choices, goals, and no regrets...

I've been wasting a lot of time lately....doing what?... worrying, stressing, trying to predict life in a few years, etc....in the words of Jesus, sinning.

You see, I have this huge desire inside of me to help/serve lots of people daily and not to work at a desk 8 hours of day...this is broad I know, which makes it even tougher...

I have many things I enjoy doing... I'm not motivated by money at all, so if I love what I do and it pays min. wage, no problem.

What I would like to do (depending on what day you ask me)...

-photography
-personal trainer
-PTA (physical therapy assistant)
-stay at home mom and be crafty (if and when kids come)

What God would like for me to do...
-?

I'm praying through this right now... some days I think I hear him and feel a peace about my decision at that time. Other times I analyze situations that haven't even happened or may never happen and give in to fear. I'm a mess. I need Jesus to remind me of his presence minute by minute and thought by thought so I don't waste my time or opportunities he's placed in front of me at the present time. I'm bad about making rash decisions and then quitting what I start..I really don't like that about myself. I could use lots of prayer... for discernment... for patience to wait on God's will...for faith that he will always provide....for a clear path...for my faith to let God be the BIG God that he is.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.-Jer. 29:11

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough troubles of it's own.- Mat. 6:34

to be patient
We live with constant change,
with daily demands for quick decisions
and automatic responses.
Slow down.
Give yourself time to consider,
to sort through complicated issues,
to wait for responses.
Patience calms our lives.
It offers options.

An excerpt from It's Never Too Late... 172 simple acts to change your life by Patrick Lindsay.

Taken on our trip to Caesar's Head...looks like a pondering type of picture;)

affordable gifts • Greenville, sc photographer

Around this house things are tight. We usually have a rough idea of how we spend our money, but lately we've had to know exactly how we spend our money. Don't you hate it when you have your budget planned out to knowing exactly where every dollar should go and then something unexpected comes up...like a friend's wedding. I'm all about getting/making meaningful gifts for people so when my husband's friend was getting married I starting thinking of an affordable but meaningful gift we could give them.

This is what I came up with...

I knew a common affordable gift would be to frame the actual wedding invitation...but I wanted to add something else to it...so I thought shadow box! But what could I put in it other than the invitation? the program from the ceremony....maybe some details from the reception (I wouldn't take anything that would be considered stealing). The reception was so nice...but there wasn't a lot of options for things that could go in the shadow box...the wedding favors were candy..there were not paper napkins with their names on it. I knew I wanted to get some flowers if I could. Luckily there were rose petals spread out on a table. My intentions were to grab a few of those, dry them out and put them in the shadow box. Well, I forgot to grab some before we left, but luckily my husband's friend was in the wedding so I snagged his boutonniere and it worked perfectly..

I dried the rose petals in a book...just laid them flat in different pages..they probably should have stayed in there longer.



Finding the right shadow box was tough...I went to Hobby Lobby and the size I needed was arond $30...not a very affordable gift, especially not knowing what the shipping cost would to be send this. I kept looking and of course found something at Target-they never let me down. I found a 10x10 shadow box for 16.99. Not bad. I had to rig the back of it up with some fabric I found around the house..



Finished gift...



The cool thing about this is they can add things to it if they want...a picture, wedding announcement, etc.

Shipping was only $6

love this girl • greenville, sc children's photographer

I've been able to watch this sweet little girl grow up. It's so crazy and sad how fast babies grow! It already makes me want to spend as much time as possible with my own when/if that time comes.

I'm naturally drawn to images with a warm vintage feel. I try to slightly overexpose most images I take because I love the bright feeling it creates.
I spent the afternoon with Reece and captured her playing...

getting ready.




playing house.



those eyes.

Christmas, a little late • Greenville, sc lifestyle photographer

I've been meaning to post these pictures from Christmas for about a month now. We had a really great Christmas. It came and went too quickly.

we were in Charleston visiting Jack's family for a few days. While there, Jack, his sister, his brother in law, and I went downtown to see the lights. Really it was just a big pole with strands of lights coming down, but it was festive. We took some pictures while out there...









my love writing for the slow shutter...



Benson fell asleep under the tree one night... He was wearing his red bow that made him look like the sweetest present.







Jack took this picture at my family's Christmas...I was very impressed with his focusing skills...



Benson asleep again...



and again...



We got a dusting of snow...what a tease...



He's sad it didn't snow more...

New website up! • Greenville, sc photographer

I've finally updated and changed my website with my new logo. It was fun going through the pictures I had taken last year and seeing all the cute faces. I still have a few more images to get on there and plan to do that very soon! I've also updated/changed my prices for 2010. I think they'll be a lot easier for me and easier for clients to customize their package.

2010 prices

Basic Session $125*
Includes 1 hour of shooting, image enhancement, an online gallery to view and purchase prints, and a $20 print credit.

Mini Session $75*
Includes 30 minutes of shooting, image enhancement, and an online gallery to view and purchase prints.

First Birthday Session $275*
Includes up to 2 hours of shooting, image enhancement, gallery for you and your guests to view and order prints, complimentary Blurb photo album, and DVD with 15 images of your choice.

*Prices do not include travel fees.

Common Print Prices
4x6 $4
5x7 $7
8x10 $10
11x14 $19
16x20 $60
Wallets (8) $8
Digital images on DVD-$10 per image
Additional shooting hours-$40/hr
Photo book pricing available on request

*Travel fees apply to areas 30 miles outside Easley/Greenville area.


Now for my 2010 goals...


~be a better friend~
Jesus has been showing me the importance of having close community, and how I have a lot of surface friendships. I know when getting married and starting families, friends seem to be put on the back burner. I want to change this. For me, this includes...returning phone calls sooner, calling just to say hey, taking time out of my routine to hang out, meeting their needs, etc.

~wait on the Lord~
I want to wait on Jesus to show me His will for my life. It's so hard being patient when this world screams that you should have and do everything NOW. Jesus is preparing me for my next step and I am trying to be obedient and wait hopefully and joyfully.

~eat better~
This goal is a given for the new year. I turned 25 in November and am still taking my fast metabolism for granted. It will catch up to me any day now...

~serve, inspire~
I love hearing inspirational stories. I have this burning desire inside of me to help change peoples lives' by serving them in some way. There's so many organizations out there so I'm praying about where God wants me to get involved in the community.

~Just walk across the room~
I want to put this book to practice.

handmade Christmas

So I forgot to post some pictures of my attempts at handmade Christmas gifts this year.

I didn't get to do as many as last year because I bit off more than I could chew and was short on time. Here's what I did do...

First the inspiration...


the outcome....



Inspiration (this combined with many others)...



the outcome...



the inspiration...



the outcome...




as you can see what I made isn't nearly as pretty as what inspired me, but it saved money and it has more thought behind it;)

new year, new brand • Greenville, sc photographer

Since deciding to completely stop doing weddings, I felt my image may need some adjusting. I wanted it to be able to represent everything from babies to families. Wanted it to be warm and inviting. I'm liking it so far, and am in the process of redoing my website with a new template and new brand, and finally, recent pictures.