Where have you been?

Thought this was cool and fun. Create your own by clicking on the link below the map. Guess I am a Western girl. My fave hockey teams are in the NHL Western Conference, Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings (how Detroit is West I am not sure).

Of all the places I have visited I have only lived in 2 - Washington State and Texas.

My fave place (s) to visit for vacation.....Washington (western of course, Seattle, Mount Rainier, San Juan Islands, etc,), New York (Manhattan, LOVED IT).

Places I passed though (on the way to or from Texas and Washington) but want to go back to really visit (a vacation maybe)...Oregon, Montana and Northern Idaho.

Places I went as a kid that I would like to go back to...Colorado, Nevada (not Vegas), Arizona, New Mexico.

Place I want to visit again but a different city...California (went to San Fran, would like to check our some other parts, maybe Northern Cali).

I seriously have to work on the East Coast...the North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine.

Leave me a comment on why I should visit your favorite or home state and why!

Small Group Night

Tonight our small group from church meets at our home. My husband and I are the leader/facilitators. We have the BEST group ever. It is filled with people that love each other the way God calls us to love one another. The really amazing thing is that this is tangible love. We have seen our group bond in a very short period of time. They have reached out to one another emotionally, financially, spiritually, and physically.

And you know what the really great thing is...we are not a holy huddle. We have three new couples visiting tonight and my prayer is that they feel the love of Christ expressed through each of us. Most importantly, that they will be edified and walk away with something applicable that will glorify God.

So this was really just a shout out to all my HomeTeam homies, love ya so much! And also to my husband who is so committed to our group...thank you for all the time, effort and prayer you put into each person and meeting. I love you most of all!

My new obsession

Well, really an old obsession come alive again. My mom was always taking pictures when I was little. I still remember the day we went to San Antonio (a big deal as we lived 30 miles south in a very small town) and my dad bought her a real camera. She was so excited. When I say a real camera I mean one with an interchangeable, manual focusing lens and a removable flash. I love some of my mom's pictures. One thing I love most is that she is not afraid to grab her camera and shoot anything at anytime. My Mema (grandmother) is the same way...sometimes Mema is too bold. She took photographs at my Grandaddy's funeral last February. Who was to tell her no, it was her husband for crying out loud. It made some people uncomfortable...guess I am just used to it. She even sent me a picture of his headstone once it was placed at his gravesite. She was very proud of how it turned out as she had designed it and commissioned an artist to create it. Just a little background for ya...now back to me...

I love photography. I love journalistic style and portrait photography the most. It is so amazing how pictures can tell a story without a single word. I love photo essays as well, words and photo's together are great too. Annie Leibowitz is an amazingly talented photographer. Some of her subjects and the way she captures them are a bit extreme, but some are beautiful beyond description. Emotion jumps out at you and you feel as if you know something more about her subjects.

The first photograph I took that I was really proud of was of a tree. I was taking a photography class through 4-H (told you I grew up in a small town). They taught us how to make a camera out of an oatmeal container. It would take a single photo. I sat it in a bunch of leaves and positioned it towards a towering Live Oak Tree. It was amazing (to me at least). I have no idea where that pic is now. I am sure stored away at my parent's house.

I have become inspired again. Food & Wine Magazine is having a contest on food photography. Grand prize is a Canon Rebel Digital Camera. That would be so awesome. So they have combined my love of food (cooking & eating) with my new desire to take beautiful pictures. I will let you know how it goes. It is a one time shot (no pun intended) as you can only enter a single photo into the contest. I might upload some of my pictures to get your opinions.

If you know of any good books on photography let me know. My husband does not know this but he will be my first serious portrait subject...oh what he is in for.

School is Out (for two more weeks)

You are probably confused 'cause school just started for most of the districts in our area (DFW). However, my husband is in Bible College at Criswell and it seems to me that college is never out, he has Fall Semester, J-Term, Spring semester, Summer I, Summer II and Summer III. It just so happens that he does not have another class until August 21st. He was off last week at well, three weeks in a row without class, reading, papers to write, stuff to memorize...etc. I know Mark loves school, and I know that he is committed, determined and called to his education. I fully support him in this. Mark also works full time (up to 60 hours a week) at a job that is very mentally challenging, volunteers at church, volunteers with parachurch activities and is a devoted husband and friend. When you add all this up he is constantly on the go. Most weekend he spends any time at home in his office doing school work and studying.

It has been really refreshing for him to have this break. I have loved it too! We have been able to hang out with our friends, watch movies, read (for pleasure), go to bed early, sleep late, just hang out. Next Tuesday we are taking the day off and going to Six Flags. We are gonna ride all the thrill rides and just act like kids (we don't have any so we are still allowed to act like a kid). I am just so blessed that Mark and I will get to spend some time together where the sole purpose is to have fun and act silly. Sometimes I think we take life too seriously. Don't get me wrong, serious is good, maturity is a wonderful thing, but every now and then you need to act like a kid.

So this is my public thank you to God for giving us a few weeks with limited outside commitment so that we can refocus on each other and have some down time mentally and physically.