Because This Week is sooo Busy...

And even so I am a blogaholic...so I think I HAVE to post new pictures at LEAST every other day...I just decided to put up a few of the pictures I already edited from the Easter weekend at the lake. The rest will come later... :)

The not so traditional family portrait that I absolutely love because of the lens flare...

"...everything I ever wanted and everything I need..."

What a week it has been. Being home now sitting in front of my computer almost seems surreal after the incredible Spring Break I had. I wish it never had to end. But this post isn't about that. I haven't yet had the time to load all the photos and actually sit down and take in all that this week has been, so more on that later.

So right smack in the middle of the Spring Break, Aric and I got to take some engagements of his friends Matt & Katy. It makes a photographer's job that much easier and more fun when the couple is as good lookin' as these two were. They brought some awesome outfits to wear, and were so fun to watch interact. They just talked and laughed the entire time. You could tell how much they adore each other. We also get to photograph their wedding in July! I can't wait!! I edited a few of my favorites while I was in Dallas, so here they are!


























(There are a few things I think I'm gonna start doing differently and this is the first post with the changes. If you notice the title, I wanted to do something with these posts that might mean a little more to the couples who's pictures are here. If you know me, you know I love music! I think it's such a huge part of life, it can hold so many memories and emotions, it's just awesome. So I wanted to start asking the couples what "their song" was, and somehow incorporate it with the photos. Next, I stole Aric's logo & border. Lol. Not really, he actually gave it to me. But I think it makes the pictures look a bit more professional. And I wouldn't and couldn't be doing this photography stuff without him, so I think it's perfect!)

Freedom...

I was looking through some old pictures this morning, when I came across this one that my wonderful roomate (Brooke) took of me last summer. I've always loved the picture. Right around the time this picture was taken we had been talking a lot about freedom. We were in the process of drooling over our favorite book, Captivating, and we just loved the idea that God has set us free from our bondage to sin. And therefore we are free to be who we are in Him. Brooke and I love to dance. Like crazy people when no one else is around, or the usual two-steppin with a partner. We like to sing loud in our cars, and go crazy, and just be downright silly. But we have no fear of what other people may think or say. We do those things because we are free. Because we don't have to look to other people for approval or acceptance, because we know that we are eternally accepted. Eternally loved by our Heavenly Father. I know what it's like when you don't have that freedom, and oh how much more satisfying it is when you do have that freedom. So of course as soon as I saw this picture again I racked my brain to remember all those bible verses that I was sure I had memorized, and in the failed attempt finally got out my Bible to look them up.
Here are a few...
Live in Freedom today.

John 8:31-32/34-36
Romans 3:21-26
2 Corinthians 3:17
Plus a ton more, but I just realized I gotta go to class! Lol

"I wanna set the world on Fire..."

So I've been writing this blog in my head all day long. Literally. I'm pretty sure it started at 7:00 this morning when I finally rolled out of bed, threw on some sweats and a t-shirt, threw on a cap and ran out the door to make sure I made it to Spanish class on time. It was beautiful this morning. Daylight Savings Time can actually be a glorious thing. I love the sunrises, and sunsets. Beauty always gets the wheels turning in my head. Especially beauty that I guess I consider directly related to God like sunrises or stars or mountains or oceans. (Even though I know that God made beauty, and everything beautiful is because of him.) Anyway. So I've been making mental notes in my head all day. Praying that when the time came to sit down with my macbook and write them all out I wouldn't forget them all. Luckily...maybe...I have retained most of what I've been thinking on all day. This may get long. And if you've never read some of my writing before, don't get surprised if you get lost in the middle (even I get lost) but somehow it comes together in the end...Hopefully. Anyway, I know it will be worthwhile.

I love music. And I always imagine my life with my very own soundtrack playing in the background. Kinda like those iTunes commercials with the black sillouhettes dancing around with the awesome songs playing in the background. Yeah. Kinda like that. Today the soundtrack to my life was simply beautiful. Some days the songs have a low tone. Monotone almost, as I simply walk through the day as routinely as they seem. Other days the songs are loud and angry, other days they are soft and soothing, but the days I love most are the days when they are bubbly, full of fun, full of meaning. Today was one of those "bubbly" days. At least it started off and ended that way...

Just about every year, around this time... I don't know just something about it. Spring, I guess. The sun shining. The flowers blooming, new life coming up everywhere...something about it always brings me back to this place of evaluation of my life.

Mainly. My walk. My faith. 

With beauty and light all around me, how could that not stir up the heart I have for God? Don't get me wrong. I can just as easily see His beauty in the winter. I love the winter. Cold and I don't necessarily get along, but Oh how cute are the scarves and boots and sweaters and 

coats??!!?!.... Anyway. As I was saying. It just seems that almost yearly, at this point I get the urge to push myself to dive deeper into my faith. To be more thankful. To learn more about the Savior I love so much. That loves me. To fix my attitudes, to be more patient, to understand Grace... 

Ultimately to make my God smile when he looks down at me.

I've always been fascinated with the concept of Spiritual Warfare. "Fascinated" may not be the word for it. But just curious, just interested to know how to protect myself, to know when I am under attack, to know how to protect my heart from the Liar.

Needless to say. I was under spiritual attack today. Big time. But no need to worry, it led me to this awesome revelation. About so much of my life.

When God tells you to do something. We should do it. More times than not, we don't do it. And we continue down certain paths that lead to things that hurt us. It takes that hurt to finally realize He really was right all along, and if only we were strong and humble enough to trust him in the first place we wouldn't be here. But, even then He uses that to show us His beauty and mercy and grace and Glory. Today I realized one of those things. Something that He told me to step away from long long ago, that even though it's over now, still hurts me at times, and did today.

I was home alone for a while this afternoon. Studying for a midterm tonight (which I think I did pretty good on by the way) and I started dwelling on some of these things that have hurt me. It was all I could think about, and as I would read through my study guide, as soon as I would get to the end of the page I would realize I had retained nothing of it because my mind was too busy processing these thoughts on other (we'll call them "dark") things. I scanned through that same page about 7 more times before I finally realized what was happening. 

I was under attack. 

There Satan was.

Sitting on my shoulder. 

Whispering all those horrible lies in my ear and it was all I could concentrate on. 

So in that very moment I knew I had to do something about it. I sat my paper down. And closed my eyes and started praying to Jesus about it. Simply asking him to take the burden from me, to give me grace, and peace, to help me realize this was not my burden to carry, and to tell Satan in the name of Jesus to GET AWAY from me. It was a majestic moment when I finished whispering "Amen." and opened my eyes.

It was gone. 

The thoughts. 

The heavy weight I was feeling. 

The hurt, and sadness.

I was crying at this point and I just couldn't end my prayer. All I wanted to do was praise Him. To thank Him, and talk to Him, and thank Him some more...

So I started thanking Him...
Ohhh How blessed I am. HOW blessed?!?! It's too much. Much more than I could ever deserve. Much more than I could ever explain with words. Especially here. But I am.

Have you ever been loved so much by someone that that person, and their example of love thrusts you and your own heart to the throne of God? That's all it can do. Sometimes you can't even understand why that person loves you, or how, or why that love is so real and pure, it just is, and it just reflects God through and through. There are plenty of people in my life that love me that much. But you know there is always that person, the one that does it like no one else could.  It's so rare. And it's so incredible.

And the most amazing part of that love is that it doesn't have to be felt, or spoken... It's just known.  It's just a fact and I never have to be afraid to lose it, or lessen it... It just is.  It's just like God's love.  That...more than anything leads me to God, thanking Him endlessly for loving us first. For teaching us what love is. For sending Jesus here to be the perfect example of Love so that we can merely try and mirror it.  For putting someone in my life that could love so gracefully, and patiently, and could try so hard to love the way that He does.  I'm thankful for that... among the thousands and thousands of other things I am thankful for in my life.  

I was finally driving home after my test as the sun was setting with the windows rolled down and of course...my music blaring.  This song came on called "Set the world on Fire" & I found it highly appropriate to end my blog with tonight.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it’s burning bright for You
It’s everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There’s nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father’s hands

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

I’m gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

P.S. Aric brought this to me today...
Just because.

It's FRIDAY!!!!

Oh Glorious Friday. Just 4 more hours of work and I'm home free until Monday morning at 9...and besides all the hw I have to get done over the weekend... But YAY! I just Loooove the weekend. But who doesn't, right? Well I was editing some of the pictures that Erin had chosen from her session that I didn't edit during my lunch break and she did a great job! I love all the ones she picked. And several of them I hadn't even given a second glance, so I'm glad she chose them so I could edit them. Ha. Anyway. Here was one of my favorites. And as always...when I find a favorite, I have to edit it like 5 different ways...but this time...only twice! :)

Enjoy.
And Happy FRIDAY!!

Digital Project #3 (continued)

Not much has been happening this week. Just school and work and craaaaaazy weather. As of today it's snowing. As for tomorrow...who knows? I could be wearing shorts and flip-flops.
Anyway. I just finished the second part of my digital project so I thought I would share.
First is what I received in the mail...
Front:

Back:


And this is how I changed it and will send it back to the sender...
Front:

Back:


I am sooooo coooolllldddd....

I got a hair-cut!! : )

Everyone knows how much I love having long hair. I always get into this cycle of cutting it off to a medium length and hating it then spending a year growing it back out, until it gets too unhealthy and I have to do it all over again. Well this time I wasn't satisfied with the normal medium length hair-cut and I wanted to make a bigger change!! So I finally got the courage up to go in and get a bob!! And I love it!!!! I also got to try my hand at cutting a little, as Aric let me help shave his head! So we both got new "do's" and we decided to go out and practice a little of what he learned at his workshop last week and get a few new shots of the hair!! Hope you like it! : )