Ben and Bekah ~ Burlap and Lace Wedding

Ben and Rebekah are high school sweethearts.
I love watching them together...their love for each other and their love for God is so evident.
It is beautiful.

I was so honored to be asked to capture their special day.
I do not take this kind of thing lightly.

Because of the fact that it had rained for I think 954 consecutive days. (Ok...maybe not quite that many...but quite a few!) We were a little worried that the rain might come. BUT.
It held off the entire day - quite the relief!

One of Rebekah's close friends was supposed to be part of the wedding, but was over seas, so she was able to skype her!
Love modern technology!

Her dad's reaction to seeing her was absolutely priceless. 

They decided on a modified "first look".
Sweet moment of praying over his future wife!

I was obsessed with their rings!

The entire ceremony was so Christ-centered.
Bekah gave Ben the purity ring her father had given her when she was 16.
What a beautiful symbolic act.
Many times during the ceremony something totally malfunctioned with my camera!
Everything got totally blurry...oh wait. I guess that was just from my tears.
I found myself praying that my boys would find a godly woman like Rebekah, and that they would grow to become godly men like Ben.

Both sets of parents came up during the ceremony to pray over them. It was beautiful. 

 The happy Bride and Groom!

Every detail was beautiful.
It was very obvious that a lot of time and effort went into making everything absolutely perfect!

I loved the vintage pieces she incorporated all over the place!

 They both have big happy families!

 Then it was time to relax and have a little fun!

What a gorgeous wedding.
Thank you so much Ben and Rebekah for letting me be a part of your special day!

the joys of living in an old house

so remember my relaxing day yesterday?

well, at the end of the day, i came home.
as soon as i walked in the house, i thought i heard a weird noise.
but it had just started raining and the boys were outside putting their bikes away.

so i said to myself, i said...
rachelle. chill out. just chill out.

and then i saw a black shadow behind my kitchen curtain that went along with what i now could identify as a fluttering noise.

oh. my. head.

please tell me that is not a bat
(you can refer to this post to see why i may have been freaking out about a bat!)

but no. as it swooped towards my head, i realized it was just a bird.
ya. just a bird.
in my kitchen.
oy.

ok. calm down, rachelle.

AJ!!!!!!

i got aj and ry to come in the house and i opened the door and windows while aj got a broom and tried to shoo the bird out.
it finally flew out after flying into a few things in the kitchen.

ok. take a deep breath.

i went to the hallway to go upstairs and tell adam what had just happened when i saw something black out of the corner of my eye.

no. way.

another bird!
sitting on the door of the sunroom.

i literally started crying.

this time adam, aj and ry all took over and figured a way to get the bird out the door.
there was now poop all over everything.

(adam cleaned all of it up for me. yep. that's the kind of guy i married.)

at this point it was pouring outside, and when i cautiously walked back into the kitchen to identify another noise i heard, i was relieved to find it was just the kitchen ceiling leaking.

ya, don't worry...just a leak in the kitchen.

now i can't go into one room in the house without freaking out.
i saw a frog on the window when i got up this morning.
it was on the outside, luckily.

so when you see this gorgeous old  house?

know that the window you see on the third level...is probably swarming with bats.
(i will not go up there to check, and it stinks because i really want those shoes up there!)

and the rest of the house is probably filled with every other kind of animal you can imagine.

hopefully i can sleep tonight.
the joys of living in an old house!

so...happy friday everyone.

hope yours is filled with....nothing.
nothing at all.
no bats, no birds, no bugs, no leaks.

just smooth sailing.

everyone should be so lucky...

to know my boys.

i am serious.
i mean...i know they are mine.
but seriously, they are so much fun to be with.
they love to laugh.
they are thoughtful.
they are happy with anything.
they are amazing friends.
they are just plain awesome.

so today, i needed them.
i needed them to just love me as their mom...
i needed them to be there to laugh with me, to play ball in the water,
to swim out to the rocks, to be happy with  no time schedule, and a 50 cent slushy.

and they performed perfectly.

it was a perfect day and these 2 little munchkins...errr...grown up boys... continue to make me smile constantly.
yep. you would be lucky to know them.
everyone should be so lucky.

i love them.

training your voice

just recently i was in the store and heard a mother yell to her 3-year-old...

stop the yelling right now!

i'm not sure if she saw the irony.

when we started raising kids, there was one thing for sure we knew we were not going to tolerate:

whining.

it just was not going to happen.
i couldn't stand hearing whiny kids, and i did not want to spend the rest of my life listening to it!

i realized very quickly that it takes self-discipline and hard work to train your voice.

and what i mean by that, is i need to train my voice just as much as my kids need to train theirs.

here's the thing.
we can be disciplined and train ourselves in any area of life, but if we don't continue to train we lose it all.

for example...i train for a marathon.
i work hard. i show self-discipline. then i stop running long miles for a few years.
try to pick it up again?
guess where i have to start? i have to start slow...all over again

a 3 or 4 mile run.
and build myself back up to where i used to be.

it's the same with our voices.
maybe we learned to stop whining, or yelling, or using that ugly mean voice.

but then...you forget about working hard to control that.
your child whines at you and..what in the world?!?! somehow, you start whining back at them!

how does that even happen?

as a mom, i'm sure we have all had those days when the mean eyes, the ugly voice, or the snapping tone have come out.
we don't like it.
it makes us feel guilty.

but hopefully...it is a reminder -

train your voice!

practice responding in the right way:
to the person that cut you off when you were driving.
to the person on the telephone who just put you on hold for 15 minutes.
and definitely to your husband and children.

don't think for one second that you are going to naturally want to respond in the right way when you are irritated, tired, or wronged.
and don't think for one second that when you whine, yell, complain...that your kids are not picking up on what you are doing!

don't expect them to stop whining if you are showing them your whiny voice every day!

train yourself.
teach them to train themselves.

if you expect your children to be self-disciplined and show self-control,
you have to be showing them how you are doing that first.

it's work! it really is!
our impatience, irritation, and frustrations can come pouring out sometimes before we can even think about the lack of importance causing those emotions!

take some time today and just work on your voice.
listen to yourself and see if you catch yourself whining.
see if you catch yourself raising your voice, or rolling your eyes.

work on that self-discipline...
it will benefit everyone around you if you do!

my exciting weekend...weddings and hamsters and bats oh my!

this weekend had a lot going on.
i had booked a wedding months ago for july 13th
(with a sweet girl who i think everyone should be friends with. she's just that awesome.)

adam's sister had gotten engaged and decided to plan her wedding for the same day!

there was really nothing adam or i could do, and so i tried to not think about the fact that my second shooter, and the man who makes my life so much less stressful, and more fun on wedding days was going to be miles away from me.

and adam started planning his trip to florida.

i wanted him to be with me.
i also wanted to be with him. (and his family)

it was not the ideal scenario, for sure, but we had to figure out a way to stay positive.

my amazing friend ruthie was my second shooter, and did an awesome job.
i don't think i could have had anyone else besides adam...she understands my craziness and can read me really well.
the wedding was perfect.

adam had a great time with his family, and his sisters wedding went off beautifully as well!

i consider myself to be a pretty independent person.
but this weekend reminded me of how much i need adam.

he just sets me at ease.
he calms me down.
he is much slower when i don't stop.
(he texted me breathe and slow down. and then he texted ruthie to remind me to slow down! ha!)
i just need him.


moving on...for a couple pretty big reasons that i will not get into on the world wide web, adam and i felt it would be safer if i stayed at my parents for the nights he was gone.

saturday night, i came home to grab clothes for sunday and we realized...
wait for it, because this will shock you.

taco was on the loose again.

oh. my. ever. loving. word.
(and just for kicks? this morning i was up at 2:00am looking for her again.
am i on candid camera or something?? i mean..for real?!?  how does this keep happening??)

she could have literally been anywhere! we had no idea how long she had been gone.

i prayed first.
yep.
not sure how many times God has heard a prayer like...Lord. you know how much i can handle. i am exhausted. please, oh for the love of peter, paul and mary please show us where the hamster is!!
he answered, and aj found her under riley's bed.

then i decided to run up to the attic right before we left to grab my favorite shoes.
they are black flowered stilettos, and they are pretty amazing.
anyways, i opened the door, and saw something that made me slam the door shut again.
i wasn't positive what it was, so i made aj come and check with me.

oh. don't worry. it was a bat.
yes.
a bat.
a dead bat.

oh great. now i had to change my plans for my entire outfit!
you have got to be joking me right now.

i still had in the back of my mind that i had to finish preparing for the ladies sunday school class i teach, and find a song to sing for special music.

i just wanted adam.

so.
anyways.
adam made it home monday morning at 11, and my world was better.

we had a meeting this morning at 9, and the rest of the day was spent in air conditioning.
cleaning. recovering. working on my computer. and just relaxing.

my kids are amazing and can adapt to any situation.
they are very helpful and understanding of our busy and crazy lives!

so...reading, puzzles and air conditioning pretty much summed it all up.

days like this are so needed.
and i definitely see a beach day in my future.
oh ya, and a call to an exterminator.

fishbowl findings: dealing with people

Religion, I discovered, is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States.

this book.

this book i am reading that is making me think longer and harder about every single thing i do.

Revolution in World Missions.

(you can actually get a free copy if you click on the title above)

it is a book i can only take in increments because of the conviction i feel.

it goes on in a chapter entitled A Nation Asleep in Bondage to describe what i see all over the US. 

I found that believers are ready to get involved in almost any activity that looks spiritual but allows them to escape their responsibility to the Gospel.

the author describes in this chapter his shock when he came to america and saw the multi-million dollar church buildings, the "entertainment", he referred to the church services as and the need for churches to build more and offer more to go along with our busy lifestyles.

it is typical of what we see everywhere. 

people in other countries are willing to face beatings and even death just to own a copy of the Bible. 

we in America are willing to do nothing even close.

we read our Bible if it's convenient.

we attend church if we like the music and the room temperature.

we share the Gospel only if people ask.

quite a difference, really.

along with my thoughts and feelings from reading this book, i have been immensely aware of the issue that i talked a little bit about in my post the view from the eyes of a pastor's kid

living in a fish bowl.

it can be a rough place to live at times, and while i try to tell myself i'm not the only one living in a glass house, i don't always listen to myself.

however, i have been blessed to find a group of women who either are or have been in the same situation as me.

i recently asked a group of my girlfriends whose husbands or fathers are in full time ministry what the hardest issue they dealt with was.

the answers kind of broke my heart a little bit.

the people you invest most in are the ones that end up leaving..stabbing you in the back...

or stirring up division the one time you aren't there for them.

the deeper you build relationships the deeper you get hurt.

critical people that don't understand...my hubby tells me 

not to worry about it, but it still gets to me sometimes.

I couldn't trust anyone in the church because they were only being nice to my face

 because of my dad. I was treated one way while they were looking and 

completely differently when they turned away.

 the 'fakeness' of people

my hubby gives and gives and gives...and then they leave..

 Showing love when people just know better & should be doing better

being able to find a true friend you can really trust

so you may be wondering where i am going with part one and part two of this blog.

can you see the difference here?

in india (and many other countries) people are being persecuted and uniting together to walk miles, and give up everything to hear the Word of God.

in our country, we are lazy, lackadaisical, and more concerned about our opinion of how things should run in the church instead of our convictions of how things should run in our lives.

we are so busy being critical of other people, (especially in leadership) running around trying to find churches that make us the happiest, that we are missing the hurting people who need the Gospel!

oh the sadness.

before we get too depressed here.

let me tell you my goal with this post.

my goal is to encourage all of the women who are in ministry:

the women who are watching their husbands and or fathers continue to be criticized.

the women who are giving their hearts to people, and being stabbed in the back.

the women who are serving their hardest, and watching people walk away from the church without even turning back to say goodbye.

the women who are watching the negative voices overtake the positive voices.

2 things.

number 1.

you are not alone! 

reading all of the thoughts of the women who shared their hearts with me reminded me of a psalm my mom shared with me - my eyes will be on the faithful of the land.

you are not the only one dealing with this.

you are not the only one going through pain, frustration, sadness because of people!

there are faithful people around! 

remember that, because satan wants you to feel alone. isolated. frustrated. and depressed.

and i have definitely had those feelings before!

search for the faithful and keep your eyes on them.

number 2.

you are serving Christ alone.

do not forget that.

it is so hard to remember who you are serving, because you are watching your husband, your father or yourself work so hard to serve people! people who are just that...people. 

people who can make mistakes, who can have bad attitudes, and can hurt you!

this verse sums up what we need to remember...

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. 

It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians. 3:23

i hope this has been an encouragement to my sisters in Christ who are struggling with people.

disunity, division, selfishness...those are never from God.

never.

don't allow a few people to cause you to become bitter at every other person.

the tendency is to stop trusting people.

to second guess everybody.

to want to quit.

remember paul? obviously he had the same problem too! he says...

I will gladly spend myself and all I have for your spiritual good, 

even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.

and sometimes that is how we feel.

the people we invest the most in are often the ones who hurt us the most.

i could tell story after story.

but i choose not to focus on that.

why?

because ultimately, i am not serving them.

i am serving Christ.

HE is the one who will bless and reward you for your service to Him!

keep going.

keep serving.

if people hurt you? renew your mind and keep serving Christ.

if people criticize your husband? renew your mind and keep serving Christ.

if people walk away from the church and never say another word to you? 

renew your mind and keep serving Christ.

if your husband is being put down? renew your mind and keep serving Christ...you be his crown! (proverbs 12:4)

you work on being one of the faithful ones that others can keep their eyes on!

and find someone who is being faithful and hold each other up.

we can do this if we work together.

yes. living in a fishbowl can be difficult.

but it is a calling that God has given to our husbands (or fathers...or both!) 

and if He has called, He will be faithful to give the strength we need to keep serving.

stay strong and keep serving Christ!

relieving stress

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 
~Psalm 94:19

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. 
~John 16:33

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me 
~Psalm 16:8

Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.
~Psalm 119:50

The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.
~Proverbs 18:10

i took a walk outside and had to just talk. 
out loud. 
to God.
he showed me these things...
the flowers, the trees - all these things that have no worries. 
they just grow and bud as God commands. 
God is in complete control.
of everything.
sometimes we need to stop long enough to remember that.

sometimes...there are no other words we should be listening to.
not other people's, not our own...just God's.

what better way to relieve stress, than to talk and listen to the one who is in control of every single aspect of life.

take the time to stop tonight. 
and listen to what He is telling you to do.
it's pretty amazing.
and it is sure to relieve all your stress.

happy friday, everyone.
xo



    

brimfield antiques: watching my boys imitate daddy

one thing about adam. he is a bargain hunter.
i love that about him.
we have been going to yard sales together for years. and thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores...
we just love it.
i love a bargain, and adam is great at dickering.
if he sees an item for 10 bucks? he'll offer 5.
we have gotten some awesome deals over the years!

every year, we travel to the brimfield antique show. it is the largest antique show in the country!
it is miles. and miles. and miles of booths set up with antiques and all kind of treasures.
you just never know what you are going to find!
i remember travelling with aj when he was 2 weeks old.
ya. we're hard core like that.

this year, my parents (who are also into antiquing!) wanted to take the boys.
they gave them money and made a day of it!
but of course, me and adam didn't want to miss out on the fun either! so we went one direction, they went the other.

aj is collecting old oil cans, and riley is collecting yo-yo's.
they had an awesome time checking everything out.
i loved to hear all their stories:
aj found an oil can he liked.
he asked how much it was.
they guy said 5 dollars.
aj says...can you do any better than that?
ha! learning early...

aj managed to talk a guy down from $25 to $5!!

yep. these boys are already imitating daddy!
and i love it.
here they are with my dad, and one of aj's oil can finds!
and of course...we stopped in the middle for some pizza!

it was a long day of walking, but it was so much fun! aj got 6 oil cans, and ry got 3 yo-yo's.

last year, i got a ton of stuff for my business, including an old coca cola advertising box, and antique quilt (which i use for just about all my family sessions!) and a bunch of fabric i used for my newborn sessions!

this year, i didn't get anything for the business, but me and adam got a few things for the house, and my dad got some stuff to resell. 

it was an all around great day!

it is about a 2 hour ride home, and we had fun sharing our stories of good deals with each other!
oh ya...and playing with legos, and the ipod!

already looking forward to our next trip there!

sister connections: photo session giveaway!

i have 2 sisters.
i can not even imagine my life without them.
sometimes girls can be so hurtful, and there is something about having a sister that just makes you feel secure...makes you feel like no matter what, you will have someone there to have your back.

i remember getting a text from one of my sisters when i was going through some rough friendship problems that said "don't mess"

it was like. enough said.
she had my back no matter what.
i always know that with both my sisters.
we are forever friends, with a relationship that nothing else can compare to.

these pictures of us aren't like incredibly amazing or anything, but even just looking at them can make me all emotional because there is so much there.
so many times that they said nothing, and it meant everything.
that i said too much, and they understood.
if you have a sister you're close to...you know exactly what i'm talking about!

because of this closeness we have, i wanted to be able to be a part of other sister connections and give other sisters some images that they can hold on to for the rest of their lives.

so...for a limited time, and a limited number of sessions, i am offering sister connections.

i will do one session per age group.
each session will last a full hour to give us time to relax, and really give me time to get true, heart felt, raw emotion captured for you.

because i am so excited about this, i will be offering

one free session! (*print credit not included)

yes, you heard me right! one free session!
the way to enter is to email me your best reasons why you think you (or your daughters) should be selected to win this session!
i am really looking forward to reading all your reasons.
i could think of a million reasons for me and my sisters!!

i am so so excited to get started on this project.
it will be like nothing i have ever offered before.
because spots are limited to only 4, i am requiring a deposit of $100.00 at the time of the booking to hold your spot.

so don't wait any longer!
email me to reserve your spot, and/or to give your reasons and qualify for a chance at your
free session!

*if you reserve your spot, and then win the giveaway, your $100 will be refunded.

"a good friend knows all your best stories...a sister has lived through them with you."

true that.

you asked, i am answering: what is in my camera bag

i get asked what kind of camera i have, and what lenses i use a lot,
since i enjoy seeing what other people use for their photo shoots as well, here is what is in my bag.

i am a canon girl.
oh. yes.
i started getting into photography partly because of the inspiration of bryant photographics.
mark bryant is my best friend's father, and he is incredible.
him and his wife are amazing, godly, sweet people. and he is a genius when it comes to photography.
i basically emailed him when i was starting and asked him what i needed.
he said a canon xti.
and photoshop.

so that is what i started with!

one of the best business decisions i have made, was when i decided to invest in the
canon 5d mark ii
it is incredible.
i love everything about it.

i am a total prime lens junky.
i love the incredible bokeh you can get with these babies, and it's hard to beat the sharpness.

my very favorite lens is the 85mm 1.8

it is creamy and delicious.
i almost never take it off my camera.
it is a perfect portrait lens, especially when you are shooting one or two people.

my second favorite lens is my 50mm 1.4.

i started out with the "nifty fifty" which is the 50mm 1.8
i highly recommend this lens especially if you are just starting out.
it lasted me a great long time into my business, and i really loved it.
i upgraded to the 1.4, and my dream would be to eventually get the 1.2. 
that is not quite in my budget yet!
this lens is great for when you need to more people in your shot.
if i used the 85 to try and get this next shot, i would have had to go about 4.2 miles away just to get everyone in the picture!
ok...maybe not quite that far. but you get my point.


the 100mm is an amazing lens that i rented about 5 times before i actually bought one!

it is perfect for detail shots (like rings at a wedding)
and even though it can be used for portraits, i mostly use it just for details.
it is a must have for weddings and is a really fun lens to have!

my back up camera is the 40d and i keep a 17-85 on it just to have a zoom lens, although i almost never use it.

i do not have a cute bag to show next.
even though i would love to have a shoot sac to make things easier, and a cute, stylish ephiphanie bag to make me feel cool.
i just can't justify the money for the want of them.
and believe you me. i have tried to justify them! ha!

i am very content with the equipment that i have.
i still rent a 70-200 for my weddings, and would love to eventually have my own..especially for my kids sporting events!
ok...and i wouldn't mind the 35 wide angle lens
i bought the 5d mark ii brand new from best buy, and besides that...everything else i have bought from craigslist!
i am always looking for good deals, and i try very hard to be a good steward of my money.

so that, my friends is what is in my camera bag.
(which, by the way, i bought at a thrift store for 2.00 and always get compliments on it!)

let's not start talking about what is in my other bags. because that turn into a hot mess!

the best day of my life...

might be tomorrow.
it might be.
i mean...i really don't know, but that's just it.
i don't know!

ya know how there are days, weeks...maybe even months where you feel like you are just barely holding on?
like at any moment you may very well just fall apart?

you might be feeling like that right now.
you might be feeling like there is no way you are going to make it.

let me just remind you today.

nothing is bigger than God.
nothing.

not your problems, not your finances, not your bad relationships, not your sorrow, not your pain.

God is waiting for you to call to Him.
that's it.
just waiting. for you. the one HE created to finally...
admit.
say out loud.

i give up!
i can't do it alone!
i need help.

and when we call on Him.
he promises to answer us.
he promises to take our burdens, take our worries, take our cares.

and take care of them. all.

he doesn't even need us.
but for some incredibly unknown reason, he wants us.

he wants you!

imagine that?
the creator of the world wants a relationship with me?
wants a relationship with you?

stop trying to do it on your own.
you have no idea what God has planned for you.
if you just give everything to Him.
keep holding on.
keep fighting.
keep trusting.
and if you do?

tomorrow might be the best day of your life.
it might be.

of course, it might not be.
but if it's not?
hold on until the next tomorrow...maybe it will be that one.

if you want to see some pretty amazing stuff that make you realize how small and insignificant we all really are, i would recommend you watching this video by louie giglio.

when i see this picture...

do you know what amazes me the most about it?
look at how big it is. and look at the fact that you can not even see humans.
not only can you not see humans, you can certainly not see the brand name of the clothes those humans are wearing, you can't see the kinds of cars they drive, the houses they live in or the titles they hold.
it is just earth.
as God created it.
and it reminds me that God created all of us equal.
he loves all of us equally, regardless of the titles we, or others give ourselves.

that's MY God.
the one that i serve, the one that i worship and the one that someday i will see face to face.

if that doesn't get you through the day, i don't know what will!

and if you have no idea what i mean by all of this? please...please...please don't ever hesitate to email me and ask.
~ajnrileysmommy@ hotmail . com~
i would love to talk to you about it.

check out this 3 minute preview of a movie called indescribable.
it is pretty amazing.