True Love {adoption}

It is pretty amazing all the connections that can be made through technology today. You never know whose path is going to cross yours. A total stranger can have a huge impact on your life. Are you willing to allow others to touch your heart whether it be on-line or off-line? We can be taught so much if we are just open to it.

I recently had the pleasure of getting to know a little about Whitney Runyon via the internet. She shared photos she took from a recent adoption she was blessed to witness and document. Here are a few of her shots...

You can see a lot more of the journey HERE.

The moments that Whitney captured made me cry... they really did. She captured so much love from this family. And the little boy... he is finally home and you can see how happy he is. ♥ Doesn't it look like he has always been with them? What a perfect fit... God is so good. He joined this family together through adoption.

I want to give this mom and dad a hug for opening their hearts to a little one that needed a home... needed a family... needed to be loved. You can get a glimpse into the family's life HERE. I especially love this post. Their blog is bound to make you smile. :)

The Eicher's family went through Reese's Rainbow adoption agency.

And guess what, Whitney is looking for more families to work with and share their stories! If you are interested send her an email at wrunyonphotography@gmail.com . To see more of her photography go HERE.

the outdoor photo shoot

A few of my favorites from last weeks photo shoot...

I made her stick around extra long just for these dress shots. I wanted the sun to be in a certain spot. So I was really hoping they would turn out. I was happy with the results.

Oh, and she is going into photography... so no extra pressure in getting good photos! ;)

Had to play around with shooting into the sun. You never know what will show up on your photo.

Thought they turned out pretty good as this is the first time I've really photographed anyone over the age of 4. (Other then my husband with K.) Wonder if she knew that before asking me to take her pictures. Hee, hee. I also don't have anything real special for a camera... so I was pretty nervous prior to taking these photos. Thank God for helping me out. He created some amazing backdrops!

Now if only my kiddo would pose for me, I'd have a lot of fun! :)

{Linking up with Jennifer's Sneak Peek Friday. Check out more creativity on her blog!}

this last week

Like every week it was a busy one but there were a few memorable happenings that went on. Of course every day included the regular graphic design work, mommy tasks... ya know all the ordinary day to day stuff... but here is a glimpse of the more special points of the week...

Last Tuesday was our 8th wedding anniversary (10 years + 1 month of being together). Boy time flies! It has been a great journey thus far! Is it bad to say this is probably my favorite photo of the two of us? We really have very few of the two of us and those are just the look here and say cheese type. Maybe around our 10yr anniversary we'll get a good photo of the 2 of us together. Maybe.
Wednesday David surprised me with a cake he decorated to celebrate my 300th etsy sale! :) Wow! It was my goal for the year to get to 300 by Christmas so I am very happy and thankful for how things are going for my little business.

Other activities during the week included photo editing for the senior shoot I did last Sunday. (I'll share a few pictures later this week.) Then there was working on signs for the KAMI Group Buddy Walk that will be going on next Saturday the 3rd. (Find more info about the event HERE and come join the fun if you can!) And every other night David and I go running with K in the stroller cuz David is training me for a 5K that takes place on the 10th. No I'm not a runner... don't even enjoy it but it's for a good cause, RescueHer, so figured I could go through some pain to hopefully raise some extra cash for that organization. I'm up to 2.5 miles... so need to get another .5 mile worked in there in the next two weeks. I want to be able to run the whole thing and do it in a fairly good time. Hoping I can do that. ;)

Saturday we thought we should do something kind of fun to celebrate our anniversary and since Kaelyn is one of the best things that has come from our marriage :) I figured we should go to the zoo. K loves the zoo and we hadn't been there in a long time. So off to the zoo we went.

Giraffes are so interesting to me. This little guy was adorable! Then it's mama came over and well you can just see how much they love each other! ♥

Maybe this was daddy giraffe. :)

Yes, it was a good day and week!

Senior Portrait Sneak Peek

Had the opportunity of taking senior pictures this last Sunday. It was fun playing photographer for a day. (Almost makes me want to be one! Ha, ha.) This girl was an amazing model. Will share more with you once I get a chance to edit the rest.

Plein Air {painting day}

{my outdoor studio}

Couldn't have been a better day to take part in the Plein Air painting event held in DeSmet, SD. It was a little toasty sitting in the sun for several hours... yes, I will be sporting a nice sun burn for the next few days but it was worth it! Several artists attended. Everyone picked their own spot and painted their little heart out throughout the day. I can't tell you the last time I was able to paint for hours and hours at a time AND be outside enjoying the gorgeous weather at the same time!!! So peaceful... beautiful scenery... pure bliss. :)

{peaceful prairie}

Here's my completed landscape painting. Done with acrylic on a wood panel.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Worth Checking Out

I want to share a site with you that I think is worth checking out... give1save1 by Beth Cupitt. Beth is a talented photographer and she has an adorable family. Her site is unique and heartfelt due to the fact that she has big plans to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia... 2 girls that are older and most likely wouldn't otherwise be chosen. Age 14 is when children leave the orphanage to fend for themselves and 70% of them are turned into prostitutes. Heart wrenching. Anyway to find out more details please check out Beth's site. She has a beautiful soul!

A Birthday to Remember

How David spent his 30th birthday...

the start line at the Chisago MN half ironman.

(800 racers for the half ironman but many more for the sprint distance.)

David's wave of 50 swimming. Fog made it very difficult for

the racers to see where they were at.

on to the bike... 56 miles
starting the run... 13.1 miles... still smiling :)
To keep K entertained for the several hours daddy was racing
she played with her boats in the sand, played on the playground,
ate goodies, rang her bell and cheered on the racers,
played with a 7 week old lab puppy and asked its
owner 1001 questions! Not joking! This girl loves to talk! :)

First half ironman completed in 5 hours. 13th place in his age group!

Just a few of the bikes.

David and Jason (a co-worker he trains with)

David's words after the race... "It was the best part of the trip!"

So yes, he enjoyed his birthday and I'm sure he'll be doing more.

Congratulations Birthday Boy!
You did awesome!

Oh, and last weekend didn't entirely wear him out. He participated in a

bike race yesterday in Crooks SD and came in third!

Visiting Lanesboro

We're back! Before heading to hubby's half ironman this last weekend we decided to take a mini family vacation in Lanesboro, MN. Why there? Well we happened to come across a website where you could stay in an art loft that was above an art gallery... that sounded perfect to me. On our way there we started to get a little worried about if there was much else in the town... we didn't know anything about it! But everything worked out and it was a very fun and unique town. Here is a glimpse of our visit...

The door to our loft was PINK! ♥

The 3 large windows on the top, middle building look into our living area.

We loved the spaciousness and it was a great place for kids to run around.

Such a beautiful place to explore.

There were great paths to walk, run, or bike on.

So of course we had to rent a bike and let me tell you, they

had lots of options of different bikes to rent, although your

a little limited when you have little ones along.

Here's what we went with...

This bike was hilarious! Well, I thought so anyway.

David called it a death trap. Ha! It only had one gear. He thought

the lever next to the steering wheel was to change gears but it

was only the break. Ha! Although there are 4 sets of pedals on

the bike whoever sat on the front left ended up doing the most work.

And if you know my hubby you know he is obsessed with

biking and averages 20 miles in hour+ on rides so this was

about killing him. This is what he ended up doing

on the way back...

He ran and pushed us! No, I didn't feel bad at all for him.

Lets just call it training for his ironman! :)

I admit it was quite a nerdy beast but it sure made me laugh

and Kaelyn loved it too! She could steer all she wanted cuz the wheel

on the right didn't do anything! (perfect for entertaining a youngster!)

The paths went along a river that is popular for tubing... if K was

older we would have done it. Other things we rode past were bluffs, fields, lots

of trees where we even saw deer. It was pretty and peaceful! Well, other

then having to work hard to get anywhere! We did go down hills quite well!

After all the hard work, ice cream was a must. The bike rental and ice

cream shop were right across the street from our loft which was

so handy! (Actually everything was in walking distance so we never had to

start our vehicle!) We took the treats back to our place and relaxed.

K and me on one of the many bridges.

One of the cute shops had pottery painting. K was able

to pick out whatever she wanted including her colors.

Her turtle will be shipped to us after it is fired.

Looking forward to seeing it!

We decided to take an Amish tour and what an

eye opening experience it was! It was seriously like

going back in time 200 years.

When first looking at an Amish house from afar you probably

wouldn't think their lifestyle is much different than our own.

These places have no electricity, no running water, they plant all

their food that is supposed to last them year round, their mower

is powered by a horse, they do not have bikes,

there only means of transportation is by buggy pulled by a horse.

Their income comes from all their handmade goods... furniture,

rugs, jams, soaps, bakery items, soy candles, quilts, etc.

It is common to have 3 families living on a farm. The great-grandparents

have the smallest home, the grandparents get the middle sized and

the youngest couple gets the biggest home (to fill with little ones).

These people work harder then anyone I've seen... they don't

go out and have fun like we do. (can't imagine!) They aren't

wasteful, if something isn't an absolute need they don't have it...

they weren't even wearing shoes outside! Baling is done by hand!

Their hay stacks were so neat and uniform I wouldn't have guessed it!

Ok, I could go on and on but I've already written a book! :)

So if you're looking for a fun little getaway I highly recommend

Lanesboro. It is also the bed & breakfast capital so you have lots of

unique options to stay... just make sure to check if certain ages

are ok if you have kids. Some of the fancier Victorian homes are a

bit stricter about who can stay.

Ponder This...

{country view across from my parents home}

We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

These words came from the visiting pastor I listened to last Sunday... what a statement to live by! He preached about us being blessed not so we can go buy bigger and better things but to help others... help children/families who don't have food, homes, medicine. Just think about that. We do live in such a materialistic world. People are always trying to out do one another. It seems like few people are satisfied with what they currently have. It's really sad. It is even more sad that others are suffering from our selfishness. His sermon really struck me. I grew up in a family where you always help out, and I know we have a "purpose" here on Earth. The words from Sunday just got me thinking that I can live with less and I can give more than I already do. It made me think about a lot of things really... I don't really need an addition on my house... I need to be extremely grateful for what I have today... stop thinking so much about me and think about serving others. I am rich, maybe not so much with money but with many other things.

The pastor talked quite a bit about Food For The Poor. Just a few dollars can help a lot of other people who are in desperate need. I strongly urge you to check out this site and give. If you are reading this, chances are you can spare a few bucks... just saying... think about it.

Thank you!

Rewind

My husband is a complex kind of guy. He's a talented woodworker (see his work HERE), a fantastic father, a smarty pants engineer by day, and a very determined athlete. This year he has been training hard for triathlons. Last month he was in an Olympic triathlon...
He did amazing and placed 3rd in his age group. This was his farthest swim in a race. He began swimming only 2 years ago! He is the most dedicated, determined person I know. If he goes for something he goes all out.
Coming up this next Sunday is his first half ironman which also happens to be his 30th birthday. Yeah, signing up for the event was his birthday present to himself. You could say we're not too much alike in that department. I would much rather be eating cake and watching movies on my birthday (or any day for that matter). Ha, ha. Each to their own.
Miss K and I will soon be taking a little trip with him and we'll of course be encouraging him through the race on Sunday. I just pray its not in the 90's like it has been. I can't imagine doing a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run in that kind of heat! More adventures (and photos) coming soon! :)