Hello 5th Grade! Ready or not!

Today was my last day of summer vacation. I say that quite sadly if I am being honest. The past couple of months have been so busy. I have had a lot going on with my photography business and then more recently in the last couple of weeks, a lot going on with getting prepared to start the school year. But, every teacher will tell you....no matter how busy your summer is, nothing beats waking up without an alarm clock (even if it is 6:45), planning a day out (even if it includes cleaning your house), or going shopping in the middle of the day (even if it is just for groceries!). So again, while the summer may not have been glamorous, it was a nice break.

I spent my last day of summer in the best way and doing the things I love. Breakfast with my husband, time with my mom, sister, and niece, a quick swim, blogging, a little editing, and more time with my husband. It's the little things. I have to say, with the start of this school year I have wanted to dig my heels in a little bit. There have been several, "but God"s thrown out in my prayers lately. "But God, I have so much going on!" or "But God, I have two jobs! How can I balance this?" or "But God, I am not sure I remember how to balance teaching, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc." :) Thankfully, when I deserve to hear, "Suck it up and be thankful for what I give you!" He is full of grace. He has so sweetly reminded me and whispered a few things to me lately. "Laura, my grace is sufficient" and "Trust me" and "This is the work I have for you. Do the next thing." I am grateful for His grace in my life.

Last night we met our students and parents. Over the past week of busily trying to prepare for school to start I haven't really been able to get excited about things. But last night, as I was blessed by many of the parents that I met, I was able to get excited.

God has been gracious to use people, His Word, and other situations to encourage me right when I need it. So, ready or not, here comes another school year. Praying for a grateful heart and a hardworking spirit. After all, this is the work He has given me! May I serve Him well!

twenty-five

25 years young. I cannot believe I am 25 today. I saw something on a blog the other day about making a list of things you are thankful for on your birthday each year based on how many years you are.

So...in no particular order at all....twenty five things I am oh so thankful for...both silly and serious.

1. An amazing school to work at each day...one that encourages me.

2. A family who is so close and loves each other so much.

3. A Savior who loves, provides, and cares so deeply for me.

4. My three precious nieces.

5. A husband who plays with my hair every night as I go to sleep.

6. diet coke

7. Early mornings in God's Word.

8. Natural light

9. My bed

10. Our church family and worshipping with the nations.

11. Candles

12. My camera that has captured so many memories.

13. Marcie :)

14. Mercies that are new each morning

15. A husband who can fix anything

16. A good workout

17. Pool days

18. Grace that has saved me and is continually poured on my life daily

19. Privilege to pray

20. My health

21. Generous and supportive parents and the greatest role models

22. A home that the Lord has blessed us with

23. Great friends

24. My husband. My sweet, hardworking, supportive husband.

25. Another year to serve the Lord and live for Him.

I am so very grateful for another year. I don't deserve all that I am given and all that I have been blessed with. May I know Him better and walk even closer with Him this year! :)

Around Here

Around here we have been BUSY. Last week my sister-in-law brought my two nieces to town to stay while she and my brother went on a little vacation. So, those babies are here and it has been so busy and so fun! We have done a lot of swimming, some crafts, gone on walks, taken lots of pictures,  and entertained three little ones. P.S. Three babies is exhausting. Just saying. 

Little mermaid! :)

Love these sisters! :)

Jimpa and VirginiaLove this big girl! :)

They will also be here for the weekend to celebrate this baby girl turning 1! Can't believe it has been a year! :)

Other than that, I am trying to sneak out here and there to get ready for a new school year. Is summer really over already? Ahh.... I will also be celebrating my 25th birthday Thursday! Gracious....me! It is going to be a busy few weeks!

I am just so thankful for God's grace! He has been showing me so much and I have learned a lot about prayer and that He hears me. I am in such need of His grace DAILY! What a loving Father we serve.

Update and Hello!

I can't believe I haven't posted in a month. Well, that's a lie. I can actually. School ended and it's as if summer started, took off, and hasn't stopped. Life is busy. But, at the same time, I am still able to rest and relax.

Summer has been busy so far. I kicked it off with a vacation to West Palm Beach with my family. It was an amazing week of rest. The weather was so so but that didn't stop us from truly enjoying the rest and relaxation that came with it.

I think being an aunt might just be the best thing ever.

This man....I love him!

Sadly, we were missing Sam on this trip and we HATED that!

We made the 12 hour ride home on Friday and I jumped right back into work with a wedding on Saturday. It was a LONG and hot day and night but so much fun!

Congrats to this happy couple!

So my week has consisted of tons and tons of editing! I have another wedding tomorrow so I am gearing up for that as well. I am thankful to be busy and I really am having to practice balancing my time! Thankfully, I am off for the summer from school so that definitely helps.

In other news around the Kittrell house, we have been doing a couple of updates. I need to do a house tour soon! :) The other big news is that Brett is in the process of changing jobs. It has been a whirlwind of decisions and lots of prayer that has been leading up to this and we are really excited! I will share more at another time but we are still praying for direction and we are very thankful for how God has been leading us so far!

I need to get back to editing but I am so hoping I can pop in more frequently around here. I miss it! Plus, there is so much happening this summer! More weddings/shoots, a special niece's 4th birthday and a 1st birthday,  (however, I need to blog about Charlotte's first as well...it's coming Linds!), changes around the house, a trip to Tennessee, etc. So much stuff to pack into two months off of school! :)

Her Lamp Does Not Go Out

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there! This morning we were not at our home church but went to church with Brett's family. The message this morning was from Proverbs 31. He directed the sermon towards mothers of course but all women in general. I have read Proverbs 31 so many times. I prayed that I would become a Proverbs 31 woman and pray that I continue to grow in the areas I fail in.

Proverbs 31 is so challenging and states so many things that I want to embrace. I want my husband to have confidence in me. I want to bring him good and not harm. I want to be busy and work hard for my family. I want to use my time wisely. I want to speak with wisdom and give good advice. All of those things are so important.

There was one small part of the passage that the pastor in no way harped on this morning but it did stick out to me. At the end of verse 18 it says, "and her lamp does not go out at night". I am not a mom but have seen/heard first hand about women who can relate to this. While I know this might not be what the passage is specifically addressing, I can remember countless nights when my mom stayed up with one of my siblings or I if we were sick, had a project, or just couldn't sleep. Gracious, even into my late teenage years there were moments when I lived at home when my mom would be up with me late. I can also see this in my sister and sister-in-law as they wake up in the middle of the night to feed and take care of their babies.

I do know that the passage is encouraging women, wives, mothers, daughters, etc. to be hardworking. I pray that now as well as when I have a baby that my lamp will not go out at night. I pray that I will work diligently and be responsible with my time. I pray I never take my days as a wife fore granted and I pray that I will not take fore granted those nights in the future when I will be up with sick babies or doing a project with a middle schooler.

May I be a woman whose lamp does not go out at night.

I am thankful for my mother and that she has always been so willing to help, care, love, protect, or just be with her children no matter the hour.

Happy Mother's Day mom! I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an incredible example of Christ in my life. I love you so much!

Hello There, It's been a bit!

Well, where to begin? I feel like so much has happened and yet I don't know if there is a way to remember all that has happened during this time. We will have to go with a pictures update instead to get you caught up on the craziness of this busy time!

First of all, Brett and I have been doing a lot to finish up various projects in our home!

New throw pillows on the bed....Brett loves having multiple pillows and the fact that they are monogrammed makes him love them all the more! :)

Our master bath does not have a linen closet. Since we moved in we have searched for something to go in the bathroom to hold towels, sheets, etc. Finally, we found something and although it was too big to go in the bathroom, our bedroom was big enough and I just love it.

Oh, and then my awesome husband built this bookshelf! Yeah, it looks fabulous!

Don't worry, we haven't neglected the outside. :) We kind of love being outside and since last year with having a garden I pretty much think I have a green thumb or something. Haha! But seriously, I love having plants and seeing them grow! :)

Just watering azaleas! :)

Oh, and again, husband built this table for our porch out of pallets. Seriously so handy! :)

We also planted our garden this past weekend! Praying for tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peas, zucchini, squash and more! :)

Other than that, we have been very busy. I have been busy with school and photography! Brett got to celebrate his spring break last week and I will begin mine tomorrow! I am more than ready for a week to relax!

Oh, and let me just say....I am incredibly thankful for my husband. He shows me so much grace and is such an encouragement. I don't deserve him but am so grateful God made him just for me! :)

Perhaps while on spring break I will blog a bit more! :)

A Few Ramblings

I am simply terrible at getting a decent post out these days. I seem to wait and wait and finally just spit it all out and most likely forget important updates.

Anyways, February has been an incredibly quick month and March is upon us. I just cannot believe it. We celebrated my sweet husbands birthday this month. Let me just take a minute to talk about how thankful I am for him. I feel incredibly privileged to do life with him and be his wife. He is a true blessing in my life.

We had a week off and that we celebrated Brett's birthday, Valentine's day, and also welcomed a new member to the Kittrell family. World, meet Marcie.....

She's a sweet little girl and we are happy she is ours! :)

Oh, and just because I happen to think she is precious, we also took this sweet girls 6 month pictures. 

I know, I can hardly handle the cuteness. I am a proud aunt.

This month I also began a new Bible study at my church. We are going through Ephesians and it has been wonderful. There is just so much goodness in that book. I am loving being reminded of the gospel and thankful that I have been adopted and chosen as a daughter of the one true God. I have been learning a lot about my purpose. Currently, I am striving to be thankful for my daily routines that seem so insignificant. I am striving to be thankful for a job that I enjoy and that while it is not the only thing I want to do, it is what the Lord has for me to be doing. I am thankful for a wonderful home and my responsibilities here. I am thankful I have a husband who takes care of me and that I have the privilege to cook for and take care of him.

I have been reminded recently of Micah 6:8 that says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." --I pray that I can simply do that. I long to abide in Christ and have His love and His attributes to be evident in my life.

As for March, there are lots of exciting things happening... starting with welcoming another new Kittrell into the family! Ash and Drew are getting married this weekend and I am thrilled to be able to be the photographer of this wedding!

So it should be another busy month and I am excited and ready to embrace it!

Life Lately...

January was the month of no blogging. Obviously. :) I hope this isn't a sign of the next year. Life has been busy so I'll give a few updates.

On the photography front I have to say, I thought things would slow down in January. After the hustle and bustle of fall and getting people's Christmas pictures done and edited quickly before the deadline of Christmas cards went out, I thought January would be slow. While, it hasn't been as busy, the Lord has been gracious to still allow me to do what I love on the side. Here are just a few updates......

First up, this lovely couple who will be getting married in June! :) They were SO FUN!

Secondly, this sweet couple who are waiting for their lives to change forever with welcoming the birth of their first son, Aiden.

I surely cannot wait for him to get here! :)

Lastly, just this weekend I had the privilege of taking my brother-in-law and ALMOST sister-in-laws engagement pictures! They have LESS THAN A MONTH! I am so excited for them and cannot wait for March 2nd to photograph my first official wedding on my own but also to welcome Ashley to the family!

So sweet....

January was an incredibly long month. We also had a visit from my aunt and cousins which was such a fun weekend!

Other than that, we have just been watching this little girl grow and praying the other cousins would move home! :)

It's been a long month and I am thankful that we are now in February! God has been so gracious to Brett and I. He has been teaching us a lot about dying to ourselves. He has also taught me a lot about trusting Him. Nothing is too hard for Him and I am grateful for the grace He continues to pour over my life. I am thankful that He satisfies and that He is enough! What a blessing to serve Him and have a relationship with my Lord

Oh yeah, I am also thankful for this guy who will be celebrating his birthday on Monday! I think he is definitely worth celebrating. Brett is such an answer to prayer and I am thankful for his sweet heart.

Well, that was a short and sweet update but hey, at least there were pictures! :) Hopefully I can blog more soon!

The Best of 2012

Happy New Year friends! I cannot believe 2012 is over! Time really does fly. In keeping with the typical blog trend I thought I'd share some of the best and big moments of 2012.

January: One of the hardest months, lots of changes and lots of tears. Happier news was sharing my wedding photos!

In February we got to announce some of the best news of 2012! Mangs and Pudge were going to have a baby!

We also celebrated a dear friends engagement, Brett's birthday, and Valentine's Day.We also took a trip to Lagrange to visit Eric, Linds, and V.

This was also the month I got my new camera which was actually a pretty important part of 2012 :)

March brought some warmer weather.

Which brought about a new hobby of gardening.                                                                       I was a second shooter at my first wedding.

We also found out that this baby we were so excited about would in fact be a girl!!

April outdid itself! The BEST of April was the arrival of this angel,                                  Charlotte Elizabeth Blackman.

We also spent a weekend in Atlanta, and I second shot another wedding.

May brought the last month of school for Brett and I! Yes! It was busy and full! We made lots of gardening progress and celebrated 6 months of marriage!

In June we were out of school and hit the ground running with the craziness and fun of summer! We gave Mangs a shower honoring she and sweet Lucy Myer!

We also traveled to the beach for a week of fun with my family and took some maternity pictures of Mangs.

We also had the privilege to witness two friends tie the knot!

 We ended the month with a week long trip to Puerto Rico with Brett's family!! It was a busy month of fun!!

July was a little more restful! I learned a lot in our summer Bible study. We continued to anticipate the arrival of sweet Lucy!

We also celebrated Mangs birthday as well as sweet Virginia's 3rd birthday! It's time to meet the Muppets! :)

August was a long awaited month! We kicked it off with my birthday but I was quickly upstaged by the arrival of Lucy Myer Jacobs!

We also began school and tried to get back into a routine with me starting a new job teaching 5th grade! At the end of August I also started my new part time business, A Little From Laura Photography! :)

In September I took lots of pictures and did not blog too much :)

October was even busier with multiple photography shoots. That pretty much consumed my free time and it was incredibly busy! Oh, and we bought a house! :)

In November Brett and I celebrated a year of marriage! We also moved into our new home and celebrated thanksgiving!

Finally in December we decorated and did lots of Christmas activities (P.S. I'll blog about Christmas soon! haha) We visited family and I had the privilege to stand by my other college roommate as she got married this past weekend!

It has been a year full of many many blessings! I am amazed by the Lord's goodness and His grace in the life of my family! He is so good to us! I pray that in 2013 I will glorify Him more and seek Him in all that I do.

Happy 2013!

Oh Happy Day

It has been a busy few weeks! I am just too thrilled that today was my last day of school for a couple of weeks! I was showered with tons of gifts and my students were too sweet today. Brett and I have been trying to get settled, finish up work, and I have done tons of shoots lately! I am thankful to be done with those for a couple of weeks too but also extremely thankful to have booked 3 weddings for 2013! I am excited to continue this photography business and hopefully see it continue to succeed! :)

We have also been hanging out with this peanut as much as we can! She is changing so much and we pretty much are obsessed with her!

I am most looking forward to getting to be with my entire family on SATURDAY!! These three girls in the same house! :) AHH! This aunt is ecstatic! 

Other plans over the break include lots of resting, Christmas in Phenix City, and a trip to Birmingham for sweet Sarah's wedding! I have to say, I am looking forward to taking pictures over the next couple of weeks of everyday life and not just for a client. I LOVE doing that but I am excited about taking more of our life. I feel like since I have started this business I haven't done as great of a job documenting us and my family!

I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying time with family during this Christmas season!