The Girl Behind the Cannon

Time is short and moments are numbered. This is the bittersweet truth that lies all around us. Your dog probably won't outlive you, nor will your great-grandparents, both of these things I know from experience. But were it not for goodbye, their presence in my life would not have been treasured.

That baby in your belly will one day be a wailing child that keeps you up at night but also brings you such joy with one little smile that you feel your heart might explode. You only have a handful of months where your body shows of the blessing that is to soon come your way. You will want to remember the beauty of your pregnancy, not just the pain.

And when that baby of yours does grace you with their presence, they won't be that little for long. There is an unexplainable freshness that showson their faces before life has gotten hold of them. You don't want to miss it.

Or the first steps...or the new haircut...or the first birthday...or new brother or sister...or puppy...or the first day of school...or the first soccer game...or the first dance...

Because pretty soon you are going to be calling me to set up a senior portrait session and you will wish you had captured the moments that got them to that milestone. Because, like it or not, it won't be long before you will be calling me to be your child's wedding photographer. (I know this from experience, too. I got my senior pictures taken four years ago, and I got married less than 4 years later!!!)

This is not meant to be sad. Each phase of life brings with it it's own unique kind of joy. It doesn't matter which phase of life you find yourself in, or how many pictures you have taken until now. All that matters is that you capture (or let me capture for you) a smile that you might not remember if it were not in a picture. And the more of those you have, the more you will see life as the smiles and not the few tears that are shed in-between.

And then it will be okay when your baby causes your insomnia, or your child that just started walking gets on the school bus for the first time, or that kid that kept you awake at night is crowned homecoming king, or he moves far away to college and finds the love of his life....because you will have pictures that show you the joy that you felt each step of the way.

Capturing the Moments,

Meredith Strauss

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men. Colossians 3:23

Enough about what I do...This is WHO I AM!

~I am the wife of the most incredible person I know. We both love life and love laughing and love teaching kids. Very soon we are having one of our own. Can't wait to meet our little son Shea in May.

~I'm an etearnal optimist but sometimes my BIG DREAMS scare me 2 tears.

~I'm obsessed with the sky-sunrises, sunsets, clouds, stars. It makes me wonder how people don't believe in God. It reminds me that my life's just a speck in the big scheme of things.

~I still love stuffed animals.

~Yellow's my favorite color because it makes me think of smiley faces.

~I love running and I've always wanted to run as far as I could in one direction and see where it put me but cars tend to get in my way.

~I hate being cold but love to snow ski.

~I love to drive with my windows down and my music blaring.

~I work hard for the things that are important to me and figure that everything else will somehow fall into place.

~I love to be outside on a sunny day.

~If I say "I love you" I mean it. It's a big deal to me.

~There are lots of people who never knew me that have touched me in a special way and people who came into my life for a short time that forever changed me.

~I love kids. Every one makes me smile. In them I see my past and my future. I'll always be a kid at heart.

~People watching is one of my favorite things to do and often a stranger makes me smile.

~I love chicken and hate green beans and that will never change.

~I couldn't choose between the mountains and the beach even if I tried.

~I love the sound of crunching leaves and fall is my favorite time of year.

~I am very blessed and don't deserve anything I'm given and wish I could give back more than I do.

~I know I am nothing on my own.

~I don't quickly make decisions big or small. I try to avoid them.

~I am very absent-minded.

~The unknown future scares me but I wish it would hurry up.

~I'm not a big fan of shoes: only running shoes and flipflops for me.

~I love disney movies.

~Jesus is way more than my homeboy, he's my savior.

~I don't think I could ever be a city girl even if I tried. But my address is written in pencil so if I had to I would deal with it.

~I used to be obsessed with pogs and Hanson was my favorite boy band.

~I laugh at almost anything and it isn't hard to make me smile.

~I hope people will remember me for something that truly matters.

~I'm just a girl trying to make since of this crazy world holding tight to the one who created it.

~I often fake a smile but quickly forget I was faking it.

~I am a sucker for big dogs, puppies, grown up puppies, starry skies, Braves baseball, and a boy who's a sucker for Met's baseball.

~I don't know where the roads ahead may take me but I know where I'll be when I get there.

~Life IS like a box of chocolates-like it or not, smile, be polite, and enjoy the company.

~I really love to write. I ramble a whole lot. And if you got to the bottom of this page and read all of it, that really makes me feel loved. If you did you deserve a prize. If you have made it this far you may as well leave a comment about how crazy you think I am. ;)