November Gratefuls

"If you don't recognize the worth of the masterpiece you already have,
you can waste your life looking for more that doesn't matter." {Ann Voskamp}

Every moment of the day is an opportunity to be grateful, to praise God. Especially in the midst of the hard times. I don't want a life lived that will only be joyful and grateful when it's easy to be joyful and grateful. It's during the difficult times, the arguments, the pits when it is actually hard to practice these disciplines that my heart is actually put to test.

Will I trust my way, the way I think things should go as the best?

Or will I choose God's way, choose to praise Him, to trust Him when I'm not sure how the situations will work out?

One small moment at a time is the best place to begin. Not "when everything is happy as a peach, then I'll be thankful." But now, right in this very moment.

"And we could be like a river of that living water. We could widen and deepen, we could course our way through hard things and plow fresh new ways. And our perspective could reflect a Kingdom, our lives could be a refuge and our choices could be a courage that goes against the current."

1. Celebrating the sweet baby of a dear friend / 2. Dressing up an American trio, complete with a baby bald eagle's silly construction paper beak / 3. Experiencing firsts together - first football game for Maddie / 4. Gathering together with family and food and laughter / 5. A teensy bow for her itty bitty hair / 6. Two years of marriage down, many more to come

September Gratefulgrams

"God is true to His purpose, not our expectations."
{Dr. Dick Lincoln}

What a difference 12 months makes. 52 weeks of living. 365 days of life.

Looking back over what I was grateful for this time last year and wow! I was pregnant, working full time at an ad agency while running LMP and we were still living in Virginia! Now we have a beautiful 4-month-old, I'm staying at home with her and we have moved to the South (the real South, that is).

And what things have stayed the same! The friendships we've been blessed to form over the years have continued on long after we moved and became parents.

The first photo, where Dean and I are posing as wedding guests, was for our sweet friends Wei and Elizabeth. We're staying with them this weekend when we head back to Virginia for a wedding :) The adorable couple holding hands in the third photo? They are watching Madison while we shoot Hooman and Priscilla's wedding. And the couple in the bottom right photo?  Laura, the sweet bride, will be the coordinator for this weekend's wedding.

If you would have told me five years ago that this would be my life, I wouldn't have thought it to be true. But as our pastor reminded us several weeks ago, "God is true to His purpose, not our expectations." I never would have imagined that I could spend my time photographing couples' love and sharing in their wedding days with them, married to such an incredible man and raising up a cutie patootie little girl whose giggles melt away even the worst of days, living in South Carolina of all places :) (Looking back on my childhood, I always did love the state flag though. Sounds so silly to say that now but whenever we were traveling through SC, I always loved the look of the palmetto and crescent together).

And His timing - goodness, how I so wanted to be married and start having babies when I was graduating from college in 2010. But God had other plans for my life, plans that I couldn't have anticipated, scheduled, coordinated or thought out. Things that I needed to learn, grow through and experience long before any of that could take place. And He is good. The plans He has laid out are for our good, yes, but ultimately for His good, and His glory.

Can I offer a word to any of you out there feeling less than satisfied with your current state of affairs?

Let go of your picture-perfect expectations of how life should be or what it should look like, or what you should have done by this time or your life, or what job you should have by now. Lay them at the foot of the cross and pick up God's yoke, which is easy, and His burden, which is light. Start living the life He has ordained for you and you will find joy, freedom and peace.

February Gratefulgrams

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, & whoever
     has it rests satisfied." {Psalm 19:23}

1. Visiting a new city + taking a weekend getaway with friends / 2. Wedding dress shopping with my dear college friend & this bride-to-be / 3. Nesting + nursery prep for #MyFairweatherBaby / 4. Sharing my sweet niece's newborn photos  / 5. Enjoying the little moments / 6. Reminiscing about past wedding clients & friends

December Gratefulgrams

"Far from what I once was but not yet what I'm going to be." {Unknown}

Happy 2015!

It's so incredible to look back, over the weeks, months & year to see how the Lord has led, directed & worked through our lives. In the span of just 5 months, Dean & I found out we were pregnant (August), celebrated our 1-year anniversary early in Canada (September), decided not to renew our townhome lease (October), began the job search (October), slept in a hotel/friend's basement/apartment/on a pull-out couch (November-December), traveled to visit different companies (November), accepted an offer (November), said good-bye to our church community & friends (December) & moved into a new little rental home in Columbia, SC (December).

We are thrilled to have this opportunity for newness - a new location, a new job, a new season of life. Like Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, 11, "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born ... a time to uproot... He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Here's to living each day of the year in light of God's mercies, which are new each morning!

1. A place to keep all my prayers #Vmpjournals/ 2. Sunrise + photography + beautiful friend / 3. An incredibly (bitter)sweet farewell from my SG ladies / 4. Sharing the news about #MyFairweatherBaby / 5. Hosting our very first Christmas / 6. Capturing moments like this of my amazing sister

October Gratefulgrams

"Don't dig up in doubt what you planted in faith." {Elisabeth Elliot}

Can you believe it's already November? It seems that many people say that each time a new season of the year rolls around. As my husband reminded me the other day: The days are long but the years fly by.

I want to make the most of each day & season of life the Lord gives me, not waiting for tomorrow or next year to make it count for His kingdom. So here's not to living for the next thing on your agenda but the right now, what God has currently placed in front of you/where He has placed you, for such a time as this.

1. Feeling the crunch of newly fallen leaves under my boots. / 2. Adventuring with Hubby / 3. Photo op at a historic kissing bridge / 4. Beautiful fall-inspired cookies / 5. New dining gems in the neighborhood / 6. Cheers to Hubby's birthday!