A Poet Soul

Here's a shot from my 2nd Senior Session last weekend! It was a blast to work with this girl. I didn't feel like posting all the photos, so here's a link to the full album. Anyway, on with the post...get in a calm, reflective mood before you read it :)

There's nothing like a good poem.

Today, just a few minutes ago actually, my professor let our class out early. I had absolutely nothing to do for the next 45 minutes until my next class started and really, wasn't very excited about that. I aimlessly wandered down the long hallway, but stopped suddenly when I passed an open door. The voice coming from the room carried passion as he read the poem I recognized as Gerald Manley Hopkins' "Spring." I smiled as I stood in the hallway, eavesdropping; this was Dr. Brunner, the most inspiring professor I've ever had. Listening to him read the poem was beautifully refreshing to my soul.

It was three and a half years earlier that I had sat in that class, listening to Dr. Brunner teach us how to appreciate poetry and the beauty encapsulated in it's clear words. And today, I'm grateful I caught a bit of it again. Listening in for those 10 minutes changed my entire attitude. And now I leave you with my few favorite lines from the poem.

"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring--

    when weeds in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush...

What is all this juice and all this joy?

A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning, in Eden garden."

There's nothing like a good poem. :)

P.S. By the way, here's a happy thought. I slept late today and when I finally woke up, Meg and I went to United in our pajamas to buy waffles. Then we went back home and made 'em! No better way to start the day!

In the Meantime

Happy 100 posts! That's right, Under the Canvas sky rocks 100 posts as of today! Let's go intercontinental to celebrate: a photo from Spain. Sweet.

This year coming up is one of those years where so many exciting things will be going on. When people ask me how I'm doing, I find myself answering with a list of the exciting things that are going to be coming up. I just find that interesting. I don't think it's a bad thing to be that excited about things on the horizon, but there's always this Jim Elliot quote that surfaces in my thoughts every now and again: "Wherever you are, be all there." I've never quite had a year where I'm so excited about the opportunities coming up like this...but in the meantime, I don't want to lose focus on the small, seemingly mundane events. I've been so incredibly blessed by these passions the Lord has placed deep within me. It's so exciting to watch Him prepare to bring these deep desires to the light and give them a place to bless others! But the small things are still here, too. Pray for me, if you think about it, as I try to balance the big with the small. There is value to be found in it all.

Jesus...don't let me get caught up in dreams for myself. Let me be swept away in Your grand plan to further You're name! You've done so much; keep my focus on you, let me give you all the glory. These things you've done are for YOUR NAME...not mine. Lord keep me looking for people to serve in small ways. Help my attitude, countenance, everything Lord, help it reflect You. Such a gift to have "an unveiled face" to reflect your glory!

Who doesn't love Anthropologie?

...And it's cold here again. Man, I was loving that little taste of springtime weather we were enjoying. I confess, I've fallen prey to the marketer's schemes of "promote the next season 4 months before it actually starts." Swimsuits, sandals, and airy decor already? Bring it. I'm excited about Spring! I love the colors, the warmth, the life. Getting outside on that first day when you can smell that it's really Spring...nothing beats it!

I think I'm also super excited about the season's change because so many good things will be happening this summer: Emily&Josh's wedding, Amanda&Kyle's wedding, Trips and such with friends and family, Photography second shoots and jobs, and Pine Cove just to name a few. Usually summers come and I "relax." No more of that! I'm ready to go. :)

Oh! And I have found my new favorite musician (until next week, when I find another ha!). It's One Cell in the Sea by A Fine Frenzy. This girl is delightful! Self taught pianist, sweet soprano vocals, and extremely chill/beautiful/artistic songs.

And here are the "Of-the-day"-s. :)

Quote of the Day: (by my dad) "It's as easy as falling off a log." :) gotta love it!

Funny Thing of the Day: I looked and looked and couldn't find a picture, but Chick-fil-a's new breakfast advertising cracks me up! As a self-proclaimed cereal addict, I just couldn't stop laughing at their fake cereals like "Frosted Monotony" and "Stale O's." Phrases like, "Free block of wood inside!" and "Mmm...Cardboard." and "Now with HALF the flavor!" and "Explosion of Tastelessness!" made me almost fall out of my chair laughing.

Pretty Picture of the Day: Some Pottery Barn green to happify your wintry house, perhaps?

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Thoughts on Esther 3

Tonight at Bible study we were looking at Esther 3. We're going to be going through the entire book this semester and it's been so nice to take it slow, just a chapter a week, and really dive deep into the contexts, words, history, and lineages to see what the Lord is weaving together from all these separate lives. I just wanted to share some reassuring thoughts we gathered tonight. Hang in there, it gets wordy but is worth it, I think...PS if you haven't read the book of Esther, this might not make sense. So go read it. It's short. :)

The craziest thing to me in this chapter is how much influence Haman (the "bad guy) has over the King. Haman has so much power, yet we read that he is a descendant of Agag the Amalekite. This is a big deal because God had declared "war against the Amalekites from generation to generation" because of their attack on Israel (see Exodus 17:8-16 and 1 Samuel 15:2 for more on that). So this guy who was an enemy of God was basically the King's right hand man. I find it fascinating that God allowed him to come to that much power. You would think God would be like, "Oh an enemy of mine? He can't be the king's right hand man. All my enemies have to be servants or something." Haha, sorry for the loose interpretation of God's persona. If I were a Jew at that time, I would be like, "Hey God, can't we get this guy out of office?! He's your enemy and he wants to kill us all!" But God is so in control. He allowed Haman that position so that He might further display his glory. He had it under control the whole time. Even when it seemed like Haman was taking over and was going to kill all the Jews, GOD HAD IT UNDER CONTROL.

It gives me comfort to know that even though God might allow "bad people" to come to power over our country, another country, the world, or even something local I'm involved in, He still has it under His control. No matter how powerful the person might seem, that person still must succumb to the power of God. NOTHING is greater or more magnificent than the power of God. EVERY knee will bow. I am so encouraged by that. It is good to know I am on the winning team. Sorry for the lame sports reference.

Another cool little tidbit from Esther 3 is that Haman decides to cast lots to pick the date when he wants to wipe out the Jews. "By a seeming coincidence the date indicated was nearly a year away. As someone has said, 'Even superstition is chained to the divine chariot-wheels.' God overruled to allow sufficient time to thwart Haman's plan. 'The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.' Prov 16:33" So encouraging to know that superstition, the stars, or even Satan are all under God's ruling. I just love it that my God is so powerful! And yet so full of love for His children! If this is making you stand in awe and reverent fear, it should! So awesome! I'm definitely feeling the holy fear in me just thinking about it.

The book of Esther is awesome. One thing that I'm loving right now is reading the Bible with a commentary next to me. Commentaries bring so much light and practical application to some passages of scripture where I'm like, "What?!" My dad bought me the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald a few years back and that's what I'm using and loving. It's a big fat book, but well worth it! If you're tired in reading the Bible, try it out! It really helps you understand.

Well, thanks for reading this whole post if you made it this far. I hope it made sense. I was just so amazed I wanted to share it! Hopefully you will be spurred on to read the Word and God will reveal even MORE amazing things to you! Have a good night. :)

Life is real, Life is earnest...

Hi friends, just a quick message to let you know I'll be updating the ol' blog again! But not this moment...this day is too freaking gorgeous and I'm headed outside to take some pictures with my new camera-- that's right, during the blog break I finally bought a Canon Rebel XTi!!!! If you want to see a few pics I've taken, check out my facebook. Anyway, thank you all so much for prayers and your friendship. The Lord really astounded me with all the people He brought out of the woodwork to encourage and help me. It sure is a hard journey...but I'm finding peace everywhere.

More to come...Much love.

"Life is real! Life is earnest!
and the grave is not its goal;
dust thou art, to dust returnest,
was not spoken of the soul." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Warning: It gets sappy...

Wow, I've been neglecting the ol' blog! Haven't blogged in a week!

Summer is coming to a close and I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda happy. Summers are wonderful, but too much free time can get boring. And when I have free time I just think and think and think. Too much thinking can get boring too. :) I'm very ready to see friends I've missed and get back to my lovely little apartment (which I rearranged yesterday!).

So highlights since I left you hanging:

1. I went to Dallas for a weekend to see my brother and his wife and their puppy! It was good times had by all.
2. HSM2 Soundtrack came out! Can't wait for the movie. I know I'm a nerd...who cares?
3. Set up a date for our Girls Bible Study leaders to meet and share thoughts, pray, and worship our great God.
4. Found Carla Bruni, a folk singer from France and fell in love with her chilled sound! (Her french album is the best.)

Yep, that's mostly it! I told you...not much going on towards the end of summer.

Can I just share something sappy? One of my favorite things this summer has been the journey towards photography as a career for me. The thing that makes it so special to me is that now I take time to notice the smallest details of beauty throughout the day. It has made me so much more aware of how the Lord's hand is active in our lives. The tiniest thing, like leaves on a green tree, can make me smile and praise my God. And that makes my day so much sweeter. I want to be obsessed with Him. He is so good. Another little thing, I found a quote by Jeff and Julia Woods, a photography couple with FOUR kids, and it just made me happy. Quite honestly, (and this is the full Caroline here, holding nothing back) I wanted to pursue photography in the beginning because I could look cool. I had this mentality that it would be all about me. Terrible pride. But now I see things so much differently. The Lord has opened my eyes again to the fact that I am not here on earth for me, but I am here for Him, and to be his hands, feet, arms, heart, to those around me. I am no longer trying to build myself into an amazing person to be looked at, but I am in awe that the Lord might want to show Himself through me. I am only a vessel...and to be such I need to be empty of all my pride and self-centeredness.

Anyway, here's that quote: “As we grow together with our four children, we continue to learn that our most precious treasure comes from the relationships we share with family and friends. This is what feeds our passion for our profession. We count it a great honor to be given the opportunity to capture images that encourage our clients to embrace the relationships and the special times in their lives.”
–Jeff and Julia Woods

Hold Lightly

Knowledge means nothing unless it is put into practice...Here are some verses and thoughts that have made a huge difference to me today.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world...The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." I John 2:15, 17

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Mat 6:24

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. -Jim Elliot.

I've had ants in my pants or something spawning me on in this race trying to keep up with earthly possessions. I mean I have been freaking out. I admit it- I've held on to the things of the world with a death grip. And the tighter I hold, the more things get out of control. Jesus offers so much peace and we turn Him down for...what? I do not know...but I do it all the time. I want to follow the Voice full of untamed splendor and persistent beauty.

Sweet Jesus forgive me. Be so near. Thank you for this realization, help me put it into practice so that Your name may be praised and honored. Oh how much I love you. Clarity, Lord, please give clarity and rest. Amen.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Last night, I had the craziest series of dreams. I'm not even sure how to describe how real but random they were. All I know is that at one point, I was suddenly called on to sing "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" for a random choir performance. When I woke up, it was like my mind would not stop singing that song. I just simply couldn't think of anything else. It was pretty neat. :) So today, the message of that song has just really been on my mind and I love it! Here are the lyrics:

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Nothing Specific :)

"These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man's weak praise should be given God's attention." -Donald Miller. Through Painted Deserts.

What amazing, humbling truth. Lord, loosen our tongues that we may speak of you beautifully, the way we are supposed to.


This weekend was so wonderful! My brother and his wife (and their puppy!) came in town and we had a blast going out to the Farm on Saturday and shooting off fireworks. The best part of it was just being out in the open underneath all those bright stars, being overwhelmed with thoughts of God and the mystery of His love for us.


Last night, I got to see a bunch of my dear HS friends. Personally, I had a blast talking about things like Macs, photography, iPhones, travelling, and Sufjan Stevens. :) I also have a new music recommendation! Enter The Worship Circle: Village Thrift. It is AMAZING! Warning: It's definitely in that "different, artsy, weird" music genre. Read the reviews on iTunes...they sum it up pretty well.

Tonight I'm going to shoot roomie pictures for Jenn and Kassie! I'm so excited! I'll post my favs when they're ready!