American, Baby! Sessions

The American, Baby! Mini Sessions 2012

This sweet family came to visit me at Colerain Beach for their family session. I love this location because there of the private beach and the the lovely colors. Trees surround this private beach, which offers lots of shade during the hot summer. It was such a pleasure to see the White Family again. Enjoy the sneak peeks.

Motivation for Monday: Light of the World

John 8:12 ~ When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

My husband has been telling me that the sunrises on the beach are phenomenal and that I should go check it out one morning while he is at home. Most weekend days I am so tired from the week that I just want to sleep in, you know what I mean?  Well, I did end up going to the beach last weekend, after all it is maybe a mile from our house. I brought my camera because I was expecting God to perform for me. I mean, since I got out of bed and drove down to the beach I wanted to see a dramatic and beautiful sunrise. It was down right cold outside, but I waited. I walked around for a while and found some stray drift wood that washed up on the shore. Still waiting for the Artist to perform, I walked the drift wood to my car. The time ticked on, the sun was surely rising, but what I saw was disappointing me. The sky was severely overcast and the only color that I saw was on the horizon. I was missing the sunrise because the clouds we in the way. Man! I got up out of bed for this...
I heard the Lord speak to my heart. He said, "Karrie, be still. Stop moving and look up." So, I looked up in the sky. I still see dark clouds, but this time I noticed that little rays of lighted color started to show through the dense clouds. The Lord spoke to me again. "I am able to use the darkness. You will see My Light shine through at the darkest point. I will penetrate the thick darkness. You will have hope & strength. Remain in Me." All I had to do was stop looking at the obstacle, which in this case was the clouds. I had to look beyond the darkness to see the lighted color of the sunrise. I began to see with my eyes and with my heart what God was telling.
Everyone's darkness is different. Finances, unemployment, the loss of a loved one, health issues, guilt, any kind of doubt, any type of uncertainty, maybe even depression itself is your darkness. God is able to use it to glorify Himself in your life and through your situation. He is able to provide everything you need. He is able to heal. He is able to move the mountains of doubt into the deep ocean. Trust in Him. He will show up you just have to look beyond your darkness. Love you friend. Be encouraged today!

Motivation for Monday

Good Morning! I hope y'all had a nice weekend with your family & friends. I sure did. Aside from little John getting sick with the sniffles and a bit of a cough, our weekend was great. We were celebrating Beau's first win of the season. Go Warriors! The football season is coming to a close. One more home game left. I feel like the little engine that could. I think I can. I think I can. {I only say this because we love having Daddy home}. Above is a pick of the boys' sandy feet. The weather last week was so beautiful. We went to the beach twice in our sweatpants to play in the sand. We had the whole beach to ourselves. It was lovely!

I was flipping through my Bible this morning. Do you ever do that? Flip through the pages and want the Word that you need for the day to jump out at you. Anyway, I was flipping the pages of the New Testament paying close attention to the dates. You see, I write in my Bible. I also underline and date of my findings. I do this because I want to remember where I was. When I remember what I've gone through in my past, it helps me to also recognize how God worked in me & through the situation. The verse that got my attention this morning was I Corinthians 16:13,14 ~ Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong. Your every action must be done with love. This verse was stared, underlined, and dated {10/20/10}. Almost a year to the day. I wanted to really remember this one. Only my husband and very close friends know where I was spiritually a year ago. Heck, my husband was right there with me going through the same thing simultaneously. It was happening to us, to our family. We were being attacked by the enemy. I have to remember that being alert, standing firm in my faith, being brave and strong, and especially acting in love is something that is not only beneficial to me, but also to my husband and my sons. They watch me, how I act, how I respond to stress, how I spend my time. I have found that sometimes it's not just what we go through, but how we go through it. Our children will learn from watching us. They'll respond to life's difficulties similarly to how we've showed them. We are their model for everything. This is no small duty.

I started Motivation for Monday to share my faith and a little piece of my personal journey with you. Now, I don't think that I am better or holier than anyone else. Please forgive me if ever you read something that sounded preachy or condemning. That is not my intent. This is my story. The Lord has called me to share what He is teaching me and what He has done in my life. I didn't come up with Motivation for Monday on my own. This is the Lord's idea that He breathed into my heart. Sharing my story, encouraging others, and praying for others is just something that I desire to do for the glory of God.
I hope your Monday is a blessed one!

Reese is 5!

Happy 5th Birthday Reese! This weekend was so beautiful at the river. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. The kids were running around on the sand, splashing in the water, laughing with each other. Even the adults were found jumping off the pier with their kids hand in hand. The details of a little girl's Mermaid themed birthday party complete with a Barbie Mermaid cake...it was perfect. I had so much fun meeting friends and family of the White Family. What a great group of people. Hope you enjoy the highlights.

Mini Beach Session

My husband & I went to the river the other day with boys to play in the sun and sand. It was a beautiful day. The Lord just blesses in amazing ways. I ended up shooting an impromtu beach session with this sweet little girl who will be celebrating her birthday next month {and her little sister}. Their mama was so nice and easy to talk to. The girls, as you will see, were just the cutest things. I am so thankful I met them; they just blessed my day.

The Lau Family

I had such a fun session with the Lau Family this afternoon at the beach. The weather was a little brisk; well, for South Florida. The surfers were out enjoying the waves and we had the beach to ourselves. Cari & Chris got married at the beach and wanted to revisit for a family photo session. Their four girls are so beautiful and full of personality. What a joy it was for me to capture some memories for them. Thank you so much Lau Family. I hope y'all like the sneak peek.

The R Crew at the Beach!

What a perfect Sunday afternoon at the beach! The clear skies, the aqua blue waters, a gorgeous family to photograph...need I say more. Terri is an old friend of mine from school. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Terri brought her precious three kids with her today. This was such a fun session. In between shots I got to catch up with Terri and capture some moments of her with her children. Tiffany, Jake, and Trent kept me on my toes, which I loved. We had many laughs and few wind whips of sand in the face, we snuck under the lifeguard stand, attained some found objects (a matchbox car and a plastic orange starfish). We had a great time together. Here is a little sneak peek of my favs. Enjoy!

Motivation for Monday

Psalm 135:6~ The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.