Behind the Scenes (of family pictures)

I am so blessed to know a fabulous photographer who has the ability to connect with my kids and capture our family on film - so to speak.  The way Bonnie does photo sessions is awesome and immediately gratifying.  She snaps all kinds of fun shots and then downloads them onto a flash drive for you right away.  You get all the fun stuff and goof ups.  You also get a bunch of awesome pictures that don't need to be edited because she is just that good.  I'm going to share some of them and tell you about what you can't see in the pictures that made it all fun!

I love the background.
Jason wanted to do pictures at my parent's new place.
Behind us is where our future home will be.  

I love the sun on Model C's hair.
The shadows are not great, but the pole is fun.
I also love the scarf that is hiding the lip gloss stain
she got five minutes before we walked out the door!

Bonnie liked the light and the walls inside this dilapidated old shed.
First, I'm not sure how it is still standing.
Second, Jason went in first to make sure there were no slithery critters.
Third, the bench we are sitting on sank an inch into the sand when we sat down.
And there is also a bunch of old cow poo under our feet!

Bonnie got a little distracted by this butterfly, but isn't it pretty?
She just couldn't help herself.
I love it when she can't help herself like this.  

Right here we are under a really pretty tree with good lighting,
but we are standing in poison ivy
and there are bees all over those flowers!

Yes, this is one of those fun extras of us
goofy around between real pictures.

I'm not sure another photographer could capture the girls like this.
This is who they are and they love their Aunt Bonnie!

My girls are so pretty!
This is outside the shed that is falling down.  

And here is how they really feel.

I love the old tin, barn wood, and green vines.
There is some discussion about whether or not the vines are poisonous.  

Here are a few other things you can't see and would never guess.  Model C is wearing hand-me-down jeans and boots from Bonnie's daughter.  Model T is so skinny that her camo pants are starting to get high-water.  Jason went hunting that morning and then was weed-eating around our portion of the property.  He smelled a little funny.  We picked our outfits to coordinate with him!  I'm wearing a hand-me-down shirt too.  Finally, my lovely necklace broke that afternoon after the photo shoot.  I still can't get the stain out of Model C's shirt either.  

Special Note: None of these photos have been edited whatsoever.  If you need family pictures for the holidays, I'll be thrilled to get you in contact with Bonnie!  

How do you remember someone? (updated)

Borrowed from Darlene.  

Aunt Pat on the left with some cousins.

 This is my Aunt Patricia Janell Avants.  I have to say her full name because I share that middle name.  Her name is special to me because my mom gave me her sister's name.

My mom has some interesting stories about growing up with Pat which I don't know that I have the right to share. Just imagine what a sister might say.  I have a sister.  Growing up, we didn't always like each other.  I love her to pieces now.  You know how siblings are: I can mess with my sister, but you better not!  At the end, Mom said she would miss her best friend.  That's ok to miss someone.  I hope Mom misses Pat for a long time because I'm not ready to miss my mom.  They can play catch up later.

I remember a few times visiting her as I was growing up.  She had two sons, my only first cousins.  I remember that she had a big peninsula in the kitchen. At least it seemed big to me when I was little.  She had a shower stall in the bathroom which I thought was cool because my parents' house was different.  She always told us that the secret to her cookies was that she mixed the dough with her feet while sitting on the kitchen counter.  I was never sure about whether or not I should believe that.  She also had a chow dog named Trouble.  And she loved my uncle.

More than these memories from childhood, I have my memories from my adult life.  I moved four hours away from home when I was about 26 so I could attend the seminary.  My aunt and uncle opened their home to me and my fiance every other weekend because I refused to allow Jason to stay in my apartment until we were married. Therefore, when Jason drove up to visit me, he slept on Pat and Marvin's futon in the office while I slept on the couch in the living room.  We did that for six months on weekends before we got married.

It is honestly difficult to think of Pat without thinking of Marvin.  In all their years of marriage, they maybe spent two nights apart.  I think they got married at 16 and 17, or maybe 17 and 18.  They were young and high school sweethearts.  About two years ago, my Uncle Marvin went to be with the Lord.  I told my kids that he moved to Heaven.  Last week, Aunt Pat's earthly body gave up, and her spirit moved to Heaven also.  Those two years were the longest that they have ever been apart.

Over the past week, I've been watching and participating in the facebook conversations about Pat.  I am overwhelmed with the need to clear up a few inaccuracies.

This facebook post is the first and most important thing I need to clear up.  This post was left on my cousin's facebook page by a very sweet, well-meaning person who was just trying to find something right to say in a difficult time for our family.  I really do appreciate sweet people.  However, the truth of the matter needs to be clear.  The only test Aunt Pat passed to get into Heaven was selecting the correct answer on a multiple choice test with two choices: A) Jesus or B)not Jesus.  She picked Jesus.  Otherwise, no one is good enough on his own to get into Heaven.  Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone has sin.  Romans 6:23 says the score for sin is death.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says our good works can't save us.  Nothing good in my aunt's life could get her into Heaven except the choice to have a relationship with Christ.

In order to pick Jesus, Romans 10:9 - 10 says that we must confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord.  Matthew 7:21 says we have to follow God's will.  Then, when we are following God's will, we will have abundant life according to John 10:10 and ever lasting life according to John 3:16 and Romans 6:23.  Hold on!  Here is the second thing that I need to clear up: Pat has ever lasting life.  That means that she is not a past tense person!  She still exists.  This means that we do not have to speak of her in the past tense.  I cannot say, "My aunt was a great person."  I can't say, "I loved my aunt."  No!  I can say, "My aunt is and she still is in Christ!"  This is a strange concept to consider because we are conditioned to speak of the earthly dead in the past tense.  Her body is past tense for sure.  Her spirit lives on in eternal life.

This is not good bye forever, but rather this is a, "See you later alligator."

At Grandpa J's house.

50 Shades of Discernment

I started following a new Instagram and found this picture.

I try to be very careful about what I read and what I post about what I read or haven't read.  I don't like to bash a book if I haven't read it.  This image made me wonder about Fifty Shades of Grey again.  There has been so much talk about it.  

Most people pick a book after reading the description on the back or on Amazon.  I don't have a copy in front of me, so I headed over to Amazon to see what someone else wrote about it.  I wanted to know what the preview is about the book from someone who is trying to sell it instead of push me away from it.  

Here is the preview from Amazon: 

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
 
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

I found the reviews really helpful too.  It seems that quite a few people have read this book and had something to say about it.  I really enjoyed one person checking to see if the book was written by a 16 year-old girl because it was so ridiculous!  

Either way, I don't think the content of the book is appropriate for me to read.  I don't want to imagine these situations when I'm with my husband.  We have our own thing going.  

You might ask why I'm even spending this time on such a book, to research it, to blog about it.  I'm trying to show that all literature has value.  So what is the value in this type of book?  Even without reading it?  I don't know that it has any moral value that would make God ok with it.  Of course, I haven't read it to know the answer to that.  However, I can see from the reviews that it does highlight the values of an immoral society.  This is a snap shot of the culture in which we live.  Not many people may be living this life style, if anyone at all, but people crave this type of entertainment and fantasy.  

Personally, I've read enough from Amazon to move past this book.