{Jesse}

When Jesse wrote and asked me if I would consider doing a session with her and her horse, Chooch, I was excited at the idea, but not sure what to expect - I had never done a session that involved a horse, or any other animal for that matter.  But Chooch cooperated beautifully, and I really enjoyed getting to know Jesse.  She's a photographer as well, and it's always fun "talking photography" with people that love it as much as I do...

Welcome Home

Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of helping out a photographer friend of mine with a special photo session.  Elizabeth asked me to come assist her at the Pittsburgh airport - she had been asked to photograph the reunion of a military family, and wanted to make sure she had it covered from several angles. 

The wife of the soldier coming home was the one that organized the session, and she wanted us to be as discreet as possible, so her daughters didn't notice us taking pictures.  Even though the lighting was dim, and the situation not ideal from a photography standpoint, I loved this experience - it was quite special to watch the excitement on the faces of the little girls waiting for their daddy to come home after 7 months of being overseas.  I have so much respect for military families, and am very grateful 

for the sacrifices they all make on a daily basis for the freedom of this country.  

We all enjoy the benefits of their willingness to serve.   

Elizabeth {Nursing School Graduation}

Liz has been a wonderful friend of mine for many years...she's one of my sisters that's not really a sister, but could be because of how close we've been. :)  I'm so grateful for my friendships like that...the beautiful women that God has placed in my life to walk alongside of me.  

Liz is one of those women...

we've dreamed, laughed, cried, worked and had fun together...

we've watched God do amazing things in our hearts and in the lives of those close to us.  

And though He's given us slightly different dreams for the future, I'm always blessed by talking with her, and hearing her passion for Jesus and excitement at what's He has been teaching her.

At the end of February, Liz graduated from nursing school, and we thought it would be fun to take the opportunity to do a photo shoot. :)  So, on a gorgeous, early April afternoon, we went into Oakland to do photos in and around Phipps Conservatory.

Liz, congratulations on this huge achievement!  You are gorgeous, friend, but have an even more beautiful heart because of what you've allowed God to work in you.  Thank you for your smile, and for always inspiring me to follow Him harder.  And you never know...maybe someday we'll get to open that bakery. :)  I still think it would be a blast to work with you... :) Love ya!

New Life

Magnolias are probably my all-time favorite flowering trees.  Maybe it's because they are the among the first to bloom each spring...bravely unfolding beautiful pink when everything else surrounding is brown and dull and dead-like.  

Unfortunately, they are also among the most fragile flowers, and that very thing that makes them so eagerly welcomed at the beginning of spring is also very often that which leads to an early death.

We've had an absolutely gorgeous spring here in Pittsburgh this year...everything began blooming around the middle of March, which is several weeks earlier than usual.  But we were holding our breath for that inevitable cold night, hoping that we would have at least a few days to enjoy the colors before the frost destroyed them.  I'm so thankful I ran outside with my camera to take some pictures of our magnolias when I did, because we had a hard frost shortly after, and that was the end of their flowers.  

But, not by any means the end of the life of the tree.  In this week leading up to Easter, I've been wondering what the disciples of Jesus must have been thinking during that whole week.  What an incredible roller-coaster of emotions!  From the heights of excitement to the depths of despair, and from the depths of despair to hesitant, glorious wonder and amazement.  From Palm Sunday, to Passover and the crucifixion, to Resurrection Sunday, and the realization that this Jesus was exactly Who He proclaimed to be.

More and more, I'm beginning to understand that God's ways are not our ways.  We like to think sometimes that we have Him figured out...fit into our little "boxes" that we can understand.  But what is the sense in a seemingly untimely death?  Jesus was at the height of His ministry - everyone was ready to make Him the King in Jerusalem - He could have had anything and everything He wanted.  

But He choose death.  Cruel, agonizing, painful death.

Do you ever wonder why?  I mean, He is God - He could have designed the redemption plan differently.  He could wipe out the enemy with a single word.  But He didn't.

I don't know the answer to that, and I'm not going to pretend to know.  I just know that a God that would become flesh and die for me is a God that loves me more than I'll ever understand here on earth...and He is a God that can't and won't be fit into my limited understanding of reality.  His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are so far beyond mine (Isaiah 55:8).  

For Him, death meant life.  Not life as it looked before - those three years the disciples spent with Jesus were over, and life never really went back to the way it had been before His death.  But His death meant new life...a better life.  Because of what He did on the cross for us, we now can have new life in Him.

"We were buried therefore with Christ by baptism into death, in order that, just as He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in {newness of life}." Romans 6:4