iPhone 4 & iPhone 4S :: Instagram

We took a rear-end-numbing train ride and had a blast. The boys acted like they’d never seen a train or a playground before.  They certainly hadn’t seen a train that goes right smack through the middle OF the playground.  They even got up on the “bridge” and waved at the train going under.  It was absolutely crowded and James claimed it was the most fun Sunday, ever.

After the playground and train ride, when the light was fading fast, we loaded up the van and headed over to Hula Hut for dinner. It was so nice to actually go out for dinner, on a whim, where we wanted to go (in other words, not limited by the gift cards we have in our stash), order a XX (Jen; Dave doesn’t drink beer) and eat really, really good food. The boys fell asleep on the drive home and Dave and I held hands, enjoying the silence. It was the perfect ride home.

What a fun Sunday! Now for the pics!

iPhone 4s :: Instagram

As is becoming tradition for our family, the day after Korben’s birthday (that would be December 22nd), David headed to Lowe’s and picked up our $5 tree.  I know it’s waiting to the last minute to decorate but you just can’t beat FIVE. BUCKS. y’all!  I mean, those trees are $40 just two days before the Korbster’s birthday.  Worth the wait.  Definitely.

Least coordinated tree, ever.  But we love it.

Christmas in Kempner

Aaaaaand… we didn’t have very many matching light strands since we’re in the beginning stages of switching over to LED strands, so… this is our little tree out front.  So sad.  So funny.

Santa brought the cat a shelf.  How thoughtful.

360 – the decorated cedars… I was sitting in traffic and had to snap a quick shot of them.  They were all so shiny!

And a busy last Friday of the year… I had a model shoot at the Capitol (on film, literally) with another EOS 3 shooter followed by a wedding out at the Barr Mansion (I got there super early and read a chapter in the book I’m working on.)

And Korben… hanging… out… I want to pinch his tummy!

And Korben… out… in the car rider line to get James, after James got in the car.  I also snapped this one with the film body, hence the light meter stats.  I keep track of my settings this way.

In January, I travelled to San Antonio for Imaging USA, the Professional Photographers of America’s annual Convention. While there, I took (and passed on my first try!) the Certified Professional Photographer’s exam, won $250 in wedding editing, and a huge metal mural worth over $350, wholesale. The exam was a huge thing for me, though I’ve been dragging my feet completing the image submission as they’ve changed the requirements on us and I just haven’t kept up with the new changes. I still have two? one? more year(s) though so I’m not out yet.

We started the year with James and Lowell in the YMCA’s Indoor Soccer program where Lowell learned some monumentally important social skillz, James burned off some energy, and Korben confirmed what we’d long thought about him — he thinks he can do what his older brothers can do! It was tough keeping Korben out of the soccer area, but thanks to the YMCA’s childcare (thank you mom!) he wasn’t too much of a distraction. I have no idea how the teams did; it was just super cute seeing the four and five year olds running around. We kinda coasted through the rest of the school year as a family. David works a LOT of weekends in the Spring with all the festivals and clinicians and pre-UIL contests and the like. The boys are looking forward to indoor soccer again like you would NOT believe and Korben is so ready for the 3 year old league!

In February, Lowell turned 4 and I finally got around to making a slideshow of his birthday pictures (like, from his actual birthday).

A college friend and Tau Beta sister of mine married in March and shot her bridals at Baylor in January as well as their wedding.

They were blessed with a little girl a few weeks ago and she is the most precious thing I have seen with two of the biggest doggie brothers to protect and love on her that you could ever imagine. As far as the business, I had some sessions here and there, and another wedding in June, but it was a very tough summer so I didn’t pursue filling my schedule with sessions every spare moment. When things get tough at home, you really need to take time out to take care of yourself, though I did shoot another friend’s wedding in June and had theirs edited before my big trip…

At the very end of May, I cracked a tooth. It was a molar on top, waaay in the back, on the left side of my face. My jaw (or so I thought) had been giving me problems for years and it turned out that my last molar up there was decayed. That ended up in a root canal at the beginning of June. Upon doing the root canal, the endodontist discovered that the cavity was too deep in the tooth to do a simple build-up and crown, so I ended up going BACK for oral surgery in late July to expose more of the root (ouch). My gums took twice as long to heal as they thought it would take, so I was in a temporary crown for over three months.

In the meantime, mom and I took off for 10 days for my first trip to Hawaii. Let me tell you all: I have a TON of images that I am SO far behind in editing from this year… 1300 alone from the Hawaii trip. It was mainly a family-meeting trip, so we visited family, put flowers on graves, ate at the best local places, attended (and I even danced) my first Bon Dance in Honolulu, walked on Punaluu black sand beach, discovered the loveliest bed and breakfast just outside of Hilo, flew in a helicopter over the Puu Oo volcano (COOLEST THING EVER!), and enjoyed a luau. Maybe in 2012, I will do a recap in pictures. Aloha and happy 4th of July!

I still need to get about $200 in developing done from Hawaii… oy!

While we were in Hawaii, my right upper rearmost molar started giving me problems. Duh-duh-DUH! Enter root canal #2 AND the oral surgery I’d mentioned above. When all was said and done, I had nearly $6K of dental work done over three months. That is not my idea of fun, y’all. Not at all.

In the midst of dental-hell and David’s surgery, we celebrated James’ 6th birthday with our first ever trip to Sea World where James got to feed the dolphins. His favorite animal ever, dolphins. He was one happy kid.

July and August brought us four fires within 2 blocks of our house. The first one burned down 15 mobile homes and the last one destroyed 300 acres and 11 neighborhood homes. We were in evacuation mode for most of August. Fires are so scary. When I look at these pictures, I can still smell the smoke and see the ash landing in our yard from them. I never want to be this close to a wildfire ever again.

Aaaaaaand the new school year started. Life settled down. I started shooting video with Doberenz Photography.

And James started 1st grade. He’s doing really really well. I am surprised at how simultaneously smart AND stubborn he is. A big motivation for him to finish his homework (yes, he has homework this year!) is Lego Robotics at the YMCA in the afternoons on Tuesdays. He has to finish his homework before we leave for Lego Robotics and Tuesdays are the days he does his homework without arguing. Thank you, Grandma & Grandpa for Lego Robotics!

We wrapped up the year with a trip to Chicago for some of David’s saxophone students to perform at Midwest Band and Orchestra Convention. It was a whirlwind trip and you can see those pictures below. David and I started our marriage in Evanston, IL, just to the north of Chicago, and we will always be in love with Chicago. In our old age, when we are the Grandpa and Grandma, we’d like to retire up there. Maybe someday David will audition for the CSO and he will get to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the Symphony.

Christmas was wonderful and we are enjoying the last few days of 2011 before bursting into 2012, full steam ahead!

OH! How could I forget! Korben turned three. I’ll end with him — blowing out his candles!

And I just got the itinerary for the trip and I’m sooooooooo excited! I am hoping the busy-ness is going to be just enough to keep me from missing the boys, but I know that with Dave and I both gone from them, I will miss them like crazy. It wasn’t too bad this past summer when I was in Hawaii for 10 days because they had their daddy. This trip, though, is going to be rough on them. We’ve never ever not had at least one of us with them. And on the trip, I’m really left with a lot of solo free time — anytime the kids are rehearsing, there really isn’t much for me to do, so I suppose I will be able to wander around during that time. L tickets are cheap and I’ve roamed the city solo before, so I’m thinking of doing that one of the days and going on a photowalk of sorts. David will have to stay at the rehearsal. We’ll see. I just realized this morning that I’m out of medium format film, so I’ve got to order another 5-pack today or tomorrow.

Last night, we went to the third of four preview concerts. These guys have so much music and are getting conditioned to playing on stages, so they’re putting on multiple concerts to prepare for the big one at Midwest. The little guys (my kids) are getting pretty well behaved at these little concerts. I think we might be able to start going to the longer concerts soon. They make for late nights, but I want to be able to expose them to what Daddy does in a way that benefits them as young men. Concert etiquette is disappearing in this day and age. I’m doing my best to teach my boys great concert etiquette from the start, and that means going to concerts. :)

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Did you catch that?

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

I don’t know that I have any true friends at all in this world besides my husband, my gold. I have been hurt and very angry as of late because of this discovery, which really, honestly, deep down, I’ve known my whole life. It’s quite humbling to admit that I don’t have friends. I have a ton of acquaintances, but no real lasting, satisfying friendships.  They are all like an outline of a past friendship, like an echo, but not thriving, not active, not growing.

I’ve been bitter and I’ve been fighting the temptation to cause a fuss… it’s so HARD to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving! It takes so much humility and effort! (yes, I am whining here) But it’s the right thing to do. I pray for the strength and the energy and the submission to be kind to those I thought were friends and for those I feel I have been snubbed by and gossiped about behind my back, for consistency in forgiving them and for only building them up. It brings tears to my eyes to determine to do this in my heart because it goes against what I want to do, what I want to say, what I want to *feel* and I know that I am a huge part of the equation. I’m probably the broken part of the equation. Only having ever been myself, though, I don’t know how to “fix” me. Knowing what the Bible says, though, I can trust that those are steps in the right direction and that Christ will fix me, from the inside out.

One of the sermons that has stuck with me is one which Peter Horn preached about knowing what is right and what is God’s will. He says, “God’s Spirit is not going to say anything contrary to what the Bible already says.” What you sense you’re hearing from God, is there anything in the Bible that speaks against it? Is there anything in the Bible that’s for it? THAT’s one way we can know God’s Providential will, His Moral will, and His Personal will for us.  If ever you should say: “I know what the Bible says, but…” — this is not God’s will. Compare what you hear from God with what you know the Bible says about it.

This is my prayer:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

I know it’s God’s will for me to forgive, become tenderhearted, kind, and loving.  It’s so hard, but it’s the right thing to do and be, simply put, because the Bible says so.

Can you imagine the world if more people would live like that? For one, I bet we’d all have a LOT more really really fantastic friendships.