an old home movie of brookfield zoo (not mine)

i just found this neato old home movie that somebody posted on youtube. it's brookfield zoo back in 1935. it's so cool to see how the zoo both has and hasn't changed in 73 years. i love looking at the clothing and that stroller. what a cool bit of history!

my new favorite band: tenth avenue north

i heard a song called "love is here" on the radio the other day from this new band tenth avenue north, so i went looking for them online.

there haven't been too many albums lately that i've just HAD to have, but i think this is going to be one of them. watching the following clip about this group has really touched me and i'm excited to hear more from them. i pray that they have huge success, not to lift up their own name, but because i think their hearts are in the right place and i'm excited to see where God takes them.

Andrew the emotional bunny

this is a little stop motion video i put together. it was andrew's idea. i think the best part about the whole thing was scrolling through the pictures on the camera and watching everyone fall of the floor laughing as they watched it over my shoulder. it's most likely one of those "you had to be there" moments, but oh my gosh was it funny! i need to do this more often!

happy easter!

a friend sent me this video today in the hopes that i'd spend a few moments watching it and letting the words sink in deep. i did... and it's changed me. it's put my heart in that place where i'm ready to truly celebrate Easter for its real purpose... Christ died for me and conquered death so that i might have eternal life. i don't say this to be "religious". i say it because it's true and i believe it. Christ has changed by life and by accepting him and what he did for me on the cross 2000 years ago i get to spend forever with him... starting now. so i want to let His light shine through me. i might not be a perfect vessel, but i'm willing and that's all he asks for. come to me as you are... but don't stay that way.

i loved this version of romans 12:1-2 that they showed in the video. it's from the Message...

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Happy Easter everyone!

prayer is the antidote for worry

i wanted to share a few insights that I received from my small group study this week...

in reading some of the related verses to this week's scripture (matthew 6:24-34) i spent some time in philippians. philippians 4:6-7 says, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

my footnotes said that the two greatest opposing forces in the Christian experience are anxiety and prayer. wow! are you anxious? pray. thanksgiving is the antidote to worry, along with prayer and petition.

i know this is so true for my life. when i find myself worrying about something i try to focus on my blessings and often my little problems don't seem so bad after all. for example, here i am worrying about my flight to chicago with jonah and dave this weekend. but you know what? i'm not addicted to heroine. i don't have cancer or pneumonia. i'm healthy. i could afford two plane tickets and a dvd player to hopefully keep my toddler amused. i'm going to visit friends and family that love me and can't wait to see me. what in the heck am i worrying about?!?! seriously.

isn't this exciting?! this journey we're on with God and with each other?! i'm excited to see what God's going to teach me this week as he stretches me!

God, you are Good, Gracious, Merciful, Gentle, Never Changing, my Keeper, my Hiding Place, Through All & Above All... and for that i am sooooo grateful! Hallelujah!

NILMDTS on the Today Show

NILMDTS on the Today Show

gateway photography workshop

a couple of weeks ago i attended a photography workshop with the photog team at my church. we learned about studio lighting and posing. it was really educational and it was great getting to meet some other photographers from my church.

here are a few of the "behind the scenes" shots i took...

a little powder hides the shine
our adorable little model doing a little warm-up twirling
telling us all about the play she's going to be in... Annie
seriously, we could not have had a cuter model!
you know how much i love feet!
a little tip: get the model to stick out his or her tongue or make a silly face...
...and you're sure to get a genuine smile after that.
a couple other pointers i picked up at the workshop:

• always turn your camera off when you're taking out or putting in a memory card or battery. if your camera is on when you are swapping anything out, there is a chance that an electrical charge could by transferred which could damage your equipment, especially memory cards.
  
• when changing lenses try to point your camera opening downward. this minimizes the chances that dust will get into your camera or on your sensor.
  
• a couple people recommended having your camera professionally cleaned if you ever get dust on your sensor. this is one of the most sensitive parts on your camera and if you mess it up... well, let's just say it's not good.
• i also learned that your memory card will last longer if you erase/format the card in the camera itself, and not on your computer.
  

cool beans!

my first vendor show

last weekend i participated in my first vendor show. it was at my mother-in-law's school. they had a fun fair with raffles and a silent auction and they also had vendor booths set up in the gym. so here's my table and a couple of the cute little clothing models from the booth next to mine...

kat's kloset

j.w. tumbles with friends

last monday jonah and i went to j.w. tumbles on a playdate with one of the mom's groups we're in down here in austin. we had oodles of fun!
jonah got to swing...
weeeeee! swinging's my favorite! hang on! ...but i can't put my ball down.
being silly and dancing to the music...
shake it!
(just picture the butt waggeling back and forth)

now it's time for the zip line with my new girlfriend...
look at the wind whipping through his hair!
"woah!"
practicing for the rodeo...
barrel o' monkey!
watching the bird puppets...

the end!

faith's 3rd birthday flowers

faith's 3rd birthday is today. we found this note on the piano when we came down for breakfast this morning...
thanks nana!

our friends rachey, al, jaycob, zack and nana joy sent us these beautiful flowers...

and we got these sweet little tulips from my friend meredith...
this was the verse (one of my favorites) that rachael included on the card with the flowers. i just thought it went perfectly with this image...