My dream is not photography, it’s not fame nor fortune. My dream is not to make it to the top or be applauded for my accomplishments. Although it is easy to fall into thinking that’s the better way…it’s not my goal, and it shouldn’t be my aim. Don’t get me wrong, I love photography and will continue pursuing it. However, after being a child of God- glorifying Him with my life- and being a good wife (yea, yea….proverbs 31), my next dream and aim is to be the best mom I can be for my little boy.

“But!”…you say. “…It doesn’t make good money..” “It is not seen as ‘important’ in the eyes of man as many other jobs.”  And my response? The Lord sees not as man sees. My photography, my small business, my nightly sessions of working and editing and emailing…all of that will fade away. It means very, very little in the eyes of God. But the way I train Leland…the way I give him my full attention during the day and show him Jesus….now that will last. That will last for generations to come. So today, I am not fixating on my dream of becoming someone but on becoming what God has called me to be. For now, that is to love my husband and child and put most of my energy into that. I believe the Lord will reward that. So if emails don’t get sent today and pictures don’t get edited….it will all be okay. Because it meant I spent that time with my son, who is more important than any email or photo. Today, I lay my dreams in God’s hands, trust Him, and press on toward the goal.

When I went to photograph Haley’s senior portraits, I was so excited when she brought along some awesome outfits as well as a bike and other props. She brought along her old camera and loves old antiques (so do I!!) so I was in my element- haha! Not to mention there were beautiful fields, the weather was great, etc. It was really hard to pick and choose which ones to share, so there are quite a few! Here are a few of my favorite from the session…

…I’ve done a shot similar to this before and love it!

….love her shoes!! and her outfit, in general. and the red brick wall :)

She plays bagpipes (which is awesome) and brought them along as well. I’ve never met (or photographed) anyone who plays them…so neat!!

At the beginning of May, this sweet couple was married at the Krippendorf Lodge in Cincinnati. It was such a beautiful day and I was blessed to be a part of their day! I absolutely love the lodge…it is beautiful inside and out. Jamie put all of the wedding details together and made most of the decor, etc. which is wonderful! Every detail was absolutely beautiful. Not to mention the weather was unseasonable warm, the sun was shining…it was gorgeous!! They have the sweetest little daughter who was a part of their day and she was such a cutie!! Here are some of my favorite images from the day…

Ok, so here is the second part of our little trip! Yes….we totally got dressed up and went to my favorite spot in the mountains. My oh so awesome husband loves doing this kind of thing so it’s not like he dreads taking pictures- just a little FYI :) He’s great. So yep, these are all definitely posed and whatnot but I love (LOVE) this kind of scenery and lighting. Fields, the mountains, barns, and fresh air is where I feel the most at home. Maybe throw a little bluegrass and country music in there too :) It makes me appreciate God’s beauty…I absolutely love it.

…kinda taught him how to pose haha…he did pretty good, eh? :)

When we were on our trip, I honestly tried not to take out my camera too, too much. I love traveling and I love taking pictures but somewhere along the line…taking pictures on a trip can easily become kinda posed. So I took it out a little here and there and took just a few :) One night, we did go to one of my favorite places in the mountains, got dressed up, and just took photos for fun. I’ll post those tomorrow…it was an awesome photo opportunity so I took advantage of it :) I loved our cabin that we stayed in….it had the most gorgeous view and it was so lovely! I really think that I could live there. I loved it!

….our view from the porch.

…we did a little bit of hiking.

….bahaha

…hiked up to the top of this mountain. I thought I was going to die it was so hard!! Or maybe I am just out of shape ;)

…rode horses in the mountains. Love!!

…played some music on the porch.

I missed my little guy but it was nice to get away and take a break from daily life. So glad that we were able to go and hope to go back some day soon! :)

On Saturday, Jay and I got home from a little vacation in the mountains. It was so, so nice to get away! My parents watched Leland (thank you!!) and I am so thankful that we had some time to travel. I absolutely loved our cabin and it was nice stepping away from technology and the fast-paced-ness (yep I’m making up that word) of life. (It was also nice not always having cell phone service in the mountains!) Anywho, I made a video on the way home from while we were there. I took some photos too, and hope to share them on here soon also :) Have a beautiful Monday!!

Happy Mother’s Day to one of the most encouraging and beautiful moms I know! I am so blessed to have been discipled and raised by such a Godly woman who is full of wisdom and strength. She is someone who I look up to, ask for advice from, and thank God for every day.

A very happy Mother’s Day! :)

to see last year’s mother’s day post click here :)

Some recent pictures from my phone:

1. Our piano (that was my grandma’s) 2. My favorite flowers 3. Leland and I on a dock

4. Leland running around as usual 5. My two favorite guys 6. Taking a walk at the park

7. Found a new favorite spot by an old barn 8. Some polaroids 9. My new friends

10. Some recent thrifting finds 11. A lovely bouquet from a wedding 12. Little man in a field

]]> http://arielleeliseblog.com/2012/05/from-the-phone-3/feed/ 17 http://arielleeliseblog.com/2012/05/a-sunday-afternoon/ http://arielleeliseblog.com/2012/05/a-sunday-afternoon/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 17:25:26 +0000 arielle http://arielleeliseblog.com/?p=6852

Last Sunday we spent a couple hours walking around a historic town nearby. I love visiting old towns…they just seem to have so much character and color. This one that we went to seemed like a ghost town…hardly anyone was around! It seems like smaller towns like that have a harder time keeping their little businesses a float which is sad! Maybe that’s another reason I love visiting towns like that…stopping in little restaurants and stores supporing the local businesses. We had a lovely time and it’s always nice to travel and see different things…even if it’s not very far :) Jay and I are heading out on vacation a week from today and I am so very excited. Anywho, time to get some things ready for a shoot tonight! Have a wonderful day!

On Sunday night, Jay and I went with some family and friends to a benefit concert in Cincinnati for The Underground. I usually don’t take my camera to these sort of things but I wanted to bring along the mark III and test the ISO settings. I brought along my 50mm 1.2 lens as well as the 70-200 2.8L IS II lens. My ISO stayed around 1600 with no flash and I’m pleased with how sharp they are for the low lighting (wooohoo!) Anyway, Tenth Avenue North was wonderful. They played a new song called “Losing” and it really hit home for me…love it. Also, Andy Dalton- the Bengals quarterback was there and spoke a bit. I thought if maybe I took his picture I could sell it to Sports Illustrated and become famous!!  Haha, only kidding. :) But anywho, it was a great night…I feel so blessed! Have a great day, friends!