Ann Margaret

This is Ann Margaret. I shot her parents wedding and Harvey Miles below is her cousin. She was such a trooper. She has a horrible ear infection the day we did this (but we didn't know it). She hung with me and we ended up getting some great shots.

I'm looking forward to taking pictures of her again in October after her new baby brother joins us.

Harvey Miles

Meet Harvey Miles. Let me just tell you that this was a super fun shoot. This guy is so full of energy and ideas. He was willing to do anything and I bribed him throughout the shoot telling him I would take pictures of him playing in a stack of tires.

He was jumping, climbing, and standing still for momentary lapses in between. He was such a joy. I think he could be a model.

Happy Mothers Day

This mothers day is a different one for me. I'm living at home with my mom this year for the first time in probably 12 years. I just want to take some time to honor her.

My mom is such an amazing woman. She's been through so much in her life and she's a survivor...a strong woman. She poured this strength into me my whole life. She inspires me to speak my mind, live my life with passion and go for my dreams.

She stands behind me and pushes me to exceed my own expectations. More importantly, she believes in me whole-heartedly. She is the main reason I'm beginning to live my life as a real life photographer. She sees my ability and gifts and knows that God's heart for me is to pursue photog.

She is the voice in my head telling me to go for it and the strength in my heart whispering that my gift to God is my photography. I owe my past, present and future to her. Thank you for making me who I am today!
I love you!

Don't end your sentence with a preposition

I thought I'd share my favorite birthday card with you. This is from my best friend and we're both sticklers for correct grammar. Not to mention that we would have a conversation like this:).

I still can't believe that I'm 31. I truly believe that this year is going to be a year of blessing. I can not describe how wonderful it feels to know that God is blessing me to do what I was created to do to bring Him glory. I look forward to sharing the year with you!
Be free!
B

The Smiths

These are my friends The Smiths. I love this family. I met Brian and Melanie through Discovery and we became fast friends. They actually bid on a photo shoot from me and won. It took some time to get it together, but I think we had a great time. I enjoyed shooting them. They were fun and up for ANYTHING!

My First "F" as a Southern Belle

I just had a conversation with my Memaw and she is , "Mortified that her granddaughter born and raised in the South doesn't know how to make biscuits or cornbread".

I pride myself on being a Southern Belle (I was in a Debutante Ball for heaven's sake), but apparently my future rests on these two things. My mom and Memaw are wondering how they failed me and my future spouse and children because I can't pass on such a heritage.

Tonight I'm tackling cornbread. I think there's still time for me to gain my crown and get a shiny Southern Belle "A".

A Must See Movie

I just finished watching The Darjeeling Limited and I highly recommend it!

It's the story of the spiritual journey of 3 brothers in India. It's full of hope, humor and dark comedy. The cast includes: Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrian Brody.

I laughed, I cried and ended with a renewed sense of who I am. For me, it's a picture of the long journey to freedom that I travel daily. It's easy for me to want to be "fixed" quickly but healing truly takes time.

It's the journey filled with the laughter, tears, and ironic comedy that make the healing so much sweeter on the other side. Check out the movie and see where it takes you!

Be Free!

The Time is NOW

You know, life is strange. I spent the last 9 months of my time in Dallas with mounting anger towards God. I couldn't understand why He had closed the doors for me to work with Frontiers to pursue photography and then not open doors for me to do that. My heart was broken and I felt like God was withholding my dreams from me.

Hindsight is a funny thing. Here I am 4 months into life in Georgia and it all makes sense. God had to move me to Georgia for Hid dreams for me to become a reality. I couldn't have pursed a new photo business in Dallas.

About 3 weeks ago after reading an entry on Scarlett Lillian's blog about waiting and having faith in the waiting for God's heart and purpose for you, I surrendered my heart, my dreams and my plans for my business to God. I realized that without He and His blessing that nothing about my photography made sense.

This week has been overwhelming. Funds have been released to me to purchase branding, a customized blog, a customized website AND a brand new pimped out 17" Macbook Pro. Ross at Flosites is the talented design genius that I've chosen to put my trust in. Check them out!

It's indescribable to explain what it feels like to be standing on the cusp of God's heart and dreams for me. I know that NOW is the time. It's an incredible feeling to see the thing that you know you were created to do to glorify God come into being.

I've taken several leaps of faith and God met me in each leap. I praise Him and worship His goodness and grace that WE are living out OUR dreams. What a great God. I know He's smiling on me and rejoicing over me with every release of the shutter. What joy! What peace!

The Opats

I met the Opats through a friend and I shot Isabel's 6 month portraits. I moved from Dallas and they tracked me down in Georgia because they wanted me to take her 1 year pictures. I had a blast with them. We walked around downtown Southlake (which Meredith scoped out for me) and went to town.

It's always a venture doing kids pictures but Isabel was a champ. She hung in there with us and I think we got some killer shots of she and her parents. Here are some of my faves from the day.

Casey Richardson

Meet my best friend Casey. She is the strongest, most amazing woman I know. If I'm ever in the midst of a tornado, I want her there with me. She has held my hand and me for that matter through some of the toughest times in my life. This is one thing I can give back...pictures to make her see how beautiful she truly is.

I made a trip to Dallas a few weeks ago and she agreed to sit for me. We had a lot of fun. She even agreed to pose in the rain...and play in a fountain (and it was chilly). That's true friendship! Case...I hope these make you feel as beautiful as you are!

Patrick Ryan Clarck

This was my first show to shoot. I felt like William from Almost Famous as I walked to the back door to get my VIP wrist band. It was such a blast to shoot the concert. Be sure to check out the pictures of he and his wife in the post below.

Patrick is so talented! Check out his music on My Space here. His website will be up and running soon. Stay tuned for that:http://www.patrickryanclark.com. I predict that he'll get signed very soon. I'm no psychic but I know and love good music. We'll see.

Patrick and Gretchen Clark

I absolutely love shooting this couple. I've shot them a few times and you can just tell how much they love each other. I want to be like that one day. Ya'll keep loving each other well.

We snuck out behind The Granada after Patrick's show to take a few shots. Patrick was reluctant at first but I'm glad we did it. I think we got some good shots.

I heart YL

I have launched a new phase in my life. I moved to Georgia in December and as I drove down the main strip in this small town, I was greeted by 2 friendly letters in green and white,YL. I immediately smiled and felt some ray of hope that God truly had brought me here. So I met with the area director and I'm pursuing life as a Young Life volunteer leader. Let me assure all of you that this is uncharted territory for me!

Here's a story to demonstrate:
One night at Club I was walking around giving out raffle tickets to everyone. I see these two kids standing in profile chatting with each other. I walked up to them, as cool as I could muster and say, "Hello ladies can I get ya'll a raffle ticket". They turn to look at me and one of them is a guy (with really long hair). I felt like I was about 2 inches tall in that moment. It never ceases to amaze me that a 15 year old can make a 30 year old woman feel like an idiot (I am here to alert you that it happens every week).

I go back every week because I believe that reaching the youth of the generation can change the world and the nations. It's so hard for me. You could put me in a room of internationals from every country under the sun and I'd be in my element. Yet a room filled with 60 teenagers scares me to death. I'm determined to be myself and reach out to these that some have given up on...some who will never grace the steps of the church even if I look like a dork a million times along the way. Here is more information on Young Life, I encourage you to check it out and see how God is moving among high school and jr. high students around the globe.

"I love Jesus but I drink a little"

Thank you Annie Laurie for posting this on your blog. I laughed harder than I have in a while. To enjoy my friend, Annie Laurie's site click here.

Click here for 6 minutes of fun! It will be the most fun you've had today. If you have anything funnier than this...please by all means let me know. I need to laugh these days.

I want this lady to be my friend. I think my stomach would hurt because I'd laugh so much!

Home Sweet Georgia

These are shots from a recent exploration of my new surroundings in Georgia. Be afraid...the shots of the chairs and trash are from someone's front yard. So glad no one came home and saw me reveling in their trash. How do you explain to someone that you find their junk beautiful?

Titles listed below each photo:


Bubba's Lounger


Paved Paradise?


Erector Set circa 1982


Trash Tie Dye


Arm Rest


Diagonal


Shiver


For Courtney Goolsby


Pointing Inward


Slippery Slope


Direction Home


Tres Triangles


Danger


Lonely Swing


Jackson Polluck


In the Distance


Barren


Sticks and Stones


Angles


Distortion