We Have Our WINNER!!

This beauty received a maternity photoshoot and copyrighted disc as a response to her sister's selfless, kind, loving words about her and what an incredible mama she'll soon be. Congratulations Amy! And, thank you Elise, for  nominating your sister! 

(See more of the photoshoot here!)

Vagabond Image & Design

Just another shout out for the current scholarship-giveaway going on with Vagabond Image & Design!

Here are a few ideas of whom you may want to nominate:

Your sister and/or best friend for being there for you always.

Your friends who are crazy in love and trying to stick to a budget for their upcoming wedding.

Your brother who has this gorgeous family that just keeps growing and changing and you just know they need to document the exciting moments, but have other things at the top of their priority list.

Your sister who cares for everybody she meets and treats them with utmost respect and dignity. She cares for her family, but never seems to treat herself. Perhaps she needs a little something extra special this Christmas.

Your co-worker who has a new little gem to love on and simply hasn't taken the time to capture those first memories...

...or your darling friend who doesn't neglect to capture the moments, but never seems to be in the frame for those moments as well!

How about that one special someone that is nourishing and carrying new life.

Nominations can be anonymous or not, whichever you choose! Simply follow the instructions on this link to enter the person you're thinking of right now... Go ahead! What are you waiting for?!

Saturday Morning Bliss...

• blog facelift
• rediscover favorite CD from high school
• start conquering to-do list
• mountain of deliciousness

After making potato skins the other day, I had left over baked potatoes to make breakfast with...
I wish you could taste them... I also wish you loved potatoes as much as I do...

Check, check, check, check! And all before 8:30. 

Heavens, I love Saturdays. It's really a shame it always takes another 6 days for them to roll around again.

In case you haven't heard, girlwithagypsyheart is hosting a scholarship-giveaway with Vagabond Image & Design... read the previous blog post here for details -- in short, you can nominate a loved one to win a grand prize of a full photo session with copyrighted disc of their edited images for free! All in the spirit of giving. Check it out!

Happy Saturday!

Giveaway? Christmas? WHAT?!

In the spirit of GIVING, Vagabond Image & Design wants to help you take a step back and remember the reason for the season with a scholarship giveaway!

Do you have someone on your gift list that you want so badly to give the perfect gift, but just can't quite find that very one? Do you have a loved one who really struggles during this time of year (it's not always easy or natural for some to join in on the joy and cheer -- lots of loss and memories spark sadness instead this time of year.) Or maybe you're like me, and have someone who has everything they want and need... I get it. Those people are very tricky to Christmas shop for. 

Have no fear, an answer is here! Photography is a way to capture and document where you are here and now; it's something that can be looked back on to recognize the growth, memories, cheer, and oftentimes a point of reference for a new start!

**Here are the deets:

PRIZE: GRAND PRIZE- ONE FREE PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION of the clients choosing plus a disc of edited images with copyright. (Engagement, Newborn, Family {immediate only}, headshot, maternity, or a children session – must be done in the Cedar Valley or if mutually agreed within 30 miles of Cedar Falls/Waterloo). 

2nd Prize- ONE mini 30 minute photography session of the clients choosing (Cedar Falls/Waterloo location only - all additional items ala-carte).

HOW IT WORKS: Click the girlwithagypsyheart Facebook link and become a FAN of the FACEBOOK page (I will check this) and this is good for one entry. Check out the blog before it gets it's incredible face-lift.

Email vagabondimagedesign@live.com why the person you wish to make merry with this gift should be treated to a personalized photography session. This can include why you're thankful for them, how they've impacted the community or another's life, how they have persevered through a difficult season of life, or anything that you deem worthy of a personal, fun, never-to-be-replicated gift. Please include your name and contact information as well as your connection with whomever you're nominating and what type of photography session you wish to bless them with. In 250-1000 words, please paint a picture for me of specifically why this person is the best fit to receive the Grand Prize. (This is the fun part - get creative, enjoy it!)

The scholarship will be open the 12 days of Christmas and I will announce the winner on New Years Day. 

(aka: Feel free to email your essays from December 13th-December 25th, at which time the contest will be closed and I will take a few days to read through them and find a winner. Winner will be announced the first day of 2014!)

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME.

Are you sitting down?? 

I'm trembling I'm so excited right now.

:)

God is good. He always is. He always has been. He always will be.

I know these truths, but sometimes, I get caught up in circumstances and have a hard time truly believing it with every fiber of my being. The last couple of years have been a real challenge for me. I've tried SO hard to find purpose in them and, while I know that things don't always look as I expect them to or make sense to me, I know God has been working in me for something wonderful. 

Maybe, just maybe, this is it. :)

Ah! I hardly know where to start! Haha. So, through a series of unexpected events, these past few years I have become somewhat of a photographer -- it's something I've always loved and others have asked me to document their families in ways to preserve moments for them... well, in attempts to improve my photography skills, I have committed to learning from one of the best photographers in the world, Tim Dodd. Tim is a local photographer, and truth be told, I blush every time I am in public and see him... his talents have brainwashed me into believing he is something other than human and should be revered as Heath Ledger... (okay, that's dramatic, but I had pretty well gotten a grip on my horrible blushing since graduating from high school - clearly he's pretty talented!) Hopefully, I'll be able to come to grips with reality before May.

Things just keep getting more and more exciting. 

Saturday (yes, 5 days ago,) I made a new friend. It took us less than a half hour to realize we are kindred spirits. Cassie is my friend, Hattie's, twin. I'm not entirely sure how we've gone a couple of years without ever meeting, but I know God had this moment planned to bless me like crazy. So thankful. :) Have you ever had an encounter with someone and just known they were someone your heart could just spill to?! Someone you could relate with and who could understand your dilemmas and the things that really get you so crazy, unreasonably excited?! That's how it was meeting Cassie! Just as if we'd known each other forever! 

Well, Cassie's in a similar season of life where she's seeking the Lord and being faithful with what He's given her, but she's discouraged with a lack of fellowship and meaning to her life at the moment. (Again, slightly dramatic, I know there's meaning in even the smallest acts and moments, but seasons sometimes come and go and can be dry... that's what we're dealing with here.) Hattie was the first to recognize that a trip to Italy would be refreshing for Cassie. I had been looking for someone I could enjoy traveling with to go with me, otherwise, I'd be stuck spending an extra $650 to supplement the fact that a single person (yours truly) was occupying a double occupancy room. Within hours, I had come to realize that Cassie was that girl and that my cash stash had exactly $2 more than what was required for the deposit for this trip. All the while, Cassie came to the realization that while she's feeling like she's in a dry season, God has blessed her with a job that pays her very well... we're all convinced it's meant for a time such as this! We're going to Italy!! 

Me with $500 of my $502 and Cassie with her debit card... so excited! I just love when God confirms things with such clarity!!

(Further reason to rejoice is that my previous roommate, Michelle, -- lived with her in Oregon, she now lives in Kansas -- is also coming along... and bringing possibly two three more friends! Michelle and Stacey are quite possibly the two most spontaneous girls I have and will ever meet. Cassie, Michelle, and Stacey are all those girls that everyone enjoys, can get along with everyone, are always fun... the trip is bound to be amazing.)

As if that's not enough to be excited about...

Seriously, brace yourself.

I just spoke with my friend Amanda from when I was living in France. 

Rewind just a smidge. So, I lost my job (I just might post more on that at a later date) in July and have been having a lot more emotional troubles from that than I ever would have imagined. I have been applying for jobs only to find that I'm just not quite what they're looking for. I realize this is the process everyone goes through, but it's the first time for me and it's very disheartening. There has been one specific job working with middle school and high schoolers that I was so excited about the actual job itself, not just the fact that I'd be employed again... I still feel this is something I would be excellent at, the response I received from that church was pretty unimpressive. I was discouraged and embarrassed at how unprofessional and rude it was. However, I can't help but believe it was leading me to this very moment! 

There are a few things I know: 1) I am adventurous and am not willing to sacrifice that for a job or a relationship or... anything, really... 2) I want to be here in the Cedar Valley, my family is here, I grew up here, I 100% feel this is where the Lord has me for the long haul 3) anything is possible 4) God loves to bless and surprise me 5) He's created me for special, specific tasks 6) time is of the essence.

Amanda and I during our Ireland adventure.

Back to that email from Amanda -- Amanda works for the beautiful church I went to while in France. Since I've moved back to the states, she's headed up a church plant in a neighboring town/village. I was there when the seed was first planted and remember praying with her and others for direction in how to make this happen. The thought that I will have the opportunity to see all God has created over the years excites me to no end! Amanda just emailed me that they'll be needing an intern for the church plant for next June and July. That fits all those details I mentioned last paragraph... PERFECTLY. 

I've always been a dreamer. God's always been faithful. I know He's placed these things on my heart for a reason and I just can't contain how excited I am to see His obvious love for me when He arranges such fun surprises!! 

I don't know ANY of the details right now, but I know just as before that God will provide and that everything will come together. 

Let the daydreaming continue. :)

courtney & matt | engagement

Ah, Courtney & Matt. :)

So fun, so kind, SUCH a great couple. 

Matt is an adventurous, explorer type all the way from Alaska. He curiously found himself working in a diner in small-town, Po-Dunk, Iowa, one summer only to discover there was so much more there than just a summer with his buddies. 

Courtney had always worked at Bill's. I know it was her beauty that first caught Matt's eye, and can only assume it was her self-less, gentle demeanor that kept his attention throughout the summer. 

For the sake of love, let's rewind just a smidge...

After high school, Matt made his way to the University of Oregon to study all things athletic and beneficial to physical health and prosperity. (I'm sure the title of his major was very similar, but slightly less romantic.) He loved his new life on the continental Best Coast and made many great, lifelong friends. Among those friends, one managed to talk Matt into traveling back to his hometown of Po-Dunk, Iowa for their summer break... if only they'd known what life-long treasures that summer had in store for him!

Now, as for Courtney, she would probably be found on the other end of the spectrum of exploring and such... Her adventures mostly include home-made, delightful creations and maybe a brief exposure to the great outdoors. She's got a giggle that has been proven to make your heart swell (yes, just like the Grinch's). When God made her, he created a woman who was naturally everything you've always loved about your very favorite Grandma, (seriously, her kitchen always smells of fresh baked cookies, she's the most hospitable person I've met this side of Ireland, she's kind, gentle, encouraging, sweet... the list could go on and on.)

Yet, different as they may be, God brought them together one hot, Iowan summer. The two worked side-by-side serving pizza, burgers, and beer to the local crowd of Po-Dunk, Iowa.

Despite their expectations, a bond came from their jobs.

I presume you've caught on from the title and the gorgeous ring and how incredibly happy these two are together that they're getting hitched. :) It's true, but there's just a bit more I'd like to tell you...

Matt and Courtney have a GORGEOUS love story. They now have oodles and oodles of lovey-dovey photos to remember this season of their life with. (That's what happens when you hire a hopeless romantic for a photographer!) But more than these things, they're REAL PEOPLE. Sometimes an outsider might even get the crazy idea that they don't like each other (seldom, but it happens!) Courtney and Matt are REAL PEOPLE with a REAL LOVE. Over the last 3 years they've been through good times and bad, they've made the best of distance and being near each other, they've made hard decisions and been blessed with loads of adventures. They share a beautiful love because they work at it. 

I am inspired by these two as individuals, but also as a couple. They're a great team. They know how special their relationship is because they've been in situations where they've been without the other for much longer than ideal. They encourage each other and challenge each other to be better people and better parts of their communities. One of my favorite things about Matt & Courtney is being with either one of them one-on-one. Regardless of what conversations they've had or situations they are in at that time, they always have something to say about the other and just they way they say it oozes of their love for the other. I don't know if that last bit made any sense at all... but these two have got what it takes! They're an excellent model for what I'd like to be a part of one day when I fall in love. 

Thanks for being such an inspiration and example, you two. 

Love you both to the moon and back. :)

rylee | 9 months

Little Miss Rylee. Full of life. Full of sass. Ours.

This little thing had quite the story before she even graced our presence on this earth! Her journey to be with us was not one every baby experiences. From day one, Miss Rylee has been determined. Gracing our presence at just over 3 pounds, she's shown us what it is to be thankful, what it looks like to be hopeful, and how to trust God in His timing, provision, and sovereignty.

Clearly, she's doing amazingly well and before we know it we'll be celebrating her first birthday! (Honestly, WHERE does the time go?!)

Grace is like oxygen. 

We wouldn't be living without it, but sadly, we hardly notice it. 

Soak it up today and give thanks. 

JOY is at stake.

These pictures remind me of all the grace I've been given and how I so easily overlook it and take it for granted. Specifically, some of the most important people in my life. It seems as though every other person I love so dearly has had a moment of life or death. Thankfully, God hasn't surrounded me with too many timid loves. 

Rylee, here, is one of those loves. The sassafrass you see in the first photo shines straight from here beautiful little heart. Another fighter we've got on our hands. :) SO blessed.

Thanks again, M&D, for letting God use you and your sweet little princess to shine light on such important truths in my life.