time to simplify . . .

Part of the reason that I've been MIA lately is that I've been working on a new blog for my photography business as well as updating my website. It took longer than it should have [I have a love/hate relationship with HTML code :)], but it's finally done! I've been managing both blogs [this one and my Capture one] for a while, and I love it! BUT, it's kind of a lot to try to keep up with considering all of my other responsibilities right now . . . .

. . . . SO, with a little excitement and a little sadness of heart, I've decided to combine the two into one. It's something I've been considering for a long time. I'm excited because I think it will give my clients a chance to get to know me and my family a little better. I keep up with A LOT of photographers through their blogs, and I enjoy the ones that share about themselves and their personal lives the most. I like seeing their work and learning from them, but I tend to be very personable, so this suits me a little better. I'm sad, though, because I've really enjoyed this blog. It's been a place where I don't feel like I have to be professional or have pictures with perfect composition and exposures . . . ha! ha!

So, without further ado, if you want to continue to keep up with our family, be sure to update your Google Reader, bookmarks, favorites, etc. THIS is the new and improved and multi-functional blog, and I will do my best to keep it updated frequently! Hope to hear from you often in the nifty little comments drop down menu :)!

still here

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I've been busy working on some photography stuff, so I haven't had much extra time. We're doing well. The boys are in swimming lessons this week and the next, and they're having a really good time and learning a lot. We've been working on reading and letters to get ready for school to start back. Riley's reading well, and we checked out a BUNCH of books from the library that he can read himself. Cole knows his letters, but he comes up with creative ways to write them. For instance, he'll make he top portion of an "R" and then add the two legs at the end! So, I'm teaching him the proper way to write them as well as the sounds they make.

Piper the cat is doing well. He's growing a lot. For all you cat people out there, you might be able to help me with something. We would like him to be an inside cat because we don't want anything bad to happen to our first beloved pet [ :) ], but he's going CRAZY to get outside. The boys and their neighbor friends are constantly going in and out . . . meaning that Piper is constantly getting out. I have to chase him down and bring him back in. He then proceeds to sit on the window ledge and moan and whine and meow because he wants to go back out. It sounds terrible. He watches the kids play out in the backyard and seems miserable to be inside. I feel badly for not letting him go out, but I don't want him to a.) get eaten by a big dog, b.) get run over, or c.) get lost and not be able to find his way back home. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Well, I better run get the boys ready for swimming lessons, but I just wanted to say hi and let you know that we're still around!

Fourth of July

This was such a fun Fourth of July because we got to spend it with family! My sister, brother-in-law & niece came to visit, and we had such a good time with them! It was great because we rarely get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with together. We celebrated the 4th by going downtown for the festivities and fireworks show. I didn't take many pictures, but here are some that I liked.





There's always a lot going on downtown on the Fourth, and one of the things that's fun is a bunch of inflatables for kids set up at the end of Broadway. We all had to get our hands stamped (hence the first photo) to participate. The kids had fun on an obstacle course inflatable (second photo). We ate at Satco (San Antonio Taco Company) and watched the fireworks from the Shelby Street (Pedestrian) Bridge. They were great, as usual, and despite being a tiny bit claustrophobic (due to the other 100,000+ people there), we really enjoyed it!

It was so nice to hang out with Chris, Kendall & Olivia, and Kendall and I even got some sister time Saturday afternoon :). We walked around and window shopped in Hillsboro Village while the daddies hung out with the kiddos. They left to go home this afternoon, and I miss them already!

a few more from VBS . . .

The two main "personalities" were Dr. Kaboom and Professor Googles. The guys who played their characters were hilarious! On the last day, they slimed the children's ministry director, which the kids LOVED! During the week, the kids raised about $1,300 to send to missionaries in Mexico. Riley was especially excited about taking his offering . . . of course, he was more interested in the fact that there was a race - boys against girls - to see who could collect the most money :).





[Yes, that's her underneath that blob of green!]



[She was a really good sport about it!]

summer is for . . .

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! Right?!

I don't know about you, but I grew up going to Vacation Bible School [a.k.a. "VBS"] every summer. Well, seeing that we've been at church plants all their lives, Riley & Cole didn't even know what one was . . . until last week! There's a big church close to our house called Christ Church, and the boys went to VBS there last week. They had a BLAST! I am so glad they were able to go and have a good time and learn more about God. The theme was "Power Lab," so they focused on His power all week. It was from 9-noon, and they couldn't get enough. There aren't many kids {yet} at our church, so it was fun for the boys to participate in something so big with so many kids. I almost cried everyday as I sat in the back of the auditorium waiting to pick them up. Why? I don't know exactly, but I think it's because I want Riley and Cole to always love the Lord and to know Him for THEMSELVES. I don't want them to just do the Christian "thing" because they were raised that way. I want them to experience all of God's goodness for themselves and really know Him. I want them to pray their own prayers and see God's faithfulness with their own eyes and hearts. I think they got another glimpse of Him last week, and I'm thankful for all the great people at Christ Church who helped with VBS. Here are a few pictures of the little program they did the last day . . .




[Riley's on the back row toward the left. He sang his heart out and did all the motions to the songs!]


[Cole with his class]

Piper Pics :)

Piper's been with us for over a week, and he's just part of the family now! We love him! He's really fun to play with, and he's a good "snuggler," too [when he wants to be]. He likes to hang out on the couch . . .



. . . and, while he likes his toys, he's perfectly content to just chew on the basket that holds all of them, too!



We like to call him "Hyper Piper" because he IS!



He's good about using his scratching post and not the furniture . . .



. . . and he's just an all-around good kitty!

well worth watching

I ran across THIS VIDEO on a friend of a friend's blog, and it moved me to tears.

We all go through extremely painful things in life.
Times when we feel we can't possibly get out of bed in the mornings.
Times when we feel the life being sucked out of us.
Grief.
Fear.
Loneliness.
Intense pain.
Hopelessness.
Confusion.
Doubt.
Times when our hearts ache or our bodies hurt.

Unfortunately, it's part of life.

BUT, I am so incredibly thankful that God uses those things to strengthen us, to give us perspective, to help us find or reconnect with Him. I LOVE the way he redeems those painful times. Only He has the power to take something so bad and somehow make us better as a result of going through it. I don't know how he does it, but He's done it in my life.

A couple of years ago I went through a very dark time in life. I began to deal with some things from my past. Pain that I thought had passed began to surface again in my heart. And it crippled me. I was overcome with fear and times of hopelessness. I was angry with God and didn't know if I could really trust Him. If He let painful things happen back then, how could I trust that He wouldn't protect me now? If He really loved me, why would He let my heart ache like this? Is it stupid to trust Him when He never promises to keep us from pain? Maybe I just need to live life MY way and protect MYSELF. That way I won't be disappointed in Him when something bad happens.

It all sounds a little crazy now, but it was very, very real then. I found myself being controlled by fear, and it was a heavy way to live. I don't know how God healed my heart, but He has. I know He gave me great friends during that time who were okay with what I was feeling and what I was going through. Even though I didn't know what I thought about Him, I saw Him through the way they loved me and were patient. I remember sitting many times with my friend, Uschi, and she reminded me that God was okay with my struggle and that it often takes time for Him to heal our hearts. I will forever be indebted to her and her husband, Charles, for being there for us. I am also grateful to my counselor, Chris Pekary. I truly believe God used his listening ear and wise counsel [as hard as is was sometimes] to impact my life in a great way.

So, like I said, I don't know exactly how God did it. How He helped me come to terms with my struggles and begin to see them as He sees them. But He did . . . gradually, one step at a time. I remember thinking one day, with hot tears streaming down my cheeks, that I was thankful for the pain and struggle. That I could see how He changed my heart and how I wouldn't be where I was without that time. That He had given me a heart for others who don't have it all figured out. That I wanted to be "Uschi" for someone else. Not someone who would hand out random Bible verses and speak well-meaning but empty words . . . but someone who would just sit and listen and truly care. Someone I could call crying because I was scared. Someone who reminded me that these things take time so be patient. Someone who would pray for me when I didn't want to pray. Someone who would remind me to hope even though it seemed foolish to. I had said that I would never wish the emotions associated with that time on anyone, but I found myself being thankful for it. Strange, I know . . . but incredibly freeing.

So, I'm not wishing hard times on myself or anyone, but I do know now that God can use those experiences in our lives if we keep our hearts open to Him. A.W. Tozer once said, “It is doubtful whether God can use a man greatly, until first He wounds him deeply." At first glance, it doesn't sound too appealing, but I believe there is truth to that statement, and I believe it's worth it to be used greatly by Him. This video reminded me how thankful I am for God's presence in my life and how "worth it" it is to follow Him. I hope you will be blessed by it, too.