Scaredy Cat

Sometimes I wonder what me and my camera look like to the rest of the world...

This little kitten on my parent's farm was not too crazy about us...

He realllly didn't like the click click of my camera...

And he was just a little freaked out at how close I got to him...

But then we seemed to turn a corner...

And he calmed down a bit...

And started to relax a little...

And then he started posing...

How cute is that??

Time for a cat nap...

Yuki... Who Are You, Little Man?

I met a special little boy in Brazil. His name is Yuki. He lives right behind the church we built in Rio Branco. He has big, beautiful eyes and the most perfect little handsome face. Some children shied away from the constant click click of my camera, but not Yuki. He acted like he saw a camera every day...

Even though he was probably only three, he had an old soul. He would just sit and stare at the camera like he was hanging out with a friend. Maybe that's why I was so drawn to him. I want to know his story. I want to know what he thought of our group of crazy Americans who built a church and were always smiling and who passed out toys and made crafts with the children and took hundreds of pictures. I want to know how he felt when he received the new toys and flip flops that we gave him. What will he remember of me? What will he grow up to be? Will he believe in God? Will he be a leader in his community?

These things I don't know and may never know... But I do know that I will never forget his face. I know that I will pray for him every time he comes to my mind. And I know that I will try my best to keep in touch with him through the pastor of the church. I want him to know that I will never forget him. And that he is special. And that he is loved by a God that is so big that He brought me across the world to meet him.

Sometimes God places people in your life that you know in your soul that you'll never forget...

Meet Yuki.

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen

I've been blessed to be able to see a lot of beautiful things and places in my life, but in Brazil last week, I got to witness something that jumped to #1 on my list of The Most Beautiful Things I've Ever Seen... I was able to view the city of Rio de Janeiro at sunset while seeing the Christ the Reedeemer statue. It literally took my breath away. I hope I never forget the feeling of awe and admiration for God's creation that I felt that night...

Grateful

I'm back from Brazil... Still trying to process things and get my thoughts together. It's hard to put into words how to describe the best week of your life!

God always uses these mission trips to Brazil to remind me how unbelievably blessed I am. This morning, I woke up two or three times thinking "I have an amazing bed to sleep in." Such a simple thought, but the reality of it was multiplied tenfold since for the past week, I have been surrounded by people who have nothing...

So those of you who are living in the United States, lay your worldly desires aside and realize that you are incredibly, abundantly, undeniably BLESSED.

More to come...

Get Out.... of the Country!!!

I will be gone to the beautiful country of Brazil from August 8-17. I promise you many pictures and stories when I return!

Zoe & Gabe Sneak Peeks

Zoe & Gabe are cousins. Here's a sneak peek of their cuteness. More photos to come when I return from Brazil!

Stained Glass Beauty

I was clueless as what to do for my Daily Pix for the day.. the sun was already down and I couldn't put my finger on what to look for...

Then I looked through the stained glass window out my front door... and so with my camera and a slow shutter speed, combined with a rotating motion, I came up with these stained glass abstract photos. cha-ching!

Adventures & Daily Pix

I've been scrambling to get the rest of my stuff together for Brazil, and it's slowly coming together. Our team leaves on Saturday the 8th and will return the following Monday, the 17th. I'm so pumped! I'll be taking along my camera grip, 2 battery packs, and 16 GB of memory. (If 16 gigs is not enough memory for me, I have a major problem). :)

P.S. I started to upload Daily Pix onto my Images by Jen Photography Facebook page (the link is on the right). A lot of photographers do Project 365 where they take at least a photograph a day and upload them for all to see. It's a good way to be consistent with getting out the camera on a daily basis and staying in a creative zone.

I think I will be changing my posting format, and instead, adding them to my Flickr site (which is currently under construction). Then I'll upload the photo and the Flickr link to this blog daily, and then this blog feed will automatically update Facebook with the most recent entry. (Technology is great... but can sometimes be overwhelming). Obviously, I won't get to post daily pix while in Brazil, but I will continue this project when I return.