More Beautiful You

As a photographer it is important to stay inspired and to always continue learning. To do so I am always reading fellow photographer's blogs, I am a member of professional forums and I look to magazines for ideas too. Most of the time doing these things keeps me inspired and seeking to improve. But every now and then the doubt seeps in via these sources.

The past couple of weeks I've really been struggling, finding myself comparing myself to others. The gorgeous images I see have not been sparks of insight. Instead they are photographic evidence of my imperfections. Perfect lighting, creative compositions and vibrant colors have my mind reeling with that horrible question: "Am I good enough?"

All of the questions and fears that create doubt have popped up. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this" has been on frequent repeat inside my head. But tonight, as always my Father spoke to me and helped calm the seas of skepticism. He spoke to me via my car radio and I am feeling uplifted.

A few necessary baking supplies led me to make a quick trip to the market. My radio was turned down low but I saw it was on K-LOVE so I prayed a quick "speak to me" before turning up the volume. The next words I heard brought instant tears to my eyes.

"There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you"

Today I wanted to share the song "More Beautiful You" by Jonny Diaz in case you were feeling a bit discouraged, or doubtful.  And if you have little girls in your life or a daughter of your own be sure to share these lyrics with her.  While writing this post I found they Jonny and his mom just released a book based on the song. Even more encouragement for all you beautiful ladies!

Never Forget

The numbers 9 and 11 will always hold a certain sadness for me. For the last nine years on this day, I've mourned the loss of so many innocent people by the hands of terrorists. But amid all of the sadness there is hope and love. There are miracles found in even the dark moments of this tragedy. The poem by Stacey Randall has always made me tear up and it reminds me to look for the beauty in all of the darkness. I thought I'd share it here in case you have not read it:

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news
On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I. 

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room 

with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' 

I held his fingers steady as he dialed. 

I gave him the peace to say, Honey, 

I am not going to make it, 

but it is OK...I am ready to go.

'I was with his wife when he called
as she fed breakfast to their children.
I held her up as she tried to understand his words
andas she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help.
'I have been knocking on the door
of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan.
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day.
You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were;
there in that explosive moment in time,
would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you.
But someday your journey will end.
And I will be there for you as well.

Seek Me now while I maybe found.
Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

~God~

 

I will never forget. We should never forget.

Update: 30 Before 30

On recent vacation I got the opportunity to scratch another item off my 30 before 30 list. In our beach front condo the owners had a box of beach goods and toys for guests to use. Amongst all of the vacation necessities was a G.I. Joe kite and we toted down to the sandy shore. The wind was perfect and I easily got the kite up in the air. It was totally exhilarating to run along the shoreline and see the tail of the kite to begin to flutter as it climbed higher and higher. Though the G.I. Joe kite may not have been ideal (or mature!) it was perfect for accomplishing that goal.

I thought now would be a good item to post my progress on my 30 by 30 list. With 195 days to go, I am pretty happy to have some major things crossed off but there is still a ways to go.

30 Things Before 30

1. Read the Bible.
2. Plan a great trip with my hubby to celebrate my 30^th + our 5^th anniversary.
3. Open my own photography business.
4. Set up my Etsy shop for my photographic prints. 
5. Finish designing our wedding album and get it bound.
6. Get professional photos taken of me and Mike by a photographer I admire.
7. Continue learning to crochet and complete an actual project.
8. Plant a lemon tree in our yard.
9. Find an exercise that I love an implement it into weekly schedule.
10. Fly a kite.
11. Go to some sort of “pick-you-own” farm.
12. Finish my office (make it a workable space).
13. Organize my magazine clippings and idea books.
14. Acquire a nice set of watercolors.
15. Begin using said watercolors.
16. Go on down to the Audobon Zoo (where they all ask for you!)
17. Find a suitable album for our photo booth photos and organize them.
18. Go to at least one concert.
19. Find a way to organize and make easily accessible the hundreds of recipes I have bookmarked (mostly via tastespotting) so that I can actually use them!
20. Watch the sunrise on the beach.
21. Begin my “art wall.
22. Help my mom finish her cookbook.
23. Get “The Bright Side Project” featured in a magazine. (it has been in a newspaper!)
24. Redesign my blog.
25. Paint our hallway.
26. Give flowers to neighbors on May Day. missed May Day this year so it will have to be late or on a different day
27. Buy all the spices that belong on a spice rack.
28. Complete very special BSP project.
29. Make some sort of jam or jelly.
30. Discuss babies with my hubby.

How are you guys who are also playing along with the 30 by 30 thing doing? Scratched anything off the list. Let me know if you have a list of your own, I'd love to check it out!

A Year Of Giving

I thought I'd share with you another inspiring project (that I wish I'd thought of and wish I could do myself). When stumbling upon the blog "A Year of Giving" I became instantly hooked. The next 30 minutes were spent reading through Reed's daily posts.

The basic idea of the project was inspired by his mother and is quite simple. Even more inspiring is the quote that Reed says inspired him "When you're going through tough times, that's when you most need to give back." Reed lost his job and was face with rough times so he came up with this idea to give back--every day for one year he will give $10 to someone with the hopes that it will help them out and inspire them to do a good deed of there own.

Inspirational right? Makes you contemplate what more you could be doing and how you could give. Mostly it reminds me that there are good people in the world who even under dire straights will seek to create good.

How He Loves Us

This song really speaks to my heart and I can't think of a more perfect song to share with you today as we celebrate the joy of our Lord's resurrection. It is truly a day for celebration because He really loves us, love us so. Listen to the song...it is worth it! I've included the lyrics below...they are amazing!

Happy Easter!

K-LOVE - David Crowder "How He Loves" LIVE from K-LOVE Radio on Vimeo.

How He Loves Us Lyrics

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

My 30 by 30

So today is my 29th birthday. It is kind of a scary number for me because that means 30 is just around the corner. I'd be lying if I said I was where I thought I'd be at this time in my life but I'm happy never the less. I've been working on the ever popular "30 before 30 List" for a few weeks--I'm wishing I would started it earlier so I would have had more time to get them done! Some of my goals are small and some are big and will take a lot of work+time+energy but if I do even half of these things in the next year I'll feel as though the next 365 days have been successful. Hoping that posting the list here will keep me accountable and motivated. Have you made a list like this? I'd love to see what is on yours.



30 Things Before 30  (updated w/progress on 1.16.11)

1. Read the Bible.  --in progress
2. Plan a great trip with my hubby to celebrate my 30^th + our 5^th anniversary.  --in progress
3. Open my own photography business.  done!
4. Set up my Etsy shop for my photographic prints.  done!
5. Finish designing our wedding album and get it bound.  --in progress
6. Get professional photos taken of me and Mike by a photographer I admire.  --found photographer, will schedule soon.
7. Continue learning to crochet and complete an actual project.
8. Plant a lemon tree in our yard.  done!
9. Find an exercise that I love an implement it into weekly schedule. --i'm trying various exercises out.
10. Fly a kite.  done!
11. Go to some sort of “pick-your-own” farm.
12. Finish my office (make it a workable space).  done! but still adding/changing
13. Organize my magazine clippings and idea books.  done!
14. Acquire a nice set of watercolors.  done!
15. Begin using said watercolors.
16. Go on down to the Audobon Zoo (where they all ask for you!)
17. Find a suitable album for our photo booth photos and organize them.  --in progress
18. Go to at least one concert.  --done!
19. Find a way to organize and make easily accessible the hundreds of recipes I have bookmarked (mostly via tastespotting) so that I can actually use them!
20. Watch the sunrise on the beach.  --in progress
21. Begin my “art wall." --received first piece, but still considered "in progress"
22. Help my mom finish her cookbook.  --in progress
23. Get “The Bright Side Project” featured in a magazine.  --we were featured in the Kansas City Star so I'm counting this as done. Especially since we sold the site which was a huge accomplishment!
24. Redesign my blog.  done!
25. Paint our hallway.  done!
26. Give flowers to neighbors on May Day.
27. Buy all the spices that belong on a spice rack.
28. Complete very special BSP project.  done!
29. Make some sort of jam or jelly.
30. Discuss babies with my hubby.  it has been discussed--done!
 

Every post should have a photo and you guys know how I like balloons. Find the photos here and here.

Inspiration Monday

Thought I'd share an inspiring photo on this Monday morning. It fits right in with the fun week I've just had. Happy Lundi Gras everyone!

photo via fffound

Blessed Necklace = Help for Haiti

Beki of The Rusted Chain has created a beautiful "Blessed" necklace.

By purchasing this necklace, not only will you receive a beautiful accessory but you'll be giving the people of Haiti something too. Ten dollars from the sale of each necklace is being donated to Compassion to aid in disaster relief to Haiti.

I love what she says about this project:

"We are so blessed. With a warm home.

With shoes.

Starbucks. Internet. We're blessed to not live in poverty.

We're blessed to be able to shop online!

And by purchasing this, you can bless those who need it most right now. "

She's SO right about this! Drop by her store to purchase/donate. And don't forget, the most important thing we can all do right now is pray for all of those affected by this disaster.

Prayers + Love for Haiti

I am joining other bloggers today to dedicate my blog post to the residents of Haiti. After yesterdays massive earthquake my thoughts and prayers are with the people of this area. Sitting here safely in my office with all kinds of amenities makes me so grateful and it also saddens me to know that so many thousands of people of Haiti are not experiencing the same today.

Please join me most importantly in praying for the Haitian people, that their recovery be swift and that they are granted peace in this time of tragedy.

And if you are also blessed with safety + security on this day please consider donating to relief efforts for the victims of this natural disaster. A simple way to donate is to text "HAITI" to "90999." This will add $10 to your phone bill and the donation will go directly to Red Cross to assist in their efforts. Did you know the average Haitian lives on $2 a day? This $10 could make a huge difference to getting them back on their feet.

Will you join me?

You Are Beautiful

I came across this post by a fellow blogger some time last year and bookmarked it to share. As the new year begins I think this is the perfect time to do so. The Cheeky Lotus wrote this post about realizing beauty in ourselves and helping our daughters, friends, mothers, and sisters see their beauty too. Get a Kleenex ready and prepare for your heart to ache a bit. Maybe this year we can all resolve to share our own beauty and help others see the beauty within themselves. Wouldn't the world be that much more fantastic if we could all recognize we're special + perfect just the way we are?

photo credit

My 5 Things

My buddy Melisa of The Lil Bee has been posting and hosting "My Five Things" on her blog.

She wrote: "My Five Things will be a place to share the 5 things you want to do in this lifetime. They can be things simple and small or vast and life-altering. There are no rules. Just a collection of goals you wish to accomplish. Because I truly believe that by putting it out there, you're that much more inclined to make it happen."

Today she featured my own five things. Click on over and take a look. What are your five things? Leave a comment, I'd love to know!

Inspiration

I've written before about Tracie, an amazing lady I call a friend...even though we've never met just chatted and come to "know" each other through the blogosphere. When I first stumbled upon Tracie's site several months ago I was hooked and inspired. I spent a lot of time reading all of her posts. And just last week I spent at least an hour reading and rereading her posts again. It is just that kind of blog. She's just that kind of woman--inspiring, talented, creative and the list could go on. Today she posted another one of her heartfelt, motivating posts that moved me to tears. I knew I wanted to share it with you all. Thank you Tracie for continuing to be such an inspiration and wonderful friend.

*I have Tracie's blog under my "inspiring reads" section in the right column of my blog so you can always click over to her site that way.

Grab Bags of Goodness

Even though The Great Give is closed (for this year), the great giving doesn't have to stop. I was so inspired when I read the idea of "grab bags" on Wide Open Spaces. It really warms my heart to hear of ways that people are trying to do good every day, year round. Emily's children were fascinated by the many homeless and she let her children help her with a project to help these less fortunate. They put together (ziploc) grab bags filled with a water bottle, snacks, wet wipes, toothbrush+toothpaste, beef jerky, chapstick and socks. She put a few in her car and her husband's and the kids get a kick out of being able to help. Her idea was to have these easily available and ready to give. While it is only a little thing, these little things can add up. This has me thinking of ways I can always be prepared to give.

New Month Inspiration

A little inspiration for this day, the first of a new month.



For more lovely, motivating art visit MC Turgeon's Etsy Shop. I love the guerilla inspiration pack and the post card sets. Perfect for gifting too!

Oiseaux Noir

A little midweek inspiration for you from Oiseaux Noir. Who can't use a reminder to "shine." Happy hump day! I'll be back later this afternoon with more fun.

Help Lift Up Ellie

Through a friend was I introduced to little Ellie on twitter. Sweet Ellie is battling Stage 4 cancer and really needs some prayers. I'm personally hoping for her own special miracle. You can read Ellie story here and follow Team Potvin on Twitter too. This little fighter is a twin and the family is asking for prayers for the two girls, Ellie and Grace. As a sister myself I can't imagine seeing your sibling hurt. And for Ellie's parents my heart aches.



Friends of the family are requesting anything that may brighten their days, especially the girls, be donated right away. Check their twitter if you want to help. A few very generous ladies and myself have combined funds to send a couple of these to Ellie and Grace. A BIG thanks to Melisa for helping out and to Quinn for her generous donation.

Let's Lift Up Ellie! I'm praying for Team Potvin and hope you will too.

To Be Brave

Love this painting from Mae Chevrette. I can always use another reminder to be brave and cease the day. Hope you are taking advantage of each minute today and every freedom we are afforded.

In honor of Veteran's Day I'd also like to say "thank you" to all of the men and women who have dedicated their lives, given up time with their families and made great sacrifices to ensure this country's freedoms. They truly know what it is to be brave. My prayers go out to those of you who continue to do so. I'm grateful for all you have provided to us through your service.

Weekly Inspiration

I think I'll make this my goal for the week. Want to join me?

print from here

Just Because...

I heard about the most heartfelt of tributes via twitter yesterday. Liz, the creative force behind Linda & Harriet papers wrote a beautiful post about memories of her mother who passed away in 1998. She said of her mom: "the thing people tell me most about my mom is how she would do things for them that always made them feel special... It was these little things she did that made her her - and in turn made us feel special, feel thought of, feel loved."

So in honor of her mother on her birthday she is giving away note cards in exchange for the promise that you'll send it to someone just because. What wonderful way to celebrate a person who did so many things "just because" in her lifetime. To sign up to spread a little "just because" cheer visit her blog for details. Hurry, the sign up deadline is Monday.

Inspiration

This speaks of my heart perfectly on this day.