be lovely: May 2012

NEW POST // PROJECT 147

It is officially Summertime here. The weather is in the 100s and sleeping in is beginning to feel lovely. It's lovely Summer nights spent outside in the golden light with friends. In two days, I'll be going to see the people I've waited to see for 360 days. Literally. The blog will become quiet until I get back next week - so come back for vacation photos. Summer is here.

THE HIPSTERS

Starting them young.

TALENTED BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

This is Dorian. I call her Doriana. I've known her for years. When we were five, we went to the same public school. Apparently I didn't talk to her, ever. When we were pulled out of school two years later, we met at church. She claims she "brought me out of my shell". I guess I do indeed owe that to her. I was quite shy. So, Doriana, if you're listening, thanks, for making me extroverted. It's gonna get me really far in life.

Anyways. Dorian had a secret. A big, exciting secret. Only her close friends knew. She was a singer. She was a singer but she didn't want everyone to know. It took me months and months to finally get her to start a Youtube channel. I am so much of a dreamer that I told her that she would go viral and Usher would find her on the internet and everything would be dandy and she would, in the end, be the new fancy-shmancy teenage Beyonce. But that hasn't happened. Yet. Back to the story. She learned a song. A beautiful song. A beautiful song that coincidentally is called Beautiful. She has won a talent show with it, got into a competition with it, and, I think, made it even better than the original. At the beginning of this year, when I started recording her videos (which we both later deleted from the channel because we both suffer from serious indecisiveness and thought that, at the moment, they weren't "unique" enough; we regret that wholeheartedly), she started calling me her Manager. Then it was her Assistant. Next producer. And then fashion adviser, best friend, photographer, sister, and videographer. Or, in our words, I am her everything, and she is mine. Everyone knows when Dorian and I show up because we bring the party. No really, we are the party.

She is that friend. The one that no matter what happens, you can always go back to her. It doesn't matter what we've been through together or on our own... we always find our way back to each other. And I love that. She will always be my go-to model for when I need a good photo shoot. She will always be the only person I can talk about the hard stuff in adoption with. She will always be the one and only friend I have that shares the same serious obsession with cookie dough and ice cream. For real, Dorian would do anything for cookie dough. She's one of my best friends. She's been there always. Reached out to me even when I never said a word to anyone, many years ago. Thank you, Doriana. For everything. I love you.

her youtube channel // her blog

xo,
e

p.s. Doriana, if you're still listening..... orange milkshakes that taste like gasoline/rubber. that is all.

INSTAGRAM // PART III

in no particular order....

where most of my time is spent in the winter

i took my last chemistry test and finished out the year with my final exam yesterday... i die.

i love this. so much.

thinks arizonians get excited about: cold weather. hey, 44 degrees is really nice compared to 100s.

in case any of you were wondering what my hair looks like when i wake up.

my state is the beautifulest

online school for west-coasters in a nutshell: wake up, go to class in pajamas at 6am, finish class, go back to bed.

valentines day on the mantle.

(from today) somedays its just too much.

thanksgiving.

going to church on christmas eve in all black because i'm cool like that. this was also the night by bffs surprised me by showing up at my church... i about died.

i've spent approximately 60 wednesdays at starbucks this year learning geometry with my favorite math tutor and awesome friend gabby. caffeine is good.

holy mother of arizona iced teas.... i can die happy now.

because Chemistry deserves some sprucing up. i added vintage paper.

no, that is not toast (yes, someone asked me that).

the biggest rainbow i ever did see.

i'm one of those girls that wears vintage shirts and loves it.

a california alley on the day i surprised my best friends.

this was 88 days ago. people, it's dang close.

this is my bike, the tomato. my dad helped me spray paint it, and now i look so awesome riding to walgreens and starbucks on it.

another self-pity photograph about my dairy-free diet *sigh*

BABY BOY

Ummmm where did the newborn go? He went from 7 lbs 11 oz to 10 lb in one month. The hair is getting thicker, the face is getting cuter, the cheeks a little chubbier... oh. He is too cute.

2 days old

1 month old

Thank you, again, for helping bringing him home. He is a reminder of God's goodness everyday.

THAT DAY

This is the first photograph I saw of Trey. It didn't make much sense to me. I couldn't see him. Just a profile of his little head. For two months I avoided the photograph. I couldn't get attached to it if it wasn't our baby. It was scanned and sitting on my desktop as "Trey's Ultrasound". I didn't want anything to do with it. If I started at it too much, I would want it too much. And if I wanted it too much, I wouldn't get very far if this was not our baby. Looking back, I treasure that photograph. It was the first one I laid eyes on of his face. The first time I saw him. I will treasure that day and that photograph for all my life.

I WAITED FOR THIS

I waited for this. I'd say it was worth it.

PERFECT THE WAY YOU ARE // PART I

This is Maddie. She was born with one eye. But she doesn't let that stop her. I've known Maddie for quite some time and there has been one big thing that has stuck out to me about her that I love :: she doesn't care what everyone else thinks. Our world today is full of judgmental people telling you you need to be more than who you are. It's so easy to be caught up in wearing, talking, looking, whatever.

Maddie contacted me last week telling me she needed some portraits done for something she is going to pursue. She wasn't letting this stop her. I don't even want to call it an "impairment" or a "disability", because I don't think that fits. You're not perfect with two eyes. You're perfect the way you are made. To think that God chose your body, your hair color, your eye color, the amount of melanin in your skin.... special.... just for you.... how beautiful. How beautiful that we don't have to stereotype people just because of the way they look. How beautiful that God makes us all perfectly different in every single way. How beautiful that I, as a photographer, am blessed to be able to capture that. What a blessing.

At a young age I memorized Psalm 139:14.... "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." It's so wonderful to grow up knowing that God makes all of us special. That two eyes is not perfect. You are perfect the way you are. Embrace it.

xo,
e

p.s. want to be featured on my blog about your story and how you found out you are perfect in God's image? email me :)

ME

My name is Emma. I take too many pictures of my baby brother and write too many un-published blog posts. I am forced to be on a dairy-free diet due to possible lactose-intolerance. It is not fun. I have 84 contacts on Skype, which is my life, literally. I go to an online school where I get to go to class in my pajamas and not care about my appearance, ever, on weekdays. I wear pink jeans and red tights and wear my hair in horrible buns at the top of my head too often. I change my profile pictures way too much due to serious indecisiveness. I despise when people don't use you're/your/their/they're/there properly; really, it is like a disease. I only have a few close friends and love cold weather. I love the Lord and make too many mistakes. I need at least 7+ hours of sleep. I love late nights but early mornings are not my favorite. I have big dreams that sometimes scare me but not enough to make me stop dreaming. I am known for making prank calls late at night and making song references at the most inopportune times. I despise getting my picture taken and think having brothers is the best thing ever. I belong to more social media sites than most can handle, final exams scare the heck out of me, and I laugh out loud at my Chemistry teacher (who does not attempt to be funny, he just makes me laugh). My name is Emma and this is me. Take it or leave it.

to brighten your day....

Finals week begins next week so I'll be taking a little break as I finish out the year. To brighten your day here's sweet baby's first "real" smile :)

THE POWER OF PRAYER

The day my mom first heard about Trey's birthmother, she was staying at a hotel with a few other ladies. She ended up having a phone call with her, and during that time our dear friends staying at the hotel with my mom took that whole time to pray for her and for this sweet baby growing inside of her. I will always hold onto that knowing that they had a part in bringing him home.

The day we scrambled out the door to wait in that hospital waiting room for Trey to arrive I realized the power of prayer. I knew God was in control of every moment. But I also knew that there was power in prayer and the way we asked Him. There were so many things that happened that day that made us say... only God. Only God. As I waited for his arrival, I updated a few friends that prayed for my family all day. I was there for 10 straight hours and they were praying every moment.

The day Trey was able to become ours was a hard day for all of us. This sweet baby was living in our home and we struggled to realize that he was not ours. That day so many of our friends took on that burden and prayed, all day. They had a part in bringing him home. In just asking God for him, he was brought home forever. If that doesn't show you that prayer is powerful, I don't know what will.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn away from their wicked ways then I will hear you from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

thank you. for every prayer you all said. every word of encouragement in the comments. there is so much love in my heart for the blog world and for fellow believers that say a huge YES when we need prayer most. there is nothing more humbling to me than to see the people i love most come alongside my family in prayer. oh my goodness. thank you, so much.

xo,