My Reflections

These past few days I was able to get away to go on a retreat with some women from my church. I’ve been looking forward to this time away, to be with friends, to make new friends, enjoy some downtime from the daily routine, and to enjoy the meals that I didn’t have to cook or clean up after. This was my plan. However, I am so grateful that I have a God who loves me and desires to trump my agenda. I did spend time with my friends, met new ones too, but I never anticipated the impact that these relationships would have on me. Lately, I’ve been very guarded in my friendships with others because I want to protect my heart from being broken. This is a very unnatural feeling for me and an exhausting attitude to maintain because I desire to be authentic, vulnerable and transparent in ALL my relationships. This is simply me. I feel like I have been out of my comfort zone for quite some time now, which isn’t exactly negative in all aspects but definitely a reason to be guarded. If I said I didn’t have any reservations about this upcoming retreat, I would be lying.

I am so grateful for the women that I got to spend time with this weekend! They were authentic, they were vulnerable, they were transparent, they were encouraging and loving. It wasn’t just the women that I spent time with, but the women who were courageous enough to share their testimony. These stories were heart wrenching, were deep, and were traumatic…..but….so full of grace, promise, hope, mercy and love. They were a reminder of God’s love for us….for me….and the relationships I struggle with, the issues that nag at me, the fears I face and the challenges that I can’t defeat on my own. I left the retreat feeling renewed, refreshed, loved, hopeful, encouraged and ready to be victorious over the trials that weigh me down….knowing that I don’t have to face them on my own, but proceed with the strength that God has equipped me with and wisdom and guidance that He will provide for me.

So, as I cull through all these pictures, choose the ones that I want to share, my tendency is to fix all the imperfections before I posts them for the world to see. But as I let this thought enter, I quickly reminded myself that life isn’t always perfect. Life is full of trials and triumphs, heartache and healing, bondage and freedom, fear and faith, loss and hope, weakness and courage. As I look at the faces, my heart is filled with warmth because I vividly remember the smiles on the other side of the lens, the love for one another, the deep belly laughs and the heart that desires to encourage one another and walk alongside through the peeks and valleys of life.

I realize that what I am sharing isn’t photography related. Just like photography embodies many of my passions… my faith and relationship with God is an extension of my heart and soul. I want my life to reflect my heart and soul. I am so thankful to the women who planned this retreat, who prayed in advanced, who shared their testimony and heart and for this opportunity to spend this time with God and His beautiful glory. Here are the reflections of this time. Enjoy.

Nothing breaks the ice like a good ol’ game of beach ball….or…..  

….who is Simon?

Spa time!

Photography class!

Friends..

Dessert time…

God’s Beauty…

Capturing Your: Heart

They say that 3’s a charm. Well, in this case, 5 was our charm. It took us 5 times of rescheduling to finally get our session complete. Three times was due to weather, one due to a sunburn that caused the raccoon look and the 5th time because Chris decided to shave his goatee after having it for several years. So, after the weather cooperated, the sunburn healed and the goatee grew back, we finally met…and I’ll tell ya, it was definitely worth the wait! This was Heather and Chris’ first time doing pictures outside since their previous pictures were done in the studio! It can be a little nerve racking for both the family and photographer because it’s a different way to be photographed and to me as a photographer, I was afraid of not meeting their expectations. However, I think we can both agree that it was an awesome time that we were able to spend together, with TONS of laughs and really, Kaitlynn and David were the model children for taking pictures. They knew EXACTLY what to do for the perfect pose and I was in heaven….and shock…because it was so natural for them. It’s people like Chris and Heather who validate the love I have for photograph, to be engaged in their lives, who bring so much laughter and richness in my life, and make me want to continue to grow so that I can give them what they deserve and love their experience. Chris and Heather, thank you SO much for our time together. I have seriously been so blessed by so many families and Chris and Heather add to that joy. Despite all the obstacles we had to juggle to get to our session, it was so worth it because we couldn’t have had a better summer morning! Enjoy!

This is my FAVORITE picture of allllllllll time!  

I LOVED all of David’s expressions! He definitely wasn’t interested in doing “tummy time” and after a few clicks and a few jokes, I was able to get him to smile for me!

I LOVE how Kaitlynn is forcing David to smile for the camera!! That’s a big sister for you!

To book your session, please email me at yourlifemylens@hotmail.com