Today I am leaving for Cali, and won't be back until next week.
I am 95% sure the new blog design will launch next mid-week and until then, I am signing off from blog world.
I know, I know.... no Friday's Letters this week! You are still welcome to write them,
but the link up won't be up for this week!
I am so excited to get back to this space with you guys though.
There is SO much to share and SO much going on, I am getting excited just thinking about it!
Until then (whenever that may be...) have a great week, weekend and see you all SOON!
Here are two of my inspiration boards from lately to tide you over! (above & below)
If you are wondering why it looks like someone deleted a bunch of stuff from this page, it is because someone did. And that someone is me. And this little blog is getting ready to go through another major overhaul. The watercolors were nice, for the summer but now? Now they have got to go. I am clearing out space for a lot of things that haven't had space before. And I am not simply talking about the cosmetics of a blog on the internet, but of things that have taken up space in my heart.
I think it is a reflection of our lives right now... we are trying to arrange and align ourselves, to be in the right places and the right times and to just trust. We say that we do that--, trust. But that is a big word, and a hard word, when you think about it. It means having an unshakeable faith and a heart that can hear the Lord crystal clear. It is big... But trusting? Well, trusting is our theme these days. Trusting the right job will become available. Trusting my business will bloom and become what I have envisioned for it. Trusting that when the time is right we will be blessed with a little Slater. Trusting that once that job has become available that the house we have been dreaming of will come along too. Trusting that my health remains stable. Trusting that we are making the right moves and making the most out of this life that we are given.
And it is a lot my friends. It is a lot of weight when you try to take all of that on, when you own it and don't release it to God. You get anxious and worried and it can drive you insane. We are commanded to release those things, and when we don't it is sinful. And damaging, and destructive and before you know it you are in the ER having a panic attack. I know this because it happened to me five years ago.
I know how detrimental it is to fret over things which are not in our control. How does that feel to hear? That you have no more control over what job you get or what home you have or if you get cancer or not. I am not saying that we don't have choices and can't make decisions but not putting our trust in the Lord is simply a waste of time.
And sometimes the burden is heavy, because we are weak and don't get it and need constant reminding of His goodness and power. But when we DO trust, and when we DO take up our cross daily and walk that walk? Well, there is a promise. God doesn't promise its easy but He does promise He will never leave us or forsake us.
And in Psalm 55:22 it says, "Cast your burdens on the Lord because He will sustain you." That word sustain is such a big word. To me in means that He is holding us, protecting us and keeping us steady. And in our walk we need to be steady and to be held and that? That is a powerful thought.
So things in my life are getting a little re-arranging. And it includes this space, because this space has become a big part of me. To end, I am including a really great song that reflects my thoughts this week. I hope you love it as much as I do!
speaking of editing, I got to shoot some pictures for my family on Friday including my nephew and niece. I think they are pretty adorable, but I am partial. What do you think?
Now I am off to VBS early this morning, hope everyone's Monday's are off to a great start!
Dear Husband, Thanks for taking pictures of me every time I ask. Even if we DO always get into "discussions" about who is a better picture taker (me). Dear Tiny Initial Gold Necklace (which I have worn almost every day since Christmas), this week one of my nephews or nieces lost you forever. There has been talk of toilets and flushing from the 2 year old. I am devastated! Seriously. Dear Business, This week my mantra has been "stick to the plan. just keep going. give yourself time". I am having to remind myself that things take time and to give myself a break every now and then! Dear Michigan, Could you maybe not rain for a portion of the day today? Could you just stay sunny and pretty for my family session this evening? That would be great, so thanks. Dear Husband, Thank you so much for taking Bella to her first obedience class at Petsmart last night since I was meeting with the church worship team. I loved seeing all the "tricks" Bella learned at class and also hear how you had to explain why a grown man had a tiny dog with a pink collar "ummm, this is my wife's dog...she picked her out...." LOL. Dear Blog, You have been teetering close to the 2000 mark and then less close to it (did I offend someone?) and now you are 4 little people away from getting there. Maybe today is the day, eh? Dear Blog Friends, I hope everyone has a great weekend and I cannot wait until this blogging slump subsides and everyone is back in action! P.S. I still haven't gotten my lab results from my rheumatologist but I will be sure to share the news here as soon as I do!
Michigan has been in a mood these past two weeks. One second it is sunny, the next the skies are dark and cloudy, threatening rain. The state can't really seem to make up its mind what its next move is going to be.... are we going to ride out the summer for the rest of August getting a few more hot days or are we going straight into fall here? It's really a toss up, the first year we lived here we had snow at the end of September so its not like fall coming soon is out of the question.
Thankfully, I will be heading back to California in two short weeks, and the down to the deep south of my Georgian hometown (both times to shoot weddings). I am pretty sure this dress is going to be packed on both trips because its the easiest thing to slip on, I can move around and be comfortable in it when I am photographing. And that is so important-- I couldn't very well be taking great photos if I am constantly worried about wardrobe malfunctions. So this dress is definitely coming with me. I have definitely had the best luck finding great pieces at Kikila'rue.com By the way, this website is not paying me to say this. I really truly mean it. Ordering online is always such a toss up because you never really know what you are going to get BUT every piece I have ever gotten has been top quality and I think that is saying a lot.
I also kind of love that it makes me look like I am a little "with it" in the fashion world. It is the high-low trend which means it is shorter in the front and longer in the back (insert countless mullet jokes here). So maybe people think I am a little trendy when I wear this? Lordy, I can only hope so because I need it! When the husband gives me the go ahead to spend money and add to my wardrobe the items better be fantastic because THAT doesn't happen every day (can I get an amen from my wife friends?!)
That would be my precious nephew Ethan, the one we flew from California to Michigan to meet back in May. He was so teeny tiny in those first few days, and while he is still just a mini muffin he is growing and growing.
Being an aunt was not something I thought about much, and when I married the husband I automatically gained 6 nephews and nieces. Ethan makes seven, and I love being surrounded by these kids more than anything.
I will tell you that being around them makes me that much more excited for holidays like Christmas, or Halloween. They get so PUMPED about simple things like board games and ice cream. They are experiencing things for the first time like elementary school and how to deal with a bully. I know when we have our own littles I am going to be so crazy protective, just hearing how my oldest nephew got picked on this past week makes me want to go punch a little 10 year old brat right in the face. For some reason I don't think Jesus would like that very much if I did....
But you get the point. Our world is so crazy you just want to protect the little guys, tell the little girls how pretty they are and that a negative body image will wreck them. You want to shield them from bullies, and also scoop up the kids who ARE the bullies since you know their home life is probably a mess. You want to fuel their imagination and teach them that being kind and forgiving is more important than being rebellious and sassy. You want them to do all the right things since you know how much better it will be for them, all the while knowing they will probably make a lot of the same mistakes we did.
Thinking on these things reminds me that Jesus must feel the exact same way about you and me. He has the plan laid out in the bible, there it is, all the "secrets" right in front of us, but we still have to test the waters and take matters into our own hands. Thank goodness He is there to love us when we come back, tail between our legs when "our way" doesn't work out. In the same way, I will always be there for my little nephews & nieces, and our own children one day to scoop them back up, tell them I love them and try and make their way in life a little bit easier.
It's pretty spectacular how having children in your life-- in any capacity-- changes your perspective, right?
Lately I have tried to be more intentional with my time. I am "working" regular hours during the day. We have friends to meet and visit with. We have groceries to shop for and bills to pay. Bella is starting obedience training once a week. I am connecting and getting involved with the worship team at church. Time is starting to become more and more precious than it was a few months or even weeks ago. The first thing to fall to the wayside was prayer time, and then bible time and then both. So in the past week and half I have intentionally set aside thirty or forty minutes before I start my work for the day to pray, read, reflect and worship.
Worship is so important to me and I could talk about it for days but today I just wanted to share how important it is to just BE. Sometimes I am not exactly sure what to pray or what I should turn to and read, but the Lord always knows what I need in every moment. This morning my time consisted of listening to songs, singing along, letting my heart be stirred, crying sometimes and receiving what He had for me. Sometimes we as christians become very comfortable with our routine, how we praise, how we worship--- and we need to get intentional with our time. We need to sit down and say "God, I am not getting up from this spot until I meet with you today, until I feel your presence come flooding in".
This is one of the songs that as of late has stirred me up the most, I hope you enjoy it and take some time to be intentional, to get a little uncomfortable and to just BE.
"you are always good. always good. always good. Where you go I go, what you say I say God, what you pray I pray, what you pray I pray....Where you go I go, what you say I say God, what you pray I pray. What you pray I pray...."
This weekend we celebrated our niece Kloey Grace's second birthday! Kloey is such a fun little girl, she has the funniest faces, especially when she isn't happy about something. I tried taking one of her birthday presents to get her to look at the camera for me and I think I got the dirtiest look EVER. I didn't post that one, but I did post a handful of others!
I have been working so hard trying to grow my little business so this weekend was a nice chance to unwind from sitting in front of a computer screen 8+ hours a day and marketing within the community. On top of the birthday party I helped out with worship at our church which is something I haven't done now in almost two years. It was nice to be able to sing again, I have missed it. We also spent some time on the lake and catching the small bit of sunlight that graced Michigan Sunday. Otherwise the weather has been so crummy. I hate that, it makes me want to curl up and read a book or take a nap. It definitely doesn't make me want to get outside and run-- instead we have eaten out not once, not twice bit four times in the last five days. Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Chinese, Pizza and more chinese....I am ashamed of myself! Today I am getting outside and chasing some pavement so all the progress I have made doesn't disappear! IN other news, miss Bella starts obedience training at Petco this Thursday night. She is a great dog but sometimes doesn't come when she is called or won't stop barking at strangers, I hope she learns from her 6 weeks at class so she will be a better listener! We also still have not found a place to live and have been joking that we are officially squatters at my in-laws home! Fingers crossed we get it all worked out, or better yet, that husband finds a permanent J-O-B!
Here are a few more shots from our day on Saturday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!
there is one of those grumpy faces I mentioned earlier!
future cake decorator? :)
obligatory grandkid picture...I wonder if we will ever get one where EVERYONE is looking!
so I taught myself how to create a chevron design in photoshop thursday! so fun!
Dear Husband, So we still don't have a place to live.... not sure what we are going to do about that. Dear Photography Business, I have some really big plans for you and you are growing in baby steps and I am so thankful for that! Dear Everyone, I have some pretty cool things in store for next week including a very special kikilarue.com post! Stay tuned! Dear California, I miss you. Good thing I am coming back in 3 weeks for a visit! Dear Blog Friends, Are you as excited as I am to get into fall and over this blogging slump that everyone has been in? I don't know about you all but I have really had to make myself dedicate time to this blog, it just seems like this summer has been so busy for us ALL! Dear Bella, You were so sad when you cried getting blood drawn for your heartworm test at the vet. Talk about making me feel guilty! Dear Bloodwork/Lab Results, I went and had my rheumatologist appointment yesterday and I hope that all my labs come back with good results! Fingers crossed for kicking lupus in the rear!
On our second to last day in Traverse City I realized that I had honestly only taken about 40 pictures so I scrambled to get a few more. It's nice to put down the camera and relax but it is also nice to have SOME memories! And this year husband and I drove into Glen Arbor for lunch at the Cherry Republic. It instantly became one of my new favorites-- afterwards we took a dip in Lake Michigan and visited sleeping bear dunes. I am already planning our trip up this fall to see the beautiful changing leaf colors and stock up on our cherry pies and cider! Here are a handful of my favorites from the last droplets of our vacation!
husband driving the boat
show off
fish tacos from the cherry republic
bella always needs a little encouraging to get in the water....
men's sunglasses are cute to wear.... NOTE: not these though!
my favorite boat house sinks a little lower every year. sad!
