It's a crazy life

Blog Fail.

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

So, I'm supposed to be doing a blog a week with my lovely friend Nicole and her Mother, Marie. I've mentioned it before, on the blog post Lil More Favorite. Well. I haven't been doing so well with it. We should currently be on week 7, and I've done.... well, none of the original blog post ideas lol.

So, today I'm going to post a Self- Portrait, which isn't really a self portrait cause my little sister took it of me, and Something Green, to replace a High Angle.
That works, right?

Self Portrait:

The purple things in my ears are ear plugs- this is from our Thanksgiving extravaganza!

Something Green: (photos courtesy Kate Weatherby, our tree shopping buddy!)

Our first real Christmas tree together, my first real tree ever!

Isn't it beautiful?!

I'm very much in a Christmas mood- even to where I'm drawing Christmas cards in the paint program on the computer.

So there's a couple pics to catch up with my blog post fail. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll do a better job in the future (though not likely)!

In other news-I took some photos for a beautiful wedding this weekend- but sure to check back soon to see the lovely wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn!

Until we meet again,

Carrie :)

Home for the Holidays

2011-11-29T09:37:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving.

I love the smells. The food. The family. The love.

All of it.

And this Thanksgiving I got to go home and celebrate with my family and also enjoy 70 degrees of sunshiny awesomeness.

The week was awesome, relaxing and a chance to catch up with those I love. We did a lot of eating and a lot of hanging out and it was a great change to our normally busy lives. The week flew by and before we knew it it was Thanksgiving day and my Grandparents came over to celebrate with us. We had enough food to feed a small army, but it was still delicious many meals later.

We had the works- ham, turkey, green been caserole, stuffing, sweet potato caserole, rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie etc. It was mmm mm gooood.

After the meal we cleaned up the kitchen sat back and relaxed before going out in the woods and partaking in an actual Thanksgiving tradition (not ours, but the settlers). Target shooting.

*Always use extreme caution when handling any sort of fire arm- they can be extremly dangerous*

We've never gone out as a family to shoot so it was an experience all in itself and Callie-girl had never shot a weapon. Needless to say she was stoked to be able to do so!

We had a blast finished and then finished the night with some hot cocoa.

Meet Ema.

After I got married my parents bought a Havenese puppy and she is a funny little dog!

Also, a little bundle of a cuteness :)

She is one well loved pup ;)

Mom, Dad, Chris and Callie.
We love you guys so much!! Thanks for the awesome week and your continued love and support, I couldn't ask for a better family!
Love,

Carrie and Joel

__________________________________________________________________

side note:

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!!

I hope you have an awesome day!
Wish we could be there to celebrate with you.
Love you bunches!!

Lil More Favorite

2011-11-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was supposed to be starting a weekly blog with my friends Nicole and her Mom, Marie.... well lets just say a weekly blog is a bit of stretch for me.... seeing as how out of 3 posts I have done zero. Oops.

Today is the day that will change, here is my week three blog (maybe one of these days I'll get around to doing week one and two) Today's blog is about "A little more favorite". I have a lot of 'little more favorites', things that are a little more favorite then other things, and things that are a lot more favorite then most things.

Flowers.

The other week my hubby surprised me with tulips. I woke up on a sunny Saturday morning to a clean kitchen and a beautiful bouquet of tulips awaiting me. Just because he loves me.

Just because flowers are a little more favorite.

Fall.

I love the colors of fall, the crisp air, the smell of woodsmoke, the holidays approaching, the closeness of family and the feeling of community. It brings back memories of walks in the woods looking at the trees and the way they magically change colors. Also, the the fact that thanksgiving is coming up with yummy things like pumpkin and apple pie, sweet potato casserole, honey baked ham and oven roasted turkey, mmmmmm (I'm making myself hungry).

Yes, Fall is definitely a little bit favorite.

My husband.

He's more then a little bit favorite. He's a LOT bit favorite. I'd be lost without him, God totally knew what he was doing when he stuck Joel in my life. I'm still astounded by the way God brought us together and the fact that we can honestly say we met in a castle in Germany (sounds more romantic then it was, but it's still cool!). But yes, *happy sigh* he's my favoritist favorite.

And those are a few of my favorites. Though, I have SO many more.

Be blessed!

Carrie

New Hobby

2011-10-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

As I sit at work I have an awesome chance to work on my bible studies, each week we have a bible verse to memorize and in an attempt to remember the verses better I have started typing them up and making them look pretty. I've wanted to learn bible verses for a long time, but I keep putting it off... always finding an excuse when in reality there is no excuse. The Word of God is our strength and our shield. Slowly I am learning.... but not without God's faithfulness to remind me. Take the initiative- learn some bible verses today. A great way to memorize God's word is to repeat it out loud three times in the morning, afternoon and evening. Saying things out loud helps to cement them to your memory, and honestly, who couldn't use some good cement to help them remember something.

Here's the verses I've been working on lately- Feel free to print them and post them where you will see them.

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:
Hope they help inspire YOU to learn these verses with me!

The VanderHeiden kids

2011-08-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the senior shoot I did for the adorable Brenna back in June, (you can view that shoot HERE!) well this time I had a chance to photograph all the VanderHeiden kids as a surprise present for their parents anniversary! How cute is that?! We did some planning and managed to sneak out for a couple hours to snap some pictures of this awesome family.

Mom & Dad you guys have done an awesome job raising these children!! I have been blessed to get to know them and to see the passion they have for God shine through their lives. Happy (very late at this point) Anniversary and I wish you many more!

Enjoy!

Love,

Carrie

Rhubarb Pie

2011-06-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Until a couple years ago I had never had rhubarb, and until last night I have never tried to do anything with rhubarb. I wasn't quite sure I ever wanted to experiment with the celery like, poisonous leaf, sour plant either. However last night I decided to be brave. I knew of only one thing to do with Rhubarb..... and that thing was:

Pie.

Rhubarb Pie.

"I can do this" I thought to myself, though I have made many pies before I have never made a pie crust (Pillsbury by the way, makes awesome pie crusts- and are conveniently stored in the refrigerator section of the grocery store).

Since this was a night for adventure I decided I would make the pie crust too. Amazingly enough the whole thing turned out quite well and since I'm trying to blog more lately I decided I would take photographs to document the experience, and if your feeling bold, here's how to make a delicious rhubarb pie.

How to make Pie Crust:

Ingredients: (for a single pie crust)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup shortening

1teaspon salt

1/2 cup ice cold water

Mix the flour, salt and shortening together until it is nice and crumbly, you want it to sorta look like you have small flour covered peas in your mix, then add the ice water gradually until moist enough so that it sticks together (pour in slowly as you may not need the entire 1/2 cup).

Next comes the pie!

How to make Rhubarb pie

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped Rhubarb

1 1/3 cup of sugar

6 tablespoons flour

Some butter to dot the top

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the flour and sugar together and pour 1/4 of the mixture in the bottom of the pie (as shown below). This is important because the rhubarb itself has a lot of water in it so the sugar as it cooks on the bottom caramelizes and helps the crust become crispy and not soggy (who wants a soggy pie crust?)

Pour the chopped rhubarb on top of the sugar then dump the rest of the sugar mix on top- like so...

Doing it this way actually causes the sugar to soak into the rhubarb creating a consistent sweet and sour flavor throughout the whole pie.

Dot it with butter then cover

Cover it, seal your crust and slice some vents on the top.

Cook for 15 minutes at 450, then turn the oven down to 350 and continue cooking 40-45 minutes .

And then Tada! A beautiful golden brown pie, let cool (so it's not all runny inside), and enjoy!!

Love,

Carrie

Been a long long time...

2011-06-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile.... too long actually. To any one that even occasionally looks at my blog, I apologize for the many months of absence. Honestly I'm not sure why I haven't blogged in many months, have I been busy? Yes, but not uncommonly so, and not enough to excuse my lack of writing a few simple paragraphs and adding pictures to update people on what I'm doing in my life. So here I am... and for sake of time, I am not going to post a picture and paragraph on every month missed between my last blog post and this one, but instead show you some pictures of a lovely lady who I recently got to photograph.

Meet Brenna.

I first met Brenna back in October when Joel and I started helping (or more like hanging out at) a local youth group called Teens for Christ (TFC). When I first met Brenna I thought she was quiet and very sweet, and while she is still very sweet I'm discovering the not so quiet side of this gorgeous lady. She is super outgoing, willing to try new things, loves her family and friends deeply and is a devoted daughter of the King. I love watching the way she soaks up the bible and the way she truly walks with Christ. She is a wonderful young lady, and I am so blessed to know her. Brenna graduated from high school last year, but we got together a few weeks ago to shoot some "belated" senior portraits. We had a great time, and actually managed to choose a photo date that was sunny (rare in spring of Washington I'm discovering). So, without further adieu, here she is! Enjoy!

Lake Curlew

2011-06-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated Memorial Day weekend, and with that we took a family trip to Lake Curlew in Republic WA. Getting there was a journey in itself....

Joel's Aunt and Uncle opened up their lake house for a big family gathering (about 18 people and 5 golden retrievers). We had a a great time, the weather forecast was bleak, but thankfully God gave us gorgeous weather (a sunny 70 degrees).

The Larson Clan decided to have a fishing derby, er, darby (since you have to have a license from the state to actually have a fishing derby.... we improvised). Two days to catch the biggest fish. There was a list in the living room where we could include our "big catch". Thing is, I have never gone fishing, didn't really have that much of an opportunity while I was little, and as much as I wanted to believe it would, dangling a string in the water with no hook was not going to catch me a fish. Johannes was kind enough to show me how to cast a line and bait a hook and with that I was off! Well, sort of, many failed attempts at casting lines later, I was off.

Maybe it's because I was more determined to catch fish then the others, or maybe it was all just beginners luck, either way I managed to catch 7 fish that weekend, my longest one a grand total of 16 5/8" giving me second place (next to Zac's 17 1/2" whopper). There is a picture of me holding one of my fish out there somewhere.... I'll track it down eventually...

And to be completely honest, I can't wait to go fishing again! (Though I'll continue to leave the cleaning of the fish up to Joel.....)

Love,
Carrie

Just because...

2011-06-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Just because it's been awhile since I posted a picture of "Us" here is one of me and my hubby on our patio.

Love, Me

Justin and Kayanna

2011-05-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Justin and Kayanna.....

I first met Justin back in 2007 in the small town of Herrnhut, Germany. We were there with the missions organization called YWAM and Justin and I became fast friends. I absolutely love his spunk and energy. During out time there we had many deep conversations about life and God and I got to see the depth that is Justin, not just the fun side that he shows whenever you're around him.
When we got back to the states I started hearing things about this girl named Kayanna that he had known for years.... and I started wondering what was up. Not long after that they started dating and it was obvious that they really liked eachother. Fast forward a couple years. Joel and I were sitting at home one evening when we got a text from Justin... he was about to propose and had an extravagant wild goose chase planned for Kayanna. She and his brother and sister were driving all over town doing "chores" just to get a present that he had for Kayanna. She even came to my house and organized the books on my bookshelf! Late that night he proposed and late I had the honor of shooting their engagement sessian and then finally their wedding.

The wedding was a DIY thing and friends and family from all over came to help set up and have a part in their special day. Kayanna looked absolutely gorgeous as she came down the aisle to her groom and I am so happy for them!

Justin & Kayanna- I was truly honored to have a part in your wedding and to be able to capture the love between you. You are a beautiful couple and your love for life is so obvious in all that you do. I wish you both years and years of happiness and that joy.

Here are just a few favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Jesse & Danelle Weatherby

2010-10-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Jesse and Danelle Weatherby

August 28, 2010

When Joel and I got to WA the first couple we hung out with was Jesse and Danelle. We were riding in the car on the way to get some food when they asked if I would take their wedding photos. I quickly responded yes but later was wondering what I had gotten myself into!! Do I enjoy taking pictures? Yes. Was I terrified at the idea of shooting a wedding? Yes. Later that week I sent an email to two of my favorite wedding photographers, Kate Noelle and Betsy Lackey. They are two of the most talented ladies I know (and they are amazing friends) I asked if I was crazy saying yes to shooting a wedding! They both quickly encouraged me to "dooo ittt"so I didn't back out. August 28 was approaching sooner then I anticipated and then finally the wedding day of two good friends arrived! It's been so cool to watch Jesse and Danelle grow in their relationship and see the passion they both have for serving our Lord. Both have commented at one time or another that the greatest thing they can achieve in their lives would be to die as Martyrs for Jesus Christ. I love that about them- they will worship God in any situation- and proclaim His name to everyone the meet.

Their wedding was beautiful, bouquets of flowers were surrounding the Roosandal lawn as Jesse and Danelle promised to love, cherish and respect eachother with all their friends and family watching. They sealed their commitment with a kiss as they became husband and wife, the first for both, saved for that special person on their wedding day. At the end of the ceremony they wanted their first act as a married couple to be leading people in worship! How cool!!

Heres a few pictures from the wedding- I hope you enjoy!!

Jesse and Danelle- I wish you both the best in your marriage- you are both incredible individuals serving our almighty King, and with that combination you can't lose!! Remember to keep seeking Him, especially in your marriage- with Him as center you can solve a lot of arguments before they even begin! Love you guys. Thanks for including me on your special day.

Love, Me

Some more catchup

2010-07-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

On May 9th Joel and I celebrated our one year anniversary by going to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Once we got down there on Friday night our car decided to break down and we spent several hours in the car shop on Saturday. For a while we weren't even sure if we would be able to make it to the Biltmore house before it closed but we did! We got in the doors of the Biltmore house about 15 minutes before they closed them- but that meant we could stay in as long as we liked and it wasn't as crowded! In the end it all worked out!

Heres a few randoms from the afternoon (of course I'm not allowed to take photos inside, so you'll have to visit yourself some time!)

First: The car shop where we spent SEVERAL hours...

the castle-- err house?

Note: I did not make him come ;) It was his idea, believe it or not by this face...

On Sunday we went to Tupelo Honey Cafe for brunch... a tiny whole in the wall amazing restaurant- you should definitely check it out.

okay- this is what we ate... who else puts Orchids on french toast plates? Can you say ahhmazing? Yes they are real flowers.

After we ate we walked down town a bit, saw a cool Cafe in a bus and a dude playing the saw... pretty awesome, and he looked like Michael Tate, crazy.

When we got back to the car we had another leak and ended up back at the carshop- but besides all the issues it was a great weekend after all! The main thing is- God is good ;)

Love,
me

Catchup

2010-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

A year ago July, Joel and I went to Washington to visit his family and have a late wedding reception. I took pictures but neglected to share them! So, seeing as I have no job at the moment I thought it would only be fitting to blog them now, they'll also give you an idea of the beautiful surroundings that I now live in!

Enjoy!

Some of the yummy foods we enjoyed

Steven and Jesse

Josh and Derek

I love all the expressions!

While there that week we went up to Mt. Baker, on the way we stopped for a photo moment of Mt Shuksan- gorgeous.

Later that week Joel and I went on a double date with two of his good friends, who actually, this past June got married! Congrats again Steven and Alanna!

and last but not least some very interesting cars...

Worry

2010-07-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

If your anything like me it's so easy to forget not to worry. This past week as Joel and I have been living out of suitcases and a few random bags of clothing at his parents house I found myself worrying more often then not. I don't even know how many countless times I found myself battling in my head to not worry. You know it's hard to stay focused when are there are so many things pulling you different directions. I was constantly finding myself stressed and feeling like a nuisance. Even though everything within me was telling me it was going to be ok, God is in control, and I wasn't a nuisance it was so easy to fall into those temptations, which are, in all reality issues of pride and sinful nature.
On the way to WA, Joel and I listen to many different books on tape (Thanks again Mom and Dad for those! They were a life saver!), one of those was the Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis (if you haven't read them I recommend them- but do so cautiously and with prayer). The idea of the book is about two demons, Uncle Screwtape being the wise elder directing his nephew on how to turn people back to their father, the devil. It goes on in detail about thoughts and things which are meant to draw us away from God, thoughts like doubt, worry, pride, frustration etc. and them being placed their by these demons themselves. This book has been known to make people very terrified of every thought that comes in their head being from the devil, and while that is not completely true, I do believe that he does put thoughts out there for us to dwell on- it's up to us to be constantly giving them back to God.
I say all this to say that while I was having those thoughts it hit me. I hadn't been turning them back over to God, I was internalizing them and dwelling on them more then I should. While it is true that I need a job, a car and a place to live, my dwelling on them isn't going to help one bit! I decided to read through the book of Matthew again and really think about what Jesus is saying, then I came to Matthew 6.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've read those verses, but yet it seems like I am constantly coming back to them. God does have this ALL under control. We we come to Him in prayer He already knows what we need. He's got this- I just need to trust. To rest in His word, to wait.

My ramblings for the day.

And because every blog is better with pictures- a few to wet your whistle.

I Wait For The Lord by Jeremy Camp

More Jeremy Camp music on iLike

A new adventure

2010-07-09T12:04:00.001-07:00

As most of you know by now, my husband Joel and I just moved to Washington state from North Carolina- and we drove. Over 3000 miles later (and a whole lot of sitting) we made it! But it was quite an adventure, from baby bears crossing the interstate, to super small towns and almost getting hit by a dear we made it safely- with all our limbs and vehicle still in tact. God was watching out for us on this trip- we couldn't have done it with out him!
While I didn't take a ton of pictures on the journey (looking out bug spotted windows and quickly moving scenery doesn't help) I took a few and thought I'd share them with you!
First off, this was the route we took. We left (a) Kernersville, NC on Saturday and headed to my sisters house in (b) TN. From there we went to visit our dear friend Rebecca in (c) Lawrence KS, next stop (d) Murdo SD then (e) Sheridan WY and then 17hours straight to (f) Bellingham WA (we were tired of driving and decided to just knock it out!).

We stayed a couple days at my sisters house and a few sword fights later we were on our way. Here's a small college of our stay in TN.

We headed out again on Monday morning and made it to Missouri- then it was on to KS... sorry, I didn't take any picture there.... I have NO idea why- so sad.

From KS we headed up to the tiny one blinky stoplight town of Murdo, SD. It was said the closest Walmart was about 70miles away and the only grocery store closed at 7pm. Nice.

When we left the small town of Murdo our next destination was the ever famous Wall Drug store, which apparently got it's start by offering free ice water to weary travelers. After driving through SD I can see why that was a big deal! It's pretty, just flat. and more flat. and oh wait, nope just a mole hill, and more flat. Even today farms are few and scattered a long ways apart. Here's some pictures of South Dakota...

I must say though the whole state was not flat, the more north we headed the more hilly it got, until we reached the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore where it got somewhat mountainous. We did stop at Mt. Rushmore to take a few pictures, mostly saying we'd been there. You climb some steps see some flags and then it's the mountain! It's pretty cool in an anti-climatic sort of way. I do like being able to say I've been there though ;)

After we left there we drove a little ways and then made it to WY... next is a collage of a couple of days, I honestly couldn't tell you which state is which so I put them all together. A little of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho for you.

And finally on Thursday, after driving for 17 hours we made it to Bellingham WA. What a long day that was, but we were so glad when it was over!!

That about sums up our journey. Now for a job... ;)

Thanks for all the prayers!
Love,
Carrie and Joel

Paul and Lily

2010-06-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

I love being able to take pictures of them as they grow up and it's amazing how fast they do!! Here are some pictures of my adorable niece and nephew!

Happy Fathers day Mike! You have two beautiful children ;)

annnd My favorite from the day... I love these two!

Memories

2010-06-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

So often I find myself forgetting to take pictures... pictures of the beauty all around me, the people I love etc. It's hard... to make time between work and life... to capture the life of those around me. Last week I was in a car wreck, and yes I'm fine, but it made me think again about how uncertain our time here on earth is. At any moment life can change drastically, the actual car wreck took about 5 seconds and yet as a result my car is 'totalled' in insurance terms (it would cost more to fix then it's worth, it was an 89 honda accord, so that doesn't say much about the actual damage done). Life is fragile, things change quickly, people grow up and things change rapidly. I want to take advantage of my life now, before it slips away and I wonder where all the time has gone.
I wanted to share some pictures of Callie and myself yesterday. We decided it was time that we enjoy the outdoors and go on an adventuring 'photo' date. Here's a few snapshots of my lovely, growing up to fast, 8 year old sister.
Keep loving, keep focused on God, life is good.

On a more serious note:
This morning a beloved member of our church passed away, he had been fighting for a long time and today it was time for him to go home. Warren-you will be missed, your smile, your laugh, your humor. The way you always made sure to let those around you know you cared and would brag on those you loved. We won't forget you. I can only imagine you up in heaven right now dancing in front of the Lord- celebrating being with Him. You were loved by many and we'll look after Nancy for you.

Rest in Peace
Warren Glore

Our God is good- make sure you know Him.
Blessings,
Carrie

King David

2010-04-12T18:38:00.001-07:00

Three months ago I sat in a waiting room for several hours waiting for this little guy to arrive. By the time I got to the hospital Rachel (my good friends from college), had already been admitted for about a day and was very anxious to meet the little guy that had been living inside her for nine months.

Around 5pm he got here... Kingston David Hardie had finally arrived. Daddy Jabir and Mommy Rachel couldn't have been happier. What a cute little guy he is too!! As I stood their admiring this little tiny person I couldn't help but be overwhelmed. There he was, fresh out of the womb with his tiny perfect fingers and toes and bright eyes. Everything was in it's place. God had pieced him together in his Mother's womb- and there he was. Alive. Healthy. Strong.

I can't help but think of the verses in Psalms 139:13-16 anytime I see a new baby-
"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."

Those verses are so powerful. That God would care so much for us to 'fearfully', 'wonderfully', 'skillfully' knit us together. But yet there it was in front of me- a new little creation, a tiny piece if heaven. God's handi-work.

I had the honor of hanging out with Rachel, little Kingston and another good friend Laura the other day. We have a joke amongst us that it seems to take life events to bring us together so we had to break that trend. I'm glad to say we were successful. During this visit I was able to take a few pictures to show the little guy off. He is going to be one confident little fellow when he gets older... he's adorable!

Also, though this is not normal for me, I would like to dedicate this post to little Kingston's uncle Michael. Just four days after Kingston was born, Michael unexpectedly passed away- his smiles and laughter will always be remembered, as will his love for his nephews (Cameron and Kingston). This is for you Michael- I know you were so proud of both your nephews.

Rest in Peace Michael

Therefore, without further adieu, I hope you all enjoy ;)

I love how tiny his shoes are... so cute!

His Mommy is gorgeous.... don't you all agree?!?

Rachel- Jabir, Good job. He is ADORABLE.

Love,
Carrie

Fish Fry

2010-03-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday our church, New Journey Fellowship, got together to kick off spring with a fish fry! Chef Ronald, our designated cook, assembled the troops and got this tasty dinner rolling. Thanks to our anonymous (you know who you are ;) donor for the funds! It was fantastic!
Some of the guys got together at 2pm to start cooking and setting up their outdoor cooking 'station', talk about some organized cooking! They set up a tent, a grill, a couple of tables for work stations, and two frying sections for the fish and french fries! Yum! Thanks Ronnie, Rodney and Joel for cooking the delicious foooood! Cakes and deserts were brought in by other members and we were set. Talk about a lot of food. We had a great turn out, around 30 people came to enjoy some fish, good fellowship and a fun time.
Chef Ronald made me official photographer for the evening so I got to run around and take pictures, I only had my 50mm with me- but I love that lens, so it was no problem.
It was such a great evening, so for your enjoyment- here are some pictures from the night!
Enjoy!!

annnnnd, this about sums it all up.

2010-03-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

It's getting late- but I love spring and I love how creative our God is! He is fabulous.

Enjoy a piece of His creativity.

night guys ;)

Kingston David Hardie

2010-01-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

A little history:

While I was suffering through my freshman year of college at Gardner-Webb University, Rachel Lovelady was my fabulous next door neighbor. There were so many nights and days where we would do nothing but laugh and talk as we shared our complaints and sorrows (mostly boy problems) to each other. She was there for me through so much and was so busy through it all. She worked and went to school yet managed to make time for friends and school work.
With shower parties and LL Cool J jokes- she made it easy to love her- and she is worth every bit of it. In May, when Joel and I were married- she honored me by standing at the front with me as my bridesmaid.

This past Friday, Rachel gave birth to a little boy by the name of Kingston David Hardie. He was 8lbs and 11oz, a beautiful little boy. I arrive a couple of hours before she gave birth and it was so wonderful to see her and to watch as Daddy Jabir sat by her side and sang to her belly.

Thanks for letting me be a part of this glorious day. Here are a few pictures of the awesome day- it was dark in the room so I didn't use a flash, but they turned out alright ;) Enjoy!

Waiting..... delay after delay... I know Rachel was ready!

Mommy and baby- just a few minutes after his arrival

There he is! Kingston David... a.k.a. King David

He was a little unhappy... but so cute!

Proud Uncle!

Grandma's second grandbaby- but so proud!

Precious little boy- can't wait to see him again! Hopefully soon!!
Great Job Rach and Jabir- He's handsome!!

Bro & Sis

2009-12-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Today's post is....

Dawn and Derek Elam in their portrait session for their Mom's surprise Christmas present! What a cool way to say I love you then by sharing yourself! I wish I could see their Mom's face as she opens the present and see's their faces! How cool! So anyone who see's this... shhh it's a surprise!

I know Dawn from Gardner-Webb university where I went for my freshman year of college. Dawn lived in the same dorm as I did and we both lived in, or near Winston-Salem so it was a great friendship right from the beginning! The summer after our freshman year we both got jobs working at the same restaurant and remained good friends! Over the years we have kind of done our own things, she is now a Senior in college and will be graduating in May! She is such an awesome girl, full of energy and fun. Dawn is an amazing piano player and singer- unfortunately, we couldn't find a piano the day of the shoot- but her talent it amazing!

Derek, is her 13 year old brother who I believe I had met once before but only briefly- so it was a challenge getting him to warm up enough to smile in some of these pics ;) His comments were hysterical as he talked about food and video games just waiting to be done with pictures. Typical teenage boy.

We met at Target then headed on our journey to Old Salem, an awesome historical place where the Moravians first settled after traveling from Germany! The place is full of awesome old buildings, log fences and history- I love it. Here's some favorites from the day!

I love these photos because they are just so natural, the colors, the sun reflection in my lens, their faces etc!

Annnnd this about sums it up.

Thanks for such a fun day guys!! I hope your Mom loves the pictures of you guys! Merry Christmas!!

Blackburn Family Christmas party!

2009-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Every year growing up we always got together with the Blackburn side of the family. It was a tradition of sorts, and one that I treasured every year. As the years have gone on and the grandchildren have gotten older and life has gotten busier, and now that both grandparents have passed away, that family tradition isn't as much a tradition. This year was different though. We got together, those that could (some were separated by distance, others by work) to celebrate the Christmas season. As everyone got there anticipation for the good food grew and we got to catch up and laugh with one another. We met on the farm, which once belonged to my great Uncle Richard, my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Texie now own the farm, and it was so great to hear all the noise and life in a house that has been closed up for years. Here's some pictures of the day- but mostly pictures of my cousin C.J. and his wife Sylvia's beautiful children, Sara and Eli.
I love my family and it was so great to get together with them!! To those that couldn't be there- you were missed! Thanks for all the support over the years and being there! Love you all.
Enjoy!

First- cool Christmas blur lol

Some things around the farm, including one awesome chicken!

A little blurry- but i love how excited Callie looks to be picked on by her older cousin Joshua and Joel!

I love how huge his eyes are- he is such a handsome baby!

Lil' miss thing

Sara is such a ball of energy! She was so cute though as she was trying to feed 'gu-ger' (a.k.a Sugar) the horse and the "moo-cows".

Ashelyn Hines

2009-11-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

10:30am... I arrived at Abby and Bob's house in Winston to start our trip to Appalachian State University to take pictures of her lovely daughter Ashelyn, (a couple months ago I took pictures of Allie her sister, fyi). I absolutely love this family. I have known them since I was ehh around 12 years old and they are like a second family to me.
So Abby and I started our trip, the hour and a half drive was a blast as we chit-chatted about life and love, the book of Revelations (the tribulation), the Bible etc. It was a great time! When we got to the campus we met Ashelyn and went to eat at Macado's restaurant, a small chain were Bob and Abby had their first date. Then we were off... to some places on campus and then some places off. It was so much fun! To watch Ashelyn pose and laugh in front of my camera lens as I got in her face and made her sit in funny places was great. She was such a good sport and a joy to work with! I totally hope that her laid back, adorable, fun self shines through in these pictures. Ashelyn- you are gorgeous and it's been so great to know you for so long!

Enjoy!!

Us ;)

2009-11-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

So it was a gorgeous fall day... a Sunday afternoon and a perfect day for picture taking. Thank gooooodness I was off! So armed with a tripod and my 50mm lens, Joel and I set out into the woods for some picture taking. We did the same thing last year, right before we were engaged- so it was an 'anniversary' of sorts. A year after becoming engaged, 6 months since getting married... it's been a busy year!

Here's a few of the pictures from the day! I'm sort of a fan of us so I had to share! Hope you enjoy!

leave a comment!
Carrie

Paul and Lily come to visit!

2009-10-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Well these past couple of weeks have been a blast, with Mike and Christina here along with Paul and Lily the days have been nonstop and full of fun. I never had time to take the family on a 'formal' picture shoot but some of the snapshots from the week turned out pretty great. Just thought I'd share a few with you guys! The munchkins are growing so fast- it seems like each time they come their personalities are 10x's more developed and they have grown at least 5 feet (a bit of an exaggeration... yes... but it's true they are growing!). So enjoy a bit of the lives of the Nelsons. They're pretty great.

ahhh I love these Kids.

Lovvvveeee his eyes. My handsome nephew Paul

Beautiful Lily- she is growing up SO fast!

Mommy (Christina) and Lily. Hugs and kisses.

Daddy (Mike) and Paul. I love the natural lighting in this photo. Nothing like living by example either

leave a comment!! I love feedback.

Pic of the day

2009-09-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

You may have seen my twitter update about the lady ringing up my groceries and singing a hymn... She was singing "Something happened, and now I know He touched me and made me whole". I had to smile, I said "I wish more people would sing those words" she slowly shook her head and said "Ya know, I don't care what people say or what they think, there's no touch like that, drugs won't touch people can't touch. Only He can."
Crazy how people are trying so hard to remove God's name from every monument, bill, lecture, speech etc, in a country that has "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion". They can try as hard as they want- but they can never remove Him from our hearts. Guys we are a living representation of Christ, in a world that wants to shut Him out. What we say, what we do, how we act- all falls on Him. I speak for myself when I say that I'm not doing a good job of representing Him. God is love- I need that reminder... especially as this holiday season comes closer- and we're going to see even more attempts to rid Christ in Christmas. He is Good. He is faithful. Love Him, love people.

anyways... on a not so serious note, I was going through some old pics and ran across this picture of my beautiful niece! Just thought I'd show her off.

Allie Hines

2009-09-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I woke up early got ready and headed off to Elon University to see my best friend, Allie. I've known Allie since 7th grade- and we have been best friends about that long. This girl has stuck with me through everything and I'm not sure what I would do without her. About a week ago Allie contacted me and asked if I would take some headshots of her for her 'resume' for school. Excitedly (yet nervous) I accepted the task and yesterday morning was the day.
I got to her apartment around 9am, praying the sun would peak through the clouds- or that it would hold off rain. (It did- it didn't rain until after we were done and eating lunch in a little cafe on campus. Thanks you Jesus). When I saw Allie she was her normal bubbly self all excited to get photographs- like a little kid waiting to play dress up. She was gorgeous (as always).
She has such a fun spirit, it's hyper, often excited, fun but can also be serious when the time calls for it. She has mellowed me out over the years and the girlishness you may see in me today is alot to her credit. So Thanks Allie for being such a fabulous friend and I hope the pictures show your beauty to the world!
Enjoy!!

(isn't she gorgeous?!)

(I loved these columns!)

(she's so cute)

Okay- so that was alot. Loving those comments- keep 'em up!

Carrie

Birthday weekend

2009-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

4:15am... my alarm clock goes off. Time for work- I had to be there by 5am, one hour before we open, 5 hours before I would like to be crawling out of bed. This particular morning however was brimmed with excitement as I went about my morning traditions. For one thing it was my weekend off, and the other was that shortly after work, Joel and I would be joining my parents and two younger siblings to go on a 'road trip' to Luray, Virginia- to visit the largest set of caverns on the east coast. So yes, it was going to be an exciting day. My little sister is turning 8 on Wednesday and one of her biggest dreams was to 1) Visit a cave and 2) complete a garden maze- both of which we could do at Luray- so there we went to celebrate her birthday.

We got about 20 miles away from Luray around 10:30pm on Friday. We had decided ahead of time to book a hotel for the evening so we could spend most of the day Saturday visiting the caverns and taking our time.

Saturday morning we headed out early to get to the caverns (early to me- seeing as it was before ten). Our first stop was the Garden maze. Pretty much from the start we split up, Callie, Mom, Joel and I against Dad and Chris. I'm proud to say that we were victorious in finding our way out AND finding the 4 stations set up inside the maze to complete the 'theme'.
After that we went to the caverns, there were a few cars there- but not a very long wait at all (about two hours later when we finally emerged the entire parking lot was full of cars and the line was SO long). When we first entered the cave Callie said "Is this stuff plastic? It doesn't look real at all" I had to reassure her that it was indeed real- the amazing handy work of God. She touched the roof (I held her up- and the ceiling was low) and she said "Oh- yea..... your right!" Let's just say God is amazing. To walk into a room descending steps in the middle of the summer and feel the air get cooler and crisper as you go down- pretty amazing. The air was clear- basically bacteria free (about 98%), you could tell that your breathing changed. People everywhere were looking at the immense rock structures that seem to be held up by nothing but a few columns here and there yet it's so hard to believe that anyone could walk into the caverns and NOT believe in God, sadly though, they do. Everyday people ignore the majesty and magnificent works He is/has created all around us.

Guys- God is real. He is Mighty, Just, Powerful, Eternal, Everlasting, Beautiful, Jealous, Awesome. Don't forget it.

Much later that day we headed home, stopping at a mall along the way to stretch our weary legs (funny isn't it that sitting all day can cause your legs to grow tired). It was an awesome day- God blessed us tremendously and we had a great time together. Heres a few pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Much love,
Carrie

Garden Maze- with a cool fountain in the center

Birthday girl! She was so excited to explore the maze

God is so creative

This one looks like a curtain

A plaque honoring the guy who built in an 'organ' which played tunes by hitting the columns- I love what it says "Mans genius and the hand of God are in perfect harmony"

An awesome tower where music was played throughout the square

My brother- yes he's pretty cool

Meet Ollie

2009-08-21T08:15:00.001-07:00

So when we were in Washington we went to thefamous 'canal' which is a tradition of Joel's Mom's side of the family. It's awesome, almost all of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) get together and with their numerous golden retrievers to sit by the water and have fun, talking, laughing and eating together. Each couple seems to have at least one golden retriever if not more, so there ends up being around (but not limiting to) 10 at any given time. These dogs are awesome, they are hiper and so excited to see eachother... it's like watching little kids, jumping up and down and barking rapidly whenever a new dog arrives.
By the end of the day the dogs start getting a little less 'excited' and a little more 'relaxed', one of Joel's aunts had taken them to the water and played fetch with them for at least an hour, she would throw the 'stick' out in the water and the dogs would hurridly jump in and swim to catch it, bring it back and wait until she threw 'their' stick back out in the water again. It was funny to watch.
This is Ollie though- he's quite the dog, and his children have actually been seen in movies. Yep. He's the pappa of Airbud 3's puppies. Cool huh?

Here's another shot of Ollie- (he's kinda pooped.)

Well I have rambled enough at the moment... many more posts and pictures to come
God is GOOD
Carrie

Wedding time- Kevin and Kara's big day!

2009-08-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Wedding of

Kevin and Kara Moore

Enjoy!!

That's all for now,

Carrie

Wonderful Washington

2009-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh
I'm falling more in love with Washington- and I've only been twice. Granted both times I have gone have been in July, and from what I hear it only gets colder from there- but wow, gorgeous weather in the month of July.
This past week has been a truly amazing one. Meeting new family and friends and having a total feeling of 'home' has been great.
We landed in Washington on Saturday the 18th at around 1am, only to be greeted by Neil and Gail (Joel's parents) his brother Zac, a great Aunt and uncle and two of his best friends (Jesse and Megan). It was so great to see them all and the fact that they made the two hour trip at the weeee hour of the morning to come see US was amazing.
After catching up on the some sleep that evening Saturday was a day of relaxing and preparing for the party on Sunday. We made Artichoke dip, cut up fruit, a tasty cheese sauce and so much more. Joel's Mom had the house looking good and his Dad was working on the exterior. That evening we went to The Woods Coffee (where I got a super tasty Caramel Macciato) with Norm and Angie- what a great time. Those two are hilarious and TOTALLY in love with God. Just being with them is an encouragement for my spirit. God is using them in such an awesome way by them just being themselves.
Party time!! Sunday.... 2pm.... Joel's parents threw us a Wedding reception. About 55 people showed up and we just had a great time enjoying people's company, meeting lots of people I had only heard about and snacking on yummy foods.
The rest of the week was full of hanging out with friends and trying new things (like sushi!). Each day was full and a true blessing. The last weekend we went to Joel's Grandparents house at the canal and had a total blast relaxing by the water and hanging out with family. On Saturday about 10 golden retrievers showed up full of energy- it was funny watching them run back and forth.

Anyways- here are a few pictures from the week- it was a total blast. GOD is SOO good. Remember that.
Carrie

9 more days!

2009-01-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

AHH I can't wait. In nine days we will be together again. Wow. It can't believe how long it's been since we have seen each other in person. It's been 78 days since we were last together, in the past 6 months we have spent 9 days together.
This time it's going to be under different circumstances. This time we're engaged, this time I have a full time job, Joel has been laid off and this time he might be staying for much longer... Yep that's right- he might be staying for several weeks (or more!). God seems to be opening doors for us as a couple so that we can draw close together again before getting married in about 100 days (yes lots of numbers). About two weeks ago Joel got laid off from his job which he enjoyed very much. As he was praying about what to do next God seemed to open doors and opportunities for him to come live in NC for a while during this period of unemployment.
Up the road from where I live is our family 'homestead'- the house my grandparents lived in, my uncle and aunt, my parents (and our family). It has been empty for awhile now so with that so close and unoccupied my parents have offered it to Joel to live in. Also while he is here the plan is for him to get involved in the ministry at my church, to be the pastors' (my Dad's) right hand man so to speak and to help do some fixing up on the old house.
While a job is still a great thing for him to have we are trusting God to open up yet another door for him to work while he is staying here (that is a definitely a prayer request).

So in the mean time I will be working 8 out of the next 9 days and Joel will be working with his Dad's company some and packing his room up (his Mothers request ;).

It's going to be interesting- but I know that God has plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the God who made the sun and the stars, the one that sent his Son because of His great love.
Carrie