a story of legendary proportions

There once was a girl... courtney was her name, and adventure was her game.
{Get ready for a long one...while this should probably be separated into two entries, I just wanted to tell it together. I've alluded to this in more than one blog post, but 2010 has been an incredible year. I've been seeing God's faithfulness in so many ways...}


Part I:
Taking pictures and telling story was what she did... and capturing the momentous occasion of her roommates finishing nursing school was one she definitely wanted to tell. 15+ months of hard labor and studying was no small feat, and it was a day to be celebrated and remembered.

Had she known that the unfortunate would happen that cold December night, as her camera bag containing her faithful canon rebel xt, lens and all but one memory card would be taken from her car, she might have planned differently. But alas, her faithful God had valuable lessons to teach her.

Considering all that had happened and remembering the sovereignty of God, blessings were to be had. Blessings of trusting in the fact that nothing is outside of God's control...blessings of learning to rejoice in all circumstances and the blessing of being reminded that everything on this earth is temporary - even photographs and memories at times. God's glory however, is lasting.

Though missing her faithful companion in a camera through the Christmas season, she made plans in her heart...how to eventually replace what she had lost over the next two years... what to do about the wedding she had agreed to shoot... how she would capture memories of her time left in San Diego...how to glorify God through the process.

But God had his plans about how he would be glorified.
Without her knowledge, several loving and thoughtful friends were planning the incredible.
They scoured the land, emailed dear friends, made maps and pasted clues, and scrapbooked til the late night hours preparing for her quickly approaching birthday on january 9th.|

{a very small representatives of said friends...several key people aren't in this photo...and I don't even know all of who was involved!}

Though she was anticipating a day of trials, rejoicing with others and learning tough lessons in remembering that her life was not about her own fame, she didn't know she was about to have the best day in her entire life.

Being awaken by one of her best buds early in the morning with her favorite breakfast and a clue telling her to get up and get on her way because adventure was awaiting her, there was nothing to do but face the day with anticipation.

Already amazed by the love and care put into people organizing their days to spend with her as she trekked her way through some of her favorite spots in La Jolla and met different friends along the way, it was the perfect precursor to the evening. Several friends piled into her living room and after performing team cheers & skits using some of her favorite things... they presented her with a precious gift...

A scrapbook with notes and photos of her precious San Diego family. Some of her favorite shots that she had taken, picked out by each person and so many wonderful encouragements. Yet all this was to accompany the gift of over $1,000 to replace all the camera equipment that had been stolen from her car.

Never knowing the extent to which her heart could feel gratitude, she was speechless. And oh, so, loved. She lost track of how many times she said thank you that night because it just never seemed to be enough.

Truly God's sovereignty had orchestrated so many things to get her to that point and opened another door to adventures she wouldn't have imagined.

{Just the gals that were there...but SUPER thankful for the brothers as well! Someone has the photo of the whole group - just not sure who.}



Part II:

So I thought that 26 might be super UN-exciting, but already I'm pretty wrong.

I mentioned that i was going on a shoot with hannah michelle. I shared some inspirations, but the above was the final board that I put together and sent over to her. In the spirit of the story in part I of this entry, I really wanted a shoot in the style of a safari discovery.

Twas such a fun afternoon - in spite of running around like a mad woman before our shoot, Hannah did a really lovely job in spite of the fact that I was awkward in my mind.

I immensely enjoyed the time getting to know another sister...talking about photography, what we've learned, how we became Christians and came to our present churches, friends, style, and so much more. While I have some really lovely photos, I think the best thing i came away with was a new friend. :)