I think this sweet boy will love baseball just like his dad did. I had such a great time with him last week
He is learning so many new things and
I believe he will be walking pretty soon! He has two teeth at the bottom and is starting to find his voice.
Ridge is such a sweet loveable little boy and Pop and I will always treasure each day we spend with him!
We pray for him everyday and we hope that as he grows up; he knows just how much God loves him!
Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:3-5
Enjoy this video of Ridge learning piano with dad and having fun at Lolli & Pops house!
]]>
The Lord loves us strongly! His love is fierce!
When i think back of life as a child, i remember being so carefree and curious and I remember trusting people in my family that i felt safe with, These are the people that helped me to see what God looked like from a child's point of view. Life was full of wonder and excitement and JOY! ...
As a teenager i began to see the world around me differently , i was wanting to test the waters and try new
things... in a sense i wanted to act like a grow-up ...even though i had no idea what it meant ... and even though i did not have the adult responsiblilties just yet, I was in a sense fearless, because everything i did was reckless and irrresponsible....
In my twenties i got married and had my children and that is when I began to see the world in a whole new way.... through the eyes of my sons.. i was able to see the joy, wonder and excitement again.... but with all those good things also came immense responsibility.... and that part was frightening to me....
Around the time i made it to my 30's I saw the world differently again and I saw that my sons needed to see less fear in me and more faith!! So i began to seek out the Lord and ask him to help me to face my fears and find freedom from some stinkin' thinking.... and so The LORD did meet me and walked with me into the 40's...
Now i am reaching the 50's (47) and I can say that the last 7 years, have been the best; when it comes to my relationship with Christ. He has shown me that no matter what i walk through.. he is an everpresent help in time of need.. He has shown me in these 7 years...my gifts and talents.... and strengthened me to see him in a way... that sometimes take my breath away...
Those footprints in the sand are mine in the last few images.. and as i was photographing the sunrise .. i could feel the love of God all around me... It was actually tangible...
so pleasant, peaceful as I was filled with JOYFULNESS at the BEAUTY around me!!
Because his love is fierce....
i hope you enjoy this video & images; taken during Travis & I's anniversary trip to Orange Beach!
God bless you!
Press Play for it to begin~
]]>
The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Psalm 25:14–15
"Only HE will release my feet from the snare." The whole 25th Pslam is full of wisdom and knowledge to help anyone who is battling with their faith, addictions, relationships, fear, or consequence of past sins.
This picture was taken at a freedom retreat, where i began to release control of my life to.... God!
I choose to let “Jesus take the wheel”. Since this photo was taken about 9 years ago, I have attended many more bible studies, retreats, freedom groups, etc. Only because, my walk with the Lord is a continual process until i get to heaven. I will never get it right, until i am in heaven. I need to continually work out my freedom and continually deny my flesh of what it wants. What does my flesh want? It wants to take pain away by drinking, etc. It wants to control family and friends so that I do not get hurt by them. It wants to blame others for my mess. It wants to hide from my life and isolate. It wants to be fearful and run from my past. It wants to run from the consequences of my disobedience and bad choices. It wants other people to fix my mess so, they in turn become "God" to me. And the worse one of all; my flesh wants to believe the lies of satan that I am unloveable.
Freedom only comes when we realize that God's grace is available to us all the time, we only need to reach out to him for help. The Holy spirit is an ever present help in time of need. God does not sleep, he doesn't get frustrated with us or give up on us. He wants us to be healed, full of joy, and to know that he LOVES us unconditionally. There is nothing that we have to do for him to love us because, God is love.
The tough part about being a christian is believing that he loves me and that I need to TRUST in him.
When I battle with myself and my own thought life...... When I listen to the lies of others or the lies in my own mind about life.....
then that is when I get out of the umbrella of God's grace and love.
He does not move away from me, I move away from him.
I can move away from God in times of great stress or it can be in times of great success and peace. Whatever moment I decide that "I GOT THIS"
God moves out the way and leaves me to make my own decisions and choices. God will never force his way into my life or make me serve him. It is always a choice I make everyday and every moment that I am alive and breathing. As soon as I take my last breath then all the choices I have made and not made are completed, and then i will spend eternity in heaven.
So as a Christian do I have responsibllies on this earth that god demands of me? He does not demand!
He allows us to make our own choices and when we choose his ways and follow his lead..... at that very moment... we are given HIS grace and mercy and love and freedom and JOY and HEALING for our souls (mind, will and emotions) and for our bodies.
Everyone will one day die and leave this earth, but how I live on earth with the time God has given me; will determine how much peace I will have.
When I choose God above all else, things are so much better! I do not want to go through life without God. He is the reason I live and breathe and HIS grace and mercy are what carry me through life's most difficult moments.
Please read the 25th Psalm
]]>
This sweet baby boy is a blessing to our family. Everyday and night Pop
and I pray for him. Now we know what everyone meant when they said;
grandchildren give you a "Special Love". You love your children deeply
and will always love them, but this love is so special. This new life has made us
meditate of the LOVE OF GOD and how immeasurable it is.
If you can make time, please Google a song on You tube entitled:
" The Love of God" by Mercy Me.
I remember 17 years ago praying with a prayer warrior at Larry's.
This woman loved God and knew his word so well. Each time she came to Larry's;
I looked forward to visiting with her. She was a worship leader and would sing
about the Lord with such heart and soul.
She showed me what God's love looks like in action, and helped me to begin to have
a relationship with God.
This song that I spoke of came out at the same time as another great song
that I am sure everyone knows "I can only imagine"by Mercy Me.
This grandbaby has once again
reminded us of how "great the love of God is."
"Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from
him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in
one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."
Pslam 127: 3-5
Please enjoy this video of his newborn portraits taken in his bedroom.
]]>
My thoughts on the protest against police officers in our country. Whatever feels good is not what you do!
If it feels good and you walk in emotions.... You need to check it against God's word.. Even though your child is crying because he wants a candy.. Sometimes that word NO! Is what he needed.. Did it hurt you to spank him YES... Did it hurt him to get spanked YES!! But it was necessary!
When a person is resisting arrest regardless of the fact that they are quilty of a crime or not.. They must submit to the governing authority... Will there be corrupt officers, priests, pastor, politicians... Absolutely! There will also be evil until the day we enter heaven! When it comes to correction ... Sometimes we all need a good spanking..We need to remember the word of God that says....Vengance is mine, says the Lord and the more that people disrespect the governing authority's the worse it will get and the worse it gets,,, the more of our freedoms will be taken!! WAKE UP PEOPLE! The plan of the enemy is to DIVIDE US! WE MUST UNITE and PRAY for GOD's MERCY. We need to pray for our law enforcement officer regardless if we like them!! NOT everyone likes US!! No human is perfect only Jesus Christ!
What can I say? I am so thrilled for Garett and Faith as we await this baby boy that will totally wreck our world..... But in a good way.. Of course! These two have had quite the journey since they began their relationship two years ago in September. I have watched them grow and overcome so many challenges and adversity. As with all young couples starting out.. Life is not always easy. Especially when you begin a new relationship. Every relationship brings with it things that we have learned from our parents, friends, family, and of course our God.
As the older generation knows.. We always think when we are young.. That life is easy.. But we soon find out that we must face challenges and overcome adversity until we make it to heaven. This generation of young people today, have surely seen so much unrest in our world. No wonder they have trouble trusting that they are secure, in this crazy world we live in today. But if you look years back you can also be assured that generations before this one. .... Also had to stay the course... To WIN! This beautiful daughter in law (daughter in my eyes).. Has grown so much as person...as well as my son Garett and I know that they will be great parents to Ridge. This Lolli is so looking forward to rocking the baby and playing with him and all the fun stuff that goes with being a grandparent. POP is going to Love this boy as well. I hope everyone who follows my blogs knows.... That I will probably blow up the newsfeed with Ridge as he grows up.. But that's ok... Because that's what grandparents are suppose to do...love,love,love...and then send them HOME! LOL
]]>
Please press play on this video! Next, enlarge the video by clicking on the bottom right hand side to view at it's largest format! Thanks!
]]>
Christmas time reminds us of our Savior Jesus's birth!
I had moments when I struggled as a young mom, with the idea of Christmas being all about Santa Claus. I remember thinking of how much the gifts were the only things that the boys thought about. So yesterday as I was watching these young kids get excited about seeing Santa Claus..... I realized that Santa represented excitement and fun! These children hopefully know that Santa is very gracious fellow... but also I hope and pray that every child knows the true meaning of Christmas. I hope and pray that this Christmas season is one that Christ will make himself real to each and every person in our community. I love the spirit of giving that takes place at this time of year! We can give someone a hug, smile, or our time; whatever we are able to give is a gift. Showing God's love to others is a gift. And Jesus gave us the ultimate gift! His life!
1John 4:9
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
Enjoy the video~ the kids are precious and Santa was so fun!
As I think of days past.. I do know that we are blessed in our lives!
We are blessed to be able to enjoy the hug from one who is in tune to our daily toils and trials. We are blessed to be able to know and see the beauty in others.
We are blessed!
What happens when we see the blessings?
For me, my heart leaps....
And in those moments we know... we just KNOW~
What is it that we KNOW?
WE know that there is a God out there who LOVES us!
And as we see this blessing today
we decide to take it one day at a time~
Thank you Jesus for my BLESSINGS
]]>
Have a Blessed Day! :)
]]>
What a blessing this sweet lil girl is to our family; she is so special and in more ways than one. At three years old she is just beginning to find her voice and speak words into the world. She is super smart and can figure things out and articulate so well; but her speech and her voice is just arriving now. I can see that one day she will be so helpful as a young lady; because she is caring and loves to be with people. These are just some images from a fun play day we had together; where she kicked the ball and ran around laughing, as she learned to imitate lots of noises and sounds; but her absolute favorite was a dog barking. LOL
I thank God for this sweet blessing in our families lives and I see the joy that it has brought my sister who waited many years to meet her daughter.
Have a blessed Day!
]]>
I happy to offer these suggestions to you to help you plan and prepare for your senior session. I want you to look your best for your portraits and if you follow these tips and suggestions you will!
Arrival:
Please arrive to your session on time and wearing one of the outfits that you have chosen; preferably not your favorite outfit. (We want to save your favorite outfit for later on in the session; because sometimes it takes a little while for you to relax in front of the camera.) Please make sure hair and makeup are done.
Outfits:
The number of outfits you will be photographed in is 2 to 3 maximum. The only exception would be if you have chosen to take cap and gown portraits with me; this option would add one more outfit change to the mix. These outfits may be sent to me in a picture text or email if you would like my input or suggestions when it comes to choosing your studio backdrops. If you have already spoken to me and sent pictures of your outfits; you may have an idea of which outfit is your least favorite to start off the session. Some seniors prefer two casual dress shots, one sport or hobby related shot along with a cap and gown formal portrait. Others prefer a formal (prom dress) pose, casual dress, and hobby related pose with no cap and gown graduation portraits taken. Everyone's preference is different and unique. I do however encourage you to bring more than the specified number of outfit's choices to your session; just in case we see something that would look best with the backdrop and/or outdoor settings as we move along into the session.
Clothing tips:
SOLID colors photograph best! Avoid stripes, big prints and plaids! I want to keep the focus on you not the outfit. Bring a variety of colors and styles that suit your personality. Dark colors, especially black are the most slimming. I always request that no matter what you choose please bring something black. If your goal is to look slimmer; keep in mind that spaghetti straps and sleeve tops make you look heavier and so I would discourage it if possible. I would also like to discourage strap less tops; because a strapless top in a close up shot can give the illusion that you are not wearing anything and this is not a good look for any senior portrait. If you check my Face book business page you will see an album labeled studio backdrops and this will give you an idea of the colors that will look best for your studio session.
Plan your cloths together complete with shoes, jewelry, accessories etc. and group them together on hangers. Some seniors arrive at their session with cloths stuffed in a bag and wonder why there cloths are wrinkled; I can't fix big wrinkles in editing so it's best to make sure everything is pressed neat and hung on a hanger when you arrive.
Also very important please plan and pay attention to your undergarments. Example: don't wear flowered undergarments with white pants, black bra under a white shirt, or have a strapless dress without a strapless bra; etc. If you are wearing a short skirt or super short dress; please wear some sofee shorts underneath so there are not posing limitations.
Your top, shirts or blouses are more important than your bottoms. You don't have to bring many different pants, skirts or shorts for each outfit; keep in mind that you may be changing in the car when on location and the quicker you change cloths the more time you have in front of the camera. It is always a great addition to bring a jacket or two or something you can layer on top of your outfits. This would not count as one of your outfits but will allow you more variety in the images. Hat, scarves and sunglasses are great too and add a variety of other colors and styles to the same outfit.
Make up:
Makeup should be slightly heavier than normal. I want you to look like "YOU" so don't overdo it. Other makes up tips to remember; clumpy mascara application cannot be fixed in editing software so correct application of mascara is important. Another tip that you may not know: if you apply make up with glitter, shimmer or sparkle this can reflect light and make small white specks on your face that may resemble zits; and we really don't want that to happen! Also, please bring makeup with you to fresh up as needed and lip gloss always looks best when photographing; especially if you don't wear lip color. (Nail polish) We will be photographing hands and sometimes feet and this cannot be edited so please make sure your nails are freshly painted and looking nice for picture day.
Friends and Parents:
Friends and parents are welcomed and encouraged to come along. They can be a "big" help and help you feel more at ease when being photographed. However, sometimes the opposite may be true. If they distract you or negatively affect your confidence in front of the camera; it's best for them to wait for you during the session and not engage during shooting time.
Pets:
Pets are welcome in studio as long as they are house broken. You may want to bring their pet taxi or someone to watch over or leave with them after shooting images with them. Please bring their treats as they are helpful in keeping the pet's attention.
Weather for outdoor sessions:
We are at God's mercy for outdoor sessions; so if it rains we will have to reschedule your session. Don't worry about overcast skies as they are sometimes the best lighting situations to shoot in. If your session is in the morning; I will call you to reschedule; otherwise we shoot. If your scheduled during the day and the weather is questionable we will call to reschedule or you can always call to check in.
General information:
I want your photo shoot to be an experience you will always remember!
So follow these helpful tips, plan your session, get a good night's rest, and get ready to have some FUN! J
Please call if you have any other questions.
]]>
Being able to photograph God's beauty is such an awesome privilege and one that I do not take lightly. I love the way that God has granted me the ability to capture something and share that beauty with others.
]]>