Why I love Winter: Warm Hats

I'm a fan of hats. All kinds of hats, actually, but especially warm hats in the winter. Ones with ear flaps, ones with fur lining, ones with fleece lining.. well you get the point :)

[Thanks to my amazing sister Amy for modeling my hat for me... by the way, I love that hat; it's really warm]

Taking Shots

"You'll always miss 100 percent of the shots that you don't take"

[Or Kelley's version of the quote.... "You'll never shoot *anything* {meaning deer} sitting in the house"]

The Cole Family

The Cole family has three cute little ones under the age of three. Isabelle just turned 3 on the 24th :-)

{Hannah}

 {Isabelle}

 {Isaac was such a cutie... only five weeks old, he made me miss little babies in the house!}

 {Isn't he precious?}

{We got to finish up with some cookies.. yummy :-) }

Saturday Sharing: Katherine Alison

There's this girl named Katherine... that I kind of first met online [meaning we were in an online photo class together] and then we *really* met at Photoj [a workshop hosted by IPS] last August. Actually, we were roommates.

Since spending that week together we haven't seen each other in person [unless Skype counts ;) lol] but we kept in touch. I've been following her blog, and lately I've been super impressed by the stories she is posting.

Well... she *did* get to go to New Zealand with IPS, and those were some amazing stories, which you should check out. But my favorite recent post was this one about a Thanksgiving outreach. There aren't many words, yet the story is really strong.

So you should head over and check out Katherine Alison Photography. 'Cause it'll make your life richer.

[This is the sadly the only picture we have together, but it brings back good memories! :) The end of 60 hours of intense photography training in five days.... apparently your brain doesn't think straight anymore. haha!]

Why I love Winter: Fresh Snowfalls

Another reason I love winter? Waking up to fresh snowfalls. There's nothing like it.

 It reminds when I was about six, and I had this lovely red flannel nighty, and I'd wake up and run downstairs. I'd sit on the heat vent in front of the sliding glass door, put my skirt over so I could feel the hot air, and I'd look out on the winter wonderland [which is an overused phrase, but it's what it is.]

Although now I'm older and have other responsibilities, I don't wear nightys, and we heat with wood, I'll never cease to be amazed by fresh snow. I realize how awesome and creative our God is when I watch the soft white flakes come floating to cover the ground.

Isaiah 30

And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand, or whenever you turn to the left..... [verses 20-21]

"Then He will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plenteous. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.. [verse 23]

"There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill, rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound. [verses 25-26]

Even though you see the bread of adversity, and in this life it seems like you keep hitting walls, and hard times and adversity, there is a promise! You will *see* your teachers [see the Lord, and the Holy Spirit] and you will *hear* a voice saying *This* is the way, walk in it." And then... read verse 23.... He will give the rain for your seed. He will water those dreams, that you sow in the ground, and give you bread. And not only will it be enough.... it will be fat and plenteous! He doesn't just promise enough... He promises *more* than enough. 

And it get's even more beautiful..... In verse 29 it says,

"You shall have a song, as in the night when a hold festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the Lord." 

Isn't that a beautiful thought? 

A pair of cuties

I seriously had so much fun with Elena (8) and Ava (1 1/2) at their house last week. We did lots of stuff, from reading books, to playing peek-a-boo with the curtains and eating cupcakes and milk..... annnnnd lots of adorable pictures! Love these two!

See for yourself the charm down here......

Saturday Sharing: Christa Taylor

Oh I how love her style! Although {unfortunately} she has discontinued her on-line store to pursue a photographer career, she still blogs about fashion and the Empowered Traditionalist. She's the kind of girl [my kind!] that sees "the potential" in things. [Some of my close friends can tell you how much I like that saying ;) haha]

Anyway, you should follow her blog, she's got lots of good stuff over there! So... GO!

Click HERE ;)

Have a rad weekend everyone... filled with lots of potential!

Why I love Winter: Frost On The Windows

[Since my other friend... Laurel Wade  is pretty special too {she's from Texas} this post is dedicated to her.. She's a photographer as well, check out her blog {linked to her name} and her facebook fan page!]

Frost patterns on the shop door when you're going out to the barn to milk, makes life a lot better. [gorgeous]

A need for change? or discontentment?

{I wasn't going to post these thoughts, mainly because I felt like the were just that, a bunch of jumbled thoughts flying around inside my brain. But since I wasn't sure what else I would write about, and it's been something that's on my mind lately, they're here. So go ahead and read them... and if you'd like, leave me some of *your* thoughts.}

Is it bad to be addicted to change? I like change, a lot in fact. Actually maybe more than a lot. Unlike a lot of people I know, I welcome change. Yeah, I like some favorite things that I can always come back to, that I know I like, but for the most part I like variety.

But sometimes I wonder if that’s wrong, because I have a hard time being content where I am. Right now, at this stage of my life, I’m fine being content, because there *are* a lot of things that are changing, and I *do* get to do a variety of things. But there are times in my life, when for a few years I go through the same old routine, do the same old things, etc. and I get so bored with my life.

So what do I do about this part of me? Do I embrace it? Is it something that I can use to my advantage? Is it something that God gave me for a reason? Or is it something that I need to fix? Is it a part of me that will never be content with where God has placed me? Is it something that I should be fulfilling in my relationship with God?

You know we always hear about people who are “adrenaline junkies”, and I always kind of viewed those people as someone who needed to do something daring or stupid to get a high, and I always viewed it as needy. Kind of in the sense that you *should* be getting that high from the Lord. Is that what I need to be doing about my “need for change”? Should I be fulfilling that desire I have for new things, for things that I’ve never experienced before, in my relationship with God?

Now that I think about it this way, it’s really exciting. What would happen if my whole life was a quest to learn something new about my God? If it was a challenge to cover new ground with my Lord? If when I felt that need for something new, to go to my Savior, because He is the ultimate, He’s everything, we will never come to the place where everything is “safe, or normal”. You know what I’m trying to say?

If we view it that way, instead of viewing God as one of our safe things, something that we can fall back on if we end up doing something that we don’t really like, I think maybe you’ll have a much more exciting walk! Our walk with God should always be changing, always.

The more I think about it, though, I think that God made people that way, because we need people that are not always content with the way things are; ones that will give a push to move things in a different direction. I think the challenge for me though, is to welcome change, but at the same time to learn to be content with the place that God has me, and at those times seek for new things in God……. What do y’all think about it?? Leave me some thoughts in the comments, I really like to hear others views on it. What kind of person are you?

[This post has been in a folder for a while, while I contemplated it, and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t seek change just because. That if our “change” is generated from seeking God than that’s great. I don’t think we should be doing lots of different stuff for the fun of it. {But at the same time, it’s not wrong to do some things for the fun of it.} This is starting to get kind of confusing, but this song is what sparked this end note:

                “Where You go I’ll go // Where You stay I’ll stay // When You move, I’ll move // I will follow You // Who You love I’ll love // How You serve I’ll serve // I will follow You.” ~Chris Tomlin

A Family Shoot in the Snow

After this quick shoot the other day in the snow... I decided that I really like winter portraits... and that I'm going to start doing some more. Soooo if you want some portraits in this gorgeous snow shoot me an email! kelleyjo@kelleyjoimaging.com . I'd love to take your [or you and your family] pictures! 

 {I really like this one =) All of them have such "them" smiles on.}

 {Kaylie couldn't resist the fluffy snow... I get a kick out of the fact that shes got quite the innocent look on her face. haha!}

 {The aftermath}