So, I’m sure a lot of you have already figured out that we did not send out a Christmas card this year…that’s 2 years in a row with no card from the Dragos!! I really, really love receiving Christmas cards…REALLY I DO!!!! I am not a big fan of getting the mail…I feel like bad news and bills come in the mail, but in December, I pretty much stalk the USPS so I can run to the mailbox to see what Christmas cards came that day…it seriously makes my day!!:) You would think someone who appreciates receiving Christmas cards so much would send one, wouldn’t you?? Since I have let so many of you down, I thought I would send an electronic Christmas card as a meager attempt to thank all of you who have sent us such lovely cards…I realize this is really LAME, but please know that we are sending our best to you and your family this Christmas!!!
So, this afternoon as I prepared to head outside to snap a few shots of the girls for our electronic Christmas card, Matt mentioned to Gretta, who was already on the verge of a breakdown, that Mommie wanted to take a few shots of them for a Christmas card. All she heard was “SHOTS” and she went into a full scale meltdown screaming that she didn’t want mommie to give her a shot. Thus began our Christmas card photo shoot.
Now for the card. If you’re still reading this, close your eyes, and imagine you just received a red envelope with our return address on it. Now, open the envelope and take out your Christmas card from the Dragos…
And, here is what our card ALMOST looked like last year…
And, last but not least, if you had received a card from us this year, this quote would have been typed out on a small piece of paper and stuffed in the envelope. After all, this is the reason we get excited about Christmas, and every other day of the year for that matter. This is where our joy is centered…this is where we dwell…this is who we worship…this is MOST DEFINITELY the reason for this season and every other…
“…who was He who thus obeyed God…It was none other than the Son of God made man. He who was in heaven, above all, Lord of all, lived in the world, having no earthly glory or reputation, obliged to obey the whole law of God perfectly. He to whom prayer was made, prayed himself night and day. He, whom all the angels of heaven and all creatures worshipped, fulfilled all the duties which the worship of God required. He who was Lord and master of the house became the lowliest servant in the house, performing all menial duties. He that made all men in whose hand they are all as clay is in the hand of the potter, observed among them the strictest rules of justice…and out of love giving good things to the undeserving. This is what makes the obedience of Christ so mysterious and glorious.”
John Owen
and one more…
“It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. ‘The Word became flesh’ (Jn. 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation….The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear”
J.I. Packer
Have you ever met someone and after only a few months of hanging out, you feel like you’ve known them forever…like they’ve always been there…they just fit! JT and Bethany have definitely been those someones for us…although we have only known them since the summer, I feel like we have been friends since college! They are such a fun couple whose love for one another is obvious, but most importantly, their love for Christ is overflowing!!!!!!!!!! We are fortunate enough to be in care group with them and I am constantly challenged and encouraged by what they have to add. AND…yes there’s more…I love the way they love our kids…as a matter of fact, a little while ago I was trying to get Gretta to come to the conclusion that Mae-Mae (Marlee) is her best friend. When I point blank asked her, “Who is your best friend?” she said, “Mrs. Bethany”…don’t tell Marlee:). Then a couple of seconds later she added, “and Miss JT” (Sorry JT:)! Thanks for everything, Bethany and JT…we are sincerely grateful for your friendship! Thanks for being so much fun to hang out with AND photograph!!!!:)
I have been waiting several months to meet Chelsie and John. We started planning our session back in July and last Saturday we finally made it happen. It was such a pleasure to meet this cute, cute couple, and I feel so fortunate that they trusted a crazy redheaded stranger to capture the love they share for one another. I had big plans for our time together, so we headed to our first location…
ok, so it wasn’t a “hard rain”, it was more like a soft drizzle BUT it was enough to cause hair frizz and make me afraid my camera would melt so we headed inside. Fortunately for me, Chelsie and John spend a lot of time in the library, so what better place to take a few pictures. They are like a bunch of naturals in the library…gliding from one book to the next…I, on the other hand, have a hard time whispering because I’m deaf (self-diagnosis:), so me and libraries go together like kool-aid and a white t-shirt…SPEAKING OF GETTING STAINS OUT…after the library, we headed to the laundromat. Chelsie and John spent A LOT of time at the laundromat while they were dating and engaged, so what better place to end our time together. There is something very fresh and fun about a laundromat…maybe it’s the milk carton that holds “cigarette butts” or the smell that you can actually see…not real sure, but I find them intriguing. We had a lot of fun weaving in and out of people who were actually washing clothes in between staring at us out of the corner of their eyes. Thanks so much for our time together, John and Chelsie…I hope you enjoy your pictures!!!:)
Meet my friends, Kjersti and Erich and their kids, Eric, Luke, Asia, and Jake. What a family! Seriously…an amazing family! From the first moment (which was a couple of years ago) I met Kjersti I knew they had 4 children, although at the time they only had 2. Let me explain…Kjersti and Erich have known for years that they would be adopting Luke and Eric, two little boys who lived in an orphanage in Haiti. For a while the timeline was daunting, thinking that it would be years before the boys would be able to join their family. God, via the earthquake, sped that timeline up substantially. A little less than a year ago, Kjersti traveled to Haiti (you really need to hear her story) to retrieve her boys, and their family has been a part of our church family ever since. The journey has not at all been what they expected, but what we have all gotten out of it is that GOD IS FAITHFUL! His ways are MUCH higher than our ways…knowing this makes life a lot easier, especially when we realize that His plans can be MUCH different than our plans. I am so thankful to be in fellowship with this family…I cannot begin to tell you how God has challenged me and grown me simply by observing them and their complete abandon to themselves in order to pursue His plan. Thank-you, Kjersti and Erich…I really, REALLY appreciate your hearts as you truly live kingdom-minded lives…thank-you!!!!!!! I hope you enjoy your pictures!!!
Ok, so this was my first official senior session, and I could not have been more excited to do it for Alaina. She is part of my church, and I have really, really enjoyed the friendship Matt and I have had with her and her family!! They are SO MUCH FUN…seriously…a blast!!! Matt and I always know we’re in for a laugh and some good times when we get together.
Alaina and I didn’t have as much time as I usually do, so we were really booking it. It could have been disastrous, but Alaina is SO great in front of the camera…she is SO much fun and SO comfortable…I had an awesome time and could have literally taken pictures of her for hours!! Not to mention the fact that, while Alaina and I were doing the pictures, Matt and Joe took the girls out on his boat and they actually got to drive. That’s right, people…my 2-year-old was driving a boat on Lake Hartwell last Saturday…I hope the Coast Guard doesn’t check my blog!!!:) Here’s a little sneak peek of that…
HOW FUNNY IS THAT??????:)
Ok, back to Alaina!!!:) I really do love this girl! She is unique and fun and her style is super cool, however, even more awesome than her eye shadow (and it’s pretty awesome…see below!) is her heart to serve others. Watching her interact with my girls makes my heart full. She treats them like they are super special and they gravitate towards her because of it. I see her serve our church by coming early every Sunday morning AND I get to see her serve my family by loving our girls, and my socks are blessed off!!! Thanks Alaina…and thanks for making my first senior session SO MUCH FUN!! The Dragos sure do love you and your family!!:)
Ok, everyone…before I jump into this post, I wanted to get your opinion on something. I’m thinking of taking the below picture to my next haircut to give my stylist an idea of what I’m looking for…
sweet bangs, huh?? By the way, I don’t have a stylist…given the messy blob of hair that is permanently fixed to the back of my head, I’m sure that is not surprising!!:)
So, the reason I have an awesome picture of a horse with wispy bangs is because I can now add horse photography to my repertoire!!! My sweet friend from church, Laura, approached me a little over a month ago and asked if I would be willing to do some pictures of her and her horse, Demetrias. I was SOOO excited!!!! I have kind of a fascination with horses…similar to my fascination with alligators…but, not to be confused with my fascination with pancakes and the color pink. Before I jump into my day with Laura, I want to tell the world what a blessing she is to me. Laura is one of the singles at my church. As of a year or so ago, I had worked with her in children’s ministry a couple of times, but had not had a chance to really get to know her yet. This didn’t matter to her, because this was also when she began serving me in a way that was so HUGE, she probably doesn’t even realize. Matt has been on the praise team at our church (Sovereign Grace Church Greenville, SC) for as long as we have had children. This means that he is not able to stand with me during worship, which leaves me attempting to worship while I keep a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old under control…thank GOD for His GRACE!!!:) One day, Laura (along with 2 other of my single friends, Jenna Beth and Susanna) approached me and asked if she could hold Marlee during worship…it was as if someone had just offered to buy me a brand new Honda Odyssey (that would make me very excited, just in case you’re interested!!!:)!! Since that day, I have only had to care for one child during worship and that has been HUGE for me…I’m tearing up just thinking about it!!! These girls are truly, truly, selfless and I am truly, truly grateful!!! Thanks, Laura…you just have no idea!!!!:)
Laura’s selflessness is also revealed in the way she cares for her horse, Demetrias, who requires more assistance than your average horse. Last April, Demetrias was diagnosed with chronic uveitis, which leaves him “slighly blind”. His condition has required surgery and a lot of extra work on Laura’s part, but in talking to her you would never think it was an inconvenience…she has done exactly what she has needed to do to get D the help he needs. You can really tell these 2 are a team!! If you want to hear more of Laura’s story please check out her blog…it really is fascinating!!:) I wanted to include more of it here, but I think it’s time for some pictures of this duo!! Laura, thanks so much for this opportunity…tell Demetrias I said thanks, too!!:)
P.S. It is not easy to get the ENTIRE head of a horse in the frame of your camera…just sayin’!!!:)
I was thrilled to be able to do pictures for Josh and Rachel’s newest addition, Naomi. Josh and Rachel went to college with Matt and I and have since relocated to Greenville. Josh and Matt were roommates at FMU and have a lot of funny stories…For those of you who have heard the N’Sync story..Josh was involved in that!:) I had so much fun getting to hang out with their family, because it had been a really long time…I had never even met Aleah and Keatley and they are Marlee and Gretta’s ages!!! We picked right up where we left off and I just took pictures while we were doing that. Their girls are so fun and energetic..very similar to 2 other little girls I know!!!:) At one point, I was taking a picture of Keatley, and Aleah just reached her hand up and moved my lens so it was pointing at her!!! I was crackin’ up!!:) By the way, Marlee says, “crackin’ me up” now…it cracks me up!!!:) Back to the Sacks!!:) Josh and Rachel, thanks sooooooo much for allowing me into your home to capture your beautiful family!!!!!:) I sooooo enjoyed getting to hang out with y’all again, if even for a short time. Enjoy your pictures!!!:)
*note: the awesome booties naomi is wearing came from the Ellen show. Rachel was able to be in the audience for her Mother’s day show and she got seriously hooked up!!!:)
*another note:) : I would like to thank my awesome mother-in-law, Donna, for making the baby cocoons for me!!!!:) They are GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
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