If you’ve followed my blog at all throughout this past year you have seen this sweet face multiple times.  Little miss Reese Johnson is a year old now!

She has the sweetest personality and can make anyone feel loved.

Em and Nate, I’ve loved every moment with you two and your sweet little one… and I can’t wait to meet the next one as well!

Reese knows a little sign language… language of any sort is a wonderful gift to give a child.
we ended the shoot with birthday cake…and a bath!

Mary and Justin, thank you again for opening the door to your lives and allowing me in to document it.  Little Miss Chloe is so sweet, and so blessed to have you two as parents!

I love this one…proud daddy. :)

Dream Big, Plan Big, and don’t be afraid to try.

did you catch that?

don’t be afraid to try.

I think I’m speaking that more to myself than anyone else…too many times in my life I have been afraid to commit or set goals for fear of failure.  or rejection.

It’s much more comfortable to sit on a plump throne of mediocrity.

But that’s not for me.  Not anymore.

This year as I grow Alumbra in a new city, grow Unveil nationally, and work in my family’s granola business…

I’m dreaming big.  I’m not settling for less.

So a few things I want to accomplish this year?

• serious improvement in my  French skills
• reach more women with the Unveil experience (on a national and international level)
• be more intentional about people and relationships
• stress less
• exercise more (I’m signed up for the Cherry Blossom Run in just 3 months!)
• finish my new website (hopefully in the next month)
• keep my priorities straight (God, family, business)
• serve more.  (serve people, the church, my husband, my clients…)

In light of that, I’ll leave you with this inspring prayer that I’m adopting from Sir Francis Drake in 2012. (shared with my by the talented Sarah Danahar):

To each and every one of you 2011 clients…Thank you.  Thanks for allowing me to do what I love.  Thanks for opening the door to your life, and allowing me a glimpse in.

hanna and reid brought a few photos of their parents and grandparents when they were younger…so sweet!i. love. this.
champagne.  what a splendid idea!hanna is also an incredibly talented photographer!  we spent many a long night in the dark room together in our college days during photo 1 and non-silver (my all time favorite photography class).

love. that. sun.why not pretend this home is yours for a day?

And I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the big and small things in this life (loved ones, beer cheese and board games top the list).  But the presents, the music and the food would be meaningless without family and dear friends to share with.

But even more than that, I’m deeply grateful yet again for the wondrous grace of our Savior, who humbly came to earth as a baby all those years ago to be a Light in this dark world.  I love to imagine what that night was like, when the angels filled the sky, singing in perfect harmony the announcement of the birth of the King.  The long awaited Messiah.  The Holy One of Israel. As we prepare to worship tonight, words fail me to truly express my heart.  If you haven’t read it recently, I encourage you to find a Bible and re-read the Christmas story (Luke 1-2 is a great place to start).

—

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to photograph a tiny newborn baby girl: Chloe Elizabeth Prather.  Here’s a little peek!

As I sealed the envelope and dropped it off to be mailed and I reflected back on our 7 year pen-pal-like relationship.

It started when he was just 8 and I was 17.  I had finished high school and had taken a year off to serve on the mission field…I spent 4 months in Mexico then 3 months in Bolivia.  And I mean it wholeheartedly when I say that year changed my life, and has a lot to do with the person I am today.

I was in Bolivia volunteering with Food for the Hungry International in the Child Development Program.  I translated letters between children in the program and their sponsors, kept track of finances, and visited many of the rural villages where FH was working.  It was an incredible few months of learning, and I walked away with an immense respect for FH and how they work.  Having seen first hand what an incredible difference sponsorship was making in the lives of these children, their families and their communities, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.  I knew that even as a 17-year-old-soon-to-be-college-student that I could afford $30 a month to support a child in Bolivia.  And so I did.

I picked up Pedro’s packet somewhere along the way, specifically choosing a community in Bolivia that my church at the time had partnered with…Apillapampa.  And so as I studied my way through college, worked part-time jobs, and developed my love of photography, Pedro was also learning.  He attended school, church, children’s leadership committee, and even classes teaching basic public health and agriculture.  We exchanged letters (though Josue reminds me as often as possible that I didn’t write enough), birthday cards and Christmas cards over the years, and I received yearly (I think) progress reports on how he was doing in school and in life from the FH tecnicos…the program directors from FH that were living there at the time.

But this week I got a letter worthy of tears and celebration.  A letter announcing that FH was leaving the community of Apillapampa and that Pedro’s sponsorship had come to an end.  Because that is how FH works…they believe in educating the people of a community and helping set up an infrastructure that they can maintain instead of creating dependency which can be detrimental.  Their goal in each community is to establish or strengthen the local church, establish and equip the local school, educate families and their children about public health and family values, as well as train men and women to be leaders in their community.  I think they state it well in their mission statement:

“To walk
with churches, leaders and families
in overcoming all forms of human poverty
by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation.”

Along with that letter came a note from Pedro, saying his goodbye.  He thanked me for my prayers and support over the years.  He told me how his family and community are in a much better place now, and how when he graduates high school in a few years, he wants to be a police officer.  He asked me to continue praying for him and his family, and to please sponsor another child to give them the same opportunity he had.

Tears came to my eyes as I thought back to his early letters…he has grown so much, and I’m honored to have been even a small part of that.  He has been on our fridge for years, and will continue to have his place there as a constant reminder to pray for him (we might just have to scoot him over a bit to make room for our new sponsor child…).

Here is a video that I think is a really cool example of what an impact FH is making around the world.  This was shot not long ago in Mahkai, a community in Africa that FH was leaving.  The town had a party to celebrate the departure of FH, and all that it implied.

We would love to see you support FH, whether it’s through Child Sponsorship, Community Partnership or a Donation.  Talk to your church about partnering with a FH community, or taking a short-term trip to help bring clean water to a community or build a school.

Because we are committed to serving God and supporting this organization, we will be gifting a mini-session* to the first 10 families (or individuals) that chooses to support a child with FH before December 25.  Every entry after that will receive $50 off their next session with us!

All you have to do is:

1. Support a Child with FH here

2. Spread the word on Twitter and Facebook by posting “Find out how you can change a child’s life with @food4thehungry and get a photo session from @alumbra!  http://tinyurl.com/7j7yln2″

3. Shoot us an e-mail with the confirmation info from FH. {susannah@alumbraphotography.com}

If you all have any questions about FH and their programs we are happy to answer what we know, and for the rest we can help direct you to someone at FH!  We are looking forward to seeing you all partner with such an incredible organization!

*all mini-sessions will take place in the spring in the central kentucky area or northern virginia

For her:

1. Mary Kay Color Compact…my favorite-i-cannot-possibly-do-without-it color combo is: Honeyspice, Granite, Espresso (eye colors), with Citrus Bloom cheek color, and Beach Bronze on the lips.  This color combination looks gorgeous on any skintone, and can be worn for daytime, or darkened a bit (layer on the espresso) for a glamorous evening look!  More amazing options here!

For him

2. J. Crew Men’s Marled Wool Scarf…it’s hard to find a good-looking, masculine scarf, but I think this one looks wonderfully warm but still manages to be manly and stylish!

For anyone:

3. Roma Lussa Leather Journal from Jenni Bick -great for any loved one on your list…I use my journal as my idea book, prayer journal, and sometimes even grocery list!  Hardly a day goes by when I don’t write in it or reference it!

4. Mac Shortcuts Poster …the perfect gift for the newest Mac user in your family.  Though the transition can be tough, it is soooo worth it.  As they say “once you go Mac you never go back”

5. Woodford Reserve Soy Candle on Etsy… These gorgeous candles are made by a super-talented friend of mine in Lexington!  What a fun way to up-cycle old liquor bottles, and hold on to a bit of Kentucky heritage!  Check out her whole Etsy shop here!

6. And speaking of Upcycling…check out this really neat book with ideas on how you can upcycle! (p.s. this one is on my Christmas list too)!

7. Red Wavy Bakers (set of 3) a beautiful yet practical gift for the baker in your family!  (found on the dreamy kitchen site, surlatable.com)

8. Amazon Prime …for that online shopper in your family, or for the whole family…Amazon Prime gives you free 2 day shipping on almost everything they sell (it just has to be marked Prime)!  One Prime account can have up to 5 e-mail addresses and even more shipping addresses which has allowed my whole family to share one account!  It’s SO worth it!

9. Topeca Coffee (the best coffee…from El Salvador, of course)…we bring it back by the suitcases when we travel!  It’s also available online…try it, you won’t regret it!

10. Wildflower Seed Bombs …for the busy (or wanna-be) gardener.  All they have to do is toss the seed bomb where they want it to grow and give it a few weeks!

The list could go on forever (and I might continue it in coming posts)!  Be sure to also check out tenthousandvillages.com …a site that supports and sells fair-trade goods from around the world, while also telling the stories of the people behind them!

I hope this has been helpful!  (I’d love to know if anyone actually gifts any of these things!)