2008 Wedding Special!

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Thanksgiving

Here's a glimpse of Thanksgiving at our house this year. There were 10 of us, and it was frigid outside but so fun. Spending time with all the family together is rare these days. Besides getting some shots of my sister, I made my very first turkey, Josh played football in The Fellowship at Bend's annual Turkey Bowl, and the family sat around the table and played games galore! So much fun. What am I thankful for? Well, I'm absolutely astounded at what God has done in recent months. The vision He's given for Ethni, the way He's provided, the trip to Africa in February.... I'm amazed at how it's all coming together so quickly. I'm so thankful for every little piece of it. And I'm SO thankful for a husband who is my biggest fan, showing endless support. God is so good, so giving, and so faithful!

All in the Family

My family came to me this Thanksgiving and it was wonderful! Everything turned out better than expected, and I even got to get some shots of my twin sister and her husband. They were in town from Arizona and graciously braved the 29 degrees for some great photos. I wish the holiday lasted a little bit longer!

Beautiful Family

Finally--a few more of the family photos as promised!

Puzzle Pieces

Here is a photo from a shoot I did in the park last weekend. Large group shots with little ones can be difficult to maneuver... just when you get the kids to smile, the parents are looking away or blinking. And the editing can be like putting together a puzzle if you don't end up with one great shot. For this first photo I actually combined three photographs to get the one great shot with everyone looking. I included thumbnails of the individual photos this one shot required to create. Click on it to enlarge and see the pieces. If you look closely, the little guy's head in the top left corner is circled in two different shots--that's because I had to combine both of them to get a good one of him. Anyway, it was a fun shoot. I love this family! They were troopers--even though it was very cold outside! The rest of the photos will come in the next day or two.

Lillyana

Here's a quick pic I took of our friends' daughter when we were in Sunriver two weeks ago. Isn't she adorable?

Miss Megan

I got a little carried away with Megan's senior photo shoot last Friday--we were out for almost two hours! Probably because she has the most amazing eyes! They just pop out at you. Also because part of me knew it was the last of the great fall weather. We were lucky enough to get 67 degrees in November!

Murals

I have a thing for murals painted on walls. Probably because they make for instant, funky backgrounds that are full of rich color!

Scott & AJ

Last weekend our precious friends, Scott and AJ, were in Sunriver with 125 college students from Calvary Chapel Corvallis for the annual fall retreat. After all the students left and they had a chance to breathe we went out to get some portraits. It was tough to narrow down my favorites mostly because I always see them in "ministry mode." Their tenderness and love for each other is so strong in these photos! And I had to include one of Josh, who tagged along as comedy relief to get a good smile out of Scott! :)

Samson

My life as a photographer is entirely dependant on my perspective with the Lord. I've been studying in my own quiet time these last two days on the story of Samson. And something I read in my study this morning really struck a chord in me. It's the idea of potential. In my study, one of the questions raised said:

"Contrast the sad end to Samson's life with its bright dawn in the sincere desire of his parents to rear him aright (Judges 13:8, 12). Can you suggest reasons why Samson fulfililed so little of his potential?"

I just started thinking about how Samson's life began bathed in prayer, his parents wholeheartedly seeking God continually as to how they were to raise their son. Promises were given, and what joy they must have experienced--not just an angel...but THE Angel of the Lord talking with them face to face! But as Samson lived out his life, the idea of invincibility began to creep in. I'm sure he neglected to pray, assuming that God would just do his thing. Pride and power took over, and he compromised in specific things God had told him. The story is sobering to me--he began full of the promises and the presence of God. And his life ended in blind, powerless captivity, the presence of the Lord having departed from Him and only returning in mercy to answer his last prayer. And I just started thinking that I don't want to be the person that's said "gosh... she had so much potential, but..." I pray that I would have a singular focus on the Lord, and that my life verse (Matthew 6:22) would be real in my life daily.

Getting Caught Up

I have my computer back!! It took a week, but we kicked the virus, and as soon as I got home from work, I sat down and cranked out about six hours of work in what felt like two. I'm working on a book from the pictures in the park a few weeks ago. I'm about halfway done. Here are some highlights:

Stay Tuned...

It might be a few days (hopefully not longer!!) before I post some more photos. Unfortunately, we have a pretty nasty virus on our computer (don't worry--I'm not posting this from our computer at home!!!) Until we get it resolved (or get a new computer) I'm sort of dead in the water. But look out! Once I get up and running again, I have photos from our trip to Hood River with our precious friends a week ago, some photos from the women's retreat I went on this weekend and some awesome family portraits from Sunriver yesterday! Keep checking back....