Motivation for Monday

Merry day after Christmas and Happy Monday!


Oh, time! Why do you fly so steady and fast? This is the last Monday of 2011. I wanted to share one of my favorite pictures from a session I shot in Plymouth. The image above is of a brother and sister. The sweetness in the picture reminds me so much of my siblings. I miss them so much, especially this time of year. I have so many wonderful memories of Christmases from our childhood. Now that I am a mommy and have 2 sons of my own, I am excited to practice and teach my boys the traditions that are most important to me and my husband. Time certainly flies so quickly. I am thankful to be reminded constantly to stop and take in a precious moment with my family. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with those you hold dear. 


I have not been able to faithfully journal every single Monday. I promise to do my best to journal and post each Monday in 2012. I enjoy reflecting on the truth God is faithful to show me. I love to share the love of Jesus and the encouragement that He gives me each moment of the day. New Year's Resolutions are not really my thing because I almost always break them. So, as we say "farewell" to 2011, I hope you will stick around for the 2012 installation of Karrie Drake Photography and the continuation of Motivation for Monday. Thank you for caring enough to stop by and read. I love to hear from you, so please don't be shy. Leave a comment. Since Monday's post is not complete without a verse, here is one of my favorites:


Zephaniah 3:17 ~ The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Flowers

Today is my Grandma's birthday. She is so very special to me. Grandma  used to own a flower shop. When mom would pick me and my sister up from school we would go visit her at her flower shop. My sister and I would doodle on the note pads, wonder to the back where all the arrangements were carefully crafted, try to arrange our own from the scraps on the counter. How I loved the fragrant smell of the flowers. I would smell each flower and tried intently to remember the names of them all.
Happy Birthday Grandma. I love you!

Motivation for Monday: Life & Death

Ecclesiastes 3:11~ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. {emphasis mine}


Here we are at the beginning of the week of Christmas. For me, Christmas brings so many fond memories, joyful memories. Memories of childhood plays and musical concerts. {Side note: I used to play the flute.} Memories of singing Silent Night by candle light with my family during Christmas Eve service. Memories of going to grandma & papa's for dinner and listening to the story of Christ's birth. Now that I have my own family I've been thinking about what memories my sons will have of their past Christmases. I have been focused on being intentional this Christmas. I have been sharing the Christmas story with Julian and John. I want my boys to know that they are blessed, that they are loved. I want my boys to know why we celebrate Christmas, that its not about receiving toys, baking cookies, and feasting. Although those are some of the blessings and traditions we take part in, the real reason is to celebrate Jesus coming to earth. Our Savior is Christ the Lord. 


I have also been thinking about those who don't look forward to Christmas, those who don't feel the joy that movies and commercials portray on television. Decorations and Christmas carols make them sad or maybe they even make them angry. They are those who have lost someone they love. They are those who weren't expecting to spend Christmas alone this year. They are those who need...need love, need reassurance, need an answer to their question. Why?

This past week I finished a Bible Study on Revelation. I have learned so much during this study. I love in depth Bible Study. Questions get answered. Did you know that Christ's ultimate enemy is NOT Satan. His ultimate enemy is Death. Yeah, its true my friend. Jesus hates death! Don't you wonder why we just never get over it? We know its a certain thing about life. If you live and breathe now, you will die one day. It is a fact. We all know it. It doesn't matter if death comes by tragedy, by illness, by expected circumstances...its sting is always the same. God set eternity in our hearts when He created us. We have souls that will live forever. We say that death is natural, but its not. Death sucks.

John 10:10 ~ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. {God intends life for us}


Revelation 20:14 ~ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. {"Death will stand before the righteous Judge as if an animated persona and receive its eternal sentence with the final blow of God's gavel." ~Beth Moore Here and Now, There and Then.}

If you have ever lost someone you love, know that Christ hates death too. He mourns with you. Let that sink in. He bore every sin on the cross of Calvary so that He could share eternity with you. Smile friend, Jesus loves you! 

Bokeh!

Merry Christmas week! Happy 4th Advent Sunday :)

I have been poking around pinterest and have seen so many pictures and tutorials on Bokeh. Okay, so what is Bokeh?

What: Bokeh is an aesthetic achieved in photography otherwise known as "the blur". It is most often displayed
          using lights, but can also be seen as any out of focus area in a photograph.

Settings: I used my 50mm, 1/25 sec, f 1.8, ISO 1600 {I turned my auto focus to manual and played around
             with the different focus points.

Where & Other Stuff: I turned out all other lights in the house but the Christmas Tree. I played around with
                                  my ISO to get the brightness just how I wanted it.

Try it out. Its fun to learn new stuff and share with others. You never know what you might stumble upon just playing around with the manual settings while getting to know your camera. You may find that an image you capture strikes you to order an enlargement to display in your own home. Have fun!

If you like new ideas for home, garden, potty training, inspiration for the day, books, gifts, recipes, the list goes on forever, check out pinterest. If you're already on, follow me!

Two Families!

I had the privilege to photograph two beautiful families on Sunday afternoon. The hostess had decorated her backyard to the hilt. It was a winter wonderland, complete with a kiddie house and a tree house. I loved it! They were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. We captured some sweet moments and some funny ones too. Here is a little sneak peek.
I am so thankful that God keeps opening the door for me and my family to meet new people and to reunite with old friends. My heart is full.

Motivation for Monday & Help Portrait

Good Morning! I hope you all had a Happy and satisfying Thanksgiving with your friends and families. We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with a minor glitch with the ham. It was my first time ever making ham, ever.  I had no idea what to do. It's a good thing there were directions. A family member had given us a South Hampton dry cured ham over the summer. Well, after reading that it would only keep for 2 months I opened up the pack and there were these white bugs infested all over it. Yuck! I sent Beau out to get another ham. Good thing there was ham left to buy at the store the night before Thanksgiving. He returned with the same kind of ham. I soaked it over night and did all that the directions called for me to do. Cooked it for 3.5 hours and basted it with the water I put on the bottom of the roasting pan. Everything turned out just fine so I'm told. My hubby, my f.i.l., and my littlest super hero ate the ham. Julian and I like to stick to poultry. And that's all I got to say about that ;)
I was watching 60 Minutes last night and saw a story about a family in Central Florida who are living in their truck. The report focused on the children who have to "improvise" with their daily needs, where to bathe, etc.  I can't even fathom that and yet I was listening to this little girl's account of her young life. Now, these are Florida's statistics, but of all the homeless families in Central FL two-thirds live on the streets. One-third of the families without shelter live in FL. I realize that homelessness is everywhere, in every state, province, and country in the world. Hearing it from a child though was more heartbreaking for me than hearing it from a news reporter. I can remember some of these children when I was teaching in the public school system of NC about 5 years ago. The principal of our school informed the teachers who were assigned to breakfast or lunch duty that for some students this would be the only time they would eat all day. What?! I wanted to know who, of course, because I wanted to send these children home with some groceries. We weren't allowed to know who. We just had to be considerate and vigilant of that fact. As I taught through out the course of the year, certain students were highlighted in my mind as I got to know them. For some, creating just brings out "the stuff" that you can't verbally get out. Art is therapeutic. As Picasso once said, "Art washes away the dust of everyday life." I love that quote.
Anyway, this brings me to Help Portrait. Saturday, December 10th, I will be a part of a beautiful giving spree called Help Portrait. It will be located at Reimage Church in Winterville, NC. In short, Help Portrait is for those who are in need. People who are unable to afford a family or personal portrait. There is a few studio set ups, clothes, props, and hair & make-up offered. They will receive a hot meal and a sack meal to take home for later. I am so excited about this event. I can't wait. It's only 2 weeks away. If you or anyone you know would like to donate, please visit this link. Also, please help me pray for this event and all who are involved.

Matthew 25:40 ~ "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Ashley {Maternity Session}

Ashley & Trey are a sweet couple expecting in January. As you probably have seen, it's a Boy! I can remember my first conversation with Ashley on the phone. I was so thrilled she contacted me to do her maternity photos. I haven't done a mama-to-be session in quite some time. I just love the belly shots and Ashley came totally prepared with her grandmother's heavy black iron chair, and 3 outfit changes. Did I mention that the black iron chair was heavy? ha! Thanks Trey for carrying it :) Anyway, Ashley truly is a beautiful mama-to-be and wears that baby belly proudly.
The weather yesterday was perfect for an outdoor session. The lighting was pretty over the water and the trees still had a little left over fall color to show. Ashley & Trey were such good sports too, willing to try anything. Posing and showing love sure came easy for them. These two were alot of fun to hang out with and laugh with. I am so thankful for them. Enjoy this special time together as you await your first born.

Psalm 127:3 ~ Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.