More Macie

I forgot I was leaving town this week and will have to start packing tomorrow night. So, tonight, I buckled down and got to editing. Here are some of my favorites of Macie. Oh yeah- I'm also in the process of finding some watermarking I like. I'll probably be experimenting for a while before I find one that hits me.

Thanks again, Faith and Jason, for letting me photograph your beautiful girl!

Sweet Macie

Here's a little teaser from my weekend photoshoot with Jason, Faith, and Macie. I'm really excited about this one! I should have more pictures in the next few days.

28 on the 28th

Today is June 30th, two days past Zach's birthday and I'm just now getting around to writing this post. In case you guys haven't already checked out Zach's blog, this is what I gave Zach for his birthday.

Ok, technically I didn't give it to him- the guy at the tattoo parlor in Bartlett did, but still- this was my gift to him. Something he's been wanting to do for several years now. I was proud he actually went through with it. And not to mention- it's pretty sexy too!

Saturday night, Zach and I went to Edo's Japanese Restaurant (a place we found on an amazing little website, wherethelocalseat.com, recommended a while back from my friend Ashli). After dinner we grabbed ice cream and then went to the $2.50 movies to see "Meet the Browns." I LOVE the $2.50 movies. Over all, a good night.

This blog bost wouldn't be complete without a little cheesiness for my hubby's birthday- Honey, every day I wake up, I thank God for another day with you. You and I are so different, and I love that. I love how you continue to teach me, believe in me and guide me. I love how you love God and your family. I love how you exemplify what it means to live a life filled with grace and forgiveness. I love how I feel safe and free at the same time with you. I love how you allow me to be me. I love being best friends with you. I love everything about you (even the things that drive me crazy). Thank you for everything you do for our family.

Happy 28th!

Before and After

I have a confession to make. It's pretty obvious that I have a passion for photography. But while I enjoy taking pictures, my true passion is for the editing process. I'm not sure why, but I get so excited when I see a gorgeous photograph come alive in a different way. Yesterday, my friend Becca, who has traveled to some pretty amazing places, emailed me several pictures from her journey, asking if I could edit them so she could frame them in her home. Instantly, I was stoked about the challenge. But I became even more excited when I saw the amazing photographs she had taken. Here are the before and afters of my three personal favorites. I've never been to California myself, but these turned out so great, I might just have to frame them in my home!!

Wow. I don't think I've ever been blog tagged before. Thanks, Emily, this is actually kind of fun!

I’ve been tagged to do one of these question/answer things.

1. WHAT DID YOU DO 10 YEARS AGO?
10 years ago, it was 1998 and I was a sophomore in high school. In fact, I had just taken my first photography class and created a dark room in my parent's attic with my best friend, Joanna. I was playing basketball for Ridgeway High School and just being silly. I quite possibly was the most immature 15 year old alive.

2. FIVE ITEMS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST TODAY:
My to-do list today... 1. meet Mike out at a space to look at some work orders a customer is interested in. 2. make it back to the office in time to make it to a 10:30 meeting. 3. meet a man at noon to look a place he wants painted and fixed up. 4. enter invoices into our system. 5. send Zach a grocery list for the dinner I'm planning on making for our small group later tonight. 6. Buy new white wicker chair for my parents after my dogs chewed a hole in their existing one (sorry, Mom and Dad, we plan on having it fully replaced before you return)

3. SNACKS I ENJOY:
My new favorite: Edimame. Other than that, Chips and Dip, Ice Cream and any kind of sour candy!

4. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A BILLIONAIRE?
Honestly, I hope I never become a billionaire because I don't know if I'd trust myself with that kind of money. Ideally, I would buy a nice simple home, pay off all my old debt and put a couple of million dollars in an account where we could continue to live off the interest. After that, I would use all the other money to travel around the world and figure out what is REALLY happening (sweat shops, AIDS, poverty, etc) and try to expose as much of that as possible.

I tag…….. Joanna and Jennifer!

If you have been tagged recently and you don’t wish to join in on the fun, please don’t feel obligated! Here Are the Rules: Answer the following questions about yourself. At the end of the post you pass on the questions to some other bloggers and list their names. Then write them a comment telling them that they’ve been tagged and ask them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know that you’ve accepted the challenge and refer to your post.

How Did the Chicken Get on Zach's Car??

It's not a joke... and unfortunately we don't know the answer. Tori, Lee, Zach, and I are spending a lot of time this week at Mom and Dad's house while they're out of the country visiting Dan and Tami. Last night, when they were leaving the house to eat dinner, they found this chicken hanging out on the hood of Zach's car. I met up with them when I got back in town. When we got back to the house, the chicken was still there. We have NO clue how it got there or what to do with it. So, we did what any normal people would do.. we took the chicken inside and played with it. The chicken is so awesome, it comes when you call it! Tori has now sworn never to eat chicken again. :) Seriously- if you know anyone who needs a chicken (for pet-purposes) let us know.

Mountain Home Road Trip

Saturday, I spent the day with two A-M-A-Z-I-N-G women who also happen to be incredible photographers. For the past few months, Jaren, Anne-Camille and myself have spent quite a bit of time emailing and exchanging photography tips. They are both significantly more advanced than me in photography and have been sweet enough to answer all my questions. After months of planning, I was finally able to meet up with them in Mountain Home, AR. Anne-Camille and I got to have lunch, hang out with her family and get to know each other better. We have so much in common, every time we talk it is hard to end the conversation. After spending an afternoon hanging out, Jaren met us over at Anne-Camille's house to do a little "girl-talking" and photography discussion. I seriously feel like I got a year's worth of photography classes in one day! It was so nice to have a girl's day and spend some time alone on the road. A refreshing day!

Love & Respect

I'm having one of those times in my life where my brain is working on overload... but I love it. Right now, our small group is in the process of going through the Love and Respect Series by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. The basic idea is that men need respect in the same way that women need love. I've spent quite a bit of time sorting through his theory, trying to figure out if this applies to Zach and me. I've come to the conclusion that there is some truth to it, as there is truth to most theories. However, I still believe it is hard to put a global theory on all relationships. With that being said, I LOVE what God is allowing to happen in our small group through this session. The openness and honesty that is happening out of a desire for each of us to reflect God's love is powerful. I'm so blessed to be able to share life with this amazing group of people.

In addition to that, I'm in the midst of studying the book, "Jesus For President" (I think I mentioned this earlier) with a group of extremely intelligent and thought-provoking people. Within the past week, the group has addressed and debated some serious and exhausting issues (which I will blog more about later if I can sort through them myself). What a blessing to be surrounded by people who desire to wrestle with uncomfortable things in an attempt to truly live out God's will. I'm excited to see what happens next.

I was talking to my friend, Katie, today... telling her that I feel exhausted all the time because I have all these thoughts and ideas running through my head that I can't seem to get a good grasp on. I feel like God is really working on me, but I just can't put the pieces together. But, the hard part about that is that I'm not sure I'm ever supposed to get it. I feel like God is teaching me through the 'wrestling.' That's so frustrating. So, yes- I'm so tired, but it's the most incredible feeling of exhaustion I've had in a long time and I really hope it doesn't end soon.

Back to my small group: For the next two months, my friend, J.R., has the privilege of house-sitting an incredibly spacious and beautiful home in Germantown. Last night, he invited us over for our weekly small group gathering. We were sitting there talking when someone noticed a little bunny hopping around outside. I'm not sure why- but I think rabbits are some of the sweetest creatures alive. I went outside to try to get some picts, but the little guy wasn't being too cooperative. On a side note- the family that lives in the home also had some beautiful flowers out front, so I grabbed some pictures of those as well.

I know the quality of this picture isn't great... but it is the content that ultimately counts, right?

What a great weekend!! Zach and I spent the weekend at my parent's house. They were kind enough to help me throw a surprise party for Zach on Saturday. We ended up staying there that night, so we could wake up with Dad on Father's Day. We went to church with my Mom and Dad, and then had a wonderful lunch. Before Mom served lunch she gave a "toast" to my dad and Zach; the two dads in the room. She summed it up best. I'm lucky to have a dad who is such a wonderful, Christian example of what Godly love is. I also am blessed to have a husband who works so hard for his little girl. I'm looking forward to the day when I can see his Fatherly love lived out in our home. I love you both so much!!! Here are some pictures Tori and I took with Dad this afternoon.

I think it is safe to say that Zach was SURPRISED! Zach's birthday isn't for a couple more weeks, but Mom and Dad are leaving the country this week and won't be back for a while and I wanted them to be a part of this (especially since I was using their house). :) We were so fortunate that many of our friends and family were able to come. A lot of our friends brought their kids, so they had a ton of fun in the pool. Sydney and her mom were busy this weekend, so Zach is going up tomorrow to spend a belated Father's Day with Syd. Besides Sydney's absence- the party was almost perfect!

One of the highlights for me of this weekend was visiting with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews. Fred, Jennifer, and the boys live in Paris, TN. We get to see them often, but not as much as I'd like. Jennifer and I are so different, but I think that is what I love most about our relationship. She is tidy, organized, disciplined... pretty much everything I'm not. :) I love spending time with her- she's been around our family so long, I feel like she's actually my sister! She always seems to teach me new things, not to mention she's just a joy to be around. Anyway- it was great spending time with her, Fred, and the boys. Here are a few pictures of their precious family.

Ok, so I showed Jennifer the following pictures before she discovered them on my blog. I think her comment was "You know you're a photographer when you catch a child sharing their sucker with a dog and instead of stopping it, you grab your camera."---- Guilty as charged. Sorry. ;(

These are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend- Uncle Zach having a pillow fight with Clayton. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Clayton and Zach's relationship. They're SOO cute together. I asked Clayton this weekend why he liked Uncle Zach so much. He said "I don't want to tell you."-- I guess it's a man thing.

Happy Father's Day!

Today, I'm celebrating two of the most amazing men I know. I'm spending the weekend with my dad and my husband. Yesterday, we also celebrated Zach's birthday with a surprise party. I have lots of pictures, but unfortunately my battery died and my battery charger is MIA, so I'm going to hold off on all the details of this weekend until I can get another one shipped to me.

Until then, I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Here is a picture of all my favorite fathers I know!!

The Pets

Zach and I have been away from the house for the past couple of days, so the first thing I wanted to do when I got home last night was take the dogs to the park near our house. While we were there, another golden joined the fun. I couldn't believe how big Bear and Bryant were in comparison to the full-grown dog!




Here's a picture I snapped this morning of Precious laying in front of her favorite window. She cracks me up- so laid-back and peaceful, always giving the dogs dirty looks for messing up her "life-style."



I've been meaning to post this picture for awhile now. This is a picture of my mom and dad's cat, Mercy. Mercy isn't nearly as sweet as Precious (I can only say that since he chewed a hole in Precious's ear), but I have to admit, he is GORGEOUS and holds a special place in my heart. He is the son of my former cat, Kitty, that I LOVED growing up. Kitty died while giving birth to Mercy's litter. Mercy is the only one who survived the birth. We had to nurse him back to health and feed him through a bottle. He's not the most loveable cat in the world, but he's got an amazing story and some of the prettiest eyes I've ever seen!
On a side note- this crazy critter surprised me in my office yesterday. I was completely grossed out, but at the same time, fascinated by his bright colors. So, of course, I grabbed the camera to get a picture. By the time I got the shot, he was gone... so I'm pretty sure he's still with me somewhere.

I'm excited about this weekend. A lot of time with family and friends!! Happy Friday, everybody!

Blessings

This week started off a little rough for me emotionally. I received a stressful and disheartening email this weekend, and had a hard time shaking it off. Then, first thing Monday morning, I had a frustrating encounter at work. Overall, my spirits were down. Luckily, I came across my friend, Laurie's blog, who reminded me to keep my focus on God and the blessings he provides daily.

Here are a few small things I have to smile about today.

1. I have a husband that loves to hold me no matter what kind of day either of us has had. I always look forward to the last 10 minutes before I fall asleep, because I know I'll be in Zach's arms.
2. I purchased our first batch of cherries of the summer. So yum!!
3. I have the pleasure of being able to participate in a book study that allows a group of strangers to come together to figure out how politics and Christianity relate to one another, while studying the book "Jesus for President."

4. I found a place in Olive Branch, MS yesterday that sells 10 cent onion rings! A whole order of onion rings for only 10 cents!! For those of you who don't realize how frugal I really am- that is very exciting.

5. On a similar note- I bought a REALLY awesome thrift store t-shirt yesterday for only $1.25. Another exciting find.

6. I had my first Amos Lee encounter yesterday, on the recommendation of my new friends, Matthew and Lisa. The cd was so good, I almost cried.

7. My golden retriever, Bryant, crawled into my lap last night and put his head across my chest. I think he knew I needed a little love (in case you guys can't tell- I'm quite the cuddler).

8. I received an encouraging email from a new friend last night. It's nice to know that prayer doesn't have any location restraints.

9. I get to hang out with two very handsome nephews this weekend.

I'm sure there is much more, but I just felt like I needed to take a few minutes to reflect on the little blessings God provides each day. It's encouraging to know that he sends encouragement our way, no matter how heavy the world can feel. I just need to remind myself to stop and take the time to be blessed.