Celebrate Fall.

With each new season, something stirs up in me to get outside, be festive, and celebrate the beauty of the new season. Perhaps my favorite Season Celebration is our annual Celebrate Fall weekend. There’s just something about the cooler weather, warm colors, pumpkins, changing leaves, and boots that make this heart giddy! This year, was my favorite Celebrate Fall Weekend yet! Over the first weekend of October, J, baby girl, and I set out to the Dallas Arboretum. Each year they do a pumpkin village that is just amazing. God was so good to us and gave us a weekend of perfect, and I mean PERFECT weather! The Arboretum was filled with happy families, children loving nature, and moms, like me, trying to capture each moment. Our sweet girl was excited, loved all the colors, and couldn’t have been more perfect for pictures, and my amazing husband patiently waited as I tried to grab the perfect shot.

After the Arboretum, we drove over to the State Fair of Texas. There we enjoying the petting zoo, the little farm, Fletcher’s corn dogs, and our first carnival ride!

We ended the day in our comfortable hotel room, with a tired baby, and worn out feet. That night, we all ended up getting 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep! It was wonderful, and was the perfect preparation for our morning at Ikea! After Ikea, we made the quick trip home, full of bad-for-you food, countless memories, and anticipation for all the fun to come!

You made me so happy, God I saw your work and I shouted for joy.

Psalm 92:4 MSG

American Dream.

Yesterday, the world stopped as grabbed my camera to capture our sweet baby girl in her red, white, and blue. For just a moment, the state of our country and my worries about the world I will raise her in faded away. Instead, through the lens of my camera, I captured the American Dream. In the midst of that beautiful golden glow, I saw a daddy showing his daughter all the beauty in the world. I heard the squeals of joy from a baby girl’s mouth. I captured a daddy standing close by, making sure she could not fall. I watched my little girl feel the each blade of grass, smile at her first handful of dirt, and look up into the trees for the bird chirping nearby. I captured our favorite tree, whose branches are almost as wide as our little home. A home where luxuries and money are in short supply, and yet love and laughter fill it to the brim. My camera captured a family, full of faults but relying on Grace. A family that seeks to glorify the Lord in all things. Ultimately, I captured a world, that if we choose to put Christ first, only consists of the best days ahead. If you are feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders this week, if you are broken over the state of our country, I urge you to purge your life of the world for just a moment. Step outside, grab a camera, listen to your children, read God’s Word, and capture the beauty and promise that surrounds you. Jesus will meet you there. He will calm your fears and comfort your heart. Experience His goodness, love, and peace today!

My American Dream is still within my grasp. This country has given me the greatest life I could imagine. I have the liberty to worship my Savior as I choose, and each and everyday I am in constant pursuit of the happiness that can only be found in Him. I still believe in the American Dream. I still believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I still believe our best days are ahead! God bless America, my home sweet home.