My business cards!

Sometimes it just takes motivation.I've been meaning to get business cards for a while now, but since most my clients are friends or friend's of friends, I haven't really needed them. But I finally had an immediate need for them on Saturday, so here they are (after only a year of being an LLC..)

Rest In Peace

I am sad to make the announcement that my cousins' son, Maddox, passed away last Tuesday.

I thank you for your prayers and concerns. The burial service was yesterday, so my sister Kacey and I made the 7 hour trip to Odessa, TX to be with our family (because in a situation like this, words just aren't enough). And as most funerals are, it was bittersweet. It's terribly difficult to watch your cousin and his wife bury their twins, but we rejoiced in the fact that they are taken care of by God's grace, and of course it was good to see family. The service was beautiful, with 200+ people there to show their support for this loving family. It was a glorious day, with a reassuring sermon. I can't imagine how it feels to do what my cousins just did, so I just ask for continued prayers for this family as they continue to struggle with their loss. Their faith through this all has been a testiment to those around them. Rest in peace Maddox and Landon (Maddox's twin who also passed away).

The bulletin from their service

Not to take away from the above, but it was very nice to see my dad and family. I have 3 half siblings that I usually only see during the holidays and summer vacation, so it was nice to be in town and get to see how they do their daily school life. My dad and sisters Kacey and Bailey went to watch my brother Brett at his soccer practice on Thursday.
This is Ratliff Stadium, the stadium Friday Night Lights is based off of.

There's nothin' like some west Texas sun flair!

It was 69 degrees as we watched the boys practice.. beautiful!

My sister can't miss a minute of her brother playing (*cough*.. lie.. *cough*)

Isn't she cute?

I will leave this up till she makes me take it down :c)

My dad.. no messin' around during soccer~

My Toms.. very important to document (they were my Christmas present from Ray)

The Becker girls

Me and my dad

I also attended my little brother Barron's basketball game (he's #12 in the center)

And to complete it all, this morning I watched my little sister, Bailey, and her team perform a jump rope routine.

Again, thank you for your prayers. I know I've been asking for a lot latley, but that's what life has for me right now. I'm just thankful for a God who's big enough to take care of it all.

Dailla

Haiti.It's all I have to say right now and you know what I'm wanting.Prayers for Haiti. And not just for Haiti, but for Dailla, my connection to Haiti.Dailla is an adorable little 8 year old girl Ray and I decided to sponsor through Compassion International a little over a month ago (we already sponsor our precious Eric). We received our new sponsor kit right before Christmas, but have not received anything from Dailla personally. And now I'm sad to say that I'm not sure if we ever will. We have all seen the devastating losses the people of this country have endured, and I know there are many anxious family and friends wanting to hear from their loved ones. It's amazing to see the efforts put up by people (for example, the pioneer woman has over 14000 comments on her blog, each comment equaling $.10 for Haiti). Whether its money, resources, or prayers, we all need to be aware of what we can give. Here's the precious Dailla (picture of a picture sent to us from Compassion).

Speaking of giving what we can. I felt totally blessed this week to be able to give my time to a friend to babysit. This may sound very simple and unexciting to you, but a year and a half ago I decided to change my status at work to 'special pay' so I could not work at the hospital every other weekend, but spend more time photographing and the weekends. I also decided to teach clinicals so I could make this all work. Well, it didn't fall together in time, so I continued to work full-time, teach, and photograph (with the help of a boss who let me off on the weekends). This Monday, I signed the papers to become special pay. Several weeks ago I had to tell the school I couldn't teach anymore because I was out of vacation days. In between that time I decided I needed to start my Photo Life Group back up. Then on Tuesday, a day I've worked ever since I've been working at Deaconess, I was at home getting ready for PLG when a friend called in need of a babysitter. The fact that I could say yes made me so happy. I could feel God working through all of the decisions we had recently made, and through the creation of margin (check out last week's Life Church series to see more on margin) in my life, I was available to help. God is so good.

Here's a blown out, close up, off center pic of me and the little man.

10 things I've learned so far in 2010

What I've learned in 2010 so far.. (in no particular order)

1) When you run in 18 degree weather, your feet turn into clubs and there is no 'running on your toes'

2) You never know when your last day with someone is, cherish every moment

3) My 'one thing' this year is relationships, with God and others

4) No matter what, if Ray gets sick 'from me', it's going to be 10 times worse and for 10 times longer

5) When you say 'until death do us part', it may mean feeding your husband while his hands are tied to a hospital bed because he hit you in his post-anesthesia delirium

6) "All love and relationship is possible for you only because it already exists within me, within God myself."~ 'Papa' explaining the necessity of the Trinity in the book, The Shack

7) I can read story books much faster than just factual books

8) Pandora's OAR radio knows me too well

9) There's no reason to not set up a tent in my living room

10) Jenga can still be fun :c)

favorite weddings of '09

**update from previous post:my cousin is still fighting hard, so please keep up the prayers. my grandpa did actually have a heart attack. he had a stint placed yesterday morning and is recovering well. he should be going home this afternoon. thanks for the prayers~on to my favorite wedding pics. there's actually more than whats here, it's just too many for my to post.. so i hope you enjoy the ones i got to! i already have 4 weddings booked for next year, with more inquiries coming in.. can't wait for the new year of new pics!

baby maddox and grandpa becker

hey all.

i just got back from a trip up to kansas where i worked at my family's pheasant hunting lodge, Blue Hills Lodge. we team up with Ringneck Ranch by housing and feeding up to 12 hunters during their pheasant hunting trip. i wanted to share the experience by taking pics through out the day, but although i grabbed my camera, it did not have the cf card.. so no pics (but there really wasn't time for them anyways, and pictures of dirty dishes would get old..). i left for kansas on sunday, came back today, and put in 24 hours of work, so you can see the long days it demands!

now that you know where i've been, i've got a couple of prayer requests i'd like to put out there. the first is for my cousin's son (i think i've been told that makes him my cousin-once-removed). Maddox Tye was born on Jan 2 at barley over a pound and only 23 weeks old. he had a twin who did not make it as long as him, and now we need all the prayers for this little man as he battles for his life in the NICU. please pray for him, his body, the health care team, and his parents.

the second prayer is for my grandpa becker, who was taken to the hospital today for a possible heart attack. i only get to see my grandpa 2-3 times a year, and i was blessed enough to have a date with him last night (i won't mention that we had pizza and cheesy bread sticks..). it's a tradition that everytime i go up to work the lodge, we get a date night toghether, and i thouroghly enjoy the 1:1 grandpa time. so i was shocked when on my way home, i heard he was taken to the local hospital. he's doing okay at this time, they just have to figure out exactly what happened. please pray for his heart, for the correct diagnosis to be made, for the health care members caring for him, and give praise for him still being okay! thanks so much~

here's the precious maddox

(you've got to remember cameras add 10 pounds. look back at the holes in the incubator where hands can fit in to get a more accurate picture of his size)

portrait favorites of '09

happy new year! i think it's exciting to be starting a new year, and as much as i enjoyed the past year, i can't wait to see where 2010 will take us. but for now, let's look back at some of my favorite pics from my family sessions last year. enjoy~