life gallery

I fear that I have been going through a bout of writer's block.

Every time I come to the posting board, I freeze. Usually, all that I really have to do is pull up the white screen and start typing, and some sort of post formulates.

Lately, it hasn't come. For the first time in a long time, I cannot put 2 sentences together in a meaningful way to save my life. I don't like it.

So I decided to dedicate this post to imagery to get the focus off of my writing (or lack thereof).

Before I show the gallery, though, a preface:I am not saying this to be repetitive or just because I feel obligated to say it "as a photographer," but I really do mean it... in the past few years, I have come to better experience my life through photos. Allow me to explain... whatever I'm up to, whether it's an outing with my girl friends, a family cookout in the backyard to celebrate birthdays, or a random night on the town, I feel like my best "story" of it is through images. Not only do I see the night more artistically, but snapping photos creates a visual record. Post-production allows me to add additional creative flair and social networks and technology such as Facebook and Blogger gives me the opportunity to share it with others.

Following will be a conglomeration of my March-April-May "Favorites" from my "life" image gallery. I'll let you pick up to 3 favorites since there are so many choices this time. It was hard to narrow down so I just decided to put up anything that I loved.

Good Morning

Tiny Dancer

Rose Bowl

Beau Behind Balloons

Score

Sterling

Boys Be Boys

May Day

Lil' Sulker

Mirror #2

Alfresco

Big Red

Naomi

Leaf Me Alone

Beans

Oliver

Pocketful of Posies

Childhood

Back Bow

Summer Sip

Jumper

What?

Night Lights

Ladies Night Out

Vote for your 3 favorite titled images! Love you all!

T

office space

It's the summer of 2009, and Imagine Artists is officially working together in the same office.

Hooray!

...but, it's been interesting.

There are several little idiosyncrasies popping up.

It's one thing to be friends with someone..
It's another to be business partners.
And then it's entirely another to be friends & business partners who work in the same office space.

Let me go over a few quirks about Kristi & I that we have been "learning" over the past few weeks about one another... just another set of bullet points to add to our "differences" list!

I will note, though, that while we have a lot of differences, I truly believe it is what makes us such a dynamic team!

Watching the Clock
Kristi is a very prompt individual, if not insanely early. I remember when we'd run around together back in our early college days and we were both still living at home. We'd set a time to be somewhere, and about 25 minutes before that time she'd walk into my house.

Of course, I'd be upstairs in my bathroom, just thinking about getting ready. So she'd sit and wait on me while I changed my clothes, fixed my hair, brushed my teeth.

Anyway, it's an attribute that is positive-- we should all aspire to be on-time individuals. There is a reason we have clocks and schedules and calendars, so we should learn to adhere to these policies for the most efficient turnout.

However, my brain must have trouble processing that simple request. It is very hard for me to view "time" in the correct concept. In my mind, the party hasn't started until I'm there. Often, I feel like I have more time than I really do. I think, "Oh, that'll take me 5 minutes." An hour later, I'm finding out that I was wrong. Also, sometimes I am in such deep concentration over something that I don't even realize that time is escaping. It's crazy, really. But definitely an area that needs fine-tuning in my life! Let's just say that it's a good thing one of us is so prompt, or else we'd be in deep trouble!


Work Space
Kristi cannot even begin to think about working until her desk space looks flawless. No clutter. It would be the end of life for her to have to edit pictures or design a logo with a pen out of place or a cup off to the right. It would best be taken care of.

For me, I'm the biggest clutter bug on the planet. As I type, I have 2 pens, masking tape, a coffee cup, 2 stacks of checks, a customer folder, my calendar, a bunch of sheets of paper, my phone, and several folders all within reach. What if I need something? No really, though, I have to make a mess IN ORDER to start working. The clutter means I'm actually getting something done.

So, it's interesting when, Kristi looks over at my desk on a daily basis and says, "How can you work like that? Don't you have to clean that up?"

And I look over at her desk and say, "What are you doing? Where's all your stuff?"

Communication
Kristi's dream would be to video Skype chat with me while sitting just 4 feet away in the same room. My dream would be to turn my head 90 degrees and say, "Hey, Kristi, what do ya need?"


For real, though, ever since we both got our imacs, Kristi's been trying to call me and video Skype me. Perhaps I would do a good thing to just remove Skype from my Applications. I'm kidding... it's all in good fun. And trust me, we do plenty of verbal (and sometimes even nonverbal) communication while together, miraculously without the help of Skype.

Style
We both have very different styles. It's nice that we've been able to collaborate and create a "look" unique to Imagine Artists, but as independent artists we are two totally different creators! It's crazy. We often sit and view images together before posting final sets online, and it never fails: time after time, I'll love an image that she'll hate, or she'll absolutely adore a picture that does nothing for me. There are plenty of times we compromise or actually agree, but in general, we are so different!


Rate
Kristi is very quick and efficient. She sees something needs to get done, she pulls it up, and she does it.

I tend to take my time. I think about something, I analyze it, I make lists about it, and then when I finally do it (if I do), I do it very thoroughly.

Both methods have their pros and cons, but it's been really evident as we both work on projects together!

Doer vs. Dreamer
Kristi is a doer. She sees something that needs to get done and she does it... right then.

I'm a dreamer. I think about something that needs to get done, and then I develop an idea about it. Then I write it down. Then I print it off and add more to it. Then I check over it with Kristi. Then I bounce my idea off of several other people. Then I might do it. Or I might not, because something else might come up.

This is manifested itself in our "daily" tasks. I make lists about everything under the sun-- all our projects and all our ideas. Then I decide the proper order to do everything and I go through and start working... often bounching from project to project or changing things along the way. I am a "big picture" person who wants to see the whole gamut.

Kristi is more of a "here and now" type of girl. She knows what she needs to work on... today. She sits down at her desk and she gets it done. A to-do list like mine would put her over the edge. In fact, it does. Often I bring it out and she about falls off her chair.

I might note, since "personality typing" is so near and dear to my heart, that this describes a good difference between being intuitive and sensing. I am an intuitive who wants the whole picture. I NEED to know what's going on in all aspects... and I have to see it. Kristi is more of a here & now, present day, let's-focus-on-facts-that-matter type of worker. That's a Sensing characteristic.

---

It's been fun working together, and I'm sure as time goes on we will discover more and more differences and quirks in our "working" styles. As I stated above, a lot of these differences I attribute to our personality types. It makes so much sense that as an intuitive feeler perceiver, I'm often distracted, late, all over the board, dreaming, and looking at everyhing but today. And with Kristi being a Sensor, her mind is set on "today," all the relevant facts of the "now," and would rather take action than sit around and dream.

Fun times!

Love you all!

T

have some time

It's Sunday night. Almost 11 pm. I'll tell you what I should be doing-- sleeping.

When it's past noon, sleep in my mind is overrated. If the alarm is going off at 5am then there is very little that I'd rather be doing than sleeping, but once I'm up and into my day, sleep is usually far from my mind. Even when I'm tired, I'd rather busy myself than rest. That may be slightly ADHD on my part but I guess it's how I'm wired. It almost kills me to relax unless it's either scheduled or so far removed from anything else productive that I could be doing that distraction is not even an option. Such as, I have no problem laying by a pool in the sun. But when it comes to watching a TV show at home or sometimes even taking the time to read a book when I'm busy, I almost feel guilty. I can't sit still or focus. Too much to do.

The other day I was working out at the gym and there was an older gentlemen next to me.

A comment was made about how it's unbelievable that the year is already half over.

"Time seems to go faster the older you get," I remarked.

The older man nodded his head. "That's for sure."

Then I thought: That's a universally accepted statement. Most would agree that time seems to speed up as we get older. It must be true because no one is getting younger. We're all getting older. So if we all agree that years go by faster the older we get, then it must be true. Is it because as technology increases, we are more accustomed to lives that deliver instant gratification, or is it simply because age equals a "faster" perspective on life? Perhaps a combination of both. Either way, all that I know is that I must take time to slow down.

Life is too short to let it rush by me.

One of my favorite quotes is, "Nobody ever laid on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the office."

While this pertains to workaholics, it also applies to life that is "wasted" in general. Whether it's work or something else, we all find ways to misuse or waste our time, sometimes without even realizing that we're doing it.

Yet at the same time, we must find a way to conduct a meaningful life while allowing time for enjoyment. It's not as if we should sit in hammocks all day sipping lemonade and reading our favorite novel, but every once in awihle, it's good to make time to do that.

Some of us do a great job of decompressing and allowing time for "self," and others of us overcommit and find ourselves spinning in circles with too much to do and not enough time to do it. The key is balance.

Whether we are bored or busy, one factor that should stay constant is time w/the Lord. That's a challenge to me. Often I find that when I am busy, it's easy to make exceptions in my schedule and the most important thing in my life is the first thing to go. Often having too much time on my hands can also be a detriment. "Oh, I have plenty of time. I'll get to it later." The key to consistent daily time in the Word and prayer with the Lord is to make it a lifestyle. It's not an option not to do it. I don't go a day without eating or drinking; it's essential. Anyone who knows me personally could tell you that I'd be a train wreck if I tried to pull that. I'd be an emotional disaster. It would have a big physical effect on me. So if I cut off my spiritual nourishment, shouldn't hte same effect take place?

Sometimes I begin posts and I have no idea what I'm going to write about. Tonight was one of those nights. I never worry... there's usually always post material floating around in my mind somewhere. I even had a few topics that I've been wanting to cover, but this wasn't one of them. It's interesting... I don't know why certain thoughts come out of my mind but tonight, this was the one.

Today...
Start a good book, grab coffee with a friend, play an instrument, go on a walk, pick some flowers, listen to your favorite song, or sit outside on your porch.

Even if you don't think you have time.

Because more and more... I'm finding that with myself, I have time for what I make time for.

Love you all!

T

time after time

Nothing is as it seems anymore.

I took a 5 minute "break" tonight to get a Dairy Queen with my mom. I was sitting in our SUV in the parking lot of DQ, thinking. I looked over to the Carius Root Beer Stand and saw the lights flicker off. It was 9pm, and the place was closing. A girl stood by the screened windows slid them shut, locking up for the night.

It took me back to when I worked at DQ. I started when I was 14 years old. Owned and operated by a dear family in Morton who are friends and relation to our own, it was an amazing place of employment. Summer nights would bring scads of people, with 2 lines reaching out to the street corners. Little kids ordering blizzards too big to finish, friends walking up and ordering mister mistys, and friends waving outside the window... all of this would pepper the outer perimeter of DQ. You could work one night and see more people you knew than in 7 days put together. It was lively, fun, and a great high school job.

All of this still seems so fresh on my mind. I feel like I was there just yesterday. Just yesterday. Just yesterday, wasn't my friend and I going out every summer night? This evening, one of my good friends texted me to see if I wanted to go roller blading. Sadly, I had to decline because of my giant to-do work list, but it took me back. It took me back to the warm summer nights when Laura and I would go roller blading almost every evening. We would strap on our blades and take off, owning the street, or so we thought. Sometimes we'd stop at the gas station and get Gatorade; sometimes we'd grab DQ, or sometimes we would just roller blade our 8-mile route and then sit out on my driveway upon returning and talk for hours. Our wheels would often get caught in the hot tar on the road and we'd trip and fall. Once we even roller bladed to Steak 'n Shake in East Peoria, but that's a whole nother story for a different time.

It's the time of graduation parties. What is weird for me is that I feel like that was just yesterday, too. Lately I have been stuck in something of a time crisis. I feel like life has rushed on without me. It's as if I should still be in high school, roaming the halls, stopping at my locker to grab a book, and writing a paper for class. In so many ways I still feel like I'm 16. Is that weird? I hate to say it, but it's almost as if I can't accept it that I'm not that young anymore.

Then I think aout how much I've been through since then and it seems like a really long time ago. We fast forward to early HS graduation. I was out of Morton HS by the end of the first semester of my senior year. That January I started full-time at ICC. It was marvelous. I had class 2 days a week and had M-W-F OFF to work at... you guessed it-- Dairy Queen!

ICC days were fantastic. I loved them. It was a clean slate for my life as far as I was concerned. I remember thinking that people were so different, more "real." All the high school pettiness seemed to fade away and in walked a whole new crowd. And I was loving every second of it. I quickly became a huge socialite with many new friends and activities to invade my calendar. I was also very happy with the Multimedia degree I was obtaining... a lot of really fun classes.

ISU was equally amazing. More great people... living away from home... an awesome Arts Tech program... a wonderful internship at Caterpillar.

Then I graduated from ISU.

Talk about a skewed reality on time. I feel like I just graduated from high school yesterday and in reality, I've been graduated from college for 2 years!

That's weird.

And now here I am. In 2009... just taking the last bites out of my chocolate dipped cone.



Do I have to grow up?

Love you all. T

Top Ten Starbucks

Today's top ten is devoted to my favorite coffee beverage shop: Starbucks.

Upon entrance into any SB store of choice, you will hear festive jazz music drift into your ears, a wonderful coffee aroma will dance under your nose, and a friendly barista will take your order any way you like it.

These are my top 10 experiences pertaining to Starbucks. Choose your favorite or tell us about one of yours.

(NOTE: The 2 images featuring Tracy & I were snapped in the year 2005... which can explain the difference in our appearance!)

1. One day about 3 years ago I drove through a Starbucks drive-through. This was in the Spring of 06 shortly after I obtained an internship w/Caterpillar and was working there in communications. I ordered my usual and when I pulled up to the window to obtain my drink, the friendly girl there started chatting away with me.

"Hi!" she said.

"Hi," I returned.

"How are you today?"

"I'm good!"

"Great-- what are you doing in life right now?"

"Well, I'm going to ISU and will be graduating in a year, and right now I have an internship at Caterpillar in communications. I also have a small design business."

At this, the girl looked out at me with a sincere smile, and reached her hand out, saying, "Wow, that's great. I am SO proud of you."

2. *(Note, to anyone who reads my blog word-for-word, you may have already heard this story. For anyone else-- and that's likely MOST of you-- enjoy.)

Once I was in Arizona, one of my favorite states =), and I was visiting-- you guessed it-- a Starbucks. I was waiting in line to order my coffee and for some reason I was also eating a banana. The lady behind me smiled and said,

"That banana looks SO good, I just want to take a bite right out of it!"

Cute. I smiled at her.

"You know, I used to work at film festivals in Hollywood," she went on to tell me, "and instead of Coke breaks in the middle of a long day, they would have 'banana breaks!'"

3. Starbucks always has the best stuff on sale. Such as really cool games and books, coffee mugs and music. I once saw a book there that I thought that I had to have... I just love unique books w/lots of great quotes and random facts & knowledge... but that was awhile ago and I forget what it was called. And I never bought it.

It was a cool book, trust me.

4. Starbucks is a great place for meeting a good friend to catch up. One of my favorite friends to meet over coffee is Tricia P, and we have done so many times. She is actually a SB veteran... she used to work there and served up many cups of coffee!

5. When I worked at a publishing company in Peoria for a year (07-08), I am pretty sure I kept the Starbucks on the corner of Knoxville and Pioneer Parkway in business. I would go there on average twice a week. In fact, often on nice days I would take my sack lunch there and eat outside on the patio tables and order a shaken iced tea lemonade (highly recommended!) to accompany my food. Also, my mornings were early. I had to be at work by 7am, so they saw me a lot at my best time of day- 6:50 am (not).

6. About a month ago, I was driving through the Starbucks in Pekin. I ordered my drink, and when I pulled up to get it, the guy working gave me a big smile. "How are you today?" he asked.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Oh- you know. Just living the dream."

I smiled. "For some, it IS a dream," I told him. "In fact, for me-- it is. I've always wanted to work at Starbucks..."

I forget what his response was but I imagine it was something close to, "You would be the best Starbucks barista in the world."

(Ok... it probably wasn't. Had it been, I would've asked for an application right then and there.)

7. Once I was coming home from Peoria and I was on my way to a friend's house. I stopped to grab a Starbucks and I ordered my usual. When I pulled around to get it, the friendly face at the window told me, "We accidentally made this for a previous customer who wanted something different," she said, holding up a large caramel frappuccino. "Would you like it?"

I said yes.

8. Starbucks features "The Way I See It" quotes on their cups. I love this.

9. A year ago I was staying with my aunt & uncle during the Spring. It was a Sunday morning and we were getting ready for church. Around here (at home), Sunday mornings are just hectic because I usually sleep too late and then I'm rushing around to get ready.

Well, I was doing something close to the same and my uncle walks in and hands me a cup of coffee from Starbucks. He had gone on an early morning coffee run and remembered the exact hot drink that is my favorite from a few days before.

I don't know why this was such a big deal to me but it just was. I love small little acts of kindness like this... just know if you are the one handing me a cup of coffee during a busy morning rush, I'll be REALLY happy you did. =)

10. Need a coffee? On the road? Have no fear... there should be a Starbucks strategically placed on a city corner w/i the next 10 miles.

---

As much as I love coffee, I will note that just like everything else in life, it is best enjoyed in moderation. =) Too much coffee makes the heart beat faster and knocks off quality sleep.

Love you all!

T

the greener side

The grass always appears to be greener on the other side.

I'm on the other side...

And the grass is REALLY green.

But...

my head is spinning, I am exhausted, I am hungry, I have more to do than time to do it...

AND

my ability to unavoid activities that cause me to procrastinate is still fully intact.

{such as blogging.}

Love you all!

T

in a nutshell

My fascination with personality types, I believe, will quite possibly never die down. Every once in awhile I do a quick search for "Myers-Briggs Personality" online and soak in all the information I can!

Anyway, tonight I came across a very humorous but altogether very true collection of words that describes my personality type, an ENFP, in a nutshell.

It is as follows...

"outgoing, social, disorganized, easily talked into doing silly things, spontaneous, wild and crazy, acts without thinking, good at getting people to have fun, pleasure seeking, irresponsible, physically affectionate, risk taker, thrill seeker, likely to have or want a tattoo, adventurous, unprepared, attention seeking, hyperactive, irrational, loves crowds, rule breaker, prone to losing things, seductive, easily distracted, open, revealing, comfortable in unfamiliar situations, attracted to strange things, non punctual, likes to stand out, likes to try new things, fun seeker, unconventional, energetic, impulsive, empathetic, dangerous, loving, attachment prone, prone to fantasy."

For those of you who know me... does this sound about right? If you're interested and know what type you are, leave it in the comments and I'll get you your description!

Love you all!

T

revealing power

My previous post lived up to its expectations. Last week was busy. In fact, I was hardly home. It's one thing to be busy with a self-employed business that is based out of the home. But it's an entirely different story to add a new part-time job + a 3-day training course at a different location.

Anyway, it was a great week. I learned an important truth last week:

I need people.

Now of course, we all essentially "need" one another. The cruelest form of punishment may just be solitary confinement. I'm not talking about the innate need we all posses to live with human beings. I'm talking about my personality. In order to feel truly fulfilled, I must be surrounded by people on a daily basis.

For 6 months, I have spent a lot of my time in a small purple office in the basement of my home. It has suited me well for the more computer-like nature of my work. Every once in awhile, there were days in which I had a meeting scheduled with a company, a dozen phone calls to make, or a photo session to conduct. Other than that, though, a large portion of my work was done in a solitary manner.

Fortunately, my business partner will be looking at her first week of cut-back hours at her current full-time job. This is an amazing remedy in my life and the life of our business; not only will I have a "team" player on a nearly daily basis, but I know a lot more production, advertising, marketing, and work will get done with the two of us on board. I love it that we will be working together a lot more and can really dive in with our all. Furthermore, this will keep me motivated and accountable as an individual with this creative business.

Ironically, as she will be coming into this with a lot more time on her hands, I am introducing a very busy time into my life. I was recently hired at the AC Home for the Handicapped, or Timber Ridge, as a 3rd shift person at the CILAs, which stand for Community Integrated Living Arrangements. These homes house a myriad of residents, and my job will be to come in at 10pm and sleep through the night at the home as a DSP. Of course, this requires training. Last week was the introduction to a lot of the required courses. I found myself highly interested in the health care field, while also understanding why it is I did not go into this field while at college. I never had a desire to serve medically, although I do have a desire to connect with individuals and reach out, and I believe this can be done with the basic knowledge I will be trained to have as a health care provider. Thus, my current opportunity.

However, I will be working 3rd shift. So the chances of grandiose human connection are nill compared to that of 1st and 2nd shift. Yet, I still find my self attracted to this human service-like job. As I sat through hours of training last week and, at times, was walking down the hallways of Timber Ridge, I could not help but smile continually. I thought to myself, "I love people." I really do. I love talking to people, learning from people, helping people, and be around people.

These past several months, I have been in an office all alone with little contact to the "outer world" or "tangible people" unless out on a meeting or photo shoot. Yet, I know that the Lord has placed me on this Earth to be a creative person and I am so excited for the opportunity to have my business and be in it with an amazing business partner, and I trust the Lord will reveal opportunities to be a blessing to many through it all. Especially now, when we have really gotten a lot busier and have the prime time to hit the ground running and make a difference as a team. However, I was glad to be reminded that the "people" part of my heart could be manifested in this other part-time job that I elected to take. I trust that my "creative" job will also fill itself with more human interaction in days and weeks to come, but this is another contribution to that important area in my life. It also fits into my schedule like a glove; it's a nice supplement to my busy daily schedule.

It has been so encouraging to see how the Lord has worked this out in my life and with perfect timing. It was one of those "extra special" gifts that I did not even ask for. It is as if the Lord knew what I needed and just landed it in my lap. We serve an awesome God! It is my prayer that this job, although it is just a "sleep shift," may be a blessing and a wonderful way to serve other lives beyond my own.

After my 3 days of training, I took half of Friday off to, well, sleep. =) I would literally get home from training and run off to my night-life activity, most of which was pre-planned and took up most of my evening. Upon returning home on those nights, I would attend to whatever IA work needed my urgent care and then head off to bed sometime after midnight. So needless to say, I was tired.

Saturday marked the beginning of a very fun "Wedding Photo Weekend" for Imagine Artists. The Lord blessed us with some beautifully warm weather, and we headed down to the U of I campus at Champaign to shoot the bride, groom and bridal party images. The campus was beautiful with flowering trees and unique buildings all around, so we had an ideal playground of ideas surrounding us on all sides. It was delightful. There was a huge event going on so a lot of high-school age kids were there, as well as a "photo contest" so Kristi and I had to smile when every once in awhile, someone would run up next to us and take a picture of our shot. Come to find out, one of the high schoolers ended up winning the competition with the bridal party as the subject! It was also over 80 degrees out, so Kristi and I were heated by the time it was all done. We grabbed a bit to eat on the road and headed back to Washington, which was a little over and hour drive. It was then that we realized the air conditioning in my car stopped working. So there we are, on 74, eating our Arby's with the windows wide open. It was a VERY warm trip home. =) We kept rolling down the windows and then back up, blasting the very warm air on our skin until we couldn't stand it any longer. But we made it.

Sunday brought about some more wedding photography at the reception. I was home by 5:30pm and in some desperate need of "active" time. Sometimes I just crave to get out of doors and just walk or jog while listening to music. It just does something for me. Even if I have been running all day, I would so much rather do that then take a nap. Naps seem to make it worse while getting out into the fresh air and walking it off rejuvinates me. So I did it, and I was so glad.

First of all, this weather is outstanding. The warmth is a temendous asset in my life right now. Secondly, I just updated my ipod so all of my newest songs were on there. So I went to my "recently added" list as I always do, and a particular song came on that stood out to me. Not to long ago, I was chatting with a friend online and he sent me a few songs from a CD called "Can You Hear Us?" The songs were written by Kaitlyn Pflederer and are the voice of those trapped in child trafficking. The words are powerful and the message meaningful, but I really hadn't paid too much attention to them until this evening. The song "Can You Hear Us?" and "Ridiculous" came on and the lyrics made me think as I was out in the outside air.

Then tonight, an event took place at my house that has been planned for awhile. Kevin & Erica Kipfer, family friends of ours, will be serving as missionaries in Ethiopia within the next several months and to gear up, they are having a series of informational/prayer meetings at our home. We are glad to have them host the events at our house as a more spacious option, and tonight was the very first meeting. It was fantastic! There was a great turnout of around 20-24 people, and the 3 Pflederer sisters came. Kaitlyn and her sister Liesel sang the song "Can You Hear Us?" to the group, and it was absolutely outstanding and heart-wrenching.

Earlier in the evening, Kevin talked about how we may hear that several thousand girls are affected and we just hear the number and may shake our head and think, "That's a shame." Yet what we don't realize is how very personal this is. Each number is a girl, a living breathing soul... like one of us. They showed a movie at the beginning that was powerful, speaking the message, "Imagine being sold off to a man... being addicted to drugs... seeing several "clients" tonight... and turning 8 years old tomorrow." That is the reality, believe it or not. And it goes on with a lot of lives that are so far removed from our own that in our own little air-conditioned homes with our very shallow, surfacey problems, we often overlook. It's the sad truth. Another truth is that we will not all be called to serve those wounded in this way, but we can still support in prayer. And we can certainly support those who are willing to go serve in this way... because we may have our own passions or areas of service, and the Lord will bless any of that work.

So it has been quite the week. I look forward to another busy one this time around!

Love you all!

T

thanks to calendars

So....

It's Monday.

It is 10 til 9pm and I am still "working."

Well... technically, writing a post for my blog isn't working, it's just a nicely placed procrastination activity until I decide to work again. :)

Anyway, the rest of this week is going to be crazy busy. I realized that today in looking at my calendar. I recently discovered that I have learned to cope with life by writing everything down. We all know that my memory is worthless. I'm not even joking, it really is. I am one of those people who cannot remember anything to save my life. It's not purposeful. Really, it's not. To the contrary, I have to work really hard if I want to remember anything at all. I recently joked with a friend that just perhaps, my memory will only get better as I get older and I'll be one of those phenomenons that demonstrates the "reverse of Alzheimer's."

She was skeptical.

So, as I sit in my office, off to my right is a giant calendar that hangs on a bulletin board. If someone decided to burn this, I would be in trouble. On it is housed my "business" life. All of my client appointments, photo shoots, weddings, etc. is recorded on this calendar.

Well, the criminal would also have to burn my computer because I have a copy of my 2009 schedule saved somewhere on this machine.

Anyway, at the beginning of every week and often before even that, I take a good look at what the week is bringing me and make any necessary phone calls or e-mails to get or give directions or remind customers or my business partner of upcoming meetings.

Next, I look to my left. On my desk sits my "Procrastinator's Day Calendar" that has my personal life scribbled onto it.

Between these 2 calendars, I live day by day, letting my calendars tell me what is going to happen. It's a very freeing process. Letting the inanimate objects do all the work like that. So my brain doesn't have to.

Starting tomorrow, I have a 4-day training session for a part-time job that I recently acquired. I'm excited about the potential financial supplement this job offers, as well as doors that could open to schedulize my life even just a bit more and encourage responsibility, personal collaboration, and enlightenment in my life.

I'll fill you in on more details of that as it continues to unfold in my life, but anyway, that will take up most of my next 4 days. The remainder of those days will be used to sustain my Imagine Artists projects and maybe even fit in a social life.

Oh yeah, my mom leaves for Arizona tomorrow and she informed me that I have been elected as the cook while she is gone. So somewhere in there I will be going grocery shopping and formulating some sort of a supper menu. Leftover Monical's pizza is on the menu for tomorrow evening. My dad isn't too picky.

I must also have a veggie pizza made and a bag of chips & dip in tow by Friday evening, as I have successfully double booked myself for 2 events that night and I will somehow simultaneously attend both.

Then to top it all off, on Saturday and Sunday Imagine Artists is shooting a wedding. So I'm thinking the next available moment to breathe will be next Monday at this time.

See you then.

T

(Love you all.)

a time to dance

Tonight I finished a book.

I started reading it last night at 9:30pm. Around 1:15am, I shut off the light and willed myself to go to sleep. I read a bit today, then this evening I picked back up at 7:30pm and just read the last page not too long ago.

It's been a very long time since I haven't been able to "put a book down," but oh, it's such a good feeling.

I have recently decided that I spend WAY too much time with mindless activities that don't get me anywhere in life. They may entertain me for awhile, even hours, but to what avail? One of my solutions was to fill my time with more reading. Any kind of reading. Reading is good for the brain and a lot of times is educational.

In this case, it was also a boost to my spiritual life.

The book I just finished was about 2-decade old marriage between a couple that was at the brink of divorce. The man in the relationship was on the verge of an affair, and the wife had been too busy and caught up in her own little world for years to realize her relationship with her husband had dwindled by the wayside. Both spend the entire book in a prideful state of blaming the other for the imminent death of the marriage, ignoring warning signs and promptings from the Lord to fix it.

What stuck out to me was how the author showed God's Almighty workings throughout this entire book. How she weaves His goodness and His miracles in the characters, situations, and storyline to form this beautiful outcome. It paints this picture of turmoil, devastation, and a fiery trial only to deliver the characters stronger on the other side.

Isn't that how God works? As I read the story, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it have been easier if...?"

Often, at the end of the long road and horrible heartache, it's easy to look back and say, "If we had just had that conversation 6 months sooner," or "Had we just resolved this in the first place, then A, B, and C wouldn't have happened."

Yet often it is in those tough, tough times when the Lord reveals Himself to us the clearest and draws us closer in the process. Our human error is no excuse to not try, but in situations when it seems like we should have "figured it out sooner," the good Lord can turn our mistakes into miracles.

One exchange I read in the book went like this:

"... You're forgetting the first rule of being a Christian."

"What rule is that?"

"The enemy doubles his efforts when a breakthrough is right around the corner."

How often do I allow the really tough times to deliver me to the depths of despair? I hang my head in defeat, thinking I'm at the end of the road, when in fact the Lord may be holding the answer in His hand just inches away. It doesn't mean that every tough time will result in momentary rainbow, but what it does mean is that often we fail to see the spiritual battle that goes on when the Lord is working so closely with us. The devil doesn't want us victorious, so he steals away this joy by introducing temptation, trial, and hardship into our lives. This "doubling of his efforts" may last a day, a month, for years, or it may seem to last for a lifetime, but one thing is for sure. If we stay true and faithful to God, no amount of Satan's schemes will steal away the true joy and eternal reward we have waiting for us at the other end.

One of the bible studies I am doing right now teaches how to "Scripture-pray" but picking verses in the Bible and then praying the Words of Truth as a personalized prayer. In this book I finished tonight, the author showed God speaking to the characters in a still, soft voice through Bible verses. It was so powerful. It reminded me of the importance of using the Word as a beacon of Truth in my own life each and every day. Reading it keeps it familiar, but more than anything else, memorizing it locks it away in your heart forever. And certainly praying it is like speaking God's language to God. So the Word is a powerful tool and one of our main communication sources to the Lord.

There is much more I learned from this book but I will close, largely due to the hour.

Love you all!

T

scoreboard

Thank you to everyone who took my quiz—there was a total of 13 participants!

Here is the final score board:

Rank Name Score
1 guess 90
2 Kel 80
3 H 80
4 Kristi 80
5 Wilma 60
6 Friend 60
7 lol 50
8 I shall be nameless 40
9 Katie 30
10 rebekah kaufmann 20
11 tyrna 20
12 Tami 20
13 Vanessa 10

I feel like a teacher right now reporting these results, but here we go…

No one scored 100%. So I’ll put my gold star stickers away.

The person who scored 90% is anonymous. As you see above in the score board, it says “guess.” That person may choose to remain nameless or may reveal him/herself in the comments. I would love to know who scored the highest and quite honestly, I have no idea who it is. But whoever you are, evidently you either a) know me well or b) are a great test-taker! (or perhaps both.)

Kelly, Heather, and Kristi came in 2nd place with 80%. Good job, girls—all 3 are good friends of mine so I am pleased with their scores.

Wilma and “Friend” scored 60%, and “lol” scored 50%.

The rest were 40% and under. Someone even got creative in being anonymous and transposed the letters in my name as an identity.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who participated. For those of you who scored low, not to worry. The 3 closest friends of mine who took this didn’t get above 80%, and I was told by more than one person that this was “tricky.” The “all of the above” questions seemed to stump a lot of you. ☺

Now for the questions overview…

Most people either knew I walked fast or thought I was a “stop and smell the roses” type of girl.

A lot of people didn’t know that I love bacon cheeseburgers because they either picked chocolate or popcorn for my favorite food.

Several people thought my coffee shop of choice would be any vintage coffee shop, when in fact it is Starbucks.

Almost everyone knew the title I would least likely have would be “farm girl.”

A lot of people must think a nick name of mine was Tea Bag and may not know that I was actually called T Dog by 2 of my good friends back in the day.

Most people know my dream car, a green VW Beetle, but those that didn’t know this DID have tasteful backup guesses with the Golf and Mini Cooper. ☺

The next question was a bit controversial. A lot of people thought I would never run more than 1 mile. It would not be my 1st choice activity but I definitely would do it, and often jog for exercise. Also, others thought I would never shoot a deer. One of my good friends even to this very minute argues that I would NEVER do it. I told her if there was a plate with a mushroom in front of me and I either had to eat it or pick up the gun lying next to me and shoot a deer, I’d shoot the deer.

That’s how much I hate mushrooms.

A lot of people didn’t know I had 9 nieces and nephews. That one is tricky because I have a pregnant sister. Noah, Oliver, Naomi, Silas, Domniq, Sophia, Beau, Lola, and Tillie.

Almost everyone knew my original business was called Two Peas in a Palette.

The future boy names question was pretty scattered… the only person who would legitimately know the correct answer to this is Kristi, since I had this discussion with her recently. For all the rest of you… I just wanted to see how eccentric you think I am. ☺

Good job, everyone, and again—thanks for participating! This was fun.

Love you all!

T

how well do you know me?

click here to find out.

experimental shooting

Photography is an interesting concept in my life.

Not only is it my "job," but it is also my hobby. At first the line between professional work and my interest in it as a creative pursuit was a bit blurry, but now it seems to make sense.

Imagine Artists is a photography and graphic design service designed to provide a solution to customers who want to hire us (Kristi and I) as their "creative" eyes. Some projects are independent but most of the work requires both of us, which is what creates a meshing of our styles. Kristi brings classy simplicity and exquisite moments to the table, while I bring vintage texture and candid captures. This combination equals Imagine Artists.

Yet when the day is over and I am done editing photos or designing a logo, I still desire to create. Moments are always there to be captured, and whether I am at a family event or out on the town with friends, I "see" moments. I also desire continued education and learning, as well as experimentation. It enhances my abilities as a creative individual and as a professional.

One exciting opportunity I have had over the past few months is the monthly "Experimental Shoots" put on by a fellow photographer. Each month, he plans a shoot at a different unique location with models and photographers can come and capture images. It is a great way to meet new faces and collaborate with other creative people. It has been an interesting learning experience and a great way to experiment with the capturing of images and the post-production process. It has been fascinating to see the work output in so many different ways. We are all at the same shoot capturing the same models and shots, yet with different equipment and from different angles and perspectives. Furthermore, the editing process can change it up even more.

The first experimental shoot I went to was in January and we shot around in Pekin. I didn't make it to February's shoot, but in March we shot at a very awesome, old home in Peoria. Then last weekend, April's shoot was in Pekin again but at an old school that is boarded up and vandalized. It was a great location and a beautiful sunny day.

I will also mention that we had has some great models for the past shoots. Perhaps I will share some from March's shoot at some point, but following are some of my resulting images from April's session in Pekin.













Love you all!

T

addicted

I have decided that there are certain things in my life that seem to recur often. So following is a list of things that I might be addicted to. Note the version of "addicted" that I use here: "enthusiastically devoted to a particular thing or activity." By the way, did you know that word is an adjective? I would have guessed it a verb.

1. Coffee
It has come to my attention that in the past 6 months, I have developed some sort of an attachment to this drink. It's funny, though. I brew a cup every morning but by lunch time I look at my blue coffee mug and usually I have only sipped 1/4 of the drink.

However, gas station coffee is a whole other story. I usually grab a 16 oz. cup and layer it with white chocolate caramel flavor and hazelnut coffee, switching back and forth from the machines. They haven't stopped me yet. It's my gas station specialty and it tastes so good. I usually almost finish the entire drink.

Then Starbucks is on a whole other level. In fact, Starbucks itself should probably make the list as a bold item category. But I'll just talk about it here. I hate to admit this but sometimes when I have errands to run in Peoria, I specifically plan my trip around when and where I can get a Starbucks coffee. My favorite drink of choice is the mocha frappucino, and on cold days, the mocha. I love it there.

2. Popcorn
When I say that I eat it every night, I am really not joking. It is to the point where nothing else seems like a better evening snack. Except a bowl of Lucky Charms. But most of the time, popcorn makes the cut. I love this salty snack, and I will put a shout-out to Orville Rendenbacher's Tender White flavor. It's truly a delight! A wonderful buttery snack to be enjoyed with friends, family, or all by yourself!

3. Gilmore Girls
I was introduced to this show a few years ago when I always heard my close friend talk about it. I thought, "What's the big deal?" Then I saw a re-run one day on TV and after just one episode, I was hooked. I asked my friend if I could borrow the previous seasons and I watched them all on DVD, getting myself caught up to what was at the time the last season.

I love the quick-witted chatter in this show and the mother-daughter relationship. It's such a charming show, and it always makes me laugh. Anyway, it is one of the few shows in which I could sit and watch re runs for hours.

4. Pictures
This is a good thing, considering it's a big part of my profession. But really, I love taking pictures and never really get sick of it. We had 3 photo sessions today and while it was exhausting, I still walk away at the end of the day loving it. I am thankful for that!

I have always felt that no matter where you are, who you are with, or what you are seeing in life, there is always something to capture. Always. How it is captured is up to the person capturing it, which is the beauty of being an artist. Anyway, I love images and "seeing" those moments, and when an image can lock away one moment in time forever, it is so special. If I could carry a camera everywhere, I would. Furthermore, if I could choose to be invisible in some situations, I would. I love photographing the candid moment.

5. Dessert
It just makes me happy. It really does. I love dessert. I thought about making this category "chocolate" but I feel as though chocolate falls into this bigger realm of possibilities. I'm not one of those people who eats dessert first or dessert instead of my meal, but I will always appreciate enjoying one. I have a big sweet tooth, that is for sure.

---

Love you all!

T

top.ten : birthday.party

I am posting an early Top Ten Tuesday. It is one of the rare times in life that I am not late, so please treasure it.

I attended a birthday party for my 4-year-old and 6-year-old nieces on Sunday evening. It was very cool. I miss being a little girl.

Anyway, for today's Top Ten, I would like you to look at 10 images that I captured during this time.

Pictures speak to us all in different ways. Some of us react to the emotions of the person in the photo, others of us focus on what is taking place, and still some of us tend to look at colors, lines, and mood.

Choose the image that evoke the following responses and explain why:
1. A big smile
2. A chuckle
3. A feeling of nostalgia

While all of the images are similar in theme, each picture holds its own story. I will with hold from titling since I feel like that may play with your responses. I want this to be totally based off of the image itself.

Thanks for participating... it will be interesting to see what your choices are.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Love you all!

T