Well, friends, I survived travelling on my own to somewhere I've never been, I survived (accidentally) missing an intersection I should have stopped at (thank you, fellow roadsmen, for not reaming me out with your horns), I survived my first sunburn of the season, I survived narrowly missing a dear at highway speeds, and I survived photographing a wedding.

It was an incredible experience, but I am exhausted and oh-so-happy to be home. My bed, my babies, and coffee could not come soon enough. I am still awaiting my husband, though. :)

Thanks for everyone that thought of me yesterday, and a special thanks to those that prayed!

PS - I adore the following photo!

what's been on my mind (all the time)

Dear readers, I have some exciting news to share!

And, no, it's not that I'm pregnant. (Just clearing that up.)

I am photographing a wedding this Saturday! I'm pretty sure this will be one of my dreams fulfilled. I get to play photographer for two people who love each other, who look spectacular, and who are making the commitment to spend the rest of their lives together. What an honour!

I have something to admit, though. I've been avoiding sharing this information because I am afraid of criticism. Criticism of my lack of experience, my imperfect methods, my small collection of photography gear. So, let's get this out in the open right off the hop: I know I'm not a professional photographer, and I make no claims to be one. I do claim this, though: I love photographing people! I have a love for photography that communicates the feelings behind life. The lovely bride-to-be whom I will be photographing saw this in me before I did, and I am, as I said, honoured to give this gift to her.

I've also been doing a ton of research into what I need for a wedding, and I can confidently say that I am ready for the challenge. This website has provided many helpful tips, these books taught me a lot about professionalism, and these photographers have provided endless inspiration. I am sick to death of memory cards, camera batteries (especially when you purchase one and it turns out to be a dud!), lens filters, and flash diffusers. I've become thoroughly acquainted with my camera, my lenses, and their capacities. I've written out plans, purchased functional outfits, booked babysitters, mapped out how to get to the wedding... and over-thought my way into insomnia. I'm quite ready to believe that I'm ready for this.

So! If you think of me on Saturday, pray for a cool head about all of this. Pray that I don't do something really reprehensible like damaging a lens, forgetting a battery, or losing a memory card. I am beyond words excited about this, but, sheesh, it's hard work!

this week according to my phone

Just over one week ago Joey and I got an iPhone.

I never thought I'd own one. 

Somehow or other we discovered that it was cheaper (and, let's face it, cooler)

to get one and use it for our sole internet provider, as well as a phone.

Alas, I have also discovered that the camera on the iPhone

is like the best point and shoot you could possibly dream of.

WITH BUILT IN PHOTO EDITING.

Hello, random little life on mine! You're being captured!

really really good beany salsa like substance

This is so very far from what I usually do on this here blog.

But!

This recipe is too good and too convenient not to share. Plus, you have the added bonus of me having perfected this recipe for you so you don't have to fiddle around with it. (ha. me. perfect recipes. ha ha.)

Original title: Texas Caviar
(adapted from MckMama)

Ingredients:
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans (or chickpeas, for the less snooty *wink*)
1 can corn (or frozen corn cooked, then cooled)
1 bunch of green onions
2 limes (room temperature is best for juicing)
1/2 bottle of Mexican green salsa (check the taco section at your local grocery store!)
2 Tbs white sugar
1 bunch cilantro
2 ripe avocados 





Directions:
Open and deposit all canned goods into a large strainer.
Stir and rinse off the mixture really well!
Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Chop up the entire bunch of green onions into little bits and toss it with the rest.
Pour in 1/2 of the Mexican green salsa. I'm guessing that's about one cup of the stuff.
Squeeze out the limes into the mixture.
Sprinkle the 2 tbs of sugar over the whole thing.
Mix it! Mix it well!
(At this point you can taste it and doctor it up with salt or whatever your little heart desires.)
Cover the container and let it sit in the fridge for about a day. It works if you wait only about an hour, but the flavours just intensify and get even more delicious if you let everything meld together!
Before serving, strain out a bit of the excess juices that are floating around with all that beany goodness. Don't worry, you're not getting rid of the flavour when you do this.
Chop up about half of the bunch of cilantro (or as much/little as you want) and fold it in.
Dice up both avocados and fold them in as well.
Serve this delicious concoction with tortilla chips!

I've also heard that shredding up grilled chicken breast in this little ditty is a fabulous idea. Why not try it?

how to know God's will (in four easy steps!)

1. Acquire Bible.
2. Open Bible.
3. Begin reading.
4. Make it your goal to read 3-10 chapters per day.


(as heard on Fighting for the Faith)

Philippians 4:6-7 (again)

I’m afraid that my heart doesn’t default to seeking God. I really wish it would. I wish the first thing I thought when I or my children get sick was to immediately bring my worry to the Lord in prayer instead of worrying myself sick(er). The truth is that as soon as I feel my family is threatened, I manifest a very selfish “woe is me” attitude. I think (and think and think) about how I can right the situation, how much worse things can get, how I feel so helpless. And then I wallow.

Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure this is not what God desires for me. I’m not going to say that if you call on the Lord, everything will get better almost instantly, that you’ll experience some supernatural healing because God’s your own personal genie in a bottle (that, friends, is blasphemy!). The only thing that is promised us if we call on the Lord is to a peace “which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

I think it is infinitely more beautiful to be fully trusting in the goodness of God in the midst of hardships than trying to play a “get out of jail free” card  every time we are pushed out of our comfort zones. Now, if only I could remember this in the darkest moments and trust that none of these things has escaped God’s notice…

raining on my own parade

Dear Readers,

It's not that exciting things aren't happening in this house. They are.

It's not that I'm depressed and unable to write anything happy and worth reading. I'm not.

It's not that I no longer see the value in putting my thoughts to words. I do.

Here's the thing: I'm sick of tooting my own horn. I feel like, somewhere along the line, this blog has transitioned from my own, unique little soapbox to the place where it seems like I'm always behind and always out of ideas. It's a place where I'm constantly trying to keep up with my idea of what a blogger should be...

Real bloggers post regularly. 

Real bloggers try to engage their readers.

Real bloggers have an aesthetically-pleasing blog. 

Real bloggers do everything themselves.

Real bloggers thrill to share their wealth of DIYing wisdom with the uneducated masses.

Real bloggers have an Etsy shop. What's more, a successful Etsy shop.

Real bloggers' pictures are never blurry, 

their posts are never more than four paragraphs,

they never ramble, they're always eloquent...

and even their bedhead is fashionable. 

It's kind of ridiculous to look at that list and realize that I have been "ensnared" by this mainstream blog hysteria! Not that I have been successful in replicating these things... but I stress over them all the same.

NO. MORE.

I am fed up with myself for being so caught up in this narcissistic* fad. As a Christian, a child of God, there should be ONE person and ONE goal of everything I do: to bring glory to the Lord God. By constantly posting my successes, the beauty of my life, the things I do in a day, or even the things my kids do in a day that I find so clever/endearing/noteworthy/above-the-rest, I can't really say that I've been doing that. 

So. I'm here to tell you that this blog will still endure, but you'll notice a domain change sometime in the near future (I'll keep you posted). You can expect infrequency, but you can also expect a little more depth than this blog has been characterized by as of late. 

It's a terrifying thing to imagine standing before the judgment seat of Christ and only being able to say "Look, Lord, see my blog?"

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).


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*At the core of extreme narcissism is egotistical preoccupation with self, personal preferences, aspirations, needs, success, and how he/she is perceived by others. (from psychcentral.com)