a personal style blog by Lauren Pfieffer

Monday, July 2, 2012

Into the Storm.

White Dress: Delia's.
Floral Crown: Handmade.

The sky was beginning to darken when I arrived at the park. It was the park I used to play at when I was a child, right down the street from my house. Parent's were pushing their little ones of swings, a couple was playing tennis, and a father was playing basket ball with his two young sons as the mother sat in the car and watched. She gave me an odd stare when I stepped out of the car.

I made my way over to the corn field on the very outskirts of the park. Across the monkey bars, past the swings, walking on the bridge. My shoes made echos. I could smell the rain in the air, that thick, humid, build up of nature that coincides with summer time heat. The wind tickled and played with the little wisps of hair hanging from my bun. I hoped it would hold off until after my pictures.

I stared at the massive corn field. Rows and rows stretching on endlessly. The sudden tickle of wind that I had once felt suddenly vanished. The air was still. Almost too still. I twisted and turned, hid and crouched in amongst the maize taking my pictures, feeling alive. Something I don't feel very often. All of a sudden, as if a light switch had been turned on the wind picked up furiously. It blew the floral crown off of my head, threatening to push me down into the cracked and dusty soil. The thunder rumbled off into the distance, making the most spectacular, all powering sound. I thought back to when I was a little girl, how I believed thunder to be the giants bowling in heaven. I wish I still thought that. I hurried along my pictures at a faster pace, trying to beat the impending rain. All of a sudden I felt a pair of eyes on me. I glanced over and there certainty was. A pair of soft, big, innocent, brown eyes.

A deer. We watched each other intently for a few moments, not wanting to disturb each other's peace. An unwritten and unsaid agreement. She flicked her ears at me, curiously staring at this silly human with flowers on her head and sweat running down in rivets on her skin. When I turned away and looked back again a few moments later, she was gone.

I finished my pictures in a panic and the storm continued to build. The beautiful and serene blue sky had turned into a dark and foreboding painted mural of purples, blues, and blacks. The wind blew the corn stalks so furiously that I feared that the whole crop might be ruined.

I started to run back to my car, afraid of a down pour on my camera any second. The park which was once full of laughter and life was now dead. The swings rocked back and forth with ghosts and the leaves blew around aimlessly. All of a sudden I stopped. I felt God was with me. The strangest, most surreal feeling I've ever felt. He told me to walk, to slow down, to feel nature. I asked him why he had such wrath, why he was bringing this storm upon us. He didn't anwser.

Almost to my car, I spotted a bright burst of pink. A stuffed animal. A little bee. Some child had left it behind in the rush to beat the storm. This little toy which probably meant so much. I felt so emotional then, remembering when I left my favorite stuffed animal at church one day and how devastated I was. I took the animal, placed it under the pavilion so as not to get wet, and gave it a halo to keep it safe.

With much love, Lauren.


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26 comments

marcia said...

aww...

Ester R. said...

Beautiful outfit and photos! The dress is so adorable!

Sarah Hartley said...

Wow, you look so gorgeous. What beautiful photos. And that dress is fantastic!

Jess said...

Such a beautiful outfit and setting! Lauren, you are such a good writer...<3

Lyndsey said...

Oh my! These are absolutely stunning shots and you look beautiful! I hope I can someday pull off the "white dress" look :) it's so dreamy and feminine.
I also love your floral crown as well!
xoxox
lyndsey of hellolyndsey

Unknown said...

What an adorable post, it must have been so magical to see the deer too. Your dress is gorgeous :)

http://louisejoyb.blogspot.com/

Mary said...

Clearly the above commenters didn't read your so eloquently written story, or else they would have remarked on it. What an amazing experience! I have chills now!

Jodie said...

I love your use of words and your beautiful photography. Your blog is one of my favourites : )
Jodie

Inês de Castro said...

That's so adorable! I bet the kid who left it behind went back and is really happy now :) I love the dress!

Ashley Holloway said...

Beautiful story, so lovely and eloquently told! And a lovely outfit as well! I've tried to make a flower crown, and I'm still just not very good at making them :(

R said...

What a beautiful flower wreath! Oh it's like the Swedish Midsummer eve!
You are just so beautiful!

Kezzie said...

What exquisite writing! Beautifully told and I love the epilogue!
Rivulets?

Britney @ Scout and Company said...

Oh Lauren these photographs are wonderful and the words alongside are just as beautiful!!
-Britney of Lemonwood and Honey

Anonymous said...

you are so talented at writing. such beautiful pictures, you truly inspire me, Lauren.
X jane

http://thetaleoftwobuttons.blogspot.com

Lilianajcardoso said...

Such beautiful pictures, adore it!

xxx

Lily

http://aridehome.blogspot.pt/

Emily said...

Ohmygoodness Lauren, this is by far my favorite post EVER of yours. Pictures in corn? Why didn't I think of that? That seriously is so brilliant, and the whole atmosphere around you is just breathtaking, I swear!

When I was reading your post, I seriously felt my heart start to speed up, I don't know why, but I guess it just really spoke to me. I LOVE storms. Sometimes I actually sit out on my front porch and watch/listen.

And you are seriously such a sweetheart for putting their stuffed animal in a safe place:)
<3

Teddi said...

magical moments with the deer, & those photos! lauren, this was a definite showcase of your writing. :) i hope the little one found the bee too. sweet flower halo you made.

Elizzabeth Hope said...

These pictures are legit amazing! They look like they could be in a magazine!!!

xo, Lizz
www.GirlMeetsFashion.com

Unknown said...

I love the way you write, it's captivating:) Also these photos are beautiful and you look like a princess!

Unknown said...

These pictures are absolutely adorable, but the story that goes with them are just so wonderful. It made my heart melt and I'm so glad that you had that experience!

xoxo,
Laura
http://lauraisthriftingthroughlife.blogspot.com/

Marise said...

It looks like you had the most amazing time while taking these pictures, I couldn't help but smile while reading what you wrote! You are a lovely human being Lauren!

The Mad Twins said...

Wooooooooooow, these pictures are so dreamy and so is the dress! I adore the headband you made, it makes it all so complete! Great styling <3


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bridget anne said...

your best yet. hands down.

Cel said...

I still think it's marvelous you take such fantastic self-portraits, you're so great at it! I'd have been terrified of getting my white dress dirty with something green in all that corn haha, but I'm a stain-magnet.

pretty affairs said...

these pictures are AMAZING!! i like your writing too...so you have a new follower now...be sure i'll spend some time on your blog ;-) x

Victoria / Justice Pirate said...

gah. I just did a cornfield shoot before seeing this set. It won't be posted for two more outfit posts though. Anyway, These are lovely! I adore cornfields. There is one in my brother's backyard.

This post's text is so gorgeously written!!! I love it!!

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