photo shoot ~ a preview of whitney and chancy's engagement session

I don't have the time at the moment to write about this shoot and this couple.  But i just wanted to share a few magical moments from my engagement shoot this past Sunday.  This is Whitney and Chancy.  I will post more about them and our session at the Wildlife Refuge soon.  For now, I just wanted to show you and them a few of my initial favorites.

I promise, more coming soon!

~abi~

p.s.  These photos remind me of this post.  Do you believe in magic??  {I kinda do.} :)

photo shoot ~ nehemiah's one year old birthday party

Here is another fun little one year old birthday party I was able to shoot recently.  I just love this sweet family, and I enjoyed being there for Nehemiah's fun Lego-themed party!  Hope these photos help start your week off right by bringing a smile to your face...

I loved the cute block cakes that Nehemiah's mommy, Jessica, created.

So sweet!  Here's Nehemiah's big brother, Noah, having some fun and getting some love. :)

Always love seeing this little guy, who I've known literally since his birth! :)

This child was obviously a girl after my own heart, with her sparkly shoes and her OKC Thunder shirt! :)

The party ended with a scrub down in the bath tub for Nehemiah.  So cute!

Nehemiah and fam~
I enjoyed being at the party!  You guys are so fun.  Thanks! 

~abi~

p.s.  Look how much Nehemiah has grown in a year: see his newborn photos here. 

are you happy?

The other day, I listened to this podcast by Christine Caine.  In it, she talks about overcoming a really difficult past.  The interviewer, Bianca, asks her if she ever gets sad, and Christine answers that of course she does.  But then she talks about choosing to be happy, just deciding that you will be. 

 

{from here via here}

I know that sometimes terrible things happen.  Things that break your heart and make you sad.  I'm not saying you should never be sad or express grief.  I'm just pleading the case for happiness.

 

{from here}

Maybe it means smiling when you don't feel like it.  Maybe it means doing something for someone else.  Maybe it means a day of thanking God instead of asking Him for anything. 

How do you choose happiness??

~abi~

what calling will you choose??

This is my friend Wendi.  She loves God and is using her talents for Him.  Last night, she delivered a spoken word at a worship night at my church.  Just wanted to share it with you all. 

prayers, please

Today, I'd just like to ask you to stop for a moment and say a prayer for my friend Cassie's family. 

Cassie's uncle, Scooter, was flying to Norman, OK, from Texas last night when his plane crashed.  He and his assistant, Amy, were found in the wreckage today.  Neither of them survived.  He had two teenagers and she had three young boys.  My heart is hurting so much for their friends and families.  I didn't know Amy, but I'd met Scooter several times. Cassie is one of my closest and best friends, so I know her family well.  Please just ask God to surround them with comfort during this difficult time. 

a random week of my life, in photos

I didn't do a single blog post last week, so I thought I'd do a little photo round up of my week from Friday, February 10th through Friday, February 17th.  Except I didn't actually take any photos on the 17th, oops.  But you get the idea...

Friday evening, February 10th, started off with some cool girls at Tucker's Onion Burgers, one of my fave places to eat in OKC. :)

Then we headed over to The Plaza District for a little browsing at Live On The Plaza, where I saw a couple of things that piqued my interest...

{at Collected Thread}

{at DNA Galleries}

Then I met up with my sweet friend Kim and others to celebrate her birthday with some bowling!  So fun!

Saturday night equaled more birthday celebrating, this time with and for my fab friend Meg!

Sunday morning, I had the privilege of photographing some special baptisms at church...

Then it was time for yet another birthday celebration, this time for my awesome nephew Daxon! :)

Monday evening, I enjoyed watching my girl Summer play ball...

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, and it consisted of lunch with these fun girls...

...And chocolate covered strawberries, plus watching the Thunder game at my house with some cool girls.

Wednesday night was Big Switch at church, which is always a crazy fun time.

And in keeping with the theme of the week, we celebrated another birthday, for my lovely Shakari!

Thursday, I went to the eye doctor and left wearing contacts for the first time ever in all my thirty-one years.  Which means I can wear sunglasses again and still be able to see!  {But I'm not planning on retiring my actual glasses anytime soon.  I'm just a glasses-wearing girl.}

Thursday also consisted of an entire workday spent updating the software on my MacBook Pro.  A long process, for sure, but well worth it!  Here's to being current.  For now.  :)

I would also just like to mention the fact that I wore these cool boots {some of my faves}, not once, but twice, last week.  So I thought they deserved to be featured here, too...

And that's about it.  Overall, a really good week.  You might not guess it from these photos, but I learned a few big lessons from God throughout last week.  I am forever thankful to Him for this life He has blessed me with!

What about you guys??  Good week last week?  Bad?  Boring?  Exciting?  Tell me stuff! :)

~abi~

just for fun ~ me, as a high school senior

Let's look at one of my senior portraits...

Now, let's discuss.  {Because I'm so vain, I probably think this blog is about me...}

~hair
Okay, the first and most obvious thing we must talk about is The Hair.  Back then, I was known for my lonnnng hair, as opposed to the crazy colors I am known for now. :)  That was my 100% natural color, although I think it looks a little more red in this picture-of-a-picture than it ever actually was.

~lipstick
I was a fan of it then, still a fan of it today. :)

~teeth
I hadn't discovered teeth whitening yet.  I don't think anyone had.  Have you ever noticed how much more yellow people's teeth are in old movies than in current ones.  Random.

~accessories
Earrings, check.  Necklace, check.  Rings, check.  Watch worn on the inside of my wrist because I was cool like that, check.  What can I say?  I've always been an accessories girl.

~outfit
Denim on denim.  Hmm.  I know that's been a trend for the past couple of years, but I have never really worn denim with denim.  Unless maybe it was different shades.  Unlike here.  I don't even know why I did that for this pic.  Also, I have to note that in this pic, my tank top was dangerously low cut for my strict Baptist rules.  It would never have been allowed at the school I graduated from here in Oklahoma. But I had my senior pictures done in Iowa the summer before my senior year.  Smart girl. :)  Also, the bottom half of this outfit was an ankle length denim skirt, not jeans.  Jeans were definitely not allowed. 

~body
I just have to say this: as a teen, I never truly appreciated my body.  Then, all I could see was how my hips protruded too much and my thighs were too fat.  {Not that my thighs even mattered, since I wasn't allowed to wear pants, ever.  Skirts only!}  Now, all I can do is sigh in envy.  Please, teenage girls, appreciate your body instead of being unhappy about it!

Well, that was fun.  Now, on a completely unrelated note, I would like to let you all know that today I paid off an old credit card debt that I've had for years.  I'm excited!  Well, not excited that I had old debt to pay off {more like embarrassed}, but excited to have paid it!  In many ways, I feel like I haven't become much wiser than I was as a seventeen year old, when this picture was taken.  But maybe, just maybe, the work God has done and is doing in me is finally starting to turn me into an adult. :) 

Happy Friday, my lovely friends!  Tell me about your weekend plans.  Or your seventeen year old self.  Or some debt you've conquered.  :)

~abi~

fashion chatter ~ tree & leaf tee shirts

I don't really think of myself as a tee shirt girl, but I realized that in the last week, I have worn three tee shirts by the cool guys over at Tree & Leaf.

These are all just random Instagram pix, so you can't really see the shirts very well.  Here are the links, if you want to check them out:
~Vote Presti 2012 {Presti is the Thunder GM, in case you were wondering. :)}
~It Must Be The Beard {for my Beardfriend, James Harden}
~Well, there's not a link for the last one.  It has "OKC" on the front, with a crown over it.  And the back says "Next Is Now".  It's also a Thunder shirt, obviously.  :)

I seem to only wear tee shirts that are Thunder gear or musician/band shirts.  What about you?  Are you a big fan of tee shirts?  What kind do you mostly wear?  Do you own any Tree & Leaf shirts?  If not, you should check out their website, for sure.  Or better yet, stop by the store!

~abi~

monday morning praise

Psalm 66:
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me. 
17 For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke. 
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened. 
19 But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer. 
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

So often, my sentiments reflect the Psalmist's words.  I love the book of Psalms.  And oh, how I love my God.  He is so, so good to me.  

Happy Monday!


~abi~

rainy day 'do

I hardly ever wear my hair up.  It is, without a doubt, my security blanket.  But sometimes I don't feel like washing it, and some days it just doesn't look good down.  Today, it was struggling.  So, I twisted it up on top of my head and added a thick headband thingy. :)

Easy.  Fun.  Bright.  Happy.  Done.  :)

And here's a cute hair styling video from Promise Tangeman and The Girls With Glasses:



Happy rainy Friday, friends!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

~abi~

photo shoot ~ stella's 2 year old birthday party

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of taking some photos at the adorable Miss Stella's too cute two year old birthday party! :) 

Stella's super-creative mama, M'Lea, set up an awesome photo booth area. 

She also made lots of fun little props for people to pose with...

Or people could make their own props...

Here's the birthday girl with her family.  Aren't they cute??

M'Lea also made all the delicious and pretty food for the party, including the sweet cake...

Stella thoroughly enjoyed it! :)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I had my friend Kim snap a couple pix of me in the photo booth area, too! :)

I always enjoy photographing birthday parties.  How can you not enjoy a day where cake and presents and cute kiddos reign supreme??  Let me know if you want to book me for your child's party!

~abi~