{Beauty | Personal}

"Let us jointly make such works of artistic beauty - small and large, simple and complex - that the world around us will pause for one moment and say, "Truly there must be a God, and He must be here."

 {For the Beauty of the Church}

{John and Carol's Reception | Mendota Heights Wedding Photography}

Since John and Carol had a private wedding {which you can see images of HERE }, they hosted a larger reception at the Menakota Country Club a few weeks later. A gorgeous gorgeous place to have a reception, the night was lots of fun. John is part of a band, so they played for the night and Carol even made a little debut in one song! :) Thanks again, for having me as a part of your wedding celebrations!

{Excitement - Wedding Moments | Mendota Heights Wedding Photographer}

When I saw this picture, this little girl made me smile! Oh the joy and excitement of a child. So adorable!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your day is filled with as much excitement as hers was!

{Wonder | Personal}

The little girl crawled out of bed and pulled herself up to the window sill, peeking out into the early morning light. A smile crept across her face as she saw what she was hoping to see, it had snowed for the first time this winter.

One stair at a time, one foot and then the other, she crept down the stairs. The house was quiet as her little sister and brother were still sleeping. She came into the dining room, and the picture out the sliding glass door made her stop. The beautiful light reflected off the white snow, and the swamp in her back yard had been transformed into a gorgeous place. Her eyes got big and her smile even bigger. She shivered a little.

She skipped over to the sliding glass door, and crouched down over the heating vent. The warm air filled the skirt of her red and white checked nightie, and her body began to warm as she took in the beauty of the scene, her eyes and heart filled with wonderment. It wasn't the first time that she'd seen snow, but it always made her feel this way.

__________________

My alarm went off on a Sunday morning, and I rolled over and punched the dismiss button. I closed my eyes again, until I began to feel the light start to seep through the windows. We were supposed to have gotten almost a foot of snow the day before, but it had never came. But as the light brightened up the room, I could tell that we'd gotten snow over night.

I pulled back the covers and the cold air hit me. It made me shiver and I hurriedly grabbed a fleece out of the closet, as I stared out the window. I had a photo session scheduled for this afternoon, and inside I sighed a little.

Snow on the farm meant work. It meant plowing and shoveling, and clearing out cars. It meant putting down sand and getting stuck in the driveway, and having to stay home for days. It meant splitting and hauling wood, and keeping the fire going.

I went downstairs to sit in front of the woodstove, curled up beneath a blanket. And as I sat there, watching the fire flicker, and glancing out the window as the morning got brighter, I realized I'd lost my wonderment and appreciation of the beauty.

The beauty was still there, but my eyes weren't seeing it. The mystery of where the snow came from, or how soft the flakes were, hadn't been solved, but it just didn't cross my mind.

I made myself forget the thoughts of the cold, and the work, and all the things it might mean I'd miss, and let myself see it through the eyes of the little girl.

The little girl in the red and white checkered nightie, that didn't have a care in the world. She didn't care that the snow meant work, or rough driving conditions, or the cold temperatures. She just saw the beauty of the soft snow falling from heaven. She wondered about the God who had blessed this earth with something so amazing and beautiful. She enjoyed the feeling of her body going from cold to warm, and the sight of the green pine trees covered in white.

Faith like a child, means living like one. Appreciating life like one. Forgetting all the worries and work of life, and enjoying each beautiful morning. It means having an attitude that looks at everything like a personal gift from God. Because it is.

{Junction 122 Thanksgiving Dinner | Brainerd MN Event Photography}

Thanksgiving week Junction 122  had their 6th annual thanksgiving dinner. This year three people shared their testimonies during dinner, which was awesome to hear God's work in their lives. So encouraging!

{Mariya's Headshots | Brainerd, MN Portrait Photography}

Mariya is a new teacher for Splash School  {which is an awesome place to learn to swim!}, and so we went out to grab a couple of headshots of her for the paper/website/etc. Seriously, could you be more gorgeous, girl?? Thanks for letting me take more pictures than we needed ;)