live and learn

*b* grateful list...

something that was a real eye opener to me quite a few years ago, was the difference it makes when i focus on what i'm grateful for each day....instead of just living in a sort of unconscious zone. from the time i figured out what a difference gratitude makes, i have tried to look for things to be grateful for every day. and they are always there. even in the midst of troubled times. sometimes it's just easier to be grateful than others. today, i have many things that i'm grateful for, and at the top of the list, are always the relationships....stuff can come and go, but it's the loved ones who really matter. don't get me wrong, i love nice things. so here is my 2008 thanksgiving gratitude list.

1. God, the Father, Jesus, His Son and my Savior, and the Holy Spirit. in the bible there's a verse that says: "Every man who acknowledges me before men I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven." matt 10:32. so even though sometimes the human side of me finds it hard to be so bold...i need to be bold. i know that there are times to speak up about my faith and times to just live it and not preach it, but i do believe according to the Word that we need to acknowledge the Lord boldly before our fellow man. without Him, i am weak. without His grace, i am nothing. i am grateful for not only all the Lord has done for me, but for who He is. in this fallen world with evil all around, i'm thankful for a sovereign God who stands for Truth and Goodness and Love.

2. my family. i have a husband who is beyond anyone i could have hoped for, grown children who i am proud of and love unconditionally. and the most amazing and beautiful grandchildren ever. my parents are the salt of the earth, my sister and i are closer than ever and as real as real can be with each other, my nieces and nephews are some of my favorite people on the face of the earth, my cousins (and especially er, james, em, el, dane, marc) and my unbelievable aunts and uncles who are WONDERFUL role models for me, as well as tom's family who i love and adore.

3. my friends. in my whole life, there has never been a time, when i have felt like i had so many true friends. there are friends who are in our everyday life (donna, jamie, pam, greg, tara,  my bagels, vicki, and many more...i'm gonna get in trouble if i name drop any more!) and my *love to pieces* friends who i don't get to see or talk to often enough(suzy, kl, terri, sandy, cara), but when i do, we pick up right where we left off, and all of my new friends who i feel like i have connected with through photography and scrapbooking...and then there are my blog/email friends(who even though my family doesn't get it, are a big part of my life) . i am so, so grateful to all of you. every person who i cross paths with, i feel has an impact on me in some way or another. i don't take relationships lightly. the things that stand out to me that i have in most of my relationships are these particulars: acceptance and love, encouragement, sincerity, support, humor, time together just being...and i haven't always necessarily had these things in my friendships in the past. so thankful.

4. my passion for what i'm doing. huge thing for me. i know it's God. i was lost when my kids were raised....but within a very short time after jared left, i had this newfound passion and i haven't looked back. i think our grown kids are fortunate that i am not obsessed with them! love them to death, but i have my own life too. and now God has blessed me with new opportunities that i would have never ever imagined. it's humbling.

5. my home. i seriously feel like this home is a big part of who we are and how we are able to really relax and refresh. it's a very comfortable refuge-not perfect, but very cozy.

6. my dogs. okay, i know in the scheme of things, this may seem trivial. but they really are faithful little friends and companions. who else will curl up on my lap and stay as long as i will have them?

7. my church. alright, probably not cool to have church under my dogs :) i love my church. i love the people and i love the sanctuary that it is, in this real world that isn't always wholesome and good. tonight we are having a thanksgiving service and i can hardly wait!

8. music and art. i know that's pretty general, but i love both so much, my list wouldn't be complete without.

9. books. they really make a difference in my life. i have had books change my whole outlook on life

10. traditions. why are traditions such a comfort? at this time of year, i'm all about all the traditions. can't wait to experience the holidays this year!

i did a recent photoshoot of a family that i think is appropriate to share on this day before thanksgiving. 

 all american family dog.

 

  

  

can't you just see the love? 

i sincerely hope that you and your loved ones, have a most blessed thankgiving...no matter your circumstances. i know that there are many people who are missing loved ones this holiday and i pray that God will comfort you and bless you even more than you can imagine.  

like a dream...

  saturday really was like a dream for me. the space filled with people and their cameras, anxious to play and learn. it was just the absolute best. i can't even adequately describe it. no matter what level anyone was on with photography, we "got" each other. as i have reflected on it for the past few days, i realize that there were so many things that made it work out so perfectly....and when it comes down to it, it was mainly the people. as people arrived on saturday morning, i was really hit by the fact that this was a really quality group of people. i'm not just saying that. this group was top notch in every way. in fact, as the day progressed, my mind was spinning, trying to figure out a way to stay connected. i didn't want the day to end, and especially not without finding a way to stay in touch. so before the weekend was over, i had a flickr group started! last night, i added quite a few of the photos i had taken. i really didn't take a lot of photos until the end of the day, since i was sorta busy. the other thing that was on my mind throughout the day, was that i wanted this to continue. so i have lots of ideas and plans to continue to have classes and workshops and forums at the loft. here are a few of the shots i took from the dream day:

      

   

 

  

   

 

 

  

    

   

 

 

 

this little sweetie came for a little mock shoot. she was quite animated and fun. i think she loved it! i loved having her there. so much more i could say...i could spend the day writing about our time together. i can't wait to do this again! thanks to each of you who came! you blessed me.

have a wonderful day and God bless! 

quick update....

it was a full, wonderful, beyond my expectations weekend! the photography workshop went really well-such an awesome group of people! i couldn't have handpicked a better group, seriously. i have the photos i took loaded, but i haven't edited a single one. i'll post some tomorrow. the loft was the perfect setting. even though things aren't exactly the way i want them yet, it's coming along. and i have learned to be content at times like this. there was a time it would have bothered me not to have things exactly the way i wanted them. much like our house right now. i would have thought we would have finished redoing the kitchen by this time, but it just hasn't happened. and it's okay. when we do replace the counters and get new appliances, it will be all the sweeter. trying to apply my more relaxed attitude at the loft. wow, did i get off topic. more on the workshop tomorrow.

for me the weekend started friday morning, when glue and sammy came to town. we had breakfast and then went up the loft. she had her camera, i did not have mine...i've gotten bad about not grabbing my camera. it was a great start to the weekend. then jared and i worked there all afternoon, and then tom and i went back friday night. we took carryout dinner and ate at the little bar. it was like a little getaway. it has such a different feel than our home. very fun. after we ate, i laid out some things i wanted tom to hang in the bedroom area. i've collected kitschy original art for a couple of years, so we took my little collection down to the loft and hung it on the bedroom wall. i need to photograph it. i also put together some of the food for the next day. then we called our pastor mike and terry, and they came over and blessed the space. it was so cool that they came over so spontaeously and did that. then we all sat around and chatted for a while. very relaxing. saturday was the workshop and then that night we went to a kareoke party at brooke and josh's. very entertaining! i was super tired, so i mainly held grey and harper, and watched. rob and chelsea were kind enough to bring over rob's dj equipment, so it was a really professional setup. lights and all! yesterday we went to church, took naps (heavenly), i edited/tom worked in the yard, and then we went to our old lake neighbor's for dinner. dinner was the perfect cap on a wonderful weekend. chet and mary, and dan and jenny are such good friends. we don't get to see them that often, but when we do, we just pick up where we left off, and always have an enjoyable time. mary is an awesome cook, and even when she says, "it's just a soup and sandwiches", it's way more than normal soup and sandwiches! she made homemade chicken noodle soup and minestrone. to die for. i want another bowl right now. and the sandwiches were these fabulous rolled meat and cheese wrapped in dough and baked sandwiches. yum. homemade pumpkin bread and brandy alexanders. perfect fall sunday night dinner. we are so blessed to have such great people in our lives.

and because i can't post without photos. i need to share some recent family shots. grey's 3 month shots and a recent one of jared and beth. we only took a few, but i like them.

and now, i need to get back to work. lots of stuff to edit and Christmas cards to design and order.

have a great monday and God bless!

different directions...

i don't know how it's possible to be feeling so many different emotions at one time. i'm exuberant about so many things, and heartbroken at the same time. it's a real trainwreck in my heart right now. all i know i can do about it, is to pray. and that's huge, i know.

we have dear, dear friends who are going through a heartbreaking time right now. when they hurt, we hurt. i am hurting so much for them right now, it's hard to concentrate. they have opened their hearts and home to the 2 sweetest children, this past year, and they just found out that the children are being placed back in their birthparent's home. i won't go into details, but i would ask you to please pray for these sweet innocent children and their parents. thank you so much.

i also have my friend kelly on my heart and mind today. please say a prayer for her and her family too.

what is up? i know that life on earth isn't perfect, but this is tough stuff. plus, we have so many loved ones facing cancer. i hate that word so much. tomorrow our daughter-in-laws mom goes in for her breast cancer surgery. i think i need to be on my knees more than ever right now. and maybe that's what all of this is about. i'm sorry that the tone of this post isn't upbeat....i'm normally a positive thinking and upbeat person, but there is just too much going on around today, to be as cheerful as normal. i do believe that God works all things together for good, to those who love Him. i'm standing on that promise. i'm praying for miracles for all these situations. i believe that God is good, and that anything is possible, if we turn our cares all over to Him, pray and trust.

there are many positive things happening around me too. i just can't seem to focus as much on them today, because of all the hurting loved ones around me.

of course, one very positive thing right now, is the loft. jared and i worked on it for quite a few hours yesterday....moving things in and cleaning. it's coming along. it's totally usable right now, even though it's pretty empty. i don't want to clutter it up too much anyway. i think clean and simple will work best anyway.

i did an engagement shoot there on sunday. not one single thing was moved in, but i think it worked beautifully. it didn't hurt that jessy and russ are both *movie star* goodlooking!

 

just looking at these images, makes me even more anxious to shoot their wedding! can you imagine? and the location is KILLER!

okay, so i have no idea what i look like when i shoot. i do know that normally i can tell that i've put my body in weird positions and been contorted in odd ways. seeing myself *in action* is sort of interesting and sort of funny to me! kim caught me and i didn't even really realize it! i had such a wonderful morning with these ladies. i am honored that kim trusted me to do her headshots. seriously honored. and i adore the shots that she caught! i had no idea! interesting sidenote: i knew i was pigeon-toed when i was a kid, but i thought i had outgrown it! obviously not, according to the photos! i just got such a kick out of that! thank you soooo much kim! i loved every minute with you, charlotte and cori! can't wait to get to editing the shots!

i am back at it today. jared will be coming later today or tomorrow to help me do more cleaning and moving at the loft. i've decided to move my kitschy local art pieces to the loft. i think they will look awesome on the changing room wall. it needs some cheery-ness!

have a great day, thanks for your prayers and God bless you!

thank you!!!

i am honestly overwhelmed by your kind comments and well wishes about the loft! i am so, so blessed to not only have wonderful family and friends here, but also in blogland! thank you from the bottom of my heart. i love that i can share my news with all of you, and that you *get* it! today, i think jared and i will begin to move things in. it may actually just be jared moving things, because i need to stay home and edit! i am in the midst of the holiday crunch! things are going very well, i'm just not used to having my turnaround editing time being this far out. thankfully, everyone has been very understanding. so, if you are waiting on proofs, thank you for your patience, and please know that i am doing my best to get them to you as quickly as possible.

about a month ago, i designed an advent calendar for fiskars. i thought it would make a fun class/kit. yesterday, i had a group of ladies here at my house for the class. i think it went really well! i had fun anyway! the thing about this kit, is that i packaged each day in it's own little bag, so it's fairly simple to put together....almost theraputic. everyone left with a completed project! after the class, we went downtown and hit a couple of our awesome antique stores, and even stopped by the loft for a peek. i so appreciate how encouraging all the ladies were. anyhoo, back to the calendars, i have 3 left. i'm going to put them on etsy later today, unless i sell them via the blog before that! the 3 left are without frames, but have everything else needed to complete the calendar. without the frames, they are $40, which includes shipping. so shoot me an email if you want one, otherwise they'll be on etsy later! thanks!

the plan for saturday's photography workshop is going well! it's sold out with a waiting list! thank you! i am beyond excited about bringing people together who are passionate about photography and hopefully sharing what i wish someone would have shared with me early on. i'm thrilled the the workshop will be the first *event* at the loft! and hopefully many more will follow....i have such big plans :)

in the meantime, i continue to take photos! i photographed this family over the weekend. i was really hit by the fact that mom and dad are such GREAT boy parents! they didn't fuss once over the boys being boys! how refreshing is that?

we did some more "portrait-ish" shots, but i love this one!

it was a chilly, windy day-but i think it worked out well!

would you believe that greyson thomas is 3 months old today? CRAZY!!! i did take his 3 month photos this week. can't wait to post them! tomorrow i have photos to share from the very first shoot in the loft! can't wait to share those too! never a dull moment...well, at least not in my mind!

have a great day and God bless!

finally!!!!

i can share the news that i'm so excited about! i've leased a loft downtown! it's right above my beloved alley, and it's so charming! it's actually an apartment, but will work perfectly for what i have in mind....shoots (when the weather is too cold or nasty to be outside), workshops, gallery type showings, and other gatherings for friends and family! i have sooo many ideas for the little loft! it has an old original brick exterior wall, really worn/well loved wood floors, large beautiful windows in the front and even a kitchen! i was visualizing cooking club there! the downtown area has an annual Christmas walk, which would be fun to have the loft open for (in the future, not this year!), and we have a summer event called "john c. fremont days", that will be fun to have the loft open for. lots of ideas. now i just need to furnish it, and get settled! here's a little peek at it, before they sanded the floors and did some cleanup-

i was standing in the front corner of the front room when i snapped this (with my back against the brick wall) . so this week, will be spent moving things in and sprucing up. jared is going to come and help for a day or two. there are a lot of steps to climb to get moved in. i think i'm going to get in better shape, whether i planned to or not! i got the keys at noon, and at about 3:30, i did my first shoot there! and the photos look really good! love the indirect natural light that floods this room! i'll share some photos from the session later this week. saturday is the photography workshop and i'm thrilled that we will be able to have it at the loft! i'm really looking forward to the workshop saturday...i have a really good feeling about it and not only the information i'll be sharing, but the relationships between people who share a love for photography.

i had the opportunity last week to hang out with so many awesome ladies! dinner(and a little junkin') with carol and pam and kelly (read her wonderful post about family photos!) on wednesday evening, a photoshoot and lunch at m's pub with kim, cori and charlotte...which was just the best! a diet pepsi and cookie with becca and kelly, and then coffee with becca and jana on thursday, and then back for more fun on friday night! i have to say that dinner before shopping friday night, was good for the soul! we shared such a light-hearted fun time! and in hindsight, i think i may have shared a bit too much! poor tom! we still do have some secrets though, right babe? oh and i think i may have found some balance between work and play! i feel really, really great about the time spent with friends last week. i knew that this is a once a year thing, so i wanted to spend time and have no regrets. i still managed to crank out a lot of work too. i think sometimes when you spend too many hours working, without social/play time, it's counter-productive. i came home each evening ready to work. and i spent most of the day saturday and sunday working. it was totally worth it!

here are some shots from thursday morning in the old market.

   

this was the first time that i had gotten to spend time with charlotte, and i'm so glad i did! what a beautiful lady-inside and out...and oh so talented too!

and this sweet, funny, talented, charming lady always brightens my day-

and kim's sidekick cori....who i met a couple of years ago and loved immediately! she is so honest and fun and full of life...like kim!

i thoroughly enjoyed the time i spent with them! i didn't feel like i was working at all!

i also got to see some of my artistic affaire friends on friday night-kim and cheryl! that was a treat :) and kim had her gorgeous totes (you need to check them out!) i also got to see cari (who i adore!) and carolyn (who has been traveling all over the world!) and lots of other lovely, lovely ladies! i feel like such a namedropper! and i actually really stink at it, because i always forget important people! i was thrilled that i got to see megan, dave, marybeth and dan!!! they are the best! i really want to do a shoot of prof and princess lasertron in their adorable little house!

i'm sure i forgot other important people too...i'm normally in my cave editing, so i saw way too many interesting, lovely people this past week! and it was a wonderful!

have a great day and God bless!

kc part two...

first things first. my friend kl asked me to be the gdt for the super yummy kenner road december kit!!! i was thrilled that she asked...not only because she's a dear friend, but also because i love her style and knew the kit would be exactly what i would love...and it is/was! i've been so slammed with photography and editing (slammed in a good way!), that i haven't done as much creating lately. having a kit all ready to go and sitting down with just the kit and a very few other basics really frees me up and prevents the overwhelming feeling i tend to get when i look around at all my supplies and don't know what to reach for first. sidenote: i discovered another very cool thing about kits. they are perfect to pack up and take when you are traveling or even going to a crop. i actually scrapbooked in my hotel room in september! so the kenner road december kit is now available and you need to go order it! you can find info on ordering here. and you can see the stuff i made here.

and here are some peeks:

i was so inspired. and when a kit can inspire me, i think it's *a good thing*. go check it out!

on to kansas city part 2. after our yummy breakfast at the b&b, we headed out to curious sofa .

and it was all we could have hoped for and more. so, so beautiful and festive.

that's us in the reflection!

aunt mary and marcy...i miss them.

when we walked in, i asked a staff person if i could take photos and without hesitation, he said, "sure!". so there happened to be a lady shopping near us, who was a photographer, and she snapped this for us. sometimes it feels a little weird handing my camera over, but not this time! later, as i was snapping away, someone came up behind me, and said, "who are you with?", my first thought was, "my family", but then her tone of voice registered, and i realized that wasn't what she was asking. she didn't seem too happy that i was taking photos. so i stopped. i told her i had asked first, but she was pretty short with me. i totally respect if she didn't want photos taken, i was just baffled, since the staff person was so quick to say sure. oh well, i'm sure they were all exhausted from all the work putting such amazing Christmas displays throughout. it's still a great store!

so pretty! makes me even more anxious to decorate this year!

the day after we got home, we got together again, and went to a little local floral shop's decorating demonstration...and continued to be inspired! i took a few notes and picked up some tips for decorating our trees this year.

for the past few days i have hardly been home at all. with silver bella taking place in omaha, i have gotten together with quite a few ladies who are in town to attend. i did a few headshots and even picked my friend jana up from the airport. and kelly and i had dinner with carol and pam. i am so blessed to have met and become friends with so many wonderful women from all over the world...no matter how different we are, we all share a common bond of loving to create. i'm back tonight...meeting friends for dinner and then some shopping at the vendor fair. i did stay home and i've been working all day!

i hope you have a great weekend! God bless!

kc, part one...

i took so many photos while we were in the kansas city area last week! what a wonderful girl's getaway! time with my mom, aunt mary and cousin marcy....so enjoyable. after spending 2 days together non-stop, i miss them! i loved every minute of my time with them, and feel so blessed to have such awesome women who are not only my family, but also my friends.

we ate, shopped, talked, and repeated that process. it was bliss.

we ate at marigold's in atchison kansas, before we went to nell hill's. it was sooo yummy. i was just sad that i was too full for dessert.

we stayed at this lovely b & b in weston. it's called inn at weston landing. cyndy took such great care of us! i have never enjoyed a b & b experience more! it was delightful!

breakfast was so pretty and delish!

our room was perfect! all decorated for Christmas!

they even have an antique shop right at the b & b!

weston's main street is full of great little shops too. my favorite by a long shot is acorns.

the shop owner was so nice and she has GREAT taste!

lovely.

this quaint candle shop wasn't open yet, but i liked their kitty. she wanted me to let her out so bad! she was crying and rubbing on the door!

more on our getaway tomorrow, with photos from curious sofa. be still my heart.

updates: the advent calendar kit. oh my word. i had no idea how time-consuming this kit would be to put together. let me assure you, if you are coming to the class or having the kit shipped to you, you are getting some labor-intensive lovin' in this kit! donna and i spent 6 hours on it together yesterday (with me taking editing breaks) and then i worked from after dinner until 2 this morning. and i'm only a little over half done with them. i am really, really happy with them. i think everyone will be very pleased! it will be a super awesome kit to do with school age kiddos. so if you are interested in having a kit shipped, let me know, i will have a few extras. here's the finished project...which i created for fiskars:

cost is $45 which includes shipping. they will ship out early next week.

photography workshop: it's full! i would bend a little if a man was interested in joining us. i'm feeling bad for the solo man in our group! otherwise, i'm taking names for the waiting list. plus, i'm already planning 2 workshops in the spring, one repeating beginner session and one with  more advanced info with a guest photographer. so excited about this! thanks for your interest!!!

i gotta get back to those advent kits and editing! God bless your day!

i won't forget...

that today is a day to honor all the men and women who have made sacrifices and served our country. i want to send my sincere thanks to the service men and women and their families. i appreciate you.

"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." martin luther king jr.

"this will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the land of the brave." elmer davis

my favorite veteran. my hero.

another veteran who i think of often is our friend leonard. he was a man who slipped into church late, sat on the back pew, and slipped out early. tom made a point during greeting time to sit down and talk with him one sunday. leonard opened up and started to confide in tom about his years of service during the korean war and time he spent in a POW camp. he shared how he is still battling the demons of that time. tom and leonard have continued to talk, and even though leonard has moved away, tom still emails and leonard calls and they stay in touch. i am thankful to leonard....and so many others like him. God bless each of you and your families.

no easy way to transition into sharing photos. other than to say, we have the freedom to pursue whatever we want to pursue because of their service.

i was looking so forward to doing photos of these three. their mama gets the importance of dressing for photos. makes what i do even more fun!

 

so fun! loved the location we used...loved their clothes and attitudes! and then throw in their cute puppy charlie, and i'm on overload!

have a great day, and God bless!

one day at a time...

isn't that the way a person has to live to maintain sanity? i can't think too far ahead or it's overwhelming! lots of great things happening-key word *lots*! but as long as i keep my eyes on one day at a time, i'm okay. the weekend was focused primarily on celebrating tom's birthday. he asked me to please express his heartfelt thanks for all the birthday wishes! he loved it! it really was a great weekend! we worked most of the day saturday(me- editing, him-yardwork), and then saturday night, tom and i went to charleston's for dinner (our favorite place, right next to firebirds!) and then we went to a movie and then target! perfect night, right? a few weeks ago, we saw *appaloosa*, so even though it was his birthday night, we went to *secret life of bees*. i thought he would like the story, even though it's a bit of a chick flick. i really liked it. i liked the book, so i wasn't sure if i would like the movie...but the casting was welldone and i thought it was good. i was a little disappointed that they didn't emphasize her passion for writing more. in the book, that's huge, but in the movie, not so much. still enjoyable. and i thought the message was powerful. it drove home a point that i have been contemplating, but couldn't articulate (even in my own head) properly.

"always, always follow your conscience, and what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. don't ever give in to what others pressure you to do. throughout history, if people had taken a strong stand, much heartache could have been avoided. so this is my mantra." by me.

if you really think about it, so much evil can/could have been avoided if people weren't apathetic. i'm reading "same kind of different as me" and it's really making me think. it's the story of a homeless, black man and a rich white man, and their unlikely friendship. true story. it is motivating me to step out, and do the things i know are good and right. to not be apathetic about the things around me. ( i know my photography clients are probably thinking, quit with the philosophy and go edit! trust me, i'm editing many, many hours of the day....or i should say night!)

just some food for thought.

today is our pastor mike's wife terry's birthday. happy birthday terry! i know i forget a lot of birthdays, but i won't forget hers, with it being the day after tom's! plus, we're having a dinner party tonight to celebrate! funny thing: i invited 24 people, based on the 60/40 rule. (typically that's the percentage of people who will rsvp yes to a gathering) and instead, we have almost 100%! i haven't heard from one couple, but everyone else we invited is coming! i have no clue how it's going to work, but it's not a stuffy crowd, so i'm sure it will be fine! i'm not going to stress about it...too much anyway! so it will be a busy day! i won't spend much time cleaning. i have learned that to really dig and clean before a party is sort of silly. save the energy and clean after! i'll vacuum, and do the basics, but then i'll focus on cooking. should be a fun evening!

on to photography: i did a shoot last week, with a family and their collective dogs. it was a hoot! everybody had a great sense of humor, so it worked out well!

thanks kuhrs!!

update on photography workshop: the workshop was full, and then last night i got an email from someone who was signed up and ended up having a conflict, so now there is one opening! if you are interested, let me know asap and i'll get you signed up. i'll be sending out more info this week, so i'd like to have everyone up-to-date. thanks so much for all the support in this venture!

have a great day and God bless!