Hello friends :) Happy Monday! Normally, I wouldn't put happy and Monday in the same sentence. And even if you would've asked me this morning, or this afternoon, I probably would've said crappy Monday instead of happy.
Justin and I got to get away for the weekend. We BOTH had the weekend off (whaaaa??) That never happens. I *try* to take one Saturday off a month. Hardly happens, but hey. But even worse now is that Justin only gets one Saturday off a month right now. Getting those two to line up when mine are booked months in advance is going to be extremely rare. God must've known that we needed some quality time. I'm so thankful we got to take a short trip. Had some points for a couple free nights on a hotel so hey, it worked out wonderfully there too!
We left Friday night and got to the hotel and crashed. The next morning was a full day of shopping! It was so fun. We had pretzels from Auntie Anne's for lunch because we were planning to have a large supper. I found so many great deals on clothes (yeah, I know, I don't need anymore. BUT I cleaned out my closet and have about 3 huge trash bags to get rid of!) I got a black dress for $4.99, and one store I went in had buy one get one free clearance. This girl just couldn't resist. That night we got to go to a Japanese Steakhouse. My favorite! We had so much food left over but it was an awesome time. The next morning was a little more shopping, breakfast at IHOP (amazing!) and a quick stop at QT for our favorite frozen drinks for the way home :) Great trip and amazing quality time with my hubby--just what we needed! Here's a few pics....
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| My clothing haul from the weekend! |
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| Oh, and I think Max had a great time on his vacation :) Spoiled much? |
Anyway, everyone knows that Mondays aren't fun anyway, but they're especially not fun when you had a great getaway weekend and don't want to come back because there's twice as much to do then before you left. I got pretty much caught up before I left, but Mondays are my busiest days as it is and there was tons to catch up on. I get stressed out so easily in general and think that everything has to be done right away. I put way too much pressure on myself. Today I had three sessions and the first one was at 8am in Milan. It's an hour drive for me now to Milan, but I at least got to stop and say hello to my grandma, grandpa and dad on my way back through before I had to come home and place orders and get to my next session. I was pooped and had a bad attitude about today. I woke up just completely worrying about stupid little things and how much there was to get done. I felt defeated, and let Satan make me think that I wasn't worth it and my job didn't make a difference or wasn't meaningful. I just woke up with the attitude that today was going to be a bad day, and with that mindset, it was. I had a great time on all of my shoots and was friendly and cheerful, I just love doing my job and seeing smiles and interacting my clients, etc. I am able to put everything that is on my mind right then behind me and focus on what I'm doing. I'm thankful that I'm able to do that. (Random SQUIRREL moment, it was HOTTTTT today!) Anyway, I got to my last session and it was someone that I've known for most of my life and have photographed her kids pretty much since I've started. God meant for me to have this session tonight. I just LOVE getting to watch people's children grow up and capture that stage of their life that they'll never get back. Capturing a moment in time, capturing the personality. Which boy, these girls are always filled with fun personalities :) I get to catch up with people, meet new people, watch their babies grow up and feel like I'm a part of their life. I seriously love that. Anyway, this was my last session of the evening and I was sweaty, hot and tired. At the end of the session, this person gave me a card. It was taped shut so I didn't read it until I left, but it almost put me to tears and was instantly humbling to me. The jist of the thank you card was that she was thanking me for being a blessing to so many people. How they enjoy my blog and are thankful for all of the memories I've captured for them and the many more that I still will. It also included a Starbucks gift card--the instant way to my heart :) lol. I just can't believe how much more of the God-send that could've been. With a day that I was feeling completely defeated and questioning my purpose once again, HE is faithful and HE brings just the right things into our lives to encourage us. It was just what I needed. So, with that story here's my words of wisdom for the day and for whatever it's worth. YOU have a purpose and YOU are making a difference in someone's life. Whether someone points that out to you or is silent about it, just know that you have a purpose. And on the other end of the spectrum, encourage people. This tonight is just what I needed and if she hadn't of written it, I would still be thinking about my purpose. Her few words fueled the fire in my to become more of an encouraging person. Keep the chain going, we all need encouragement. God has a plan for all of us!
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
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