... looking back... moving forward...

 

 

looking back over the year i can hardly believe how life has changed.   how much i have grown... personally.  professionally... and yet when i read last year's jan 3rd post... i feel like i have done nothing!   how funny that is... we start the year with so many plans... and then life happens... we get busy... we forget... or we decide other things are more important... so for this years last post... i am going back to almost a year ago... because i had great ideas... and i want to try harder...

take more pictures - when i am not getting paid. you would think i took pictures all the time in our normal everyday life... but i do not! this year it is going to change - okay okay... i did do better at that...

 

be healthy. eat better & exercise. blog about my progress - for real this year.   get ready blog world... one day a week you will get an update...

set aside time for spiritual growth everyday - now that i am home full time there is no more excuse.   plus i want to dive deeper.

 

stop comparing myself to others. personally & professionally -any girl who has learned to do this - CALL ME

organize - worked on it!

 

simplify - threw stuff away!

 

spend more time with people i love - check.   but i want more time.

blog more... maybe even everyday... except on sunday. sunday is for church & rest - oh the blog... i really really really want to do better.... and i PROMISE over the next few weeks i will catch up ...i do blame facebook a bit - i was AWESOME at posting pictures.... i just need to write the stories too...  

laugh more - we did laugh a lot.  

love better - ahhhh... its a choice...and i can always do better.

pray big - God is so so so wonderful... i prayed big and am so humbled by His anwsers...excited to see what the year holds...

 

 

so maybe i did not do too bad... but i think dec 31st is a good time to mark a line in the stand...

 

a time to look back and be proud

 

a time to move forward and say, "i think i can do even better."

 

 

us at a wedding.  we should seriouslly be profession photo-boothers.

 



to vote or not to vote...

once upon a time i ran for class office.   i was a freshman - happy to be in a new school and ready to be on student council.  i can remember making signs and being so excited at the thought of being elected.  in the midst of it all i asked my mom a question...

"do you think its okay to vote for myself?"

"of course it is.  if you don't vote for yourself - you don't believe in yourself.  do you know i lost an election by one vote?  i voted for the other guy to be nice and i lost."

so i did.  the ballots came and i cast my vote... for myself.   i still lost and never ran for office again.   lucky for me, losing out on student council lead to speech team, newspaper staff (hello photography), and friends who were also not on student council. 

fast forward a couple years to my college public speaking class.  at my college there is a thing called a speak-off.  held every year between the different public speaking classes to determine who was the best of the best.  being a former speech team president - i wanted to win.  however, i had to get there first.  the person who represented each class was determined by the class. ahhh voting once again.   it should not have been hard.  i had a KILLER speech.  except... my best college friend was also in the class.   she too had been speech team president.  we both wanted the speak-off.  bad. i can remember us saying something to the effect of, "you do not have to vote for me.  vote for yourself.  no matter what - we will be excited for whoever wins."

at this point i'd like to say that God knocked our snobby speech team butts to the ground.  who were we to think it was for sure one of us?  but it was.   votes where casts.  once again i put my own name down.

i won.

by one vote.

i'd by lying if i said i habored NO guilt.  i did. i told myself that she probably voted for herself too. 

 but we had sworn not to tell who we voted for, so there was no way for knowing.

i went to the speak-off and ROCKED it.

i did not win. but my prof lead on that i should have ;-)

fast forward even more years. 

a contest.  10 photos. photographers from all around the area. an email. voting for days upon days.

did i vote for myself?  you bet.

after all i did promise to stop comparing and believe in myself more.

voting ends in a matter of hours and like i said before i am happy to be in the top ten.  truly.

 in the end the most important thing is that i believed in myself to even enter this contest and i determined to  keep believing.   keep reaching.   keep dreaming.

i will pray bigger than i have ever prayed before.

thank you so much to everyone who voted and believed with me.   now go cast some votes on your dreams.

top ten.

we are so excited to annouce that we have made it into the top 10 for the wedding day magazine's "best of weddings - photographers"  its an honor.  we are humbled and excited. 

voting begins today & you can vote every single day until jan 31st.   if you have a minute please vote for us!  

http://northernindiana.weddingday-online.com/contests/photographer/vote/28

our image!   special thanks to tiffany who posed like a pro that day!

i resolve to...

 take more pictures - when i am not getting paid.  you would think i took pictures all the time in our normal everyday life... but i do not!  this year it is going to change

be healthy.  eat better & exercise.  blog about my progress

 set aside time for spiritual growth everyday

 stop comparing myself to others.  personally & professionally

 organize

 simplify

spend more time with people i love

blog more... maybe even everyday... except on sunday.  sunday is for church & rest

laugh more

love better

 pray big

(my FAVORITE selfie of us in 2011)

the best year yet.

i once heard that new year's eve is one of the most hopeful nights of the year.  hope for what is to come.  hope that this year will be better than the last.   the clock strikes twelve and magically the year before is gone with nothing but the future before you.  no looking back.

people take today to look back and remember that good... and the bad.  dare i be like everyone else?  mark this day in the sand, draw my line, and move forward?  today seems like as good a day as any.  to set goals, dream, and plan for 2012.

first a look back. 

 in terms of personal life it has been the best year of my life.  its so girly and cliche but so true - i married my love. 

marriage has been the best & hardest thing i have ever done.  but i am beyond grateful for this man.  he is my teammate, lover, and best friend.  i am so excited for all God's plans for us in the new year.

professionally things have grown more than i never expected.  there were times i wanted to quit.  i made mistakes i could not fix and thought i should walk away.  but then my husband reminded me i was not perfect,  mistakes happen and would continue to happen.  then challenged me to learn from them and move on.  i did and am - everyday.  we captured more weddings/families/seniors/babies/etc. than ever before.  we grew.  got better.  and are currently making plans for a even better 2012... a website.  new booth for trade shows. my plans to blog EVERYDAY... a prayer wall... new printing services... and so much more.  stay tuned.

two years.

two years ago today... we captured our first, first look.

looking back i can still remember how nervous i was, but i was also excited...

 i knew this was the beginning of something great God had planned for me...

its been such an amazing two years and i have learned so much...

i cannot wait to grow & learn more in 2012, there is so much to look forward to ...

thankful.

there is no excuse.   i am suck a slacker when it comes to blogging this month... the only excuses i have are "i am soooooo busy editing and helping create our new website" and "when i am not editing/working on our new website - i want to cuddle my husband."

call it lame... but thats what i got.   and even though i am in serious need of a nap... i am thankful.  so thankful that last year i shot 5 weddings and this year we shot 18.  it would have been 21 - but i got married in the middle of wedding season (i know i know what was i thinking... i was thinking i did not want to wait another day to be married to adam...) i am thankful for a husband who believes in me so much that he is spending COUNTLESS hours building an AMAZING website.  something he has never done before and is doing from scratch.  i am thankful that God is blessing us with so much work we can hardly keep up.  thankful that we are being forced to form a new battle plan to better serve all the customers who have/are coming our way.  i am thankful for growth and a future that looks brights.  thankful that dreams are becoming reality.

as for blogging i promise to catch up - because there is so much to share!  i also promise that in the new year i plan to make a blogging resolution and keep it. 

like i said on facebook 30 days was not enough to say how thankful i am. a Godly husband.  an amazing family.  awesome friends.  wonderful church.  the best clients.  the list goes on.  so grateful for it all.  for the mistakes i make and get to learn from.  for the hard times that make the good times sweeter.  for love.  for life. for faith.

i am forever grateful.

like this banner?   go check out shel.  she is amazing.

day 4.

today i am thankful for my talented friend shel over at paper lullaby.  for her talents. her friendship.  her strength.  and her love.  
 you inspire me friend.

meet the girls

blossom.

ellie.

georgia.

busy day...

... now off to snuggle with my husband.



indiana wedding photography: kelly & garret

you know the person who has been in your class forever?  the one who is not your best friend... but the person who you have seen every school day since you where 3... the one who sat behind you at high school graduation... who you turned to after the tassels where turned and said, "its been a great 15 years."  the one who you know will be there for you in a time of need - even though you have not talked in years?  the person you are always happy to run into when at the super market.  kelly is my person.  since the time of little girl giggles to becoming brides ... she is that person.

and now i am beyond honored to meet her love.  her best friend. her garret.

6 days you two.  i just cannot wait.

the photo above was taken after kelly  gave a lesson on being fierce... it started with "tyra says..."

if only you all could hear this laugh.  

for more of these two please facebook friend us!

remembering...

days like today always bring up the question... "where were you? "  alan jackson even wrote a song with those words and finished with ... "when the world stopped turning.. " 

days like today make me remember... i was a senior in high school... sitting in a seniors meeting when the loud speakers told us through broken words... "new york... bombings.. buildings ... we should be okay... "

confusion... fear... shock... racing to pay phones to call loved ones... begging teachers to just let us watch...  i was on the newspaper staff at the school and given the honor of writing the front page story on the event... my title... "we will never forget... " and we have not... george w bush's words from that night still echo in our minds...

"...These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation....Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve...Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."...This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time... None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.   Thank you. Good night and God bless America."

today lets us remember... those lives lost that day... the families that were changed... the men and women who for the past 10 years have fought back ... those who gave their lives fighting... their families back home who give up their time with them so that they might defend our freedom...

 

and let us remember how lucky we are... that september 11th marks our darkest hour and not our everyday life... that we live in a land of freedom... a land of possibilty... a country that will not fall to the enemy...

 

pray for those who defend us.  pray for their families. pray for our ememies.  pray for those who face their own september 11ths everyday of their lives.pray for strong christian leaders to rise up among us.  pray for peace.

 

freedom field.  fort wayne indiana.  september 11, 2001

labor.

i feel as though i have been doing lots of it lately.... so i am off to the lake to hang out with 3 of my favs...

see you all tuesday... 

m.i.a.

but i have an excuse... a couple of weeks ago i stepped in front of the camera (okay i picked one up a couple of times too that day... ) and married my best friend...

the week before flew by... as did the day of... and then we were flying back from a  honeymoon... and now we are trying to get me moved into his home and make it ours ... work our day jobs ... shoot multiple weddings and various other shoots... and still enjoy being newlyweds... so be patient blog world... i promise to get a couple posts up in the next few days...

(us.  moments before we became offically offical.  snapped by my mom.)

royal.

if you have had your t.v. turned on any time today... you know what today is...  today is a royal wedding.  i of course was glued to the t.v. - once i got in front of one (i do not have t.v. at my house)... kate looked beautiful... timeless... stunning.  william... that uniform made him look like a prince out of a fairytale...

my mom and i have talked multiple times today... the last call was about... "do you think we could add those kind of sleeves to my dress?  her veil - i think that would make a perfect reception veil... " 

and now as i sit in a cafe i think... lucky me... i found my prince too.  with my own nuptials less than 3 months away i watch the royal couple and think, "soon its my turn"... granted i will not have millions watching (thank goodness!)... we do not have a 34 million dollar budget (seriouslly?) ... i will not wear a tiara of diamonds  - but am in search a a cool vintage headpiece if anyone knows wear to find one... and i will not become queen one day... however... i will be surrounded by people i love.  i will have the CUTEST flower girls and ring bears EVER... my dress will be the most beautiful i ever wear... and the groom - is my prince.  my helpmate... my love.

but bigger than that - i am already a princess.  last sunday we celebrated easter... we celebrated Jesus.  the man who is our Savior.  who left His throne to lay in a feeding troth.  who handed over his crown - to be nailed to a cross... but the story did not end with the grave... Jesus rose from the grave.  beat death.  and washed my sin away.  making my a part of the royal family.

so here's my question... as you sit today and marvel over a royal wedding...  to you have a seat in the biggest royal party yet to come?  have to allowed Christ to make you a prince or princess?  and if not why?  why do you accept a common life - when a royal one is waiting for you...

i will always remember

i must apologize for my week of nothing on this blog... but to be honest i was in mourning... and a part of me will be for the rest of my life... for late on saturday, september 4th... my teta (that means aunt in macedonian), went to Heaven.  and so in an effort to start making this blog even more personal... i shall share my thoughts...

the first question people ask normally is, "was it expected?"... "yes... no... "  how do i anwser that?  because here's the thing... death was NEVER the plan... in the beginning - death was not in the cards... then enter sin thus then enter death (romans 6:23)... enter death thus enter hope.  yes.. hope... hope in things unseen.  hope in a savior (aka JESUS) who died on the cross - went to hell - AND CAME BACK.  hell and back - to defeat death.  for you and for me.  for all who believe.  and my aunt - she believed.  my nephews are so amazing with this concept - to them death is not sad.  not one bit.  they laugh, run around, and at my baba's funeral - they blew bubbles at her casket.  because they are so aware of where the dead have gone.  so aware that the dead - are not dead (romans 14:8).  jon even asked me once, "when can i go to heaven?"  at five he got it more than i did.  heaven is the GOAL.  the thing we press onto (phil 3:14).  however in my grief i find so much hope in john 11:35, "JESUS WEPT".  Jesus wept... he grieved for his friend.  and that is where i find myself ... i grieve... i weep... even while i hold onto the hope that Jesus gives... i know the reunion that awaits us.  i know she is at peace.  that she walks now with no pain... that there is only joy... that she is with Jesus... and all those who i have loved who have gone before her... i know i will see her again... and yet... i will miss her as i live out the things God still has for me to do here on earth...

my sweet godmother

for the lessons and memories i thank you.

i carry you with me... always.