Photography by MarLeahJoy: January 2016

I'm stealing the "brain dump" phrase from my dearest Heather!

She posted a picture of her brain dump list this week, and I had to follow suit. It really did make me feel a lot better to make a nice big list on paper! I tend to make a lot of lists on my phone, but I think making them on paper is sometimes more stress-relieving. ;)

I still feel the need to make one massive brain dump blog post. Sooooo many things are going on, and time is passing so quickly... I need to stop and process them all a little bit. (I'm really cringing inside, though... at the thought of how long this blog post could actually end up.) ;P

Where do I begin?!

Well, most recently... I marked off a looming task of picture editing. This has absolutely nothing against anyone in particular, anyone's session, or anyone's photogenic qualities, or ANYTHING! (get the point?! Lol. I just want to be super clear before I continue!) :P But I am 100% done (for the time being) with photo sessions and portrait photography. I've said this more than a million times to myself, particularly in moments of long editing hours, and I've mentioned it several times here on this blog. So to be honest, I'm not sure what exactly this blog will serve a purpose of. Especially after this post, considering I am posting the last pictures of my last sessions. I do know that this blog will be used to post pictures of some up-coming adventures... But let's be honest. Life isn't one big adventure story book. Yet, somehow deep inside I feel confident that this blog will continue on -- just as it has for the last 3 years. :)

And you all...! I'm starting out Monday on a completely new chapter that will change the "norm" I've known for the last two years in my job. I feel so blessed to be transferring to a position with the same bank in my own hometown. Now I'll be working 2 blocks from home ;)

The Lord has also miraculously worked out some things during this job transfer that has to do with some days that I have requested as vacation time. I tend to get really stressed out about asking for time off to go places. Even though it is time that they give me to take off. Somehow I feel guilty for leaving. :P (I've got to get that idea out of my head though!) To make this matter complicated, I happened to book a flight to Hawaii with some of my friends over an important event that NO ONE is supposed to ever take off. Thankfully, I learned that it wasn't my fault, I had already been approved to take those dates off before they announced the date of this big event with the bank. My new boss also assured me that it was no big deal and that I didn't need to cancel any plans, but to enjoy my time. Well that was a relief!

My next dump will deal with some financial matters in my life. lol

The "worrying" about these financial matters have probably been the #1 reason I REALLY need this brain dump blog post! Haha!! BUT, some really great blessings have certainly come out of this!

So, I'll just be clear that at this point in my life I have no money. (Or at least in my standards I don't.) I've bought a car many months premature to the time I had financially scheduled for myself to buy one. I've booked a flight to Hawaii, and unfortunately for me and my current circumstance, you have to pay for flights in advance -- not the date you are leaving. Duh! ;P I am about to take a trip to West Virginia on train, so that's another chunk of money to set aside for eating, skiing, and buying some more cold weather gear. And to complicate things more... the new car I bought needed power steering completely replaced... almost needed an attorney to get the car tagged (thankfully it didn't)... and cost more on taxes and tagging than I expected... Eek!

Where all the blessings in all of this you might ask? Yeah, that's what I was asking myself as well.

The biggest one came with not having to hire an attorney to get the car tagged. It was so wonderful, and I felt the Lord so near me on Monday as I cried out to him to bless my feeble efforts to get in contact with the original owner. I had tried so many ways to get her contact information, and then I finally found her Facebook profile. From what I could tell, she had just moved (this month) to an area of Texas that is 9 hours away. D: I messaged her, but knew that 99.99% she would not read the message because it lands in a spam box if you aren't friends with the person. So I requested to be her friend on Facebook. In the mean time, I scheduled a visit with an attorney since there was such a slim likely-hood ever getting to talk to the original owner. Within 20 minutes, the owner had added me on Facebook and worked out a plan that would mean driving 2 hours south of here to get a notary (a very important thing that happened to be missing on the title). I was so ecstatic! I could get the car tagged within a week instead of waiting for two months by going through an attorney. But a few minutes later, she informed me that it actually would not be an option anymore. I was not completely discouraged, but I certainly felt half-defeated. After another phone call, I was told of another way completely solve my problem without any extra driving! And I could take care of it that day!! A real miracle!

Another blessing to do with getting cars tagged and all... I just received new tags for my VW Bug that are life-time historic tags (I'll never have to pay to get them renewed) and they were the cheapest tags I've ever bought! :) Woo-hoo! ;D

While I was in town one day, getting a lot of this car-tagging mess figured out, I stopped by a fabric store to pick up some material to make a skirt for skiing in WV. I was prepared to pay a good price for the specialty fabric that I needed. But I wasn't prepared to hear from the lady assisting that they didn't even carry that kind of fabric. :( I took one last scan through the entire store... sure enough, none of the material I needed could be found. For kicks, I decided to look in the clearance section... and behold! I found the exact material and color of fabric I was looking for! :) It was on sale, still at a rather high price, but I was willing to pay it. As the lady cut the fabric for me, she noticed a I had one of their coupons in my hand and she said "Honey, that coupon won't work with this discounted fabric." Well, I knew that, but I just said "Okay", because I knew she was trying to be helpful. I picked up some elastic that I would need, and actually planned to apply the coupon to that item. When the cashier rung up my items and scanned the coupon, she exclaimed, "Well, this hardly ever happens, but the coupon applied itself to the clearance fabric! :) Do you have another coupon to use for the elastic?" I indeed did have another coupon. :) I left that store pondering the goodness of God; he takes care of the littlest needs and desires we have. I could afford the items without the coupon, but the Lord also knew that at this time in my life, I would be particularly blessed to get such a good discount. :)

With all of these changes, challenges and blessings... I've been going to bed with my mind full, but my cup running over.

I am so excited to see what my little solo train trip to WV will have in store for me. I imagine I'll have a lot of time to read some good literature and simply relax my mind after all of this hubbub. :)

Plus, the whole purpose of the trip will be to meet my soon-to-be-born nephew. I'll be a first-time auntie :) I can't wait!

And since the theme of this blog post is "dump"... Allow me to call your attention to a special section of this post: the Senior Session Dump.

Otherwise known as, "the last three sessions that I have edited and haven't shared on my blog yet"! Hehe

My dear Karissa has been waiting forever for me to be done with her pictures, so I will show hers first. :)

Zachary is up next... and for some reason I seriously thought that I had already blogged his pictures. I had to go browse through my last posts just to make sure I hadn't! :P Okay, then. Guess I didn't.