worship || faith

Everyone has their opinion of worship is. Worship goes beyond the music that's played for about 30 minutes at church. We know that. But this part of worship is SO significant to me. Worshipping with music that speaks to the soul has played a crucial role in the growth of my intimate relationship with the Lord. 

Tomorrow is the 3 day Jesus Culture conference in NY. I'm super excited for this time of refreshing and renewal. I don't believe that anyone should depend on these kinds of conferences to be renewed, but there's also something special when you're with thousands of others worshipping the same god. I'm praying for a deeper encounter with the Lord and for my current status-quo-like faith to be shattered so that I can have faith to do and live the impossible. I want this time of worship to fashion my heart into a Deuteronomy 5:6 heart; a heart that loves freely.

What does worship mean to you? Does music play a significant role in your life and how you relate to God?

Deuteronomy 5:6

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might

my first time || my life

Ask me what I did this weekend! I've got a lot to share with you.

On Friday my sister, my friend Albert and I photographed Albert's sister's wedding. It was intense and my first time EVER doing a wedding. A lot of people on the internet say that if you've NEVER done it, don't do it without being a second photographer. Well, we're rebels and ignored professional advice and went ahead and OWNED it. Above is a sneak preview of what we shot, but we'll have more up later. I was nervous but once the day got really busy I just got into my photographer zone and did what I could. The bride, Sarah, was incredibly chill and knew how to affirm us as we went about doing our job. She wasn't demanding AT ALL and would squeal with excitement when we showed her sneak previews. Having a really laid back and stress-free bride helps. Plus working with my sister and best friend made it a lot more fun and relaxed. We prayed and encouraged each other throughout the day which helped when things didn't seem to go right. This may not be the last wedding I shoot, but who knows when the three of us will ever do it again. Unless people really like our photos and there's some sick demand for us.... ;)

Saturday, we woke up early and drove a few hours south of Toledo toward Dayton and decided it'd be fun if we spent our Saturday jumping out of a plane. Skydiving is more like falling out of a plane, but still amazing. I can't describe to you how cool skydiving was. I was pretty nervous and out of it before, but as I started to get my harness on excitement started to build up. It's crazy. The most terrifying thing for me was seeing my friend Adam suddenly disappear from the plane. It all happened so fast. First he was sitting in front of me, then suddenly he's moving forward and then the next second he's out the door. It's wild. Then I had to move up and there I was sitting on the edge of the plane with my feet dangling while I was almost 10,000 ft high. My instructor counted down, "3,2,1" and I naturally just fell forward out of the plane. 30 seconds of free falling was unbelievable. I kept screaming, "Oh my God... no way... no way!" My favorite part was after I pulled the parachute and floated down in complete silence. There's nothing like being up in the sky 5,000 ft without any white noise. Pure silence. I loved it. 

This was an amazing weekend of doing things for the very first time... definitely won't be the last! More pictures to come.

to california and back || travel

Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since my Cali trip. A lot has happened since then so here are some pictures now. It was such a hectic and chaotic trip but also really awesome. It was a good trip of catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, visiting old places and seeing new sights, eating a lot of Mexican food.. more than we really should have (carne asada fries TWICE in San Diego >.<)

Thank you Esteban, Liz, Mark, Sam, Joe, Jake, Paul and Estefania for making this trip awesome. 

love/hate relationship: being single || life

It's a monumental day for me as a recreational blogger. Today I'm blogging over at Ashley's blog, She Smiles, She Writes.

I wrote this a while back actually and somehow I connected with Ashley and it's not published on the world wide web!

I share about my personal thoughts on my love/hate relationship on being single. Go check it out and I hope you're encouraged.

Enjoy!

sunny sunday || my life

You'd think that working less would mean I'd be more free. Unfortunately I've been getting busier and busier. This past weekend was mainly spent with these people. Saturday I went swimming with some friends, bought some new shoes, cooked dinner with friends and had good chats with people. Sunday was my brother's final dance showcase so a bunch of went to that. After we walked around campus doing random things and taking fun pictures. 

This week and month is going to get busy! Tomorrow is Clara's graduation. Thursday I start working at a new job. This weekend we have a special event at church as we host missionaries who went to Japan. Next week I'm off to Toledo for my first gig as a wedding photographer. I love that the bride is really laid back and the sister of my best friends. I'm so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to see what it's like. After this I'll be working on editing the photos, then I'm off to NYC to see Jesus Culture. almost a week after my trip to NYC I'll be going back again to film my friend Brian's wedding. After that I'll have some down time. 

So I apologize for not posting as much. It's a good and bad thing right? I think I have to be in the right mindset to sit down and write and/or plan my blog. I'm still planning for my undone series and to do my best in updating on my summer adventures! 

my dearests || my life

Last week, as I was on my way to California, my lovely friend Hannah and fellow blogger awarded me with my first blog award! I actually had no idea what it was but I was still pretty stoked about it. I met up with Hannah aka Umma Shin briefly in California since her and her family just moved there. Thank you Hannah

Hannah is an amazing mother of two who crochets and knits some of the cutest accessories for babies. Check out her facebook page and her etsy page (her shop is currently under renovation). 

"Liebster" means "dearest" in German and the award is given to up-and coming, read-worthy blogs with less than 200 followers. 

Here are my nominations:

1. Melody [Spit on the Street] - a very close friend of mine in Korea. Her stories are always so funny. I actually don't know how many followers she has, but her blog is read-worthy whether you know her or not. 

2. Allie [Allie Spencer Blog] - a fellow Canadian blogger that actually lives very close to me. I love her photography and her insights to life. Check her out.

3. Emily [The Ramblings of Emily] - I am always encouraged by her and her honesty. 

4. Natalie [Heart Stirrings] - Natalie is a wise woman. Her words are always encouraging. There are always thought-provoking series on here so I'd check it out!
5. Rebekkah [Rebekkah Made Whole] - She guest-posted on here a few weeks ago. She always shares great music and her vulnerability with the blogging community is fresh. 

6. Koko aka Kaila [Fashion Birthmark] - One of my favorite fashion blogs. She's also so cute and friendly. 

I'm supposed to share 5 facts about myself.... so here you go!

1. I love eating wings. I once ate 20 but I don't think I could ever do that again. 

2. I have two tattoos and am on the fence about starting a quarter-sleeve. Yes? No? We'll see. 

3. I'm a walking miracle - When I was 5 I had surgery 3 times to prevent paralysis in my lower body for a disease that's more common for adults than children. God is good!

4. My parents are missionaries to... CANADA.

5. Here are a few cities/provinces/countries I've been to: Canada (BC, Albert, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I, Newfoundland), USA (Cali, Texas, Maine, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana), Singapore, Bolivia (Santa Cruz, Samaipata), Japan (Oita), Bangladesh (Dhaka, Jessore), Mexico (Mexico City), South Korea (Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju, Busan). I thought I didn't travel a lot, but I don't think I can say that anymore. 

mark + elysabeth || wedding

Beautiful pictures, eh? Most of them were taken by my lovely sister Clara with her Canon and handy 50mm. But you had to be at the wedding to really catch all of it's beauty and magic.

Not only was it full of amazing DIY decorations but every word spoken and every hug was soaked with sincerity. As soon as you arrived at the house you could see how much work and time was put into the wedding. The food was AMAZING with barbecued ribs, chicken and lot's of veggies. Plus, there was no cake but instead peach cobbler and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. We were fortunate enough to have had breakfast with them two days earlier so we could catch up, talk about life, laugh and eat good food. What I loved most about this wedding was their love for their family and friends. They were so approachable and made sure to talk to everyone that came up to them.

Their wedding was so unique and captured the personalities of both Mark and Lys. The pastor shared the essence of marriage and how marriage is THE GOSPEL. In one of the pictures above you can see Elysabeth talking to Mark's parents and thanking them for raising Mark. There was so much honor flowing in that backyard I don't think anyone's eyes were dry. Life really does flow through honor. Then they did communion and they played Set a Fire by United Pursuit Band & Will Reagan. The speeches by Mark's brothers and Jamie, the maid of honor, were powerful. It is an honor and blessing to be a part of this couple's life.

What I always loved about Mark and Lys was how comfortable they made me feel around them. I never felt like a third wheel. Near the latter half of my time in Korea I spent a lot of time with them and am so grateful that I did. There are some couples where I feel like a third wheel but not with these guys. They love as one but they love as individuals too. When I met both Mark and Lys' moms they already knew about me. Mark and Lys really know how to make you feel significant and valuable.

I honor and bless both you Mark and Lys! I'm so excited for what's in store for your life as ONE. Dream big and DO BIG!

hello kelli || guest post

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi! I was away in California for the past 6 days. I rarely had access to a computer/wifi which explains why I've been MIA. Thank you for still stopping by and reading. Today I want to introduce to you one of the bloggers I do an ad-swap with. What I like most about Kelli and her blog is that she's ALWAYS has a positive attitude. Everything is so cheery and colourful and fun. I love it. Check out her blog. Here is she with a few random facts about herself.
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Well that is a little bit about me :)

Stop over and say hi sometime!!