Photographer Winner Announced

June decided to pop up on me unawares.

New month. New purposes. New fun. New stuff to do.

But right now I must conclude my photography challenge!!!

I waited to announce the winner because I wanted to go get some real paper to draw the prize on. I did that yesterday, so....

The judging team was unanimous in picking a winner!!! {Imagine that! Such a relief. ~_*} So glad I don't have to deal with a bunch of dramatic screaming. Hehehe....

There is only one way to do it...

Jonnah!!!!!!!!

Because you are such a great winner {:D} and my dear personal friend, you get to have an extra special prize. You do NOT have to pick one of your own photographs for me to draw {unless you LIKE one of them and WANT me to draw that one. You did mention maybe the book one}.

All I need you to do now, my dear, is just pick a picture and let me know! Then I will get right on it! I think it's going to be so much fun!!!!

Sorry this is so short, but I'm going to run...to bed. Been a long day.

Loves!!

It might as well be Spring

 

I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'd say that I had Spring fever
But I know it isn't Spring

I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
Oh, why should I have Spring fever
When it isn't even Spring?

I keep wishing I were somewhere else
Walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I have never heard
From a man I've yet to meet

I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
That it might as well be Spring

<3

 

 

I got picture happy

Today we had a 40 minute storm. Literally. It grew, blew, and died, right here, over my house. All in 40 minutes.

There was sunshine. And then there was rain and thunder. Then there was sunshine.

But it created something that rarely happens and something I absolutely adore.

The brilliant effect.

That, at least, is what I have taken to calling it.

The whole world filled with vivid fairytale colors.

Most people don't even recognize it. But my eye is trained to notice beauty. I just do. Everywhere.

The only problem is, the camera cannot capture it. At least, not my armature iphone....

Still, I am rather crazy silly happy with these pictures, because they are happy!!!


:D

sparkling sunshine, drops of water from the storm, tall wispy grass....

 

 

my horse was posing after the storm

see (=

 

beautiful rainbow done no credit by my measly iphone

 

 

yes, it's a weed. a thistle at that. what of it? it's purple. and pretty

 

the pic I promised from my time with Noni! this is me and Asa... I sadly did not get one with Noni... hopefully next time. :D pardon the half-smile

 

 

 

yep. pretty glorious

 

 

I am in love with life right now. Had a great talk with my Daddy today, along with God. Just been some good time. I like that.

 

Sometimes, life is just....perfect.

<3

 

At least, God is.

 

 

 

Friend of mine {Joanna} posted this to fb and I just COULDN'T resist. It is soooo funny.

And a little disturbing...

 

 

And now, it is good night, my lovelies!

 

 









sometimes life goes crazy

Phew.... there are times when everything around you just seems like a whirlwind.

The last few weeks of May was one of those times. It was fantastic.

We had one of our amazing v-ball parties.



We had a TON of people out, but these kiddo's stuck around for most of it.

Kaylea, me, Keaton, Micah, Greg, Pickle {my pup}, Joe, Abrienne, Lydia, Becca, Brisa, Heather

After a few more peeps left, just Joe, Micah, Lydia, and Becca stayed for the campfire.

 

 

 

Sorry all these pics are so blurry. My iphone hates the dark... :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating marshmallows and chilling....

 

 

 

 

Being a goof... :P ~_*

That Saturday, one of my friends got married!!!! It was one of the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to.

 Joe and Pippa. Again, it was dark inside, so the camera took terrible pics... :'(



 

 

My sister Brisa and friend Elizabeth

 

 

Ashton and I

 

 

Joanna and I



Then on Tuesday, I went to visit Noni!!! I had so much fun chatting with her and playing with her little nephew, Asa.

{Picture coming. ~_*} 

Thursday I went to SDC {Silver Dollar City} with a huge group of AWESOME friends!!! Here are some pics from that {taken by one of my friends, Lacey}.

Duncan, my AMAZING friend Grace, and me, on the new roller coaster, Outlaw Run...

 

 

This bluegrass band was really good!!!

 

 

Duncan, me, Grace, and Daniel in line for Powder Keg {another roller coaster}

 

 

Becca and I

 

 

Another one of my best friends, Lydia, and her brother, Philip. Becca is almost their sister

 

 

The WHOLE group. {Back row to front}

Hannah, Jerusha, Leah, me, Becca, Lydia, Jonnah, Lacey, Noni, Rachel, Ariel, Emilee, Sydney

Micah B, Joe, Micah M, Nate, Shannon, Philip, John, Nathanael, Thayne, Daniel P, Daniel B, Samuel

Ethan, Benjamin, Timmy

 

 

Then, like topping on the cake, Saturday was my awesome friend Rachel's graduation!!!!

 

 

 

 

{Pictures from her blog post HERE}

 

I played with this little guy, Rachel's youngest sibling, most of the day. He is a goof!!! :D I did not edit those eyes...they just...came out that way. LOL. It's rather perfect.





Then I did this with my sisters, just for fun...

 

 

 

Took this amazing pic of the sunset on the way home from that little excursion...



Took this at work...

 

 

 



 

Rootbeer float.... YUM.



And yesterday, I took my sister out as a thank you for finishing the last few days of my forest work with me. We picked up our mutual good friend Lydia and hung out pretty much all day... :D

Yesterday was National Donut Day.... MmmMmmm.....

 

 

 

 

 

 



We went and saw the new animated movie, Epic. It was loads of fun!!!!!!


Today, my voice student has a recital. I will be playing piano for her... :P

After that, I am heading to some friends house to hang out and play vball, and then we usually start a bon fire, pray, and sing. It is epic.

 

 

 

 

 





When Time Flies

Do you ever catch yourself thinking, just where did that day go? Or maybe tried to figure out how the time zoomed past so quickly?

Or perhaps you just wonder how it escaped you that May is over and June has begun...

It seems like the more I try to capture each moment, the more they slip away from me. Time crawls. And disappears.



I seem to be soul searching more and more these days. And the more I learn, the more I examine my heart. The more I fail, the more I seek answers.

Have you ever been surrounded by laughing friends and felt alone?
Have you ever been touched by a sunset and felt like crying?
Have you ever stared into the eyes of someone you loved and know they didn't love you back?
Have you ever woken to singing birds and known that the only option was to pretend to smile?
Have you ever been trapped in your own disgust?
Have you ever thought there was no way out?


I learned something this week.

I learned that I hate myself.

Every part of me.

I know the ugliness of my own heart. I know the jagged edges and bitter tastes. I know the anger and jealousy. I know the blackness deep in my soul.

I admit them. I am human. Bare. Brittle. Bound to failure. {Romans 11:32}

Raw emotion cannot be erased. Shattered hearts cannot be remade.

I also realized that I expect myself to be perfect. I hold myself to a standard so high, the bar cannot be seen.... And it rips me apart, because I always fail and will always fail.


So I made a few decisions.

 

 

First of all, I am going to stop hating myself.

God made me just the way I am. He likes me. He LOVES me. He wants me to be this way. I cannot be perfect and I should not expect perfection. I have been washed in the blood of Christ and before God I am a pure lamb. I am free of guilt and shame and mistakes.

I am going to appreciate the things He has made. And I am one of them.

Second, I am going to live like no one is watching. How many times have I admitted to you that I am a people pleaser?

I think I have finally snapped the chord. God and God alone matters now. I am exhausted. I am broken. And it is all my own fault. I try so hard to please people I don't even need to. I do things I don't like just to make them happy. I pretend to not care when I care very much.

This time, it is not something that I have decided. God actually showed me how ridiculous I was. He showed me all the things I was doing to get other people's attention. He showed me how silly I was. If someone wants to be with me...they will be. They will choose me. It is not hard for me to give love back to someone. If they try...I WILL love them back. It is my nature. But from now on, I am not going to chase empty smiles. I know who loves me and who does not by what they say and do. It is no mystery. And I know that the friends that really love me are going to be my real friends and I am going to stop chasing fruitless friendships. I am going to do what I love. I am going to do what God asks of me and stop ignoring the small voice whispering in my thoughts for the desires of my own heart.

It is time.

Time to be a voice, not an echo.



 

 

Sometimes, you can't explain some love. Sometimes, it goes deeper than your head. It springs from your heart.

 

I am going to give this love to God. Let Him control it. Let Him move it. Let Him guide it.

 

And wait for Him to lead down the path it takes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn't intended to baer my heart tonight. It just sort of happened. I guess I am learning to stop hiding. I hid for years, in fear. And I am beginning to learn that some things are meant to be shared. So that we can learn from each other. We have to be vulnerable to rejection to be open to acceptance.

 

 

 

 

This has my song the last few weeks: