This year I decided to take the plunge into the world of Christmas Mini's as a way to gain exposure in a new town. I didn't expect to meet so many adorable families who captured my heart! The Cornejo Family was one of many families I had the privilege of capturing. So here's to Christmas and celebrating it with the ones you love the most!
Ryan + Jesse have become dear friends whose path collided with ours when we all found ourselves in the same town out in West Texas. Ryan is a Fightin Texas Aggie (WHOOP!) and Jesse has an eye for fashion that makes me question every article of clothing I own. I knew Jesse and I would be good friends when we found ourselves at a wine tasting huddled around the snack table. They fill our life with board game nights and delicious baked goods. I was in AWE the entire time I was photographing these two love birds. Ryan + Jesse, we are so thankful for you two!
On a corner lot sits a bright pink and turquoise adobe style home. The kind of home that beckons for your attention, yet sits quietly, settled into the earth as cars go rushing by. The other day I found myself stopped at a red light lost in thought. The few seconds I had to spare before the light turned green and life began rushing by again, I glanced over. Pink and turquoise stucco. A single cacti in a delicate white planter sitting on the front porch. A type of small bush-like tree blooming a wonderful red mystery from its branches. “Look,” I said to my friend in the driver’s seat, “that tree is growing tomatoes.” As if I had two green thumbs that had planted a magical field of tomato trees somewhere in the wilderness. Row after row. My friend laughed, “Um, yeah those are definitely pomegranates, not tomatoes.” The light turned green and off we went. Right, pomegranates because those thrive much better growing on trees then tomatoes. Pomegranates, that fruit that I buy when I’m feeling adventurous at the grocery store because I know when I get home the task required to get to the part you can actually eat is going to test my patience. A red pomegranate juice stained bamboo cutting board resting on the kitchen counter after the victory of excavating tiny seeds has been claimed.
Pomegranates, not tomatoes.
Tomatoes are what my grandfather would pluck from his backyard garden. Polishing the plump thing on his flannel that smelled like a New Mexico rainstorm. Taking a bite like it was a delicious candy apple, motioning for me to do the same. Younger me held a small tomato in my hand, unaware that the thing could taste sweet, hesitantly taking a bite as juice ran freely down my chin. A smile, another tomato picked and added to the bowl that would rest on the kitchen windowsill.
Tomatoes are versatile. They can be diced, dried, fried, roasted and sliced. Swimming in summer pasta, resting in between two toasty buns holding a juicy burger, pureed into soup that warm chunks of bread can dive into. Pomegranates are wild. Needing to be cracked, peeled and plundered for the seeds of tangy sweetness that nestle deep inside. Pomegranates take work, tomatoes take creativity.
You see, I think sometimes God hands us tomatoes and sometimes He tosses us a pomegranate. Sometimes all life needs is a little creativity, a choice to take a step back from the mundane, from the nine to five. To see the moments that can be diced, dried, fried, roasted and sliced into something wonderful. To take what you have, in this exact moment, and create something life-giving. With thankful hands and a warm smile. To get up thirty minutes early, to sit at the kitchen table, deciding in those waking morning moments to daily choose joy. To see the worth in your work, to ask about the cashiers day at the grocery store, to rest. But then, a pomegranate. Tough, rough around the edges, needing to be shaped and formed in order to get to the core. Asking for your time and trust. Sometimes life takes patience, trusting God that as you are cracked and peeled in this season there are seeds of goodness waiting on the other side. To listen, to pray, to believe. To know that seasons come and go. To lean into the Maker, the Creator of pomegranates and tomatoes.
I have the privilege of working with Sara at the YMCA and had the opportunity to photograph her adorable family at the St. Ann's Annual Carnival. It was a Sunday afternoon full of sticky cotton candy smiles and I absolutely loved how unique this family session was! What's better than fried twinkies and family photos?
Isn't it funny the doors God opens when you feel like there's no where left to turn? After moving to Midland in May I was struggling to find a creative outlet in this new West Texas town, but God had something working up His sleeve. Daniel and I stumbled upon Renew Life in a way that's only a God thing, but boy am I sure glad we did. After connecting with one of their photography team members I was given the opportunity to shoot one Sunday and shortly after was offered a spot on the team. I had to laugh at God, opening yet another door for me to continue pursuing this crazy thing. So today I wanted to share a few of my favorites so far from Renew Life and say thank you Jesus for this church that feels like home!
Daniel and I ventured to Maui & Kauai for our honeymoon and we were blown away by Gods creative creation. From the black and white polka-dot eel slithering among the coral, to the towering green cliff sides stretching towards the never ending sea. It was the quiet moments in the morning and the loud crashing of ocean waves that made you sit back and realize how much Gods love is shown through nature. The stars and sunrise 10,000 feet up that took our breath away, the powerful pull of the ocean just before it sends you laughing back to shore, the soft breeze dancing through the palms. He is there. Here's to you Ha-wa-ii: breath of life, fresh water, and the Creator.
I had the opportunity to volunteer for SOS Ministries during my time at Texas A&M. Although it was challenging, sweet families like this one made it oh so worth it. Mariah was one of my 3rd grade girls and she was as giggly as can be!! I was so honored I had the chance to capture this adorable family! To learn more about SOS Ministries and how you can help visit: www.saveourstreetsministries.org
We got busted for loitering and celebrated with pizza. Lindsey, thanks for being there for me since the 5th grade. You, my soon to be college graduate, make the world a better place! Gig 'Em forever!
