It has been almost a year ago since I stood in awe of the most spectacular sunset God painted one October night on the beaches of Anna Maria Island.
This image and those that follow are SOOC (straight out of the camera)
no layers...no textures...no actions or curves...no extra drama added.
For me, these images speak to the power of God's hand and the truth that HE is ENOUGH.
I needed this reminder today.
SOOW (straight out of the WORD)... is where God desires for me to abide.
"Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
I examine my "fruit" over the past month and ask myself...am I abiding in His word or the world?
If I am honest...my time has been spent more on starting a new business, social media, keeping a clean house, exercising, editing images for clients, volunteer work, driving in the car, etc.
While none of these are bad in and of themselves, they can take me off course if I am not careful.
I feel God nudging me to make a course correction and begin shedding some of the "layers" I have added to the beautiful life God has intended for me.
"But this is the one to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:2
These were taken with my Nikon D80
28-300 lens, 70mm focal point
f 5.0
SS 1/250
ISO 1250
I chose not to edit any of these images to speak to the power of God's handiwork.
Be sure to head over to Stefanie's blog for more Sunday Snapshots!
A few weeks ago we made one last trip to the beach taking Lily to one of our favorite spots...Destin,FL. Michael's parents have a house there that they generously let us use and it was perfect timing to get away and escape reality for a few days :))
Michael earned major points the night we took these pictures. Although Lily LOVES the beach she was tentative about stepping on any of the seaweed that had washed up from the storm they had a few days prior to our arrival.
She wanted to stay in one place and wasn't all smiles at first.
When Michael brought out her favorite beach ball that all seemed to fade away.
The smiles came out and she started hamming it up a bit :)
We have been working on throwing and catching with Lily so she was super excited each time she was able to catch one of her Daddy's tosses.
Spencer taught her this trick...she loves to put it between her legs and then jump up and down :)
The laughter and smiles from this picture took me back to that night on the beach...no stress...just simple joy!
Destin is known for their crystal white beaches and turquoise waters. Although we didn't have the beautiful water because of the storm, the weather was perfection and we enjoyed every minute of being together.
Lily has many looks and faces...this one makes me realize how much she is growing up and has changed in the past year. The "two's" have not been terrible at all...in fact I am loving this stage with her and wish I could freeze this moment in time.
We have been talking about how she will turn three soon...I look forward to seeing what the days and years ahead have in store for our little girl.
Lily woke up yesterday morning eager to start her first day of preschool!
She had a breakfast picnic with quiche and yogurt while listening to Third Day's
"Children of God" on my phone.
After I got her ready we went outside for a few pictures before we headed off to school.
She wasn't very excited to take pictures because she was focused on leaving for her first day of school.
This is her first pair of TOMS and I love them...especially their "one for one" mission of giving back a pair of shoes to a child in need. Love it when my purchases have a purpose behind them.
I think she likes them too...she kept saying "new koos"..."new koos" (still working on her "s" sounds)
I finally got her to smile by singing her favorite new song...three little monkeys.
She joined right in with the motions and a big smile.
Here she is with her alligator hand "snapping" the little monkeys deep inside :)
Love our 147 million orphan bag we use for school.
It perfect for her "happy nappy" and extra change of clothes.
Lily walked into class and made herself right at home getting started with arts and crafts.
She has two teachers...Ms. Niese...
...and Ms. Judy.
Although Lily looks a bit scared in these picture she was actually quite content and didn't even say goodbye to me when I left because she was busy working :)
When I picked her up Ms. Judy said she had a great day and loved the writing center and cutting with scissors. I laughed when I saw that she ended up with an extra hair clip in her hair.
(I'm sure you can guess which one since it doesn't match anything she has on!)
The adorable owl card she is holding was from her Aunt Lizzy, Uncle Mark and Zack...
they gave her a little happy for her first day of school.
When I asked Lily what she liked best she said "cutting"...so we pulled out some scissors when we got home and she had fun cutting paper for about an hour!
I think this face says it all...a joyful, happy little girl indeed!
Linking up with Lisa's Favorite Photo Friday...be sure to stop by her blog!
At low tide, there is usually a wonderful tide pool that forms on the beach.
Spencer wanted to pull Lily on his boogie board but she was content with building sandcastles in the sand and didn't want any part of it.
After a little prodding she decided to give it a try and then she was hooked!
She was grinning from ear to ear, laughing and sticking out her tongue to feel the wind against her face.
She took a spill face forward off the board into the water and her big bro was right there to give her a consoling hug to make it all better.
Even her tumble didn't stop her and today these are some of her favorite videos to watch on my phone.
My dad and Lily have a special bond. She knows how to sweet talk her way into getting him to share his phone and watch a few shows on TV that she doesn't get to watch at home :)
She also loves to snuggle up to him when she is tired or watching TV with him...I think my Dad loves it just as much as she does.
He loves teaching her new things and helping reinforce her speech goals (he is the one who taught her how to say "I love you...aka "I wawa woo".
One night while we were watching the Olympics he taught her how to catch a balloon. We have had a lot of fun with this since we came home.
Lily also LOVES her Gaga! My mom gets down on her level and helps her build sandcastles until her little heart is content.
You can see them walking hand in hand often. Lily totally soaks up all the extra attention she receives when we go down there to visit :)
(The beautiful dress she has on is one my mom made for her and I am thankful for every stitch of love that goes into it. )
Spencer prefers body surfing, skim boarding or soaking up a few rays while he is on the beach but he also got some special treatment from my parents when they took him out shopping for some clothes while Michael and I had a date night out.
We got the added treat of being able to see my sister and her husband one day while we were there. I don't get to see her very often so it was a special gift to hang out with her on the beach for a day.
Lily also loved playing with her Aunt Debbie making play dough ice cream cones :)
Our little girl has no fear when it comes to the waves.
She loved going out with Michael into the ocean and having the waves crash against her.
She definitely feels safe in his arms.
The boys headed back home a few days early so
Lily and enjoyed some extended time with my parents.
Maybe she is dreaming about the ice cream boat.
He came by the first day we were there and she and Spencer enjoyed a tasty treat on the beach:)
One of the many special gifts that awaited Lily on her bed were these Tinkerbell pj's!
They rank as one of her favorites and I wash them frequently!
I think this picture is a great reflection of our week at the beach with my parents...peaceful, quiet, refreshing and simple.
What a gift it was to be together as family and spend some quality time with my parents.
Thank you Mom and Dad for creating fun family memories we will treasure for years to come.
