Favorite card yet...

So tonight I made my favorite to date. I saw a video on Youtube (there are 1000 at least) on how to make a shutter card. I made a couple of attempts, but after I found the right papaer, it all seemed to fall into place. I got to use my favorite papaer pack, for today, it changes often. Its the Cafe Medieteranian stck from DCWV. Anyway without further ado, (is that how you spell it?) Here is the card, sory for the poor lighting.

This is what it looks like when it satnds up.

And a close up of the sentiment.

Mid week shuffle

Wow its only Wednesday and I am already tired like its Friday Night. Work today was actually wonderful. I truly do love me job, and when I can quietly work and check things off my list steadily all day, its a good day.

Oh man my yesterday was ridiculous! Work then a Baseball game, came back and caught the last 2 matches of a boys volleyball game, stayed around for FUSE (young adult church service), then alate late dinner with a friend. I walked in the door sometime around 1130. whew So obviously a craft or something creative wasn't real likely last night.

However, today I watched quite a few blog tutorials, check out my friend Janice (blogspot.cricutology.com), and I was pumped to come home and make something. So after a long day of work, and Awana Grand Prix, and dinner with the church Youth Group, I came home and make a sweet little cute card for a dear friend, until I give it to her I don;t want to share but soon Ill post a pic.

Last night over dinner and most of today my mind has been in Kenya. I am so so ready to be back. I still have about 2000 dollars to raise, but I am praying feverishly and I KNOW I will get there. I really need to send out support letters soon.

Im fading fast, so until tomorrow.

BeLove

Do Something Creative Everyday...

So I just had a great big chuckle. I decided Id try and start blogging again, and I went back to look at the last time I had blogged and the first sentence read....So this is the first week I am "officially" at World Hope full time and to say I am tired would be the understatement of the year!!... Well that explains a lot. I am really busy with work, and a new second job, and Awana and church and a 1000 other commitments. But it is kinda funny that I go an d get a full time job, and BAM...no time for blogging, will anything creative really.

So I kinda took a break from fun photography and I have REALLY been missing it lately. I looked back at my my old blogs with photots and it makes me sad. I lost the love because from about september on it was more about taking pictures for other people, and honestly I got sick of it. I've also felt big pull lately to be more creative, I've been making cards for some months now, and I kind of love it. People I have been giving them to, seem to like them as well. And this weeks I've been doing some other crafts, including making magnets, and string art, and a gift for a friend's new house. I'd really like to try and do something creative everyday. Even if its small. We'll see how that goes.

I am just now barely recovering from Bronchitis, and working two jobs, and keeping book for the high school baseball team that plays three games a week, and teaching Awana, its a LOT. Im trying to take some time for myself. Hopefully lots of crafts and "fun" pictures to come....

For now I leave you with one of my favorite cards I've made to date.

Must be a pro...

So this is the first week I am "officially" at World Hope full time and to say I am tired would be the understatement of the year!! Its been a busy week but with some really really rewarding moments. I mean seriously if you love what you do, its not like working.


Something really really cool happened to me on a personal level today. At the time I played it off like it wasn't a big deal but to be honest I was really stoked. So as I said before last weekend I took some engagement photos of a couple of really good friends of mine. I gave them the pictures this week and they seemed REALLY pleased. They wanted to get some copies and they needed them by today so they went to Walgreen's and ordered them. Then this afternoon the Bride to be gets a phone call saying they had to cancel the order because the photos are obviously professional and they didn't have a consent form. So first off, they thought my work was that of a pro! So the Groom to be asked me if I would go down there and explain, I went to Walgreen's, with my camera in tow, to prove I took the pic. The girl behind the counter couldn't accept it, the manager she called wouldn't accept if, finally (after showing them all 200 or so photos I took) the Store manager approved it and they had to re print them. As I stood there the 10-15 mins they took to print them all three of them stood around saying, how good my photos were, and how I should start a business and oh and on. It was a REALLY cool moment. Plus the engaged couple kept bring it up over and over too. It was really really awesome.


Since they posted them on Facebook and the World Hope Facebook, I'm sure its OK to post a picture here. So here is the picture that caused a heap of commotion at an Orlando Walgreen's this afternoon. Arn't they the most gorgeous couple. Honestly they are more beautiful on the inside if you can believe it.

Quick catch up

So I know I just need to bite the bullet and blog again, the last 5 days or so have been so crazy i couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to blog in the few seconds I have been home each day. A couple of fun things, first I started this blog (or rather the counter on the bottom of the blog) exactly a month ago and in that time have had 250 visitors that's just about the coolest thing I can think of. If you are one of them, feel free to leave a message. You don;t have to have an account or anything.

Secondly Saturday I did probably the very coolest thing you could take pictures of. A PROPOSAL. It was honestly amazing. The Groom to be put literally weeks if not months into planning it, and it was something very special. Maybe if they give me permission Ill put up a couple of the pictures. It was SO much fun, and they are SO made for each other. It was also pretty cool that I am close with both of them so it truly was a gift to me as well.

As far as much else, Ive been trying to work out the new job situation, but might have to change a bit of that up. Details to come as they become more solidly laid plans. Also had a really low key but fun Fourth of July, a post on that later. Oh and I have been to see 2 movies in the last 4 days or so which is crazy because I normally go to the theatres about every 4 months or so. "Grown ups" was HILARIOUS!

Last week I went with my friends, The Browns, to a community event in Bithlo, I got to take a few photos but it rained a lot and I was scared for my camera for most of it. However I did get a couple cool pics of Jake, Jordan and Delaney goofing around.

Jake with his GIANT cotton candy.

Delaney

Jordan

Delaney would find a bounce house :)

The evening ended with an errand we had to run way across town, and while there Jordan and I discovered the most amazing "First car" It could be Jordan's soon, its really rad. We call him Charlie.

Jordan and Charlie Brown

Off the beaten path

So my friend Crystal, who has the most beautiful girls on the planet, is moving away from me. Its really starting to sink in. Its funny because when we first started hanging out and I was planning on moving away she flipped a lid, not 6 months later shes leaving me. She was supposed to leave yesterday but due to some unforeseeable hangups she had a week or so more here. One of the first things Crystal and I started doing when we met was going on "adventures" some were small others out of town, but all of them were things that were a little "off the beaten path" so to speak. It seems like when I moved to Orlando it was full of all these amazing things to do, way more than Gainesville. However people quickly get in a rut around here of nothing more than Disney, dinners, shopping and maybe an occasional movie. So I made it my personal mission to find other things to do.

Saturday night we went on what could prove to be our last adventure for a while. We took the girls to see the Classic Car parade at Old town. It was a ton of fun, and really cheap (free for me if you don;t count the drinks because it was 1000 degrees). It was really good to see the girls have a good time on the rides (even those were relatively inexpensive) and it was A LOT of fun to take pictures of. Here are a couple of my faves.

Spinning tea cups that also go up and down.

This is the last picture of Crystal smiling, after this she started looking a bit sick.

Carousel



Hailie on the Carousel

She rode in a spinning booth because she couldn't really spin on the tea cups with her mom and sister.

Motorcycles

A couple of times around the circle this ride rose up as if the bike was doing a wheelie, it was so cute because Chelsie thought she was controlling it and making the bike stand up.

Mechanical Bull

Hailie rode the bull the full time limit and held her hand in the air most of the ride. The guy controlling it called out on the PA that she was the "bravest cowgirl to ride all day" can't believe she is only 6.

Frog Hopper

This is likely my favorite picture of the night. The girls were just SO happy.

So even though this might be out last "adventure" for a while I'm sure Ill see the ladies a couple more times before I leave. I pray they find a good place to stay and go to church up in North Florida. OBC isn't going to be the same without them.

Thoughts on Prayer

The idea of prayer, how to pray and the importance of prayer have come up multiple times today for me, which leads me to believe God is trying to show me something about it.

The first instance is really quite personal. I have found the lately my prayers have become what I deem as vague, for instance praying for Missionaries, rather than each one by name and need etc. I have struggled a LOT lately with feeling that my prayers are just unworthy of God. I don;t know if that means my prayers are becoming less or my admiration of God becoming more but either way it is really starting to bother me. just 6 months ago I felt myself relying so much more on prayer, spending hours a day praying, and laterally turning to God for every matter of my day. These days I tend to group prayers together, and find myself struggling with the idea of "I don't have hours to pray for everything so Ill rush through." This really breaks my heart, because times of prayer for me aren't really asking for things so much as talking to God, so in essence I'm spending less time with someone I love. In reality only cheating myself. It is not as if I think there is not enough time in my day, or not making prayer a priority but rather I feel like I could pray for 24 hours straight and never say all I want to say.

Another instance is the idea that a friend brought forth. She said she used to keep a journal of her prayers, actually someone who went to Kenya with me in Jan said she did the same thing. The idea that if you get it all down you'll cover everything. Without going into much detail because it is really their own business this idea sort of appeals to me. Has anyone else ever kept a prayer journal?

Lastly I have a friend who is struggling greatly right now with the idea of prayer. She recently lost her baby and is going through things I can't even imagine. On top of it all she is dealing with thoughts on whether prayer really works, and how it works. If the idea is God has a master plan, and he knows your story before it is written then what is the purpose of prayer? I tried to give her my 2 cents, but lest be honest eloquent and well spoken when it comes to matters of God aren't my strong suit, I kind of just call it like I see it.

I definitely know I am far from figuring all these ideas of prayer out (I mean I guess Ill be figuring it out as long as I am here), However essentially prayer is one of those things that there are as many "ways to pray" as there are people in the world.

If it is something you feel comfortable sharing, how do you pray, have you ever kept a journal? Have you ever had a time when you just felt like you were getting no where, or not being heard? Can I pray for you?

Lastly a picture. These are some of the kids I met in Kenya. They live in Kawangware, the second largest slum in Africa. They can ALWAYS use your prayers. ALWAYS