Cade and the Lil cat!

Cade has a new friend! He has played with this cat everyday we go outside. It is a stray that is house broken and incredibly sweet! She loves Cade and is gentle with him. Last night it started snowing and the cat came to our sliding door and started crying. I felt bad for it! Brant said "should we bring it in?" and of course I am a sucker for animals and I said YES! So we did. We kept it in our bathroom over night and this morning it heard us wake up so it was ready to get out of the bathroom. We decided to let it hang out with us until it had warmed up outside and the snow had cleared. But little did I know what Brant and I had done...we showed the cat to Cade and let them hang out too long! Cade and the cat watched Elmo and Word World and snuggled! (ATTACHMENT HAPPENED!) Check it out...

We have now tried to put the cat outside 3 times...we do and then someone lets it back in...I know it hasn't been me...Cade is to short to reach the door (and can't quite pull it open yet...) hmmmm.....    :0)

FOR THE LOVE: Before, During and After

The past year and a half has been a crazy ride for Brant and I. I guess it actually started when Cade was born. We had finished renovating our rent house and were going to re-rent it...we found renters and thought we had a great job that opened right as we needed to move on. We had all of our ducks in a row in order to make our first BIG move (from Abilene to Midland). 3 days before we were suppose to move/ get started at our new job, we received a phone call saying that the job was being cut from the budget and they were not going to be able to follow through with their offer. Meaning we were homeless and jobless after 3 days. At that point we were on our knees in prayer about what needed to happen. We found another job and ended up moving within 5 days. NUTS! We moved to Odessa to help with a ministry called Mission Messiah. It is a great place for women to over come addictions by learning about the love of Christ! I had a blast, but our time there was only for a season. We moved there in February and by July we were on the move again. We had finished the task set before us for Mission Messiah and we (including the other staff) felt as though it was our time to start up our own businesses and focus on our goals as a family. 

At that point Brant and I started Real Estate investing full time...ABSOLUTELY THE HARDEST THING YOU CAN DO! Not real estate investing, but starting your own business.  This has been such a spiritual battle. Since we have been doing real estate investing full time I have yet to see it truly pay off... We had been working sooo hard but there was not any money coming in...All we were living off of was savings (we have only been married 2 years...not much in savings) money from our rent house in Abilene and anything I was able to bring in through photography (which was another soft spot because I have lacked confidence) As a wife I was trying to be supportive, but as a mother I was scared that we were pushing out limits too far...I didn't want to end up with no money at all...I wanted to get a job to make sure we were secure and able to do what we wanted to do when we wanted to. Brant really didn't want me to get a job, he loves the time I am able to spend with Cade as a stay at home mom and I he needed me to stay home to watch Cade while he was working super hard on real estate. Needless to say we had to work through a lot of emotional struggles...Satan really gets in your head when you are working on your passions...your passions are God given and when you live them out to the fullest you are glorifying God so satan tries to get under your skin so that you will give up! 

When it was time for the For the Love Workshop I was seriously ready to be done with real estate. I was tired of working hard and not seeing any pay off. I was sick of dealing with people who are ungrateful for the things they have, sick of being so busy with work that we couldn't make new friends in Odessa...I was just done!  The first night in the cabin Chelsea and I were planning on doing a midnight kitchen raid. When we went downstairs we were greeted by Ginny Corbett. We started talking about tons of stuff that Satan had been telling me, TONS of LIES! I didn't feel creative or good enough to be a photographer, I didn't feel like I had any friends in Odesssa/Midland, I didn't think I was being a good mom or a good wife, ALL LIES! As she was listening Ginny was given a vision and spoke amazing blessings over me! She said that God was going to give me plans and direction, big ideas, there was going to be a few people that I would meet that would help me network and bring in more business, and that Satan had NO hold on me! She told me I can do GREAT things! WHAT A BLESSING!! Every word she said was directly from God! He was singing me a sweet song through her!! He knew what I need to hear and he said it!

Through out the week, through everything and everyone, God was telling me how much He loved me and how I am doing all of this because of His strength and provision. It was completely God that helped me get to For the Love in the first place...I woke up on the wrong side of the bed one morning and was staying mad because I could when I decided to check my email instead of spend time with the Lord. When I checked my email I had received an email from Chelsea asking if I would want to go to For the Love with her...I immediately started crying! God had blessed me even while I was pouting and giving in to my flesh. He is so gracious!

Being at For the Love was an incredible blessing! It renewed my faith in the Lord's perfect plan...I had lost faith in His timing all because I was too nervous about my situation. I was encouraged by every person who attended the workshop! I have also gained lasting friendships!

Since For the Love the Lord has given me a renewed mind, heart and body. I am ready to continue to fight the spiritual battle that comes with building up your business and I am ready to continue on in real estate and help my husband in every way I can! 

I have also been given great ideas of how to further my business, grow my network and ways to get better equipment. I have also met an amazing young woman who is incredibly talented at networking and is helping me spread the word about my work here in Odessa. 

Brant and I have also received confirmation that we have 2 buyers lined up for 2 of the houses we have been trying to sell. The contracts were signed on Friday (2-19-10)!! PRAISE GOD!! 

For the Love really helped me to take time to remember Matthew 11:28...Here it is from The Message..."Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."  I needed For the Love...God knew where I was going to be emotionally and physically at this point in my life and He placed me at For the Love for my sake! To rejuvenate me and to love on me as his daughter! I LOVE IT! Thank you Lord for your grace, mercy and love! And thank you to Ginny, Erik, and Lauren for teaching us photography, but more than that being real with us and teaching us about walking with God, the ups and the downs! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you to Glendon Tang, Chris Luk, and Jason Mize, for being wonderful men of God that are crazy cool and so much fun to be around, plus as you can see from their sites amazing photographers!! Thanks for the tips guys! To Allison Ballinger, Allison Dameron, Allison Davis, Alison Holcomb, Andrea Crosswhite, Christina Peters, Clary Pfeiffier, Jenny Beck, Kasey Boatright, Kelly Hornberger, Kimberly Chau, Larae Russell, Leslie Harris, Maria Traut, Nicki Smith, Rebekah Hood, Sharon Chin and Chelsea Giles: I love you girls...Each of you have been a blessing to meet! I know for a fact that when I come to a town near you I will call you and see if we can meet again! I was blessed to have a chance to speak with each of you and learn from you; for your openness and honesty I thank you! You are beautiful women of God and I am excited to see what He does for you in your business!! I love all of you!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLUM!!!

It has been 5 days since I have been home from For the Love and I have been soo excited to do another photo shoot!

On Monday Brant and I went to a dinner get together with his men's bible study (which is a HUGE blessing...he loves being a part of this group! They are super awesome, totally real, men of God! - SUCH A BLESSING!) Anyway, while we were there I was able to meet all the men that have been pouring into Brant and their beautiful wives! I was also so excited about the fact that there are about 4 or 5 kids that are Cade's age! They had so much fun together! They were sharing and helping each other and communicating (I don't know that for sure, but it looked like it!)

One of the little guys that was there was Callum. He is the youngest of 2 and belongs to Brad and Deborah.  He just turned 1 yesterday and I was privileged enough to be able to share it with him! He is absolutely soo precious!  Here are a few of my favorite silly poses! Toddlers are soo unpredictable! I LOVE IT!

 

I LOVE THIS WORKSHOP!!

We just finished our first full day of the FTL workshop and I am already trying to fight info overload...I have been so encouraged by God through his servants.  So many of the words spoken are directly for me to hear and I am lovin it!! I hear it and I receive it directly from God to my heart, mind and soul! Everyone is totally awesome! The classes are great and the teachers are amazing! Erik is hilarious...a great BIG ball of jam packed energy...I LOVE IT! and Lauren, well, earlier tonight she developed a burning desire to throw peas at me...don't ask...just smile! I love her...she is so precious!

Earlier this afternoon we had a chance to go out on a photography adventure (.6 mi hike, up hill both ways :0)  it snowed after we got back...not during, but thats ok)  It was so fun! I could have, literally, spent hours practicing what Erik had just talked about in his class...but I only had about one hour...Here are a few shots of Chels and neat things I wanted you to see...(smky mtn pics coming later)

This is a neat tree that I liked...so now that means you get to look at it. Its a Mountain Tree  :0)

This is my photog friend...CHELSEA GILES...she is Chelsea from Chelsea Lynn Photography

check out her blog!

As you can see...we do what we gotta do to get the shot we want!

Question: HOW MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE TAKING PICTURES?

Answer: 4; Chelsea and the tree, Ginny catching Chelsea with the tree, Allison capturing Ginny capturing Chelsea with the tree, then last but not least...Me capturing Allison getting Ginny videoing Chelsea preping her camera to photograph the tree  :0)

WOW...lots has happened...More tomorrow (hopefully!) I love you guys and hope you have a great day! (I KNOW I WILL..."Which kinda camp is my favorite? - Photography Camp!")

FOR THE LOVE!!!

There is a really amazing workshop that I am going to next week and I can't wait so...this is what I am blogging about! It's called "For the Love" (just in case you didn't already guess it) and it is in Tennessee. Chelsea (my bestie and partner in crime for weddings) and I are flying out on Monday morning and heading that way!! We will be staying at The Preserve Resort which is absolutely GORGEOUS!! We will be learning TONS of stuff from amazing photographers...Lauren Clark - Erik Clausen - Ginny Corbett. I am so excited to meet each of them!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! I will definitely blog while I am there...well...I hope to...I don't know how busy we will be and what our schedule will be like...but I will try...If I don't then there will be LOTS to post when I get back! I hope you have a great week...be good while I am gone!

Here are a few pictures of 2 of my favorite people...My very first love and my newest love! They are amazing!! (My dad and my baby Cade)