299/365

| Find & Keep |

The way home.

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296/365

| Find & Keep |

His sacrificial love. He didn't have to put out the money to send me to the Wildflowers workshop. He didn't have to make the 14 hour drive to take me there.. But he did willingly and joyfully. I am so thankful for the love and support he offers me. I would not want to journey with anyone but him.

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295/365

| Find & Keep |

A road trip with just the 2 of us.

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239/365

| Find & Keep |

I love them more than anything.
We took a little trip to the mountains. We couldn't actually see much of them though because of the smoke from the fires south of here. Also, this little pond which is usually much bigger was just a tiny little thing because it's been so dry. It was still worth the drive, however. Just to be together. Sienna also brought her monkey, Bobo. We bought it from a store here when she was 9 months old, so she though he would like to see his birth town. It was a fun adventure.

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217/365

| Find & Keep |

A bathroom selfie was bound to end up in this project at some point. I'm not that mad about it. Especially if it means I get to be in the frame with her.

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151/365

| Find & Keep |

When I get to be in the picture.

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134/365

| Find & Keep |

Sure signs of spring and a picture of me. 

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A Perfect Place..

I woke early this morning. Sat up with a stretch and a yawn and tip toed quietly down the stairs, careful to not wake a soul. I made myself a cup of coffee. My Keurig, which may be the best invention ever, seemed so loud amidst the silence I was surrounded by. An instinct to 'shush' it arose within me as the coffee trickled down into my mug. I mixed in my cream and sugar and carried my mug to the couch with me. The comfort that comes from grasping a warm drink in my hands in unmatched. I sat on the couch and opened God's Word. Finally. This is the place I had been craving to find for days. This quiet. Quiet enough to hear the Still Small Voice. The place I can gather God's word, read over and over the scriptures He's been speaking to my heart. Time with my Father. Wrapped in His presence, His love. The place where my spirit is filled, my soul is renewed, and my faith revived.

After spending some time in this perfect place I heard a stirring. The familiar creak of a little boys' bed followed by foot steps. Those foot steps soon came closer til my not-so-little Coen was sleepily pulling himself onto my lap. His length did not prevent him from tucking himself into the nook of my neck and bending his legs up enough to be wrapped in my arms. As he settled into this place I felt him relax every limb and let out a sigh. I breathed him in. So thankful that he came to me, climbed into my lap, and was content to just stay. We stayed like this for quite some time.

How fitting, I thought as I lay with one of my littles upon my chest. Is this how our Father feels when we come to Him? As we come to Him, placing ourselves into His presence, peace comes, and we let out a sigh.. Our loving Father wraps us up, thankful we've come to Him, ready to pour out his affection, hoping we will be content to stay a while..

{{{NINE}}}

I have been married for 9 years today to the most perfect man. Well, almost perfect. One thing he is horrible at is taking pictures with me.. We hardly ever take pictures with one another. We were just out at our church's Christmas banquet, and while everyone else took advantage of being dressed up with a beautiful backdrop at their disposal, my husband and I looked at each other after we had put our coats on to leave and realized we were leaving once again with no picture.. I've decided this needs to stop. Tonight he has made reservations. Where to which I have yet to find out, but one thing I do know is that I am going to make sure we get a picture together! I truly believe our best days are yet to come, and I want to remember them!

Christmas shopping..

Yes, I am done my Christmas shopping! I got smart this year and ordered a lot of gifts online. It really is the greatest way to shop! You can avoid the overwhelming parking lots filled with frenzied people crazily scrounging to find that perfect gift. Instead, I sat tucked up close beside my husband as we wandered the web.. I had already had ideas in mind for what types of gifts I was looking for. Otherwise, it could have become a little overwhelming with a world of options at my fingertips.. So, it just came down to finding the perfect items, and I found almost all that I needed on Amazon! Next year I plan on ordering all of my gifts online, and now that Pinterest has secret boards I can pin away with all my gift ideas! Life is good!

#bloggerproblems

Thanks to those of you that stop by here, read what I have to say, and comment once and a while.  Right now it is a mixture of my photography, my family, my ministry, my heart, my kids, and a few random DIYs. At times I am okay with that. Other times I feel a little scattered and unfocused. I tried to make a photography website so I could separate that out a bit, but after driving myself crazy for days I gave up. I couldn't find anything that fit my needs that didn't cost cajilions (thats a word in my house). Anyways, I say all this to ask you to bear with me. There may be some changes coming, there may not be.. One thing I am certain of is that I want this place to be a blessing. No matter what it ends up looking like, my end goal is to bring encouragement to those who chose to visit. I love this place to much to give up on it,  and I never want it to be something I only do half hearted. Maybe I take it all a little to seriously.. I'm just going to take a deep breath and relax.. And go take care of this sick little girl..

SELFISH..

This pretty little mug was a gift from a sweet friend. As a matter of fact, I have received quite a few unexpected gifts lately. Some people just have a knack for gift giving. That special insight that helps them know exactly what will fill up someones love cup. 

I think it would be accurate to say I was a little spoiled when I was young. I got my way most of the time, and when I didn't I would put up the biggest fuss. I feel bad looking back now and seeing how selfish I was. How ungrateful. I expected the world yet gave nothing back in return. My poor parents. While they were just trying to show love in practical ways, I totally disregarded it all as something I deserved. I wish I could say I grew out of this at a young age but I can't. I think in many ways that selfish little girl still lives in me. The good thing is that I know what drives that out of me.

Gratitude.

I am so thankful for all I have been blessed with. The generosity I have been shown is driving me to be more grateful, thoughtful, and giving. It is so true that it is better to give than to receive..

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want

Proverbs 11:24 

Dear Honesty.

I second guessed posting this earlier this week. Being honest about weaknesses sets you in a pretty vulnerable place. Somewhere I am not always comfortable being. In society today many like to paint a picture of perfection. I, however, am not perfect. My brush strokes are both good and bad. Only by God's grace does it all come together to create something beautiful. So, I will not manufacture perfection. I will just be real..

Yep, I'm that mom..

We are just getting home from siennas parent night at the school (which,by the way, I still feel too young to have to be at). I have been laughing almost constantly since leaving there. Even throughout our romantic kid-free time following the meeting, which was spent buying diapers at Walmart of course, I couldnt help but chuckle every few minutes.. See, I experienced tonight one of those "yep, I'm THAT mom" moments. In the meeting they were discussing the need for parent volunteers at the casino night which is ran to raise funds for the school. Quickly following this request they went over how the funds recieved through this would be spent. They stated that some of the money would be used to make a substantial donation to a charity for gambling addiction recovery. Well I, finding this completely ironic, burst out laughing assuming that others would also see the humor in this. It turns out, however, that aside from one of my 'mom friends' and my husband, no one else did. Instead, I received multiple disapproving looks from around the room.. Oops. Yep, I am THAT mom.. This isn't the first time I've had one of these moments, and I am certain that it won't be the last!

*****Please don't get me wrong.. I do not find gambling addictions or the effect they have on peoples lives funny.*****

A gift from the Lord {it's my birthday}

It's my birthday. The thought of getting older makes me physically ill. Seriously, it's something I need to get over. Today, however, I feel blessed. I woke up to my beautiful children and my wonderful husband. We enjoyed cake for breakfast after my children sang to me with their perfectly out-of-tune voices. Also, yesterday my beautiful friend Lisa (who happens to have a BLOG) gave me a card with a message in it that is so timely for me right now. It was like a gift for my heart straight from the Lord. It read..

"Praise the Lord... who satisfies your desires with good things..." Ps 103:5

So simple, but sometimes so simply forgetten in certain seasons of life..

A House Called Defeat..

House for sale..

Large house with many points of entry. As you enter this house you will see that it consists of many rooms all with differing looks designed to lure people in. Although many rooms, the hallways are narrow and confining making it hard to move forward. The house is cold, without proper lighting throughout. At first, the darkness seems somewhat comfortable and easy to settle into, but after a while the ability to maintain proper sight becomes tiring and difficult. The purchase of this house does not require a large sum of money. Payment is taken in the form of hope and vision. Once this home is purchased it is difficult to leave behind. While there are many ways inside there is only One way out, and because of the blinding darkness that fills this house it is not always clear how to get there. No need to call to view. This house is always open. 

A House Called Victory..

I have moved into a new house designed for me by my Father which has only One point of entry. As you enter this home you will see that it is filled with light. The hallways are wide and free of clutter so there is  nothing to hinder your vision. The walls display words that uplift and encourage such as "Do not fear, for I am with you" -Is 41:10 and other reminders of the protection found here. This home also did not require a sum of money for purchase. It was free, requiring only that I receive it. 

Now that I have entered this house, I never want to leave. 

...I have moved out of DEFEAT and into VICTORY...

Spoiled..

I am not one for cheesy love stories. Sappy lines make me queasy. I always told my husband to never write me a poem because it would probably cause me to laugh in his face. Harsh? I'm not sure where my ditest for over-the-top romantic tactics came from.

My husband does not use this as an excuse to slack in the 'sweep her off her feet' duties of a husband though. He knows the perfect ways to cause me to feel love and appreciation without being oversweet. He plans dates, organizes babysitters, brings me flowers unexpectedly, lets me take long naps, cleans the house when I'm out. He does the little things which I think hold much more value than anything over the top. I really am a spoiled wife..

Head in the Clouds..

 Seriously, I've been dreaming of living in the middle of nowhere. Every time I drive through the country I feel such peace, and I have this growing desire in me to plant myself there and never leave. I can breath a little deeper in the country. I love the quietness that surrounds me. I love the long grass and open space.
This is, however, just a dream for many reasons. I really am so happy with our new house, and I know that the appeal of country living would not last. The work to maintain a rural homestead is not suitable for our busy lifestyle, and most of all my husband, although he was raised in the country, is a city boy through and through.

A girl can still dream though, right?

Wedding Photography..

We showed some friends of ours our wedding pictures last night. It made me kind of sad because our pictures are horrible! This is the only one that I like. Please excuse the awful quality, I took a picture of the picture with my iphone. Whenever I talk to any soon-to-be brides I always tell them not to skimp on their photographer. It is the one thing thing that will last beyond the wedding day. I am assisting at 2 weddings this summer, and I feel the pressure because I know what it is like to be unhappy with your wedding photos. I am up for the challenge though, and I am excited to see what it is like on the other side of the camera!!