January 22-28: The People in our Lives . . . my girl!

One of the great joys of my life...my girl!
Jan. 22-28 submission from Leslie

This past weekend, we were able to spend a little bit outside, which was nice! I was getting a little cabin fever, so some running around in the back yard was just what I needed. My daughter loves...LOVES being outside, and loves playing on her swingset. She wanted me to teach her how to swing on her belly, and she did it right away! She was so excited to discover a whole new way to swing. It's the simple things!

January 22-28: People in our lives

Flock of blackbirds, somewhere down US-68.

I've been diving into Francis Chan's Forgotten God through a class at Southland, and at our first meeting we were asked what stereotypes we had about the Holy Spirit.  Some people said charismatics freak them out, some said conservative churches were dull and lifeless; and others like me didn't have a whole lot to say because I've never really thought about him individually.  God the Father makes sense, because I've had parents, and God the Son makes sense because Jesus was human, but I realized in that moment that I couldn't call a picture of the Spirit to mind to categorize him.  Perhaps other people had stereotypes to overcome, but it felt like I had to start from scratch.  The only concrete image I had was a bird, and if you read all the passages in the New Testament about him you'll see pretty quickly that in no way covers it.  Words like strength, surrender, power, and change are always in the mix when he's involved.

Chan's book is all about understanding the pivotal role the Spirit plays and how to really integrate him into your life - a bit like putting the right face on him.

January 22-28: The People in Our Lives

The soon-to-be-daddy! I couldn't help myself, he's just too cute. ;)

I love this little funny face

Speaking of funny faces...

"Funny Faces" submission from Leslie
January 15-21

Murfie doesn't need to try very hard to look funny in the face!

January 15-21: Funny Faces

I hope to see more bokeh and black and white photos up here from the rest of the crew! I don't think anyone would object to a late photo for the January challenges.

Here's my funny faces submission - my niece, Natalie, who is the queen of silliness.

January 8-14: B&W

Snow watching (AE)

January 8-14: Black & White

Black & White



I had a great idea for a nice black and white night shot, but never got the time to go out at night to take it. So this will have to do in the meantime. Surely someone else has a black & white shot to share? The snow is giving us a perfect opportunity for some shots!

Quilty Bokeh

My grandmother's handmade quilt
"January 1-7: Bokeh" submission from Leslie

January 1-7: Bokeh.

Christmas Pipe.

I've posted a few more pics on this theme here.

January 1-7: Bokeh

Christmas lights, the wishing tree at Southland. (Andrea)

January Photo Challenge Month!

Hi all! It's been a while since we've posted any news here, but we're still here and we're still taking pics! It's been a wild and crazy wedding season for some of us, and one of our members had a baby. But, this month, we're tackling some weekly photo challenges, to help inspire us, get us using some creative techniques, and help us look for those photographic opportunities right under our noses. Keep checking back for some of our challenge images throughout the month. Here's our schedule, so you can follow along:

• January 1-7: creative bokeh (or other creative photo technique)
• January 8-14: black & white
• January 15-21: funny faces
• January 22-28: the people in our lives (neighbors, family members, friends, etc.)
• January 29-Feb 4: photographer's choice week (anything goes)

Stay tuned, and don't forget to follow our challenges on Facebook, too!