A little rain will do...

Sometimes, I feel like I've lost myself.

In the hustle and bustle of every day life, I forget to stop and smell the roses.  I forget to search for the end of the rainbow, or look past the present situation and find some peace in a wildflower blooming in the bar ditch or a momma cow nursing a brand new calf or a simple song lyric that speaks to my soul.

My life has become extremely busy. Stress has truly consumed us lately.  I find myself agitated, flustered and struggling to find the positives. But tonight, my sweet Momma took my child and I had some time to reflect.

I sat on my back porch and watched it rain. I watched the ground soak up that long awaited moisture. I watched the rain pour off the horses' backs. I listened to the sound of raindrops on a tin roof.  The clouds rolled in like a lion and laid a soft sweet rain on this land.

It's been a long awaited thing, for this part of the world to have sufficient rain, I'd say the Lord has answered some prayers in a mighty way! He's funny like that, I think.  You know, they say He won't give you more than you can handle and maybe that's true. This land was cracked and dry, crying out for rain, crying for a break from the drought and like the mighty God that He is, He answered...but in His own time, not mine, not the farmers', not the ranchers'...His.  Now, the wildflowers are blooming in thanks, the cotton is popping up in the fields, tanks are full and over flowing, rivers are running, lakes are brimming full and prayers have been answered!

Anyways...

Today was a long day.  I dwelled on my sorrows and concerns, then walked out of work to a car that wouldn't start...talk about a pity party.  There I was - broke down and feeling sorry for myself.  I started thinking, "what else? why us? why now?"   Then, I decided to leave work an hour early and go fishing with my boys.

We sat out at South Lake...smelled the stinky geese and watched cars fly by on the highway.  Kye collected feathers and caught perch after perch after perch. He reeled them in on his own and was so proud of himself...the stress of the day began to fade.  My thoughts went from can we pay our bills tomorrow to my gosh I love this kid...my blessings certainly do out weigh my downfalls.

Just like this tired, thirsty land, tonight the Lord filled me up once again!  My blessings will flow like the rain in His own time.  But right now, I have to remember to see the blessings I already have - a husband who will always find a way to provide for his family, a son who truly loves his momma and always makes me smile, 2 sets of parents that always find ways to help me when I need it most and a home with a view only God could have made...

Peace, Love & Cleansing Rains,

w

One rant, One paragraph

As what some refer to as a professional photographer, I get 100% frustrated when I am paid to do a job, then have someone lurking over my shoulder the entire time. What tops this off, you ask? When they post their unedited photos the very next day of every shot they stood behind me (or my PAID back up photographer) for.   No one understands how much overhead cost we photographers have, or how many hours we are away from our families to shoot and edit these sessions/events. We pay sitters, rely on family and most of us work other full time jobs to support our love of photography. We work hard at this. We scrape money together for new software, new lenses, props, babysitters, CDs, websites, packaging products, etc and never charge what we are really worth.  We mostly do this because we are photo-fanatics.  Go ahead, ask me advice, I will help you anytime! But for the love of all things beautiful, put your cell phones down at weddings when you know a paid photographer is behind you. Your phone is not wanted in the first kiss shot,  I assure you. Furthermore, if you were not asked to shoot the wedding, leave your cameras at home. Your  on camera flash can really kill a shot for me and it's really a distraction to have someone extra floating around bumming ideas.   So there you have it: my complaint for the century.   Take it or leave it, just leave your camera for Pete's sake!!! If you want a certain photo, ask us, we will take it. Then, you can buy it from us or get it from the bride when she gets the photos she PAID for!!  😊. 

From photographers everywhere...😜

Peace, Love & Photographs, 

W

Things I won't do in 2015

1. I won't listen to the chatter.
 ~ So often, we base our decisions on what others would think.  We hold off on making amends with one person because of what another person might say. We get embarrassed of our situation because someone else's situation is "better." Or, rather, we do these things based on what the voices in our head tell us people are doing/saying. We listen to the negative without celebrating the positives. So for the new year, I resolve to ignore the chatterbox as often as possible. I want to box out the chatter and hear the Lord's voice over all others!   (***if you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy of Crash the Chatterbox by Steven Furtick, it's a must read and by that I mean read it and read it often!)

2. I won't expect my 3 year old to be wise beyond his years.
 ~ My son is smart. He is smart and funny and mouthy. He sometimes throws fits. He even bosses me around and tells me no entirely too often. And so often, I expect so much out of him that he can never live up to it. I catch myself getting on to him and then later realize...he's being a 3 year old boy and there is no amount of yelling or talking or spanking that can change the fact that he is, in fact, a 3 year old boy. So, I've decided to remember that.  I'll remember that no matter how intelligent the conversation we just had was, he is still an onry little boy...a 3 year old LITTLE boy, and I will let him be little.

3. I won't be so hard on my husband.
~ I don't feel like this one needs much explanation...I'm going to try to do better. This may sound strange to some people, but I don't care.  I love my husband. He is a hard working, honest man that loves me and loves our son.  I am blessed to be his wife.

4. I won't be a doormat. 
 ~ I have spent a lot of my life making sure everyone around me was happy. Often times, I've done so at the expense of myself. I love people to a fault.  I am a forgiver. I am a lover. I want to hold tight to that part of me. It's a rare trait and I am proud of it, but I'm also learning that there is a fine line between kindness and doormat-ville. My blessing sometimes feels like a curse, but if I'll learn to say no when I really want to say no, or love people who have hurt me time & time again from a distance, that would be much better than bogging myself down or getting hurt over & over again.

5. I won't waste any time...
 ~ Life has proven to be entirely too short. 2014 proved to be a rough year at times. We as a family suffered some great loss on more than one occasion. It's been a hard year, but a good year too.  So here we are, about to ring in this new year and I say, I will NOT waste any time. If I want to spend time with someone, I will do it then. If I have something to say, I will say it.  If I have a day off and I want to spend it in sweats cuddled up with my sweet boy, I will. I will pray and I will remain thankful through the storms and I will know that our time on this earth is limited and that life is here for the living...L.I.V.I.N. ;)

With that all being said, I say...deuces 2014, you were a ***insert bad word here*** at times, but by the grace of God, we came out smelling like a rose...we may be a little wilted, but here we are! 2015 is going to be a blessed year! I say BRING IT ON! 

Happy New Year from the family! 

Peace, Love & Backward Resolutions,

w

Kye's 3rd Birthday!

I am not sure where the time went...my sweet man is 3 years old today! :(   He wanted a cowboys & indians birthday party, so even though the party planning was totally last minute, we went all out!   Kye & his cousin Rein had their party together, so it was loads of fun!  Courtney & I had a great time crafting and getting things ready for this awesome little get together for our sweet babies!

These marshmallows were a big hit...because they were ENORMOUS!

Every party needs a TeePee!

The kids had a blast busting the pinata too!

TeePees and Cupcakes!

Sweet Rein Mahalia

Happiest baby in the world!

My sister and her handsome boy Radley!

Partners in Crime & Crafts!

Ayden looked like Pocahontas in her beautiful dress and her headdress!  She just lights up the world in my eyes! 

Okay...because seriously, he's adorable.  

 

Rylie Ann was so much help at the party! 

Bud made Kye some "purs" it was one of the sweetest gifts in the world.  Seriously y'all, my spurs didn't have silver on them til I was 18!  Proof that grandkids really do outrank kids any day of the week! haha!!

Miss Mileigh loved the party food! Love this fireball & her DeeDee!!

We  love our girl Kyndall!

My Pa. He's as good as they get, folks.

These women mean the world to me!

Kye's cousins always keep things fun!

Urban Cowboy style...

Kye loved his Lone Ranger mask from his DeeDee!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Kye Rance!
Happy 4th Birthday, Rein Mahalia!

I could keep going with the photos, but I'll stop!  Seriously this was such a fun party! We had hand made paper arrows and chocolate horses, We had a hilarious pinata bashing and lots of great company! Kye & Rein had a ball!

Today is Kye's actual birthday.  I asked him a few questions and thought I'd share a few facts about the wild man!

1. Favorite food:  Chicken!

2. Favorite drink: Sprite!

3. Favorite song: Bluebonnet  (by Cross Canadian Ragweed) (Yea, my kid is cool)

4.  Favorite movie: Indians (The Lone Ranger)

5. Favorite animal:  Bandy (his horse)

6. His Best Friend:  Bud

7. What he wants to be for halloween: A cop, spiderman, the lone ranger, a sherriff...etc.

8. What he wants to be when he grows up:  a cowboy cop

Kye can spell his name out loud, He knows his birth date and how old he is.  He loves riding the lawn mower with his Daddy and playing outside as much as possible.  He really likes going to the bathroom outside too!  He is 100% boy!  He loves trying to rope the chickens and dogs. He sings Mama Rock Me and Redneck Girl in the car every morning! His nightly prayers include just about every person we know and every animal we own. He even prays for his "puppy blanky!"  

Kam and I are beyond blessed to call this crazy boy our own!  Sometimes I really do wish I could freeze frame time... 

Peace, love & the Lone Ranger,

w

I LOVE the D.R.

Seriously...I LOVE the Dominican Republic. And I love my family!  We had an amazing time - we swam, we danced, we laughed and we ate! We even went zip lining! The people were amazing, the views were amazing! I can't say enough about this place!  If you have a chance, go!

We went on a catamaran and after snorkeling, we went swimming in some beautiful shallow water near the shore. On our excursion, there was a photographer who snapped a few shots of everyone on the trip. Here's a few of ours! :)  

Love these people!

Here's our beach at our resort (the Royalton Punta Cana)

Peace, Love & Punta Cana,

W

Kye & Mileigh ~July 2014

Love these two!


Peace, Love & Family,

w

Isbell Wedding

This wedding was absolutely awesome! The bride & groom, the wedding party, the families, the band, the venue (Cotton Creek Barn), the guests...seriously, it was awesome!  These two absolutely love each other, it radiates when they look at one another!  I wish them a lifetime of love & laughter! Here's a few shots from the day! Enjoy!

Peace, love & matrimony,

w