Cherry Blossom Festival

Today we went downtown to the cherry blossom festival where there were several unique items for sale. I had the joy of "shopping" with my mom and her friend for the afternoon. I mainly took pictures of anything unusual that I could find. There were tons of neat things to look at!

The most photographed dog of the day... sad thing is...it isn't a female dog. :) poor guy

This fish which is one of many shapes, sized and colors is made out of a water bottle. It was painted on the inside of the bottle. Very creative!

There were endless amounts of jewelry. Most of them handcrafted.

Ok, these are so cool! Inside this glass bottle is a hanging candle. When you light the candle, it becomes a lantern. It can be for indoor or outdoor use. We got one for our front porch. I thought they were so pretty!

The guy that made these signs himself had about 100 signs hanging all over.

I'm not quite sure what KUROBE means, but they were hanging on several of the trees and i thought it looked festive.
Wonderful weather, beautiful sky, a pink town and my camera all making for a perfect day!!

Hello Little Fellow

Is he not the cutest?? I saw him one day on my front porch, so my first thought was (as usual) to run and get my camera... or in this case tip-toe in caution not to scare him away. Luckily he was there when I got back. He sat there 'posing' for about 5mintues and did a pretty good job! Then he got bored to go to something else. I was glad to have spotted him before he left :)

Things to Look Forward to

I am so excited! I have some great opportunities to take some picture this weekend! I can't wait! I just love capturing the beauty of the world! I will try to post some picture if I get some good ones. There are often times when I realize that I need more practice. We will see how it goes! Thank goodness for warm weather! It gets me even more excited for SUMMER!

Hurt People, Hurt Other People...

People who are hurting inside have been hurt either spiritually, physically, or both. People have said some things to me that maybe hurt my feeling just a little, but compared to the way they are hurting inside it is nothing. It appears that, the people who are missing something in their lives, or have been hurt in a monumental way, have a hurt that never goes away. After they experience this huge hurt they NEVER want to be hurt again. To prevent themselves from getting hurt again, they hurt others. Maybe they are bitter and want someone else to feel the same way, or it just feels better to tear others down. My heart goes out to the people who are rude, harsh, judging, "always right", a "know it all" etc... They just need to be loved. The bitter people are the ones that need the most love.
If I ever experience a hurt in my life, it encourages me to know that whatever I go through, Jesus has gone through the same things. Everyone goes through hurt in their life, and everyone needs someone to love them. Rather than me being bitter through my hurts, I will help others through their hurts too, and look for ways to help them. Because the truth is... Hurt people, hurt other people. I need to love them through their hurt, and be aware that they are going through a hard time. I need to think about how I can help them.

Lucy Bug Kross

Don't let her angelic brown eyes, and cold sweet puppy nose deceive you. Lucy is capable of things beyond our imagination. Inside that adorable head of hers is a manipulative mind, full of schemes and tricks that can drive a person MAD! Only joking... I hope!
This four-year-old little fur ball of energy is what enlightens my rough days, makes me laugh and smile, and licks all my tears away. Although she doesn't know what the word 'no' means, or how to 'sit' on command, Lucy brings more joy into our family. We love taking her on family hikes and walks along with our other Jack Russel Terrier, Jack. You should see the two of them in action! Pulling on the leash as if it were a game of tug-of-war, racing to the ball, and fighting for the most attention, or 'love pats'. We love our dogs!
A few summers ago, sometime around my birthday, we decided that eleven-year-old, Jack needed a companion. He had no idea what was coming his way, and he had no way of preparing for this huge change in his life. Lucy keeps Jack young. We got tiny little Lou at a kennel a few hours away. Immediately I knew that she was the right puppy! I spent the rest of my 'relaxing' summer training, feeding, and taking out this very needy dog (puppies are like a newborn baby)
Anyways, Lucy Bug Kross got her name for an obvious reason. She always ate bugs! Every bug that she could lay an eye on became her snack, even though we fed her well. We always joked that if she ever were to get lost, she would survive on bug protein. :) After all the consumed bugs, I am still trying to figure out how she has never gotten sick???
I love every part of Lucy! Her bug eating-problem, her cute brown nose, her baby soft ears, and her ever amazing ability to always bring a smile to your face. Lucy has greatly contributed to the many joys in my life. I am so happy to call her my puppy! :)

My Realization

The average person spends around 10 hours watching TV in a week, and about 10 minutes talking to God. I thought about that, and remembered that the Lord has done so much for me. He came to this earth poor so that I could be rich. He suffered so I didn't have to. He loves me in spite of all my many sins, His love is unconditional. I could go on and on, listing the things that He has done and sacrificed for me. After all these things, I would still watch TV over spending time to talk, praise and thank the Lord. I find that when I do spend more time in His word, I end up much happier that I would watching American Idol to find that my favorite singer had been reluctantly booted off the show. If He has sacrificed so much for me, and done so much then the least I can do is spend more time with Him. Because of this realization, I am deciding to dedicate more of my time with my Father, learning more about His flawless life, and how I can become more like Him.

My Freckle Faced Freind Part 3... Flowers

I absolutely love flowers! I was thrilled to find so many unique flowers on our photography excursion at this time of year. I think I especially love the colors in the first picture. I like all the different shades of pink, and the way they all look great together! It gets me so excited for cherry blossoms! I can't wait to take pictures during the cherrie blossom festival! I look forward to going all around Macon and taking pictures during the seson of "Pink" :)

My Freckle Faced Freind Part 2...The Undiscovered

While I enjoyed taking pictures of my dear friend, I also had fun shooting the things around us! We saw so many neat things, and my camera was clicking away with joy as I took endless amounts of pictures! I love trying to look at the world from several different angles and views! There are so many beautiful, undiscovered things that God made outside that you wouldn't find unless you looked a little closer. i love having the joy of doing that :)

My Freckle Faced Friend

I have been great friend with Mary Helen for who knows how long. We always have fun laughing and making jokes. She and I have a lot in common including our love of photography. Finally out schedules worked out so that we could take pictures together. We went all around Macon... Her neighborhood, a park downtown, The Hay House, and the playground at our school. We had a great chance to practice taking pictures of each other and giving one another tips for over 3 hours! We had a blast! These are just 5 of the 231 pictures that I took! Thanks Mary Helen for a great day! :)

Cody and Rosie

Yesterday, I had another great opportunity to take some pictures. My dad's friend owns these dogs, and they are so well trained! Rosie (yellow lab) is a deer tracker, and Cody(black lab) fetches dove, quail ect. It is amazing the things they can do! They are so obedient to their master, and always look to please. They are just about the sweetest, most loving dogs ever!

Sweet Music in My Ears!

One day I came home to find my sister and her boyfriend, David, sitting on my front porch. David is an awesome guitar player and he has an amazing voice! My first thought when I saw them was to grab my camera and take a few pictures. That is almost always my first thought for anything! I enjoyed trying different angles of a guitar :)

Winter leaf

I love these pictures even though the leaf is dead... I was outside taking pictures when I spotted this little leaf standing straight up in the middle of my yard. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. :) I love it when that happens :)

A Birds Eye View...Literally!

The world is filled with so many amazing things waiting to be discovered. I love to use the zoom on my camera and get really close to birds without them seeing me. These little birds are so delicate, graceful, and care free. I love to think about all the time God took to make these little creatures. Then I get reminded of how much time God took making me. He planned me so carefully and He is so proud of the things I do. If He took the time to care and love for things as small as a bird, then he loves me that much more. Who knew such a small, unaware animal could teach you something. I am so excited to go discover more things from behind the lens of a camera :)