Dreams & Life

I have the kind of personality that always feels like I could be doing more. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want to achieve big things every day. The motivation will be lacking here and there, but most days I can come up with some productivity to make me feel like I at least achieved something that day. Even if it was just ironing three of John's shirts, or watering the garden. I feel better about myself and I feel better about my day!

I also think a lot about my long-term achievements. These are harder for me to think about, because they just seem so small. I don't have a degree, I haven't really moved up any corporate career ladder. I've done some traveling and got some good years with YWAM under my belt, but that's about it. I feel like I am creative, and I really enjoy work that involves creativity, so I've been thinking about how to expand on some achievements in my life that involve creativity, and things that I love doing. We've also been thinking about the 8-5, being a slave to a company/employer type work we've been doing the last few years and are ready to branch into something else.

Hence, my new plan! I am very good at making plans, strategising the best route, writing to do lists, and figuring out what needs to be done. I've been getting better and better at actually turning that plan into reality, and this is one plan that I really hope I can make work.

I love photography, and have always considered photography to be a hobby. I've done some decent pictures and feel like I've improved a lot in the last few years. As we've been looking at trying to get part-time work as we move to Redding, I've been thinking more about how nice it would be to be my own boss, make my own hours, take vacations whenever I want to. Enter Photography plan.

I'm hoping to become a professional photographer. I'd like to start with family portraits and hopefully weddings, and then go from there. My main plan initially is to build up my portfolio, build a website, and then when we get to Redding, get the word out and hope to find some clients! I already have some friends lined up for family portraits, so I hope I'll have enough for a decent website. If you'd like me to take some informal family portrait pictures for you (for free!) in the next 3 weeks to help me achieve me my new goal, please let me know!

Here are some recent kiddy portrait pictures that I like:

Go West, young couple!

I figured, "What better way to announce some big news, than on my blog?"

Yes, in case you haven't heard by now, John and I are moving to California at the beginning of September. We are going to do the School of Ministry at Bethel Church, in Redding. Redding is about 3 hours north of San Francisco, 3 hours south of the Oregon border, and three hours east of the Redwood Forest and the coast. My brother, Sam and his family will still be out there (he did the school last year) and we are super excited to be spending this next year with them. We have really been missing family this last year and a half and are ready to be with family for a bit.

We're excited to do the school for multiple reasons. We feel like it will be a good next step before heading back to YWAM, and it will really help take us deeper in our relationship with God and with each other as well as really refining some character issues and continuing to center our identity in God.

We are also excited to be around family as my brother and his family will still be there (he did the school last year). These last two years we have really missed family a lot and it will be so nice to get to live near family and to see them every day.

Our plan is to move at the beginning of September. We are sad to leave Colorado and our home here in Fort Collins, and we'll miss our friends a lot, but we are excited for the next step and feel confident that this is what we are supposed to do next.

So that's what we're up to next!