Fool Proof Solution

This would be one of those entries where it's more about what's on my heart than what's on my camera.

I have a nasty little habit.  One that drives me absolutely crazy! I have found the solution to my feeling worn out, stressed out and overwhelmed.  I have tried it over and over again and have a 100% success rate and yet...  I will go days with out taking advantage of this fool proof solution.





I will feel maxed out, tired and anxious and try every other thing I can think of before I will turn to my tried and true solution.
What is that?  Seriously?  What... is... that!!!!





Yesterday a friend and I started a Bible Study together, we curled up on my couch plugged in the CD and listened to the lecture as we filled in the blanks.  Ah...  there is just something about the Bible.  I could feel all the stuff that had settled in the bottom of my heart start to stir, I was feeling energized and hungry for more!  After the girls left for school, I couldn't wait to find a cozy spot to open the pages of God's word and just soak in it for a while.

When I take the time to turn my eyes back to the cross, on to the indescribable act of mercy and grace that Jesus preformed when He paid the penalty for my sins, my life is different.  In every single moment it is different!  To view this world and the circumstances that make up my day through the filter of Jesus's work on the cross changes everything!

As I sat in my chair, with my Bible on my lap and pondered my redemption, I remembered something that I wrote almost 4 years ago while reading through the Gospel according to John, and I felt compelled to share it here, with you.  Some of you are my friends that come here and read my blog because you love me, others are customers  who have become more than just client's who come here to follow my work and see what I am up too and other's of you may be here for the very first time.  Looking for a photographer, someone to take pictures of your family or your new little addition and you are wondering what in the world I am going go and go about. I read in my study this morning that "God blesses one to bless many" and yesterday my friend read a quote from a book to me that said something like "please! use what you do for the glory of God".  I am who I am and do what I do only by the grace and mercy of God, I want always for my focus to be on HIM and His Cross and I want you to know this wonderful Savior too!  So tucked between the photos I want to do what I do for Him.

August 12, 2009

I was reading in John about the crucifixion the other night, when I finished, I thought, why is it I read that like it's not a big deal, I wonder why it doesn’t move me like it should.  After journaling about it for awhile, I believe the Holy Spirit gave me the following thoughts. Ya know how when you hear on the news about a kid drowning  and you think "oh how terrible, I can't image" and then you go right back to cleaning... but when you hear about a church member's child that has drowned you spend more time pondering what they must be going thru, you might send a card or make a meal for the family.  But if your best friend's child drowned you would get in your car, sob the whole way over there, and cry out to God to help your friend.  You would hold her, help her make phone calls, help her plan the service, sit by her at the funeral, and be with her in the weeks and months ahead, you would call her on birthdays and holidays to support her in her grief.  Now, what if it was your child that drowned... your whole life would be devastated, you would be sick with intense grief; and yet the theme of this story is always the same... a child drowned.  Why did one impact you more than another... it's the relationship. The closer the relationship the more it moved you.  And then I realized how much more relationship I have to experience with God and Jesus, this is the closest I have ever been to God and Jesus and yet I realize how much more there is to experience in my relationship with him.  I as grow closer to him, I can expect the story of the crucifixion to move me more and more.

Newborn Photographer in Castle Rock, CO

Meet Briar Christine.  She is 3 weeks old and little sister to McKenna.

She is also how I spent my morning yesterday... I know, I am probably one of the luckiest people on earth, getting to plan with all these little lovelies!

 What a precious child!!  That face was meant to be in pictures!

Do you think I could get away with wearing one of those headbands?!  

I really do think I could rock it!

 It's a good thing I was never a "Rock Star" I would have been, oh what's her name...

Super eccentric, showed up to some awards show in an egg...

Oh well, you know who I mean.  

 But not little Briar, she had a classy understated fashion flair.

I love the picture below, just what do you think she is pondering...

My shoot was easy breezy, she was definitely ready for her first photo shoot!

PIGGIES!!!!

 There were extra bonuses for me.  Briar just so happens to live mighty close to my sister, Wendy and my brother Mick.  Now Wendy was at work but Mick was at home and it just so happened that my mom was on her way over to Mick's. So.... I got to have a very fancy lunch at the Taco Bell/KFC combo restaurant with my mom, my brother and my niece, Madison.

Well, I hope you are doing well and gearing up for the snow, do you really think we will get any?  The bummer is I really need to go to the grocery store, really, really bad but now it is going to be PACKED and the shelves will be bare!  Why oh why, didn't I go yesterday?!?!?

Let's see....

Photoshoot

Lunch with Mom and Mick and Madison (look at all those M's)

Bible book store (Steph and I are going to do The Patriarchs Study together)

Meeting with the tax lady, who just happens to be the girl's Sunday School Teacher

Dinner with the peeps

Homework

Ben's Sneak Peek

Oh... that's why!

Wish me luck!!!

XOXO! Cija

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Infant Photographer in Lonetree, CO

 Happy Birthday, Ben!!!  

 Last Friday, Ben and I braved the cold weather for his 1 year birthday shoot!!

He was the perfect little model!

 I think these two are my faves of the day.  I love the expression on his face above, but that dreamy little profile below brings out my puppy dog eyes!

 Yep, he was showing off a wee bit!!  Way to go! Ben!

 Just look at the wrinkly forehead !!!  So stinkin' cute!!!

I always hate when my baby's turn one!!!  I get so used to seeing them and then they are just gone... sometimes for as long as a year!!!  I just can't take it!

I am very happy to report that there are siblings!!!  Colton just got a baby brother Avery, Kylie is getting twin brothers in just a few months and now I just got word that Keeley is going to be a big sister too!!  So many babies!!!!  

Okay, I'm off!!  I'll be back tomorrow with McKenna's little sister, Briar!!

Hugs, Cija

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Baby Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I got to spend mine, or at least part of it...  with this little bundle of ooey gooey squishiness!

Say "HELLO!" to Avery!  He is a whoopin' 5 days old!

This is daddy... Mike

And this is his mommy... Jenna

and somewhere downstairs was his big brother, Colton, who was sportin' a very fine pair of money and banana footed jammies!!

Can I just say... I am in love with this little nose and that little belly!!

Talk about BABY LOVE!!!

This very cool and vintage suitcase belonged to his Great Grandma, a love when we can use something that has a family story behind it!

 When big brother, Colton was a baby we took this picture with his dad's gun belt...

and today we took little brother, Avery's picture with dad's sheriff's hat!

 PIGGIES!!!!  Sweet Wonderfully Yummy Piggies!!!

Well, 3 of my favorite Valentine's just blew in the front door, so I'm outta here!!

(Ah the boy that Melia likes at school, gave her a Valentine that says "Valentine... you're a real beauty!"  She is real... excited!)

Until Next time! Cija

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Family Photographer in Castle Rock, CO

This sneak peek is a little late in coming.  I just couldn't narrow it down anymore so I ended up doing a few more for the peek than usual. Kellie had to wait a little longer but... she got to see more of her photos!

Just have a look at these little beauties!  Allison and Megan (I am 98% sure I got that right)

They were just too much fun to work with!  The trouble with girls is that most of them like having their pictures taken just as much as I like taking them which ends up with them and me skipping from location to location while dad is thinking "How much longer is this going to last?"

 See!  he won't even look at the camera anymore!  Oh bahaha!

 Sorry for the delay, Kellie!  I had a super fantastic time with you and your family!

 It's been a funky date.  I recently texted a friend they my heart is heavy today and it literally feels heavy.  I have tried to pin point an event or something that I could attribute it to but I got nothing.

 I started my day with watching the speech given at this year's inaugural prayer breakfast (what?  you mean most people don't start their day that way?)  It was an amazing speech, dripping in truth about how our country has turned it's back on God and has replaced Him with false gods and idols just like the nation of Israel did years ago.  

 It saddens me to think about how we, as a country, have treated God.  Several conversations through out the day have made me ponder the false gods in my own life.  The list was longer than I would have liked but some that topped the list were:

Perfectionism

Food

and my continued registration in the race to be Super Mom.  Sometimes this one can be the most exhausting, just today I was scouring Pinterest for a Valentine idea, heaven forbid I send my girls to school with Disney Princess or Snoopy Valentines!!    They have to be clever, super cute but at the same time obscure so that know has seem them before.

  The comparing and measuring up that we do to each other is hurtful and while we try to feel better about ourselves, listing all the wonderful mom things are doing, in turn we are making other precious women question themselves and wonder if they are doing enough.  

In fact it happened to me today...  as I listened on the phone about all this mom was doing I started to feel depressed and run down.  I started to wonder if I was failing my kids.

 My heart was heavy.

I jumped on Facebook (may as well pour salt on the open wound) and stumbled upon a video.  A song about a young man who wanted to be just like "you".   It made me think about my girls, who do they want to be like, who are watching and wishing to be like?  

What mom am I wishing and wanting to be like?

And then there it was tucked in the lyrics of the song... 

"Then in steps Jesus!"  

Well AMEN!  It's all about Jesus!  And I wanted to be just like HIM!!

cija@3wishesphotography.com

www.3wishesphotography.com

Boudoir Photography in Castle Rock, CO

NOTE: While I offer full service Boudoir photography I do not post any of my "more delicate" work in this public forum, and all of the images of have been cropped,  to see a private boudoir gallery please contact me at cija@3wishesphotography.com.

 So Tina and I were at it again this week.  We had such a GREAT time with Krista!  She had some of the prettiest "pretties" I have ever seen!  I loved how she was telling us that she pretended that morning was just like any other...  she got up, got ready for work, left and then waited for her husband to leave before she circled back around! 

Krista was so excited about her experience that I asked if she would write a little something to share with you all... Here is what she had to say.

"I have wanted to get boudoir photos taken as a surprise for my husband for quite some time, but the mere thought of going to an unfamiliar studio with a photographer I didn't know was a deterrent. 3 Wishes Photography gave me a better option. Cija brought the photo shoot to my home, which seems like the most natural place in the world to be comfortable and intimate. I had to do very little except think of a few outfits and ideas, and 3 Wishes showed up, did my makeup and hair and jewelry styling, eased into the shoot so I could get familiar with the style of direction, and then I just got to relax and listen.  And the result was truly a miracle.

I adore my photos. They are sophisticated  stylish, gorgeous,  artistic, and timeless. The best thing is that they feel like they really capture me; they incorporate my favorite parts of my home, my own decor and lingerie and shoes, and a few key possessions (most notably, they tastefully highlight my wedding ring and my love for my husband and the life we've built in that home).  I know my husband will adore them too and I can't wait to see the look on his face. The hardest part, surprisingly, was not having the photos taken. It was trying to decide which photos to buy, when I really wanted them all! 

Thank you, 3 Wishes Photography, for a wonderful experience and a beautiful gift for both me and the man that I love."

Krista

I am so proud of you girls that have contacted me in the last couple of weeks! We already have boudoir bookings for April!  Yippee!!!  but I still need to hear from you!

What's holding you back?!?!

Have a super fantastic weekend! Cija

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com