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  • [Senior-ness]: Adam Murray

    I’ve known Adam for quite a few years. I’ve seen him:: play basketball [street and court], weedwhack better than most of the guys at work [except *maybe* his older brother], protect and love on his Mom and younger sister, reach out to friends and those around him, bring smiles and laughter to everyone, work on being a white-version-of-lecrae and desire and hunger after Jesus with his whole heart. 

    Adam loves Jesus, music [hence the headphones], basketball, friends and his family. I’ve been blessed by many conversations with Adam, most of them full of laughter and even tears of laughter [inside.jokes.]… but also full of deep discussion about life, Jesus and being real. Adam is genuinely fun and amazing. I am blessed to be his adopted-older-sister-kinda, fellow co-worker who smiles and friend. 

    His first Senior shoot [part two to come later] we did in downtown Broad Ripple… it was pretty epic hanging out in back alleys and finding awesome places to shoot… with flashes!!! 

    What do you think? Yes? No?
    Epic, maybe? Definitely all guy! ;)

    Meanwhile, apparently four weddings [in RAW] was too much for my still.nameless.mac to handle, it politely informed me I was in need of more space and needed to remove before I could add.I wonder if this is a subtile message about my life story at the moment. hehe. I think so. *grin*

    Tomorrow is work. Tomorrow night is editing.editing.packing.
    Thursday is work. Thursday night is editing.editing.packing.
    Friday is traveling up to Illinois to start my last wedding weekend of the year… unlesssomethingelsecomesup.

    Life is full, but not too crazy. I kinda like it this way. But I’m greatly looking forward to being a little more on top of things. But life is always an adventure with my Jesus!
    ‎
    “Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?” 
    “I call all times soon,” said Aslan. 

    -KM 

     

  • [Year.ago.today]:

    I arrived at Ellerslie.
    I began my set apart season of two and a half months with Jesus.

    wow.

    Its been a year, already! 

     

    I remember…

    • Arriving at Denver Airport, on about four hours of sleep, wondering what exactly I was getting into… 
    • Meeting up with the group and then being swarmed by Ellerslie people coming out of the van with cameras, smiles and lots of cheers…
    • Driving to Ellerslie and attempting to have four conversations at once with various people all crammed in the back of the 12 passenger van…
    • Registering. Making my bed. Unpacking… all with the incredible Colorado sunshine streaming in the bedroom while I looked out at the Lake. 
    • Nervously waiting with all the girls for our banquet the first night… then being escorted to the table by the guys and crying during the incredible evening. 
    • When our guys prayed for all the girls for the first time… standing in the gap for their sister’s in Jesus. 
    • The first three weeks of Ellerslie and the incredible breakthroughs and Jesus working.
    • Being baptized… claiming Jesus’ death as mine and reckoning truth in my heart. 
    • The overwhelming joy of just loving Him and the building of my faith so that I was willing to go wherever, do anything and live a life of reckless abandon for my Jesus. 
    • When Jesus asked me to start being a morning person.
    • Battling my flesh and learning to live in the Spirit.
    • Walks to the post office and grocery store. 
    • Falling down and Jesus picking me up again. 
    • So many amazing conversations with my Ellerslie family.
    • Falling in love with Colorado and especially the sunsets over the lake. 
    • When Eric told me I had been chosen as the female class speaker for graduation. 
    • How Jesus didn’t give me what to speak until an hour before graduation. 
    • Feeling called to remain and study/intern for the next year at Ellerslie. 
    • When Jesus clearly called me to stay in Indiana. 

    Its been a year since Ellerslie. 
    So much has happened. So much has changed. So much more of Jesus to be had!

    Ohhh, yes. Its been amazing. Its been hard. Its been REALLY hard. Battles are not easy…. but the victory is won in Jesus. 
    Wow. How I love Him. How I would do it all over again. I am so so thankful for my set-apart season away from home and my life in Indiana.
    Its good to remember. It’s even better to look forward and anticipate all Jesus can, will and desires to do in and through me!

    ‎”Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?” 
    “I call all times soon,” said Aslan

    -KM 

  • [Babyness]: Selena – Six Months

    Yesterday was my half birthday. It was also Miss Selena’s as well. 
    This morning we celebrated by going on her first apple picking outing… and also to take her six month pictures! It has been such a joy to watch her grow and change so much since April! What a darling little girl is she. Two teeth now and smiley too! Robin had her dressed up in her red Christmas dress which probably won’t fit her at Christmas time… hehe. It was a simply gorgeous morning. Delightful! 

    And now I am sitting at Chick-fil-a… basking in the wonderfulness of free wi-fi as I blog and catch up on coorespondance before I head out for my first Senior Session of the fall tonight. Yes, I have five shoots in the next week. Tomorrow a wedding, Tuesday a family shoot and next weekend my last out of town wedding for this year.

    This week has been a week of breakthroughs… yesterday I was suddenly overwhelmed by all the breakthroughs, opened doors and possibilities my Jesus has done for me this week… I wanted to cry with joy! [Phil 4:19, Isaiah 1:19, Micah 7:7] There will be a blog post on that eventually, its all in my head, pictures included… now to actually make it a reality. hehe. Lots of just little things and lots of other big things. But mostly, just my Jesus revealing more of Himself to me. My heart is so full of Him.. and I want MORE. Oh, I want more!

    “I have found there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” – Hudson Taylor

    -KM

     

  • [Today I am]:

     

    Desiring Child-like-ness…

    Living in Faith. Loving fully. Freely Trusting. Anticipating in hope. Resting in Jesus. 


    …because He is all I need. 

    “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7

     

  • [Love Stories]: Erica and Chad

    Erica and I met at Ellerslie last fall. During our two and a half months in Colorado, we enjoyed many delightful heart-to-heart conversations and of course an overall life changing experience through our time with Jesus. While Erica was in Colorado, she had told us about her guy… Chad. Waiting for her back in Wisconsin. Of course I was delighted to hear news of their engagement not long after our return home from Colorado. I was even more delighted when Erica emailed me asking if I would consider being their wedding photographer!!!

    Um… YES!
    Destination wedding… Wisconsin, the furthest I had traveled for a photography job, yet!
    The morning of the wedding, as I was driving to the church, the sky was fullllll of dark dreary clouds, rain and even lightning at some times. I was praying: “Jesus, please hold back the rain!!” All the posed photos were scheduled to take place outside with no backup plan. Well, sometimes, Jesus likes to make life a little more adventurous. This included rain, photographs, golf umbrellas, wet fields and lots of laughs, smiles and comments: “We aren’t going to forget this for a long time!” hehe. 
    Chad loves Jesus. 
    Erica loves Jesus.
    Chad loves to worship. 
    Erica loves to worship.
    Chad loves Erica so much.
    Erica totally trusts him.

    Chad makes Erica laugh. 
    Erica makes Chad smile. 
    They are best friends.
    I loved being a part of their wedding. You could completely feel the love, joy and support of their friends and family through their smiles, tears, cheers and laughter. They were soooooo happy for both of them. It was a long awaited day… one that had been prayed for, longed for and Jesus fully answered so many prayers and heart’s desires. 
    He is the perfect Love Story Author. 

    “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice up to Him.” – Jim Elliot

    -KM

     

  • [Maybe Monday]:

    I’m home. 
    I’m home and thankful.
    I’m home and can hardly believe how fast time goes by.
    I’m home and wondering about a lot of things… praying for lots of things. 
     

    Today has been a true Monday…
    A true Monday! Full of: homework [yeah, its been a l-o-n-g time since I've had home work to do!! ahh.], class this morning, laundry, unpacking, deep.fall.cleaning, cleaning out closet, paperwork, emails, etc. Tomorrow will be more on the photography side of the list-of-things-to-do… editing, editing, editing, wedding album designing, paperwork, cleaning equipment, etc. I suppose it is quite accurate to say that a photographer is always on her toes. 

    Some exciting news is that today I ordered my dream Kelly Moore camera bag:: Tada!!! 

    I’ve been wanting to buy a bigger and better camera bag for a while, but didn’t have a true reason to justify buying it until now since i have more equipment with flashes and things after the amazingly.challening.overwhelming.and.great Portraiture and Lighting class last week. So yeah!!! I am very thankful Jesus has provided… pretty much everything I have made via photography this year goes right back into photography. My Jesus provides abundantly. I have every reason to be grateful… oh, how wonderful He is.

    So it is back to life after an almost two week adventure in Colorado. 
    I am so glad to be back home… my heart is here, it is where I belong and where Jesus has called me to be. Oh, how I long to live everything to the fullest, right where He places me. Holding nothing back, desiring to see Jesus glorified in and through me. It isn’t easy, but my heart’s desire is to see Jesus made much of through me… less of Kristi, more of Jesus!

    “‘It is not thy hold on Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ, though that be the instrument; it is Christ’s blood and merit.” -Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

    Be on the lookout for wedding post soon…
    -KM 

  • [Favorite Friday]:

    Yes, I am still in Colorado… today is our last day of class.
    However, you are still getting a Favorite Friday!

    Happiness is Sharpies!

    I love Sharpies. Love muchly. Thick sharpies, think sharpies, black sharpies, colored sharpies, silver sharpies… 
    They are permanent and I like that. When I write with sharpies, I feel like I am writing something that will last forever [I know it won't... just saying] and is therefore inspiring and happy. I love the way they write and feel in my hand. The thin colored Sharpies I have with me almost always… there is something about color, lots of colors, choices and being able to make something simple beautiful and bright with an array of colored pens!! And yeah, I even have a darling little Hedgehog named Rochester [he's.adorable.] who is the keeper of the Sharpies. *grin*

    We had our Studio Final on Wednesday night… it was more of a PhotoBooth Style, and we got to get wayyyyy creative and this shot was my favorite of the entire shoot [although we used Rochester for some too and they are also epic... so its debatable]. because it was shot I actually conceptualized in my head and was actually able to create the image exactly how I pictured it. Happppiinnesssss! Thank you, Jesus! *smiles*

     

     I’m off to go write with some Sharpies… 
    Final Critique is done. Final Project completed.
    Tomorrow, I will be back in my beloved Indiana.

    ‎”And it shall come to pass, that before you call, Kristi, I will answer; and while you are yet speaking, I will hear…” – Isaiah 65:24 

    -KM
     

  • [Colorado Update]:


    [Photo Credit to the lovely Anntonette, my studio partner.]

    I am alive. 
    I am mostly well.
    I am in Colorado.
    I am missing Indiana (yeah….).

    I thought you may like to see what we are up to! Lots.and.lots.and.lots of portraits! It’s been a crazy week so far… near to tears at points, but how faithful and kind Jesus is. Still two more days to go…. but it has been a huge amazing faith boost to watch Him guide on step at a time and to trust for each moment, each picture, each flash setting… so much to learn, so much in my head. And one day, it will hopefully make sense. *grin*

    Tonight was our “final” for Studio Portraits. 
    Tomorrow is our “final” for Outdoor Portraits… with “real” clients. [ahhhh.]
    That means its bed time [and for those who are paying attention to the time, it is a two our difference from IN to CO. Its only 10:54pm here]. *grin*

    “God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had not difficulties to overcome.
    What matter is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.    “ - C.S. Lewis

    -KM 

     

  • [Today I need]:

     

    to be filled.
    …with more and more and more of Jesus.  


    It is not thy hold on Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ, though that be the instrument; it is Christ’s blood and merit. –Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

     

  • [Self Portrait Saturday]:


    [Today's SP is brought to you by MacPhotoBooth... kinda cheating, I know]

    I am currently editing pictures at Starbucks [near Ellerslie] and drinking… coffee!!
    [Only some of you will understand the significance of this moment...] for the rest of you, its significant. Believe me.
    I think it has something to do with the changing of the times…

    But for the record… it is simply NOTHING like the amazingness it is apparently supposed to be.

    It was thick and full of caffeine [i.started.shaking.in.minutes. hehe] but I think I will stick to lemonade and apple cider for my fun drinks! It was worth the try. 

    ‎”Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” -Osward Chambers