"no spring nor summer beauty hath such grace..." -john donne

so this fall has been quite a whirlwind too!
we celebrated our 4th anniversary...
had another super cute photo shoot with my favorite model and her cousin...
started a studio lighting course...

spent a weekend in ny visiting the bro's new pad and checking out the apple festival...

go training to toronto for an eaton centre shopping excursion with lisa...
(yes, we tried on a LOT of hats... this isn't even half of them!)

oh, and did i mention WORKING A LOT!?
fall day school portraits are wrapping up but hockey and senior grad photos are in full swing and keeping me muy busy! i'm so very, very, (very) much looking forward to our 2 week vacation that starts next wednesday!

summer reflections part 3

for the first time EVAR i attempted to grow tomatoes in the backyard. they haven't done too bad, surprisingly enough! i've even made salsa and NINE varieties of jam!



i've also been pretty busy photographically speaking, with outings with the hamilton flickr group, a wedding photography workshop, and photoshoots. and i have a contract position taking school portraits and sports photos this fall while still working at my old job one day a week. AND i start a studio lighting course next week.



this summer has actually been pretty stellar and i'm sad to say goodbye. but the fall brings new things and exciting destinations...

summer reflections part 2

the road trip was incredible, i got to see parts of this country i've never seen before and spend some quality girl time.


being semi-employed this summer has also afforded me the luxury of chillin with my dog, working on my tan (ha!), pool time with heather & miss emma bean, and reading.

summer reflections part 1

as i sift through photos, i'm saddened that this summer has rapidly come to an end! just a semi-small update for those who don't know, i quit my admin job in the spring and promptly headed off on a trans-canada road trip with two of the hottest chickies this side of the atlantic. we left hamilton on june 27 and three cars, five stormy (but bear-free) nights in tents, two much-deserved hotel stays, and ZERO moose later, we arrived in vancouver!

long overdue

after a brief (eight year) hiatus, please welcome the questionably triumphant return of... the BANGS! and while they certainly are not bigger, they are better, albeit a bit soccer-mom-ish.



and now i'll leave you with a few pics of my new work "office." (and no, whatever photography skills i had are not deteriorating- i just took them with my cell phone.)
ps. do not, i repeat do not, bring pillars of the earth to work. because, maybe you'll get no work done because maybe when you put it away in a drawer, you will still want to read it. all day. maybe.

a wise guy

My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers)
February 29, 2008


He said, ’Lord, that I may receive my sight’ —Luke 18:41

...Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn’t work in common sense ways, but only in supernatural ways.

...If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. ...And God will do what is absolutely impossible.

...God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won’t believe; we won’ t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore— we prefer to worry.

take it for what it is

i hate when people start their posts by saying something like "wow, can't believe it's been so long since my last post..." or "i promise to start writing more..." like they owe it to somebody to blog. face it, if you post out of obligation, it's just not as exciting to read. plus, who's to say that people actually read your blog anyway? so that being said, i'll start today's post.

wow, i'm not sorry i haven't blogged in awhile! things have been busy and i kinda like it (altho i'm fairly certain i'll be getting prematurely gray as a result). the last (almost) two months have been quite the busy ones, that's for sure. christmas (of course), parental visits, a long-awaited visit from dear melissa, new year's eve wine & game night, supper & chat with globe-trotting cher bear, taking in some theater and concerts with a newly reacquainted buddy(that's you debbie jane!), a very happy birthday spent at a dance competition with mom and the "outlaws," shopping for the birthday present that my darling husband had been canvassing the continent for funds to help him afford (a macbook!), visiting a new mommy, dinner and driving with taiwan-napped naomi, photographing my first "real" wedding with the best assistant ever (again, you debbie jane!), movie with sis-in-law, monday night bible study/gabfest, teaching sunday school... and this weekend jj & lisa are coming up to visit! and that's just on the home front! i'm finding it necessary to invite people over just so that i'm forced to clean my house- otherwise i don't find the time/energy! ;)

at work, we've moved our office to a new location and i've also submitted a proposal to work for them as an independent contractor, which would mean some major changes if they go for it.

both my dad and norm's dad have heard the word "cancer" in the last few months and we're still waiting to hear exactly what's going on. my dad has gotten the "it's not cancer, but we don't actually know what it is" from his doctor but we're not sure yet about norm's dad.

so, thus far, this year's turning out to be a doozy, for better or worse. but God is good so we'll see where He takes us.


ps. if you create a clever scavenger hunt, including 10 creative reasons why you love me, and at the end leave an ooey, gooey, chocolate, brownie, caramel cheesecake for me to find, i will indeed be yours.

snow!