Last weekend we drove up to Branched Oak and… ahhhhh… the light gleaming off the water immediately filled my bucket. I don’t know why water makes me so relaxed and content and happy, but it does. We joined friends from church at the lake for the dinner and went home as the sun was beginning to set. Almost all the rest of them stayed overnight in tents. Which is SO cute. I am so happy for them and their adorable tents. I thought about my joy for them all the way home to my air conditioned house with locked doors and a deliciously soft and thick queen-sized mattress. I digress.

The Creagers’ Life Group—what Redeemer calls our small groups—has gone camping for the past several years and it was sweet fun to join them for several hours. Photographic evidence of fun follows:

We joined friends at Branched Oak last weekend and, as always, the setting sun inspired me. The subject sitting in the light, by virtue of his leash and a well-placed tree, was of the canine variety. Cooper posed nicely, and so did our lovely human friend Dejana.

More images coming soon.

A big thanks to Abigail and Colton for spending a few fun hours with me early in June. You are both wonderful and it was truly a joy to tromp under trees and through the flowery meadow (hill?) with you. May God bless you richly in these months leading toward your wedding! The best is yet to come.

These two! They are crazy cute and easy to photograph. I am forever entertained by their antics.

Images like this remind me why I love photography. It’s been a quiet spell for awhile, but I can feel the light beginning to flicker in my soul again.

These flowers were delivered to me by a beloved friend, and they’ve brought me much joy this past week.

I’m calling it: winter in Lincoln is over. Our grass is coming up in fuzzy green tufts, the forsythia is blooming—Livia and I have a FORSYTHIA! call we do in our best operatic voices when we spot the happy yellow branches—and everything is starting to bud outside. The warm weather has come so early this year that I wasn’t expecting or hoping for it yet. It still feels like an incredible and delightful surprise. Thanks, God. I’m grateful!

From top to bottom:
– little grape hyacinths are starting to come up
– sedum looks like small green roses
– our adorable front yard tree is starting to wake up

Below is the front year tree this morning, all covered in dew and gleaming in the morning light. In just a few days time the tree has changed. This tree in particular brings great delight each spring as it will eventually open up in an amazing display of white blossoms. Spring! I just can’t stand it. Every year my heart is filled with the colors and new life. I’m made for spring.

We figured out the math this morning. I’ve got to say, this kid is my favorite kid in the whole wide world. She’s fun-loving, compassionate and beautiful. I’m proud of her.