Happy Birthday to my lil Stinker!

It is hard to believe that it has been a year already! But alas it has... and my lil stinker is all grown up and is becoming a 'big boy'... *tear*
Before I left Midland and made my trek home to Wyoming Jack and I kidnapped his Halloween costume and headed out to a local park.... where if I am honest some home-school moms accused me of being a horrible mother for 1. allowing her young child to experience the 'horrors' of Halloween and all of Satan's charms. 2. dress her child as an animal that smells nasty (they should smell Jack-o's diapers!!) and 3. adorn my body with *gasp* tattoos.... they proceeded to make me a lesson to their children talking about me like I wasn't even there...
Well 1. Jack is not my child... but the son of 2 of my greatest friends and I feel blessed they entrust me with him... 2. the costume is amazingly cute and Halloween is what you create it to be and I grew up with a very healthy outlook on it and believe I turned out very okay! and 3. I am okay with the fact I could be your object lesson for the day. Just wish you would have taken the time to come over and meet me... taken the time to hear my story as I would have loved to hear yours. But alas... this is not about the day... but more about the person... AND the fact that today.. TODAY my lil JACK-o-lantern is 1... AHHHHHHHH

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday dear Jack... Happy Birthday to you!!!! Your Aunt Lizzy Loves you very much and knows you will become great as you have been blessed by Him and loved by many!!!!!!

now enjoy some more of my lil Stinker... and keep in mind that your witness is in who you are and the words that others can hear.... we are who we display ourselves to be!!! lil stinkers and all!!!!

Be blessed and Bless always!
Lizzy

Sebastien Thompson...a lil man with BIG insight!...

it never fails... I will be in the midst of taking pictures of a lil one... we get to talking about things and something they say totally blows me away. to be fair to them, usually they are unaware that what they are saying has such amazing impact.

Take Bash... if you will remember back to the first of this year I shared some time with Bash as we were awaiting our outgoing President (good o "W") to come to Midland so we could "welcome him home". Bash and I were talking as I was taking some pictures of the 'little' crowd gathered. as Bash and I talked, he asked me if I knew what kind of man "W" was, and if I thought he was the kind of man that would spank a kid if he and done wrong or he would just look past the bad in people and see the good... if you think about it those are some really deep thoughts. Well that and the fact that someone might have been in a little bit of trouble at school that day... But still I wonder what kind of people are each of us? do we take the time to look past the blemish of people to see the good in them?

well I got to spend another day with Bash here recently- in fact it was one of my very last days in Midland, Texas as I prepared to pack my things and relocate my life to try and find a new start... as Bash and I were in my friends backyard starting the picture process he asked me why it was so important to take so many photos... I decided to turn the question back to Bash... I said gee I'm not sure Bash.. what do you think? he kind of kicked the ground smiled a lil and said... "I think it is because people want to remember the really really good things about you, so when they are upset or sad- they can look at the good things and be happy"... I told him that was probably the right answer. that photos were the ability to take a moment and keep it forever to remember what something or someone looked like... he thought about that for a little while while we were taking photos... and while we were looking and flowers he looked and me and said.. "yeah I won't be almost 6 forever and these flowers won't be here forever especially if I pick them or step on them"... YUP he is ALL boy... O and for the record... we didn't step on or pick ANY of Mr. Bruce or Ms. Martha's flowers... just smelled them!!

Celebrating Volunteers!!!

As I have been spending time in Florida making contacts with churches and looking into some student ministry openings... I have had the AMAZING opportunity to stay with my SWEET friends Greg (the Gal) Harford and her husband Larry and their housemate Paul.
Greg works for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church doing Disaster Recovery Ministry. It is AWE inspiring to see her and her co-workers go at it... be it at a training, as they plan to go into action in a recently (or not so recently) effected area... or as they did most recently CELEBRATE those who selflessly give of their time and their talents to reach out (to others) and reach up (to God) to be the hands and feet of recovery in devastated areas.
It was awesome to hear the stories of humble heart-ed people. To meet some pretty sweet people who use the gifts and talents they have and are taking the time to be trained and learn new skills to bless others... So I heard stories, saw pictures... and became part of the background to capture their celebration in pictures... here are a FEW of the 200 I took... yeah know...if you ask me to capture...I will capture!
ENJOY!!!

Sean Stout....The Senior!!!

Can't beat a few hours spent with a good friend and his son snapping pictures to freeze in time this moment for Sean. Check this kid out... and DIG the CHOPS!!!!































Congrats Sean... Then BEST is yet to come!!!