mutt, with some shar pei in there (his forehead wrinkles when he is nervous or interested and his tongue is black). My husband adopted him from the local shelter when he was a puppy. He was one when we started dating and two when we got married. He is now nearing thirteen, and while he still sometimes thinks he is still a puppy, his energy lasts only about ten minutes. He is loving, loyal, and very forgiving. He gets excited whenever we come home, even after two-week-long trips. I love you, Murph. Thanks for letting me into the family.

Thankful November 14th: Flowers

I love flowers. I love smelling flowers. I love looking at flowers. And I especially love photographing flowers. My maternal grandmother had the most amazing flower garden: roses, lilies, snapdragons, daisies. Each summer, her small yard was transformed by colors and scents that transported us to a fairy world.

Thankful November 13th: My Home Town

Salt Lake City and County Building — City and County Building

To be honest, I haven’t moved very far from where I grew up. It’s a five to ten minute drive from our current home to my childhood home. As such, you could really say that I still live in my hometown, and I’m very grateful for that. Salt Lake City surprises quite a few people who come to visit. Though it’s not a huge city by any stretch of the imagination, it’s also not small or super backwards (depending on who you talk to). You can listen to a world-class symphony (the Utah Symphony), enjoy a play or musical presented by one of the top regional theater companies in the country (Pioneer Theatre Company at the University of Utah), enjoy world-class skiing at one of the many resorts less than an hour from downtown, take a hike up the Wasatch front for a break-taking view of the Salt Lake Valley, or take a tour of the beautiful grounds around the Salt Lake Temple.

Thankful November 12th: Work

Four years ago, my husband left the structural engineering firm he was working at so that we could open a firm of our own, Realize Structural Engineering, Inc. A year and half later, I left my full-time job as a technical writer to work part-time as our office manager and HR department. It’s been a crazy ride, but it has also been so worth it. These photos are some of our recent projects.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to build our own company with our own standards and mission statement.

Thankful November 11th: Veterans Day

Today, the United States of America honors its veterans. Many other countries are celebrating Armistice Day and Remembrance Day today. One of my grandfathers served in World War I (yes, I’m old), several of my uncles served during the Korean Conflict, and many more nephews and nieces have served or are currently serving in the armed forces. As a nation, we can never thank them enough. The gratitude of the nation should never be in doubt.

So, thank you to everyone serving to keep our country and our world a better, safer place.

(The images are from the Punch Bowl Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii.)

Thankful November 9th: Music

There has never been a time in my life that hasn’t included music. I grew up in a family of seven (including parents), and all of us played at least two instruments (including parents). My dad’s mother was a piano teacher. She taught me for 11 years, and she was my biggest supporter when I chose to study music in college. I play the piano, and violin. In college, I studied singing and choral conducting. I started teaching piano when I was 18, and I currently have 15 students who do two to three recitals a year. I met my husband because I was the music director for a show at a local community theater. The show we were doing was written by a friend who asked my younger sister and me to arrange the music. I have written a little original music, but I mostly do choir arrangements (makes sense, see previously mentioned college path). I love music. I don’t know what life would be like without music infusing pretty much every aspect of it.