On Photographing a Wedding...

Parking my car. Grabbing my bag. Walking down the street. Festival all around. Moonwalk. Booths. Sidewalk. Kind man makes kind comment. Smile as I open the door. Slipping inside. Wedding set up ambiance. Wedding colors: purple, black & white. Meeting the lady in charge. Making introductions. Meeting the Groom. Setting up my stuff. Finding the corner to stash my bag. : ) Seeing my friend. Meeting the Bride. Meeting the bride's best friend. Meeting the family of the bride & groom. Little children all around. Snapping photos. Conversations everywhere. With the bride. Best friend putting on her make up. Peaceful and calm in the room. Bride smiles. Snap a pic. Finding the groom. Photographing the guys. Some cake too. Groom pics. Outside. Brick wall. Back with bride. Dress is so pretty. Stunning. Beautiful. Lovely. All of the above. Pics with gals. Time for a wedding! Line up. Aisle walk. Bride with her dad. Dad gives his little girl away. Pastor. Marriage. Mr. & Mrs. glow with happiness. Two become one. Covenant forever. Hugs of congratulations. Outside pics. Sunlight. My favorite time of day. Group pics. First dances. Wedding meal. More dancing. Toasts. Happy tears. Hugs. Change cards. Cake time. No smashing. : ) Dancing goes on. Fun tunes. Oldies. Newbies. Twist & Shout. Happy couple. Happy guests. Time to pack up. Saying goodbye. Hearing the bride express her gratitude. Makes my night. Walking down the hall. Saying more goodbyes. Hearing the groom express his gratitude. So sweet. Walking to my car. On my way home to visit with my out of town family and pick up half price milkshakes. : ) Reliving the day in my head. Feeling that sweet sense of joy. My heart is so thankful. Doing what I love to do - photographing love...I love doing what God has called me to do for HIM...all for HIM.

On The Night Before My Friend's Wedding

So much awaits to be photographed tomorrow. It's my friend's wedding day. Her family and his family have come from across the states to join in the celebration of two lives becoming one.
Marriage is teamwork.
Marriage is the leaving behind of two worlds to begin one new world together in covenant.
Marriage is the beautiful representation of the believer's future with Yeshua.
Marriage is the day to day living out of 1 Corinthians 13.
What a beautiful sight it shall be to see my friend say her vows of marriage to the one her heart loves.
What a delight it shall be to photograph the love between my friend and her groom.
My heart is overjoyed with the thought of tomorrow!

On Grieving

This day unfolded so differently than I imagined. Strawberry picking had been planned for today. My friend and I were going to join other friends and introduce them to the fun of picking berries. We didn't go berry picking. We went to a funeral service. My dear friend who was carrying twin girls delivered early and today she and her husband buried one of their baby girls. Her name was Rachel. It means Little Lamb. Her daddy said she was full of movement inside her mommy's womb. So active, so filled with life. She was so beautiful. Little hands and arms and a face so small, my heart wept as I saw her. She was perfectly created to live her purpose. 
My friend is strong. Her faith in God is sure and her heart knows HE is faithful and sovereign. Both she and her husband have placed their trust in the Lord. Forever, for all times. Through this time. HE is faithful. He has given and He has seen fit to call a baby girl home. Blessed be the name of the Lord. My friend said those words to another friend. Life words. Hope words. Words that are not only being said by my friends to comfort their hearts, they are living those words too. 

Sweet baby girl, you are home. You are home with your Lord, King Jesus.

All is well.

The Birds of the Air

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"  Mathew 6:26
 

On a Sunday Sermon

Of all the Sundays to be in service...I had to be in the one today and I needed to hear every word of the sermon. Love Covers Sin. Another reminder, another revelation on Love.

 Lord, YOU always know what I need, even if I don't like it. YOU pursue my heart and YOU never give up. I love YOU more than life...show me more. My heart longs for more... the more that I want is YOU.

On Stars

The stars are MIA for the second night in a row. I miss gazing up and seeing them in the midnight sky. The clouds have lowered with the front that's coming in. Until the nights are clear again, the frame below twinkles with merriness for all.

Piano Lessons

Thursday afternoons were my new favorite all through the fall months of last year.
 I started learning how to play those shiny black and white keys.
Middle C and all the other notes.
My wonderful teacher moved to another state right before the Christmas holidays. So, now, I get to put into practice all that she taught and I learned.
Learning how to play the piano is like learning another language.
I love it because learning how to play is another way I have to worship my Creator.
That beautiful sound of the treble meeting the bass is like a waltz under the stars.
It's beginner days right now...no Mozart or Beethoven yet. :)

Christmas carols...got some of those down.

 The ones about pickles & autumn, those are the ones that have been whirling about in my muscle memory.

 There's so much more to learn...so much more to come...

On a Best Friend

She's like a sister to me. Says so on our Facebook pages. Goes beyond a Facebook page...back 21 years and 3 months to the day we met and our families became friends. Good friends. Like family kind of friends. On Christmas Eve we all get together to celebrate the Promise fulfilled of a Savior King. There's a meal, oh there's a meal. :) There's conversation filled with laughter. It's a beautiful time. It's amazing how a friend can make time so much sweeter...so thankful we're friends forever.  

Lemon Picking

My dad and I walked down the street to our neighbor's house tonight. The stars were out pulling their familiar all night party, they blinked to say hello. With flashlight in hand, my dad's hand, we made our way up to knock on our friends' door. After cheery greetings...their dogs joined in...we stepped into the fragrance of their lemon tree to pull off a few. Pullin' off lemons in the dark is rather interesting. They were green, making us think we were picking off of a lime tree. The yellow broke through after some time on the counter. :0 Fresh hand squeezed lemonade coming soon...

An Introduction

Sometimes pictures speak on their own without any words to describe what is seen. 

Other times, words speak and the understanding from those 

words can paint a picture in the mind of the reader. 

Both are so unique. Both are needed.

Both will take a turn here on this new blog.

Rain Journals.

One frame and one word.

It's the beauty of every day and the everyday things.

 ~
Colossians 3:17