Photography & Insecurities

I usually don't like trying new things because I don't like the idea of failing. I have a huge insecurity about not being perfect. And when you do things for the first time it usually means you make mistakes. You fall. You mess up. It's not perfect. Sometimes it can be even down right messy. But I am learning that this is okay because there is beauty in imperfection.

So how does this relate to photography may you ask?

Well I got a DSLR camera for Christmas and I have loved it. I love being able to capture precious moments and preserve them in a picture frame by my bed or on a canvas hanging on the wall. But my photography skills are no where near perfect. I am a beginner at best. And sometimes my insecurities get the best of me and tell me I have no reason taking pictures because they won't turn out as good as the professionals. But I have been learning to turn that negative voice in my head off. My pictures may not be perfect but that is okay because they are mine.

If any of you out there have tips and tricks you have picked up over the years that you want to share with me I am all ears!

I'm linking up with Jenni and the rest of the girls for today's Tuesday Tea.

Home Sweet Home

So I've been keeping a secret for a couple of weeks now and I am absolutely terrible at keeping things to myself so I just have to shout it from the rooftops.

WE ARE BUYING A HOUSE!!!!!!!

Having a place to call home is so important for Jameson and I and we are beyond excited to have a place we can call our very own. Moving away from our loved ones and starting our own family in Detroit has had its share of challenges, which is another post for another day, but we have grown to love this city and we look forward to establishing roots and really investing in our community. We hope that this home will serve as a place of comfort and rest. As a place of laughter and friendship. As a place of warm meals and lots of Penn State football. But most importantly we hope that our home will reflect the love of the Lord.

I suppose I should backtrack for a quick second and explain how we found our soon to be home. A couple of months ago we started browsing listings. We weren't very serious and didn't have a relator yet, we were just doing things on our own. Then we found a house we liked. Called the relator. He showed us the house. It wasn't for us but we liked the relator. Because he is also a contractor. So he helps renovate lots of houses. He showed us some more houses. And then some more. And then he brought us to a house that was under construction. He knew the people doing all the work and thought it would be the house for us. And turns out he was right!

The first time we walked in the house it was a complete construction zone. I'm talking sawdust everywhere and holes in the floor and walls. But as we were walking through the layout something just felt right about it. Jameson knew it was the one from the beginning. Probably because he is a visionary. I needed a bit more convincing. Probably because I am a realist. And a worrier. But nevertheless we fell in love. It's a unique situation because the construction is not yet complete, but we get to work with the contractors to pick out all the details. Cabinets, flooring, paint color, tiles, carpet...are you getting the point? Yup we basically get to customize it how we want. Within reason of course.

Without further adieu here are the pictures of it so far. It's still a work in progress. But a mighty beautiful work in progress if I do say so myself.

Outside View - The snow hopefully will be gone when we get to move in!

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom - Yup that's a walk in closet over there. Good thing, Jameson has a lot of clothes :)

Stairs to Master

Upstairs Sitting/Reading Room - Jameson wants to mount a TV here but I don't think he will win that battle.

Downstairs Bedrooms and Small Closet

Living Area - Those are original hardwoods from the 1940s which will be sanded down and stained!

Downstairs Bath - The bath is rockin' the white subway tile

Stairs

Kitchen - Minus the cabinets, stove, fridge, and everything else that makes it a kitchen

Guest Room 1/Outside - Again snow please PRETTY PRETTY please go away soon

Guest Room 2

Entrance and Bay Window

There is also a basement which Jameson has taken over as his man cave. But he is graciously allowing me a laundry room down there so I can't complain. Maybe I can get him to help fold clothes while he watches sports. Wishful thinking? Yeah I guess so. But hey a girl can dream!

As you can see it still has a ways to go, but we are enjoying the process and can't wait to move in. If anyone likes moving couches please come visit us, we will welcome you with open arms!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day y'all! 

This is our first Valentine's day as a married couple and we have wild plans consisting of work all day and dinner at night! With the craziness that is life recently I will be so happy to sit down with my love and catch up over delicious food that I don't have to cook myself. My meat and potato loving boy made reservations at a local steakhouse and I cannot wait to try the food! I also want to remember to take some time today to tell everyone in my life how much I appreciate them. Beginning with my grandma because today is her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!! 

Side Note: Aren't they just absolutely adorable?

I hope y'all enjoy today with whomever you spend it with. May we all cherish our family, friends, coworkers, spouses, and anyone else God puts in our path today.

I would love to hear from you! What are your Valentine's Day plans?

Love & Respect

Jameson and I recently started a new Young Marrieds class at our church and we are going through the study Love & Respect Building Blocks by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.

We just started a couple of weeks ago so we really have just scratched the surface of this study but I wanted to share with you some of the discussion we had last week because it really opened my eyes on a scripture I have heard so many times but just recently started to understand.

The author opens the first chapter of the book by stating a quote: "I have nothing to wear." 

Now for all of us ladies when we say this it really means we want to jump in our car and high tail it to the closest mall to buy some new items to add to our wardrobe because we cannot manage to think of a single outfit we own that we want to wear. On the other hand, when boys say it they literally mean the majority of their shirts are at the bottom of the hamper and they have no clean clothes that they can physically put on. It's funny how the same quote can mean two very different things depending on who said it.

God made men and women very different. Women speak, hear, and see the world in a very different way than our male counterparts. And in order to have successful marriages we must understand that our spouse speaks, hears, and see's things in a different manner than we do. This is not a bad thing it is just how God created us to be.

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

- Ephesians 5:33 -

In this verse husbands are called to LOVE their wives and wives are called to RESPECT their husbands.  Men and women have different needs within a marriage and during conflict women desire to feel loved while men desire to feel respected. During a fight men will almost always say they don't feel respected while women will claim they don't feel loved. At the core of who we are as women we desire to feel loved and secure by our husbands. Likewise husbands desire to feel respected and honored by their wives. So when God commanded wives to respect their husbands and husbands to love their wives He commanded each of us to act in a way that meets the most urgent needs of our spouse. This does not mean that men get a free pass on respecting their wives and women get a free pass on loving their husbands. It means that we are called, as both men and women of God, to act towards our spouse in a way that meets their needs rather than fulfilling our own wants.

My prayer for my marriage is that I will seek first and foremost to honor the Lord and secondly respect my husband in all situations.