I just completed the gallery for this family last night and I am still in AWE! I can't stop looking at them, seriously. Their love as a family shines brightly, inwardly and outwardly. I've known Curt and Carri since 1992 when we marched together in Northern Aurora, a [now folded] drum corps based in Saginaw, Michigan. Facebook played the grand part in our reconnecting as long-time friends. Amazingly enough, as I was planning a trip to Danville, KY [my hometown] to take pictures, they were as well..  but for a wedding.

She contacted me, asked if I would take their pictures, I told her I would be honored, and so it begins.. We all worked our magic, enjoyed each other's company, and reminisced about the good 'ol days. What a treat it was!

And, of course, as you see, they have offspring now!  =)  Ethan is 9 and such a heart breaker. I mean, look at him - he's gorgeous!  And those eyes..  WOW!

Thank you, Curt, Carri, and Ethan, for trusting me with this extraordinary moment in your lives! 

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This is a letter sent to a bank by an 86-year-old woman. The bank manager thought it was amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. 

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless...

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Came across this today and HAD TO SHARE!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

Not knowing who you are, or what your strengths are, is the root cause of fear; of course you are going to be afraid of what you don't know! So take the time and figure...

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Then, it happened. All of the sudden.. a BIG BANG! Yeah, kinda like the Big Bang Theory where supposedly there was a big bang and everything just appeared, and the lights came on. Well.. my light had finally came without flickering! Yippee. A thought entered my mind and literally exploded. It filtered through my brain waves and seeped into every crevice and fold, restoring moisture and life to a dehydrated, burnt out brain. The envy was replaced with admiration, negative thoughts with accolades and encouragement, and discontentment gave way to satisfaction. I could look at "their" work and smile, thinking how talented and creative they are, only wishing I could give "them" a high-five or a pat on the back for a job well done. It provided a new hope and drive, a new perspective on my past, and a new outlook for my future.

And, oddly enough, with 99.9% certainty, I can guarantee that you have entertained this thought at least once in your life already. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb,...

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If there is anything I can tell you today, it is to be gracious and thankful for what you have been given, and always be ready to help another. Use your talents to glorify God, not yourself. God will see to it that your needs are met. A heart and life of humility is a heart and life full of abundance.

I remember the very moment that God opened the "photography" door and guided me through, and even the person who He used to remove the blinders from my eyes. {Thank you, dear Jessica!} I had been divorced for only a little over a year at this time and was still struggling to get on my feet, making a life for myself and, of course, mourning the "loss" of my two boys through the custody battle. I constantly prayed for direction and God always gave willingly.

But, you know, in the last 2-1/2 years since that "light bulb ah-ha" moment, I had never found peace. I was a walking weary pot full of jealousy, envy, discontentment and anger because I wasn't like "them" and didn't (and still don't) think like "them." Why did I have to be so different? I don't want to be different. Is that too much to ask, God? Why couldn't you make me like "them?" Life would be so much easier because then I would have someone to follow, and I could be in the "in" crowd instead of the "out" crowd. ...

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I had a yard sale scheduled this weekend but there was NO WAY it was gonna happen. First of all, temps were like in the high 90's and rained most of the day yesterday. And secondly, I refuse to sit outside with a 1-year-old and a busy street without a fence stopping him. Not gonna happen. So it didn't. I did try it this morning but then it got hot. Go figure. I thought I could do it. It's apparent I don't know my true self yet, and just as apparent is how dumb I really am. I mean, seriously, what brainiac would schedule a yard sale in Florida at the end of June. Of course it wasn't me. I would never do such a thing. It was the little 1-year-old tugging at my shin saying.. "Mommy, mommy, why don't I go play in the street while you watch. MmmmK!" Yeah, that's it. I'll blame him. Good thing is, he's still too little to understand the blame game so he can't return the blame.. yet. I know, I know. My time will come. I'll wait patiently for it, too.

So on to the goody, goody stuff! If you read my last blog,...

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Oh what am I getting myself into? My, oh my..

This is my second foray into the blogging world. First one didn't last very long due to my inconsistent and procrastinator nature. Not good. Maybe I can blame it on this crazy life I live, one in which is totally out of my control. I say that because I'm a total God-follower. Not a crazed, foaming at the mouth, snake handling religious maniac.. but a very real, emotional and confident girl who has learned in a very real and tangible way the absolute importance of following God's will for her life. (*there really is no better way*)

I'm also a single mom of an incredibly feisty, stubborn but too-cute-for-words 1-year-old, non-custodial mother to two of the most handsome 9- and 7-year olds that God has ever created (*my pride, my joy*), and a freakishly courageous girl who is ready to travel a road less travelled – again, and join the ranks of all those who have been branded with a scarlet letter for being just plain.. ummm.. for lack of a better word.....

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