So much fun...

I'm so blessed right now to be in the middle of a FABULOUS weekend! So far it has been just so much fun...and with all the school stresses and such recently...well, I needed some fun. :) The rundown is pretty quick and easy: Last night I got together with fellow photographers/friends Erin, Chad, and Tressie and we had a "just for fun" shoot! It was insane! Nighttime, graveyard, awesome models, and lotsa flashes/pocket wizards/umbrellas/equipment! Yep we had a shoot in a graveyard at night. So fun! If there hadn't been alot of us, I probably would have been creeped out! But as it was, we just had a blast and got some killer images! Head to the photog-blog to see some of the photos. My new flash had just come in the mail this week too so it was perfect! What fun!

Next, I left the shoot a little early to head to the opening night of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3! :) :) Yea! I'm not ashamed...it's so peppy and happy I just can't help but love it. I went with my awesome friend Nicole who loves it too, so we just had a blast! I'm pretty sure I sat next to a 10 year old girl who kept telling me how much she loved my scarf and how cute Zac Effron was. It was pretty funny :) After that, Nicole and I went to get coffee at Starbucks which was delicious and fun. I love hanging out with her! Pumpkin Spice Latte all the way :)

By the time we left Starbucks and I was driving home through a bunch of blinking yellow lights, I realized it had been a long time since I had been out so late...fun! It was refreshing to get to stay up late to have fun and not worry about having to wake up for anything in the morning.

This morning, I woke up to my roommate Megan waking me up telling me she had made eggs and biscuits for breakfast. Amazing!! :) :) And today, I've just gotten to do little things I've needed to do (that have NOTHING to do with homework--yay!) and it's just been relaxing and great. What a joy. I am just so thankful beyond anything right now for this weekend of simple fun! Yay!

October Update!

Well, life has just gone SILLY with busyness the past couple of weeks! I'm just trying to keep up! Here's a small-ish sort of update on me, in case you are wondering!

1. Today is my mom's birthday! Wahoo! Don't tell her, but I got her this awesome mug from Starbucks...she's gonna love it! ;)
2. Tonight I have a date with my dear friend Nicole. We are going to see HSM3! We've been highly anticipating this movie!
3. School is busy busy busy and this semester it's all lesson plans. My weeks are flying by so fast that I barely notice. I can't believe it's almost November, but I'm enjoying the cold weather. :) Come on graduation!
4. Kids Park at church is still going great. The Lord has been really affirming me in my position there which is awesome!
5. Last weekend I went to Ft Worth to shoot a bridal session. It was great! While I was there, I randomly ran into photographer Fred Egan while grabbing a burrito at FreeBirds! It was so cool to meet him! Check out his work here.

Next week, I have another bridal session, and then a few weeks after that I'll be busy with an engagement and bridal shesh (in one weekend), and then a few weeks after that the weddings start! I'm SO excited! I also got to buy a new flash last week (yay!) and hopefully *crossed fingers* I'll be getting another new lens in the beginning of November. Whew!

Dinner with the Newman's & SING!

Wednesday, I got to go see my dear friend Cherith and her family! It's always so great to see her and this time was especially exciting because she had a baby girl about a month ago, and this was the first time I'd seen her! And she was totally precious. :) I mean, who doesn't love to hold a baby? It's the most peaceful thing in the world. It was so fun and special to see my middle school/high school friend with her growing family of 4. :D

This weekend is SING! at HSU, which is always a blast. I went last night, and it tugged at my heart a little, knowing this would be my last SING! to enjoy as a student. It also marks a very important beginning in my life--the beginning of my photography career. That's right, my very first (paying) shoot was taking photos at SING! :) My, how time has flown! It's the funniest thought to me that I didn't care one bit about photography 2 years ago, and now I can't imagine life without it. Life is crazy! :D

Honesty

Today really, truly feels like Fall! It is so gorgeous outside! Clear sky, crisp, cool weather, and that smell of aged leaves in the air. Love it. :) It's funny though, I was getting ready to "peer teach" this morning in one of my classes, and I was walking in and out of doors all morning, but didn't notice the gorgeous weather until after I had finished my teaching. I was just too buried in my thoughts and plans to notice. 

Noticing beauty and the Lord's hand in creation is something I want to embrace during the day. I don't want to get too bogged down with my own stuff. Creation is such a powerful reminder that the Lord is in control, working, and with us. How encouraging and strengthening are those thoughts?! :) 

These thoughts kind of remind me of my attitude when I first started taking photographs. I was awed by the world around me, so I just was enthusiastic to take photos and capture the most important things in life for people (relationships, times worth celebrating, nature, beauty). Here now, a year later, I'm having difficulty keeping that attitude. I find that I'm driven less by joy and more by pleasing the general public, comparing myself to other photographers, and creating a perfect image of myself through "branding." Selfish gain is a giant temptation. 

But friends, I'm not going to give in. 

I can't do it of my own will though...because I've been trying that. I'll let you in on a secret--it hasn't worked. :) The only way I know to combat this, is to put it all into the hands of the Lord by freshly realizing each morning that He is the giver and sustainer of life (and business :) ) and knowing that He is in control, and I'm not. The Lord has gifted me with the gift of encouragement. I know I'm supposed to be using that gift all the time. Why hold back encouragement because I want to seem better than someone else? Seriously, why? It's the old battle of pride. 

I feel like, at least for a while, this will be a rebirth process every morning. That's fine. Pray for me as I continue to fight against this. 

Just so you know, I want to be a stand out light of encouragement, honesty, and love in a market driven by the perfect image and a get-your-own mentality. I'm so thankful for my photographer friends that I've made so far. You guys are invaluable and I so respect the way you share in this fight too! :)

Thanks for letting me get all that out! Whew! :D

Things that make Autumn good

Warmly scented candles

Looking forward to fireplace fires in winter

Leggings & boots

Thanksgiving food & family!

Crisp, gorgeous weather

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Colors like deep plum, golden orange, and chocolate brown

Cozying up with blankets and quilts

Watching You've Got Mail

The trees changing color

Anticipating Christmas :)

The Office Season 5!

A change

Pumpkins on the front porch

Candy corn

14 days later...An update!

1. School: School is school. I'm trying to enjoy it since it's my last semester and all, but with photography going nuts (see more on that below) it's very hard to focus on school.

2. Photography: Okay, let me just say, I've been so blessed! I've been consistently booking weddings every week since school started! Simply wonderful :) What does the future hold? Exciting things! :) :) I've also gotten to make some exciting purchases! I bought the Canon 5d, two new lenses, a Shootsac, and a few new accessories! Posting photos soon...

3. Church: I'm so excited because I've started helping out in the 1st grade Sunday school class at Beltway! It's so great to finally have a spot to serve. I'm so glad I finally just took the plunge and got involved. :)

4. Friendships: Yay for friends! I feel like I've had some of the best times with wonderful friends this semester AND I've gotten to see lots of friends that I don't usually get to see. Friday nights are designated "hang out nights" where Megan and I have people over--it's so great! Last friday, a group of us played "Spin the Bottle" except with those fake kids tattoos! If you spun the bottle, you got to pick the tattoo for the other person AND got to tell them where to put it! We had them all over our faces and everything...probably the most fun ever. 

Rain...

Hello, hello all! 

It's a beautiful rainy Monday and I just love it! I don't really have much to say or update on, but just wanted to make a quick blog post. School is rockin' along, the photography ball is rolling faster every single day, and in my spare time (what's that?) Meg and I have had plenty of friends over to watch The Office season FOUR!! I'm also getting ready to make some exciting photography purchases...can't wait!

Something cool happened today though! Although it probably won't be a big deal to anyone else, I freaked out today when I saw, driving in front of me, my old beloved Camry, Waldo!! Can you believe it? Who ever sells their car (it was a very broken car at that) and then sees it again in their same town....or on their same college campus for that matter! I figured the guy we sold it to was going to junk it and try to get money for the parts. But it was Waldo alright, just driving like always. Same license plate, same ding on the trunk, same everything! :) I was just so excited! I get kinda sentimental about cars, and since Waldo was my first car...well ya know. :) Here's a photo of the little guy, back this summer, along side my new ride-- 4runner Simon! I know I'm a nerd. 

Happy Monday!