It's all about the Belly!

As I teased earlier, I recently shot a maternity session with my best friend. It took her nearly 5 months to show any sort of baby bump - yes everyone, she's the one we all wish we'd look like pregnant! I cant wait to meet her precious little baby!

So, without any further ado (as I'm having a bit of writers block) here is Megan and her belly!

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

"Maybe You're Going Dingie."

I'm not even going to attempt to fudge right now and say it's been a great week. Cause no, it hasnt. But then again, it hasnt been a bad week either. My emotions are frazzled...I probabbly looked like on overworn scratching post some demonic cat used to sharpen it's nasty little claws to defend itself against the worlds evils. Sometimes I look up at the sky and ask God, why in the world would You not put up a sign that says"take a deep breath, I'm about to rock your world" That nice little sign would have been nice. But then again, I'm not going to mock the way God chose to rock my world. A friend of mine put it: "It's like a rocket was strapped to your butt and takes you to the moon". So, from two horribly gone wrong cooking incidents, to a tearfilled evening spent before the throne of my glorious Father this week has worn me out...to the moon and back.

My before mentioned cooking incidents? Well, let's just say one involved a horrifically undercooked chicken in a crockpot that pretty much looked like Taz from LooneyToons tore through it, leaving it's sad little carcass of a chicken to collect his Tazmanian dust - it was a very sad state of affairs. I took a picture but there is pretty much zero chance that I'm going to post it. You almost cant tell its a chicken...and I dont want to make anyone queezy! And the second incident...that one still lingers on my tastebuds. I pride myself in this AMAZING berry pie. It has blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and lavendar. My creative little self that I am decided to add some lemon and orange extract since, duh - it's summer and the pie should taste of summer. I'm going to go ahead and say it right now that if you EVER use those two extracts together. YOU DO NOT NEED MUCH! I put in, oooooh about a teaspoon or two of both. My astounding berry filled pie tasted like I'd shoved a bar of soap in it. Now, I'd made this pie for my granddad since my grandparents are in town for my brothers graduation. My granddad is a pie fiend. Pie is to him what water is to the rest of the human species. I dont see my grandparents much because they live in Maryland (a state I swear to Andrew that we're going to live in someday). But every time I see him I'm greated by "Did you bring me a pie?" I love my granddad. So, back to the object of shame: the pie. No one could eat the pie! Oh we tried; I ate maybe two forkfulls and just could not get past that lovely Irish Springs flavor. (Yeah, yeah - I have licked Irish Spring soap once upon a time. Dont judge, it was a dare and I was 13.) My Granddad on the other hand, he sat there with his humming hearing aid and completely downed that pie. We all stared at him like "how in the world are you eating that!" I asked him and his response? "I've had worse, I've had better. Pie is pie." So, last night, to prove to those irritating little kitchen gremlins that are destroying my recipes, I made the pie again, this time, WITHOUT the Irish Springs bar of soap.

And, since this is a photography blog afterall. I want to give you a sneak peak of a maternity session I had with my bestest friend in the whole wide world (excuse me while I divert back to 5 year old playground termanolgy). You may recall her "We're pregnant" sesh awhile back. :0) She's grown just a little. I'm so excited for little Miss Hope to come into this world, call me Auntie Cassie and become fully accustomed to my camera in her face. I will be the crazy cool aunt!

Dwell in Possibility...

Cassie

Little Miss Leigha

Introducing!! Okay so not "officially" introducing. But introducing to the blog! When Andrew and I were first starting out our photography business we took some photos of Jeremy and Melissa. It was my first maternity session and I was SO nervous. Not only was it my first maternity session, it was my first indoor session. I wasnt 100% happy with the photos that came from that but Jeremy and Melissa encouraged me and put the *wink wink* on the fact that we could take pictures of them whenever we wanted more practice. Two session later, we met up with their new little baby girl at the park and finished the shoot up at her nursery.

Jeremy and Melissa have a special place in our hearts as a couple who allowed us to share in a special part of their lives and help them build memories for their little one. I mean, who doesnt absolutely love looking back over their baby books. :0)

Thanks Jeremy and Melissa...and you too Leigha. You were such a smiley little trouper!

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie









Okay so I just HAD to post this one. It makes me laugh so hard!! This is the look of Leigha's great little laugh being stopped dead when she saw Andrew's face. Haha! :0) Aaahh that makes me smile!

Thoughts

I'm pretty certain that I've become more and more easily bored lately. Wow - reading that sentence my English teach would have hung her head in shame. What I meant to say was that lately its becoming so much easier to find myself thinking "I'm bored". Since when did I become so restless!

Last night Andrew and I worked on updating our website a bit. We had three new sets of photos to upload as well as a new About Us page. I think we got through two sets of photos before we both heard our bedroom calling "Sleeeeeeep." I honestly dont remember hitting the pillow! Go take a peak! There's still more coming. www.olimbphotography.com

This morning, as I got ready to leave as quickly as possible (I was running just a TINY bit late this morning) I felt like God just kinda stood in front of my path and said "be still". Even as I write that, I'm struck with the overwhelming desire to close my eyes and bask in who God is...and just be still. As many of you already know, I'm very much a lists and to do person. I like spontaneity but only if I feel that I can afford time for it. I've planned and scheduled and made so many lists that I've left a marginal amount of room for the Lord to do anything in my life. I allot more time for the gym than I do for studying the Word and just spending time with my Father. Be Still. If I could have taken the day today to barricade myself in a library somewhere and just be still with the Lord, I would have. I made a "stick in the mud" statement right then and there. I was going to re-evaluate my "I'm bored" statements and take those times to just talk to my Savior. My second "stick in the mud" statement was that I'm going to try all next week not to plan anything. Not to lay down my hour to hour activities and just be still and leave time for the Lord to work in my life, without having to knock down all my barriers of to-do lists, post it notes, and schedules.

I'm a serious bookworm, by the way. I have to be careful of when I chose to read a book because once I start, everything short of breathing fades away. I dont get much done when I read because I inhale books. I'm not kidding you - I can read one 400 paged book in a matter of two days. Right now I'm reading a book called Black by Ted Dekker (a first in a three book series) and I keep re-reading a portion from the book. It's a moment when the main character Thomas experiences the love that he's been rejecting his whole life. When his heart opens to the idea of Christ (in this book is the character Elyon). Something about the way Ted Dekker chose to describe this scene just breathes a whole new life into me. There's moments when I need that. I need that fresh perspective. I need someone to describe things to me in an artsy, out of this world sort of way. The sheer splendor my mind created as I read this...followed by a bit of sorrow...renewed by life-giving joy. It's a bit long so I'm only going to share the parts that keep echoing through my heart:

"On the far side, a towering pearl cliff shimmered with ruby and topaz hues. Over the cliff poured a huge waterfall, which throbbed with green and golden light and thundered into the water a hundred meters below. The rising mist captured light from the trees, giving the appearance that colors arose out of the lake itself. Here, there could hardly be a difference between day and night...Only desire remained. Raw, desperate desire, pulling at his aching heart with the power of absolute vacuum...He dived headlong into the glowing waters...The warm water engulfed him...the sensations coursed through his bones in great, unrelenting waves...Elyon was in the lake with him...then he heard them. Three words: I MADE THIS...no, not words. Music that spoke. Pure notes piercing his heart and mind with as much meaning as an entire book...I SEE YOU THOMAS. I MADE YOU. I LOVE YOU.The words washed over him, reaching into the deepest marrow of his bones, caressing each hidden synapse, flowing through every vein, as though he had been given a transfusion...Then he saw the images streaming by, and he recognized where he must be...Images of him spitting in his father's face...his mother, crying. The images came faster now. Pictures of his life. A dark, terrible nature. A red faced man was spitting obscenities with a long tongue that kept flashing from his gaping mouth like a snake's. Each time the tongue touched another person, they crumpled to the floor in a pile of bones. It was his face he saw. Memories of lives dead and gone, but here now and dying still. And he knew then that he had entered his own soul...He couldnt stop screaming...Elyon was screaming! In pain. Tom pressed his hands to his ears and continued to scream...His body crawled with fire, as though every last cell revolted at the sound. And so they should, a voice whispered in his skull. Their Maker is screaming in pain!...Tom heard the words as if they came from within his own mind. I LOVE YOU THOMAS...I love you too! Tom cried desperately. I choose you; I cherish you! He was sobbing, but with love...He wanted to speak, to scream, and to yell and to tell the whole world that he was the luckiest man in the universe. That he was loved by Elyon, Elyon himself..."

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

Ding Dong the Bells are Ringing!

What a great evening!! Andrew and I decided to make a seafood dinner. So after trecking to Destin to buy some nice applewood bacon from the Fresh Market, we went to find some fresh scallops at the local Destin Ice Seafood. I got a tiny bit curious and bought a handful of clams too. You see, I'd never cooked a clam before and was suddenly extremely enthrawled with the idea that I could! Now, as I sit on the couch (and yes, that is my seat of choice as of late) with a belly full of pasta with a butter garlic and white wine sauce, clambs, and bacon wrapped scallops and with my gorgeous boquet of my pink and white peonies - compliments of my amazing hubby - I realized something....I NEVER POSTED THE BELL WEDDING!!! So this is actually a post that should have gone up back near Easter. Yes I know, I hang my head in shame, I completely forgot to post the pics I promised. Better late then never?? Yes, that is my story and I'm sticking to it!

Meet Alicia and Adam! It was such a treat when Alicia contacted Andrew and asked if we were available to shoot her wedding. Andrew and Alicia worked together in college in the dorms. Pretty cool how you meet people and never know when relationships will turn up later down the road!

These two were so much fun to shoot. From engagement to wedding we really had a blast with the couple. They were so....SMILEY!! And it was infectious! I found myself smiling and laughing through the entire shoot. So here is Alicia and Adam. Again, apologies for the delay!! Oh! And I tried a new watermark on the photos...I'm not so sure I like it but I dont really like the original watermark either. Let me know what you think!!

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

I'm a peon!

Self realizations are always interesting. Sometimes they give you a nice sense of a challenge and purpose. Other times they leave you laying on your back like a baby whining and feeling like a peon. Self Realization One - I'm always critiquing myself and my work. I cant leave well enough alone. I cant even leave great alone. And if I feel that something is crap, then I beat myself up about it. There's always something to be done differently or better. Self Realization Two - The only way that I can keep myself from going....well....crazy :0) is to make lists. Lots and lots of lists.

Aaah LISTS. Andrew winces at the word. I make lists for everything. Who cant live without a good stack or three of post-its, notebooks, highlighters and pens. And a HUGE refrigerator calendar and a slightly less intimidating version that is pretty much always on my person. It's my second brain. It has a to-do section, calendar, and journal section. Oh yeah, if that baby ever disappeared I would be both thrilled and horrified! Lately my lists have been a bit depressing. Rather than seeing the nice little line items with the perfectly checked square, I'm being taunted by a sticky and notebook paper! There are far too many unchecked little squares on my lists as of late.

And so, I did something uncharacteristic of myself. *Gotta love those moments where you dont know what got into you but you kinda liked it!* I threw the lists away! Okay so I glanced a pick at the things that absolutely had to get done and made note of those (things like bill paying and contract sending and photo editing and album ordering). But I threw the lists away!!

Tonight, after the busy crazy day settles, after I've showered and relaxed my hiney into the heavenly cushions of the couch with a nice cup of hot tea and some mindless tv show or movie...THEN I will make a new list. Then I'll start working my way through my new list ever so carefully. I have NOTHING planned this weekend. On purpose. I want to get through my Cassie things, the things that are just for me. And I'm in desperate need of a nice long quite time with my Heavenly Father. Sad to admit but I havent made time for too many of those lately.

So here's to self realizations, lists and Peppermint Tea.

The weekend is over :0(

I usually love writing...I can whip up just about anything and elaborate on the dullest of sentences. Not to be tooting my own horn or anything :0) But I love to write. However, tonight...I'm kinda drawing a blank. I meant to sit here and journal on my parents and how much fun we had around Niceville last weekend. They wanted some pictures for their facebooks (and yes, my parents have facebooks!) and I wanted to cookout. However...sitting here, contemplating a nice long hot shower and going to sleep "early" is clouding my better journaling abilities.

So instead, I'll post some photos of my lovely parental units as well as pose a question to all my loyal readers. What would you like to know about me and Andrew? Send me an email at cassie@olimbphotography.com and we'll sorta do a "question and answer" type entry.

Enjoy! And I look forward to your emails and all your questions!

Dwell in Possibility,
Cassie