Sunsets

About the only time I get a chance to capture a sunset is when

I'm coming home in the evening from a nearby city. Otherwise, I'm

in the middle of my neighborhood, surrounded by houses, trees, and other

obstacles to a good picture.

All this only makes the occasional shots feel all the sweeter.

Of course, all my pictures are out a car window. But, they still turn

out pretty good.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

.......I hope that your Christmas......

 

.....And the coming new year.....

Will be filled with love,

 Warmth,

 

And color.

 

 

Photo Challenge: Your Favorite Shot

Well, I'm participating in the photo challenge over at Carlotta's blog. This time around, the theme is your favorite shot. I'm pretty torn over what to post - I have so many favorites! ;) However, I've decided to post one I took of a dragonfly a couple of years ago. Even though I took it with my Kodak point-and-shoot camera, it's one of the best pictures I've taken.

I can't believe...

 ...That this little guy....

 ....Recently turned two months old.

He's fallen desperately in love with my younger sister's doll, Pajamas.

 ...Or, maybe it's just the bright red color of her dress.
(For more pictures occasionally, visit my mom's blog over at Seeking Faithfulness. :)

And, on a side note, about a week ago I attended a homeschool formal. Followed by a limo ride and blacklight volleyball. I went with my older brother, Jacob, and enjoyed it immensely.

 

(Pardon the weird expression on my face - That was about the tenth picture, since Jake was trying to get the lighting right.)

Braces... and the removal of them.

So, today I went on a long journey.

To the Orthodontist's.

To remove something that I had been in possession of

for over two years.

 Very gladly did I relinquish the torturous metal contraptions

that were supposedly straightening my teeth.

And here...

Is the result...






Of over two years of appointments, faithful wearing of orthodontic bands,
and, worst of all, very little caramel corn.


However, it was quite worth it:

Two years definitely makes a difference.

'On Cloud Nine' #3

Is there a photo that makes you happy? One that warms your heart or tells a funny story? One that puts you on cloud nine? Here's your chance to share it! Just post a picture, then link it up by midnight tomorrow over at Carlotta's blog! (You might have to scroll down to see the post... since she blogs so much. ;)

This week,

I'm entering a picture

of my almost

three-year old

sister Mariam

(Called Mae or Mari for short)

She recently found

a Cinderella dress

at a local thrift store

and promptly fell in love with it, 

had to have it

So, I took her outside to take some pictures. 

This one's my favorite, so I'm entering it in the 'on cloud nine' contest.

 A few others (That I'm not entering) are:

Photo Challenge: Color

Entering a photo challenge over at Carlotta's blog - 'Color'. I've actually decided to reuse my picture I used for 'On Cloud Nine' two weeks ago. So, here's my sunflower. :)

This one was a close second for me, but I decided on the sunflower. :)

'On Cloud Nine' #2

I'm linking up to Carlotta's blog for the 'On Cloud Nine' photo challenge. You're supposed to upload a picture of something that makes you joyful. 


I chose this week to upload a picture of a guitar I bought yesterday. I found it at a local consignment shop, for a great price. I've been playing guitar for a little while, using my brother's guitar. (He's also been teaching me.) Guitar makes me happy, so I'm uploading this picture. :)  


(If you're wondering, the brand of the guitar is Lyon, it's a lightweight acoustic guitar with a built-in tuner. )

Live Out Loud!

Don't inhibit yourself by worrying about what's going to take place tomorrow. Or what your peers think of you. Don't spend excessive amounts of time focused on appearance, how you present yourself to the world. Don't hide yourself behind a solemn front. Enjoy life. Be free in Christ. Live out loud!

'On Cloud Nine'

This week I'm taking part in Carlotta's 'On Cloud Nine' challenge. It's uploading a picture that fills you with joy. Well, this week I decided to upload a picture from of our sunflower (Which is, sadly, dead now.) But, thankfully, I enjoy photography, so I was able to capture it in its prime. What I love about this picture is the gorgeous green center of the sunflower that fades into brown, then the yellow petals contrasted against the blue and white sky. The slight fading on the petals is from my lens being blurry. (Which I didn't realize until I started editing it on the computer.)

 (taken with my point-and-shoot Kodak C613)

Why I Love Photography

Maybe it's the ability to capture a split second in time.

Or maybe it's the possibility of freezing running water,

Or catching droplets of it on a delicate morning glory.

Maybe it's the ability to take a picture just because you had your camera with you as the light turns just right,

Or maybe it's the ability to sit for half an hour and arrange a pleasing picture.

Maybe it's the thrill of catching glowing lights at night time,

Or maybe it's taking joy in symmetry.

Maybe it's the ability to capture a memory of a loved one,

Or of several loved ones.

But no matter what it is that draws me to photography, I only know that I love it, and that I will continue to love it.

Gabriel Joseph

A couple of days ago,

A new life began.

A baby boy was born.

A family welcomed another child.

Welcome to our family, Gabriel Joseph. May God bless you and give you many years with us.

After saving up for forever, I had accumulated enough to buy a Nikon D3000. I've been wanting to get a dslr camera for quite a while, and finally bought the D3000 with my older brother's advice. I've had it for about a month now, and I'm quite excited to be able to have a better camera. Up until now, I've been using a point-and-shoot digital camera, a Kodak C613. I've been having fun experimenting with it. Here's some of my favorite pictures so far:

Well....

....I'm starting up a writing blog again. I had somewhat shied away from writing on a blog, since I had lost any inspiration I had. However, I just randomly decided to start up a blog. If I just drop off the face of the earth for months at a time, assume I've lost inspiration. Or I'm busy.  Or I'm busy so I've lost inspiration. Or... Never mind. Anyway, I'll be posting sporadically, when I find the time. So, here's the first blog post. I hereby declare this blog, active!  *looks around*  Wait... I don't have anyone reading my blog. *sigh*... Now I'm going to have to go recruit people that will be sympathetic to my struggling attempts at humorous yet readable posts. If you stop by, please comment - also take a look at my photography blog, over at Indecision. So, I suppose that's all. I'll try to post occasionally. :)