Posted on April 23, 2012
Sunday Snapshot: Gonzaga
{Canon Rebel XTi, Canon 50 mm 1.4, f3.2, ISO 800, 1/160}
Things have been BUSY around here lately. I honestly don’t know where the days go. However, Jeff and I were fortunate enough to have two days to spend together after my {what felt like forever away from him} trip to Florida. I had a speaking engagement in Spokane this past Monday night, so we decided to stay an extra day so that Jeff could show me around his former undergrad and grad stomping grounds.
We spent Tuesday morning strolling the grounds of Gonzaga University.
At first, continuing bad habits developed of late, I was content to capture the campus with my phone.
But then Jeff brought me by the church on campus.
And as soon as we stepped inside, I knew I had to whip out my real camera.
The dim lighting meant I was back to my favorite lens…the nifty fifty.
Being able to crank the aperture down means I can still get good shots with very little light.
There are few places I find more inspiring than old churches.
And there are few things in old churches that I find more inspiring than stained glass windows.
A cool new trick I learned in photoshop for these images was the perspective aspect of the crop tool. Many of the windows were shot at an odd angle, but this tool fixes that beautifully. For more information, check out this video.
After Jeff finally pulled me away from the beauty of the church, I put away my camera and whipped out my phone once again. But then we entered one of the oldest buildings on campus…
…climbed up its historic staircase…
…to its beautifully simple chapel.
Needless to say, inspiration had once again hit strong enough to bring out the real camera.
The light streaming through stained glass to play on old, creaking wood floors and polished sills was simply breathtaking.
While I have long sung the praises of the beauty of my alma mater, Wheaton, I did have to concede to Jeff that Gonzaga {captured by phone or camera} is likewise a gem to the eyes.
Posted on April 9, 2012
Sunday Snapshot: Easter in Tampa
{Canon Rebel XTi, 50mm 1.4, ISO 800, f2.8, Shutter 1/80, edited in Photoshop CS5}
When my sister’s mother-in-law (whom I affectionately refer to as my adopted mother-in-law) called about a month ago and asked if I’d come down to Tampa for Easter, it didn’t take me too long to decide. While the Northwest has become home, I still miss my sister and her family terribly. So the idea of being there to celebrate this great day of hope was quite exciting. There is nothing like the unabated, untainted, unrestrained joy and excitement of a child, which is why I eventually narrowed down the above photo as my favorite. Ethan was sorting through his eggs, and momentarily glanced up at me with this priceless, unasked for grin. Sure, in that moment his joy might have been wrapped up in the goodies in the eggs. But with the same fervor he also proclaimed throughout the day his version of the famous liturgical call and response. My sister would initiate, “He is risen!” and Ethan would respond, “Indeed!” I kind of like the shortened version myself.
While I expected Ethan’s enthusiasm in the festivities, the great surprise of the morning was how engaged Sophie, at a mere fifteen months, was in the hunt for eggs. She got the knack of the quest quite quickly, prompting her to discover more than just the pink eggs that had been “hidden” specifically with her in mind.
Moments before the above shot, Ethan had discovered an egg inside this coffee table jar. Sophie had to make sure he didn’t miss any in there.
Yes, her eyes are still that glorious blue. And she can still pull off that serious stare. But the girl is also full of quite a few belly laughs these days.
While Sophie is nearly impossible to capture on camera, due to her rapidity of movement (she can move across the room, climb a kitchen chair, and be on top of the table before you say “Easter Egg”), Ethan quite enjoys posing for the camera.
Egg hunting is serious business folks.
I can see the candy…now how do I get to the candy…
Daddy’s little girl.
Headed to church.
Trying to get some smiles for a family photo shoot. Despite this momentary glee, Sophie was not feeling it.
Adults are much easier to photograph.
After church, we headed over to my sister’s in-laws for a lovely Easter lunch.
Where Sophie enjoyed tolerated a new set of ears.
I hope you had a blessed Easter rejoicing in the hope of our risen King! I’m hanging out down here in Florida the rest of the week, and then it’s back to the Northwest for the two month countdown to the wedding. It can’t come soon enough!
Posted on April 2, 2012
Sunday snapshot: Fruit {blossoms}
{Canon Rebel XTi, Canon macro 100mm 2.8, f/5.6, ISO 800, shutter 1/200, edited in Photoshop CS5}
Ruts. They are so easy to get stuck in. Sometimes you need a good old kick in the pants to climb on out. Stefanie, thank you for providing that this week with your new vision for Sunday Snapshot.
My camera of late has mostly been collecting dust. I could blame it on multiple causes: winter doldrums, lack of inspiration, busyness, laziness…but we’ll leave behind the excuses. For Christmas I was given a brand spanking new macro lens that has subsequently rested on the closet shelf. Last July, as a graduation gift to myself and taking full advantage of {hopefully} the last time I’ll receive a student discount, I purchased full out big girl photoshop. I finally loaded it on my computer in January. And am just now beginning to play with it. Yes, indeed, a kick in the pants was needed.
Yesterday morning on the way to church Jeff pointed out a lone tree in the midst of an orchard that had boldly decided to bloom before any of the others. And so, when he proposed a walk in the evening, I requested a stroll to the tree, dusted off the camera, and threw the new lens in the bag.
There is something about flowering trees that provides infinite inspiration to me. Their beauty is stunning in its simplicity, and yet the mere angle from which they’re captured and the direction of light streaming in provides infinite possibilities for artistic direction.
Yet perhaps even more so than their beauty, I love the spiritual lessons poignantly and plainly laid out in the crooks of their branches.
I love that fruit bearing trees are the trees that require the most careful pruning.
I love that the trees with the most gnarled trunks and scarred exteriors are likely the most mature, honed throughout the years to bear the most fruit.
I love that a fruit tree can be chopped down to its trunk, deceiving the eye into thinking it has suffered an early death, and then over time branch out to become yet more fruitful.
I love the fact that even fruit bearing branches must at times be pruned back, lest the weight of the fruit break the branch.
I love that these petals, these first testimonies of life to come, must die before fruit appears.
Death and life. Scars and beauty. Drastic cuts for drastic harvests.
Such are the contradictions of the fruit tree, and such are the contradictions of this path we’re called to walk. The more years that pass, and the more scarred and mangled our trunks become, the more bountiful the sweet crop that is harvested. And why should it not be so? For we follow in the footsteps of the one who was scarred and torn much deeper than we shall ever be.
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot–yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Posted on March 19, 2012
Sunday Snapshot: Home sweet beautiful home
Things have been mighty quiet here of late. But today I just had to share with you the beauty of the place I get to call home.
Over the past few months, I’ve definitely begun the transition from calling this place home, to feeling like this place is home.
Posted on January 31, 2012
Really? Christmas?
I know we are WELL past the appropriate time to post Christmas pictures…but I just got around to finally editing them and I just had to share some of my favorites. It was so fun to get to celebrate with the Rommel clan this year! Enjoy the cuteness–hopefully it outweighs the fact that they should have been posted a month ago.
Sophie was more interested in the wrapping paper than the gifts.
Sophie’s second favorite pastime after tearing paper? Climbing in boxes.
Posted on January 30, 2012
Sunday Snapshot: Covered Anew
I know I have been mighty silent of late…much on the mind and heart that at the right time will be shared. But today the wise pleas of Walter Brueggemann accompanied by the scenery I awoke to earlier this week.
We are fearful folk, and we dwell in the midst of fearful people, fearful of our world falling apart, in terror and moral decay, fearful of too many “dangers, toils, and snares,”
fearful of not doing well, of being found out, of being left out, of being abandoned, of our own shadow.
And then we hear, astonishingly in the midst of our fearfulfulness, your mighty, “DO NOT FEAR”
do not fear, I am with you, with you in wealth and in poverty, with you in success and in failure, with you for better or for worse.
We hear, we trust, we receive your comfort and are made new.
We thank you for the newness of our identity, of our trust, of our calling. Because of your new utterance of life to us, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.
We, your new people, thank you for your newness and notice that you work newness among us, for we know about being, lame people who walk, blind people who see, dead people who live, poor people who are unburdened.
We rally around your newness that is both our hope and our work.
Your fearless newness into which we are immersed is beyond our expectation; But we are not offended by it; not scandalized by you; not ashamed of your newness; not embarrassed by your healings.
We ask now for energy and freedom, rooted in your fearlessness, that we may live toward and from and for your newness that bubbles up, even in the midst of us, all around us to the uttermost parts of the earth.
We pray in the name of your fearless gift of newness who scandalizes the world and makes all things new, even Jesus. Amen.
Posted on January 5, 2012
Here and There
There has been much happening, and a few fuller updates are sure to come, but here’s a brief rundown of what has been going on:
- Before heading to Florida for Christmas, I got to witness my first (of what I
fearam excited will be many) Gonzaga basketball game. After the game, I got to meet up with an old teammate from China. Let’s just say after a couple months in a new town meeting new people and learning new places…it was nice to have drinks with someone with a shared history.
- I spent a lovely eight days in gorgeously sunny and (even for Florida) unseasonably warm Tampa, where my sister surprised me with a shower, we celebrated one year of Sophie, and I got to enjoy my first Christmas with family in six years. There were about eighteen hours of the trip, too many of which were spent in the bathroom, that I would rather forget. And that’s enough said about that.
- I returned to celebrate a quieter Christmas number two with Jeff.
- I continued wedding plans: dress, venue, and photographer are knocked out and the day is starting to take shape…exciting!
- I finished The Help and The Hunger Games in less than a week.
- I finally sat down to sort through and edit the photos of the past few weeks.
Posted on December 16, 2011
So long, farewell
Tomorrow night, I’ll be hopping on a plane to see these sweet faces.
One of whom, rumor has it, is beginning to take her first steps.
After six years of celebrating Christmas…and every other holiday…without my family, I can’t tell you how excited I am for this trip. The only thing to dampen my excitement is the fact that I’ll be traveling without a certain man by my side. Someone, that after a year of long distance, I’ve gotten quite accustomed to now having close.
But before I take off, we’re headed to Seattle to do one of his favorite things–watch the Gonzaga bulldogs play in person. Here’s hoping they fare better against Arizona than they have against big ten teams. Jeff is under the impression that he has a chance of converting me into a bulldogs fan. This game, I believe, is step one in this scheme. Something tells me he won’t be entirely successful. This girl bleeds scarlet and gray.
Before I take off to the other side of the country, I thought I’d give you a little peek into my home all decked out for the holidays.
I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to be living in this place.
When I first arrived back in November and realized how much Jeff had already done to make it home for me…well, I was speechless.
You see, I had already set up a home. But pretty much all of it got left in China.
My favorite part of the house is probably the kitchen. Ample cabinet space. Oodles of counter space. A gas range. Hot water in the sink. A dishwasher. Cooking in this place is quite the treat.
Most of the walls are still bare, but this is one of my favorite purchases we’ve made for the place.
I’ll be returning to this home for a late Christmas celebration with Jeff on the 26th. Until then, things will be mighty quiet here on the blog. I’m traveling {gasp} without a computer in hopes of soaking up every minute with family. I hope you all have a blessed and joyful Christmas!
Posted on December 15, 2011
The day after
The day after the disastrously perfect proposal, we headed back to Leavenworth. We had a play to attend, tickets to which had been moved to Sunday to make way for a football game we didn’t watch. And so we got dressed up and headed out for round two of Leavenworth.
On this day, while there were still more people than normal, Leavenworth was much quieter. The atmosphere was much more what Jeff had been going for the day before. We saw a positively charming production of “It’s a wonderful life,” grabbed a late lunch, and then nabbed a spot next to a fire pit to watch the lighting ceremony that takes place in the Christmas season as the sun sets behind the mountains.
The lighting ceremony that had also happened just as we settled into a sketchy couch in a sketchy bar the night before.
The lighting ceremony with live music and lots of fanfare.
The lighting ceremony where the village progressively becomes bedazzled with the twinkling of many strands of lights.
Needless to say, it was a delightfully enchanting and markedly more romantic atmosphere than the previous day.
And so we laughed, once again, at the previous day’s events.
And decided to call this a two day proposal.
Posted on December 14, 2011
As promised
What you’ve all been waiting for.
The little piece of jewelry that came inside that box.
The little piece of jewelry that made me realize it would be nice to have a macro lens.
The ring is absolutely perfect.
Simple, yet elegant.
Delicate, yet detailed.
Marvelously suited to me.
Which it should be, considering I just might have helped pick it out.
I worked in a jewelry store for six years. Consequently, I knew what I liked…and what I didn’t like. And Jeff? He was happy to have some input.
So back in August I took him on a little tour of my likes and dislikes. And then he put together the final product.
Which now, quite happily, resides on my finger once again.
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