Prom 2012

 Beautiful, professionally done hair. 

 ^FAV!

This year, I had the opportunity to take pictures for TWO proms! The first set of pictures is from my older brother's prom. And the next set is from my cousin's. My brother's a senior (graduating in a few days!) and my cousin's a junior in high school. My mom is a make-up consultant, so she was asked to do my cousin's makeup. I was blessed and was invited to go! So, we headed over to their house {about 20 minutes away}and I just watched everyone and helped where I could. I personally like taking pictures at prom because it's one step closer to photographing a wedding.

So for my brother's prom, he went with a good friend, not someone he's declared as dating. Sadly, the weather was absolutely terrible. It was a group of about 36 people, so we wanted to take pictures outside at a park. Luckily, we found a hotel that generously let us use their lobby with a waterfall-looking thing. Better than being outside, right? 

I also liked these "sessions" because it was the first dance I could take pictures of with my new camera (purchased last November). When I say dance, I mean my brother's high school dance. Next year, I'll be the one who's getting pictures done! :) Well, one can only hope. :P

P.S. All of these photos are SOOC. I haven't been in the mood to edit... anyways, my edits probably look kinda bad anyway.

I Call Them Bumblebees

The other day, I was outside taking pictures when I came across a bunch of bees. So, I naturally took a ton of pictures of them. Lately, I've been finding wildlife really fun to photograph. Oh and by the way, these are all SOOC and with my kit lens. :)

Do you like photographing bees?

8-Month Old | Baby S

I've never done a 8/9-month old before, so this was really a fun session. It was my first paid session. I really enjoy the results. The whole process was hard because I also had to look after 3 other kids (ages 2, 5, and 7), but again, LOVE some of the photos I got. Isn't she adorable?!? It always looks like she's frowning, but it's just her chubby cheeks that make her mouth droop. :P 

Which photo is your favorite?

P.S. She was also my first newborn session. See those pictures and how I've improved HERE.

A Glimpse of My Spring

Eep! Look at that bokeh!!!

~flowers budding

~flowers blooming

~bees buzzing

~bubbles blowing

~sidewalk boiling

~balls bouncing

~skin burning

~mouth babbling

~crafts building

~sun beating

~dandelions breaking

~birds bellowing

Sporting Event (plus me blabbing)

26. Take pictures at one of my brother's sporting events

Lately, I've been attending quite a few of my younger brother's baseball games. I haven't been to them all, but I've been to a couple. 

Baseball/Softball is {what I consider} to be the only sport I haven't done. I've done soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country, track and field, karate, tennis, ext., but I've never had the nerve to go out for softball. Why? I'm not exactly sure... First off, the games {can} be boring to watch, in my opinion. Two, my the time I realized I maybe should try out, I didn't think I would ever become that good at it.

Wow, enough of my babbling. Anyway, those pictures are of my brother. I've been shooting a manual mode a lot now... My pictures turn out 10x better sometimes! Yah! I can assure you that all of the above pictures were taking in manual. How do I know that? Because they turned out! :P No joke, my 70-300mm lens makes everything over-exposed, so I have to shoot in manual to even get a decent picture.

ANYway, I hope y'all have a good weekend! Guess what? I have a lock-in tonight so I'll be SUPER tired tomorrow! :/

P.S. Today's my 1/2 birthday! :)

Confirmation 2012

41. Get confirmed

42. Receive a new Bible

I look kinda creepy in this picture...

Last Sunday, I got confirmed. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by the people that love and care for me and my faith in Jesus Christ.God invited me to partake in Holy Communion. For a gift, my wonderful godparents gave me a beautiful Bible. It explains verses and it also has my name inscribed on the back. :) Overall, it was a really great weekend!

My Faith Statement

 {I wrote this about 1-2 months ago, before my First Communion. Stay tuned to see pictures of my First Communion that happened yesterday!}

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” I believe that God has called me through baptism into Confirmation. Through baptism, I’ve been justified and sanctified through Christ. I’ve been given grace and by that grace I’ve been saved. God has given me that grace and that faith as a gift; I just accepted it.

            Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” God is the Spirit. He is eternal, unchangeable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, holy, gracious, and loving. God made the heavens and the earth and everything in it. He made Adam and Eve who sinned. He made the smallest caterpillar to the biggest whale. 

            God’s Word is inspiration for me. The Bible helps me get through life. In my day to day life, I’ve come across many challenges. I face times of trial and weakness. Even though I may seem to be alone, I know that Jesus is in my life. He is my best friend in whom I can confide. He listens to my prayers and answers every one of them. He may not answer them like I want, but He answers them to what He thinks is best. Jesus cares about every need I have. He loves me with a far greater love than I can ever imagine. 

            John 15:15 says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” I know that Jesus is my friend because He loves and accepts me into His family. He encourages me. Jesus forgives my mistakes and still loves me. He shows His grace and mercy to me. Jesus has changed my misfortunes in blessings. 

            Having a friend like Jesus has really helped me conquer the world. Knowing that He is by my side really takes a big load off my back. I can totally surrender to Him because I know that He is in control of my life and will guard and protect me. Surrendering means giving everything I have to Him and letting Him do what He wants with my life. Surrendering is hard. Handing over everything to God is and was difficult, but when I surrendered, everything was lifted off of my back and I really started to see what God had in store for me. My first step was creating a relationship with Him.

My relationship with Jesus Christ includes time in His Word through personal reading, group Bible study, devotions, Religion class, and time in church and Sunday school. I believe that my relationship with Jesus can always be strengthened and I need to frequently study His Word and get to know Him better. 

            Jesus means the world to me and I cannot express my love for Him. He died not only for my personal sins, but for the sins of the whole world. To even think of a person dying for me takes my breath away. Am I really that special? Yes, God loves me and takes care of my needs daily. Jesus has shed His own blood for the forgiveness of my sins. I know that He died for me and the entire world from the holy Gospel, the words instituting the sacrament, and by His own body and blood given to me. He teaches me how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 and all throughout the Bible. 

            I know that God is the author and perfecter of my faith. He will guide and protect me as I continue to grow in my faith. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died and rose from the grave. I believe that once I believe and am baptized, I will receive the gift of eternal life. Baptism isn’t just water, but water included in God’s command and combined in God’s word. My baptism has forgiven me of my sins, rescued me from death, and given me eternal salvation. 

After Confirmation, I plan on continuing to grow in my faith and go to church. I want to read my Bible on a daily basis along with my day to day devotion. Seeing God as a practical guide will help me through my life here on Earth. I have the assurance that I can go to heaven after I die to live with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.