Birthdays and Branson

February has flown by and I can’t say that I am sad to see it go. I am a Spring loving girl and I eagerly await the new leaves that will grow on the bare limbs, the beautiful flowers that will push through earth, warm weather and Spring rain.

What I do love about February is all the birthdays! My dear friends and family who are born in this month make February worth the cold weather and the gray skies. My most favorite person of all just had his birthday on Saturday. Ben is now 26 years old and I am so thankful for his birth.

Our sweet niece Emma had her first birthday on the 10^th and I was able to photograph her first year photos. She is such a beautiful little girl and has wonderful parents who will raise her into a great person someday.  I love her so much, and I can’t believe she is already a year old!

I love birthdays. I love making the birthday person feel loved and special on their birthday. For Ben, I decided to make him breakfast in bed and to throw a party for him at our house with all his family (minus Lydia, Nicole, Joseph, and Nathan) and our friends. We had 18 people total crammed into our house with lots of noise and laughter and it was wonderful. I made tacos for his birthday dinner and a flourless cake so he can blow out candles on his birthday. We also ended up buying a new couch and recliner for a really, really great deal at Kroger (yes, Kroger!) and we went on a trip to Branson, MO for a night because I got a really good Groupon deal for a hotel there. 

 

 After swimming in the indoor pool!

    




Branson water tower.
















Branson was really fun. We visited the Titanic museum and got to see a lot of items that had been on the Titanic. They had lots of photos and information about those who had been aboard the Titanic and about those who survived the horrific event of that night. They had a container of water that was the same temperature of the water that those who did not make it into the boats had to endure (it was 28 degrees F). Ben and I both stuck our fingers in the water and when we pulled them out they ached. I felt so sad for those who died, and I am glad that the museum is around to remember them.

    

After the Titanic museum we went to the Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, MO. There were only four of us on the tour group and it was a cold and rainy kind of day, but we both really enjoyed being driven underground through the cave. Our tour guide was very nice, and at one time he stopped us and turned off the lights in the cave showing us how incredibly dark it would be. Then he lit a small kerosene lantern and it illuminated the darkness with a surprising amount of light. It really makes me think of how Jesus talks about being a light in the world, and how one small light can brighten up even the darkest of places. 

The last place we went to before we left was Lambert’s, home of the throwed rolls. It was really tasty! The waiters will throw rolls to you if you want one, and Ben had wanted to show me the restaurant so we decided to go while we were up there. I’m glad we went, but I’m glad we left early because the weather was not very good driving back home. It sleeted and the roads were winding and hilly. Ben told me he was very nervous driving the whole way, which is unusual because he does not get scared easily. I prayed though, and so I, who is usually the scared one, was not afraid at all. I trusted Ben’s driving ability and was very calm. It was a really great weekend. 

To New Beginnings

I can't believe that today is the last day of 2012. This year has really flown by! We started the year off by going on a cruise and buying a new house and ending it with me getting a new job and graduating from college. There have been births and deaths and weddings and engagements, so it has been a very full year for Ben and I.

Ben and I graduated on December 20th at 2:30 in the afternoon from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He graduated with a BBA in Economics and I graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts. There was going to be two different ceremonies and my graduation was supposed to be at 9:30 in the morning, so instead of going to two graduations I just walked with Ben's school. My tassle was white while his was a light brown, so I sort of stood out from the rest of the graduates. I was really happy to walk after Ben at our graduation and I was really proud of him because he made all A's his last semester of school. This was the first time he did that so I was very, very pleased with him. I made three A's and one C in my hard class. I feel bad that I did not apply myself more, but I am just relieved to have passed and I ended up with a 3.0.

My best friends and a lot of our family members came for graduation. After the ceremony we went to The Butcher Shoppe for the celebration meal. It was really good! My mom also got us cupcakes that were really tasty. We were really happy to be done with school!

My talented brother-in-law, Jay, took our graduation photos:

I got a new job at a new library in Otter Creek. It's the same level as my old job, but I'm a Holds Manager now instead of an AV Manager. I pull books and send them to other libraries for people to check out. I really love it here and my co-workers are really sweet people. Ben is going to be starting his search for a full-time job so that will be nice.

Tonight we are just going to have a small New Year's Eve celebration by ourselves. I can't believe that it's been two years since Ben proposed to me. I am so happy to be married to him and I can't wait to see how our life unfolds together. I know it's going to be interesting!

Oh, and here is a really cool song that was sung at church on Sunday that is a twist of Auld Lang Syne. All Glory be to Christ this new year.

http://www.joshharris.com/2012/12/kings_kaleidoscope_all_glory_b.php

Giving Thanks

^" Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband who loves and adores me, a big family that is always there for me, and sweet, encouraging friends who listen when I need to talk. I have a house and plenty of food, a job and two cars both paid off. I am very, very rich. I do not take what I have for granted because I know that there are millions out there suffering at this very moment, from poverty, from abuse, from neglect, so many people who need love and who need people to step up and help them in the name of Jesus Christ. 

"If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty." Proverbs 28:27

If I'm sounding a bit preachy, then good! A friend of mind posted a photo on Facebook today that showed a woman thanking Jesus for helping her find her keys, a football player with his hands raised in prayer thanking God for helping him play well, and the last photo was a starving African child. I wanted to retort, but how could I? The Bible says, "...give thanks in all circumstances" and we should. It is not wrong to thank Jesus for small blessings in our lives, but we must also remember that as Jesus has blessed us, so must we bless those in need. Give your money, or your time, or whatever God is calling you to give up and your rewards will be heaped upon you, if not in this life, then in eternity. Despite what people believe about God, he has a heart for the poor and the needy and the oppressed, and he has commanded us, His disciples, to care for them. 

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11.

I don't want you to think that I am not saying this to myself as well as to you, because I am a very selfish and self-serving person. I give though, and I help. I have a husband who's spiritual Gift is service. But we can always do more, and give up more for the sake of those who are hungry or have no place to lay their heads. There will always be poverty because this is a broken world, but that does not mean that we are to let it carry on without a fight.

**

And, on a lighter note, we had a great time in Joplin with my mom, sisters, and their families. The visit was relatively stress free and I enjoyed holding my nephew, Collin, who is four months old. I love all of my nieces and nephews, and I love when I get to see them!

Sweet Collin

Six of the eight grand kids

Cupcakes and Haircuts and Good Friends

Last weekend was pretty busy. I had a cupcake competition that I was entering, a haircut appointment, and one of my best friends, Genni, was home from her six week vacation in Indonesia so I had to spend some time with her, too. It was a really fun weekend, but it went by too fast!

Cupcake competion:

I work at a library and for the past few years we have been doing some sort of baking competition for the patrons to enter. The first year they were asked to read a mystery that had a recipe in it and I chose to make a cake that won first place in the staff competition. The next year was cookies, but I didn't enter. This year was cupcakes. I have never made cupcakes from scratch before, so I really had fun! My mom got Ben and I a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas last year and I've been using it every now and then. I really got to use it for the cupcakes I made. I made everything from scratch, including the frosting. I found a recipe for Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Icing from Brown Eyed Baker which was actually pretty easy to follow and make. It was a really fun process! It was really messy, too. They were really tasty!

Oh, when I was taking the photos of my cupcake I took one outside for the good lighting and I was laying on my stomach on the front porch trying to get a good shot. A neighbor from across the street saw me lying on my porch and thought that I had fallen. She came over to see if I was okay and I couldn't help but start laughing because it was funny looking! I was so focused on taking the photo that I was oblivious to my surroundings. That's dedication! :)

Here is a photo I took of the finished product:

I also got my haircut between having to make/drop off the cupcakes and when they were judging. I wanted a shorter haircut, but I think she may have cut it a bit too short. I wasn't super happy with how the cut turned out, but luckily hair grows back.




Before



After

 After getting my haircut I rushed over to see Genni. We caught up and then she and I and her oldest boy went to the cupcake competition to try all the entries. The winning patron cupcakes were peanut butter cupcakes, and they were so tasty! My co-worker won the staff competition with turtle cupcakes. They were good! I was a little bummed that I didn't win, but I just had so much fun baking them that it really didn't bother me. Genni and I went to Target after and tried on hats and looked at things. I really missed my friend a lot!


Genni looked cute in this hat!





















Later Ben and I went on a date to Chili's. Ben forgot his wallet at home and I didn't bring mine so we had to call his dad to come help us out! It was definitely embarassing, but it's nice to have family around to come help you when you need it! Ben's dad ended up ordering something and then Ben and I went to his parents house to play Settlers of Catan with Gerald. It was fun. :)

Sunday we took Eliza and James and Gerald to see Wreck-It Ralph at the Rave. The movie was...okay, but it wasn't as amazing as I had hoped it was going to be. Sarah Silverman is not one of my favorite people and she was one of the voice actors.

After that Ben and I went out to eat at Senor Tequila's with Genni. There was a guy who was playing live music who was really talented and we had a fun time laughing and talking about travels we've been on. Two of my favorite people makes for a fun time!

Missouri and Star Wars

I had a great trip visiting my mom last weekend. The drive up to Missouri from Little Rock was very nice because I was driving through the Ozarks and all the trees were changing their leaves. I made it to my mom's a little later than I intended but that seems to be the way things are now. I used to be on time and prompt for everything, but since I married Ben I've become a bit more lackadaisical about being on time.

Mom's house was not ready to take pictures yet so we hung out, went shopping at Lowe's for stuff for her house, and plenty of trips to Target. We also stopped off at a petstore called Petland that had a lot of puppies that you could play with. It was so fun! I played with a Rottweiler (who wanted to chew my shoes) and a sweet little Dachshund. I also got to pet a bunny and some little Chinese Jumping Mice. I have to say, I like playing with puppies and then leaving them at the store instead of taking them home. Maybe that will help me get over my wanting another puppy syndrome!

On Monday we drove two and a half hours to Mansfield, MO to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum as well as her house on Rocky Ridge Farm. We watched a short video and then toured the home. We also got to see a lot of Laura and Almanzo's old things like clothes and household items. It was so neat to see some of the things she wrote about like her bread plate that says, "Give us this day, our daily bread", and the clock that Almanzo gave her. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Sign near the museum.



            

                Laura's first house, the original Rocky Ridge Farm house. It took them 17 years to complete the house..



Laura's second house that their daughter had built. They moved back to their old house later.



View from the rock house. It was so beautiful!

On Wednesday was Halloween. We didn't dress up last year so I really wanted to dress up this year. Lauren always has a theme with her kids and this year's theme was Star Wars. James was Luke, Eliza was Leia, and Brian was Yoda. I decided to dress up like an Ewok, but I have no sewing skills so Lauren helped with my hood and shirt and Ben finished the hemming. Ben couldn't think of a costume so I finally came up with young George Lucas so he found a flannel shirt, wore his jeans, and some glasses that I poked the lenses out of. I thought we all looked great! We met up at Trunk 'r Treat at Parkway Place Baptist and got to see my parents-in-law, brother-in-law, Gerald, and Adrienne and Emma there, too. Gerald was dressed like Han Solo, so all we were missing was Chewbacca and the droids.

Here are those pictures:


Emma was a cute bunny!




Emma loves her Uncle Ben!



An Ewok and George Lucas!



Star Wars!



 I'm hoping next year we'll have our own little one to dress up!

Pumpkin Patch and Traveling

Since my niece Emma was born, I've become her unofficial personal photographer. I can't help it, my camera just loves that baby! My sister-in-law wanted to take her 9 month photos (a couple of weeks shy of nine months) while the weather was nice and not too cold, so we decided to head on out to the pumpkin patch. My other sister-in-law, Lauren, and her three kids went with. Lauren is my excellent assistant when I need her to be. She's a pretty good photographer herself and her husband is my mentor. Here is a link to some of the other photos: Emma 9 months.

Here is one of the pictures I took. Isn't Emma the cutest little baby?

I also took this other photo of Emma and my other niece, Eliza, before the photoshoot. It's one of my favorites! Their expressions are so sweet. :)

The shoot went relatively well considering Emma is almost nine months old and has started crawling (soon to be walking). She did not want to smile too much because she was too interested in everything else that was going on around her. There was a train ride that she really loved watching go by. But we did get some good ones of her. I don't want her growing up too fast, but I've already got some great ideas for her 1 year photos. A photographer can never turn off their need to take photos!

I love being a photographer, and my favorite area is definitely people. This weekend I'll be trying my hand at interior photography. My mom wants me to take after pictures of her house so she can show her coworkers all the hard work she has done to it. My mother is amazing. She learned how to do so much work on her house and she has a great mind for design. I'm looking forward to spending a few days with her. Sadly, I'll be going by myself as Ben has work and school. I've been apart from him for a weekend before, but this time it will be three nights and four days! We're both pretty bummed at the thought of being away from each other (yeah, yeah, kinda sad but it's true!). My favorite part of the trip beside's seeing my mom will be visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder's house in Springfield, MO! I grew up on her books and I still love them. I still read them, too! I am so excited to actually get to see all the things I read about.

Two Half Baths

Well, we're at it again. We have entered into phase two of Operation Bathroom Upgrade and have torn out the old vanity and the floor tile. The bathroom is long and narrow and the vanity took up too much room so we decided to just pull the whole thing out and replace it (eventually) with either a smaller vanity or a pedestal sink. I follow Habitat for Humanity's Restore Store on Facebook and saw that they had floor tile for sale priced at $1.00 per square foot. I wanted charcoal gray tile and that is what they happened to have! I bought enough for our big bathroom and for our small half bath in the master bedroom. Our large bathroom now only has a functioning shower and the half bath is only a toilet and sink. So, we have two half baths! Our next step will be taking down the sheet rock and putting the new tile in/new sheet rock.

Tearing out the old vanity.                                           More room!

                    

Aftermath of tearing out vanity/toilet.                                Goofy Ben!

Now all the tile is gone.                                                Other angle view.

I also learned how to knit recently. I've got a ways to go before I don't make mistakes, but it's really fun and it's something I've been wanting to learn how to do. I am currently working on a scarf.

And finally...

Interesting story tonight. I was leaving work and on my way to the ladies Bible study at my church when I saw a cool sunset outside of my work that I wanted to photograph. While I was taking pictures of the sunset I overheard a lady on the phone with someone who was trying to walk her through changing her flat tire. I have been praying lately for boldness around people and I have never been one who was very good about helping strangers when they need it, but tonight something in me just felt like I needed to help her change her tire. I was taught one time by my dad how to change a tire, so basically I wasn't thinking I would be that useful. She was grateful for the help because she couldn't get anyone out where she was to help her. We were both pretty clueless, but managed to change her flat tire with the help of the internet, calling Ben, and the Owner's Manual. It was actually not that hard to do, and I bet I could do it again if I ever find myself in the same situation. I was so happy after I helped her that I was able to hear God prompting me to help this girl out and that I was able to listen and serve rather than behave selfishly. They will know I am a Christian by my love.