Enjoy

Here are the rest.

Thanks Jess!

So I am sure that by now, y'all have picked up on my new love of photography. And if you haven't, then you're way out of the loop. Well I took a photography class a few weeks ago with the lovely Shauna Maness. She is wonderful by the way. Check her out if you haven't already. Jess worked for her so I was super stoked to to take this class. I had seen a few of the shoots that Jess did and these two were stinking awesome with the picture taking skills. Needless to say, I totally loved my class. Everything about it. I loved learning about my camera. I loved being exposed to creativity.I loved being around other people that share my passion. I loved that I got some great shots. I loved being able to spend a whole weekend just taking pictures.

I have been putting this blog post off for a bit. I don't at all have a good reason as to why. And I am happy that I am finally doing it. The process for going these pictures, or any set of pictures, and deciding whether or not they are worthy of even going to the editing software is seriously all kinds of fun. I always have one picture in mind that I want to, but further than that and I really have to think about it. I have to find my creativity and inspiration. On my own, I have had little inspiration lately. Which is where Jess comes in. I think by me not having inspiration, I really wasn't looking for it. There was no motivation because I was so frustrated. Jess was always inspiration for me. I lovedddd her creativity, and still do. I did one of her photo give back sessions so I could have pictures of Petey (philip...long story) and Sarah and I together. While she was shooting us, we would talk about my class and she would say she wanted to see my pictures. So I came home and finally opened my the editing software and started in on my pictures. I found that I really loved some of them. But I still didn't have motivation to put them up. And then this morning, I awoke to find my facebook wall had been overtaken by Jess and she told me she was holding my pictures hostage until she got to see mine. So, dear Jess. Here are some of them. I am probably going to put up some more later. I am still going through some so I guess you could call this the sneak peak.

In the process of trying to find inspiration for this, I found it. And I must say, I love it. I missed it. I am currently doing a few of my favorite things- sitting in the backyard with Sarah, listening to yummy music, blogging about pictures- and my heart is at peace. I even got my camera out to take pictures of Sarah. So thanks Jess. :)

For those of you that aren't Jess or don't know who she is, she was my roommate. And she is getting ready to go on the World Race, which is an 11 month mission trip. She will be going to 11 different countries and sharing the love of Jesus with people. She has a website where you can check out what she has been up to or give back if you want to. Check her out, you won't be disappointed. chasethelightwithme.com

Um.

So my sweet Sarahbear has been sick the last few days. But it was an easy fix, her stomach just got a little unsettled. But she wasn't very hungry on Sunday, or Monday. So she didn't really eat that much. Well when I got home today, I saw that she was hungry.

And tried to eat her bed....




This is the wreckage.


Philip was maddddd.
And naturally, I couldn't help but laugh.
Ha, it was bad, but funny too. :)

bah.

Uh woah.

I totally haven't been blogging like I would like to lately. I just read one of my roommates blogs about how she has been saving some of her blog posts as drafts and not publishing them until later. Funny enough, I have too. A few weeks ago, I saved a blog that I never published because I didn't want some few choice people to find it and for a situation to only get worse. Complete lost cause however because the situation got worse. I should have known... But now, I am pretty much re-writing that same blog but with a few new situations at hand. Now, it's not that I don't care who reads it, it's just that it all really needs to be said. For my sake. Or else I will just continue to be upset and coming up on finals, I would rather not be upset.

I feel like I haven't been inspired lately. I haven't picked up my camera daily like I would like too. I haven't blogged pictures from my photog classes like I would like too. I haven't really even edited any of them like I would like too. And quite obviously, I haven't blogged like I would like too. Most people don't know this but I love to blog. There is a lot that goes on in this mind of mine and I love putting it down. I bought a journal the other day, for a few different reasons, but mainly so I could have another outlet to write. I think I fully feel like I am being completely and totally candid and honest with myself and God when I start writing. It certainly eases my heart. However, I haven't done this in a while because I have been pretty disappointed in a lot of people lately. I feel like my faith and character has been attacked by a few people that know me better. And I feel like it has been attacked by someone who isn't in a position to judge me. And get it wrong, by the way.

There are so many Christians in this world who have some great faith, in their eyes. But something that is huge in Christianity is that we are not the ones to judge others. That job is reserved for my wonderful God. I think a lot of people forget about this and jump on a high horse. This past semester I have been hurt by a few people doing this to me. In no way do I think that I am any better, we all falter, we all pass judgments that we shouldn't, but it isn't my place to tell someone else how to live their life. And quite frankly, I am tired of others telling me how to live my life.

I grew up very different from most kids that I know. My parents divorced when I was at a young age and my brother and father moved to a town over. My mom worked on the other side of town from where we lived and had about a 20 minute drive home each night. I grew up pretty quick. I did my own laundry, I ished cooked (we dont really cook), I cleaned my messes, I made sure homework was done, I took care of the things my mother needed me to take care of. I have been making my own decisions since my parents divorced. I'm not knocking my parents here, but kids of divorced families do that. We grow up. Since I was 7, I have been growing up. So if the world would please, let me continue to live my life. I like to think I have gotten to a good spot in my life and faith from the help of my family, close friends, and that's about it. The people I need to "protect" me are doing a good job of that. Whether they protect me in my faith, physically in life or are just the ones I love, I got it. I'm good.

Now hopefully, I won't spend tonight like last night. Awake with a sick dog, boiling over disappointment after disappointment, wondering how Christians can do the very things we are told not to do in the name of Christ, and only to call my mom and cry.

Easter Weekend

This past weekend was Easter and normally, I spend it with my family. All of it. But this year, I went with Philip's family on Good Friday to their farm in Giddings. It has been a very long time since I have been around the country, however, I have been around the country. I grew up in it, in fact! And no matter how hard I try, I love it. I love it quite a bit. I think that there are so many misconceptions about being in the country. If you haven't ever been there, most people can think it is just a small, po-dunk town where everyone talks slow, thinks slow, drives slow, and is just overall slow. As a lot of this is true, there is some intense beauty in that.

When I was in Giddings this past weekend, we were there fishing. I grew up on a lake and love to fish. I like to think I am pretty good at it too. Fishing is the coolest thing ever. It is so simple, yet so complicated. It can become a a huge game in a matter of seconds. People can start talking crap about who has the bigger fish, who has the most fish, who caught the first fish. It's all so much fun! Yet in the end, we are all just people who love to fish. I think that what brings people to fishing so much is the fact that you can get lost in it. Fishing takes patience. You have to sit there, quietly, still, for hours. While I sat there on Friday, I got lost in life. I was taken away from the hustle and bustle of school, and stress, and little things that disappoint me lately and put right smack in the middle of God's creation. I loved it. I loved being back in it. I missed it.

For me the country, fishing, it takes a peaceful heart. But even better, it brings a peaceful heart.