One for the books

I am blessed to have amazing women in my family to look up to. Aunts, cousins, sisters-in-law, my Mom, and Grandmas... Such a legacy to carry on! My Grandma Shirley (our matriarch of music, as I like to call her!) keeps upping the ante with her accomplishments. Just to name a few of her attributes: She is known as a talented musician (even being accepted into a Juliard program in her youth), played the organ at our church for over 60 years before retiring, published a book of her arrangements of hymns for piano, and now has written a book!

Lost in Oklahoma by Shirley Moore

She had a book signing Saturday and I asked her how it was going. In true "Shirleyism" fashion she said it was "torturous" being in the limelight. LOL Always one to like serving in the background, like behind a sheet of music, she braved the "whole ordeal" quite nicely.

Keep those surprised coming Grandma! I'm sure you have a few more things up your sleeves.

The Bowling Boys

Meet the Bowling boys. Oh how I love these boys! They hold such a special place in my heart! The oldest, Jess was the first to call me Aunt "Ningling". I mean, how cute is that??

Jess and Jack's mom is my best friend but is more like family than a mere friend so when Mother's Day was getting close I knew I had to do something special for her. Enter the crazy shenanigans :-)

I contacted the boys' Nana to get our photo shoot off the ground- this was going to be the best kept secret photo session ever! Thankfully I was able to conspire with the boys' Dad, too so between the two of them our secret session was set! 

A week before Mother's Day we managed to sneak out after church and take some fantastic shots. 

This is Jack. Jack is adventurous, courageous and those soulful brown eyes sparkle with mischief. When he turns those eyes on you, you're a gonner!

This is Jess. He's the inventor of the Aunt "Ningling" title. Don't ask me where he got it- cute toddler talk needs no explanation! He certainly isn't a toddler anymore and this young man just pulls at my heartstrings! Jess has a sweetness to him that I hope he never loses. His smile is killer and I rarely see him without it. I know this smart young man is going to continue to be awesome at life!

One of my favorite pics of the day is when Nana got in on the action! Can you tell she loves them? Can ya? :-)

This family is precious to me and I'm glad I was able to capture these sweet boys at this time in their lives. Life has flown by so quickly! I rarely hear Jess or Jack call me Aunt Ningling anymore but I hope they always know how much I love them and their family! 

By the way, the secret photos were a success! 

Valeria

I met the most amazing eight year old the other day; her name is Valeria.

Isn't that a beautiful name? Valeria's mom, Yara, contacted me a few weeks back and wanted to surprise her with a photoshoot- what a way to end spring break! New glasses and a killer outfit made our time together fun and fashionable!

This gal knows how to work a pose. With very little direction from me, she gave sass in one pose shortly followed by sweetness. The perfect combination for an eight year old :-) 

Valeria was such a trooper rocking that cute skirt!

After enjoying a week full of seventy degree weather, March roared to life with a blustery fifty degree Sunday afternoon! I had this poor girl sitting on cold concrete but you wouldn't know she was uncomfortable by the sweet smiles she gave.

What a beautiful girl! Yara, you're doing a great job with Valeria and I'm so glad I was able to be part of her surprise!

She is clothed with strength and dignity

Proverbs 31. Have you read it? Verses ten through thirty-one describe my Mom. I am blessed to have a mother that embodies what a woman of faith looks like. 

For those of you that don't know, my Mom LIVES her faith. Her faith has been on display for as long as I can remember but it was really tested a little over three years ago. 

Cancer. That horrible word that haunts so many families visited our family in the fall of 2012. I hate that word. The fear it can strike in the heart and mind. Just one word. One evil word. It has destroyed so many families and no matter how common it is, it still hits you in the gut when it affects your loved ones. You know what though? God is good. He's good through the high points in our lives and He's most certainly good in the lowest parts of our lives. After surviving the first bout of cancer, a surgery, a reoccurrence, chemo, and radiation, Mom's faith grew stronger and has been an inspiration to so many. Adios cancer! Through it all, even the worst days, she praised God. PRAISED Him! It's easy to praise God when things are going well in life but to be joyful in your trials? Her mantra, "It's all about the relationship" has been lived out in so many ways. In those hardest days of fighting, she relied on her relationship with Jesus. If you'd like to hear about her journey firsthand, you can read about it on her blog Jacque's Journey. 

Mom and Dad at Ark City's Relay for Life

I count myself so blessed to have a mom who has shown me how to live out my faith. She is truly my best friend! Throughout her experience, her testimony has  encouraged others to make their relationship with Christ number one. Building that relationship makes every trial worth it! The joy of the Lord has certainly been our strength and I continue to praise Him during and after the trials of life. 

This beautiful woman has been a blessing to so many people and continues to grow her relationship with Jesus through prayer. I can confidently tell you that if she says she is praying for you, you are being COVERED! Another of my favorite things about Mom is her ability to encourage people- those of you who are friends with her on Facebook know this to be true! Between her funny Dr. Shirley posts and cat posts, she'll have you rolling!

Mom with Max

Suki wasn't so cooperative

I hope after reading this you have at least a hint of an idea of who this amazing woman is. I know I'm a little partial, but if you know her, you know everything I've said about her is absolute truth! 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  

Proverbs 31:25 

Love you most.

Love & Music: Austin and Emily

I've known Emily since she was born so it's hard to believe she's a freshman in college now! I mean, how can she be in college if I haven't gotten any older? Anyone? Hello?...  Ahem. Well this beautiful young lady was kind enough to let me photograph her and she brought along her awesome boyfriend, Austin! 

Austin, Emily, and I chose I believe one of the coldest days in December to take photos but Austin kept us laughing so much that we stayed warm!

Emily has such a special place in my heart. I remember babysitting her when she was little. Such a sweet and beautiful little girl has grown into a wonderfully talented and godly young women. Her smile is infectious!

It's no wonder Austin fell for her <3

While I've known Emily all of her life, I just met Austin this year. Both Austin and Emily are music majors and I'm one of their instructors. I've watched as their relationship began! As a musician, Austin has such a gift! I mean, aside from his ability to make people laugh (you should see the snapchats I get!) he can make people melt with his voice.

It's been fun to witness the growth of Austin and Emily's relationship from friendship to much more! They compliment each other so well!

I'm excited to see what the future holds for these two as they continue to pursue their degree. Austin and Emily,  I know God will continue to bless you and I'm glad I get to be a witness!