More...Just Because

I had too many favorites, so here are some more photographs from the session with Callie. I realize I'm totally out of control, but I just can't help myself. Enjoy!

Oh How I Love Thee.

I love crafts, so it wasn't a surprise when I agreed to lead a craft for our annual Make It & Take It event. My group made a vintage book frame out of old, hardback Readers' Digests. Fun times!

My friend, Kristyn, was the guest speaker for the evening. She shared her story of infertility and journey to adopt her precious daughter, Ellen. I knew she would do a great job, but I never imagined how her story would apply to my life. Then, she brought up the word "contentment." She was candid with her struggle of being joyful and content while still having such a strong desire for something that God had not yet given her and her husband. She said, "It's a decision to be content every day." I could totally relate.  We don't share the same specific struggle, but contentment can apply to so many different things. There are several areas of my life that I keep bringing to God but have yet to see the circumstance change. Despite that, I know he has a plan for me, even when I can't see what he's doing.

That's my new challenge...choosing contentment.

She Killed It!

Yesterday, Joe and I were privileged to spend the afternoon with Callie. She's gorgeous and has legs for miles, something I can't really claim for myself, so I assumed the session would go well. However, she completely exceeded any expectation that I had with her grace and ease in front of our cameras, and I didn't want to stop taking photographs. Good thing for her that the sun eventually went down, and we had to stop.

Thanks for killing the session, Callie, and look forward to more pictures on Wednesday (I couldn't narrow it down any further). You're gorgeous...don't forget it!

Spiritual Butt Whooping Time!

I've been reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. I cruised through the first three chapters without stopping to think, but then I hit Chapter Four: Profile of the Lukewarm. Can I just tell you that God smacked me in the back of the head, kinda like Gibbs slaps Dinozzo on NCIS! Bam!

Francis is explaining the Parable of the Sower and all the different places the seed was scattered. I've heard the story before, and then he says, "Do not assume you are good soil." Hold up! I might not be good soil? I had never considered that I could possibly be the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns. Am I letting the distractions of this world (aka "thorns") choke my seed? That really got me thinking, and then he hit it out of the ballpark with this lukewarm profile (here are a few of them):

• Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go.
• Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.
• Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict.
• Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin: they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.
• Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.
• Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends.
• Lukewarm people gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world.
• Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part.
• Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
• Lukewarm people love others but do not see to love others as much as they love themselves.
• Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.
• Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.

Do any of these sound like you? I hate to admit that more than one sound like me.

The best part of each statement is that Francis uses an applicable scripture to back them up. There was another slap from God in the back of the head! Hearing each of those scriptures together with the pieces of this lukewarm profile was pretty profound and challenging for me.

Read the book; I hope it will give you the spiritual butt whooping that it's giving to me. I'm sorry for those of you who don't thrive on the spiritual butt whooping, but trust me, it will be good for you. :)

And because pictures are fun...

Life and Music

I've been a total slacker and lazy about photography this past week; it's why I've got nothing exciting to show here, at least in the visual form. I promise to have some stuff next week, even if I have to make it up.

In the meantime, I've been wanting to make and old school hits CD of nostalgic songs from growing up. It MUST happen and happen soon. I mentioned this to a friend of mine the other night (who will remain nameless). I said that one of the songs would be "Here Comes the Hotstepper." It's been playing in my head lately, so I started to sing it, "Here comes the hotstepper, murderer..." Immediately my friend started laughing, but I kept singing, "I'm the lyrical gangster, murderer..." Eventually, I had to stop my singing and dancing to figure out if she was laughing with or at me. Apparently, she never knew the words were "murderer;" she had been singing da, da, da instead of "murderer" all this time! Imagine that? At that point, I laughed hysterically and made sure to tell a mutual friend of ours pronto...it had to be documented.

So, I'm asking, what would be on your top five list of old school songs if you made a mix CD today? I listened to some pretty crappy music back then, so I take no responsibility for my list. It is what it is; I can't fight it!

1. Here Comes the Hotstepper
2. Shoop - Salt-n-Pepper
3. 3 AM - Matchbox Twenty
4. Motorcycle Drive By - Third Eye Blind
5. Gin & Juice - Snoop Dogg

What Kind of Sleeve Are You?

[Disclaimer: This post will make me seem a little nuts. There were supposed to be pictures, but I tried two scanners at my office with no success.]

A couple weeks ago I was sitting at my desk when I received a text from an old college friend. Here's how the conversation went.

Jon: This is Jon B. is this still your cell?
Me: Yes it is, Jon, how are you?
Jon: You're gonna laugh!
Me: Why?
Jon: I'm cripple sleeve!

This is the moment where I laughed my head off and was immediately transported back to my college days. Jon was one of my best friends back then and so was his twin brother, Justin. We spent many nights up until way too late acting silly, singing worship songs, and managing to still go to class in the morning. Well, I went to class in the morning; I can't speak for what happened to Jon & Justin on those fateful nights after I went back to the dorm.

We also went on this choir tour/ski trip together one year. On the trip, Justin managed to do some major damage to his knee, and ski patrol had to actually take him down the mountain. As a result, he was on crutches.

Shortly after our return from this trip, Jon was closing a window on the old BCM when his hand slipped and went through the glass. The window cut his wrist pretty badly, so we hopped in the car to head to the emergency room. As we entered with Justin on his crutches and Jon with a towel on his bleeding wrist, the nurse only wanted to know if something was wrong with me too. Crazy!

It must have been on one of those delusional, stay up too late nights following these incidents that we each were awarded with a "sleeve" name. I realize that this is completely absurd, but it was hilarious to us back then. Justin became crippled sleeve, Jon became suicidal sleeve, my friend Libby became long sleeve (because she's tall, and I became short sleeve for obvious reasons. Maybe if Jon or Justin is reading this post, they can comment on how we came up with the "sleeve" thing. I can't remember for the life of me.

Anyway, do you ever do/say anything with your close friends that is so funny at the moment but sounds completely ridiculous after the fact. Please share!

McKenzie: Working It!

Here are my other favs from the session with McKenzie. You're amazing, girl!

McKenzie: All Smiles

McKenzie is one of my closest friends. She has a smile that lights up a room and an infectious laugh too. I have some of the most fun when I'm hanging with her and end up laughing too. We're a loud combo so mucho apologies go out to everyone we're constantly disturbing at CC's.

Joe wanted to shoot in a specific area of town here that some people wouldn't consider hanging out in. That meant, we had to be strategic in our model choice. It's no surprise that McKenzie came to mind. She did a great job walking all over in those incredibly high red heels; I couldn't have done it.

I had a hard time choosing my favorites, so I separated them by expression. Contemplative pictures of McKenzie tomorrow.