As Promised

I said that I'd post some photos from the wedding this weekend. I'm not including any of the portraits (though they're my favorites) until the bride and groom get a chance to look at them. But here's what I can show you...

A Beautiful Day

Well, I'm home after 9 hours of wedding photography and I am exhausted! But it was a wonderful day!! The bride and groom were beautiful! Their love for the Lord and for each other was an encouragement to all who were there. It was such a joy and privilege to be able to capture their beautiful moments. I got to work with my best friend and partner in crime- she was wonderful: creative, very helpful, assertive, supportive!! And though everything didn't go exactly as I'd hoped (our portraits were delayed 1 hour so we were a little crunched for time, I had to juggle with the lighting quite a bit, and I learned that there is much more to directing people than I'd thought to the job), I got some shots that I am very excited about and it was a joy to be a wedding photographer for the day. Thanks to many for your prayers! I'll place some photos up shortly...

I do

Some may know that I have been increasing my hobby of photography to include portrait shots for other families. This weekend the notch goes a little higher when I shoot (with the great help and talent of my best friend) my first wedding. I am very excited and completely nervous! I've enjoyed the "safe" water of family portraits because if they get botched (which has happened to me before) I can schedule a reshoot. However, we cannot simply "redo" anything for the wedding. I consider it a privilege to be able to this and am excited but my stomach is doing flips. (I believe I'll be more excited after things are said and done- the anxiety is primary currently.) But I am very inspired with this opportunity; my mind is imagining all sorts of settings and poses to capture the beautiful bride and groom. I have loved the creative "storm" I've had the last couple of days. So, we'll see how it goes. Everyone needs to start somewhere, right?

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry."- Tom Mullen

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

We had a great Christmas season this year! I am extremely thankful for the many joys that were a part of our festivities- visiting with family, playing games, baking treats, watching the Nutcracker ballet with the whole family- just to name a few. The kids this year were tons of fun! They enjoyed giving their gifts to others (Lauren was still pretty stuck on receiving them), cranking up the Chipmunk's Christmas music, and stopping by every random house staring at their light display. This year we even had our own Christmas Eve service (we weren't feeling too good to go to our church's service) in our living room by the Christmas tree. And though we had four (yes, 4!!) Christmas celebrations, it was a relaxing time. Several times throughout the day, I'd sit back and remember my past Christmas' (aunts and uncles goofing with the kids' new toys, playing Barbies with my cousins) and think these are the years that will fill my kids' memories. I believe we made some good memories this year.

And now the new year is only 7 hours away and Christmas is boxed up. And I am wondering what my New Year's Resolutions are... there are many things that I can not do or do more of but where do I want to focus? Where would God like me to focus? I'm thinking about having several in different areas of my life: the spiritual (I know, this one is all encompassing), the physical, parenting goals, wifely goals, etc. Is that allowed? So, here's to next year! May the memories we make be full of joy and bring glory to God.

'Tis the Season

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat... " We've been listening to the Muppets' Christmas album (often) and that means Christmas is on it's way. It is a holiday I dearly love! There are many joyous memories of Christmas' past and I am truly cherishing the thrill of experiencing it through the eyes of my children now that they are old enough to "get it". They hunt out any house that has lights up an request that Dad drive via that route at night. They are excited to pick out just the right gift for their brother or sister. They are tickled that they get to cut out Christmas trees and gingerbread men at school. They took great joy in helping decorate the tree at home, remembering ornaments from years past. Great joy fills their eyes and their hearts!

However, it seems that the older I get, the less mysterious and joyful the holiday is for those surrounding me. Many adults complain about the over-commercialism that it has become and cast a dark, grey cloud over the entire festivities! They throw their hands up in defeat. Ryan and I read a news article about parents writing to toy companies, complaining about the company's "over-marketing to their children" asking that they refrain from that in this current economy. And Ryan said, "It's sad that we complain and try to control our circumstances rather than controlling ourselves." Yes, we can gripe about how corporate America has turned Christmas into an opportunity to balance the companies' budgets. But Christmas can be about SO much more, what it's supposed to be about- the joy of celebrating our Savior's birth. I'm not going to say that I don't like the presents; yes, the present are nice (especially since I'm a gift giver and LOVE having monies set aside to lavish tokens of love on my friends and relatives whereas we do not have that luxury throughout the year). But if you're "cheesed" by the commercialism of it all, move on past that! We, as believers, have a responsibility to enJOY this celebration- really, apart from Christ's resurrection, the only celebration worth taking part in! So, don't fall into the traps of holiday sales and don't let your woes about it all wear you down. We have great reason to celebrate and shout with joy! Do things with your family that becomes traditions- make paper chains, bake cookies, act out the accounts of Jesus' birth- that don't dip in the pocket book. Christmas does not have to center around the shopping mall. We can control ourselves even if we can't control our circumstances. Let's take great joy celebrating our Savior's birth and sharing that love with those around us.

Luke 2:10-But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Growing up...

This weekend marked a momentous occasion in our house- Nicole got her ears pierced! On Tuesday she mentioned wanting to have it done and then on Saturday morning she asked Ryan and I. We had been waiting for her to want to do it- once she turned 5 we said that she could do it but she kept putting it of (“till I’m 8” she’d say). But Saturday morning she woke up wanting to get it done. Once we gave the ok, she herded Nate and Lauren into their rooms to get dressed so we could get going. She was extremely excited. And she was quite the champ- she brought her beloved Rabbie with her to snuggle with but no tears dropped from her eyes. She was a stud! Here is a photo documentary of the happenings…

Nicole super stoked on the way to get her ears pierced!!!

Nicole making her selection...

Waiting patiently while they prepared things...

The deed. (2 at once is definitely the way to go!)

The worst it got. No tears, no wailing! She was stronger than her mother!!
My favorite picture- Nicole beaming with pride, Daddy holding his baby girl in his comforting arms and a bag that declares to the world what just happened.My baby and me.

It was a little odd going to be that night thinking that my baby girl now has pierced ears, something that, in my mind, marks a little more mature stage. I sure do love this thing called life that the Lord has allowed me. I am blessed and enjoy these little moments.

Bugs, photography, and sin

What good is having a blog if you can't use it to post gratuitous pictures of your cute kids? Here are the latest of them with their Fall Festival costumes...

My 3 bugs
Nicole as a bumblebee princess

Lauren's innocent face as a butterfly princess.

And then her "don't smile" face...

Nate as the creepy spider.

On other news, I've been reading a really great book by Jerry Bridges, "Respectable Sins". It has been a good (though, hard) challenge to me. His book addresses those sins that we as Christians tend to minimize; anger, frustration, anxiety, lack of self-control, jealousy, ungodliness, vicarious immorality, etc. As believers, we often compare ourselves to the world and come up looking fairly clean- certainly not guilty of the extreme sins- theft, adultery, murder, hatred... that the world so blatantly flaunts. But Bridges challenges his readers to consider that even a 99% in God's class still earns you a "F"; that it is not the world's standards that we are to measure against.
To be honest, I've been a believer for 15 years now (actually to the day tomorrow) and I think I had gotten kinda stale. The communion plate would pass on a Sunday morning and the leader would encourage us to do business with God and I would come up short... I did not think that I was perfect in anyway (certainly, I'm NO Jesus) but yet, I couldn't name specific sins (and thus deal with them) in my life. I was tolerating those "acceptable" sins. I was very intrigued by the title of the book yet very cautious/hesitant about what it may have in store. God met me within those pages and exposed my heart in many ways, in many subtle sins. Was it/ is it hard to face up to my sin? Yes. But man, is it good. I feel fresh again. Alive again.

Jerry Bridges writes,"(So) we need to be honest and humble enough to admit our subtle sins in order to experience the love that comes through the forgiveness of those sins. But we must also face them in order to deal with them. The worst sin of all, in practical terms, is the denial of the subtle sins in our lives. We cannot deal with them until we admit their presence."

I have joy that God is certainly not done with me yet. As I learn that I must trust Him more (for He is the sovereign God), it also causes me to take more joy in the grace and love he pours out in abundance upon me. I Peter 5:5 says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." I desire his grace.