{Hard Decision}

I have already told many of you this, but I have made the decision to quit photography as a business. I'm not saying I'm quitting photography, because I still plan to take lots of pictures, and will still take pictures of my family. I still want to take more photography courses, and I don't think I'll ever stop looking at photography blogs and pins and dreaming about photography. I am simply too busy. And I think that today, the photography business is sort of like 'go big or go home.' Either I buy more props, spend time advertising and promoting my photography, put more time and effort in, take more photography courses, develop my own packaging, and buy more camera equipment, or I quit. I guess I'm taking the easy way out, but I'm happy with my decision.

 

I do really want to thank all of the people who have allowed me to do pictures for them in the past! I also should mention that I will honour my commitment to those who have pictures booked with me for next year. I officially will be done doing pictures at the end of December.

 

Another reason that I want to quit photography and be less busy, is because I have been thinking about starting another blog, this one focusing on issues that Christians face today. I know I'm not a very talented blogger, but I want to challenge myself to learn more and defend my faith and things that I believe. I want to be able to share devotionals and insights that might be helpful for other Christians. This is still all just mostly a dream, but I hope to have more time to invest in this in the future.

 

To all my supporters and friends, thank you!

{My Middle Sister is Graduated!}

I am so happy and proud to post these pictures of my beautiful sister, Marilee! I have to call her my 'middle sister', because she's not so little anymore. I thought I'd tell you a few funny stories about her, just so you can all see why she's so fun and spunky and why I love her to bits. 

A long time ago, when we were just kids, we were out riding horses in the ditches. Marilee was riding Duke, a very fat Fjord pony. Her saddle slipped, and she started to slide off. Our neighbour lady yelled at her, "Bail, bail!" But Marilee just hung on for dear life. Finally, she jumped off. We asked her why she didn't listen and jump off right away. Her answer-"I don't know what bail means. All I know is that Baal is an idol in the Bible, and I didn't know what that had to do with riding!"

Just recently, Marilee was telling us all how she is going to have such sweet, adorable little kids. Jacey's reply: "Won't you be surprised when they come out bald and ugly with one big tooth?" (That's brothers for you, eh?)

Enjoy the pictures! :)

Congratulations, little sis! I'm so proud of you!


(Oops, I just found this post saved as a draft....I didn't realize I hadn't published it yet. Better late than never, I guess! )

{My Trip To Ecuador!}

As many of you know, I went on a mission trip to Ecuador for 12 days! I had an amazing time! I learned so much and my eyes were totally opened to how blessed I am compared to most people. 

Ecuador is an absolutely beautiful country! Pictures and words cannot capture the lush green vegetation and bright blue skies. 

 {photo credit: Joan}

 {photo credit: Joan}

{photo credit:Joan}

In comparison to the beauty of Ecuador is the sad scene of poverty and immorality. Broken families, drugs, alcohol, gambling, sexual abuse, and prostitution characterizes the area of Quininde, where we worked and stayed. 

I will never forget the faces of these kids. These kids are more than beautiful brown eyes looking up at me, begging me to love them. These kids are more than arms wrapping around me and giving endless hugs and kisses. These kids are more than statistics. These kids are more than just a 12 day project. These kids need more than government programs and handouts and food and clothing. These kids are little souls, who more than anything else, need God. They need faith and hope and love and safety and strong relationships. 

While we were in Quininde, we kept quite busy. The guys in the group worked very hard continuing the construction of a security wall. Us ladies did some painting at the sponsorship projects and did 6 days of vacation bible school with the kids. During our breaks, we spent a lot of time playing with the kids (they are amazing little soccer players!), and tried to show them lots of love and attention. 

We also visited several other communities in the area. It was so encouraging to see a community that has embraced the Lord  and how it is thriving and growing. Other communities are very much still in the dark, and need the Gospel, as well as better education and support networks. 

Our group was absolutely awesome! I enjoyed meeting every single person and hope we can all meet again! ;) I highly recommend going on a mission trip to anyone who is interested. It really is such a eye-opener, and I personally learned and grew so much during my trip. It is important to go with the realization that on a short term mission trip, you probably aren't going to change dozens of lives and be a hero. The purpose of a short term mission trip is to show God's love by our service and by our example, and to share and build relationships with the people. I hope that we were able, in some ways, to fulfill our purpose. 

Thank you very much to everyone for your support and prayers and well-wishes! xo

{Winter Wonderland}

I'm home! Made it back safe and sound from the beautiful country of Ecuador! And now its back to the craziness and reality of life again ;) I also need to get caught up on some blogging! Here are some pictures of  the lovely hoar frost waaay back in March! I have to admit that scenery photos are not my strong point, but I'm trying my best to be a more well rounded photographer! 

 

While I'm enjoying the pictures of hoar frost, I have to admit that I am enjoying the beautiful weather!

{My trip: 2 Weeks to Go!}

I apologize for my boring blog. Again.

 I have been busy with other things, like planning my trip to Ecuador! I am getting super, super excited! We leave in 2 weeks! (I may or may not have time to post some recent pictures before I leave, but I'll try my best! )

We will be going to Ecuador for 12 days. The men in our group will be continuing the construction of building a security wall around a property, where a medical clinic, an abused girls home, and a recreational/educational complex will be built.Us ladies will be working at the children's projects that are running in the area of Quininde. We hope to accomplish a lot, but we hope to do more than just build walls and paint. We hope to build relationships with the people and show Christ's love through our words and actions. 

I have had lots of people ask me if I can bring any supplies, clothes, etc with me for the people there. Rather than telling everybody individually what I need, I figured I would just post a list of things that I can bring with here! 

-vitamins for pregnant women and children

-vitamins for adults

-antibiotic creams (polysporin cream, etc)

-tylenol

-advil

-anti fungal cream for skin

-anti yeast infection cream for women

They also need clothes and shoes for youth, but my suitcase isn't going to have much room for extra heavy clothes and things, so I thought I would just stick with the above list!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers :)

FYI

Effective immediately, I will be doing a very reduced amount of photography. I'm not sure how long this decreased amount will last, but I'm planning to just 'play it by ear'. I need to focus more on my priorities-God, my family, Jonathan, and nursing! I love, love photography, but I am finding myself spending way too much time looking on pinterest and other blogs for ideas, making props, editing, driving all over doing the country with my camera, spending time away from home, etc. I have decided to limit my photography to family and friends...this being said, if you want pictures done, feel free to ask-and I'll let you know what I decide. If you have a pre-planned shoot with me, I will definately still be doing it! 

Another reason I am really trying to cut back on my photography, is because I am so, SO behind on scrapbooking! My goal is to be caught up on my own scrapbooks before I get married, whenever that may be. And I have a long ways to go! I have most of my school years scrapbooked, but I still need to finish my grad scrapbook, and haven't scrapbooked 2010, 2011, and now its already 2/3 way through 2012! :/ So hopefully with less photography I'll have more time for scrapbooking and enjoying my pictures : )

{I want to thank my brother Jacey for helping me make my awesome DIY pallet board backdrop! FYI to all  pinterest lovers out there-all those cute ideas involving pallets? They're not as simple and easy as they look. Most boards crack and split when you take apart a pallet. And most pallets are full of spiders, slivers, and well, aren't that attractive or strong. And making anything with them gets really heavy! But if you feel creative and want to try the pallet ideas anyways-go for it! (= Consider yourself warned!}

Anyways, I still have a lot of editing to catch up on (Q: who takes 1000 pictures at a 40th Wedding Anniversary? A: me! I wanted to make sure I had enough good shots! I do-I also have a lot of editing to do now!) More pictures to come from another sweet newborn as well as my sisters! :)

{My Family: Photoshoot}

Meet my mom and sisters Marilee & Sheree! For grad, I asked mom if she would buy me a photoshoot with the sisters and her (best grad present ever!) Karen Van Herk took these pictures for us, and it was aLOT of fun! It was interesting to be on the other end of the camera, for a change. Karen did a great job, and I plan to scrapbook ALL the pictures :D  (To see more of Karen's photos, visit http://www.ttaaphotography.blogspot.com/). I have noticed lately that I am so busy taking pictures and editing them for other people that I forget about taking pictures of my own family! So it was extra special to get these pictures back, and I plan to take some pictures of my brothers and dad in the near future. I hope you enjoy! Thank you very, very much, Karen! You did an amazing job!

 me and my mom ♥

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family!

~Anthony Brandt

{Putting things into Perspective}

I stress. I stress about a lot of things, mostly little things. When I was in school I stressed about exams and clinical and essays. I stress about my photography. Will people like my pictures? Is my blog boring? Will I make any money with photography? Am I charging too much? I stress about my car. Why are all the lights on? Will my car last me for a year yet? Do the scratches look funny? How can I afford to pay for gas? I stress about lots of other little things. I'm so far behind in scrapbooking. Will I ever catch up? Will people come to my tupperware party? Will it be fun? How am I going to get through June? It will be so busy. Will the pictures turn out? Will I be able to find a job in July? If I do, will it be good hours? Will my nursing national exam be hard? Will I have enough time to study? Will I have enough money to pursue my dream of traveling to Europe, or Africa? I stress, ALOT.

And then there's reminders for me that all those little things that I stress about, they don't really matter. I'm alive, I'm healthy, I have family and friends that love me, so it doesn't matter. Take Kaitlin for example. (http://www.compassion.ca/advocatenetwork/blog.php?intid=491) She died, yesterday, at 17 years old. She made a difference in thousands of lives. I don't know her, but I feel that she still impacted my life. She will remain a role model for me. She was selfless, giving, and courageous. And she will be missed. By many. My heart goes out to them.

It shows me that the little things don't matter. I need to be ready to die. And when I do die, what kind of legacy will I leave? Will all my family and friends know that I loved them? Will I be a strong Christian role model for others? These are the questions that matter. They  challenge me, and I hope they will challenge you, too.

God bless Kaitlin's family and friends.

{Valentines}

Valentines Day! I am a sucker for romance. And flowers. Lucky for me, Jono bought me 12 roses :)

Now would be a good time to say that I am extremely blessed. I have the best family, boyfriend, and friends that I could possibly have!