Rainy Days

Well...Hurricane Sandy has come and hit our area.  Some have lost power.  Some trees are down (actually one fell on my Grandma's house).  The government has been closed.  Metro has stopped.  Life has paused.  Well...we still have power which is great.  And it is nice having a couple days of relaxing at home -- actually, today is my day of relaxing at home.  Yesterday we drove through the storm back and forth from Richmond for my swearing in ceremony in front of the justices of the Virginia Supreme Court.  That was a fun drive. 

 

On this day where we are staying inside, watching tv, and waiting to see if courts are open or closed tomorrow...I want to share with you pictures of joy.  These pictures bring me joy and hopefully they will light up your day as well.  These kids are some of my favorites to be around and see. 

 

 

Oh and then there is this guy that brings joy to my life and with whom I get to spend this day off with today.

And then of course is my pretty best friend.  Isn't she gorgeous???

 

 

Hopefully you have a little joy in your life today whether you are home or at work or out.  If you need more joy in your life you should check this church out at www.iamcommissioned.com 



Being Thankful

Yes, I have trouble being thankful for what I have sometimes.  I could blame it on being an American and living in a place that is all about the next big thing or having a lot of stuff or money or a big house...but honestly, I think I can just say I am this way because I am human.  As humans, we can never satisfy our desires and our wants on our own.  We are constantly looking at what we have and comparing it to what others have instead of being thankful for all that God has provided for us.

 

Now, please do not be totally and completely disgusted by this story I am about to tell you about how I learned to be thankful this past week.  I know this is pretty much gross, but it taught me something.  So the hubby and I were out this weekend at a department like store (the name of which I will not say)...and well I had to use the restroom.  I go to the women's restroom...not really the cleanest place ever, but I deal with it.  Then when I go to wash my hands and I look in the trashcan next to the sink, there was poop in it.  And not like a diaper of poop...like someone had not made it to the toilet and had gone in the trash.  Well that completely grossed me out and I run out of the restroom and tell the hubby about it.  You know what he says to me...."you should be thankful you have a toilet to go in because not everyone does."  And you know what -- he is completely right.  That was my lesson of the day - to be thankful for a toilet.  And be thankful for every little thing I have that I take for granted every day whether it is a bathroom or a kitchen or a roof or a person or whatever - just be thankful.

 

Hopefully this is a little bit of encouragement to you - and if it wasn't, hopefully I didn't gross you out too much.  But here is some encouragement from the greatest encouragement of all:

 

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17

Photowalk

This past weekend, I went on an organized photowalk.  It was a few hours of basically just walking around and taking pictures of whatever we saw.  As the walk was going on, I found myself deciding that I really like taking pictures of people rather than of water or leaves or whatever else is around.  However, when I downloaded all the pictures to my computer and started editing them, I found I really enjoyed editing the pictures that did not have people in them because I could do a lot more things with them at times.  It was a fun day and here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day:

 



Celebrations!

This weekend we celebrated my bar passage.  We went out to dinner at The Melting Pot with our friends (one of whom also passed the bar - yay!).  The Melting Pot is one of my favorite places to go and it was a great night.  It was the first time the hubby had been there and I think he enjoyed it.

 

 

 

My office also was great and brought a cake to the office on Monday to celebrate!

 



 



Photoshoot: Miss C

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking some pictures of this adorable graduate.  She was super fun and sweet throughout the shoot.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

 



Fashion Favorite of the Week

Sometimes a simple black suit is all a girl really needs.  It is sharp, classy, and always looks great....

 

 

It should be a staple item in every woman's closet.  Do you have certain necessary pieces in your closet that are simple but amazing?



I passed!!!

And after waiting for almost three months...the results of the bar exam were posted online.  My heart was racing yesterday as I scrolled down the list until I found my name!  Yes, that is right!  I passed the bar exam!  I had my own little dance party in my office to celebrate and then started texting and calling everyone who had prayed for me and encouraged me along the way.

 

So here is a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for me and encouraged me!  It meant so much to me.

 

Now I just have to wait to get sworn in...pay some dues...etc...then I will be a full lawyer in our great state.

 

Oh -- and remember my friend who took it and drove down with me -- she passed too!!!

 

 



Photoshoot: The P Family

Having a holiday weekend allowed me to have so much free time to take pictures of people.  I had the pleasure of taking pictures of this special family.  They are such sweet people, with the sweetest, most fun, most polite children.  Plus, they are all adorable.  And who doesn't love a good dog?  I know I do!!!

 

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot: