Wordless Wednesday

My friend Erin lost her dad when she was a little girl. So, on her wedding day, she danced with her mom. When I took this photo, I couldn't help but notice the light right above Erin as she danced. I think her dad was dancing right along with her.

Summer Flashback: Ginger's Shower

Summer is almost over, and although I'm not incredibly excited about it, it's time to get ready for fall. This summer has been full--fuller than I would have ever expected--of highs and lows, some sadness as well as great great joy. I'm hoping to spend these last few days of vacation reflecting on the events of this summer, and the many ways in which my life has been blessed in such a short period of time.

First up is this sweet couple. Josh and Ginger's lives changed this summer when baby Julianne entered the world. These two are in our small group from church, and the ladies in the group could hardly wait to throw Ginger a shower.

My friend Tina hosted the shower at her house, and we all pitched in to provide the menu and decorations. Of course my favorite chalkboard made an appearance.

We chose aqua, gray, orange and coral for the color scheme. We used vintage sheets for the table cloth and bunting, tissue paper poms, and paint chips (as well as some fun glitter paper) for a mini bunting banner, inspired by this one.


The menu included fresh fruit, Trophy cupcakes, quiche, bread and butter.

The butter was no ordinary butter, though. Tessa made her special strawberry and sun-dried tomato butters. They were a hit.

We also put up photos of Ginger around the house, and sipped on San Pellegrino, Ginger's favorite fizzy drink.




Ginger has a lot of friends, and a few with little ones of their own, or on the way.


We couldn't get enough of these matching baby bumps. So, we made them take a ton of pictures together in our photo booth, that was set up in the corner.

These are only a few of the photos that were taken in the booth. :) The black frame is from Ikea, and the rest of the props were gathered from our houses (or made by Paige).






I had taken a bunch of pictures of Ginger and Josh one night at a BBQ, and we compiled them into a book for the guests to sign. We didn't play any games, but had each guest write their address on a thank you note envelope, which would be ready for Ginger to send out after writing thank you's (I got this idea from Katie and Jenny and use it at every shower now!) Ginger drew two envelopes from the stack and each winner got to pick out a nail polish (I don't have photos of them here but the color names were sugar daddy and bahama mama. Get it?) :)

We also decorated onesies, and I think they turned out pretty cute.





For favors, guests took home ginger flavored treats--ginger honey, made by Tessa, and ginger snaps. Paige spray painted the lids of the jars with chalkboard paint so they can be used again!


It's been over two months since this shower, and the best part is that little Julianne Noelle is here, sweet, petite, and cute as a button.

Congratulations Bouma family. We all love you so much!

Wordless Wednesday

Joining my friends (here and here) for a Wordless Wednesday. These are from Robin's shower last Sunday.

Inspiring

Sometimes I think, if I were to start over with my career, I would learn to be a wedding photographer. Kirk Mastin is one of my favorites, and this behind the scenes video is inspirational.

Mastin Studio from Mastin Studio on Vimeo.

10 on 10: August

So many great sets this month--find them here.

Miracles

On July 16th a few good friends and I hosted a baby shower for our dear friend, Susan. My house was so full of people that I had to use the theme (a French picnic) as an excuse for why many guests had to sit on the floor. It was so apparent that day that Susan is so loved. I had bought this print for Susan, not just to show her how much we love her, but also because it seemed like the perfect message to send to her future child. Susan and her husband, Stephen, had been waiting for months to adopt a baby girl, and she was due to be born any day. That little baby was bound to be so very loved.

Stephen and Susan had gone through a lot in the adoption process--ups and downs, worry, excitement, fear, and finally relief. When Abigail came, we passed her around, cuddled her, and marveled at her pretty black hair. Abigail means "father's joy" but the smiles on both of her parents faces were so big--it was one of those moments you want to pause forever.

Then, just a few days later, Abigail was admitted to Children's Hospital with a virus that threatened to complicate multiple functions and organs, including her lungs, heart, and kidneys. It's been over 10 days, and while Abigail's body has been fighting, she continues to need critical life-saving care...and lots of prayer.

In fact, Abigail needs a miracle. Please pray for her, and her family today.

I've been learning how hard it can be to pray for miracles. It's hard because doubt, fear, and frustration creep in so easily, and their noise distracts us from our conversation with God. But at the same time, I really think that all God wants from us is our trust when we pray. He can and does perform miracles. So today I'm going to fill my prayers for this family with hope and faith, knowing that even when some things seem impossible, God says that with him, all things are possible.