All-Star Acoustic Jam

I grew up on country music. Sometimes, I turn it on just to remember my childhood and that downhome country feel to life. The rest of my family listens to country music constantly and would be able to spout off the names of the hottest artist in 2 seconds flat. I can't. I wouldn't even be able to tell you the names of most actors. I might recognize a face, but past that, they are just like every other average Joe I see in a day. Anyhow, my cousin, Tarah, invited me to go with her again this year to the All Star Acoustic Jam which a local country station puts on each year and the proceeds from all the tickets goes to the Ronald McDonald House. Well, I figured this was a prime opportunity to work on some photography skills and here are just a few of the pictures. There are many more on facebook.

Pictures in the Park

I think that photography has been the most creative, relaxing hobby I have ever picked up! I love being able to go down to our local park and enjoy God's creation and all the beauty. I love the innocence of children while they play. I love capturing images like these.

SeaWorld! - Photos

We had annual passes to SeaWorld this year and since we are coming to the end of the year, I decided it'd be a great idea to spend the Saturday visiting the animals one more time and to try out my new photography skills. We had a very enjoyable evening as the weather was PERFECT! Here are some of the pictures I came up with:

Discovering Orlando Again - Photos

Well, Josh's parents came to town this last week and I just dropped them off at the airport this morning. We had a great time and since his mom hadn't been here in a LONG time and I don't think his dad had ever been here, it was fun to rediscover Orlando again. We actually didn't hit any of the BIG touristy places while they were here. No Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens. However, we did get to spend lots of time together and while we were at work, they visited with old friends and visited the Orlando Science Center, which was cool because that's where Josh and I had our first official date!

Then, Saturday we all went to Ripley's Believe it or not and spent several hours there before heading to the Florida mall for a quick trip. It was too crowded so we left and headed over to Old Town for the Saturday night tour of the classic cars. That was fun to get to share that with them. Josh LOVES old cars, so we had been before with John and Carolyn and thought that his parents would enjoy reliving some of their childhood memories. Our last stop was A&W Root Beer for some root brewskies then off to the house.

Sunday we visited Calvary Assembly for the first time to make some more friends our own age. Then, we went to Mellow Mushroom so his parents could discover the amazingness of the pizza there!

That was our weekend in a nutshell. Here are a couple of pictures from Believe it or Not:

A horse made of horseshoes!

Greg read all the weird captions under the news articles.

Ha, fun house mirrors take the most flattering pictures of people!

BIG TIRE TIME!

Oldest City in the US - Photos

We decided to take advantage of the long weekend this weekend and went to St. Augustine. Josh loves historical sites and I hadn't been there since high school when I went on a boat trip with my grandparents. I hadn't been to the fort there since 4th grade! So, it was a lot of fun to go back and share some of the things I had learned with Josh and just get away for the weekend. I took my new camera and got some fun, good shots. These are just a few of those. The rest can be found on facebook.

Thanksgiving 2008 - Photos

This Thanksgiving was a little different from all the rest. My mom decided she wanted to stay home alone this year as the rest of the family got together at my grandparent's condo as usual. My aunt, uncle, and cousins came this year too. Usually they are already up in the mountains of North Carolina over Thanksgiving but this year they decided to wait until afterwards. Also, it was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and Josh's first Thanksgiving away from his family and in Florida. It was a warm sunny day today and I took my new camera so I could take some pictures of the wildlife that is always around my grandparent's condo.

This year my grandfather was talking about his typical hobbies - boating, flying, and fixing cars. However, he started saying that he was getting tired of fixing cars and keeping up with the planes. This astounded me. My grandaddy has always been the kind to stay active and even after he retired he's stayed busy with his hobbies. Now he says he's slowing down and even considering selling his plane and car. He still goes out on the boat, but I haven't heard of them taking a weekend boat trip in a long time. They used to go on weekend trips all the time and even went on week long trips at time. I guess I really am growing up. I guess things really are changing. I guess it's true that they won't be around forever. As he was talking about all this I felt the need to record his love for old cars and preserve the memory of his hobbies. His plane was at a hanger at the airport and his boat was out at his warehouse at my aunt's house, but his car - that was in the garage just outside. I hadn't seen it in several years and I knew Josh loves old cars, so we talked him into getting the car out this afternoon so I could take some pictures of it. You can tell he is SO proud of it! It's his piece of yesteryear. Although not the best pictures in the whole world, I am still glad that I could record this passion of his and I hope he can still cherish the photo if he does eventually sell the car.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope that you all had a wonderful dinner and that some of those memories of friends and family have imprinted themselves in your brain. Many more blessings as this Christmas season comes!

A Quarter of a Century... - Photos

Well, there it is...a quarter of a century that I have lived. My 25th birthday was on Friday. I hope to remember all of the next 25 years! Isn't it strange that typically your healthiest, most energetic years are a time in life when you don't even remember a good portion of them? Strange. I once saw a program I believe showed on Discovery channel that went through the changes in the body from conception in the womb to 80 years of age and they basically said that you are done growing and in your prime in your mid-twenties. Then, after that point you are beginning the decaying process and health starts to dwindle. That's depressing. I'm glad that I don't base my life in what science says about my life but about what Christ says about my life. I plan on being MORE effective for Christ and enjoy life even MORE over the next 25 years (should Jesus tarry). I'm excited about what the next 25 years will bring! I'm praying for miracles, anointing, and God's glory and gospel being proclaimed!

Anyhow, I got to work on Friday at Onsite Safety and they had decorated my desk with all kinds of birthday goodies, they got me a silly hat to wear, and got me a ton of my favorite candies! Then, as if I wasn't already on sugar overload, they sang to me and had me blow out candles from a tray of brownies and cookies! DELICIOUS!!! Who needs cake? Stacey makes some great brownies fyi. :)

Friday night we went to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse with a bunch of our friends. It was a good time and great food. I think the best thing about Kobe is that they give you lo mien with your food as well as rice. Hello carb overload! I think this was probably one of the best birthdays I have EVER had!

Then, yesterday Josh and I went to Magic Kingdom at Disney with Steve, Hollie, Nate, and Jen. Steve works at Disney and got us all into the park for the day. It was a blast! Thanks Steve for the day of fun and Jack Sparrow spotting! It was a great birthday weekend and now for the best part...

My friends and family all chipped in and got me a Digital SLR camera, the Canon Rebel XTI! Courtney and Bradd then gave me a telephoto lens to go with my camera! They were the best gifts ever! I feel set up now. I have wanted a dslr for a while now. I have been interested in photography and I'm super excited to have the opportunity and equipment to be able to pursue it. I want to be able to take pictures for ministry purposes. Pictures that stir people to action. My prayer is that my photography will capture even a glimpse of what God sees in His children and that the viewers can relate to those in the images.

Anyhow, I just wanted to gush over how special my friends, family, and co-workers made me feel this weekend. Thank you all!