Fruit & Bread

THE NEW BLOG IS HERE!!!

2009-09-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Fruit and Bread has grown up and moved! Head over to the new blog to win lots of fun prizes from photography sessions to a gift card and one of my favorite books!! Make sure to update your bookmarks!

New blog coming soon!

2009-09-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

THE NEW BLOG IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!! Who would have known that keeping up 3 blogs would be so much work?!?! Well, frankly, I could have guessed that :) Right now, yes, I am the crazy person that has been trying to keep 3 blogs updated with all the various facets of my life. This little baby has been the hub of my personal life while I have a blog for my photography business here in Tennessee AND a blog for my work in Iowa. So I thought, time to condense and expand in a new direction. So begins the countdown to fusion! Soon I will be all one and I can’t wait! This new blog is going to be focused on 3 things:

1. Showing my most recent photography work From around the world (Tennessee, Iowa, the Caribbean, wherever the camera takes me it’s all landing here!)

2. Keeping up to date on my life, Because if I abandoned my “fruit and bread” I think a few people might kill me :)

3. Offering up the true, the fun and the beautiful for my readers. Exploring the world through what interests me and my clients, who are actively involved in living life, planning the wedding of their dreams, starting families of their own and soaking up all the intricacies of our world. (This means tips, stories and experiences from some of my amazing clients and people in the industry that I love to work with, travel, art, relationships and whatever else I can dream up!)
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So starts the countdown! In a few days it’s going to look a lot different around here and I can’t wait to share in this journey with everyone!
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Kristyn Hogan is a wedding & lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

Somebody give me an Unhealthy Recipe!

2009-09-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

So I decided this Sunday that I actually want to cook something. Okay, so I cook a lot. But it's only during the week and it's always something ultra-healthy. And then on Sundays we just end up eating frozen waffles for breakfast, some chocolate for a pre-church appetizer (no judging! by the time Sunday at 9 am roles around I NEED my chocolate!) and going out to eat for lunch/dinner with coupons to fast food places or wherever has a good deal for the week. I mean, let's be honest, this girl cannot say NO to Wendy's or Five Guys but then I start to think about all the hearty meals I'd like to actually cook myself and never do because we don't keep any unhealthy ingredients in our house so I have nothing to cook them with.
So I need your help!

RULES
1. It CAN have as much butter, oil, fat, whatever in it.
2. It cannot be a pot roast, basic baked chicken or a bleepin salad--nothing that remotely resembles something I could adapt to our Monday-Saturday eating lifestyle.
3. It cannot be too complicated because I don't want to buy a gazillion ingredients. We're on a budget here :)
4. It CAN use healthy ingredients (chicken, vegetables, etc.) but come on, people, it better have some crap in it too :)

BREAKFAST: I'm thinking sausage, eggs, etc. or maybe one of those breakfast casseroles? Ideas?
LUNCH or DINNER: I was kind of thinking beef nachos/taco salad with all the trimmings? Any better ideas? It can be anything from Italian to Chinese to Mexican to whatever. Actually Chinese sounds kind of good!
DESSERT: I don't care if it's from a box or from scratch but it better have lots of chocolate in it, it better have NO amount of fruit in it whatsoever, and it better be decently simple to make (no made from scratch pies please)

Deadline is Saturday (tomorrow) at noon because I don't enter Wal-Mart on my day of rest. Entering the pits of hell known as 50 screaming children in Wal-Mart would defeat the purpose of a restful day :)

The winners will receive good will from me forever and something I'm not going to tell you about yet, but it will probably be good.

ALL YOU READERS OUT THERE, I KNOW YOU HAVE GOOD RECIPES, HAND EM OVER! :)

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Kristyn Hogan is a wedding & lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

What to do in Nashville (Part Three)

2009-08-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Go to Rock Island State Park! It's about an hour from us and is one of my favorite places on earth. We camped for a few days in an amazing campsite, explored the waterfalls, jumped off the waterfalls, cooked over the fire and just relaxed. And then I took my favorite picture of Matt ever. With a half broken point and shoot camera. Figures! Matt's face lights up when he talks about Natural Movement founded by Erwan Le Corre
and this photo reminds me of what he dreams of doing one day when his body is finally healed. If you want to see the craziness I'm talking about watch the video at the bottom of this post!

evening

2009-08-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

August 26 (Evening):
Though Jesus is holy and just, yet blended with His purity there is so much truth and grace, that sinners run to Him amazed at His goodness, fascinated by His love; they salute Him, become His disciples, and take Him to be their Lord and Master....Look, sinner, to the bleeding Saviour, and as thou feelest the attraction of His love, fly to His arms, and thou shalt be saved.
-Charles Spurgeon

("Morning & Evening")

What to do in Nashville: Part Two

2009-08-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Visit Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nolensville, TN. It's been voted the best BBQ in the Nashville area and although I wouldn't consider the Hogans complete BBQ experts, this was the best we've ever had. Again, you'll wait in line (and they said it's not unusual to run out of food) but worth it!

We had Michael (my brother), Aubrey (his girlfriend) and Brad (Matt's best friend) all in town and thought we'd try it out. This place definitely doesn't disappoint!

Matt & I shared the Brisket Tacos (YUM!!!!! Completely unexpected flavor and amazing), also at our table were Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Ribs, all with equal praise. Half the restaurant was ordering brisket tacos and the other half was getting pulled pork so it sounds like those are the things to get.

Michael loved it so much he bought an entire gallon of their BBQ sauce and stuffed it in his luggage to fly home the next day! (True Southern BBQ Joint when it has an Auto Repair shop out back!)

So who's coming to visit next? You'll be full when you leave!

This is what the Hogans do in Nashville: Part One

2009-08-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Living outside of Nashville I feel like maybe I should actually be documenting the things we do in this lovely town. So this is post number one. It's been a crazy last month or so with lots of visitors along with two surgeries for the husband and lots of work. All these things have been great for us but have made me a bit exhausted so here is what I can muster up of my world for today. So far what I can say for Nashville is that unless you love country music it's not necessarily the most exciting vacation destination in the world but it's a great place to live and we really love it here. So in a quest to come up with as many things for our visitors to do, we started finding yummy restaurants, which apparently isn't that hard to do around here.
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First off, the famous Pancake Pantry in West End. Where you'll wait in a line that stretches around the block for 30 minutes-2 hours. And the line will be worth it.

We lived here for months without ever going here until a couple months ago we decided we must try it out and have been here 3 times since and anyone who comes to visit us will be going as well, it's our new tradition :)

They have at least 20 different kinds of pancakes. Sweet Potato pancakes, Caribbean pancakes, Blueberry pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Chocolate crepe pancakes, Sugar and Spice pancakes, Pigs in a Blanket pancakes (no joke), and the list goes on. And we haven't heard anyone disliking any of them yet.

Apparently it's really common to see famous people here on a regular basis but since I don't know country music I wouldn't know if I saw them, so we just enjoy the faces of our beautiful friends and family, stuffing their faces :)

The only pictures I have are of our first trip with friends. And when I took my brother and his girlfriend last week I forgot to take stuffing the face photos. Papa Jim-Bob & Mama Rose (those are your Tennessee names) :), where are all our pictures from your visit?!?!? This blog is not complete without them!

a love that i know.

2009-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. (Psalms 48:9 NIV)

Video by Jon Rawlinson in the 2nd largest aquarium in the world, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Song by Barcelona "Please Don't Go"

a little giant part of me.

2009-07-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

i don't usually cross post things that are also on my business blog but it is true that a lot of what ends up on there is evidence of my daily life. i have a passion that is quiet but honest and it is embedded in my daily breathing. i believe there is something deeper in my calling-not to make art but to capture it as it happens.
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these are our friends. they are moving to germany. they love each other a lot. i have seen their relationship grow from tiny to this. which is the art i saw happening on sunday, july 5, 2009. and i let the light of them reflect into what i have to give.
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this is what i do every day. and it is a little giant part of me.
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best seen in HD (button in the bottom right corner). let it load all the way before watching.

What my husband does on high doses of pain medication.

2009-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

About 30 minutes after Matt has been wheeled into the hospital room after his shoulder surgery the following scene unfolds.

Matt begins to shake his head back and forth on his pillow as if answering "no" to a question I have not asked.

Kristyn: "Matt, what are you doing?"

Matt: "I'm rocking myself to sleep!"
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Kristyn's Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

2009-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Always on the quest for new tasty and healthy recipes, I tried coming up with super healthy chicken enchiladas last night and they were definitely a hit! Matt & I were both pleasantly surprised by how good and "normal" they tasted. Some of the recipes I found online had up to 75 grams of fat per serving! These probably have about 4 grams of fat per serving and fill you up like crazy.

**2-3 chicken breasts (2 reg. size or 3 small)
**1/2 onion
**1 c. fat free cottage cheese (or you can do FF sour cream if you're scared of cottage cheese but I promise you won't even taste it so be brave and just try it! Adds better protein than sour cream.)
**2 c. fat free cheddar cheese (they have it at WalMart)
**package of whole wheat tortillas
**can of black beans
**can of rotel (mild, original or extra hot depending on your preference, I use original, spicy but not over the top)
**can of red enchilada sauce
**spices: parsley, oregano, salt & pepper, chili powder, red pepper, minced garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook chicken on the stove (I add some red pepper, salt & pepper & garlic while it's cooking)
3. In another pan, cut up the onion & saute (with PAM)
4. In a different pan, bring rotel & black beans to a boil, reduce heat and simmer a few minutes
5. Shred the chicken into little pieces with 2 forks, then return to the pan and combine chicken, cottage cheese, 1 c. cheddar cheese, black bean/rotel mix (spoon out so you don't add the bean sauce), 1/2 can of enchilada sauce, sauteed onions and a pinch of each of the spices. Mix all together.
6. Roll mixture into tortillas and lay in 9x13 baking dish. (I was able to fit 6 1/2 enchiladas in this dish)
7. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese
8. Bake 20 minutes
YUM!

Kristyn Hogan is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN and Cedar Falls, IA serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

oven mitt puppet shows

2009-06-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

rome by memory

2009-06-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

i found this today on a blog that i frequent and was simply amazed. having been in rome before, the vastness of what this autistic man has done by memory is astounding.

if i don't get here soon...

2009-06-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

I have to get to Hallstatt, Austria.
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I was watching "Austria in HD" on public television the other day and I fell in love with this place. The top picture is on my desktop right now and I can't stop staring at it.

Our good friends are moving to Germany this summer for the army and thus we finally have the opportunity to make the long awaited trip to Austria/Germany/Switzerland/Czech Republic that we've been yearning for for quite a while now. Matt went there with his grandfather as a teenager but we can't wait to go together. Anybody been there and have any suggestions/tips/etc?
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And as long as I get to Hallstatt, I'm good.

like opening up the attic

2009-06-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

i loved writing poetry. really loved. and if i was honest and actually made an attempt, i probably still do, but i'm not sure if my soul feels the need anymore. so i opened up an old email address from high school to find a whole folder full of my writing. this one dates back to 2002. 7 years ago this is what i was thinking one summer day.

barrington drive
my dad holds his shovel in one hand
and the balance of the world in the other

he looks at me and says

"it acts like it wants to rain"

and i smile
because i like the idea of
fresh dirt scattering into the
storm sewer for shelter

and like everything else
i think it acts like
it wants to do a lot of things

"that oughta be neat, kristyn"

and he points to the sky
before disappearing to the backyard

i'm confused
and contemplate hidden meanings
as i hear an airplane
move up the sky
playing hide and seek
with the sunset

(i've always wondered
what it would be like
to dive into the last moments
of something before it ran away)

maybe that's what he meant

to get away

and dusk is much too enchanting to miss
with it's hurricane blankets
plunging across the confetti bitten sky

i think of memories
and snow falling on the freeway
and the night glow of anticipation
and then his face

my knees fall asleep
and i search for fireflies
because i've gotten used to wanting things
that i know i won't get

and i think to myself

july is just enough
to make me want to breathe

somethin tells me it's all happening at the zoo

2009-06-10T06:40:00.001-07:00

the alligator pit at the nashville zoo fascinates me.

Zebras are reactionaries,

Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! you gotta come and see
At the zoo.
Simon & Garfunkel "At the Zoo"

kristyn says: "eat this!"

2009-06-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Finding healthy and flavorful/tasty recipes has become one of my new hobbies as eating super healthy can sometimes get a bit monotonous making the same things over and over again. Frankly, cooking without oils, fats & butter can make finding traditionally flavorful things a bit challenging. Today I hit the jackpot with 2 new recipes! Try these Hogan lifestyle approved healthy dishes. They both turned out really yummy and I promise you will like them even if you don't normally eat healthy!
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THAI CHICKEN
this is kind of a Thai version of Chicken Fried Rice Chinese Food
2 big chicken breasts (cooked)
1/3 box whole wheat angel hair pasta (cooked)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 egg whites
soy sauce
garlic, minced onion & red pepper
seasoning mix (I used Sun Bird Fried Rice Seasoning Mix from Wal-Mart in the Thai/Asian section)
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*cook the chicken w/ some garlic, minced onion & red pepper, cut up into small pieces
*add in peas & carrots
*move everything to side of pan and scramble 3 egg whites, mix in
*add in soy sauce, seasoning package and cooked pasta, mix everything together
*simmer covered for a few minutes and EAT!!

I didn't end up taking an "after" photo of this one actually cooked, but you get the idea!
SALSA CHICKEN & RICE
recipe stolen from the McCormick seasoning packet
pkg. of McCormick Salsa Chicken & Rice seasoning (found by the taco, fajita, roast seasoning packets)
1 1/2 c. brown or wild rice
1/2 can Rotel or 1 can diced tomatoes (depends on if you want it spicy)
1/2 c. chunky salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. shredded Cheddar Cheese
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*preheat oven to 375 degrees
*combine rice, tomatoes/Rotel, salsa & corn in baking dish. Top with chicken.
*Mix water & seasoning mix. Pour over chicken & rice. Cover with foil.
*Bake 45 min.-1 hr. or until chicken & rice are fully cooked.
*Remove foil, sprinkle w/ cheese. Bake 5 minutes. YUM!

Our 2nd Anniversary trip to the Emerald Coast!

2009-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

ok this dumb thing is cutting the slideshow off and i can't figure out how to fix it, so go here to watch it for real:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQivMkLL9lc

to my baby sister

2009-05-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

My beautiful little sister- you're officially graduating from high school this Sunday, holy crap. I feel like just last year I was 10 and you were 5 and we were sharing a day bed (or maybe I was 5 and you were zero and I dropped you on the floor, whoops :)...and it feels like just last week that I was an "adult" and you were in high school and I made you share your bed with me when I was married and Matt was in Tennessee working. (Oh wait, that really did happen last week :) (but it happened other times too in the past :)
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I hope that when we visit each other when we are old and gray that we still get to have sleep overs :)
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Okay, now I shouldn't have said that because I start getting all sentimental and you always tell me I'm not a crier and I have to pretend to uphold that reputation. So, instead, let's go with something hard core corny graduation style: Alyssa, you wore that red and black with like total pride, aced those multiple choice tests with both eyes closed and OMG, go CF Tigers Class of 2009. [Insert class motto here].
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The woman I've watched you become is amazing. And I feel completely blessed to have you as my sister. A place no one else will ever have in my heart.
I love you sister.

two years.

2009-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday Matt & I will celebrate two years of wedded bliss. I'm posting this now because we'll be in Florida starting Saturday and vacation to me, in part, means as little computer time as possible. I can't believe it's already been two years since our wedding! In ways it seems like only yesterday and in other ways (good ways) it's been much longer. The main lesson I've learned: the amount you learn about another human being by marrying them is immeasurable. Here's a small recap of that learning process since May 25, 2007:
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Five years to the day of our first meeting, we were married in Mexico in front of 29 of our closest friends and family and then spent a week relaxing in Tulum on our honeymoon. It was an amazing way to start out married life and 2 weeks I'll never forget.
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We then returned home to Iowa where we moved into the upstairs of my Grandma's house for our first little "home." Grandma loved hearing us up in the morning blending our protein shakes like clock work.
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From then on, we spent time commuting between our Iowa "apartment" and the extra room at the "Ricky Court bachelor pad" in Tennessee for Matt's job. This was a very interesting transition time as we learned how to be married while living together and apart. This sort of psuedo married life wasn't exactly ideal so we decided something had to be done...
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Sooo, in November of 2008, we picked up the only life I had ever known and moved to the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. This was one of the most terrifying and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life.
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So, in a sense, our married life didn't truly begin until 6 months ago when, for the first time, we actually began living with each other 24/7. And that changes everything.
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So, some things I've learned in the first 2 years (or 6 months) of marriage:
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1. Sleeping schedules must be synchronized for a peaceful household.
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2. Sometimes marital roles are reversed and the husband becomes the nagging anal housekeeper and the wife becomes the laid back hippy who has to be reminded to take the trash out. But she is learning how to cook!
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3. Husbands can be taught to put the toilet seat down with diligent training early on.
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4. Laughter cures almost anything.
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5. My husband is a very willing learner and is much more willing to admit wrong than myself. He is teaching me to be a better communicator.
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6. The forming of a family is a beautiful and crazy thing to participate in as we learn to create a life for ourselves as partners instead of individuals. Two years ago I would consider Matt as being at point A and me being at point Z. As we learn to share our life I suddenly find myself somewhere around G with my sweet, flexible husband working his way to C. Compromise is a good thing :)
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7. Eating and exercise habits must be synchronized for a peaceful household.
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8. Being able to pee, walk around naked and fart in front of someone is funny and freeing.
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9. I could stare at my husband's cheek bones 3 hours a day.
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10. With time and exposure, quirks become more annoying and things you love about someone become more intense.
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11. I love my husband (and want to choke him sometimes) immeasurably more than I did when we were writing undying love poetry to each other 8 years ago and intensely more than the day I married him. And I loved him a lot.

the president does stand-up?

2009-05-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

thoughts?

personally, regardless of political affiliation (which i do not claim to have), i thought some of it was actually semi funny until the "rested on the 73rd day" came in. and then some of it i was just not political enough to even understand. regardless, i find his hollywood status increasingly intriguing. he is so likeable that it's almost scary.

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if you haven't seen this yet, it's worth checking out, if nothing else for the absolutely superb demonstration of photojournalism. and, on the other hand, the feeling that this administration is trying to make the administration as likeable as possible? the official white house photostream

frugal wife.

2009-05-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Many people have given me a hard time for being somewhat "cheap." It's true that I've never been a "spender" and have always looked for ways to save my money. Then I married my husband and when the forces of savers combine, you get...the Hogan household. Lately, my frugality has gone to a whole new level, to the extreme delight of my husband. My secret? I started frequenting "frugal mom" blogs. I know. Weird. Mostly because I'm not even a mom.
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So you may think this sounds completely boring but I'm bringing this up because I think it has some validity in life more than just saving a dollar on a box of cereal (Or $48). We have chosen to save our money in areas that aren't as important to us in order to allow us to splurge in areas that are important to us. For example, I'd much rather eat generic brand food and be able to afford a weekend getaway with the money we saved throughout the year not buying name brand everything. Overall, it allows me to live a more deliberate and simplistic lifestyle. Now I'm not saying you should skimp on everything and that some things aren't worth the money. Actually, the opposite, saving money on certain things frees me up to spend money on things that are worth the extra investment. Instead of simply spending money without thinking through what I'm doing.
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And just in case you really don't care about having that sort of lifestyle yourself, here are a few things I've gotten in the last 3 weeks.
*Free breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (I had Eggs Benedict, Matt had real French Toast and we both had one of their famous muffins & juice. Worth at least $25)
*Free lunch at Domino's (2 pasta bread bowls. Worth about $15)
*Free lunch at KFC (2 grilled chicken meals. Worth about $10)
*Every Sunday we get 2 blizzards at DQ for the price of 1 for dessert.
*Free stuff from CVS
*A few things I've gotten free in the mail over just the last few days: toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, tea & candy.
(Other things I have on the plate that I haven't used yet: free stuff from Starbucks, TCBY, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wal-Mart, Target, the list goes on...)
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In case any of this intrigues you, start out by taking a visit to www.moneysavingmom.com where you will find plenty of deals of your own. There are hundreds of other websites but you've got to start somewhere :) And if any of you have even read this far and actually care, I can give you more information.
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Somehow in the last 6 months I suddenly enjoy cooking, eating healthy, exercising, clipping coupons, putting money in an investment account, recipe hunting, DVRing HD movies instead of renting or going to the theatre, decorating my home, dreaming about sailboats & islands with my husband and reading frugal mom blogs. It's okay, I won't be offended if you call me cheap.

Listen. And Go.

2009-05-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

A friend recently loaned me Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile by Rob Bell & Don Golden. It's a really quick read that basically sums up the message of the bible from the beginning of the world all the way through the promise of what is to come. I've recently been feeling a very strong burden to be DOING something about what I'm believing, studying, saying, etc. I was talking with my bible study group on Thursday about how we come to God and ask Him to reveal very in depth, difficult, complicated truths to us. We assume because we are actively pursuing learning and knowing more that we must be ready for it. Yet, somehow I feel like lately I've been asking Jesus to allow me into High School when I haven't even been practicing or truly understanding the lessons He taught me in kindergarten.
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What is that lesson? LOVE. At all costs. After Jesus appears to many after his resurrection He's trying to get the point across. "Love people more than yourself. Feed my sheep. Tend to my sheep. When people are hurting and want to know where I am to help them, I'm sending YOU to show them." Ultimately, I don't think He really cares that much if I am the smartest biblical scholar in the world or if I spend 24 hours of my day in church, reading the bible and praying. I think all of those things are great but really come second to being His hands and feet. Showing His love to the world. And I think we ignore this because it is, alot of times, much more difficult to live out than to study the bible until you've memorized it or understand much higher truths.
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So this had been on my mind the last couple weeks and yesterday I was finishing up "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" and the last few pages pretty much summed it up. I know this is kind of long but I really think it's worth taking a few minutes to read it and really think about what this means to our lives....

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Because when we hear the cry, we're with God. When God gets Moses' attention and lays out for him what liberation is going to look like for his people, he tells Moses to "GO."
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"LISTEN" and then, "GO."
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The going will take a multitude of forms. It will be movement, action, life. It will involve risk. It will mean conversations with people who are nothing like us, and it will probably involve questions and criticism and perhaps even rejection...
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It's about all of us taking the next step out of Egypt, doing the next right thing, being open to whatever it means for us to be a Eucharist, right here, right now, with what God has given us today.
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And whatever it is, it will not be boring. Tomorrow will not be like today. And it will cost something. ...
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Instead of standing at a distance and saying "someone else," it's stepping up and stepping into the invitation to the risk, to the suffering, to the joy...
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Jesus wants to save us from making the good news about another world and not this one.
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Jesus wants to save us from shrinking the gospel down to a transaction about the removal of sin and not about every single particle of creation being reconciled to its maker.
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On the night he was betrayed, Jesus led a Passover meal unlike any other, He took the bread and the cup and connected these symbols to himself. He told them to "do this in remembrance of me." The "do this" is understood to be the taking of the bread and the cup as the body and blood of Christ...But what if Jesus meant something else-something beyond the ritual? What if he was talking about our actually enacting what the ritual is about...What if the "do this" was his whole way of life...The "do this" part is our lives. Opening ourselves up to the mystery of resurrection, open for the liberation of others, allowing our bodies to be broken and our blood to be poured, discovering our Eucharist. Listening. And going.
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Excerpts from "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" pages 166-181

what terror looks like

2009-04-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

this is what my husband looks like when he's terrified. it's that nervous smile with the eyes that say "oh my gosh, please help me God, i have no idea what i'm doing." it officially took him about 5 minutes to figure out how to hold Lillie (our friends' new baby) and pat her butt at the same time to calm her down. apparently for him, it's a job for more than 2 hands :)
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but despite his best efforts to consistently show me what a horrible father he would make, he did get her to fall asleep in his arms by whispering "you love the pittsburgh steelers. go penn state. you love the penguins, etc. etc.". so for about 2.5 seconds i was completely ready to have a little one of our own until i had to run to wal-mart and, as always, was immediately cured of the baby fever. children really do turn into little devils the second they walk into that store.

our bathroom mirror

2009-04-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

matt asked me a few weeks ago to put up a verse on our bathroom mirror to remind us and anyone who visits our lovely bathroom what our home stands for and what we, as followers of Christ, must stand for every day of our lives.

i chose a verse in colossians 3. while reading my bible this morning in the lovely morning sunshine on our balcony, i decided to read all of colossians 3 since i've been seeing a portion of it daily for the last couple weeks. i have italicized a few parts that really stand out to me as this chapter is packed with the essence of living in Christ. something i must remind myself of daily, hourly, (minutely?).

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Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

colossians 3:1-3, 9-17 (NASB)

what my husband can do with a mullet

2009-04-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when church asks me to design posters for their upcoming teaching series on Cultural Christianity where they discuss people putting on a show of being a Christian but not really committing to the important parts of what it truly means to walk with Jesus. What happens? I use my husband as a model and see how ridiculous he can take it. He has quite enjoyed seeing himself on giant 24x36 posters and tv screens as "cultural christianity man" all over the church. You should definitely click on each of these to make them larger to enjoy the full effect :)

Special thanks goes out to Josh, Whitney, Aaron & Keri for almost getting arrested while wearing nativity scene outfits along with Matt as Santa Clause. Let's just say we all learned our lesson about trespassing and were reminded once again that cops in the south don't mess around.

spiritual gifts

2009-04-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

What are your spiritual gifts? Our small group is taking this online test to determine our spiritual gifts as we study Hebrews and look for ways that we can further the body of Christ with our own gifts. It is eye opening to begin to see where I was made to be of most use. Instead of forcing myself to participate in areas I am not gifted for, I can focus my attention on working most in the way I was made to serve as a Christ follower.

It is really important when you take this test to not answer the way you WANT to be or with the answer you think is the "best" or "nicest" way to answer. If you aren't that into sharing the gospel with others or you do feel like you place a high value on money then you should answer honestly if you want the results to truly reflect who you are.

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?id=360001

My spiritual gifts:

Mercy - 14
Serving - 14
Shepard - 10
Giving - 8
Exhortation (giving advice) - 7
Prophecy - 6
Administration/Teaching - 5
Evangelism -3

I can see clearly that my strengths are working behind the scenes: meeting basic needs, helping the church with tasks, using my talents behind the scenes to enable others to do the work in front of the curtain. Creating art that catches peoples' eye and causes them to give what someone else has to say about the love of Jesus a chance. On the other hand, my gifts are not teaching in front of large groups or sitting down with someone I do not know to tell them about Jesus. And that's okay because God doesn't create us to be a Jack of all trades. I think He creates us to be specialized in certain areas to really rock it out at what we're good at instead of everyone being mediocre at everything.

www.kristynhogan.com

2009-04-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

it's been fun constantly surrounded by places i've never photographed before. everything feels new here to me. so here is a sampling of some of my work from the last couple months in beautiful tennessee. and within the next week or so the kristyn hogan blog should finally be up and running and off the hook so you'll be able to see all my most recent work there. i'm pretty excited about it. and if you haven't pinched the cheeks of my pretty baby yet-enjoy: www.kristynhogan.com

my husband at 11 years old

2009-04-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

My favorite father-in-law (he calls me his favorite daughter-in-law since he only has one or his second favorite blond since he has 2 of those and I don't mind being second :)
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Okay, that run-on sentence just wasn't going to work so let's start over. My favorite father-in-law emailed me this photo today of my darling husband and his little brother from 13 years ago. He says they were briefing the nation's press on current military actions in the Middle East.
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I say they were just being the ridiculousness that is Matt & David Hogan. And enjoying the fact that their mother dressed them in coordinating shirts with matching bowl cuts to visit dad at work ;-)
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And that little separation of the bangs Matt is sporting? In a couple years as he grew into teenage years that would become affectionately known as the "M" before it was finally banned for life from my handsome husband's head. I'll have to dig up some photos of how it morphed into a very visible "M" on the front of his forehead. Gotta love the 90's. Speaking of 90's, is it weird that I met this boy in the 90's?!?! Only 3 years after this photo was taken?!?! This July I will have known my husband for 10 years. Wow.
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So before I get all nostalgic on you, I'll leave you in peace.

cold mountain

2009-04-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

Just finished reading Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. It is probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read and the stories within the story could each be and are masterpieces in their own right. I'm hesitant to watch the movie now because I love the book so much and more often than not the movies are a complete disappointment. Any thoughts? Regardless, if you even sort of appreciate beautiful writing and storytelling so full of life you start to feel a part of it, then you really should read this book. I wish it hadn't ended.
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Okay, and yes, I admit, it takes place in the 1800s. So what.

bunnies & holy week

2009-04-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrate Christmas for months. The preparation and anticipation makes it many peoples' favorite time of year. Easter gets an obligatory morning of church and a nice meal and maybe some eggs filled with candy. And the Easter Bunny at the mall surrounded by giant carrots is not nearly as exciting as Santa with presents. And frankly a little scarier. My point- Christmas is a big deal. It is a big deal that Jesus was born and came to earth. But if Jesus was simply born and lived on earth like the rest of us, He really doesn't have much lasting impact on my life. The fact that He was born, lived a perfect life and then died for me is a bit of a bigger deal. The fact that He died to save me from myself and then conquered death and rose, that's pretty important. So why is Easter simply bunnies, painted eggs and chocolate? This year it is more to me than that. And in preparation for celebrating what Jesus did for me and for you, we are celebrating Holy Week in our home. I've always known that on Friday He was crucified and on Sunday He rose. I've known the vague details of the Last Supper and that maybe He rode in on a donkey with some palms or something. But I think there is more to it than just He rode into a town and was killed and then somehow wasn't dead anymore.
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On Sunday at church while we were reading about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, I found a time line in my bible that outlines the gospel accounts of the week leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. So Matt & I are reading the gospel accounts on the day of the week that they occurred and trying to live out the day with what Jesus did on that day in mind. Today (Tuesday) Jesus taught the crowds in some pretty intense parables that directly questioned our way of living. More on that later. For now, in case you are interested in taking a bit closer look at what really went on this week in history...
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Sunday: The Triumphal Entry
Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, John 12:12-19
On the first day of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (Zec 9:9). The crowd welcomed Him with the words of Psalm 118:25-26, thus ascribing to Him a Messianic title as the agent of the Lord, the coming King of Israel

Monday: Clearing of the temple
Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-48
Jesus returned to the temple and found the court of the Gentiles full of traders and money changers making a large profit. Jesus drove them out and overturned their benches and tables

Tuesday: Day of controversy and parables
Matthew 21:23-24:51, Mark 11:27-13:37, Luke 20:1-21:36
In the morning in Jerusalem Jesus evaded the traps set by the priests. Then in the afternoon on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem He taught in parables and warned the people against the Pharisees. He predicted the destruction of Herod's great temple and told His disciples about future events, including His own return.

Wednesday: Day of rest
Mark 14:1 and John 12:1 seem to indicate that there was a day not specifically mentioned in the gospels before the Passover. I would imagine a day of rest was quite needed at this point with the weight of what He was about to go through on His heart.

Thursday: Passover, Last Supper
Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-23
In an upper room Jesus prepared both Himself and His disciples for His death. He gave the Passover meal a new meaning. The loaf of bread and cup of wine represented His body soon to be sacrificed and His blood soon to be shed. After singing a hymn they went to the Garden of Gesthsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony, knowing what lay ahead for Him.

Friday: Crucifixion
Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 22:66-23:56, John 18:28-19:37
Following betrayal, arrest, desertion, false trials, denial, condemnation, beatings and mockery, Jesus was required to carry His cross to The Place of the Skull, where He was crucified with two other prisoners.

Friday/Saturday: In the tomb
Jesus' body was placed in the tomb before 6:00 PM Friday night, when the Sabbath began and all work stopped, and it lay in the tomb throughout the Sabbath.

Sunday: Resurrection
Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-49, John 20
Early in the morning, women went to the tomb and found that the stone closing the tomb's entrance had been rolled back. An angel told them Jesus was alive and gave them a message. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to Peter, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later that day to all the disciples but Thomas.

mr. hogan

2009-04-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am ridiculously, insanely proud of my husband. A lot of people, including me, give him quite a bit of grief for the crazy person that he is. He's anal and orderly and when he gives himself to something, he gives himself completely, no exceptions. No excuses. He's loyal and witty and likes things to be logical. Or funny. As much as I like to give him crap for all his idiosyncrasies (see post below), I am so proud of the man that he is. I look up to him as my best friend and my protector and when I look at him my heart just swells with immense love for him.
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For the last year, pretty much without fail, he's been getting up at 6 am on the weekdays so that he can work out before he has to go to work (reference; unfailing commitment). For most of that time I've been giving him a mumbled "love you" as I roll over in bed and sleep for another hour. I prefer to do my exercising when the sun is up. But for the last couple weeks I've decided to give into his begging to go to bed and wake up with him (if anyone knows me at all they know going to bed before 10 and getting up at 6 is not in my nature). But in an effort to spend more time with this man that I love so dearly, I now enjoy the sleeping schedule of a retiree.
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Why do I say all this? Because this morning as we are leaving the gym, my husband is leaving for work and wearing his uniform. Something as seemingly normal as this immediately tugs at my heart. I'm a sentimental girl. When I see him ready in the morning to go fly an airplane, I start to think about what a good, honest, hard working man he is. How much he has accomplished and what we have yet to accomplish together. How thankful I am for everything that he does for me and how blessed I feel that God has allowed me to spend my time here on earth with such an amazing person. And I love him even more when he brings home 37 boxes of cereal from the grocery store.

they were having a sale

2009-03-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

37 boxes of Speacial K Protein cereal later my husband has cleared out both Super Wal-Marts in Murfreesboro. We go through about 2 boxes of this stuff a week and so when Matt's dream finally came true and it went on sale for $1 off/box he bought every box they had. Yes, people, my husband bought 37 boxes of cereal. Does this suprise any of you?

my baptism

2009-03-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission-Jesus' last words after his resurrection)

I chose to believe, accept and follow Jesus Christ as a teenager. Since then it has been a journey of growth, set-backs, joy and fear. When I was faced with moving away from the only home I had ever known I was so scared of the whole prospect. Still, I felt a still small voice telling me to do it anyway, despite my fears. To simply surrender and jump in. It's been almost 5 months since we moved to Tennessee and I have never before had a time in my life where I could physically see this much of God at work in my life. Many times we will look back on years of our life and begin to see where God's purposes and plans for certain things begin to make sense. This time it hasn't taken years but mere minutes, days and weeks. As a response of obedience to the Lord of my life, I felt it was finally time to make the decision as a believer to be baptized. I had been baptized as a baby but I really believe that the bible teaches when we make the decision to become followers of Christ that we are to also take the step of publicly professing our faith and spreading it to the world.

So on Sunday, my husband baptized me in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.

come thou fount

2009-03-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

phil wickham is playing here in murfreesboro in a few weeks and i really think i might need to go. ever since i heard one of his songs for the first time riding in the car with travis & brad on the way to williamsburg his music always makes me stop and worship, even if just for a second. i found this video of him singing this old hymn today and i think it is so beautiful.

prisoner of the Lord

2009-03-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

i've gotten some scolding lately for not updating everyone on my life here on my little blog so here you go, a photo of me & the hubby on our honeymoon. what an update huh. i can't believe it's been almost 2 years already. so anyway, lots of things have been going on and lots of really good things that i promise i will get to on here eventually. but for now, here is my verse for this week. contemplating for this week what this REALLY means.
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Therefore I, as a prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.
Ephesians 4:1 (NASB)

look what we woke up to this morning!

2009-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

3 inches of snow! so much for bragging to everyone in iowa about the weather! although it is supposed to be in the 70s next week :)

tennessee cold remedy.

2009-02-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

matt got a cold late last week and said he was going to the store to buy cold medicine.

this is what he came back with.

my roots are in the riverbank

2009-02-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

25 random things about me

2009-02-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

1. matt took me to europe for 3 weeks when we were in college and i had a complete breakdown/3 week anxiety attack and he still proposed to me under the eiffel tower and i think our marriage will be stronger because he saw me at my
weakest, loved me through it and knows how to deal with my freak outs now :)

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2. i believe me half ruining that trip was one of god's greatest gifts to me. he showed me what i was without what i had grown to rely on and helped me grow to a point where i can cast aside my crutches and live the life He intends for me to live.

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3. i was scared to death to move away from the home i have known my whole life and now i'm scared of what i would have become if i had never gotten the courage or the faith to do it.

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4. i have grown more spiritually in the last 2 months than i have in my entire life.

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5. i adore my husband.

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6. i think i am socially awkward and i am afraid of rejection or making people feel awkward for having to reject me. awkward, right? :)
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7. i really really really love airports.

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8. i love stopping whatever i am doing to go outside when it is nice out.

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9. i have a recessive mutant gene that no doctor has been able to cure. my brother, mom, grandma, uncle, grandma's sister and great grandpa all have it as well. i decided to research it in my college genetics class and found out they call it
"butterfly skin" and in it's most serious forms people get blisters over their entire body from sweat and friction. thankfully we just get it all over our feet. great to have for summers, hot vacations and trying to play sports. my kids have a 50/50 chance of getting it as well.

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10. watching tv shows on DVD with my husband is relaxing to me. and something i look forward to at the end of the day.

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11. i absolutely adore my family. and that includes the family i gained from marrying matt. we all have so much fun together and i am seriously blessed.

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12. i hated cruises until i went on my 3rd one. now i love them and want as many of my close friends and family as i can get to go on one all together. it's a goal i seriously plan to achieve.

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13. i always thought my mom was crazy for thinking it was possible to have a sucessful photography business. she always told me it was a dream of hers to do one day so somehow we decided just to do it. she was right. it is possible. and i like to think that we fulfilled her dream together.

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14. i think my parents had 2 sets of twins that were born at 4 different times. my brother, michael and i are the right-handed ones. we are 2 of the most laid back people you will probably ever meet. we love to be crazy and have fun but we have really quiet souls and don't think there is anything wrong with not talking sometimes or failing to be somewhere 15 minutes early. and then there is alyssa and johnathan, the 2 anal OCD left-handed comedians of the family. they definitely go the opposite way in the talking department. and the 15 minutes early, plan things 3 months ahead of time department :)

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15. the greatest gift my parents ever gave me was my sister and my brothers. and they've given me alot of really nice things.

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16. i want as much light as possible all the time. if i had it my way, between 5 am and 10 pm the windows and curtains would always be open, the lights would always be on, and the sun would always be out.

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17. one of my favorite posessions is my heating pad. it's really relaxing to me. i'm really glad i stole it from my parents.

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18. i do not love animals. except some puppies. and ones at the zoo for a day.

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19. my favorite book is gone with the wind. and i'm afraid to see the movie because the book is so real to me and i don't want to see someone else's interpretation of that world.

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20. i used to pretend i was anne of green gables when i was a kid. i would walk around my backyard by myself making up the story as i walked and pretending i was a part of it in my head while carrying my mom's clarinet case which was my "orphan suitcase". my heart is full of stories.

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21. alot of times i don't cry when i think i should and sometimes i cry when i think i shouldn't.

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22. i really like natural peanut butter. crunchy and smooth.

23. i am infatuated with the 18th-19th century as well as amish culture. i love reading about it. watching movies set in that time. there is something so simple about life that i am completely drawn to. i think sometimes that i would like to live in a self sustaining commune where we lived off the land and i got to pick all the people i wanted to live around me and we all worshipped jesus and maybe i could be an amazing cook :)

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24. i will paint my toes the same color for years at a time. the last year i've been in a red stage. before that it was pink. before that it was purple. before that it was blue and silver.

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25. every day is a new day of learning how to walk with jesus. the more i learn about him the more he intrigues me and the more i realize of who i am in him.

someone in my house is happy today!

2009-02-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

just another day?

2009-01-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

It's been life as usual around here which is, in a way, unusual, as I'm starting to feel more like home...getting into a routine, knowing where I'm going, making friends, making this into our home. When we got home from Christmas in Virginia we got to enjoy an NHL game in Nashville. Matt is a big Pittsburgh football & hockey fan so his parents gave him Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Nashville Predators hockey tickets. We had alot of fun and now Matt is in his 2 weeks of celebration as he prepares for his team to win the Super Bowl! Sunday is going to be quite a nerve wracking day for my dear husband and all of the Hogans :) That includes me, although I would have preferred for it to be a Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh Super Bowl in which my Packers were victorious and I was able to gloat for years. Alas, it hasn't been my year as a Packer fan so I'll defer to rooting for my second favorite team as my Cheeseheads prepare for their comeback season!

Have I told everyone in the world about Matt's extremely odd dietary concoction known as a "pancake" made from cottage cheese, egg whites & oatmeal? Enough said.

We are slowly but surely making progress on our humble abode. While it may seem like all of this decorating shouldn't have been that involved of a process, trust me, it has been. I've never bought and returned so many things in my lifetime in my sweet husband's quest to decorate everything perfectly. I've never closely scrutinized so many shades of so many different colors. Sigh, who knew I married Mr. Martha? :)

Next up is my quest to actually get some photos of all the amazing people we've become friends with over the last couple of months. The people down here truly are amazing and have made this transition so much more enjoyable.

happy birthday.

2009-01-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hogan's Super Magic Awesome White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies!

2009-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Kelly, and I made these cookies over Christmas break and then I just made them again this week for dinner at a friend's house. So far they've been a hit (Matt even raves about them!) and some people have asked for the recipe, so here you go! *4 cups all-purpose flour
*2 cups sugar

(we use raw pure cane sugar...I think it makes a difference but you can use regular sugar)
*2 tsp. ground cinnamon

*a couple shakes of all-spice

(I added this to the recipe myself so it's not a scientific amount, I just shook it a couple times :)
*2 tsp. baking soda
*1 tsp. salt
*1 (16 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin

(I got a 29 oz. can because they were out of the 16 oz. at the store and used about 20 oz. of the can)
*1 cup vegetable oil

(Because I used a little more pumpkin I only used about 3/4 cup of oil)
*2 eggs
*2 tbsp. milk
*2 tsp. vanilla extract
*2/3 bag of white chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda and salt. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop big spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Dought will be VERY moist and cake like. You just have to kind of glop them onto the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 9-10 minutes.

They will still look very moist and maybe not done at the end of 9 minutes but they are just very cake-like and best if you don't overcook them. I let them cool on the caking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack because they are so moist and may break apart if you move them too quickly.

Makes about 3 dozen depending on how large you make the cookies. I think they are better when they are bigger.

Taste great warm, at room temperature or cold out of the fridge! Make sure you store them in a ziplock or airtight container so they stay moist. Enjoy!

do you know John the Baptist?

2009-01-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

I believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of this world. I believe that He knows me more intimately than I even know myself. I believe that He loves me in spite of all those things He knows about me. I believe that He is with me every moment and desires for me to know Him in as much detail as He knows me.

Christ knows every hair on my head, and presumably that means He even knows every hair on my legs when I get lazy in the winter. Yet, I feel as though I know very little about Him. This Jesus I am calling on to save me from myself is often faceless, nameless and without depth of character to me.

I get to know the people in my life that I love very well. I want to know what they love, what they hate, what they do when they are sad or happy or scared. I want to know them. So slowly but surely I am trying to learn about my Lord, my Agape and my friend. I want to know what makes Him happy and I want to recognize Him in an instant when my life on earth is over because I have spent my life on earth in His presence.

So this is a call out to biblical scholars, which I am not. I am reading multiple books of the bible at once in an attempt to make up for lost time in which I feel I have never truly learned the story of God beyond the story of my own life.

This morning I was reading in Matthew (Matthew 11:1-19) when John hears in prison about what Christ is doing throughout the land. He sends men to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" They do this and of course Christ confirms to them that He is the One. Then He goes on to tell a crowd of people about how John is the prophet who was to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ (himself). And how John the Baptist is the greatest.

This is all great but now I am confused about my friend because yesterday I read in Matthew 3 when John is baptizing people in the name of Him who is to come. Then he MEETS Jesus and Jesus asks John to baptize him. John clearly recognizes who this is because he says "I need to be baptized by YOU". Jesus then goes on to tell him that it's a fulfillment of the scriptures for John to baptize him so he does.

Now, where did John go from recognizing Jesus as the Christ and baptizing Him and witnessing the Holy Spirit descend upon Him and TALK to Him (can't really miss this) to being in prison and telling his men to go ask this man if He is really the Christ or if he should be waiting for someone else? My first inclination was that John is like the rest of us and one moment he knows clearly who Jesus is and in the next moment is questioning everything. I do this often enough to recognize it when I see it. But then I am wondering if there is some scholarly thing I am missing out on in an attempt to know every hair on Jesus' head (and legs :).

Thoughts anyone?

one year in 40 seconds: turn your volume on

2009-01-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

GOD GIVES, GOD TAKES AWAY, GOD RESTORES.

a virginia holiday

2009-01-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here is my holiday vacation to Virginia from the perspective of my sister's point and shoot camera that she let me borrow and I continue to borrow. This is my holiday vacation out of order because blogger changed the way you load photos and I have yet to adapt. Sometimes I don't adapt well to change. Sometimes I embrace it.

Matt & I goofing off in the Nashville airport.

My husband makes me laugh everyday. I love that about him.
New Year's Eve: Matt & Josh playing homemade trick pool

My first geocaching trip with Matt's mom & dad. I love being outside and can't wait to try it out again next time we visit. Next time we will retrace our steps and not take the LONG way back to the car.

New Year's Eve again...Matt singing at midnight with the intoxicated adults :)

Matt & Josh have been friends since they were kids. Josh has known Matt even longer than I have and they both ended up as pilots. Matt as a slightly quirkier version :)

When we were all in high school and I was out visiting Matt in Virginia we asked Josh & Allie to go on a double date with us to Busch Gardens. At the time they weren't really dating but we made the plans and then Allie totally ditched out on Josh the morning of. Now they are married and we love to tease Allie about what a brat she was :) Love you Allie!

Happy New Year!

A little Rock Band with the Reverend!

I caught Matt showing me what an awesome dad he's going to be one day :) He's still in denial but we'll get there!

My Christmas craft for the year, a Swiss Aframe gingerbread house. I was quite proud.

He always has this face on for me whenever I have a camera. He has an amazing smile in person :)

My geocaching partner and her walking stick!

That's all for now.

A call out to my Hogans: pictures of Christmas, cookie making, other events I missed with my camera please :)

off to washington dc

2008-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

We fly out this evening to spend a couple weeks with Matt's family in DC for Christmas. We haven't seen them all since last Christmas so we're all pretty excited to get together and be Hogans. On another note, this will be my first time flying Southwest. I'd say that I've traveled quite a bit more than the average person in my lifetime and yet I've never flown Southwest. We were pretty psyched to get tickets roundtrip & non-stop at Christmas time for $175. Quite a change considering I was paying almost $400 this summer to fly from Iowa to Nashville (what a hot and in demand route!) So for now, since I'm still not completely packed and we leave in 4 hours, here are photos of Matt's dad & brother bungie jumping in New Zealand in November. David studied abroad there and Jim went to visit him in Middle Earth. Can't wait to hear all about the Hobbits!

may it be as you have said.

2008-12-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas is commercialized. I don't think many people will argue that. What I didn't realize was just how much the story of Jesus' birth has been commercialized. We assume we know what happened from seeing the manger scenes and Nativity plays. We assume that there were 3 wisemen that showed up the night Jesus was born after a conversation between Mary & Joseph and the inn keeper at some sort of primitive motel. We assume that an angel with pretty white wings and a smiling cuddly face appeared.

As we are going through the real Christmas story and reading what ACTUALLY happened around the time of Jesus' birth I am learning that I have taken what the world told me without question and never truly taken the time to get to know this servant that I call my Savior.

Seriously, actually READ the Christmas story. And not just the few sentences about laying Him in a manger. There is so much that surrounds the story and affects its outcome. Until this week I never really considered the foretelling and birth of John the Baptist as having anything to do with Christmas until I actually read it and considered what it had to say about the birth of Jesus.

If anyone is interested I have a word document with all of the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth put into chronological order so you don't have to flip back and forth to get the whole story.

We read Luke 1:5-2:40 the other night. As we read through we discussed some things that really opened my heart to a deeper understanding of what I worship. I'm including them here if anyone is interested in delving deeper into the story.

*What do you picture angels to look like? If you picture them like the majority of society does with the pretty white wings and sweet little face why do the angels almost always end up telling people "Do not be afraid" when they are upon them? The bible says that no man can look on the face of God and live. You have to wonder what a being would look like and how they would radiate having spent all their time in the presence of God and if they put on the armor of God to fight spiritual battles with demons I somehow feel like we should be putting G.I. Joes in our nativity scenes instead of the little cuddly haloed butterflies everyone has come to love.

*How did Zacharias respond to the angel when he was told Elizabeth would bear a child? Why was he made mute?

*Contrast this with how Mary responded to the angel when told she would bear the Son of God.

*What is the symbolic importance of Jesus being placed in a manger and why it was one of the few details mentioned in the minutes surrounding his birth.

*What is the significance of John & Jesus' names? In a culture where the firstborn son was always given his father's name or a close relatives name to pass on the family name (this was a much bigger deal at that time then it is now), going against the culture and following God's commands showed the utmost submission to His will. We also discussed that Jesus in that time was probably pronounced Joshua and was not an unusual name for the time and further demonstrated his coming to earth as a lowly servant.

*When was Jesus cognisant of being God? This one really has no answer but we discussed trying to wrap our heads around the concept of a child having no sin and when Jesus went from being a sinless baby/child/man to God incarnate. This ties into the concept of God coming to earth as a lowly servant and truly experiencing life while still remaining God.

what a snowstorm looks like in tennessee

2008-12-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently when our world looks like this it means no school in Tennessee! We went to our bible study tonight and we were the only couple that showed up because no one wanted to go out in such treacherous weather! The other couple at our bible study said the grocery store was packed yesterday in anticipation :)

It snowed tonight from about 5 pm until maybe 7 or so and the streets are pretty much just slushy but according to the news it looks like every county in middle Tennessee has already closed schools. Time to go make a microscopic snowman!

i love my family

2008-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Some more photos from the Beckman Hogan family Thanksgiving in our new place!

We still have a little bit to do as far as decorating but I'll get those photos up once we actually get it all finished (aqua dining room and actually making paintings out of those canvases above the couch are our next projects...and of course Matt's neverending search for the PERFECT color lime green for our bedroom curtains, to give you an idea we're on our 3rd set and they still aren't just right to him, sigh) Michael & Aubrey making peanut butter cheesecake pie, yum!
Momma & Poppa putting the turkey in!

Love the husband.

Alyssa opening the Wii, it looks like Christmas!

The feast!

Johnathan attempting some football?

Aubrey (Michael's girlfriend) & my favorite sister Alyssa :)

Mr. & Mrs. Hogan's Official Christmas photo. Nice huh? There were ALOT of people taking their family photos like this in front of this tree at the Opryland in Nashville. So of course Matt had to drag us up there to make fun of everyone :)

We went to see the Christmas lights at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. It was like nothing I've ever seen. This hotel is massive (I think they said 17 acres?) and every bit we saw was covered in lights and Christmas decorations.

From left to right: Matt, me, Michael, Johnathan, Aubrey, Alyssa & Dad (Mom was taking the photo as usual)

Matt & Michael playing Wii Boxing...it was quite funny.

a buggy?

2008-12-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

I'm learning alot about Southern culture as I become immersed in living amongst all this Southern charm. Today in our church small group we were discussing how our leaders had gone to Wal-Mart with their youth group to buy some gifts for a family in need. They were talking about the experience of all the kids "running around to their section of the store, screaming when they found the things on their list, pushing each other around in the buggies, yada yada yada....."

I stop them mid story, laughing and completely confused, "WHAT is a buggy?" (I'm thinking...I don't think they have Amish modes of transportation in Wal-Mart, but hey this IS the south)

The rest of the small group looks at me as if they are thinking "duh, who doesn't know what a buggy is?"...So, after a bit of translation, I am told that a buggy is a shopping cart. And that, in fact, a buggy is what they call the contraption you put your items in when shopping in Tennessee.

Who would have known :)

the matchless wonder of all that He is.

2008-12-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

i just finished reading "i am not but i know I AM" by louie giglio, founder of Passion. this is my favorite passage:

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And how would we know when we have slipped back into the story of us?

We know when we see these telling signs.

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When I live like I'm privileged. I have lost the plot. In other words, when I start acting like I deserve a certain outcome or a higher standard of life, I have failed to strike the fatal blow to self and am living like I actually have rights in this world apart from God.

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When I am demanding, I have lost the plot, insisting that God and others meet my needs on the timetable that I see fit.

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When I crumble under the pressure, I have lost the plot, declaring that the outcome of life rests sqaurely on my shoulders, not His.

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When I start protecting, I have lost the plot, marking turf as though it were actually mine and forgetting that everything I have comes from above.

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When I crave the spotlight for myself, I have lost the plot, losing sight of the story line and the one true Star.

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And every time I do it I waste one of life's fleeting chances to make my life truly count by amplifying Him.

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When I fail to celebrate the successes of others who are living for His fame, I have lost the plot, thinking that possibly we are on different teams when we actually share supporting roles in the same story.

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When I dwell on feelings of being unloved, unnoticed, or insignificant, I have lost the plot, abandoning the miracle of knowing God on a first-name basis.

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All of these privileged, demanding, arrogant, frazzled, turf-protecting, glory-stealing, self-loathing moments are nothing more than a clarion call alerting us to the fact that it's time to die again, reminders that the life of smallness requires a vigilant watch and a constant willingness to strike the fatal blow in the heart of me.

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But to die to self is to gain on an unfathomable scale-- a daily funeral that is nothing more than the doorway to a life filled with the matchless wonder of all that He is.

christmas movies!

2008-12-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

There is not much I love better than Christmas and with that I really love watching Christmas movies...So I found www.christmasmovies.us and found all sorts of good suggestions for movies to watch this holiday season while I work away at the computer. Some of these I've seen and some I haven't so I want to know from all of you, what should I watch? What's your favorite Christmas movie(s)? It can be cartoon, classic, comedy, and definitely doesn't have to be from my list below, whatever! Leave me a comment because I need some good suggestions.

Some of my favorites...

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (duh!)

Elf (I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!)

Little Women (not completely a Christmas movie but one of my favorite movies of all time and has a winter theme)

Santa Clause The Movie (I watched this one ALOT when I was little so it has a special place in my heart)

The Santa Clause (Again, a childhood favorite but I haven't seen the 2nd or 3rd)

Home Alone (just thinking about this I really want to watch it!)

Jingle All the Way (Turbo Man Doll! My sister and brothers have to remember this one) :)

turkey week: the point & shoot version

2008-12-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

my family came down to nashville last week to spend thanksgiving with us. we had a great time and i really enjoyed just having uninterupted time to spend with them which we don't get very often. we took alot of better pictures with the "real" camera but i'll post those later this week. for now, enjoy these point & shoot shots. since we have a 1 bedroom apartment they stayed at the embassy suites and we all used the hot tub and pool as much as possible. johnathan massaging matt's head?
mom wouldn't let aubrey (michael's girlfriend) and michael pass up a photo in front of the christmas balls!

then we all decided to go to the shooting range, a real southern activity...this was an experience and the boys got aubrey and i to shoot a machine gun!

my dad likes to brag about his skills

johnathan went a little nuts with the machine gun

that place seriously freaked me out. but atleast i can...kill someone with a machine gun now if i ever needed to?

johnathan posing in...victoria's secret.

love & respect

2008-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Before Matt & I got married we each read Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. We each had our own copy of the book, read it seperately and then discussed it together afterwards. The concept of Love & Respect discusses a marriage relationship as outlined in the bible and as how God intended it to be; despite what our culture or our selfishness or our egos say.

When we read the book before we got married it was very worthwhile and I have remembered it since. Now that we have been married for almost 2 years these principles are becoming much more relevant. Since we've started going to New Vision church we joined a Sunday school/community group for newlyweds and engaged couples that meets after church. The last 2 Sundays we've started watching the DVD companion series that goes with the book. After walking out of the first class last Sunday Matt & I immediately agreed that watching Emerson speak about this on the DVD was 100% more impactful and the principles have had immediate ramifications on our marriage.

I'm sharing this because I want to urge anyone who has not heard of or experienced Love & Respect to do their best to find a way to do so. And if you've just read the book I would highly recommend trying to watch the DVDs. Not only does this affect the way you view your husband or wife and your relationship with them, this concept carries over into how you treat your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and really anyone you come into contact with.

barefeet

2008-11-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Matt & I attended New Vision for the second Sunday since we've been here. Their new series is about having "Close Encounters with God"...wanting something more out of our experience of walking with Jesus. Having that awe inspiring moment where you feel truly consumed by our Savior. The first teaching in this series was over Exodus 3 where Moses encounters God in the burning bush. I've always known the basic idea of this Old Testament story but never gave it much thought. This was an ultimate God moment for Moses. As he was talking about this experience for Moses, Pastor Brady took off his shoes and talked about the significance of God telling Moses to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. Not only was this a sign of respect but his shoes represented many other things in his act of surrendering to God...taking off our shoes represents leaving behind the material world where we rely on ourselves and what we provide for ourselves, taking off our shoes represents humbling ourselves...allowing vulnerability, and the act of taking off our shoes requires that we walk more deliberatly, with more care and with more thought to our steps.

Then last night I began reading a new book that Travis gave to Matt awhile ago, i am not but i know I AM by Louie Giglio. I began reading and within the first few pages here it comes again. Exodus 3. Maybe God is trying to tell me something? Maybe God is telling me to walk slower. To walk deliberately. To pay attention. To watch for Him.

Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?" God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Yes? I'm right here!" God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."
Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God...... God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM.

-Exodus 3:3-6, 14 The Message

what happens when my husband doesn't get enough sleep

2008-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture? I opened up my pantry this evening to find the following situation. My husband tells me that the milk being put in the pantry is my fault :) After being married for a year and a half we are truly living together full time for the first time and we are learning alot about each other. First of all, Matt says he's hasn't been getting enough sleep since we moved. Why? Plain and simple. Duh, It's my fault! Matt usually gets up between 5:45 and 6 am during the week to allow enough time to work out and get ready before heading off to work. This means he goes to bed when the grandpas and the grandmas of the world go to bed. But, as he has now revealed to me, he can go to bed at that time but can't actually fall asleep unless I am in bed with him. Thus, if I would prefer Matt be awake enough during the day to put the milk in our refridgerator instead of the pantry, I must adjust my life to go to bed right after the early bird special. I love my husband :)

Don't you love how nicely he tucked that milk in there like that spot was just waiting for it?

Bonefish Grill: Warm Mango Salsa

2008-11-18T18:12:00.001-08:00

Murfreesboro Fact #1: It's the restaurant capital of the U.S.

What shall we do about this?

Try everything, of course.

My uncle is down here in Nashville on business this week so he's been taking us out for dinner. Sunday night we had Fox's Pizza. I had a personal taco pizza which was very good.

Find a local pizza joint. CHECK.

Tonight we went to Bonefish Grill. Matt & Scott urged me to try the Mango Salsa on my seafood and I was skeptical at first. I am a skeptic no longer. First of all, this was definitely the best seafood I've had in my life and I've had quite a bit. I think what made it was the Mango Salsa. We left the restaurant wondering if we could buy it in MASSIVE bulk. And ta-da, they have the recipe on their website...so I'm sharing it with you all (ya'll) and urging you to give it a shot. It goes with pretty much any seafood. Matt had it on Mahi Mahi, Scott had it on Ahi Tuna and I had it on shrimp and scallops. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's amazing. Seriously, try it.

Bonefish Grill Warm Mango Salsa (8 servings)
A sweet, eastern accent.
Ingredients

1 cup red onions, charred and chopped (quarter inch pieces)

1 quart small diced mango (drained and chopped in quarter inch pieces)

1/4 cup diced red pepper (eighth of an inch pieces)

1/2 cup mango puree

1/4 cup scallions (chopped on bias)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

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Directions
Peel and slice red onion in 2 to 3 large pieces lay on hot grill and char.
Chop the red onion into quarter inch pieces.
Dice the Mango and red pepper.
Mix all the ingredients together
When ready to serve, heat in microwave or on stove top for three minutes. Add scallions and cilantro and serve over grilled fillet.

"a big big house where we can play football"

2008-11-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Moving to a new community 11 hours away from what I have considered home my entire life can be a bit daunting. Now #1 on our list of to-do's is actually finding a church home where we can truly become a part of the community, meet new people in the area, strengthen our relationship with each other and nourish our personal relationship with Jesus. We want a place that is real. If anyone knows me they know I'm not really one for dressing up or being anything that I am not. And if anyone knows anything about the south they probably know that church and your Sunday best and traditional worship is a big part of the culture. And maybe some grits :)

So anyway, we decided to just start trying churches out and hoping to find the one where God wants us to be right now. Today we went to New Vision. Technically this is a Southern Baptist church which I find pretty funny (to think of myself attending a southern baptist church) However, it is nothing like what I would think of as a southern baptist church...it is very contemporary, and what a coincidence...they seem to have...a new vision. This church has 4 services with about 2500 people and is actually built right next to Stones River (the historic Civil War battle field). (This little tid bit of info is for my dad, the history channel buff, they had to get Congress approval to build the church so close to a Civil War battlefield and I'm sure he will want to check it out when the family comes down in a week or so :)

So we entered and started worshipping and immediately Matt tells me that he knows the guitarist and that he was actually really good friends with him during his freshman year of college. It was ironic that today was New Vision's 20th anniversary celebration so the whole service went over the history of the church and their vision for the future. It was actually the perfect way to come to church to truly learn about it and get a feel for what they are all about. Somehow I feel like God knew this all along. We plan on attending New Vision again next week and so far it looks like God has made this process pretty easy. About 3 minutes into the service my heart and my Lord simply said, "yes, this is where you are supposed to be right now."

birth-day.

2008-11-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

I turned 23 yesterday. Or maybe by now it's 2 days ago...these mid twenties birthdays feel a little weird. Life feels like it goes by so much quicker then I remember when I was younger. It was a different sort of birthday. I spent most of the day by myself in our new apartment continuing to unpack and work while Matt worked. When he got home he brought me some nice suprises. The first season of PSYCH on DVD (secretly he wanted this for himself just as much as me so I think it was a mutually beneficial gift :) and a MASSIVE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE. When I say this thing is chocolate, it's really chocolate. Like atleast 8 or so inches tall of pure chocolate covered in white chocolate shavings and chocolate frosting. So chocolate that Matt & I both have canker sores today from eating 1 piece. Oh heavenly chocolate.

Before I continue on with my very action packed birthday evening, I wanted to share a completely unrelated photo of what my husband looks like when he wakes up in the morning. Someone looks a bit like a baby bird :)

So after salivating over my chocolate cake for a bit we decided to head up to Nashville to hang with the boys. I think until I meet some females here I'm doomed to hanging out with just boys. Atleast they are pretty cool guys :)

Matt cutting up part of my cake to share. I took a normal photo and then Charlie asked me to retake it with this pose. Really, no one should have to see this in their lifetime...Looks like he's having a Charlie Jr. or we're just in the south. Oh how exciting is the iPhone. Sean, Adam and Ben.

Ashton is lame and is moving back to Houston as we speak so I took a photo of him making green bean casserole to preserve his memory in Nashville forever. Very epic.

After our cook-out in the rain we headed out to see the new Bond movie. I have to say that it is weird for me to be in a city and drive on interstates and realize that this is actually where I live. My whole life cities have been simply part of vacations or visits. Life feels new and different and covered in traffic.

What I love about Nashville so far...

*digital cable with on-demand

*having a gym within 30 seconds walking distance along with fresh chocolate chip cookies and tea (for Sundays of course :)

*ridiculous amounts of shopping options (Ross, Marshall's, and Bed Bath & Beyond all right in a row...more on the beauty of Ross & Marshall's to come later as we spent about half our day in these 2 stores today)

*knowing that if I wanted to try food from a restaurant I've never been to I have endless options living in the restaurant capital of the world. I've yet to actually exercise this option but I did have some Sonic which is good enough in itself.

*feeling surrounded by new and different things where nothing is familiar and everything feels like a new opportunity.

*our apartment and the fact that it is ours.

our 12 hour drive

2008-11-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it. It took us about 12 hours to drive from Cedar Falls, Iowa to Murfreesboro, Tennessee with a 16 foot yellow Penske truck full of our crap towing our little red car behind. We started out around 6:45 am with freezing rain and pretty strong winds. We arrived sometime around 7 pm. It was a long day.
We drove right by the St. Louis arch...about the most exciting part of the drive. Tells you how exciting the drive through Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee is.

The sunset, at what seemed like 2 in the afternoon, was pretty. I thought it got dark early in Iowa but Nashville being farther east but still on Central time makes it get dark even earlier.

Finally we reached Nashville. It's a good 10 degrees warmer here than in Iowa but instead of snow it looks like it's just going to rain all winter.

Thankfully we had 4 of Matt's friends help us carry everything up our stairs. It took them less than 45 minutes to completely unload everything. 2 days later only about half of this room has been unpacked. I really thought this process would go quicker. And while I forgot to take a picture of our lovely yellow truck/car contraption I also forgot to take a photo of our help: the utterly famous Charlie Murphey, Jared from Subway, Issac and Justin. But we did take them out for dinner to Sonic. We're classy that way.

To assist with the unpacking process Matt came up with the genius idea of labeling boxes based on what room they belong in. Anything having to do with ALIENS belongs in the kitchen. This included, as seen below, an alien enema kit as well as things such as alien left ventricles. Anything going in the living room is some sort of HOLY RELIC including the Shroud of Turin, the Septor of King Herod and the Ark of the Covenant. Then Matt decided our bedroom should be labeled with PICTURES OF _____________'s MOM (we tried to include all of Matt's friends). Somehow this system failed as we couldn't really find anything without unpacking all the boxes.

So we're here. Our apartment is beautiful and the location is great. We love it so far and as soon as it doesn't look like a disaster zone I'll take some photos and share more about what it's like living here. P.S. How did I ever do without Comcast Cable On Demand? We've got thousands of movies, tv shows, sporting events, etc. to play whenever we want, included. Looks like something I definitely need :)

a place to call home

2008-11-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

It's official. I'm entering a whole new stage in my life. And no, it's not the baby stage! Since Matt & I met when I was 13 and he was 14 we've never truly lived in the same state (that's like over 9 years of long distance dating/marriage). Even once we got married we've been commuting back and forth between his job as a pilot in Nashville and my photography business and family here in Iowa. We've finally decided that it's time for us to have our own "home" and try to actually live as a family as semi-normally as we can possibly manage. We'll still be doing our share of commuting as I still have my business with my mom in Iowa that is still going full force as well as working with Relevant out in Virginia but it is finally time for us to have a place that is just ours.

So we're off to explore the wild blue yonder. Or atleast I feel like I am. Matt has lived on and off in Nashville all throughout college and for the last couple years since he has graduated and continued to work down there. From my visits I really enjoy the area and I am looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

So for all of you who have been wondering.

1. Yes, we're moving to Nashville. Next week. Ok, Matt will chide me if I say we're moving to Nashville. We're moving to the Nashville AREA but I think it's just easier to say Nashville because everyone knows where that is :) We're actually moving to Murfreesboro which is sort of a suburb south of Nashville.

2. Yes, Art Of Light is still 100% in business and I will be back in Iowa for everything that I need to be there for. Since our business is about 75% on the computer it will be easy to work from wherever I am in the world.

3. Yes, I would LOVE your prayers if you would like to offer them. I have never really lived away from Cedar Falls where my entire extended family has lived for generations and it will be a bittersweet time for me, adjusting to this new life. I am excited and nervous and completely ready for God to walk with us through this journey. Added bonus, we can't wait for people to come visit us :)

Here are some pictures of our new "home". These obviously aren't our exact apartment but you get the idea. And I'll be sure to update with photos when we get all moved in.

God says yes.

2008-11-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

God does not always answer prayers with "yes, I'll give you exactly what you think you want" or "yes, things are going to go your way" but I think He does answer every prayer. And I think He does answer every prayer in a positive fashion "yes, I'll give you exactly what you need" and "yes, I will love you and help you through this".

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Matt's surgery did not go as planned. In my mind I thought we'd go in at 7 am and we'd leave around noon with a fixed shoulder. I figured he'd be in pain but that by next week he'd be fine and ready for work. This is not what happened. Instead, we arrived at 7 am and did leave a little after 1 in the afternoon. But not with a fixed shoulder. We left with some pictures of the inside of his arm and a promise that he was going to need more serious surgery then what they had predicted. At this point it means he will be having surgery that will be him in an imobolizer for 1-3 months and some pretty intense physical therapy. He actually tore muscle away from bone and it looks like we'll be in for a little more than we bargained for. But I don't think God ignored our prayer or even said no to our requests. It was a hard day after he came out of surgery realizing that things hadn't gone our way and we could be in for some struggles with figuring out how Matt could work through 3 months of rehabilitation and how it would affect alot of aspects of our life that I won't go into right now. But today I feel very at peace with the whole situation. I've enjoyed washing my husband's hair and taking care of him and I know that God has the very best in mind for us.

Matt's grandma passed away. She passed away with little suffering and I believe that our prayer for peace for the whole family was answered 10 fold. Matt's dad is on his way to New Zealand to spend some quality time with Matt's brother and we'll be having a memorial service for her after Christmas.
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I truly believe God answers EVERY prayer. My life this week has been testament to that.

prayer requests

2008-11-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

tonight is a night for prayer requests. i've been a little MIA from the blog recently. all those parts of my life i will update the world on when things have settled a bit. for now, i'm asking for something that i often overlook myself. the power of prayer. so many times people will say "please pray for me for this" or "i will be praying for you" and it seems to be an automatic response that doesn't actually carry any weight behind it. do we REALLY pray? do we really allow god to be a part of our day or acknowledge that he has the power and desire to be a part of every little and big moment of our lives?

now i am going back to the verse that i posted the other day because this chapter in philippians has been on my heart and with me for a couple weeks now. it is a strong commandment and promise.

"in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " philippians 4:6-7

matt (that crazy husband of mine in the picture above) is having shoulder surgery tomorrow around 9 am. he tore a ligament in his shoulder a few months ago lifting weights. please pray that this surgery will be effective and that he will not have to have a more major reconstructive surgery to fix the problem. please pray that he recovers well and that there are no complications. as most of you probably know, matt had cancer when he was 16 so he is pretty used to being under the knife but it is never fun to have to go through surgery regardless. on that note, and in the spirit of praying to God in thanksgiving, matt has not had any issues related to his cancer in over 5 years. this is a huge blessing.

on another note, matt's grandma kitty is in the hospital with complications from pnuemonia and cancer. unfortunately she is not improving and we are praying for peace for matt's family specifically matt's grandpa, dad and aunt. matt's dad is flying to new zealand on friday to spend time with matt's brother, david. please pray that god's love is with kitty and all of the family during this time and that god may be glorified throughout it all. matt's dad emailed us tonight to update us on her situation and it touched me to hear word of something beautiful amongst the pain. he shared how much it touched him to see his 85 year old dad completely devoted and unconditionally loving towards his mom. this in itself, that kind of love, is a gift from god, and a reason to pray in a spirit of thanksgiving.

that is all for tonight.

philippians 4:6-9

2008-10-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:6-9 NIV

Sometimes I have to finally admit to myself that God knows what He's talking about. He has it figured out so much better than I do. I don't have to search far to find the answers. I don't have to make them up or come up with a way to make it work on my own. Here He is. And He is commanding my full attention. He is commanding me to not be anxious and giving me the exact reasons why and what will happen if I follow his loving lead and cast aside my own pitiful attempts at figuring everything out on my own. Here is how The Message words the same verse...

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!

Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don't fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.

It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—

the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Philippians 4:6-9 The Message

PSYCH!

2008-10-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

I feel that I would be doing the world an injustice if I did not introduce as many people as possible to the tv show "Psych". I have to admit that when I was first introduced to it this summer by Jared from the Boro I was less than interested but as I continued to watch I became hooked. The premise of the show is that Shawn is a "psychic" detective helping the Santa Barbara police department solve cases with his "psychic" abilities. In all reality he's not really a psychic but rather insanely observant, ridiculously smart and just outright hilarious. (If you've seen commercials for the new show The Mentalist on CBS, they basically ripped that idea off of Psych but made it into a drama, LAME) But anyways, Shawn runs his agency PSYCH with his best friend Gus. These two play off each other to create pure comedic genius and I will admit that for the last week I've been watching reruns of this show all day as I sit at the computer working. Psych airs on USA and the first 2 seasons are out on DVD.
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In the meantime, here is a little taste of Shawn & Gus at their finest, going undercover to solve a murder case on the show "American Duos".

And some funny moments from season one :)

laughter makes things better

2008-10-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

it's been a long week and a half or so in my life recently and instead of mulling over everything i'd rather just laugh. and of course, fail blog never ceases to make me laugh :)

God is relevant.

2008-10-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty much in a pain medication coma all weekend down with a bad case of strep throat or something similar that makes me feel like I'm choking on my own tonsils and my ears have knives in them. I'm still pretty out of it but I wanted to share with anyone who has been following my journey with Relevant Church as their graphic designer/communication arts person (whatever I'm called) some photos from our first open house out in Williamsburg, VA this weekend. I haven't gotten a chance to hear first hand how it all went because frankly my head feels like it's a helium balloon high up in the sky but so far what I've heard is God was totally there and is definitely walking with us on this amazing journey. Check it out.

curiosity killed the cat.

2008-10-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today's Fail Blog made me laugh and then reminded me of myself when I try to live my life as if I know what's best for me, sticking my nose up and my head into things where I know God would rather I trust Him when he says "It's probably not a good idea to stick your head in that Little Tikes car." Really, sometimes I think He must know better than I do :)

finding.

2008-10-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

i've started to brainstorm the visuals for the first 6 months of teaching at relevant. the vision of relevant is to BE relevant. so i'm searching for relevant. for beautiful. for culture. i'm searching for ways to bring God to the forefront of that beauty and to make His presence known where people are simply chalking up the beauty to whatever or wherever the wind blows. in my search i came across this. i'm sorry but this is so ridiculously beautiful that i had to share.

Carlos Lascano

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

jesus reads my blog

2008-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

jesus reads my blog. and reads my books. and sits next to me while i drive my blingin 92 honda civic (He particularly likes the sunroof). jesus hangs out with me while i drone away at the computer all day doing what i love. He enjoys my meals with me (especially those green beans). and sits on the counter while i brush my teeth (once in the morning for me and once in the evening to keep my husband happy). jesus runs with me on the eliptical, kicks my butt on the bench press, and enjoys chocolate protein shakes. jesus enjoys watching tv shows with me on DVD with a heating pad and playing strategy games. He laughs. jesus celebrates all the everyday things i do, even as i do them without giving him a second thought. when i designed this tree, jesus was hanging out in photoshop with me. just like every other day. but this was one of the things i did when i finally gave him a second thought. now this tree is in newspapers, on postcards, on the internet. it's growing for Him. and the best part of His tree are its' roots. they will stretch out to touch the world. they will be relevant and honest and madly in love. this is the assignment jesus has given me. and i figure that as long as He is with me while i'm putting my socks on and when i'm checking my email, surely He will be with me when i learn to love Him and give that love to His world.

And since I showed you some of my artwork made on a computer, here is a lovely gem I found created by none other than my beloved husband in the highly complicated program known as Paint. He titled his work "goat.bmp".

don't vote

2008-10-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

i'm not really a fan of celebrity endorsements of politics but this is worth watching simply for jonah hill and the fact that we really all should vote regardless of what celebrities say. if you don't feel like voting or think you don't care please just find someone that you respect, ask them who they're voting for, and vote whatever they say. and if you can't find someone you respect, ask me, and you can make my vote count twice :)

losing something to keep it.

2008-10-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I read something a while ago that has stuck with me. I am going through a time in my life right now where I feel a certain amount of unrest. Atleast more than I feel that I felt when I was younger and supposedly more carefree. My life feels increasingly uncertain. I don't know what God has planned for me and I don't know what or where I'll be beyond today. So this little thing that I read has been something I remind myself of when I start to worry and feel scared that my life is not in my control.
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"In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life-longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We're not completely happy here because we're not supposed to be. Earth is not our final home; we were creating for something much better."
-Rick Warren "The Purpose Driven Life"
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This is a scary and comforting truth. To know that God is aware of me at this level feels like ultimate love and then comes the realization that alot of my discontent comes from living for myself and expecting everything to go my way and make me happy. Letting go of life allows us to live it. God is crazy. And I love Him for that.
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p.s. that is my sister up there, showing us her heart :)

i am not a good decision maker

2008-09-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

So what's next? I find that my life in general seems much more complete when I am halfway through a good book. It should seem easy to go onto my next choice because I love to read and I have so many books that I know are good on my list to read. Well, somehow I think it would be easier if I had no idea of what to read and someone just told me, read this (like Redeeming Love) and then I read it. I am a horrible decision maker. It's so bad that I semi-freeze up when someone makes me decide on what fast food restaurant to have lunch at or what movie to rent. So when it comes to commiting a couple weeks of my life to a book, well, you can imagine...So I have narrowed down my next choice from my monstrous list. Any votes? I've gotten some hints that I might like a little Amish reading by Beverly Lewis (I wonder why people think I would like these?!?!)...it looks like she has about a thousand books but this series looks familiar so I'm assuming it's the most popular one and they have them all available at the library...The Abram's Daughters series by Beverly Lewis

I love Jane Austen but haven't read any of these 3...Mansfield Park, Persuasion, & Emma. I hinted to Matt that I would really appreciate a "gift for no reason" of The Complete Works of Jane Austen because I don't feel like checking them all out at the library. I wonder if he'll take the hint because my birthday is still well over a month away and I think that's too long to wait when I've decided I really want it right now. Aside from being a poor decision maker I am very impatient.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
I went to the library last week to get a book and was beyond annoyed that someone had managed to check out every Jane Austen and Edith Wharton book in the place so I was out of classic ideas and picked this one up because I've heard it's really really good but I'm in such a classic/typical me mood right now that I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get psyched about reading this one even though I know eventually I'll read it and probably kick myself for not having read it earlier (that was one long run on sentence)....The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
So what shall it be?

redeeming love

2008-09-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been a little MIA from my blog recently as I've been using my free time to read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. Now when I first saw this book a few years ago it screemed cliche cheesy romance novel to me so I never gave it a chance. Then my mother-in-law told me a couple weeks ago that she had read it in one day, that Kelly was reading it, that Travis was reading it, that pretty much all of her friends were reading it. I'm thinking...okay, fine, I'll read it.
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Redeeming Love is the retelling of the story of Hosea in the Bible where God tells Hosea, a righteous and godly man, to marry Gomer, a prostitute. This retelling takes place in 19th century gold mining California between a farmer, Michael Hosea, and Angel, an unwanted child sold into prostitution when she was only 8 years old.
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While at times you can tell that Francine Rivers must have been a cheesy romance novelist before she became a Christian, this story is really beautiful and gave me such a real life picture of what God's love is like for us every day. Regardless of if we are a prostitute, a murderer or just a white liar, God's love is unrelentless and completely beautiful.
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It doesn't hurt that this book takes place in the old times, which everyone obviously knows I'm obsessed with. But regardless, I definitely recommend this one. If anyone wants to read it, let me know and you can borrow my extra copy :)
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God is Love.

in plenty or in want

2008-09-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:12

To live my life being open to the truth and consequences of such a secret.

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

When He becomes mine the Love becomes so much more real.

edited to add below...

2008-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I had a little bit of a duh moment from my post below. I started that post as a result of going through some photos I took of Kelly from last winter to promote her music career. Kelly is Matt's little sister making her my sister in law even though I feel like we're way too young to have those kind of "grown up" titles. So anyway, Kelly also recently started a blog so of course she is included as a friend below as well :) I have kind of watched Kelly grow up as I started dating Matt when she was only like 12 or something. To me, she was a cute little kid when I met her and now she's growing into a beautiful young woman that I am excited to get to know more and more as we grow up together :) Now she is off to college studying contemporary Christian singing and I can't wait to see all the awesome things she will do for God in her life.

hi blog friends

2008-09-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Meet my blog friends from the links on the left. In no particular order :)

This is my friend Katie. I knew her new husband's family well but I didn't know her until she asked us to come down to Florida with them to photograph their wedding on New Years Eve. Her husband Jonny & her are going to have a baby in March and she blogs (not often enough ;) about being a newlywed and now...a momma :) She is my buddy :) This is my crazy friend Ashley. Like Katie above, I didn't know Ashley until she asked us to come down to the Bahamas to photograph her wedding. We clicked right away with our insane love for travel and our love of no B.S. :) Oh, and she understands what it's like to be married to someone in the aviation industry because she went to college for the same thing. She blogs about everything travel and my Matt & I are in a silent battle to try to beat them in taking cooler and more vacations, bring it :) The only sad thing about Ashley is that she likes the Vikings. She'll find a rehab center sooner or later.
Meet my silly sister and beautiful friend, Alyssa. She is a crazy weirdo like me and we like to prove everyday that it's in our genes. This hypothesis is tested daily by making our parents seriously worried that they might have dropped us as babies...oh wait, I did drop Alyssa as a baby. Now I'm just wondering what happened to me.
Hello, Travis. I think anyone who reads my blog already knows that Travis is from Antarctica and he came down to Mexico to marry us. Or uh...maybe I'm getting some of my facts mixed up. But he does like LOST and now he is starting Relevant in Williamsburg, VA and I'm along for the crazy ride that is glorifying Jesus and making him known to the world.
Meet the lovely Christina who everyone thinks is Asian. She is the worship leader at Relevant and I'm really excited to get to know her better as the years go on! She kicks my butt at blogging...if I wasn't so anal about having pretty pictures in all my posts I could blog everyday too :P
And here is my new good buddy, Brad. Brad is the Creative Arts Pastor at Relevant which means I call him pretty much every day with more questions and things to do so we can make Relevant look as awesome as it already is. It's been amazing getting to know Brad and his story and zeal for loving Jesus is inspiring every day. I love being blessed with such awesome people to work around.
Alli Rogers is originally from my hometown but moved to Nashville to become a Christian singer and she's so good. She is Katie's sister in law (first blogger at the top) so through family connections I've gotten to know her and through her music and singing in the shower I feel like I know her pretty well :)
Clare & I went to high school together but never really got to know each other very well. Now that we are both married and seem to hang out at the gym at the same time I'm enjoying getting to know her through her travels and similar interests.
I went to high school with Calais' sister so I don't really know her but I stumbled upon her blog randomly as she was taking a walking pilgrimage through Spain. There is no way for that kind of adventure to not be interesting.
Nate from The Image is Found is a ridiculously innovative photographer in California. I've never met him and I'm sure he doesn't know I exist but he's inspirational and he has 2 really funny kids so I have to be a stalker :)
I met Jess through church and I think that the way she is raising her family to love Christ is awesome. I love reading about her life even though I'm definitely not at the stage of making homemade baby food or talking about nap time, it's all beautiful anyway. And she loves the simple lifestyle of the Amish too, so she has a special place in my heart :)
Becky & Luke helped start up a church small group that Matt & I were in. Now they have a baby and I love reading about their adventures...especially the "there there" story of Luke's displays of affection and understanding!
Here is little Addelyn. She does not blog but her mom Kris does and I love this picture that we took of little Addelyn this last winter, what a cutie :) Kris is the high school youth director at our church and I've really enjoyed getting to know her from when Matt & I volunteered at Big House. She's a great one-on-one talker at Panera :)

Post Secret. I started out reading these books at Barnes & Noble and now they have a blog to keep me updated with all the latest secrets. Post Secret started out as an art project where people sent in their secrets anonymously. It has grown into a worldwide phenomenon and they travel the country displaying these exhibits in museums everywhere.
Fail Blog is my husband and I's latest amusement. They update it multiple times a day with the pure ridiculousness that is humanity. So funny.
I'm not sure how I found out about this blog but a husband and wife were severly injured (badly burned) in a private plane crash recently and this is the blog of the wife's sister as she takes care of their 4 young children while they make a slow recovery. The wife who was injured is a famous blogger in the blogging world so her blog (Nie Nie) is equally as interesting.
Um, I read my own blog? This is the blog for my photography business that I have with my mom. It's colorful and full of what I do everyday :)
So who has a cool blog for me to read? Like I need to spend anymore time on the computer :)

our real wedding

2008-09-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

So I've showed you all our beautiful wedding in Cancun, Mexico. Some of you may not know that this wasn't really our wedding. Because we wanted Travis (an American/Turkistan/Antarctic citizen) to marry us in Mexico and we didn't really want to go through the rigamarole of getting legally married in Mexico, we decided that we would just sign the papers for our legal marriage when we got back home. This is where little ridiculous lights go off in my husbands head and where my love for him outweighs my common sense. Hence, meet, our legal weddin'.

So we call up the court house and there is over a 2 month wait to go to the court house to sign the papers so we have to pay a judge to have a "private" ceremony. We decide to go to some random park suggested by her and as I discuss the details on the phone with her she starts asking things such as: "Do you want your dad to walk you down the "aisle", "Can I read this beautiful poem I have during the ceremony?" etc. etc. you get the idea, basically she was treating this as if we were really getting married. We had a little different vision in mind...
My sister & brothers' friends couldn't resist taking the opportunity to show up at a "wedding" wearing assorted paintball gear, hunting outfits, random work clothes from the garage, and in my sister's case, one boot, one barefoot. As hick as we could get.
I adorned my finest oversized Wal-Mart pharmacy tshirt and a lovely bouquet made by the above "guests"...A hunting decoy pheasant wrapped in weeds, duct tape, and ribbon.
The groom was lookin mighty fine in his huntin hat, cut off, and tooth pick.
The ceremony was very moving. Let's just say the vows & "lovely poem" involved Matt chugging a beer, a belch, me picking a wedgie, and Matt suggesting to the judge that we "hurry up & get to the I Do part."
We had to sign the license on the back of the Civic with those Tennessee plates.
We were so happy to finally be hitched.
One detail that can't be missed: the groom's foot attire.
Pics of guests at the reception in the parking lot.
So this is the real story of how we got married. I got my wedding and Matt got his!

gangsters and changes

2008-09-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

We watched American Gangster last night. It was really good.

In other news, about 2 weeks ago I watched summer end. I was sitting on the porch talking to my mom about life and it was Iowa summer hot. As we continued to talk it got windier and windier and colder. And colder. In our hour or so long conversation the temperature dropped atleast 15 degrees. And it hasn't warmed up since. I think this is the first time in my life when I was actually conscious of a season changing in a single moment. Maybe I am simply more aware of change these days.

captain hogan, parkersburg & matthew 6:19-21

2008-09-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Meet my husband, Captain Hogan. Usually he looks a little more professional than this when he flies but every once in a while he takes my family up flying just for fun and looks like a hobo who knows how to fly a plane. A month or so ago we went up....
We all like to take our turn flying up front. Matt likes to make us feel like we really know what we're doing. Here is Johnathan learning the ropes.
While flying around the area we decided to fly over Parkersburg, IA where the tornado hit earlier this summer. It was devastating to see from the air.
I think this is the public school.

It leveled the center of the town. When I see something like this it reminds me of something I try to remind myself everyday.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

discerning purpose & random thoughts on philippians 4:6-13

2008-09-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have a purpose. Some days it is much clearer than others and sometimes I like to tell myself that I am on some journey towards my grand purpose and that I haven't really found it out yet. Today I am realizing my purpose may not be as singular and finite as I once imagined. Today I am deep within my purpose, living it and breathing it and watching it change, grow, and beautify as it brings me closer to my savior. A good friend mentioned in their blog a couple weeks ago something about realizing that Jesus physically walked with them throughout the day. This truth has radically changed the way I view my relationship with Jesus. Realizing how much he has invested in his relationship with me cannot allow me to stay the same. It cannot allow me to continue to view my life as a purposeless journey towards something purposeful.

What does the above picture have to do with my purpose? Something that I feel particularly called to these days.
*A means to express my purpose for God: God has brought Relevant into my life in such a real way that I cannot ignore God working in my life towards a realization of my gifts and purpose and where my place is within his kingdom. The quiet selfish dream I had for years has suddenly become a loud and desperate movement within my heart to do something gigantic for God and his people.

Okay, so I still didn't really answer the question of what the picture has to do with anything.
*This adorable family is the Watsons. Not only did they follow God's call to start Relevant, but they have been a big part of our lives in many ways. Travis & Kathy traveled with us all the way to Mexico to marry Matt & I and have been a huge support to both of us as well as great friends along with the rest of the awesome people involved in Relevant.

*I took this picture of Travis & Kathy with their two youngsters on my trip out to Williamsburg this summer to help start the process of building up Relevant on my end. I love this picture not only because I think it captures the essence of their family but because it also speaks to me of the blessing I have been given by God to capture these moments in peoples' lives. I can't ignore the fact that my everyday normal regular old life is part of God's purpose for me. Everyday he is giving me new ways to reach him and new people to show his light to. This is a responsibility that I have easily overlooked telling myself that my day to day life really isn't that important and my actions and love only count when it comes down to the wire. How easy it is for me to tell myself this.

As a result, I believe, of ignoring the importance God places on every moment of my life, I have allowed myself to become discouraged, scared, anxious, and worried about parts of my life that I do not always have control over. What will my future be like? Why do I not feel like I want to feel right now? etc. etc. etc. This part of my life became a big part of me a couple years ago where I would (and still) have little "episodes" of feeling completely out of control of my emotions, fear, and anxiety. Living with accepting this as part of my personality has been a long road of learning how to "deal with it."

Then the other day after I was done listening to the Mars Hill Church recording on "Pan's Labyrinth" I listened to one of their sermons entitled "Rebels Guide to Joy on Anxiety." First of all, this church must have some very patient members because all of their sermons are like 75 minutes long (whoa) but anyway, after fast forwarding through the first half or so I was struck by a little tidbit where the pastor mentioned anxiety as akin to worshiping a false idol in the same way we worship money, fame, friends, whatever. I'm thinking, what a jerk, he's telling me that my anxiety problems are a sin to repent of...what? This is something I don't need or want to hear.

Now as he goes on he agrees with me that sometimes some of this may be completely out of my control but there is a good part of it where I have begun to feel sorry for myself. Why do I feel like this? Why can't I feel better? Why does everything in my life feel out of place? blah blah blah...and suddenly my focus is 100% on me 100% of the time and I have no idea how I got there and getting my life worked out is 100% more important than anything God would desire of me. And here is what God commands of me in these moments:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:6-13

Who knew God knew the answers all along. Hmm, duh.

Pan's Labyrinth: El Laberinto del fauno

2008-09-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to yesterday's post about all the recent movies Matt & I have watched...we just watched this one last night. Pan's Labyrinth is a Spanish movie (written & directed by Guillermo del Toro) that won tons of Academy Awards in 2006 and for very good reason. I was very hesitant to watch it at first considering the entire movie is in Spanish with English subtitles but Matt kept pressing that alot of people had told him how good it was. As much of an artist as I claim to be and as artistic as a movie is praised to be, subtitles are always a turn off to me.

I'm so glad we watched it anyway. This movie is beautiful in pretty much every way that a movie can be beautiful. It's filmed beautifully, it's visually beautiful, the story line is interesting, the way the actors speak sounds like poetry, it's just a gorgeous movie. And 1 minute into it I no longer cared that it was subtitled. I actually think you could watch this movie without subtitles and just listen and watch and it would still be interesting.

Then this morning as I'm sitting at my computer working I decide that I want to listen to a podcast while I work and happen to stumble over to Travis' blog where he has some links to some blogs he reads and one of them in turn has a link to Mars Hill Church. They have hundreds of podcasts of their contemporary sermons on their website and I stumbled on to their "Cinemagogue" series talking about Christianity and modern movies and TV shows from The Office all the way to, ah ha, Pan's Labyrinth. What a coincidence.

So if you'll trust me, and get past the fact that it's subtitled, watch this movie. And then listen to the podcast that discusses meanings behind it as well as some Christian theology that is hinted throughout. Now that I am past the school stage of my life I always get excited to teach myself something new, to enrich what I know about this world, and to dig deeper into my relationship with God and today, podcasts will be my teacher.

family video is my friend.

2008-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I like to watch movies. Alot. And watching them for $.50 to $1 each I like even better. Here is where our beloved Family Video store comes in. We live just down the street from this little gem and over the summer they have started charging $1 for everything in the store, including new releases. And if you rent a new release on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, you get a movie from the middle for free. You can pretty much guarantee that Matt & I stop by everyday after work to try out something new. So we've seen alot of movies. Here are a few off the top of my head that I recommend.

First off, the tv series...

24 seasons 1-6

(started watching season 1 over Christmas and finished season 6 a couple weeks ago) The Office (seasons 1-4...we own 1 & 2 and are about to head out to buy 3 & 4...you really can't get much better than The Office, seriously, give it a chance)
LOST (They've promised 6 seasons so let's hope the next 2 seasons deliver us from the eternal agony of wondering what the heck is going on)
Arrested Development (Unfortunately Fox cancelled this show after only 3 seasons but if you give it a chance it's unlike any other show ever on tv)

Scrubs (so I think there are like 5,000 seasons of this show. We love em :) House M.D. (Season 4 just came out and we had it shipped right away to us from Amazon.com...we don't really watch TV on TV anymore, we just wait for them to come out on DVD, so much better that way :)
The Bank Job (we just watched this last night, it was pretty darn good, based on a true story within the British government in the 70s)
The Darjeeling Limited (Matt says he likes Life Aquatic better but I haven't seen that one yet so right now, I think this movie is pretty amazing. It is so well filmed and the soundtrack is so weird and I love it. )
What Happens In Vegas (Matt did NOT want to rent this movie. He ended up laughing through the whole thing. It's a good mix of chick flick and really funny...with Kutcher & a guy from the Daily Show)
Dan In Real Life (We love Steve Carell and this was just a good movie, so different from his usual stuff but really good)
Fool's Gold (I'll be honest, I just loved this movie because of the location and the "boating around the Caribbean hunting for treasure" idea...it's just fun)The Brothers Solomon (tiny picture but oh well, this movie is so funny especially the outtakes/deleted scenes :)
The Ex (Love Jason Bateman from Arrested Development & Zach Braff from Scrubs, really funny & random)
Knocked Up (Just funny, I swear I don't only like funny movies :)
Becoming Jane (I love the Amish and the 18th/19th century, what can I say :)

Michael Clayton
The Ultimate Gift (inspirational)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (funny again)
The Other Boleyn Girl (I really liked the book and the movie wasn't as good as the book but if you haven't read it, I think the movie is good).

17 things to do in Paris

2008-08-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Paris is a magical city. Two summers ago Matt & I decided to put excuses aside and take a 3 week trip to Europe (Paris & Rome) just for fun. What we experienced was beyond just fun and I thought I would share a little bit about our experience because I think everyone should see Paris atleast once in their lifetime.
My favorite things to do in the City of Love (in no particular order)

1. Stay as long as you can. We originally planned this 3 week trip to include Paris, Venice, Tuscany, Rome, & the Amalfi Coast of Italy with Paris for just a few days. We ended up loving it so much that we scratched our plans and spent 2 weeks in Paris and 5 days in Rome. We never ran out of things to do and loved touring Paris leisurely in the Parisian lifestyle. 2. See Notre Dame & spend a day on Ile de la Cite (the island...of the city?...my French sucks). This little island in the middle of Paris is ridiculously gorgeous. It's connected to the rest of Paris by lots of beautiful bridges over the Seine River and this is where the image of old world Paris comes to life. There are antique booksellers lining the Seine, old flower markets, a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower, yummy gelato shops...just spend a day wandering. And if you have legs, climb the Notre Dame bell tower. The climb sucks but the view is awesome and you can feel like the real hunchback :)
3. Spend the day in Champs de Mars (the huge park under the Eiffel Tower). There is an awesome little market street near here called Rue Cler where we bought our picnic lunch (baguette sandwiches, fresh raspberries, chocolate crepes, & wine)...this was my favorite day in Paris, just relaxing, watching the Parisians go about their day, eating delicious food, looking at the Eiffel Tower...this is the epitomy of a day in Paris & if I ever get back this is first on my list of things to do. I loved this day so much that I'm trying to figure out how to put "Cler" in my first daughter's name :)

Now here is where I have to note our funniest experience while in Paris. It's no secret that Paris is known as the City of Love and that people are not afraid of PDA in this city. Usually a little make-out session in the street or at a cafe seems pretty normal. On our day at Champs de Mars the PDA took on a whole new level right in front of a group of Asians having a nice afternoon family picnic...

4. Go to Versailles. It's about a 1.5 hour train ride from the city but it's worth it. You can't even imagine the magnitude of this place until you see it. It's a nice escape from the city for the day and really a beautiful place in all it's excess.

5. If you want a relaxing spot but don't want to venture out to Versailles, Luxembourg Gardens was a favorite park of ours. Little kids play with wooden sailboats in the fountains, people read poetry to each other, people kiss of course...it's a picturesque Parisian park.
6. Of course, go to the Louvre. We hit pretty much all of the art museums because I was an art major so obviously you can't get any better than Paris. Because we knew this ahead of time we bought the Paris Museum Pass. You can buy these for 2, 3, 4, or 5 days I believe and in the days you buy them allows you unlimited access to as many of the places on the list as you want as many times as you want. While it includes most of the museums it also includes things like the walk up to the Notre Dame bell tower, etc. So if you're planning on seeing some of the touristy spots it's definitely worth it. And just try to schedule so you hit those things in a few days in a row to get the most use out of it.
On mentioning the museums, most of our trip was guided by our handy dandy Rick Steves Guide to Paris. Rick Steves is the best travel writer/guide out there and the majority of the things we did were enriched by his self-guided tours, suggestions for places to eat off the beaten path, Paris neighborhood walks, etc...just don't go to Europe without him.
7. Get engaged under the Eiffel Tower at night when it sparkles on the hour. It's even more romantic than you think :)
8. Eat at Cafe du Marche on rue Cler (the same street mentioned above near the Eiffel Tower). This restaurant was recommended to us by some friends from Canda who spent their honeymoon in Paris and this one did not disappoint. It's an awesome Parisian eatery (I had lamb and one of the best desserts I've ever had)...Matt loved their espresso and smoked his cigar here. It's affordable by Parisian standards and the atmosphere was great.
9. Climb to the top of everything you can...the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower...and see the view of the city from up here. We did all these and loved every one of them. While you're at the Arc de Triomphe you can see Champs Elysees the famous street in Paris where Louis Vutton is, etc...shopping is not really my thing so I didn't find it that great but it is a famous part of Paris so if you're there, why not.

10. While I did say I'm not a big shopper, Hediards was the exception. This place is gourmet food to the max and we did our one stop shop here for gifts to bring back home...fresh fruit jam, authentic Parisian tea, nice bottles of wine, exotic coffee, chocolates...there are a few around the city and it was our favorite place to bring home something fun for friends and family.

11. Eat in as many outdoor cafes as you can. And plan on sitting there all night. Dinner in Paris is atleast a 3 hour ordeal. Instead of being an impatient American try to enjoy it, this is the way they live. Another great place we ate, and definitely the most authentic (they didn't speak English): The Pallidor on rue Monsieur Le-Prince. This was a pretty cool experience as they only spoke French and the menu was all in French with a majority of it not being in our French-English dictionary so we just pointed and hoped for the best. Let's just say Matt ended up with marinated thinly sliced uncooked meat and while I told the waitress "No, that's watermelon...not ours" he ended up eating it and loving it. Apparently it's fine for you to eat...regardless, I had the COOKED veal :) For a real French meal, go here.

Speaking of food, you can't leave Paris without eating a chocolate croissant. They are a true sinner's breakfast from the local bakery. Sigh. 12. Stop by Musee d'Orsay for all the Monets and art I love from the 19th century.

Also wanted to mention that if you're in Paris for more than just a couple days it's a good idea to buy a Carte Orange (metro pass). You buy them for a certain amount of days and allows for unlimited metro rides. Paris has an AMAZING metro system (best I've ever seen) and having this allows you to go all over the city whenever and however you want and not worry about the cost.

13. Stop by Shakespeare and Company Bookstore. It's near Notre Dame on the other side of the Seine and it is an awesome bookstore run by Brits who live upstairs and really love their reading. I love bookstores like this so we went a few times just to hang out :)

14. While you're on that side of town you can stop at a place we ate at several times...the cheapest food we found the entire time and really yummy...Bistrot Gyros. There is a little Greek alley (rue de la Huchette) in the Latin Quarter in St. Michel and these gyros are stuffed to the gills with french fries for only 4 euros. Yum :) 15. Climb up to Sacre Coure and hang around the Montmarte neighborhood. This is the heart of the Parisian Art Deco movement and it's an awesome artsy neighborhood with outdoor cafes, galleries, and lots of local artists doing their work outside.

16. Go to the Paris Art Market in Montparnasse. I decided that I wanted a piece of art to take home with me from a Parisian artist. I knew this wasn't going to be a cheap endeavor but I decided not to get myself any other souvenirs and held out for my piece of Paris. I ended up buying a painting from a Parisian man at this little outdoor art market for 230 euros. To me, it was a small price to pay for my lovely Parisian burlesque lady hanging in our living room :)

17. Smile. Paris is an amazing experience.

Kristyn Hogan is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN and Cedar Falls, IA serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

the reality of my life

2008-08-22T16:58:00.001-07:00

I got a kick in the face this afternoon. Reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, for the second time, I found this little gem of an excerpt (honestly, I really didn't want to hear this or answer the questions):

One day you will stand before God, and he will do an audit of your life, a final exam, before you enter eternity.

The Bible says, "Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgement seat of God....Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God." Romans 14:10b, 12 (NLT) Fortunately, God wants us to pass the test, so he has given us the questions in advance. From the Bible we can surmise that God will ask us two crucial questions:

First, "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" God won't ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?

Second, "What did you do with what I gave you?" What did you do with your life-all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?

matthew 6:19-21

2008-08-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

My favorite father-in-law, Jim, is a pretty loyal blog reader and upon reading about my desire to live with or atleast somewhat like the Amish, he emailed me this photo which is supposedly supposed to represent Matt & I if we were to follow my "dream". Now it's pretty obvious that I'm not a fashion diva but I'm not sure even my homeliness could pull off the bonnet and over-all dress look. Atleast we know Matt can pull off a killer "elder" beard...
I promise you I will never let him look like this again. In a moment of blind unconditional love I allowed my husband to look like an Amish man in need of his crazy pills and to the world, I apologize.

Regardless, I am completely intrigued by the Amish lifestyle (minus their elder beards). They put God above all else and treat everything they are given with the utmost respect as irreplacable gifts from God. Loving God, family, and living off the land is all that matters. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to plan my day around the sun rather than my calendar book, to harvest my own food instead of getting annoyed by someone on a Sunday drive on my way to the grocery store where I will, no doubt, complain about the price of wheat...what it would be like to not have to sit at a computer all day or consider how the war is going to affect the price of gas.

So maybe God did not have it in His plans for me to be Amish and that is okay (the Amish probably wouldn't be that fond of me considering I'm a photographer) Still, the principle stands, I believe God has called us to reject the ways of this world and to live for His kingdom instead.

One of the ways of this world that I know is within my control to reject is the way I treat and accumulate things. Everything from what is in my closet, what I feed my body, how I give of my resources, what I chose to do with my time, and what importance I place on all of these "things"...I can love Jesus in all these areas of my life.

In the meantime, who wants to go hang out in Amish country with me? I've heard you can go buy some of their food or something...where do I go? Matt's suggestion was reinacting the movie "For Richer or Poorer" with Tim Allen, somehow I don't think this will fly. I'd love to try though :)

shysters, thieves and sociopaths

2008-08-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Confession: I can't get enough of Grand Theft Auto IV. I bought it on XBOX360 for my little brothers for their birthdays and I have been known to sit by myself in a completely dark basement for a few hours straight playing this ridiculous video game.
I hate video games (with the exception of the original old school Mario, which Matt & I spent 2 days and $29 searching all of the Washington DC metro area to get our hands on...the glory of blowing into that machine is like a time capsule to the early 90's.)

Anyway, this game is horrific and so wrong on so many levels. I find myself laughing while I shoot an old lady point blank in the head for the 20 bucks I know she has in her purse. Why anyone would find enjoyment in this game is completely beyond me and I'm pretty sure it goes against my previous statement of wanting to live like the Amish.

What can I say, Niko and his American dream of stealing every car and life in Liberty City has it's draw.

What my suitcase told me about my closet.

2008-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Meet my suitcase. I've been living out of this little gem for pretty much the entire summer. Between destination weddings, travel for Relevant, travel to see Matt in Nashville, going back to our love pad when Matt's back in Iowa, sleeping in my sister's room when Matt is not in Iowa, and just general chaos, I have forgone my closet this summer and opted for my beautiful little red carry on size suitcase with the trademark decoupage stain dried on the back.

And thus happens my epiphany this morning. I'm driving over to the above mentioned "love pad" after working out to straighten things up since Matt will finally be spending some time here in Iowa. Suddenly I'm thinking about transporting my little suitcase back to our place and I'm thinking, why do I even have a closet? Since the beginning of the summer when I took my first trip out to Nashville I've pretty much had the same clothes in this suitcase. I haven't returned to my closet to get different clothes which means I must really not need very many of the clothes that are left in my closet.

I'm usually pretty good about getting rid of old clothes to drop off at Goodwill but I will be the first to admit that half of my closet I hadn't worn in 2 years and kept thinking to myself "I don't want to get rid of this because it was expensive, I've hardly worn it, and maybe I'll wear it for something random one day."

Today I decided to quit talking myself into keeping these things and have purged almost my entire closet with the exception of what I've been carrying around in my suitcase, a few dresses I wear on special occasions, my sweatshirts/sweaters for winter, and my skiing clothes.

You have no idea how freeing this is to me.

First of all, my sister is going to think I'm crazy. She never fails to tell me that I don't have enough clothes as it is because I've never exactly been on the top tier of the fashion world. Both her and Katie tease me that all I wear is yoga pants. It usually is true but now I'll have the excuse that it's pretty much all I have to wear :)

I took out all of my hangers that weren't white plastic (We had alot of weird random hangers...where do these things come from?) and have decided that if it doesn't fit on the hangers available in the closet, I'm not keeping it.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, I am intrigued by the simplicity of Amish lifestyle. I love the simplicity of not cluttering my life with unnecessary things. In the last 6 months this desire for simplicity has become a growing part of my life. Matt & I started eating healthy & working out 6 days a week which in itself has simplified and structured our lives. Now I'm moving on to other areas and today my closet made it's initiation into the simple lifestyle.

I wonder what's next...

failing

2008-08-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

While I was working today, my sister began distracting me with her hilarious laughter. I eventually gave in to checking out the source of her laughter and found something quite entertaining: www.failblog.org

I saved the above photo as a possible solution for my husband as the AC has gone out in his chick magnet 92 Corolla.

This blog has a mix of photos & videos with the general theme of "failing" and as you can see from the examples here...people are failing at life in general. And I find it all very entertaining.
There are something like 95 pages worth of stuff and is updated multiple times a day as the human race continues to fail at life on an epic scale.
This guy should clearly never fall asleep when his "friends" are around. I promise I'm not racist but this was just too completely idiotic of Walgreens not to post. Seriously? And because I can't figure out how to embed YouTube videos into here, here's a link to a video from page 29 that Alyssa and I liked alot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGf-sS4js5Y

Seriously, if you have some time just scroll through this blog, it's definitely a good way to lighten your mood!

watching the light.

2008-08-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

the last post about revealing myself was a randomness post as i sat in my hotel room in cancun thinking about my life. in a couple of the photos i posted i thought back to my frame of mind when i took them and thought...i love the light. i watch it all day. this was another random 1 second thought that came into my mind, i wrote it down, and then moved on. then travis mentioned it to me this morning and i began to really think about it.

it is true. i do watch the light. i watch it as it changes throughout the day. how it affects what i'm doing, where i'm going, how i'm feeling, how it plays off of other things around me, it's absence. i think about light most often when i'm working as, more than any other thing, it affects the way i capture someone's life through the camera lens. but really, light is more than that to me. i watch the shadows and i watch the way light can cause me to shield my eyes and i watch the way i can walk outside just before sunset and completely revel in it's beauty and i watch the way it disappears for me but is still completely and wholy there for someone else.

light changes me. it changes the way i see the world. it changes the world. all from a singular and unchanging source.

revealing myself.

2008-08-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

it is common knowledge as well as a common cliche that it is most important to make a living doing what you love even if it's not the most popular decision with your parents and/or won't make you a millionaire even when you have the potential to make millions. i love art and i love capturing life. i don't love transactions involving money or day planners or answering emails. i hate that doing what i love sometimes means i have to be a grown up about it. i'd rather just be an artist with no business involved. but i am learning that life isn't all about me and what i prefer from hour to hour but about what my purpose for my god is. and right now i believe i am on a journey and a path marked by god and what he has in store for me is not about what my purpose is but about what his purpose is for me.

and sometimes i take my sister's point and shoot camera and shoot my life just because. this is where i begin to reveal.

this is my husband. i love that he calls me wifey and that he might be the only person on the planet i can justify photographing from the world's most unflattering angle. this is his hungry hungry hippo face.

roaring fork. smoky mountain national park. along with my travel list comes a bit of a national park obsession. our 1 year anniversary gave us a good excuse to cross one off our list.
we like to take self portraits. on our trip to europe 2 years ago people would see us holding the camera out in front of us to take a picture of ourselves in front of something important and they would always offer to take our photo. no thanks, we prefer the ridiculous experience of trying to fit ourselves and said important background into one frame with 50 outtakes, thanks. p.s. i always end up smashing one of my eyes against matt's face in some subconscious effort to make room for the important background.
aside from living with the amish, i would enjoy living in a national park if they'd let me. more on living with the amish soon.
cades cove. i've read a few pages of "all the pretty horses" and i think if i actually read the whole book maybe this is what it would be like? maybe i'm completely off but i'll let myself think i'm right until i read otherwise.
the view from our cabin.
editor's note: this photo is fake. along with our european escapade of only taking our own photos i decided that if we wanted our whole bodies in a photo we would take precise steps to take 2 photos (each of us seperately) and i would simply photoshop us in together as if someone had taken our photo. why we went to all this work at the louvre in paris instead of just asking someone to take our picture together i have no idea. but it makes the photo so much more interesting to us :) so here is our 2nd attempt, this time at the smoky mountains. photo of kristyn taken by matt. photo of matt taken by kristyn. and whala, i swear i usually am a photojournalist!
after a horribly crappy stupid dumb hike up to the highest peak in the smoky mountains we got this view. and then had an equally ridiculous hike back down.

meet my husband. mountain man turned pilot.
i love light. i watch it all day.
drinking tea is hardcore.

if you haven't read the purpose driven life or only read it when or because it was on all the bestseller's list years ago, i highly recommend giving it a chance. i decided to open it up the other day for the first time in 5 years when rick warren was mentioned briefly in church on sunday and felt immediately that it was something i needed to read again. along with c.s. lewis' "problem of pain" and dickens "david copperfield" i have plenty of reading to do right now.