creativity

my photography class is done
9 weeks later, and what have i taken away from it?
tons! things i never knew you could do, features on my camera i was always too scared to use
i even spent time in a dark room today developing a picture!
i've spent more time with my camera
my eye sees things that i never took the time to notice

we were supposed to bring in one of the pictures that we've taken (not just in the last 9 weeks) that was one of our favorites

i looked thru a bunch of my picture folders on my computer, and i continued to settle on the same photo. i've already posted it on here, but i'm going to post it again, and tell you why i love it.
this picture is of my sister, and she is beautiful. this picture is about new life. this picture speaks to me of hope, and beauty and anticipation. it's a reminder that i'm an auntie, for the 2nd time! it's a reminder of someone who takes care of herself, everything that she does, she puts the baby first.
the picture is simple, it is blown out, but to me it looks perfect. i've never seen a pregnant belly quite like leah's, and i love it! Leah, you are beautiful! i don't think this picture is good because of any skill that i have, or anything that i have learned. but i am glad i can take credit for it! :)

i'm so excited to continue to learn about photography, about my camera, and to continue seeing the world thru a new creative lens! God, thank you for creativity! for blessing us with beauty all around us, and within us, and for every time that we discover it anew.

oh how do I love thee... let me count thy ways...

yesterday was a very special day for my little family... it was Michael's birthday!
he was quite excited about this one, he's been looking forward to being 21.
when people ask him why he's so excited about being 21, well he's not really sure, he just is excited!

i wrapped his gifts on monday and he's been wanting to open them ever since. i love how excited he gets about gifts, he's probably my favorite person to buy for. even if he has a list, he still is surprised when he gets the gifts! and this birthday he pretty much got everything he wanted.

so our plan yesterday was to go to the keg with our gift certificate and spoil ourselves on their delicious steaks and twice baked potatoes. mmm mouth watering good. however, he ended up needing to work a little late, so by the time he came home we decided it would be more fun to have a night in. so we ordered our regular: 2 dinner for 1's both with chicken balls, and an order of consomme soup. when we got our food we did our usual trade, 2 of my chicken balls for his spring roll, and we settled in to enjoy our food and conversation. then in true "grown up" fashion, we settled in with a dreamworks movie: over the hedge, and laughed thru it.
i think we'll probably go to the keg on friday and enjoy the food then, but last night was just a stay in kind of night.

i'm very thankful for my wonderful husband. he is my best friend, the love of my life! i think he is so funny, caring, strong, thoughtful, genuine, servanthearted, musically talented, smart, creative, crazy, attractive, loving and all around the best guy I could ever ask for. i am more in love with him than i was on his last birthday, and i'm already excited about how much more I will love him by the next one!! happy birthday sweetie, this spoofler loves you & always will.

day by day

again it has been a LONG time since I've written on here... not sure how that happens
sometimes because I think i don't have anything interesting to say
and sometimes because of being busy.

things have gone into a pretty natural routine around our house, and i like that
mike & i work well together, and it is just really fun to live with him! some nights we are falling asleep on the couch by nine, and other nights we're up till 1 am talking about anything and everything.

we've been talking a lot lately about the future, about job dreams, financial worries and following our passions. i find that its easy to say "i'm trusting God with the future", but it's very different to actually trust! especially when it comes down to how money plays into everything. it is also very good to be content where we are in the mean time.

we've also been talking a lot about how our lives will change in 45 days. as we will be auntie ashley & uncle mikey for the second time. my heart actually begins to beat faster when i think about it. i can't wait to meet this little one, and i'm so thankful for all the little kicks and pushes i've felt so far. i'm thankful leah doesn't mind me holding her belly all the time, because this auntie sure loves those moments.

it seems like our lives have moved into a nice pattern, but at the same time there is so much transition and anticipation underlying everything! anticipating the sale of my parents house, the start of the retreat house build, the first cry of the newest addition to our family! transition in continuing to learn to live together, trusting and waiting on decisions about jobs & school, transitions in our families, still learning to live each day missing Jay.

i wonder if other people have this much going on, or if they don't, if they are bored? i don't think i'll ever know!

*** Also! today, I want to wish a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend:

ELLEN HOPE PAULLEY!!!!

i am very thankful for you, and for all the times we've had together! living together, talking, laughing, crying, knitting, watching friends, going to HAWAII. you will always be one of my favorite people, and i hope you have a wonderful day and an even more wonderful year. you are creative, inspiring, adventurous, wise, funny, thoughtful & compassionate. and simply fabulous!

josh & leah, and baby on the way!

I spent some time with Josh and Leah this weekend, taking pictures of baby#2 at eight months, they are easy to take pictures of! thanks for letting me take pictures of you guys. love you and can't wait to meet baby!!

sing of the Lord's goodness...

it's thanksgiving weekend
what a great thing, a long weekend to spend with family and friends and be thankful.

after work on friday i stopped by to visit a friend that had a hard day on thursday. i talked to her husband to find out her favorite drink. a skinny decaf caramel macchiato, extra hot. i discovered that you can have peppermint mochas ALL year long. i showed up on her doorstep and was greeted with no hesitation, but a hug and an invitation to stay. we talked and talked. the kids were home and were fooling around. i love this family. i could've stayed all night (the oldest boy said to me when I was leaving: are you leaving now? i thought you would NEVER leave!... i don't think he actually knows what that means, but it was pretty funny) i am very thankful for this family.

friday night it snowed, and it snowed and it snowed.
i took my camera outside on the tripod.
i played with shutter speeds, with apertures. i took pictures of light, and was lucky enough to catch a car driving around the corner at just the right time. i danced in the yard as the snow fell. i'm very thankful for fun and creativity.

yesterday I spent the whole day with Michael. just michael. i woke up and read for a few hours. we snuggled on the couch. we laughed over the Office. we went grocery shopping. we went out for lunch. we worked together in the kitchen. we cleaned. we talked. we laughed. we each made part of supper and we just enjoyed being together. i am thankful for a day like yesterday!

last night I talked with shauna on the phone for awhile. I have very few friends that call me anymore. Calling people just to talk isn't something that many people do. but Shauna and I do sometimes and i love it. it can be about something serious or nothing at all. i am very thankful for Shauna (and Matthew!)

today we had our caregroup over for lunch, michael and i made lasagnas, salad, dips, garlic bread, dessert, coffee... it was a joint effort, and i'm very thankful for Michael. and I am very thankful for our many wonderful friends.

this evening we will be going to have supper with my Dad. I'm finding it strange that we don't have a single family gathering this weekend. i'm feeling a little sad about it, like something is missing. My mom has only been gone (to Colorado) for 2 days, and I feel like she's been gone forever. Yesterday I just needed to call her to ask her a question and I felt so lost knowing I couldn't call her!! But we will go have supper with my Dad and enjoy being with him. My dad always makes me laugh. There is no one in the world that I love the way I love my Dad. And no one in the world loves me how he does. I am very thankful for my Mom and Dad. (both sets!)

i'm hoping to take some shots of my sister soon. I've never met anyone that radiated so beautifully with pregnancy. Pregnancy and Leah are just a beautiful pair. I am thankful for babies. I am thankful to be an auntie. I am thankful for my brothers and my sisters.

this morning I was blessed by the sermon (Pierre Gilbert spoke this week). i was blessed by the way that he talked about WHY we thank God. he chose to talk about suffering, and how we don't expect it, but when it comes it hits us like a 2x4 in the face. he talked about praise and thanksgiving in the midst of suffering. that we do not praise the situation or what has happened. that we don't sing a few songs or read a few lines to CONVINCE ourselves that we want to praise. but that we need to have a life orientation in one thing. GOD IS GOOD. so that no matter what is going on in our lives, peace and joy, or utter despair and chaos, we can still know that God is good, even when everything else is very much NOT good. i'm not doing justice to this sermon with my few lines on here. but I am thankful that God is good.

so we may not be getting together this weekend for "thanksgiving", yet my weekend is full of giving thanks.