hope.

i've been having a tough time lately. i've been sullen and mopey. i have not been fun to be around (at least in my own company...) let's chalk some of that up to the gray, depressing days of winter. yeah, that sounds good. but i know that i can't blame it all on the weather. i could say that it's because i'm turning 29 again 30 and i'm a little, ok a lot freaked out about it. turning 30 has always seemed so far away. something that happens after you get married and start a family. when you have been working at a job you love instead of one that just pays the bills. but here i am, mere months from that elusive number and all i can think about is what i don't have but wish i did.

i want this.

 to experience this.

 to snuggle my own babes
and to whisper prayers over them.

to have someone take my family's portrait

at the beach.

to take my family here.

to get to here.

but for now, i am trying to be content with what i have. an amazing support system of family and of friends who are there for me when i need them. i want to live in the now and experience joy in that living. i don't know what my future holds and that scares me. but i have the hope of tomorrow and of the future.

"may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace

as you trust in him, 

so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13

transparent.

i have a blog post that i want to share. but it is very personal. it is a part of me. sometimes i may sound a bit whiny. or i may come across as strong in parts. weak in others.

i have some major anxiety about being transparent. but i feel there is catharsis in sharing. 

so i will push the publish button at some point. but for now it is just a draft.

Jump forJoy I Heart Faces Week 10

Even though I think I missed the deadline for this week's entry, I still want to post this because I absolutely love this picture.

Head on over to iheartfaces for more awesome jump shots!

In the middle of nowhere

I feel like I am lost in the middle of nowhere... Well, not really lost, so much as house-sitting in the middle of nowhere. From this past Saturday til Sunday. That long without my personal computer, the new computer that holds over 19,000 pictures, with which I use to regularly blog. I guess I am lost, then. But just so you know, I haven't forgotten about you. (And am I referring to my blog like it's a living, breathing person or the handful of people who actually read the thing? I'm not entirely sure...)
I shall return within a weeks time, not that I'm making any promises, with new pictures and posts and updates and questions that I would like answered.
Don't miss me too much! (Referring to my blog, for sure this time!)

Hands On Fun- I Heart Faces Week 8

Here is this week's entry into the iheartfaces photo challenge for "Hands On Fun."

This sweet little boy lights up a room and loves to give cuddles. I chose this picture because he seemed so unaware of his surroundings and it looks like he is whispering a little prayer.

Check out the other great hands pictures at heartfaces and maybe enter your own!

I Wanna Dance- I Heart Faces Week 7 Challenge

As soon as I learned the theme for this weeks iheartface's photo challenge, I knew exactly what photo I wanted to use. This photo comes from Chad and Kelli's wedding (which was oodles of fun!). I was snapping a photo of the bride and groom, when Amy danced her way in... not the best technically, but a great capture!

Head on over to iheartfaces to check out more fantastic, fun dance pictures!

A Snowy Wordless Wednesday

"We heart kisses" week 6 challenge

Here's my first entry into the I Heart Faces blog contest. This weeks theme is "Kisses" and I'm super excited about the photo I am choosing.

i wonder what they're thinking about...

For more great pictures and to enter your own kissy  pic, head over to iheartfaces.

Oh those eyes

Squeeeeee!!!!!

A Baking Bonanza!

~Update~
   I brought a batch of the brownies raved about mentioned later in this post to work today. The verdict? A-maz-ing! I actually had one co-worker say, "You are going to make some man happy and fat!" High praise, right? Now, if only that praise could turn into the truth, like now? That would be even better!

~Original Post~
Pardon me, I love alliteration!
I am completely obsessed with social networking (duh!) and I love to read people's blogs, tweets, status updates, etc. Part of the fun, for me, is finding new inspirational stories, new places to shop, and new recipes to try out! This was the case the other day when I stumbled upon the blog i am mommy and the link to her baking page, i am baker. That is where I discovered these amazing cookies!

 

 These are Coffee Sugar Cookies! 

Oh. my. goodness. You put coffee in a cookie? That's a definite winner in my book! The recipe was super easy to follow except I totally did not read all the instructions. I missed the part that said you had to let the dough chill overnight. Oops. (Side note: if you are making the dough at night, as tempting as it may be; do not eat the dough if caffeine wakes you up. Let's just say that I laid in bed staring at the ceiling for a few hours that night.)

Some of you might remember a few months ago, (let's say it was October) I featured the amazing S'more cupcake that brookiellen introduced me to. I love s'more's, so ever since then, I have been obsessed with figuring out how to make a s'more brownie. I think know that this is it! I have always been about the brownie. It was one of the first things I learned how to bake. And I have been perfecting them ever since. I would NEVER use a boxed brownie. Okay, confession: I did once. Horibble, awful, never again.

The brownie recipe I use is Hershey's Best Brownie recipe. It has never, ever failed me.

I can't give you exact measurements, but I will do my best to guess.

Make the brownie batter first and then add about a 1/4 cup of finely ground graham crackers.

Take 4 sheets of graham crackers and crumble them into the batter. My goal was to have graham cracker pieces throughout the entire brownie.

 

Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray and spread the batter on the bottom.

Bake the brownies for roughly 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove from oven for the next step.

This is the tricky part. Spoon bits of marshmallow fluff randomly across the top. 

Take another 2 sheets of graham crackers and roughly crumble them on top and pop the back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the brownies pull away from the side of the pan.

Let them cool before slicing... if you can wait that long!

 

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

So nerve-wracking

This past Saturday I did my first maternity shoot. It was my friend, Tara's, sister. I drove up for the shower and stayed for the shoot. They were such troopers... it was about 15 degrees that day and they indulged me with a few shots at the playground.
I have to admit that I am super nervous about how these photos are going to be received. Here is a sneak peek of some. Please be honest but gentle; it's my first time.

 

 

Help me choose!

I've decided to enter another photo contest today and I need help picking which picture I want to use. It's a contest through I Heart Faces and it is in honor of girlfriends for Blissdom '10. The theme is "Girlfriends" and my first thought was to use one of the pics I snapped of the three lovely best friends from last May. But the problem is, I can't decide which one I like better. This is where my loyal readership (all 3 of you) comes in. Help me pick which photo to use and I will be forever grateful.

I kind of know which one I am leaning more towards, but could really use some extra eyes! Please leave a comment and let me know which one you like better!

Trying my hand at editing

I haven't been obsessively taking pics for about the last month or so. When I was sick, my joints hurt so bad that I couldn't even pic up my camera. That's when you know it must have been bad.

The problem now, is that I am feeling the need to create but I have no recent pics to work on. But I happen to have thousand upon thousands of pics from the last few years that I can work on.

I can't seem to get photoshop elements to work with my computer, so I have been using paintdotnet for all of my editing.

Here are some that I have been working on the last few days. (And I would appreciate any constructive criticism you can offer!)

This is Brooke's Cash. Isn't he dreamy?

I am in love with this castle picture!

A Heart for the Hurting

I had trouble waking up this morning. I was cranky, tired, and had a massive headache. I stumbled downstairs to start the coffee pot and to drink as much coffee as possible this morning. Then, I headed back upstairs to get on facebook and check twitter. I signed on to my email and saw this. Sometime this morning, the people of Haiti encountered another earthquake. Of 6.1 magnitude. That's almost as powerful as the one last Sunday that killed so many and left millions homeless and too many children to count as orphans. It just breaks my heart.
I know that many of have probably given through your local church or some other organization. But it's not enough. It may never be enough.
This is not a plug for any one organization. This is just a list of links to point you towards helping at a time when it feels like you can't do anything.

Food for the Hungry


Compassion International

Haiti Earthquake

The American Red Cross

Doctor's without Borders


These are just a few of the many organizations that are collecting money to aid those affected by the earthquake (now quakes) that have devastated a nation.

Happy New Year... a little late!

2010 started out in a way that I hope never to repeat. I woke up on the morning of the 2nd with a fever and aches. This fever lasted for FIVE DAYS! That's right, 5! Turns out I had Fifths Disease or, Roseola. Fever, sunburn-like rash,and joint pain for quite some time after you are no longer ill. I'm hoping with this illness out of the way, 2010 can only get better!
For some reason, I have a really good feeling about this year. Things feel like they are going to change and I'm really looking forward to seeing what can happen.
Some big things that are happening this year:

-- The big 3-0. Phew, I just had a mini-panic attack typing those numbers. It's not something I am necessarily looking forward to, but I am hopeful that this will be a good time in my life.

-- Disney, just me and my mom. I'm really excited to spend some quality time with my mom at a place that we both love!

-- Photography shoots. I'm already starting to line up some shoots for the upcoming months. I have one at the end this month that I am filling some anxiety over. It is a maternity shoot for my friend's sister, who is expecting her first baby. I've shot babies and people but never expectant mothers... and I am a little unsure with how to proceed with this job. I also have family shoots and baby shoots and a possible wedding.

-- Starting a new home based business. My friend just launched her own Arbonne business and I have been seriously thinking for at least the last 6 months about launching my own. I would really like some more flexibility and extra income, plus I love their products... it just seems like a good fit. My only concern is being able to find people who would be willing to host a party for me (wink, wink!)

-- Getting back on track with healthy eating and exercising. I started watching my portions again, and once I am feeling up to it after being sick, I will start working out with the goal to run a 5k. And I mean, run it! I think I'm going to try the Couch to 5k, which a few of my friends have started and really like.

-- But most importantly, this year I am really looking towards figuring out who I am and what I am here for. Why did God ordain for me to be where I am and what am I supposed to be doing with that?

All in all, I'm ready to see where this year is going to go. I'm committed to not letting time pass me by as I have for so many other years. Here's to a New Year!

Disney: A teaser

I keep meaning to blog about Disney but keep putting it off. Here is a pic I took crossing over one of the bridges!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I took the above photo and did a little editing. I love how it turned out!

I've had a lot of fun with the photoshop mobile app that I have on my iPod. Here's a few more from my trip!

 

 I love how these turned out!

 

I have a blog?

Oh, right. I knew that. Really, I swear I did! I promise to update soon. A special "year in review" or something like that. Yeah.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

On that mindnight train to Georgia

I love Savannah. No, I mean I am crazy in love with this town. The charm, the architecture, the people... the beach right down the road. I may have to make this my go-to city for vacations. That's how much I love it. I got a few pictures when we went downtown yesterday, which I will post when I get home, before my dad started not feeling well and needed to get back to the hotel.
But all is good, we leave for WDW in about an hour!

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to talk a little bit about what I am thankful. Let's see. My family, my amazing friends, having somewhere to celebrate the holiday, my car, Milicent and so much more.
I'm stoked and thankful that my vacation starts officially TOMORROW! We pack up the car and hit the road around 7:30! wOOt!
Enjoy your day and remember what makes you thankful!