every-perfect-gift

2011 has come to a close and I find myself looking back over it, wondering where the time went and amazed at all that took place in the past 12 months.  Here are some highlights…

January: I started a 365 project, determined to become a better photographer.  I’d thrown in the towel on the project by May.  I also began some in depth learning of the mechanics of photography and Photoshop, which I did accomplish.

February:  My photog buddy Angela and I got up in the wee hours to shoot the sunrise.  God didn’t disappoint.

March:  I officially changed the blog name to every-perfect-gift, and began a shift in focus.  I started participating in quite a few photo challenges and link ups (too many, really), but a favorite is still Katie Lloyd’s Scripture & A Snapshot. I hope to join in again this coming year.

April:  Although I didn’t know it at the time, life began it’s dramatic turn as my father-in-law had stents placed in his heart.  I also created one of my favorite pieces to date and really began to fall in love with texture work.

May:  I only posted once this month, and I was definitely discouraged…but, we then ended up changing churches which we had needed to do for quite some time.  Such a good decision and we are so blessed to be a part of Matthias Lot Church now.  Our Sarah also graduated from college…summa cum laude, Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in English.  She’s now getting her Master’s in Communication with an emphasis in Promotion.  I have no doubt God is preparing her for something special.

June:  I don’t really know what happened during this month.  I didn’t blog and apparently the only thing I felt worthy of photographing was the Hillsong United concert Sarah took me to.  It was a great concert though.

July:  A lot happened in July.  Celebrated the 4th with our new church, upgraded to a new to me Canon 40D (affectionately named Dolly), attempted to return to blogging, and celebrated my baby girl’s 21st birthday.

August:  This month’s highlights…Scott and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary, Scotty started college, and I made the decision to go back to school myself in the spring.   We also took part in our first WLSC outreach, which was awesome.

September:  Looking back, I realize it was at this point that Scott’s dad began needing more personal care and I completely fell off the blog grid.  Photo-wise I wasn’t doing a lot, but I did start playing around with some impressionism…hope to do some more with it in the future.

October:  According to my files, there was only one day this month I took any photos…but it was a very special day. Our Laura got engaged to a man we are proud to call our FSIL (future son-in-law).  The wedding will be next summer.

November:   Again, I hardly picked up my camera, but I did capture the main event of the month…Scotty tested for his 3rd degree black belt in tae kwon do.  These are just snapshots, but he’s pretty amazing.

December:  This month ended sadly for us as we lost Scott’s dad.  We will miss him.  I have to give credit to my son for the first shot below…he was playing with the camera on a tripod earlier this year and got his grandpa in on it.  So grateful for the memory.  And in spite of the sadness, we did manage to have a nice Christmas.

What a year!  While I didn’t get to accomplish all I set out to do, there were many precious moments to cherish and remember.  And the good news is, a gift of a whole new year is before me and I get to try again.

To the praise of His glory,

brenda