Yesterday I had the privilege of taking my dear friend, Autumn's engagement pictures. It was so fun to be a part of their love story in that way. I LOVE photographing people, and photographing my close friends as they celebrate their engagement was the best!
I would love to post millions more, but I am waiting for Autumn to post first, on facebook, or at least show family and friends. I love pictures and I love this couple.
Congrats Autumn and Joe! {I can't wait to take pictures of your 12 kids soon:) }
I am trying to improved my photography skills. I really want to learn to take great pictures. It is such a passion of mine. I am learning a lot, mostly by failing, but slowly I am learning. I am so glad that I have the cutest little model to practice on.
I travel to the site at least once a day pretending that I am going through my shopping list. I actually have a filled cart there, I just haven't purchased anything.
Alice is a great website. It is a shopping site with incredible deals and free shipping....all the time.
I am a sucker for a good deal.
And we are trying hard to pinch pennies wherever we can.
So why can't I bring myself to purchase my groceries from here?
Because, when Jon and I moved to our town, we promised to keep our money in the town. We said that we would do our shopping here, eat out here, worship here, send our kids to school here, basically to believe in the town, to pour into it, and to put our money where our mouth is. And we have done that, most of the time.
But Alice is calling my name. So much so that Jon and I had a conversation about it, because I couldn't get it off my mind. He said that we should do it, and with the money we save, we can give to one of the non-profits in town.
We want to care about our town, by words and deeds. We want to invest in our town. But what to do when shopping online is just SOOOO much cheaper?
The above pictures were pictures we took on our first walk with Caleb. It was a beautiful day, the snow was melting like crazy and we were dying of boredom in the house!! Off we went, and now it is one of our favorite things to do with our boy.
An update on legal issues: -The birth mother requested to postpone the hearing that was scheduled for this morning because her mother was rushed to the hospital with cardiac issues. There will be a hearing on April 26 at 9:30a. Please pray. Jon and I were feeling discouraged today and then we were both convicted that we were not praying about the situation. We were taking it for granted that things would turn out the way we want them too. Time to go before the King of Kings on our knees.
Sometimes, you a need a good friend. A friend who listens. A friend who speaks the truth.
Sometimes you need a friend who is in the same boat as you.
Sometimes you need a friend to laugh with. Sometimes you need a friend to cry with.
Sometimes you a need a friend to that you can give you advice,
And sometimes you just need to talk, and you know that friend can do it.
But most the time you realize that life is not the same without your other 1/3:) Dear Krista, I wish we lived closer together. I value our friendship and can be so real with you!
Not a human friend, but a friend that has stuck close by my side and is a very important part of my life. This friend is the undergrad InterVarsity chapter at Central Michigan University, my alma mater. For reasons too many to explain on a simple blog the chapter was shut down today.
Don't give up hope dear ones, we serve a God who is the Resurrection and the Life. A God who gives and takes a way. A God who brings new life.
And for that reason I will hope.
And remember all of my memories of my old friend.
I remember hiking out to Narnia for the first time as a student with my friends. Cedar Campus IS...a beautiful place, though it is still nature-ific.
I remember the times at Chapter FOCUS week, spending time in prayer and scripture and being trained to do ministry on campus!
Thank you old friend, for introducing me to one of my closest friends
My old friend taught me how to do inductive Bible Study and how to train others in it....and make them addicted! My old friend taught me never to leave home without a pack of colored pencils, because you never know when it is time to manuscript a passage.
My old friend gave me a love of going to a dorm room and asking them if I could take out their trash, do their dishes, even...yes clean their bathrooms, even a boys bathroom. A boys dorm bathroom. Yes, it is because of this old friend that I ever would be willing to serve this way, to be bold in this way, to invite others to do it with me and to ENJOY it.
This old friend showed me how to spend HOURS of my time meeting new students, following up with contacts, baking cookies for new students, delivering said cookies for new students, spending time in prayer for new students and completely overextending on my introverted tendencies. Why? Because New Student Outreach is just that important.
I learned to be bold through this new friend. I learned that people will not study scripture with you or have spiritual conversations with you if they are not invited.
I learned to pray for my campus. I learned to pray for my professors. I learned to pray for my friends. I learned to pray for my classmates. I learned to pray...and pray often. And to expect God to answer.
Some of the most memorable times with my old friend was spending days together in prayer. We would have prayer rooms and have people praying around the clock for days. God met us in intimate ways. God broke us and made us more like Him. Oh, how I loved those prayer gatherings.
My old friend taught me about justice and how a Christian should be involved in pursuing justice.
If it wasn't for my old friend, I would have never learned to worship in other languages. I learned about ethnic reconciliation and ethnic identity. I began to care about God's purposes in the world.
My old friend taught me how to deal with conflict well.
There is so much that I could say about my time as a student at CMU while involved with InterVarsity. And it will be said....just in my journal. And to the Lord. But not on here, it is too close to home.
Today I mourned the loss of a good friend.
But man am I glad that there is hope for resurrection.
Yesterday I had the privilege of taking my dear friend, Autumn's engagement pictures. It was so fun to be a part of their love story in that way. I LOVE photographing people, and photographing my close friends as they celebrate their engagement was the best!
