Thursday, March 31, 2011

when i get older, i will be stronger

It was Tuesday morning, we were three days into our trip to Haiti, and it was a mild 90 degrees by 8:30am. Our task set before us that morning was hauling rubble from a crumbled home to the side of the street. Six months earlier the earthquake had turned the two story home with several families living in it, into a one story pile of rubble, and by the grace of God all 14 family members safely escaped the falling home before it was too late. 


No bulldozers, no heavy machinery, just rock by rock, bucket by bucket we walked to the side of the street for a dump truck to haul away the rubble. While we worked tirelessly for a few hours hauling rubble, a group of local Haitians worked along side us. Men, women and little children pitched in to clear away the home in hopes of rebuilding. It was a Tuesday morning and Benson, our new found friend, all of maybe 8 years old filled his coffee tin with rocks from the home and walked it to the street.  His face held a deeper understanding of life and pain than any 8 year old should ever have to know. Benson seemed to time his trips to the street perfectly to Dan's walk back. See, Dan was hauling rubble with a wheel-barrow, and Benson liked to hop in and catch a free ride back.  
Haitians speak Creole, similar to French, which helped me none. There was a distinct language barrier between us and the people of Haiti while we worked, yet there was one song that every child knew and sang that we understood. 


We heard it blaring on the radio as we walked back and forth from the crumbled home to the street. 

Dan would start signing to Benson and he would finish the song while sitting in the wheel-barrow.


As I walked past of group of children playing outside their tent, I heard their sweet little voices, "when i get older, i will be stronger"....and somehow I knew these lyrics had a deeper meaning to these children than just a song. 
Give me freedom
Give me fire
Give me reason
Take me higher
See the champions
Take the field now
You're the fighters
Make us feel proud

When I get older
I will be stronger
They'll call me freedom
Just like the wavin' flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag...

In the streets
are exalifting
as we lose our inhibitions
celebration is around us
every nation all around us

Singing forever young,
singing songs underneath the sun
let's rejoice to the beautiful game
and together at the end of day

When I get older
I will be stronger
they'll call me freedom
just like a wavin flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag...

Waving Flag by K'naan
2010 FIFA World Cup


That afternoon after removing rubble, we had some downtime before dinner and there there just so happened to be a World Cup game on tv. While the Haitian women worked on laundry by hand, the men took a break from work and watched the Game. The Haitians cheering for Brazil, Dan cheering for Holland. 

And there they were, pouring rain, covered by tarps...huddled around a tiny little tv...







Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Golden Weekend

Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but my weekend included Monday...and it was golden.
listening to...


celebrating...

A little breakfast at our favorite diner, surprise mani & pedi, shopping, driving the open road,
and a d-lish steak dinner made for the perfect birthday. 

Here's to turning 28, just when I think life doesn't get any better, 
new friendships are formed, 
love runs deeper that I thought possible,
and life gets more beautiful. 
I can't wait to see what this next year brings. 

I'm thanking God, who makes things right.
I'm singing the fame of heaven-high God.
Psalm 7:17 the message

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Lauren Lee- part 1

Where to start...

This is attempt number 38,210 at writing this post, and still I can not come up with anything clever to say. So, in an attempt to not bore you, I'll let the photographs speak for themselves.

I introduce to you....Lauren Lee.
She has a gift, I mean- this girl can sing.
And not only can she sing, but she can play guitar, piano, and put together a mean outfit (please tell me I'm not the only one with just a little jealousy running through the veins?)

Check out her website, and her blog





Prepare yourself for some major fierce-ness...

I have so many favorites, so you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see the rest!


 

Monday, March 21, 2011

Weekend Recap

I had the joy of visiting my family over the weekend. 
We ate lasagna, celebrated birthdays, and I even managed to fit in some much needed girl talk with my four year old niece before bedtime. Who knew a little girl could have so much to say about starting kindergarten and being a big sister. 

Enjoy a few photo's from my grandpa's house...  









 

Friday, March 18, 2011

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT

{Photo Credit}


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Redbook

Going through my grocery list I checked off what was already in the cart and surveyed what we still needed.

Spinach-check.
Laundry detergent-check.
Bottled water-check.
Only one thing left on my list...Redbook.

I'm not normally one for magazines. But April's issue of Redbook was a non-negotiable. Remember this post?

After months of waiting, I could barely hold it together any longer. I had lost all patience for the Table of Contents and formulated a very precise game plan for finding the article...Dan started from the back, while I started in the front and we paged through. 

And there it was. In between Momcentric & Stuff my Kids Taught Me, was sweet little page 127. Page 127 will forever hold a special place in my heart, my first published photograph.

We stood in silence, in the middle of the magazine aisle, looking at the article, starring at the photograph and I barely held it together.

So, without keeping you waiting any longer, the April 2011 Issue of Redbook. And a special thank you to Jamie for making this opportunity possible!







Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Kylie

Photographed her as a little one, and I recently had the pleasure of photographing her at 6 months. How cute is she?!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Rocky

Don't expect any witty or funny stories today, our day was filled with shooting and blazing through some editing from a recent shoot. Depending on how much work I get done, I might just pull a Rocky victory dance as celebration for my productivity.



Tuesday, March 1, 2011

cookies & lettuce

Lettuce & cookies...odd combination...I know.


It's a Saturday afternoon and I'm getting ready to make and photograph some of my favorite cookies-Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. My version of a healthy cookie-a girl can dream. 


I start gathering the ingredients and realize the last of the eggs were eaten this morning by husband someone, but I'll refrain from naming names...so I can't make-or photograph-my d-lish cookies. 


So whats a girl to do who is jones-ing for some food photography but has no cookies in sight? The next best thing...grab the only semi-fresh thing in the fridge and shoot away. 
Which is where lettuce comes in.