"We Tried Not To Have An Ugly One."

The quote in the title was my parents usual response when random people would see all of us kids together and exclaim, "What a family! Every single on of them is beautiful!"

I mean how else were you supposed to respond to that? 

I come from a large family. But growing up it never felt that way. Even though, yes, people stared at us or asked silly questions at times. 

(Like when some kid was talking to us about how many siblings we had and wanted to know how we could remember all their names. They weren't joking. No lie.) 

Eight children in one family. All from the same parents but all so very different. 

From oldest to youngest, all unique.

The tall, crazy one. 

The hard-working, driven one.

 The wistful, distracted one. 

The fierce and loyal one. 

The charasmatic, giving-hearted one. 

The intense curls and personality one. 

The quiet, awkward-in-a-cute-way one. 

And the the humorous and dramatic one. 

I love them all. Every single one of them.

No, we don't always have the smoothest of relationships. 

Do you honestly think we would with all these vastly different personalities meshing together? 

Some of us are thinkers, some are doers. 

Some cry easily and some hardly cry at all. 

We are dreamers and schemers. 

Opinionated and stubborn. 

And mostly just a whole lot of crazy. 

And I'm ok with that. In fact, I kinda like it that way.

My mom told me the other day that she had asked my dad why all their children are so independent. He replied, " Because they're confident. That's the way we raised them. We taught them to think outside the box and do their own thing. "

I agree. And you know what? We're all indebted to them for that. Knowing how to think for yourself, be diligent and not go with the crowd are all traits taught to us by our parents. And the only reason they did all that for us is because God has powerfully and grace-FULLY worked in their life.

All praise to Him, amen? 

These my brothers and sisters. My original playmates and friends. They're some of the few who've known me all my life. I wouldn't trade the years I had growing up with these seven people for anything. It's part of what made me who I am today. And I count it a true blessing from God to have the privilege of calling these people my family.

 I just honestly want to know how our parents made it through raising us with their mental capacity still intact ;) 

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds. and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." 

-Ortega. 

These Days

Some images from life around here lately.

I've fallen in love....with grits. It's true. I think it must be my Southern genes. I have them almost every morning. And I hope you've tried this delicious breakfast item for yourself. If not, come to my house! I can show you how to enjoy them :) 

 I've spent A LOT of time in this chair lately. Editing pictures, and working on different 

projects. I'm just thankful I have such a pretty office space to work out of :)

We took Miss Sadie pant to her check up at the vet on Monday and spent time watching airplanes take off and land. Ok...and stalking some adorable boys who were SO exited to watch all the planes. I just couldn't help snapping a picture. It was precious, really. 

This just might be my favorite picture ever of Sadie. I love her eyes!  

And then later on we met up with the other Rodgers to grill out, do some fishing and enjoy playing with the littles. 

 

A picture from Ciara's point of view.

Nothing out of the ordinary, or all that exciting really. But that's ok. Sometimes the normal days are the best of all. 

Rain or Shine

A little post I wrote a while back. Maybe it will encourage you to know that other people have bad days too. And even more-so, to know that God is faithful. 

Always. 

 She was already tired. Already had enough to deal with and they were calling for storms. Three days of it. It's hard to smile when the sun is hidden behind thick layers of wet grey. 

She cried and wondered, was it supposed to feel this way? Sometimes facing failures and reality felt like too much. He pulled her close, let her cry it out. She found comfort in that strong heartbeat. He spoke truth and she nodded, agreeing. 

Tears are ok, and being in a hard place is too. 

As long as you don't just sit there. 

She read Scripture. She prayed. They still called for rain and thunderstorms while she battened down the emotional hatches. 

But, then. 

The day came. The wind blew hard. And the sun remained. She waited all day to hear  thunder, to struggle in remaining thankful anyway. She did struggle, but the storm was held off. God, in His mercy, kept the sun out and the birds singing.

She walked outside and saw the rain falling far away on those hills to the south. It was falling, but not here. Not where she was. Her Father knew just what she needed that day.

And even when, eventually, the clouds did break loose and shower down. She knew that everything was going to be alright. She knew because she could feel, on her heart, His sweet love washing over and strengthening such a weak one as herself. 

And she rested in all the ways her heavenly Father chose to love her. 

And I Quote....

This quote has rang true for me so much lately. I'm learning that being a photographer means living in the moment. Being aware of the life that's happening before my eyes. Paying attention. And I'm gaining new perspectives because of that. Life only happens once and it happens fast. Being indifferent to it is a dangerous thing for a person or a photographer. I don't want to miss a thing.

Jesus, help me to value the short-lived, sweet moments you give me.

ps. speaking of photography, our latest engagement session is up over on our photography blog! I would be lying if I said I wasn't super pleased with how it turned out. We had beautiful couple, a beautiful day and I'm praising God for all it. Click HERE to see it and tell me what you think :) 

Happy weekend everyone! 

Lake Cumberland

The first morning, we wake up early. He drives us down to a spot at the base of the dam to start our fishing. He says here is a good place. Right where, about six feet from the shore, is a small tree waist deep in the flowing wet. The water wraps all around it and it leans into the current. I ask him, why this place? 

His answer: "Because the river flows around the tree and creates a resting place for the fish. Being in the river all day, swimming..."

"Wears them out." I finish.

He starts fishing and I'm thinking, we're like the riverfish sometimes. Constantly doing and going and very much in need of a place to.just.stop.

 Later I see that our few days at Cumberland were like the little eddy behind that tree. A time and place for us to catch our breath, to rest. 

It was much needed and such a blessing. 

Jonathan and I are simple people. Being outside, being quiet. These are the things that recharge us. Help us breath steady again. 

We're firm believers in a good nap. It's a God-given thing at times. And well, being able to take one with your love, that just the best of all ;) 

This look-out spot is a special place for us. We first came here years ago when we were dating. He brought me here at sunset and we just sat quiet for awhile together. I loved being able to recreate that on our visit this time. 

Fishing, taking little hikes, watching sunsets and flirting. I think Jonathan and I could do this every day and be perfectly content. 

This is what happens when your husband take waaay to many pictures of you. 

We left feeling relaxed and satisfied by all the God-beauty that we were able to drink in.    

And later we came to the conclusion that even though our cabin had a king-sized bed, we didn't like having the option of sleeping that far apart. 

Yea, we're sappy like that ;) 

Jason & Lissa

Let me tell you about my sister and her husband Jason. 

We like them a lot. They're funny, cute and just all around great people. But one of the specific things I like about them is that they're so quick to open up their home. Anyone who needs a place to rest their head can except to feel welcome at their house.

Jonathan and I have had the privilege of staying there a couple of times now and we always enjoy it. With a view of the Great Smokies from the back porch and little hints of beauty tucked here and there, it's such a sweet place to call home. 

We had the blessing of getting to stay there when we were in TN last week. 

But what really makes this house sweet and welcoming isn't just the bright windows and beautifully decorated rooms, it's the husband and wife that live there, (and Max too!). 

We've so enjoyed watching Jason and Melissa's relationship grow over the past few years. 

They would most likely fall into the 'opposites attract' category which can be an adjustment for any married couple, but through God's grace they're making it work. They're committed, honest and in sweet love together. They have the gift of being able to laugh at themselves. I just love that :)

If they can keep all that up in their relationship I know that they'll be able to make a home no matter where God's plan ends up taking them.

And just yesterday we had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with them! They made our town one of their stops while they traveled home from a little road trip. We took them to our favorite coffee shop and then did a little thrifting together.

Me and my sisters have learned the art of thrifting. If you haven't tried it. Do yourself a favor and give it a whirl. After you find a pair $90.00 Buckle jeans for $20.00 or a $89.00 Banana Republic sweater for $13.00, you'll never look back ;) 

She wasn't that exited. Not really. 

And then, of course, we took them to Chipotle. I mean they've never been before. Ever. Tragic, I know. But we soon fixed that.

 

Finally they stopped at our house. Where they graciously pardoned our dust and played fetch with our cat (yes, she really does fetch). They happen to be the first on my side of the family to see our house. Yay! And now I want the rest of my family to come see it too. 
Pretty, pretty please?

It was definetly NOT a long enough visit. We really hope they can come back soon. Not only are they family but such good friends too. Like the kind of friends that take super cheesy photos with you and don't mind at all :)

Thanks for making us feel so welcome in your home when we visited and then for stopping by and giving us such a fun afternoon.

 You're some of our favorites for many reasons ;)

ps. here's a sneak peek of a project I'm currently working on and 

so excited about. hopefully I can share more soon!