Children's Photographer in Castle Rock, CO

 Happy Friday! So yesterday turned out a little different than I had planned.  I thought I was finished at the ROP/VBS on Wednesday but it seemed the Lord has a different plan.  I work up yesterday morning at 5:00 AM and just couldn't get Karla off my mind.  God and I bantered back and forth a bit but in the end it was clear that I had some unfinished business to attended too.  So I loaded up the kids and we headed back to Aurora, and am very happy to report that Karla and I are now officially "pen pals"!! 

 By the time I got home I was pooped, I tried editing for a while but then crashed on the couch for a couple of hours so I could be ready for my time with Lilly!!

Yesterday when I woke up and it was foggy and cloudy and grey, I thought "You have got to be kidding me!!"  Lilly and I have had to reschedule twice already because of rain and then SNOW!!!  But the weather clear up and we had perfect weather for our shoot!

 What a perfectly happy little girl!  I fell in love with her dreamy brown eyes and her silky soft hair!

As for my favorite of the day... that's a tough one, but I am going to go with the first one!  Something about that picture warms my heart and makes me smile!!!

Unfortunately, one of members of tonight's family is under the weather so we will have to reschedule, so I will be back on the other side of the weekend with Elizabeth!! Until next time! Cija

(remember you can double click on any image to see it in a larger format)

ROP - VBS - OMG - and NO AC

I discovered this week that I am a wimpy servant!  Any one who knows me, not deeply, just knows of me (that's all it takes) knows that I do not like to be hot, not even hot, I don't really even care to be warm.  I like to feel the complete absence of temperature or on the cooler side of things. 

This week has not been that week for me.  Last week, Memorial Day, our AC broke.  Tuesday my husband called the repair service, Thursday was the soonest they could come.  Part needed to be ordered, it was here the next day but the AC guy, he couldn't get back until yesterday.  It was hot. 

Insert - A list of my some of my least favorite things:

Sitting on the ground esp. grass, dirt, or cement (hmm... what else is there)

Eating with out a table

Traffic or Road Construction

Sweating

Getting Sunburned

Being hot

Monday was the 1st day of the the ROP (Restoration Outreach Programs) VBS (Vacation Bible School).  Now, ordinarily, that would scream "Not Cija's 1st Ministry Choice"... summer, daytime, sun, heat, sweat (you get the general idea) but... my friend Kashia needed help and I know what it's like to need help when there's no one willing.  So I decided to suck it up and just do it. 

It's 93 degrees on Monday.  It was HOT!  I was melting! 

Then there was Delaney, she got in trouble for climbing in the tree, my heart was tugged as she hide around the back side of the tree and slid to the ground in a full on pout.  So, I sat on the ground and we talked.  I kept thinking to myself, "Cija, you are seriously disturbed all you can do is sit here and imagine the smell of doggie dodo!!"  Imagine my relief when Delaney bolted up and said "Ooooo, there's poop!"

I made it through day one, I met some sweet kids.  Karla was cool, she was stand offish and hid her art projects from everyone's view.  Alexandra was hot and then cold.  Jonathan was light hearted and funny.  Xemenia... oiy, her name was my nemesis.  

Day 2, was... Hot! and the mosquitoes were hungry.  IT was picture day for me, I took a step back and watch the day unfold from behind my lens.  I offered to help make lunch but the oven didn't work so well and we had 264 taquitos that needed cooking in a kitchen where the air conditioning was no longer working.  It was... hot.  By the time I got home on Tuesday night, I was exhausted and my head was pounding and all I could think about was having to go back on Wednesday. 

Day 3 - As I drove to the rec center, I thought of the staff at ROP, the one's that do this stuff everyday.  My mind drifted to the people who serve in foreign countries with little or no comfort and I realized that I am a wimpy servant.  Oh, I was nice to the kids and was willing to help but I prayed that I could do it in the shade!  So I prayed, I asked God to forgive me for my wimpiness, I am blessed to the point of spoiled and  now I would need His strength in exchange for my weakness. 

Alexandria rushed over to hug me when she arrived, we sat next to one another during the welcome and held hands as we walked over to worship.  During worship we sang "He knows me, He loves me" and God reminded me that He knows me (the heat hating me) and He loves me.  I was glad I was wearing sunglasses because the awesomeness of His love for this wimpy servant overwhelmed me and the tears started to flow.

Karla sat next to me (on the ground) during the slap it game, I needed a lot of help understanding the premise and she was happy to help.  Later we made crafts together during freetime and played a mean game of Foosball, she was no longer stand offish, she and I were friends and I was blessed because of it.   

Today would be my last day at the ROP VBS, and while I am happy to have made it, tonight I feel I have a hole in my heart for I will miss these precious kids.  (Karla, Esperanza, LaLa, Carol, Hector, Luis, Victor, Donovan, Angel, Xemenia, Angela, Jemily, Alex, Gabby, Jonathan, Delaney, Armando, Joshua, Leonel, Sebastian, Alexis, Jose, Jesus, Jasmine, Ruben...  I wish I could remember all their names because they are all worth mentioning).

It's true this would not be my first choice for volunteer ministry but I will never regret it.  I was blessed to be a part and you would be blessed too!!

http://www.restorationoutreachprograms.org/

Your donations can help make a difference in the lives of these kids!

Simply Random #3

I  realize this is not a technically great picture, portrait lenses don't really lend themselves to "Space" photography, but even though the picture is not great the creation

and  more importantly The Creator are amazing.

I was just sitting on the couch watching a DVR'ed episode of So You Think You Can Dance, when an orange glow out our family room window caught my attention .  I would image it's the smoke in the air that caused this somewhat "eerie" effect but isn't it... 

 I have tried several different words but I can't find one that fits. 

Needless to say, it was one of those simply random moments when beauty of God's creation shouted

 "Cija!!  Look!!"  I have but one word in response... "Bravo...  Bravo!!"

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalms 19:1

Wedding Photography in Castle Rock, Colorado

 Help me... I'm melting...  I am very sad to report the our AC is currently not working.

The guy that came yesterday was very nice but said we had to order a part, boo!!!  But he was confident that it would arrive the next day and zip boom bah they will replace it and we would be good to go.

 So the girls and I sat around the house today waiting on the UPS guy so we could call right away to get the AC guy back over.  3:30 the part showed up, to be honest I thought there was no way they would make it back today, but there was tomorrow.  I could make it through one more day.

 Unfortunately, Miss Customer Service did not share the technician's cheery disposition or willingness to help.  She was nice right up until I mentioned that we were hoping they could come out tomorrow.  Then turned into Monster Customer "Service" lady with a great big nasty tone and two helpings of condescension. 

 So, it looks like we will be sweatin' it out until next Tuesday.  Which makes me very sad.  The thermostat on the cool side of the house says it's 84 degrees, I shudder to think what it is upstairs!! 

If I wasn't afraid of creepy crawlies I'd be sleepin' in the basement.  Yes, I know that many of you do not have AC all summer long but I am not that girl.  Think back to my profile "I love everything fall and winter"  translation "I love everything cool and colder!!"

 Okay... moving on.

 This lovely couple is Samantha and Dillon.  They were recently married at the Courthouse, honeymooned in Hawaii and then had a reception here in Colorado.  Last night we set out to get some pictures.  Today they are packing up and heading out to Georgia where Dillon is currently stationed in the Army.

  Dillon just spent a year deployed to Afghanistan and hopes to be State side for at least the same amount of time.  Just think of all the yummy peach cobbler in their future with cold ice cream on top.  They could just take the ice cream carton and roll it over their face to cool off!!  Ah that sounds nice...  oh sorry, the heat is getting to me again!

 We had a lot of fun on this shoot, it's always fun to photograph couples.

I wish them both my very best.  May Lord bless them and keep them in His loving care.

Well, it's time to get ready for dance, then I think we spend the rest of the evening at the pool, the girls outta like that.  Oh...  maybe well even pick up Subway or something and make a picnic out of it!

Until next time! Cija

http://www.3wishesphotography.com/

Family Photography in Littleton, Colorado

 So they tell me that it's going to get to 90 degrees today...  I am having a hard time believing it.  The girls have been begging to go to the pool, I needed to be home bt. Noon and 5:00 for the AC guy, so that meant we would have to go this morning.  64 degrees and there we were hanging out at the pool.  I wish I would have had my camera to snap a quick picture of the life guard, he was huddled up in a ball, with long sweat pants and a hoodie (hood in place)!

 This beautiful young lady is Avery, I just love this sweet picture of her,

she's fit right in with all those lovely flowers.

 This is the rest of Avery's family.  Adelyn, Paul, Heather and Aiden (hope I spelt all the names right).  I met Heather and the girls 3 years ago, Avery and my girls were in the same dance class.  Since then I have had the privilege of photographing their family on three different occasions.

 This black and white of the kids takes "my fave of the day", I absolutely love it!!!  So much so, I want to go recreate it with my girls, make it into a huge canvas and put it in my family room. 

(Snicker...)

 Sweet Sisters

 This is another fave of mine... the girls are all ready to have their picture taken

 and Aiden is busy looking for fish!!

 Miss Adelyn is starting Kindergarten in the fall.

 Okay, another fave... I just love the sweetness between Avery and her mom. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Well, that wraps up this sneak peek.  If the AC guy ever shows up, we hope to head back to the pool before my "engagement shoot" (well technically they are already married), this evening.

Until next time. Cija

http://www.3wishesphotography.com/