My dear blog readers (or reader, because I have a suspicion my mom is the only one who looks on my poorly neglected blog anymore), today I embark on an adventure...
...8 Days in England...
...2 Days in France...
....3 Days in Iceland...
...It is going to be e.p.i.c.
This has been a long planned, longer dreamed about trip, and it's hard to believe
it's actually happening. I promise that when I get back, I'll post photos of the
things we did, the places we saw, and the food we ate.
And I have quite a few portrait sessions and my trip to Mexico to blog too, so be patient.
Good things are coming.
Enjoy the last official week of Summer, friends!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Just a quick note to say that this is where I'll be spending my next week....Vail, CO! Blogging will resume for the New Year when I get back. Enjoy your weekend.
Here we are. Again. Time doesn't slow for anything, does it? As I was sorting through photos for my 2014 calendar a few weeks ago, I passed image after image that made me realize how beautiful and blessed a life I have.
The year started with the annual ski trip. I smiled as I passed through images of bowling, the whole gang at the top of the hill, late game nights, breath-taking sun rises, and a group of my bestest girl friends bundled in winter hats, scarves, and jackets atop the mountain we climbed. There was the weekend trip to Dallas. Three days with girls who love Jesus, photography, and Dutch Blitz; It was so wonderful to see them again. There was Josh and Allie's Kentucky wedding - the first wedding I shot by myself. Such a nerve-wracking, man-I-love-this-job experience. Grateful for my brother being my right hand guy for the day. I passed photos of my two little nieces, looking like angels, sound asleep on my bedroom floor, and family game nights. There was the 1930s themed "Lost Elevator" premiere event. So much hard work and fun packed into one evening. I absolutely love being able to work with good friends on projects. There was the Twins home opener, and Milwaukee with Mom for a weekend of antiquing and Nikkia's recital.
Then there was the trip to Thailand. Oh my goodness. I'm still blown away when I think of how God provided every step of the way to make it possible for me to board that plane. It was almost surreal as I re-looked through photos of that incredible trip. The mountains as I flew over Siberia, the sun setting through the airplane window as I landed in Seoul, South Korea, and photos taken from a hotel balcony on a sultry morning in Bangkok. There are those photos I could never forget - darling, precious little girls sweeping the sidewalks inside the safe confines of House of Grace. Photos of 114 smiling faces, of girls worshipping the same Jesus in a different language, their joyful faces as they were handed coconut ice cream cones, playing on the playground, just being girls. There were last minute before-we-left, faces-smashed -together, smudges-from-mascara-running photos, and photos of the whole group of them streaming into the road waving goodbye as our van drove away. There were photos of little children with dirty faces in primitive villages and old women bent over baskets of rice, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I was actually there. There were photos of a Bangkok sunset taken from a longboat on the Chao Phraya River, of our team standing barefoot in front of one ofthe temples at the Grand Palace, and of us sipping Starbucks, enjoying our last bit of time together in the Bangkok airport.
There was Brian's Police Officer of the Year award ceremony - so very, very proud of my big brother, and grateful for how God protected him. There was the new photography job at the hospital and the thrill of bumping into Joe Mauer. :) There were cornhole tournaments, countless softball games, and another wedding to shoot.
Then I passed through photos of yet another trip to the El Paso desert. To some people, one ofthe most dangerous cities on earth, to me, one of my very favorites. Photos of people reading tracts, of children looking up at you with the biggest, brownest eyes, and stunning sunsets. Photos of faces lit up in laughter watching puppets, and hundreds of people listening to the Gospel message.
Photos of the perfect Summer Saturday spent at the lake - all of us looking sun-kissed, with the lake breeze blowing through our hair. There was the weekend camping at Itasca, thrill rides with friends at the State Fair, cousins outings, more cornhole tournaments, more softball games. I sifted through photos of the little people I spend a third of my week with - I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family to work for. There was Storybook weekend, another balloon launch, and my dream of learning the cello finally coming true. Trees ablaze in autumn glory, a game of street hockey, midnight movie premieres, birthday parties, Christmas baking, and staying up late playing games.
2013. Filled with new experiences, new places, new people. And with all the coming and going, there is always this urge to live in the past, or dream about the next adventure. In the midst of the unpacking, filing receipts, digging foreign currency out of my purse, and sorting through the photos that are now memories, I read this: "Every milestone moment always forks and you get to choose which road you'll go - bitter or blessed. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. Don't grieve that it's gone, wonder that it was. Laugh that you lived, and dance that you dared. Inhale that it happened - and it was grace. The best way to prepare for what's ahead it to be present to what is now. Be present to the gift of now. And right then - the sheer sheen of grace on everything lights."
Be present to the gift of now. It's not always easy. Those days with smiling girls, chattering happily in their Thai language, and those days in the desert, passing out Bibles, those days fly by. And some days, you just miss it so much. But these days. These days that make up now, won't last forever either. Days of having lunch with my mom, or watching my dad and brothers play softball. Jumping with my nieces on the trampoline, playing sleeping giant with my nanny charges, and laughing over the silliest things with friends, thousands of beautiful-ordinary moments - these times are finite too. Find the gift in the ordinary. Be present to the gift of now.
Now for the final gifts of 2013...
1971. A Sunday afternoon nap
1972. Watching The Nativity Story
1973. "A Messiah for the lowest of men to the highest of Kings"
1974. My wonderful nanny family
1975. Playing Wii with the kiddos
1976. Christmas bonuses
1977. The annual viewing of "It's A Wonderful Life"
1978. Church bells ringing
1979. A sliver of yellow poking through the gray skies
1980. Snow that glitters as it's falling
1981. Advent by Christmas tree light
1982. Stockings hung on the railing
1983. "He comes to make His blessings known, far as the curse is found."
1984. Christmas brunch
1985. The whole family around the table
1986. Little kids on Christmas morning
1987. Reading the Christmas story
1988. Gifts given and received
1989. Playing dominoes with the little girls
1990. Games all day with family
1991. The traditional game of Christmas Clue
1992. Candles in the windows
1993. Playing Words with Friends - a new addiction around here :)
1994. Sleeping in late
1995. Day after Christmas games with mom and Dan
1996. New cozy slippers
1997. Above freezing temperatures
1998. Family Christmas with mom's family
1999. Pad Thai!
2000. The traditional game of cousins hockey at Christmas
2001. {Him. Jesus. Hope. Here with us.}
2002. {This read}
Happy Independence Day to all my blog readers! I hope your day is filled with family, friends, fun, feasting, and fireworks, as we celebrate the freedom we have and those who have given their "lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor" in procuring it.
"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light?
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets red glare. The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say does that Star-Spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
-Francis Scott Key
Also, today will be my last post for awhile. I'm heading down to El Paso tomorrow morning to spend a couple of weeks with Bearing Precious Seed. Back to the land of big-brown eyes, breathtaking sunsets, and people hungry for the Gospel. Your prayers are appreciated.
"May His beauty rest upon us as we seek the lost to win,
"Speak the unseen into seeing and feel it, this steady breathing in the rhythm of grace...the eyes focus, apertures capturing beauty in ugliness. All the world is a window. If we are willing to see - people, circumstances, situations, relationships - all is transparent. All of this globe is but a glass to God."
I've written and re-written this post more times than I care to count. I'm reminded of a C.S. Lewis quote,"Life is too deep for words, so don't try to describe it, just live it." It's so hard to sum up a year of living into mere words. But, I'm sitting here, on the couch, curled in a blanket, Christmas music playing softly in the background, and the kids I'm nannying are sound asleep, so I'll give it another try. Where does time go? I clearly remember writing 2011's epilogue - I know it sounds cliche, but it really does seem like it was just yesterday. It seems like just yesterday we were flipping over new calendars, anticipating what the year ahead would hold. And now, it's gone. Life flies by and doesn't stop for anything. So...2012. Here goes... It started out with theski tripup to Lutsen - three days at the North Shore, enjoying the outdoors and the company of good friends. There was the final "fast food Friday" at my grandparent's house before we said goodbye to it - a house that was at the center of countless happy childhood memories. There was the launch of Northern Lights Radio Theater with the production of My Fair Lady. There were the random jobs that God so graciously brought along after mine had came to an unexpected end. There was the trip to Manitou Springs...spending a week hanging out with the fabulous people at IPS. Learning all about flashes and soft-boxes, (including the fact that they drain batteries at a rapid rate), and coming home inspired to use my skills not only to take great photos, but to advance God's Kingdom. Then there was graduation. Happy day! 21 months of studying like crazy, taking numerous tests, and experiencing so much grace, coming to an end when I slid my tassel from right to left and became a college graduate. Just a few short weeks after that, there was the trip down to El Paso, TX, and three weeks spent working with Bearing Precious Seed. What a privilege it was to serve alongside the incredible BPS staff, and how truly amazing it was to see souls come to Jesus. (I wrote a lot about my experience down there - if you haven't already, you can read about it here,here, here, here, here, here, here,here, and here.) Then there was a weekend up at Bri and Dana's cabin, picnics and volleyball on summer evenings, an afternoon tea, a pedicure and lunch with Mom, the annual camping trip to Itasca, the Great Minnesota Get Together, and softball tournaments...in short, everything summers should be filled with. There were lots of photo shoots (it's official - I have the best clients ever!), the "new" car (thanks, Dave!), the new nanny job, and teaching debate. There was a trip to Valley Fair with cousins, a corn hole tournament, a camping adventure in Mille Lacs, and the annual weekend at Storybook Lodge. There was another recoding session and an opening mid-night showing of The Hobbit.And there was that night in Octoberthat could have turned out so terribly wrong, but by God's grace didn't. Those are some of the "big" moments. But for me 2012 was also marked by the small moments. The moments that for years had been overlooked in the rat race of life. There was the conscious effort to slow down and enjoy the moment - little people laughing, the whole family around the dinner table, biting into a juicy Colorado peach, pausing to watch a caterpillar inch its way through the grass, singing "Our God Reigns" on a Sunday morning... I'm not saying that I appreciated every moment or always lived fully in the present. I didn't. There were times I rushed right through, not stopping to see the beauty God was giving me right at that moment. 2012 also brought moments that I would rather forget about. There were hard times. Trials with work, trials in relationships. Times of feeling overwhelmed and helpless, times where I felt like there was an ocean standing between who I am and who I want to be. But in the midst of the trials there was this reminder,"whatever is chasing you- no matter what it looks like- it's grace. And grace isn't what makes us feel good: grace is all that makes more like Jesus." Right in the middle of it all - the beautiful days and the ugly ones - right smack in the middle of everyday life, there was grace. There was the Gospel. In the slowing down, in the counting of 1,000 gifts, I was struck time and time again with the astonishing beauty of the Gospel. The greatest gift of them all. Immanuel. God with us. God sending His very own Son into the world. Jesus taking the wrath that should have been poured out on me. Such amazing grace. This challenge, this endeavor to count 1,000 gifts in a year is not going to end tomorrow when the calendar reads January 1, 2013. The grace gifts won't stop coming, so why should I stop counting? And how about you? Write a list, keep them in a notebook, start a blog of your own. Count the ways He loves you. Listen to your life sing. Expect to be changed. "Joy is dangerous - it's igniting and contagious, and otherworldly...joy is revolutionary: it goes straight against the way this dark world spins." Now, to count the last gifts of this year... 1048. Hockey with cousins 1049. Family Christmas 1050. Mom's whole family sitting down playing games together 1051. My diploma! 1052. Christmas Eve Candlelight service 1053. TV Mix and M&Ms and the family around the table playing games on Christmas Eve 1054. Finally beating the boys in a board game...it only took till 2:30 am :) 1055. "You're here with us" 1056. Little people on Christmas morning 1057. Reading the Christmas story after brunch 1058. Wrapping up Christmas Day by watching "It's a Wonderful Life" 1059. Friends home from school 1060. Skating on a frigid winter evening 1061. Freshly fallen snow sparkling on the ground 1062. Staying up late...and being able to sleep in in the morning 1063. Praying with friends
Last night, my family was bemoaning the fact that they hadn't seen photos from the last several portrait shoots and a few events that took place well over a month ago now. So, I decided to revisit those events, in an attempt to play a little catch-up. Enjoy! :)
The first event was camping at Lake Mille Lacs State Park with my uncle, Dan, and two of my cousins...
...we made shadow puppets on the wall...
...we may or may not have consumed more than a healthy dose of sugar for one 24-hour period...
...we warmed up our cheese dip on the fire...
...Marie and Leah were, well, Marie and Leah...
...we played Spot-It...
...well, at least the girls did. The guys were too busy sleeping...
...we stayed in this cozy little camper cabin...
....we climbed to the top of this tower in the morning...
....t'was a lovely view from on top...
...we hiked this trail, and overall had a grand adventure.
Now, for a little corn hole...I think that we started playing this game last summer, and it's quickly become a favorite of ours. I thought it would be fun to have a bunch of friends over for a tournament and thus the "Fall Fling" was born. :) We had an absolutely lovely evening for the event, and kept tossing bags on boards until about 1 in the morning.
It was a pretty epic evening...three set of boards, 12 teams, lights rigged up on the deck, oh yeah! :)
Someone got a hold of my camera...such goofy friends I have...
The final match pitted brother against sister...
The second and first place teams
After the first tournament was over, we decided it was to gorgeous an evening to spend inside, so we played another tournament...good times.
After retiring indoors at 1 AM, we commenced indoor games until around 3:30. At that point, why not make it a sleepover? :)
"History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us. Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge; a lonely President paces the darkened halls, and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes wast and sings a song, and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air. It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair. That's our heritage; that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, as we raise our voices to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world with our sound - sound in unity, affection, and love - one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a waiting and hopeful world." - Ronald Reagan
Well, I'm on my way home from Manitou Springs this afternoon...I wasn't going to blog today, but then realized I really had to...it's Ross' first birthday! Yep, one year ago today, my fantastic Canon 5D Mark II, which was later christened "Ross"arrived. It's really been a great camera and I have no complaints. Here's to many more happy birthdays. ;)
As part of defining one's business, a person must first define him or herself. So, part of yesterday's homework was to define ourselves in 15 words. I'm not sure if these are the best 15 things to describe me, but at 1:00 am, they're the best I can come up with. :)
The final part of yesterday's assignment dealt with capturing light on paper. Each of us students has our own little "studio" space set up in one of the rooms of the Summit Ministries main building. We have one wall covered in black paper, and one covered with white paper for a backdrop. I used a couple different objects so the light would make interesting shapes on the paper. I found it difficult to get the objects in focus.
Part two of Day One's assignment was to take still life photos using off camera flash and soft boxes. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but I think I'm starting to wrap my head around it a little bit!
Well...so much for my blog being "quiet" this week. :) As part of P&L, students are required to submit assignments via blog, so you'll see the good, the bad, and the ugly this week. (Hopefully not too much ugly. ;) )
Part one of yesterday's assignment was to shoot one object ten different ways. On Sunday I had walked by this house, and had made a mental note to snap a few photos of it before I left. I decided I might as well use it for the assignment.
