It doesn’t get any better than this:
I have witnessed something so amazing and so wonderful; so great that I was afraid to hope for it years ago. Then I started whispering prayers for it and got bolder over the years as I started pleading for it. Thursday night, a simple confirmation fell in my lap and I wept with joy.
Thank you, Jesus, for redemption and answered prayers. Thank you for ensuring an eternity with my beloved! The glory is yours.
All of a sudden, the milestones are passing in a frenzy. I barely have time to acknowledge one before another one zips past me! This past month has been big for Jackson: he’s officially potty trained (There wasn’t much training to it; he just did it and we moved on!), he turned four, and then a BIG milestone tonight. Jackson’s sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time! (I don’t count the toddler bed at Grandma’s.)
As I snuggled with him and read a bedtime story (I picked Love You Forever, of course! Why not add some tears to the bittersweet moment?!), I realized a special “last” slipped by me on Friday night. It was the last time I rocked him before bed, because Saturday night was spent at Grandma’s house. And then another realization hit me: this is the same bed my brother slept in until the last year of his life. Aw, man! Add some more emotion to this night, why don’t ‘cha?!
No matter what amount of bittersweet emotion I attach to this milestone, my son Jackson’s joy could not be contained. He was so excited to have a new bed. Here’s a photo of him showing the bed to his sister. He kept saying, “This is cool! My new bed is cool!”
Almost exactly eight years ago, we put the crib together in that room in preparation for Katie’s arrival. It hasn’t moved since. In fact, it’s still assembled in Jackson’s room as a threat to keep him in his bed tonight. I think we won’t need it much longer, because he is so proud of his new digs.
Two years ago, we welcomed a new addition to our family. I wrote about it here. Going back and reading that post makes me stop and take stock of how far I’ve come (and the immense amount I’ve learned!) since 2009.
Now, just two years later, we have upgraded and bought a new (to us) camera: a Nikon D200. I bought it from our friend Michael, who is a professional photographer. He was ready to upgrade one of his cameras, and generously sold this “old” one to me. I admit I was completely overwhelmed at first. I thought it would take me WEEKS to learn how to use it, and I didn’t have weeks. I had just committed to shooting my first wedding! But I sat down one night with the camera and the manual, and gave myself a crash course on Nikon. Silly me, I had forgotten all I’ve learned in the last two years doesn’t have to be learned all over again! I just take what I already know and figure out where the controls are for doing that same thing on a new camera body. Ha! Easy peasy.
You know I always name big purchases: cars (Petey and Louie), computers (Frank), and cameras (Penny). I’ve been pondering what we should name the Nikon. I consulted Katie, and we decided to name him Joey. So welcome to our family, Joey!
My friend Beverly asked me to photograph her stepson’s wedding. Mind you, I have never done anything like this before, and I only had a week’s notice, but I said yes anyway!
The wedding was this past Saturday. I spent the week prior preparing for the wedding: looking up photography tips, scouring photography websites to get my creative juices flowing, and OH. That’s right… I bought a NEW (to me) camera! So THAT was a fun little wrench in the system. Ha!
I had five days to practice with the new camera, then I had a trial by fire and shot my very first wedding. This week, I spent over ten hours editing the photos. I originally shot 1,028 photos, but the final CD held 394 images, plus I threw together a video for the couple and my friend to have as a keepsake.
I made inevitable mistakes and didn’t live up to my personal expectations, but I think it all turned out well in the end. Sometimes it’s painful to learn and grow, but I’m thankful God gave me a heart that wants to keep pursuing and keep trying!
*I have to give a shout-out to two pro friends for mentoring me and encouraging my love of photography. Thanks, Michael and Michelle!
