Category: blackandwhite

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SneakPeek Senior #Photography

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A lot of people know I’m a passionate photographer.
I decided to send my son out to get his photos taken instead by another professional.
I couldn’t be happier how these came out. I can’t wait to see the rest of the photos.

Lisa ( The photographer ) did an amazing job 🙂

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This is how you can contact her

there are many ways to contact us:
via email bryceaustinphotography@yahoo.com
via telephone 617-852-7748
via facebook bryce austin photography
via mail po box 335, raynham center, ma 02768

This is her website http://www.bryceaustinphotography.com/portfolio.html

blackandwhite · family · kids · love · Niche · photography · Style · women · World VS Life

5 issues to be addressed in Premarital Counseling

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Planning your wedding is stressful enough, but it’s a piece of buttercream-frosted cake compared to the day-to-day reality of actual marriage.

Indeed, so often couples get caught up with everything involved in prepping for their Big Day and romanticizing the concept of marriage that they forget to (or don’t realize that they should) address all of the less-romantic issues that will inevitably arise when two people commit to sharing their lives together.

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Premarital counseling is an excellent way to confront these issues upfront and establish a stronger, healthier relationship moving into matrimony.

1. Money
Finances are a common cause of contention between those about to be married.

2. Time
Time can also be a big problem in a relationship. One may feel neglected if their partner is often away at work, school or other functions. Conversely, a partner may value their space and wish they could spend more time alone.

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3. In-Laws
When you marry someone, you’re not just marrying them – you’re essentially marrying their family as well. It’s important for you to learn how to get along with the whole family, especially if at this point you’re already on shaky ground. It’s also helpful to establish what sort of boundaries as a couple you will put in place. Some family members may be in the habit of just dropping by for a visit. This may upset your new partner. Also, it would be helpful to discuss how you plan to spend time with both sets of in-laws during holidays.

4. Resolving conflict
All couples disagree sometimes. What’s less important than the frequency of conflict (though frequent fighting is a serious issue that must be addressed, of course) is how a couple reacts to said engagements.

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5. Religion
Again, now is not the time to sweep lingering issues under the rug. Statistically, couples that share the same faith (or lack thereof) are more likely to stay together than those that don’t. If your partner is of a different faith, you need to decide whether this is something that will bother you long-term or not. This can be a critical issue.

Be sure to discuss these critical issues during premarital counseling. Ultimately, it all comes down to honesty and respect.

If you’re able to be honest with your partner and respect their traits and beliefs even when you don’t like or agree with them, and if your partner can do the same, then the future of your marriage looks bright.

 

blackandwhite · dad · Devotion · family · food · fun · love · mom · photography · Vacation · women · Wordless · World VS Life

Overflowing with joy.

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Dear Heavenly Father,

May our lives be filled to overflowing with joy. Whether we’re waiting on You for our next step or living according to plan, may we discover peace and joy that come to those who trust in Your will.
Give us the strength and courage to hold onto joy when others are dragging us down. For nobody can rob us of that which flows from Your Spirit.


It’s not easy to rejoice in tribulation, or to give thanks when we experience loss, but all things are possible to those who believe. All things are beautiful to those who put their trust in Your hands.

blackandwhite · brazilian · family · Fashion · kids · mom · photography · Style · Wordless · World VS Life

{Wordless} Wednesday with my favorites from 2010 

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These are just a few of my favorites of 2010 as a lover of the photography profession I got the privilege to experience what it was like to photograph a bride at her most special day and do a Photoshoot of a this beautiful little girl that her natural was what made her perfect. My little cousins on her first birthday. Being natural on her porch.  And of course with a camera in my hand I always got to experience, capture and register my boys most silly special moments. 

  

” Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.”

  

” Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”

  

“Photography is about capturing souls not smiles. ” 

  

” When people ask me what type of equipment I use —I tell them My Eyes. “

blackandwhite · book · Devotion · family · love · Niche · photography · Poem · reeding · Review · review · sunday devotion · women · Wordless · World VS Life

Marriage: The Final Frontier

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Marriage: The Final Frontier
What is it about human nature? Our ability to appreciate the majestic is only rivaled by one thing: our ability to grow bored with it.

In 1961, President John Kennedy challenged the United States to put a man on the moon. Throughout that decade, the American public had an insatiable appetite for space flight. The media covered nearly every detail of NASA’s efforts, and the astronauts became national heroes. The euphoria culminated in 1969 when Neil Armstrong’s crew landed on the moon, an event witnessed by an estimated half a billion people.

But, amazingly, less than a year later, public interest in moon landings had all but evaporated. Imagine that: A feat as incredible as humans walking on the surface of the moon had become little more than a footnote on the nightly news.

It really shouldn’t surprise us. It’s human nature to lose interest in things that ought to inspire us. Like marriage. A man and a woman stand at an altar, and it seems impossible that their passion could ever fade. Yet, fast forward to the not-too-distant-future, and in all too many cases their life together has begun to drift toward the mundane.

  
It’s natural. But it’s all the more reason why couples must fight this tendency. Make time in your day to connect with one another. Get a babysitter and do something special. Use your imagination, but whatever you do, be proactive about reviving the fire that God used to draw you to your spouse in the first place.

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”

‭‭Song of Solomon‬ ‭8:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Jim Daly

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Drifting in Marriage 

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 Drifting in Marriage
Good marriages are like a relaxing canoe ride when the winds are calm and the lake water is as smooth as glass. You just have to be careful you don’t drift.

One year, while working as a camp counselor, Craig Jutila grabbed a canoe for a quiet afternoon on the lake. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and almost no breeze, so the water was completely still. Letting the canoe come to rest in the middle of the lake, it dawned on him: it was after hours, and no other boats were out. So he did the only sensible thing. With an extra life jacket for his pillow, he nestled in for a short nap.

An hour later, he woke up to voices. Somehow his canoe had beached along the shoreline of a camping area. Craig realized there was a current in the water and a breeze in the air he hadn’t sensed. They’d caused him to drift, and he ended up somewhere he never intended to be.

Like that canoe, marriages often drift. There’s no obvious conflict or struggle, just subtle distractions that lull spouses asleep. Couples hardly notice they’re losing interest in one another until they end up somewhere they never intended to be.

Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Be intentional about the path your relationship is taking and keep your eyes focused on the Lord. It may not take as much effort as you think, but these small course corrections can change your marriage.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:25-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Daly Focus

blackandwhite · family · Family Share · love · photography · women · World VS Life

“Till death do us part.” 

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“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:6‬ ‭

Commitment
Traditional marriage vows include the phrase, “Till death do us part.” Unfortunately, these words have become something of a ceremonial cliché rather than a statement of deep commitment to God and another human being.

Travel through our country’s small towns, and you’ll likely come across an array of honorable folks who still seal their agreements with a handshake and who consider their word an unbreakable bond. In the business world, contracts are much more formal, of course, crafted with highly detailed legal jargon that reads like a foreign language. Whatever form these commitments take, the purpose has always been the same – to offer protection, not when everything is running smoothly, but when things fall apart.

Commitment is perhaps no more important than when it comes to marriage. It provides strength and stability when a relationship encounters challenges. Unfortunately, many couples take an opposite approach when things turn sour – they run, rather than digging in their heels when commitment requires it the most.

As the president of an organization dedicated to strengthening marriages, trust me, I understand that relationships can encounter serious difficulties that are not easily resolved. But with the highest rate of divorce in the world, it’s evident that our society rushes too quickly toward marriage break-up instead of diligently working to restore a relationship back to health.

Commitment is foundational to surviving conflict. It enables us to focus on honoring God and serves as the fuel for us to work through our struggles with persistence and determination. The next time you find yourself in a heated disagreement with your spouse, commit to drawing closer together instead of running away.
For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Daly Focus

blackandwhite · Challenge · Devotion · Family Share · women · World VS Life

Urgent cry of a hurting child

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A 365 Day Challenge Day #20

A Shared Presence

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God. Psalm 95:2-3

In courtship, a couple will probably share many different kinds of dates. Depending on their circumstances and preferences, they might go swimming together, or shopping, take a walk in a park, share a quiet meal, or go sightseeing. Some moments together will be noisy and boisterous; others will be quiet and reflective.

Your prayer journey will similarly include many different kinds of experiences with God. Sometimes you will connect with God in a noisy concert. At other times, you will share quiet moments with Him where neither of you is saying anything, but you’re both aware of and appreciating each other’s presence.

Prayer is not so much a collection of words as it is a shared presence. Inviting God into your world and giving Him the place of honor is at the center of prayer. What are you doing today? Invite God in. Allow Him to share life with you. Prayer ” dates ” can be varied and fun, just like the shared experiences of courtship.

God, today I want to invite You to join me as I…

On this day, I invited God in to join me in prayer as I fasted the full week, 7 days of fasting for a purpose that might be impossible to men.
I needed an experience with God just me and Him, so I dedicated this week to honor Him.

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A 365 Day Challenge Day #21

Crying out to God

Before they call, I will answer, while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

Even very young children quickly learn to call out for their parents when they’re hurt or afraid. In a healthy family, a responsible dad wants to be there for his children, and a good mom will drop everything to respond to the urgent cry of a hurting child. Good parents think nothing of giving this kind of attention to their children because they understand the roles they have been given.

God’s children also instinctively cry out to God in times of trouble. Self-sufficiency is great, up to a point. But all of us face troubles, dangers, and challenges that are bigger than we are. Our own resources are quickly exhausted, but God’s are not.

When you’re sick, in danger, confused, or hurting, go straight to God. While prayer doesn’t take the place of visit to the doctor, nor does it rule out taking prudent precautions, it brings God into your circumstances as you acknowledge that He can do what we cannot. When His children cry out to Him, He is quick to respond.

God, my biggest need right now is…

This week as I mentioned before I cried out in hope God would hear me. My troubles only God can help me, my circumstances only He can fix, my biggest needs, and fears right now only God can help me. I believe he has the best for me.

blackandwhite · Challenge · family · Family Share · Fashion · food · Health · love · mom · motherhood · photography · Style · teens · Wordless · World VS Life

#PhotoaDay Challenge

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It is not necessary

It is not necessary to improve your appearance, get a lot of culture, raise the heels of your shoes, or make more noise.
We need to reduce the noise, walk more slowly, pay attention to those arriving, lower our heads and put the humility to work. We are big, when we are small.

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Day 8 – A Bad Habbit 
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Day 9 January 20th Someone You Love

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Day 9
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#PhotoAdAy

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#30DayPhoto

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Day 2 what I wore

I started a 30-day photo challenge and only did a day one.
Didn’t get to keep going. My days have been so busy I can’t keep up with all I’ve set up myself to do.

I started way too many challenges and I never finish LOL.
I wanted to upload all the images up to date so I can catch up in this post and go on day to day as the days go on. I do apologize to the people who follow my blog and expect it to be so right all the time, but hey! I’m only human.

First of all, I’m a wife, (to a pastor of a church) and a mom to 3 teens 🙂 (so this includes all mom and wife duties LOL)
We go to church 3 times a week
I’m currently on a 365-day prayer challenge that I do every day (just don’t have the time to post it)
I’m on a Theological school that I have to study and do a test every month (that’s in Portuguese and extremely hard because of the language) I’m taking a 6.00.1x introduction to computer science as a tool to solve real-world analytical problems at MIT. (Also, really hard and time-consuming)

I have online media groups that requires me to post every day or every week in order for me to remain a member (time-consuming)
So, keeping up with all this and feeling sick, and all doctors appointments is not easy but it’s something I love to do. It’s me 🙂
I just wanted to ask for patience .. and say thank you!

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Day 4 Something Green – My kids playing at the Gillette Stadium
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Day 5 – From a High Angle
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Day 6- From a Low Angle