This week I have been in Florida with the lenabeans and nana. I was attending one of the most amazing workshops ever (much more on that later!) while the two of them lounged at the beach. This was Lena’s first big long trip in a car and not a plane since she was about 10 weeks old so we weren’t sure how she would do. She is a little energy bunny:) Apparently the girl was born to travel though. She did GREAT! Loved every minute of it and never complained about getting out once.
So yesterday we said goodbye to the beach and nice weather and made our way north.
Now, my husband has a probably unstable relationship with the weather channel. He loves it. No, like it is on ALL the time and he just sits, watches it and quotes Jim Cantore. Please tell me I’m not the only person whose hubby does that:)
So I get a call saying “Jim Cantore is heading to Nashville, you know this is going to be a good one!” So apparently when Jim heads your way you are getting hit with some kind of weather disaster! So we decided to hit up Ikea and stay in Atlanta for the night so as not to brave the weather in the dark. Lena was happy with that decision:)
So we are now home and getting our Ikea purchases put together. My mind is going 100 miles an hour with everything awesome I learned…can’t wait!
today we set off to jacksonville. 3 girls, lots of toys in an effort to keep the Lenabean entertained, some chickfila in our bellies, and manymany stops.
oh, and one backtrack by a few exits to make sure we got a starbucks fix.
10 hours later we arrived. it was dark, right after sunset, but our first stop was the ocean.
because when you have a two year old in the back seat who has said all day “i go to ocean” how can you tell her its really going to be tomorrow.
so we found a little access to the beach, parked illegally, and made our way in the dark across a small boardwalk.
**
Lena hit the sand, teetered on it, and held up her hand to her ear and went “what that sound” in amazement.
her last trip to the ocean was at 10 weeks old so this was her first “real” trip, one that she can react to.
With Mr. Moon big and bright, a beautiful breeze and not a cloud in the sky we ran to see the waves
Nana, Lena, and I are roadtripping it down to the Sunshine State tomorrow for a workshop on my end and a little beach and sand time for Nana and Lena. Lena has been running around all day telling everyone “I go to ocean”
We are stopping at Ikea on the way home, be still my heart! My closet will thank me as well since I have clothes piled up in it since we got rid of our dressers last week on Craigslist:) Not too mention my OCD husband who is coping better than expected with his clothes being in a box.
I’ll have my computer and phone with me, so feel free to contact me if needed!
I realized this morning IT’S FRIDAY! And we are overdue for a five on friday post now that the holidays, the contests, and the wedding week are behind us. So I couldn’t bring myself to do any other five post other than haiti. Because everything else seemed so silly and trivial in comparison.
I’ve made myself not watch CNN and not get wrapped up in this because I’m the type that takes things overboard (who, me!) and would be planning to catch a flight down there. I did mention to Brad that I was sure there was some Haitian babies that needed us but, no dice. yet. But in the midst of it all, I still want to honor what is going on and do a small part to give back, even if I can’t be on the ground there helping in person.
So that is what our five is today. Five ways to give back and impact a country and people in dire need of it. But before you even give back, pray. Pray for the people, those hurt and impacted by this and for those on the ground helping and administering aid. That in itself is worth more than anything.
1: So, CNN was banned but Don Miller got me! He posted this video about World Vision and I knew I had to watch. To wrap my heart around it and, even though I can’t be there or do too much, I can do something.
2: A blog I have been reading of some missionaries that live in Haiti and were there when this happened: http://ourlifeinhaiti.blogspot.com/ give you a great insight and non-media look into the devastation. Plus it gives you some specific prayer requests.
3: Oh, social media. You have changed our lives forever. When I really stop and think of how far we have come in the past even 5 years, its kind of scary, but good. Raising money via texting, tweeting and retweeting about it, posting on your facebook ways to help. This is such an awesome new phenomenon! So I’m sure you have heard about it but Text 90999 with the word “Haiti” as your message and you’ll instantly donate $10 to the American Red Cross. Plus you can post this on your facebook and/or twitter too to spread the word!
4: Love 89 has set up way to donate to Compassion on their website. Super easy and 100% trustworthy that your money is being used for good. I have had the privilege to see a Compassion project in action in Ecuador and work hand in hand with the kids and families they are impacting and it is one of the most influential things I have ever witnessed in the world! This organization is changing lives no doubt about it and the awesome thing is, you can to!
5: Another awesome way to give back and get a little something amazing from Etsy:) Go to Hearts for Haiti to buy a donated item. 100% of the money will go to Doctors without Borders. Super cute stuff on there that is screaming to be an awesome Valentine’s Day gift!
So when A’lana contacted me for a Knoxville senior portrait session I was pretty excited because I love senior sessions. Then when she emailed me about her ideas for outfits and that she wanted to include her nerd glasses and scarf I fell in love with her and knew we could be besties:) Then I met her and it was confirmed. She even broke out some fierce ANTM posing and I knew we were meant to be. Love it!
We decided to meet at the gardens in Knoxville and even had a little snow still staying around for us. Like I said, I absolutely love seniors… they are up for anything, love funky and fun things, and humor me when I say stupid things like “pretend you are such and such”
Here is a sneak peak for A’lana’s awesome senior portraits! Although I will say that I’m putting together a little ode to the nerd glasses but they need their own post so we’ll wait on that:) A’lana, thanks for being awesome! Enjoy the pictures!
last night I was working on the picture gallery below to put on here while Brad got ready for bed (he goes to bed super early) and Lena went to say good night to him. I heard a cry, one I had never heard before, the there-is-something-really-wrong cry. Lena had slipped and hit her head on the corner of our platform bed. I wanted to include some of this here too because, hey, its memories. The drama of last night will one day be the story of her first time to get stitches. Just like Brad gave all the details of the times he got stitches while we were waiting at the hospital:)
The fall made a deep gash in her forehead and her nose bleed so after the initial freaking out because lots of blood and calling pops down to give the initial assessment, we made our way to the hospital. Here are some of the many reasons I love my daughter and the things I want her to look back on and remember:
Her biggest concern going into the ER was whether they had Dora bandaids.
She knew what was going on and was so calm about it. Anytime she would here a noise in the hall she wanted to know if it was the doctor coming to help her booboo.
Happiness to her was the gown she got to wear with whales on it. She then proceeded to talk “whale” to the nurses and asked them all where Dory was:)
She had to know all the nurses names that came in the room and told them all “I Yena, I two”
She was so calm when they put the stitches in and just sat in my lap and ate on a popsicle.
At the end of it all she was sitting in her hospital bed in her little gown and looked at us and says “thanks guys”
I just love her and her amazing spirit! So my little beautiful girl has stitches in her forehead but will have a fun story and nice scar to show off later down the road. But imperfections, memories, and stories are what makes us unique and even more beautiful:)
The original post:
here are some pictures from over the holiday season. I am so late on this but wanted to put it up for memories sake. These are taken from Thanksgiving to Christmas and just random snapshots, most from my point and shoot, that I did nothing too but upload because even photographer’s need fun snapshots too:)
*Be sure to scroll through and see the last one. grammy+snuggie:)
Lindsey and Jeremy had their wedding on New Year’s Eve at Laurel Theater here in Knoxville. I was honored to be their photographer for the event! It was a destination wedding with the families meeting here in Knoxville to celebrate with a beautiful intimate wedding. The Laurel Theater made for an intimate venue with great light to get some great wedding photography for them. I’m loving their pictures! A big congrats to Lindsey and Jeremy!
