The Wild Wild West

So I'm just chillin at a great little coffee shop in Castle Rock, Co called Java Guru, pretty nice place, and wanted to write about a little experience I had yesterday that both thrilled me and freaked me out!

So, last night, I was sitting down stares chatting with my lady friend, and out of the corner of my eye I see something moving a little ways outside the window. My family lives in the foothills of Colorado, so you see a lot of different animals and critters and things, mostly deer and fox and such. This occasion was a little different, what I thought I was seeing out of the corner of my eye was not a fox. It was a Mountain Lion, staring straight at me through the window! I'm not gonna lie, I about wet my pants! It was kinda dark in the house so she was all crouched down peering in, probably wondering what I was and what I was doing! From what I could tell, she was probably the size of my Golden Retriever. When I got up to go tell my family I think she got startled and ran off, so I didn't have time to grab the camera, bummer! It was pretty stinkin cool though, and freaky! I have never seen one except for on the Discovery Channel so it was pretty exciting to see one outside my window. Needless to say, we'll be keeping a closer eye on our Pomeranian when we let him out, he would make a good snack!

Good Days

I just spent the majority of my day putting up Christmas lights. I enjoy them...but their not always my favorite to put up. It wasn't that cold today, but my toes were like ice when I came in! They look great though! I also finished my last paper for the semester this morning. I still have one final that I am waiting for my professor to email to me but other than that I am done!

Yesterday was a good day as well! I spent the day with my Sis visiting a couple churches. She is still in search of a good church in Colorado so we visited a few and in between took a great drive through the mountains and stopped at an awesome coffee shop called Java The Hut. They don't have a web site or I would link to it, they did have free wi-fi though, always a plus!

Most of the time when I am in Colorado, I like to take some time and go shooting. I really haven't done much this time, most of my photography has been done on my computer editing. I may go out with my sister tomorrow eventing to shoot some, we'll see. I was able to slip away and take some night exposure shots, haven't done that in a while. I even got myself in a few, what a goof!

I love the colors in this shot! This was a 6 second exposure, at 640 ISO, f/2.8. It was like 20 degrees, but I layered up!
Same specs as the shot above.This one however, was a 15 second exposure. Almost looks like day time eh? All these shots were taken at night, but the moon was full so there was plenty of light to work with!

Play Time

So I've been diligent for a while and wanted to take some time to play. This is kind of a spoof off of the Ocean's Thirteen Soundtrack Cover. I liked the idea so I thought I would use it for the 2007 RL roster. It was fun!

Read

This.

Life

Every now and again I get very discouraged when I think about the future. Mainly because I let the pressures of life weigh me down. I am not discouraged with where I see me life going, in fact, I get pumped up and really ENcouraged when I think about it. God is doing some great things in my life right now! I get discouraged, though, when I see where my life needs to be and how far I have to go to get there. I begin to think its all up to me. Life ceases to be a day by day walk with the Lord and becomes all about me!

This reflects grossly wrong thinking. We are told in Matthew not to worry about tomorrow, to take it day by day. God has brought me this far, is He just going to quit now? Of course not! Why I would, for one second, doubt the Lords faithfulness and cease trusting Him completely with my future, I do not know. But I do sometimes.

This is why I am so thankful for friends who encourage me and also for blogs. Many times, when I get discouraged, I can read what other people are going through, and also what God taught them through it. Many pastors and men of God write about things they go through, and we can glean from their wisdom, for free...anytime! Praise the Lord for honesty!

Snow

Well, my family and I were going to put up the Christmas lights and decor today as is our tradition the day after Thanksgiving, however, the 20 degree temperatures and constant snow was a bit of a discouragement. We thought it better to try tomorrow when its suppose to be sunny and in the forties. It has been a productive day though. I was able to make some good leeway on my paper and I got a good amount of editing done! I feel accomplished!

December 27'th

I have always been a Red Wings fan, but I have never had the opportunity to see a game! On the other hand, I have never liked the Avalanche and that hasn't changed since my family moved to Colorado. Well, finally I will have the opportunity to see a game. On December 27'th the Red Wings will be in Denver to play the Avalanche, so I convinced my family to get tickets. I'm pretty excited!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am looking forward to a nice day of rest and relaxation with books, family, and food! What a great combination! It's still pretty chilly out today, and there is a little snow falling, a great day to stay inside! Hope everyone has a great thanksgiving! I for one have far too many blessings to count in my life, and hope to spend some time thinking about that as well! Blessings!

Proverbials: Part Three

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to the Lord."
Proverbs 21:31

This is one of the most motivating proverbs in my opinion, but it also gives so much rest. As with most, there are two parts to this proverb. The first speaks of our responsibility. We must be diligent and active, in whatever we are doing, to be prepared and ready! We must do our part; and we must do it with excellence! On the other hand, lest we become dependent upon ourselves, the proverb points out that victory belongs to the Lord alone. In this lies the rest! For the outcome is not up to us. If we are prepared and ready for whatever situation, then we can rest and trust that the Lord will faithfully carry out His plans. And we must realize, He can do FAR more than we could ever ask or imagine, Eph 3:20!

Proverbials: Part Two

"The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back."
Proverbs 21:25-26

As you read the Proverbs, you will see that a great many of them are a contrast of two things. In verse 5 it was the between the diligent and the hasty. Here we have the contrast between the "sluggard" or lazy, and the "righteous." The contrast seems to point out that one is inward focused an the other is outward focused. The sluggard thinks of nothing but himself and his desires. He is consumed by them and is never satisfied. The righteous, on the other hand, is outward focused; thinking of other people and their desires before himself. The assumption is that not only is this right, but he is also satisfied in his actions. I want to be the kind of person that is always thinking about other people and putting them before myself. I know people like this and they are a joy to be around. However, selfless thinking is not always easy.

Proverbials: Part One

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."
~Provers 21:5~

I am constantly reading through the Proverbs and love the practical wisdom they give. This morning I was reading chapter 21 and have been pondering several of them. Verse 5 has an interesting contrast. It speaks of two kinds of people: the diligent and the hasty. One ends in abundance and the other in poverty. Both, seemingly, are driven, in a sense, by accomplishment but go about it in different ways. The diligent are productive yet with wisdom and prudence. The hasty just want to get the job done and are careless in the process. I pray that I would be diligent; never hasty!

Colorado

Home again, home again... Woke up this morning to 20 degrees and snow! Although this is not my first choice, I am much more of an 75 degree, shorts and flipflops kind of guy, I do appreciate the seasons...and especially during the holidays!

It has truly been nice to just relax for the past few days and now to finally be in Colorado for a while the break is really setting in. As I woke up this morning and spent some time with the Lord, my heart was full of thoughts and desires for the break:

1. I am so thankful for a chance to breath and think of something other than school. I have a couple other assignments to finish, but then it will be photography, reading (what I want to read), photography, Georgia/Freedom Church (later in December), photography, family...and did I mention photography!
   
2. I have a lot to do...no time for laziness! I really desire to be diligent with my time and make the most of this break so as to be ready for the home stretch until graduation.
   
3. I cannot wait to begin my winter break reading List! I began a couple of the books during the semester but was forced to stop due to school work, but its on now!
4. I am looking forward to getting back to Georgia and working with Freedom Church for the remaining weeks before their launch. It will be a great refreshment! I can't wait to see what's God's going to do with them!
   
5. I really want to grow over this break! God is so stinkin faithful! I have seen his grace in my life in so many ways!
   

So...it will be a busy break but I know it will be a good one! I'll keep you posted!

24 Night!

Since I had to be at the airport at almost 5:30 in the morning and usually don't get to bed until after 12:00 my friend Bobby and I decided to begin Season five of 24. I have seen it, but Bobby is catching up so we can perhaps start season six, which comes out this Christmas, next semester. No sleep for me! It was worth it though...great night fellas!

Cool blur shot
Game face.
Jack Bauer = Bobby Wood
This is Bobby's..."Oh Snap...did that just happen!?" face!!
By far the best shot of the evening!! I laughed so hard at this shot!
When you just want someone to hold...
We got Dan hooked! He WAS an avid non-24 watcher...Muaahaha!
BJ said his prayers!
And I had already seen it too.
Good Times!

Breath...

Finally...the semester is over and I can breath! I still have an 8 to 10 page paper to work on and a take home final, but for the most part, I can breath! Praise the Lord!

I took the weekend to just relax, watch the college games on Saturday (which were both bad and good; bad because Michigan lost to Ohio State...again; good because Georgia won over Kentuck...which was an upset where I am at) and go on an awesome date with my lady friend!
I continued my relaxing weekend on Sunday by not working on my paper. Instead, Jenny and I and some friends of ours, Dan and Jackie went to a beautiful park and were able to have some fun with the camera! It was a great weekend!

Tomorrow I will be heading out to the great state of Colorado! I am pumped, I can't wait to see my family! Plus, I always love the mountains!

Here are some pics of our fun afternoon at Berheim Forest!

Thanks for the shot Dan!




I had to take Jenny to the airport this morning and say goodbye for 2 months...this was not fun. She lives in Texas so its not that easy to just take a little drive to see her. January 17th will be a good day!

The Big Game!

This Saturday one of the biggest games of the year will take place...at least for me! And this
year...I hope we take home the win!

Everyone Needs to Read This!

Everyone needs to read this post by J.R. a few days ago. I've been wanting to comment on it for few days. The older I get the more opinionated I become...this can be both good and bad. I want to know what I believe and why I believe it but this should never be an excuse for a critical heart or judgmental spirit. This issue is one that I get very passionate about, but at times I may go to far. This shouldn't be. As J.R. said, "Let’s celebrate our stylistic differences, partner together, and make a greater difference together than we ever could alone!"

Almost There!

Come Friday I will almost be done with the semester. I will still have a paper to finish over Thanksgiving, which is a real bummer, but for the most part, the rest of the semester will be done. After that, its on to processing tons of Images from recent events that have had to wait until the end of the semester. There won't be much of a change in terms of intensity of schedule, however, the type of work and location will vary, which will be nice. This semester has flown by, and to be honest, I'm glad! Only one more before GRADUATION!! That day cannot come fast enough!! I wish I could say that my last semester was going to be an easy one...but alas, I cannot. I will have to take a full load, but oh well.

Although the end has been crazy, it has not been as crazy as it could have been. I have seen Gods faithfulness in many ways. I was also able to get out and have some fun. These are just a few images I was able to take of Jenny the other day in the park. She is kinda shy about pictures, but you could never tell, she's so photogenic!

Foliage

In the midst of all the craziness of finals, I had to take a few minutes and enjoy the fall, I wish I could have taken a day and just went shooting; yet such is life. I'll hopefully post some more after a bit!

New Logo!

Thought I would play around with some new logos. Let me know what y'all think!

Productivity

I love productive days! The days you are just in the zone and are able to concentrate and get a lot done. Thats how my morning was, and, hopefully, the rest of the day will continue that way as well. When deciding which coffee establishment to partake of I thought it a better decision to avoid the unnecessary evil/distraction of the internet; therefore, I headed to a local Starbucks. I have always been annoyed that they don't have free internet, but, I suppose it comes in handy at times.

Distractions...

I finished my reading for class a little early and thought I would play for a minute on Photoshop. I've been wanting to design some new banners and thought I would have some fun with this image I took last year while camping at the Red River Gorge.

These Days...

I was recently inspired by another photographer, to be a little more documentary about my life and what I am doing. Also, I really appreciate when photographers are at times in the pictures they post. I don't know why, but I always want to see what they look like. That said, I hope to be more purposeful about posting some pictures of myself every now and again. This is a busy time for sure, but there are some blessings here and there...

This has been my life for the past weeks and will continue to be for a while...

...and this is how happy I am about it...thanks for the shot Emil! I do have some company though...can you believe Starbucks is putting out there Christmas stuff already...at least they're not playing Christmas music yet...

...and those blessings I mentioned...her name is Jenny! ...so, what was so funny?... definitely a dude that just walked past us with his butt crack in plain view...
Good times!

The End Draws Nie...

As the end of the semester draws near so does my school career, with only one more semester ahead of me. Many decisions will need to be made here in the next several months and this can be an extremely stressful time. It seems the only question anyone asks' is..."What are you going to do after graduation?" ...Yet...even with all the pressures and questions, this time of my life could be characterized by relative peace and contentment, and for this I am sooo grateful. I know these decisions will need to be made and, at times, they are indeed overwhelming, but I know that the Lord will lead me. I have to keep reminding myself to take one step at a time. Some bridges cannot be crossed yet. I have a good idea of what I desire to do, for which I am also grateful! Time will tell...until then, I hope to just enjoy today!

Dr. Orrick's Philosophy Rap

I saw this on David King's Blog and just had to post it here. There are no words...If you go to Boyce and have never taken a class with Dr. Orrick, you're missing out! I don't know of any other Philosophy professor who would do this!

Three Weeks...

I'm back at Quills today, I really like this place! I love discovering new coffee shops! I spend so much time in them I've gotta have a variety. But anyways...I titled this post Three Weeks because thats how long I have until I will be able to read what 'I' want to read! This has been a growing frustration as of late, but in three weeks I should be able to begin working through my Christmas break reading list...more to come on that! I can't wait!! I am ready for a break!

Halloween, Cave Hill, and Quills

This Holloween was pretty nice and relaxing. Since I don't have class on Wednesdays I was able to get a tad more sleep than other days, which was nice. Instead of our usual RL meeting today we went over to Cave Hill Cemetery to take a gander at some of the founder's plots of the Seminary and Boyce. Kinda weird perhaps, but a fun Halloween excursion anyway! Afterwards our Resident Director, Paul, bought everyone coffee from Quills, a great little coffee shop just off Barrett avenue. Later on in the evening I had to do some studying which was a bummer, but I had some great company so it wasn't bad! No trick or treating for me. All in all it was a great day!


Lizzy Lou.Dr. Capps.
My My...what a gaze!
Buck.Heidi.
Lizzy Lou simulating her almost wipe out!

Having fun with the iMac.
Gabi.
Bobbles.