My Rocker Husband

I’m a jealous person by nature. I’m very possessive of many things in my life, one of those things being my husband and my time with him. Tonight, my jealousy and possessiveness really came through when I found out that I would be home by myself most of the night. I was looking forward to a night of cuddling on the couch and watching the Olympics with Tyler, and when I found out I wouldn’t get my way, I stomped my foot and stuck out my lower lip. Yup, I was a big baby.

Tyler is in a rock band named Meridian, and practice takes up a lot of his time. They’ve been refining their new sound lately with at least two practices a week, and this week it is going to be three. Once I finally stopped being selfish, I started to think about how supportive Tyler has been of me and my time to pursue photography. How could I NOT support him, when he’s done nothing but be my biggest fan?

Sometimes I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve such a fantastic husband, and one who’s a drummer at that (God really spoiled me when he put Tyler in my life, because I always had a thing for drummers). Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of him. So proud that I really want to brag on him a bit. All of this practice for the band is not just to get together with three of his closest friends, although that is a perk.

It’s because Meridian was one of the few bands to be chosen to play at Godstock in Fairfield, Illinois, next month. This could be huge for the band because of the exposure they will get. Some big names in Christian music have jammed out on the stage of Godstock, including one of our favorites, Skillet. The schedule isn’t posted yet, but head over to the Godstock web site and you’ll see this picture that I took of the band (left to right: Dane, Daniel, Tyler and BJ):

Meridian

Haven’t heard Meridian yet? The music on their MySpace page is a bit dated, but they will soon be heading to the studio to record five tracks. Some of those songs will be featured on my web site once they’re done. I can’t wait to share my husband and Meridian with you all!

And if you can’t wait that long, come see them at Godstock on September 6. I’ll be the one wearing my “I’m sleeping with the drummer” t-shirt. We can cheer them on together!

 

Women’s Spa Day

I had the wonderful opportunity to not only photograph the women’s spa day at my church this past Sunday, but also to share the day with my mom, who was there to help the women accessorize with Lia Sophia jewelry. The spa day was a kick-off to the women’s group that will be launching very soon, but it also gave me a chance to work with my camera and practice shooting women applying makeup, which will come in very handy for shooting weddings. (All of the following images have no Photoshopping done to them)

Misty Majors started the day by leading the women through Mary Kay facials and makeup application. You may recognize Misty. I did her family pictures a few weeks ago, but since then, she’s changed a bit. In these pictures, you can see she has a little bun in the oven. Isaac is going to have a baby sister before this year is over!

Mary Kay consultant Misty Majors

Here are some pictures of the women using the Mary Kay products:

I loved capturing the mothers and daughters bonding by being girly.

Amy and Beth

Amy and Alyssa

Speaking of moms, here’s my mom applying mascara:

Mom applying mascara

Mom looking in the mirror

Rachel applying makeup

Josie applying makeup

Cathy applying makeup

My mom is a Lia Sophia advisor, so she was there to show the ladies how to accessorize with jewelry. My good friend Rachel, a Creative Memories consultant, helped the ladies create picture frames in which they could put the images I took after they had their makeup done and jewelry on. Head over to my church’s web site to see more pictures of the fun day.

And as always, I was behind the camera the entire day, so this is the only picture of me.

Me!

 

That Announcement is Coming Soon…

I know it was like two weeks ago when I said I had an announcement, and I promise it’s coming soon. Things are taking a little longer than I thought they would, but I AM making progress, so that is good. And believe me, it’s BIG news. At least in my mind it is. I can’t wait to share!

I’m so glad it’s the weekend. It’s too bad it’s going to be busy. After traveling last weekend to visit family up north, I came home pretty exhausted. This week feels like I’ve been running non-stop and my body is craving sleep. I should be in bed right now, but I have to post a blog. It’s just my style.

Last weekend in addition to taking my cousin’s picture, I also got the opportunity to go to my niece’s baptism/dedication. She’s getting big so fast, well for her anyway…she’s a tiny girl! Here are some pretty cute pictures of the little sweetheart:

Here she is with her daddy, Adam, who is a Methodist minister:

The district superintendent came to baptize her:

This is mommy, Kyla, holding Elizabeth. I love how this picture turned out. I shot at a really small aperture so everything except Elizabeth’s face is blurred:

This next picture makes my heart SO happy. This is Grandma Helen holding Elizabeth. I love the look on her face; it just seems like such a peaceful moment.

And finally, Tyler and I were outside waiting for everyone to go to lunch when I decided to play off the reflection in his glasses. Love it!

In other news, I finally started running again yesterday. It had been a month since I’d done any running at all (before we left for Hawaii) because I had cut my foot on a rock in the ocean in Hawaii and then I had my wisdom teeth removed. One month off really makes you feel out of shape! I’ve done 4 miles each of the past 2 days, so we’ll see how long it takes to build up my endurance again.

 

Watch Over Me

The past few days I’ve felt awully lonely. While I know I had Tyler and other people watching over me the entire time, the weekend is such a haze to me. And the past couple days as I’ve battled the pain from dry socket, everybody’s been going on with their life as usual while I’ve been sidelined to watch TV, surf the Internet and sleep. It hit me last night and this morning just how alone I’ve felt. I’ve been longing for true human interaction, without realizing that my God was there for me all along. Through this all, I’ve completely forgotten His promise to love me and watch over me.

On my way to work this morning, I heard the song “Watch Over Me” by Aaron Shust. I’ve heard this song several times on my XM radio, but this morning, the words really spoke to me. I’m posting the lyrics here today just in case someone else could use the reminder that God is always faithful to His promises.

I was lonely
You came waltzing over to me
And Your eyes they saw right through me
And You heard each one of my cries for help
And You came to rescue me
I was broken
Every prayer that I had spoken
Reached Your ears and all my tears weren’t cried in vain
You carried all my pain
And put me back together again
You watch over me in the darkest valleys
You watch over me when the night seems long
You help me to see the way before me
You watch over me; You watch over me
Always faithful
To be leading, at this moment
Interceding for Your children
Though I’ve wandered astray from Your infinite ways
You’ve never left me alone -[to chorus]
Take this frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will guide and defend me
You’ll guard and protect me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will lead me home

 

Heavenly Hoedown

Tonight, Sojourn celebrated our new building and coming together as a family with a Heavenly Hoedown! We had a great turnout, but the most important part is that we had a TON of fun! We started the evening off with some food…a tater wagon, chili, hot dogs, and some delicious desserts.

Next, we began our tournaments. Dan was the winner of the pool tourney.

 

 The last foosball game between Matt and Mike was a nail-biter…

But Mike came out victorious!

Kody interviews Matt, who blames his loss on Mike’s distracting shiny head…

And the winner of the rock, paper, scissors contest was Bailey!

And finally, Gabby was the winner of the “Huh” game. At the beginning of the party, everyone received a sticker. If you said “huh,” the person who caught you took your sticker. Gabby’s final count was 29!

We also did some line dancing as well as karaoke. We rocked the house!

Isn’t he just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?

You’ll be sorry you missed BJ and Matt’s rendition of “Man of Constant Sorrow.”

Thanks to everyone who made this night a success. It was definitely a fun night for all!

(All images shot with a Canon 40d/50 mm 1.4 lens, no Photoshopping)

 

Winter Jam

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a really great concert. Winter Jam, featuring several Christian artists, came to Evansville’s Roberts Stadium. Since I have sort of taken on the youth program at my church, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get our kids out to hear some really great music with a solid message and at a price they could afford. Tickets were only $10 at the door but no one would be turned away if they didn’t have the ability to pay.We were under a winter storm warning with the threat of ice and snow for the evening, so the crowd was not too big. Tyler got to the stadium to wait in line at 5 p.m. so we could be one of the first in and get the best seats. I joined him after work and after I grabbed a quick meal for us from Mickey D’s. To say it was frigid would be an understatement, but Tyler was such a trooper even though he’d been waiting in line much longer than I had. Luckily, the sleet stopped not long after 5, so at least we weren’t soaked AND cold.

They finally let us in at 6 p.m. and I paid my money so I could go in and save all of our seats. Tyler waited at the door to give the kids their money (they had paid ahead since we weren’t sure how the ticket/seat situation would be handled). They were only letting a small number of people on the floor, and I nearly had to fight off several people for the seats I was saving…I had my purse, coat, scarf, camera case, program and several other things strewn across 12 seats. Some people were not happy, to say the least, but our kiddos had some of the best seats in the house! We were only about 15 rows back, so not bad at all.

 

First up was PureNRG. They were three young kids who did more gymnastics than singing. It will be interesting to see if they change their style or just stop performing once they get older. After that was Group1Crew. This trio was a hip hop group, and the female singer was AMAZING! I’ve heard them on XM 32, but they were so much better in person.

Then they had a youth leader reception, so while Tyler and I were at that, Mandisa sang. From what I was told, she was amazing. I was pretty upset that we had to miss it. But at the reception, we got to be up close to the lead singer of Skillet and also Barlow Girl. I think Tyler was a bit starstruck to be that close since Skillet is one of his favorite bands.

NewSong, who I wasn’t too impressed with, played a few songs. They were more praise and worship, which isn’t too energizing for a concert in my opinion. But to each their own.

Skillet’s show was absolutely amazing. They had some amazing pyrotechnics that shot really high in the air and even caught a towel on fire on stage. We could feel the heat at our seats, so I can only imagine how hot it was on stage. Most of all, I was impressed with the band’s stage presence. The lead singer was so energetic. And I loved that his wife sang, played keyboard and guitar, and they also had a new female drummer to replace Tyler’s favorite dummer, Lori. I definitely became a huge fan after this show. I got their CD from Tyler to listen to on Friday and I couldn’t get enough of it!

Steven Curtis Chapman ended the show. He was really great, too, and I can see why my mother in law is a big fan of his. The entire band, which now includes his two sons on guitar and drums, was really solid.

If Winter Jam comes to your area, it’s definitely worth your $10. If you want to read about the concert in more depth, read about it at the Courier & Press.

 

Becoming a Photographer: Inspiration

As I get closer to taking classes, I have been consumed with thinking about what kind of a photographer I want to be. I have perused blog after blog and web site after web site. There are soooo many that inspire me!

1) bobbi+mike. My favorite. Hands down. Seeing Bobbi’s work is what inspired me to take this step toward becoming a photographer in the first place. She and Mike’s work is vibrant, fun, edgy and unique. AND she’s a fellow Sycamore!!

2) Jessica Claire. I covet one of her Shootsac bags. However, I’ve resolved not to get one until I’m a true photographer (and until I have a camera…I wouldn’t have any use for it until then, and they’re too pretty to just be left sitting around). But I truly love her work. It’s always so crisp and looks like it came straight from a magazine. And, she definitely knows how to capture those details. I love that she’s so driven, too. She sets goals (one of which was design a new product, and voila, we have the Shootsac!) and works hard to achieve those goals.

3) I just stumbled upon Jasmine Star. All I can say is, Wow. Her work truly takes my breath away. She not only has a true sense of capturing a moment with photos, but also with words. She always includes a little story with each couple she photographs. I feel as if I’m right there with her subjects, feeling what they are feeling. And, she’s a Christian and publicly professes her faith on her blog and Web site. Love that!

4) Anne Ruthmann. I truly love that she strives to make her business green. She also likes to help others make their businesses better. She does both by blogging about her efforts, tips and experiences. One of the ways she decided to help other photographers is by offering to include them as a second shooter at one of her many weddings (she was booked for 2008 before 2007 was even over!). I emailed her about it, and I hope that I’m advanced enough to accompany her sometime in May or later. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the possibility of doing that. Her work is definitely something I strive to emulate!!

5) Me Ra Koh. She used to be a writer (like me) but found healing through photography. After seeing Me Ra’s photography of her kids, friends started asking her to take photos for them. It took off from there and now she’s one of the very best in the business. Best of all? She gets to watch her kiddos grow up since she’s at home with them instead of in an office all day. I would love, love, love to be able to do that one day.

Each of these five women encompasses a little part of what I want to be as a photographer. They have talent, business know-how, giving hearts and great personalities. Just thought I’d share these five photographers who get my creative juices flowing each day when I check in on their photography blogs.

 

Do you believe in miracles?

I do. And after this weekend, I do even moreso.

The day after Christmas, I received a phone call from my mom that one of my relatives had tried to commit suicide. This family member had taken about every pill in the house and the son found them on Christmas day. Said family member ended up in the hospital, alive but in a coma. The news truly shocked and saddened me…I can’t count the number of times I’d driven past this family member’s town on my way to or from Williamsport and thought about stopping by, but instead decided I wanted to just get home because it was a long trip. I felt incredible guilt for not taking more time for this loved one, but even moreso wondered if this person had a relationship with Jesus.

Then the next day, I found out the doctors diagnosed this family member as brain dead. It would only be a matter of time before my family member passed away. So they took this person off of life support and we waited. My mom and grandma visited our family member in the hospital and then came to stay with me overnight before returning. My grandma told the story of how the family member would turn and look at her when she entered the room, yet the doctors said this was an involuntary response, controlled by the one part of the brain that still functioned. It just didn’t add up to me. I couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about all the things I wanted to say to the family member. And, deep down I just didn’t believe this was the beginning of the end. Something in my heart told me so.

So I made the trip up north to see my family member for myself. It was hard to take seeing my family member worse off than I had ever seen them. Yet, I still kept hope even when others said the doctors said there was no chance of recovery. After all, my relative would actually turn their head and look at anyone who said their name. This, in my mind, was a reason to hope for the best. I said some things to my relative quietly as others talked amongst themselves…told them how much I loved them and that Jesus does, too. That they have a reason for being on this earth. That they don’t have to hold on any longer if they didn’t want to, but if they wanted to, I truly believed they could fight through this. I left her with a kiss on the forehead, still clinging to hope.

Then I received a call on New Year’s Eve from my mother. “Do you want a New Year’s miracle?” she asked. I didn’t know what to expect, but my mom relayed that not only had our family member woken up, but they had even started talking again, letting those around them know they truly did want to live.  If this didn’t cause those around my loved one to believe in God and His power, I didn’t know what would. God chose to perform a miracle on my family member; I truly, truly believe it. I don’t know if my family member remembers anything I said to them that day in the hospital, but I want to believe they did, and that it gave them hope to live.

Although my family member has a long road ahead, I truly believe this should be a new lease on life. I only hope that I can help this person believe in themself but also believe that God has a purpose for them. Never again will I pass through their town without calling or at least saying a prayer for their safety, well-being and health.

Do you believe in miracles?

 

I’m still alive…

I haven’t posted in forever. Thanks to Jaimie for bringing that to my attention. Not that I didn’t know, I was just putting it off. I haven’t felt too inspired, and I’ve also been slacking partly because I’ve been so busy with work (copy editing and writing for the paper) as well as trying to fit in time with Tyler.

Speaking of Tyler, he had his 23rd birthday earlier this month. We celebrated by going to his favorite restaurant, Yen Ching, with family, BJ, and Rachel. His mom made him a huge, decorated cookie instead of a cake. Then we celebrated that weekend, as well, by having a bonfire at his parents’ house. My mom was able to be there since she was in Terre Haute that day (I convinced her she should come down since she was already about halfway). She had to leave early the next morning, but it was good to have her there. For the most part, I think Tyler was a lot happier this year than for past birthdays. For some reason, fall always seems to make him a little gloomy, so I was happy to see him smile more.

I also decided to run the 500 Festival Mini Marathon with my friend Jaimie (whom I haven’t seen since we graduated college in 2005). It’s the largest half marathon and the 8th-largest road race in the country. I was a little hesitant to sign up since I hadn’t done much running at all since the Evansville Half Marathon in October, but I went ahead anyway. It always fills up pretty quickly (it has a 35,000-person cap) so I didn’t want to miss out. Since signing up, I’ve been pretty good about running. Last week I ran 4 times and already this week, I’ve run 4 miles and have plans to run again tonight with my friends from the Evansville Half Marathon. I’m hoping we can keep each other motivated to work hard, even though she’s in DC and I’m here in Evansville. Even if I’m not as in shape as I want to be in May, I look forward to seeing a dear friend.

We’ve also been busy with the new church. We’re moving into a new building in the Wesselman’s complex in Newburgh at the beginning of the year and we’re also trying to raise funds. I’m very excited about this church. It’s a church like none other I’ve been to/part of. These people have really helped me see it’s not about rules so much as just having a relationship with Christ. I really feel like I’ve totally changed since I have been in high school and even college. I’m still the same me, but with a much clearer vision of what it’s all about.

Andrea and I went shopping the day after Christmas. I spent way too much money on myself at The Limited as well as got all of Tyler’s Christmas taken care of. It wasn’t as crazy as what I thought it would be on Black Friday, but still busy nonetheless. I’m extremely excited about the Christmas season. I get to go back home the weekend before Christmas to be with my family; I haven’t been home in ages. I’m also looking forward to all the fun things like wrapping gifts, decorating the house (which we took care of most of that this weekend), and baking. It all just brings a smile to my face.

 

It’s been a while…

No, I’m not posting the lyrics to the Staind song. I just realized today that I haven’t posted a blog in a while. Here’s what’s been going on in my life:

• I’ve taken a break on reading the book unChristian for now, mainly because I’m busy with doing some extra work so we can put money into our Hawaii account. What I’ve read so far has been highly inspiring and humbling at the same time. Some of the issues the book points out are issues I’ve had to deal with because of churches I’ve gone to, so I want to make sure that I don’t repeat the things that have made me feel farther from God.
• We went out with Matt (our pastor) and his wife MaryRuth for dinner on Friday. We went to RiRa’s, which I wasn’t very impressed with. The atmosphere was great, but the food was horrible. I had the fish and chips; the chips (just fries, really) were great, but the fish was slimy from the grease/batter. I don’t think anyone else was too impressed with their food either. After that, we went to Coldstone Creamery to get the bad taste out of our mouths. Seriously, we just had a craving for some good ice cream, and CC didn’t disappoint. I had my usual Birthday Cake Remix. Fabulous!
• Saturday we went to Nashville for a day trip. I won tickets on the radio Friday to see Ronnie Milsap at the Grand Ole Opry (I won them when I qualified for a trip to the CMAs, which I will find out if I win that on Saturday). With such short notice, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to go, but one of the girls offered to take Tyler’s Saturday work shift so we could. I was so ecstatic! Neither of us had been to the Grand Ole Opry, so it was a neat experience. We only knew one of Ronnie’s songs and were by far the youngest ones in the crowd, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. We did some shopping at Opry Mills Mall, then went to the Cool Springs Galleria to see our friend Cassie, and then back to the Opry Mills Mall for a dinner with our friends Nick, Randi and Jill Jones, who moved down there from Evansville this past year. It was such a great trip, but we got back pretty late and had to get up for church the next morning. We sure were tired, but it was worth it to be able to have some fun with Tyler and our friends. Definitely a break from the ordinary.
• I’m having dinner with my sister at El Maguey’s in Boonville tonight. Nothing like some Mexican food to make a belated birthday celebration great! I’m super excited about spending time with my sister. We may live a town apart, but I rarely get to see her. We’re hoping to make the meal a monthly thing.
• This weekend is our friend’s bonfire to celebrate his birthday. I’m so excited about cooler weather and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. I can’t wait to get bundled up in a big, comfy sweater and hat. It’s great cuddling weather, too.
• We’ve been spending a lot of time with people from church. Our church is about to undergo a lot of changes and I’m very excited about the possibilities of where it might take us. For once, I feel like I’m a part of a family at my church and we’re ready to make a difference in our community. Tyler and I have been praying about what that might mean for us as far as our involvement. Let’s just say I never thought I would even think about taking on this type of responsibility in the past, so it must totally be a God thing.
• I haven’t been running much lately. Too busy with family stuff. Hoping to get back on that train this weekend with at least an 8-miler. Still contemplating the Indy Half Marathon, too. Not really sure what’s holding me back since I know it would be a blast and I’d get to hang out with my college friend, Jaimie. Maybe I’m just a big wimp…the thought of running with 35,000 people is a bit overwhelming!
• I’ve been doing a little writing for the Courier & Press. It feels so good to flex my writing muscles! I’ve also been taking some pictures for the stories I’ve done. It makes me so happy to see what I can do with a camera.
• I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Tyler and I have been doing so great. We’ve really learned to communicate and make quality time for each other. And the time we’ve been spending together has been a lot of fun, too. He really is such a great man and I’m very lucky to have him.

I’m hoping to rest up a bit this weekend. I’d like to get some scrapbooking done, too (which if I haven’t mentioned it, scrapbooking and photography have become two of my biggest passions). Also, I have some things going on in my life right now, so I could use some prayer.