Libby Ryder Golf Outing

I just wanted to give you all the opportunity to support the Ryders in the golf outing coming up. Ryan Fosset has put together a golf outing where the proceeds go straight to the Ryders.

This will help them with all of the medical bills that are coming their way. If you don't play golf, but want to come check out the auction, I will be auctioning off a photo session that day. Whoever bids highest gets me for a couple hours to do either senior portraits, family portraits, or portraits of your kids! 

It will be in Lexington KY on Oct 16th. If you want more information, email Ryan Fosset at ryan.fossett@gmail.com. If you know anyone that loves playing golf, please pass this on! And don't forget to keep praying for them, if you don't know what this is about, visit Libby's blog here. It'll be a blessing to see their faith!

a better love [part 2]

The Lord is the ultimate pursuer of my heart. I have been so blessed by His presence lately.

I talked of how this better love is something we are holding out for hurting people to grasp, but to ignore that this better love has everything to do with Christ being our Love, the Love of our lives, is to miss out on the greatest truth. 

I don't really know how to put words to any of this. 

I just know that what the world tells us about love and fulfillment is crap. He is offering such a better love. I had a great conversation today with a friend of mine who is constantly overflowing with the Spirit, and it just reminded me of how good his love is, and how perfect. 

Without it, I am positive I would be a train wreck, running after things that promise to fill. 

Listen again to that song from yesterdays post, and let the truth wash over you. Lets not settle for anything less than His perfect love. He is the fulfillment our hearts are made for. 

a better love I see

I listened to this song by Drew & Ellie Holcomb in the car yesterday with my friend Megan. We were talking about how badly kids lives are messed up and how we have the chance [as leaders, and in each of our occupations] to show them a better love than what the world knows. She talked about how they played this song at a recent work week at a YL camp [they play as musical guests at camps throughout the summer]. They had the leaders sing back the chorus to them. We get to hold out the word of life to these kids and love them with a love that is radically different from what the world offers. This is a huge privilege, and I look over it all the time. My life can look so selfish. I hope, by His grace, that my life is still a reflection of that better love, even when I am not pouring myself out on behalf of students. 

 Here are the lyrics [ & watch here]:

so stop me if you've heard this one before. i'm walking out the door, i'm done.

cause this counterfeit love that we've been served is like a band-aid for cancer, it won't stop.
how long can we survive on chocolates and movie lines?

a better love, a better love i see. 

a better love, a better love i see.

a better love, a better love i see.

stop telling me that everything is fine. i see straight through the lies that we're told.

cause the love we've seen is tired and abused; it's made us all confused dust for gold.
how long can we get by with breakups and sad headlines?

a better love, a better love i see  

a better love, a better love i see 

a better love, a better love i see  (x2)

and in the middle of the night, i try and try to fight the taste of the world gone bitter. but somewhere out in the streets, there's a melody that speaks hope for something bigger.
so don't you try and talk me down this time. there's something more to find out there. 

a better love, a better love i see 

a better love, a better love i see 

a better love, a better love i see 

my first real gig

My sweet friends Jen & Julie work for a company called Hands On Originals. They are in the process of re-doing their website, and hired me to take some pics for it! Exciting! So after a 13 hour day, 4,000 photos to edit, the final cut was 2,184 photos. 200-something of those made it here to my picasa album. When the site is all spruced up, I'll post a link on here. 

Can I say, before I post my favorites, that a 12 hour day of photo taking was SO much more fun than a 12 hour day of being a nurse. I still do love being a nurse, and I would probably end up hating taking pictures if I did that all the time, so no life changes happening here, but it was fun. :)

Our models were our beautiful friends [2 of which are my roommates]. Here are my favorites:

And my favorites of each girl:

[mallory]

[randi]

[holly]

[alyssa]

pretty girls!

perfect day

i had the most perfect day today. 

perfect. 

let me tell you about it :)

[to set up the perfect-ness of today, i need to tell you that i worked on thursday, did a 12 hour photo shoot for HOO friday, was supposed to work today, i work tomorrow and monday. that = five 12-hour days in a row. i can hardly handle 3.]

5:10- rolled out of bed praying to be called off

5:20- call from work asking if i wanted to stay home until 3 [YES!]

5:20-9:00- sleep

9:00- 10:30- sat outside in the 75 and sunny weather at panera with the Lord. His presence was so deeply felt

10:30-12- cleaned my room, cleaned the turtle, paid bills, went to kroger [none of these things sound fun, but putting them all off until tuesday would have been stressful]

12-1- edited some pictures from friday

1-2:15- read some john eldredge outside in the 75 and sunny weather (did i mention it was 75 and sunny today?)

2:15-2:30 drove to work only to be called at 2:30 telling me I didn't have to come in. TREAT.

3:15- went to Jen & Ben's to "watch the UK game" aka edited a few more pictures while they watched the game

5:30- church! yes, i got to go to church :) the saddest part of working weekends is missing church. it was awesome, i teared up a lot, probably because the Lord was revealing himself to me so much today

6:30- dinner [outside] with jaime, who accompanied me to church. great conversation about life 

now- showered and ready for bed early. love it.

The real reason for this perfect day is the Lord. He knows exactly what I need. He provided rest and made his presence palpable on a day where all I had to do was soak in His presence. He filled me with a longing for more of Him. I am filled to overflowing today. What more can I ask? I want to leave you with the little excerpt from my devotional today. It [also] was perfect. 

In closeness to Me, you are safe. In the intimacy of My Presence, you are energized. No matter where you are in the world, you know you belong when you sense My nearness. Ever since the Fall, man has experienced a gaping emptiness that only My presence can fill. I designed you for close communication with your Creator. How I enjoyed walking in the garden with Adam and Eve, before the evil one deceived them!

When you commune with Me in the garden of your heart, both you and I are blessed. This is My way of living in the world-- through you. Together we will push back the darkness, for I am the light of the world.

a puppy photoshoot

last wednesday night my sweet friend katie asked if we could do a little photo shoot with her, kyle, and their new puppy. katie wanted a puppy forever and kyle surprised her with a tiny golden retriever on her birthday. she cried. it was precious. see her post about it here. 

our photo shoot was a success, even with a crazy little puppy. here are some pictures :) see the rest here. 

[before we get into the pictures, yesterday Hands On Originals hired me to do a shoot for their new website. it was a 12 hour day of taking pictures of our friends posing as the models (they were awesome), i have 3000+ to sift through and edit, so it'll take a while, but i'll post some later]

i. can't. wait.

friends. 

my favorite season is coming up. 

fall. 

i am so excited for no humidity, pumpkin patches, hot vanilla chai (preferably from RTC), LEAVES, tree tunnels with pretty leaves, jeans and long sleeve shirts, cowboy boots, jackets, photo shoots in colorful leaves, apple cider, being outside as much as possible, football games [mostly TC though i would like to make it to a UK one in october], october (favorite month), and can i say leaves again? leaves. 

this will be my first fall season with my trusty camera. promise to leave you with some treats on here :) i have nothing for you right now. i want to take a picture like the one below...jen? holly? my trusty assistants? can you help with this one?

[borrowed from here]