Vintage swimsuits

Vintage swimsuits are totally rad. Check out my relatives below sporting them in this old photo.

So I bought one for myself, after much deliberation. I found the perfect suit in Dubai, of all places actually. But for those of you who probably won't be skipping over to Dubai anytime soon, you can find vintage suits online.

I don't want to take a picture of myself in a swimsuit and post it online for the world to see, so I just found a similar one online to show you. I love my new swimsuit- and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it. I adore it because it has a cute little built in skirt that covers the front, but it's not quite like a real swim skirt. Plus it covers the "backside" completely, if you know what I mean. There's something about the style that flatters my shape- and I really appreciate that because I do not have a model body at all, I have a mom body. If you are pear-shaped like me, this type of vintage swimsuit is perfect. I love love love it.

Let's burn all the bikinis in the world and put modest swimsuits in stock instead. Maybe we could start taking into consideration the purity of men and at least attempt to help them not struggle with lust. You know some guys out there really don't want to think wrong thoughts about you girls? Some men who are fathers and husbands want to keep their minds pure. Let's help them out, shall we?

Time to brag on the grandparents

Ok Grandma. You were totally a bombshell knockout! No WONDER Grandpa fell head over heels for you! Just look at this beauty :)

Um, love that lipstick. Love the car. Love how modest vintage clothes were. Love it love it LOVE IT!

And Grandpa. Boy oh boy, you were handsome! No wonder Grandma wrote letters with you back and forth for so long while you were in the army. Who wouldn't want to wait for this dreamboat to come home and sweep them off their feet?

Ladies swoon over guys in uniform :) Not to mention that suit as well... nicely done Grandpa!

What a legacy. I hope we can all take the time to look back at our family history and appreciate who has come before us. I am thankful for Grandparents who worked hard, loved deeply, and shared generously. I pray I too can leave a legacy of love and dedication when my life comes to an end someday.

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. ~Author Unknown


A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart. ~Author Unknown


What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani

Oh to be young again

Running free, without a care in the world.

Oh to be young again.

Where life's most critical issues revolve around ABC's, nap time, and what's for dinner.

When every morning brings an element of surprise and anticipation for what lies in store.

When every day brings carefree exuberance, unashamed laughter, and whole-hearted abandonment.  

Oh to be young again.

To my best friend and father of our child

Happy Father's day honey!

I never dreamed our lives together would be this wonderful and amazing.

Every morning I wake up thinking, "It's not over yet!" I love sharing our lives together. I love that we are parents together. I love seeing you play with Sitora, making forts and looking for "animals" in the dark with flashlights. I love seeing you read books to her, teaching her colors and numbers. I love seeing you kiss her and tell her she is beautiful.

You are an amazing father, and I am privileged to be on this journey we call life together. I love you.

Another dreamy photoshoot

Is this really my life? I get to photograph my friends and their beautiful families for my side job. I wouldn't even call it a side job... I prefer "hobby with benefits" :)

I'm only uploading one picture. Mostly because the internet where we are staying is very slow. But also because I think this picture is my favorite from the photoshoot. Why?

It tells a story.

What can you see from this picture? Well obviously, kids will be kids. The girls are doin' their own thang chillin' out and being themselves. Completely oblivious to my presence and totally immersed in their own toddler lives. I actually prefer pictures of toddlers looking away from the camera because it captures their true unedited personalities.What else can you see? Daddy loves mommy. He adores her in fact. And mommy? Can't you see her glow? She's loved- you can tell.

And this my friends, is how a family should be. A picture of Father's love for all of us. He loves us unconditionally, through thick and thin, when we're smiling for the camera or not. He sees our hurts and pains along with our joys and victories, and yet His love never fails, never changes, never ends.

I hope this marks just the beginning of my photography career. I have no clue where it will take me. Maybe it will continue just like this- taking simple photos of my friends, describing our lives in this city across the ocean. But, even if nothing changes, I will still be just as passionate about my clients as I am now. I love people. I love taking pictures. Let's marry those two loves, shall we?

Graduation

To all of you who are graduating this season. Congrats!

You are entering a new season of life. Be thankful for what you have earned, learned, and journeyed through. Now is the time to wait expectantly for all that Father lays before you.

May Father's Son always be your focus as you venture into this new horizon. As soon as you take your eyes off Him and seek your own gain, you will fall. All of us make mistakes - it's inevitable. The good news? A righteous mans falls down seven times but gets back on his feet again (Proverbs 24:17). No matter what happens in your life, turn your eyes back towards your Creator.

With Father's Son as your focus, it's impossible to miss your destiny. After all, it's His plans for your life that are the best. His ways may not be our ways, but thank goodness for that! He does know best.

P.S. I had a blast doing my first graduation photoshoot! This group was way too much fun to work with :)

Corrie Ten Boom

Have you read the book "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom? If not, you should.

I've been wanting to read this book for years. But Father knew that this was the time in my life I should read it. Of all the years of my life, this has been one of the hardest. And that is the reason reading this book now was in perfect timing.

SuperDan is on an audio book kick. He's been buying/downloading books, sermons, and all kinds of things for us to listen to. He figures he will read more this way- since he isn't the type to sit down and read a book. He went on a long five hour journey this past weekend to the countryside, and listening to these audio tracks was the perfect solution for what could have been a boring ride.

He downloaded "The Hiding Place" a few months ago, but I never paid much attention to it. All of a sudden about four days ago, I had a prompting from Father to start listening. It was quite simply really. Just turn it on while washing dishes, exercising, and cleaning, and let my heart melt with compassion, humility, and tenderness as Corrie's life touched my aching soul.

If I have ever complained about my life, I did so honestly feeling that life had been unfair and unkind to me. But after reading this book, I am dumbfounded in my selfishness. My life is a gift. Every single minute of it. Who am I to punch my fist in the air and shout accusations of frustration to the Father who holds the stars in His hands? He alone knows my destiny, and I will trust Him in any circumstance.

Reading about Corrie and her dear sister Betsy in the work camps of Germany ripped my heart to shreds. Here they were, suffering unimaginably, and yet they chose to thank Father in all circumstances. They were grateful to Father that their barracks had fleas, so that they were able to share the Scriptures with their fellow inmates without the guards coming in. The guards were afraid of the flea infestation, so they never entered the room to discover the secret meeting taking place daily. Oh how I long for the heart of Corrie and Betsy! I am not sure if I would have been as strong and loving as they. Oh how I long for compassion and forgiveness.

My heart is tender, yet once again, and I am thankful to my Father for everything in my life now, be it good or bad. Give thanks in all circumstances. The Bible says, "all" not "some". And this I will do.

I love this girl

Yes. My daughter put a harmonica in a baby doll stroller and pushed it around the house. She is unique- but that's why I like her :)

I love watching my daughter grow up. It's fascinating. I feel like I'm living in my own Discovery Channel documentary on child development. Kids say and do the funniest things, ya know? It's amazing how quickly Sitora picks up on vocabulary and then uses it almost immediately. Today I was putting her to bed and for no apparent reason she exclaimed, "I can't believe it!" I laughed out loud and tried to remember if I said that phrase recently.

Our children are watching us. In fact, someone is always watching us, no matter who we are. We had better be walking the talk or else our lives will be hypocritical. I realize this everyday and beg Father to give me grace, to help me to be the woman He wants me to be.

The other day I found myself upset with Sitora and feeling guilty about the way I handled the situation. I got down on my knees, looked her in the eyes, and asked her to forgive mommy for making a mistake. She immediately said yes and gave me the squishiest, warmest, most heartfelt hug in the universe. **And yes I realize that grammar was incorrect. I did that on purpose :) ** Oh how much I can learn from my own daughter. Am I that quick to forgive others? 

I'm pretty sure most moms get excited when their child starts learning the alphabet, communicating better, and learning words and phrases. But the reason I am excited for Sitora's vocabulary development is because I am so anxious to talk about everything with her. I love discussing her bible together, answering her millions of questions like, "Why is that man sad, mommy?" and "What color is that?" I love explaining to her while I'm cooking and baking so she understands how food is made. I love using a globe to teach her about geography so that she can pray for all the countries of the world (tonight it was Saudi Arabia!) I don't necessarily care about intellect for intellect's sake. No. It's so much deeper than that.

I want her to learn about the world as it relates to our awesome Father in Heaven - because it was in fact He who created it all! I want all her head knowledge to turn into heart knowledge. I want her to learn about the world and have it cause her to fall in love with her Creator even more. I want to talk to her about being a girl, about growing up, about her thoughts and dreams, about her questions and fears. I want her to know that I am here for her, always.

We're like two peas-in-a-pod, she and I. Being a mom is way harder and more rewarding than I ever imagined it would be.

And you know one of the reasons I love my daughter so much? Because she's so much like her daddy.

She really is.