Pinterest has my heart

anyone who knows me at all knows that i have a slight obsession with all things Pinterest so when i saw this idea for a diy lamp shade i went right out to Target and bought myself the perfect lamp shade for the lamp stand I found stowed away in one of my boxes. it’s amazing what you can find when you move and unpack old boxes. it’s like christmas! we had been looking for ideas of ways we could incorporate our vows into our home decor and this was it! with this shade now complete, chris and i fee
l like our little reading nook in our bedroom it pretty near perfect! the ink from my fabric marker bled a bit which i was thoroughly bummed out by but after it was complete i began to love the imperfection that was the bleeding letters. what do you think? love it? or hate it?

 

i will follow

she sat there waiting patiently as her husband walked on the treadmill in front of her. had her eyes worked she would have been watching him the entire time, step after step, cheering him on as he walked. but her eyes didn’t work. and so she waited patiently, in darkness, most likely listening to his footsteps and undoubtedly silently cheering him on as he walked. when he finished he slowly and carefully made his way to her. she stood and handed him his white cane and it was then that i realized that not only was she blind but he was as well. they began their journey to the door and i couldn’t help but watch their every step. his cane moved back and forth in front of him as he led with her following closely behind, making sure to keep her hand on his back so as to be sure she stay on the path he led. he weaved through the weight machines, at times rather hesitantly, making what seemed to be a rather confusing path toward the entrance as well as a near collision with another gym member and even so, she continued to follow him, trusting to lead her to their next destination.

i couldn’t help but to look at my life, my marriage. am i trusting him to lead me to our next destination? am i following where he is going even if i know that he can’t see the next step in front of him? i promised to submit myself to his leadership in my life and stated that i would trust him, knowing that he would never lead me astray. but how am i walking this out? how does this look in our everyday or more importantly IS it evident in our everyday? i watched that couple, and i examined my own life and i realized that more often than not i tried to take the lead and i tried to direct our path, putting my trust, not in my husband, but in myself and my own selfish desires. i watched that couple, and i examined my own life and i realized that i have come up short.

i am a firm believer that God uses anything and anyone to speak to us what He wants to say and i’m so grateful for the beautiful depiction of trust He showed me that day. that couple challenged me and convicted me to put my complete trust in my husband and his leading knowing, that because of Jesus in him, he will never lead me astray.

friday at the capitol

my mom rode the train up friday to hang with me for the day before she went diving at gig harbor for the weekend. we had a great time roaming around downtown olympia; shopping, eating and visiting the state capitol. i, of course, had to take my camera along to capture our adventures. the capitol was beautiful and we had a great time exploring! hope you enjoy:)

Dana & Lindsay Maternity Shoot – Skinner Butte – Eugene, OR

they trusted me with the major responsibility of capturing their most precious moments as they anxiously awaited the arrival of their beautiful son, Miles. i had never photographed a maternity shoot before and i was beyond nervous but we had a great time and i feel so honored to be able to have had the opportunity to spend the day with my lovely sister and handsome brother in law. here are some of the photos we got from that day. enjoy.

perfectly us

you came home unexpectantly with a potted orchid and a card; you know how much i hate spending money on flowers that will die.

we went to the store and then came home to eat dinner.

we watched a documentary while i worked on a craft project.

you fell asleep on the couch and then we retired to our bed.

you said it perfectly in your prayer over our dinner; we celebrate each other every day, every day feels like Valentines day for us.

to most, our first valentine day would have looked like a failure, but to me it was perfectly us. we did life together and that is more than i could ever ask for. so thank you, chris, for being the best valentine a girl could ask for.

Miles Jackson – 2 months

We had the opportunity to go down to Oregon last weekend to visit our family and fortunately for us my sister and our nephew were up from California during that same time. The weekend seemed to fly by and I never feel like I have as much time with my family as I would like but I cherish every moment we do get to be together and am so grateful that our schedules worked out the way that they did. While Chris was getting our stuff together and loaded up on our last morning there I snapped a couple of photos of my handsome nephew. His 2 month birthday was yesterday and I can’t believe how big he is getting!

Miles Kevin

December 12, 2011. we waited impatiently outside her hospital room, the entire family lining the halls, laughing and talking to pass the time. we waited impatiently and then it came, the cry of the newest addition to our family, Miles Kevin Jackson. we rushed in as soon as the doctor gave us the ok and he was perfect in every way. my sister, beaming with the unconditional love that only a mother can know, sat there, enamored by the miracle of her child while my brother-in-law graciously accepted all of the congratulations. it was raw, and it was perfect. those moments in life that leave an imprint on your heart, those moments that you know you will remember for the rest of your life. and in that moment i was so grateful for the amazing family God had given to me.

you see, a sister was my hearts desire when i was little and when God blessed me with two loving, caring, kind, compassionate sisters i knew that He obviously thinks much bigger than i do. and as our family continues to grow i feel beyond blessed that it is with sisters like mine by my side.

a week later i had the incredible honor to photograph my favorite little nephew. i can’t believe it’s been almost 2 months since he came into our lives and being 2 states away from him, while it makes aunties heart sad, makes every moment that we are together so much more special. and i am so glad i have these to look at until i see him again.

lin, i love you to pieces and am so incredibly overjoyed for you and your family. thank you for the honor of taking your son’s photos.

sweaty guy at the gym… and following my hearts desire

he was red in the face, with sweat dripping down his nose and he was grunting and moaning and immediately i wished that chris was there. ” what if he has a heart attack? what would i do? chris could help him but i wouldn’t even know where to start.” as my peaceful workout was annoyingly interrupted by the man next to me struggling to keep up with his stair climber machine i looked at my time; i was only half way there before i could hop off my elliptical machine and head down stairs to meet up with chris. i tried to turn my attention elsewhere: my stats, the news, my iPhone… anything to distract me… but it didnt work and i was left with the complete awareness of his every grunt. and then he spoke. between gasping breaths he said “come on.” huh? did he just say something? i was confused. is he talking to himself? and then another; “you can do it.” and then i realized he was talking to himself, he was coaching himself, encouraging himself, pushing himself past the point that his body told him he could go. and immediately my disgust turned to amazement. he had a desire, a goal, and he was determined to get there, no matter how hard he had to push himself.

then my thoughts turned towards myself. what are my goals? what are my desires? and what am i doing to achieve these goals? and what i found was a bit disappointing. while my heart was pushing me in one direction and i knew where i WANTED to go my mind was telling me where i SHOULD go and was filled with questions. “what if it doesn’t work? think of all the time and energy you will have wasted. will you have time to dedicate to it? are you really creative enough? talented enough? is this really where God is calling you to be? this isn’t safe.”

and as long as i can remember i have let my mind win out, thinking the more responsible path would be the one that’s safest, smartest. i gave in to settling and i have been left with this huge desire, restrained and restricted by fear.

the great thing about that man at the gym was that he knew his hearts desire, he knew he had a goal that, while reachable, was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. and he wasn’t going to let himself or any one else keep him from that. he pushed himself, not caring what others might think of his seemlingly crazy grunts, moans, and self coaching statements. he didn’t let fear in any way keep him from going all out and pushing himself beyond his comfort level. and i am so thankful. he taught me a valuable lesson that day and i left determined to step out of my comfort zone to pursue what it his God has placed on my heart to do, no matter how scared my mind might be.

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

I Thessalonians 5:24

my shortcomings, his example

it’s been a month. a month since i promised to be patient, kind and encouraging. a month since i told him i would put him first, above myself, not insisting on my own rights or ways but rather his, and always looking to find the very best in him, at all times. i promised to never forget these promises but it seems that in this past month i have.  i have let my patience wear thin, my kind words turn to harsh words and have insisted on my own rights and ways rather than his. i have allowed myself to turn into the selfish person i vowed to never be. and while i may feel that i come up short more often than not he never fails to be patient, kind and encouraging toward me. he never fails to put me first, above himself, not insisting on his own rights or ways but rather mine. he never fails to always find the good in me, even when i can’t find it in myself. and he never fails to demonstrate Jesus to me in all that he does. and in doing so he leads me by example, to be the woman i vowed to him to be, the woman he deserves to have. his silent example of loving kindness, gentle patience and unending encouragement pushes me more than any demand he could place on me or command he could state. and because of his silent example, he compels me to be the patient, kind, encouraging, and selfless wife i promised him to be.

chris, i can’t begin to put into words how incredibly grateful i am to have you in my life. you are more than i could ever hope or dream for and for that i thank God everyday. you are my exceedingly abundantly more.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…

Ephesians 3:20