Friends. (Pt. 2)

Hello!  I have a sequel to my friends post, one which I intended on writing way back in the summer...which makes it more of a prequel...

Anyways, these ladies here in the picture have been in my life since childhood.  The friendships mentioned in the original post have been forged in adulthood, but there is something unique about maintaining friendships that have managed to withstand the painful adolescent years, early adulthood flux, and have settled into mature, permanent relationships.

In fact, many of the friends I had as a child I don't really keep in contact with, just because life shifts, and time moves on, and so the story goes.  I cherish them nonetheless.  

These girls and I reconnected (officially) this past summer, and it was like being a carefree youthful girl again, reminiscing with my friends about the old days, talking about the future.  It was like not a day had passed by, though it had been years since we all had an opportunity to finally find time to spend together in person, not just via Facebook.  

These girls, whom I adore.  I've known one since elementary school, the other since high school.  Oh, the days spent building backyard forts, tea parties, slumber parties, singing in the chorus of high school plays, dances, graduations...these girls were there.  

And I am so thankful they were, and still continue to be. They are wonderful, Godly women.  Kind, beautiful, funny, generous...

I thank God for them, for our pasts that He has woven together into the present, and I am sure will continue into the future.  Have a beautiful, blessed day, friends!  Love you ladies!

Friends.

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday with a few of my closest, dearest friends ( a couple of them weren't able to make it, but they were there in spirit).  I always feel reflective around my birthday...I find myself lost in thought, thinking back over each year...how things change, or don't change, or how I have changed.

I like my thirties.  I like being in this age, becoming more sure of who I am, what I want for my future.  But, this post is not about self-reflection, it's about friend reflection...

I want to tell you why I adore these ladies, why they are my sisters...

 They make me laugh.  A LOT.  Seriously, they are ridiculously hilarious.

They are all Godly, mature women, who each brings to the table unique talents and gifts.  They are strong where I am weak, they are supportive, they are encouraging, and they are each in a specific walk of life in which they can share wisdom and advice.

We all have common interests...yes, you might be thinking this is an obvious building block of friendship, but I find myself surprised at times that we really do have such common likes and dislikes.  We all tend to spend time together as a larger group because of this, rather than breaking up into smaller groups to do whatever we each like to do.

We've celebrated joys and heartaches together, over the course of a number of years.

So, to my friends, thank you for adding love and laughter to my life.  I feel blessed, and I look forward to many more years of crazy road trips, movie nights, parties, long talks, weddings, babies, and looking for 'rock goats'....

Photography Announcement.

Hello all!  First off, can you believe the holidays are here already??  Where did the time go?  I don't know about you, but I feel like the past few months have been a complete blur, and I am looking forward to some time off over Christmas to catch my breath, enjoy time with my family and friends, and bask in the ending of another year.

I wanted to let my dear, faithful clients know that I am not doing Holiday sessions at this time...

As of now, I will be taking a sabbatical from photography, indefinitely.  I've wrestled with this decision, but found it a necessary one to make.  I do enjoy photography, and am so blessed and grateful for my lovely clients.  However, I am finding it difficult to find a balance with photography, painting and my full time teaching job.  I just do not feel like there are enough hours in the day to book sessions, edit photos, and deliver them in a timely manner, especially during the Holiday crunch, when I am at work full time. 

From the bottom of my heart, I thank each one of you who has believed in me and encouraged me to pursue photography, and I thank you for your understanding regarding it being put on hold for now.  

I will post as soon as I am able for upcoming photography news.  In the meantime, I appreciate you, and want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas!