The Motions

This might hurt

It’s not safe

But I know that I’ve

gotta make a change

I don’t care

If I break

At least I’ll be feeling something

‘Cause just ok

Is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions

I don’t wanna go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions

No regrets

Not this time

I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind

Let Your love

Make me whole

I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way


-Matthew West

Hear the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLJF9vaIJ_0&feature=channel

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Dad

"He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge. "












I love you Dad!!

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Karissa...

We saw this the other day and it made me think of you.
It was a full arc of a double rainbow.

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Stand in the Rain

"She never slows down.
She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like its all coming down


She won't turn around
The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down



So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down

You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain


She won't make a sound
Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down

She wants to be found
The only way out is through everything she's running from
Wants to give up and lie down.




So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found


You stand in the rain!"

-SuperChic(k)

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Ever felt like this?

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But I love you any way

"They say that you're ornery and that you drive them insane
I hear them whine about you both night and day
And it breaks my heart
Because they can't see through your pain

Beneath the hard and steady front you show
Is a heart that's pure and soft
But they'll never know that side of you
Cuz' they never take the time to learn the truth

But I love you anyway!
And I don't care what they say
Sure you're not perfect and ya you've got your faults
But it sure doesn't help when they rub the wounds with salt
I see you standing tall and hard
And it tears me all apart
I guess I just want you to know
That no matter where you go...
I love you anyway!"

-Anonymous



You know who you are, and I love you anyway! ;-)

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Wisdom teeth...or lack thereof

Yesterday I went under...under everything including the knife. They told me that most operations to remove 4 wisdom teeth are no big deal and take 20-30 min...as always, I was the exception and mine were "a pain to get out, came out in pieces, and took an hour to remove" I started to wake up in the middle but they knocked me out again. After debating how secure I felt in my looks I decided to go a head and post pictures...








I live in a house full of sweeties who have been bringing me flowers, letting me sleep with their beloved AFLAC duck, cooking breakfast for me, and showing up numerous times a day to admire my swelling, listen to me say that it "HURTS", and ask if they can possibly get me anything. I am truly very blessed!

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Nebraska Love

Mama Hutchins, Samuel, Stephen, Caleb, Ruthie, and Abby....
We missed y'all something awful!!!!

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Dreams

"You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?""
-George Shaw

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Wisconsin

I got the chance a few weeks ago to go to Wisconsin. It was beautiful!



This is me getting my "cultural experience" :D

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Stretching

As some of you know I have been working for the past oh 9 months or so stretching to be able to do the splits. Both kinds of splits. A little bit at a time every night or so I would push my self closer and closer to the floor. Some days I would go so far the night before that I had to take a few days off to allow my body time to adjust. A few weeks ago I finally reached the point where I could do the "normal" splits without stretching first. (I am still about 3 in from the floor with the Chinese splits).
Something else has been happening in my life the last few months that I realized this evening was a striking parallel to my "splits exercising". God has been stretching me. Little by little He has been molding me to His image. There have been days when I hurt so bad from the constant stretching, and He would give me a little time of bliss to rest before He added more pressure.
If I take a little time every day to quick do the splits it may be a long time before I lose the ability to do them. Likewise (even though God is never done teaching me) if I put into practice daily what He is teaching me now, He can use it for His glory and use the time we have to bring more things into my life that draw me closer to Him.

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I lift my eyes...

" ¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore."

-Psalm 121

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Lights, Camera, ACTION!

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Perfection

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." -2 Corinthians 7:1

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My first stitch(es)

I had this 'thing' on my hand for a few months that just would not go away. I did 'surgery' on it with nail clippers twice and each time not only did it hurt pretty bad but it kept coming back. so I went into the doctor to have it looked at. They ended up cutting a HUGE crater in my hand to cut the whole thing out. I got my first stitches in my life over it too.. :-(

For all y'all who want to see it...here y'all are!

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Fighting for the Bride

There is a very interesting relationship between most grooms and the "brothers of the bride"...
I told Kim's brothers to take Kim and keep Kevin away. Then I told Kevin to go get her, and began taking pictures at fast as I could.



Joe and Ben






This was the "Stand back if you know what is good for you" picture






Even the bridesmaids got involved and Kevin really had his work cut out for him!







"Anything worth having is worth working for!" Right?





Artistic fun. :-)

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Kevin and Kim

Here you have the long awaited first installment of pictures from Kevin and Kim's wedding!

*drum roll*
:-P























Many thanks to the Bride and Groom for giving me permission to post these. I hope to post a few more in not too terribly long :D

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Adversity

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit"- Napoleon Hill.

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Why?

In the last 24 hours I have had visitors from:

Charlevoix, Michigan

Pierce, Nebraska

Meridian, Idaho

Kearney, Nebraska

Jalandhar, Punjab (India)

Saint Louis, Missouri

San Francisco, California

Christchurch, New Zealand

Black Creek, Wisconsin

Stanton, Nebraska

Carterville, Illinois

Royalton, Illinois

Portland, Oregon

Elk Grove, California

Houston, Texas

Bancroft, Nebraska

North Platte, Nebraska

Sydney, New South Wales

West Point, Nebraska

Celeste, Texas

Melbourne, Victoria

Alma, Colorado

Davis, California

Edmonds, Washington

Saint Louis, Missouri

Omaha, Nebraska



Why no comments?

This post is for all you "lurkers" to show your faces. While in Wyoming, I met a girl who not only read my blog but the blog's of a few people at church...another lurker who came out of the shadows. It was kinda freaky that she knew so much about me!

So...
Who are you?
Where do you live?
Do you actually *know* me?
How did you find my blog?
Do you like it? :D *fishes for complements...* JUST KIDDING! Scratch that last question :D


I will not be filling this out since y'all know ALL about me!

*picture thanks to Google Images*

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A weekend on the road

I had the extreme privilege of going out to Wyoming this past weekend and assisting in photographing Kim and Kevin's wedding. Michael and I left at about 6:30 friday evening and arrived in Cody WY about 8:00 AM saturday morning. We began pictures about 8:30 or 9ish, and after a very fun and busy day that for some of us lasted till 1 AM on Sunday *grins* , we took off at about 9ish Sunday morning. We talked (and texted) to LOTS of good friends on the way home, pulling in at about 12:30 Sunday night. It was a whirlwind trip but well worth it!

I took almost 700 pictures and even got some good ones ;-)! We went home by another route and right past Chimney Rock! All of my life living in Nebraska and I had never seen it, so I was dutifully impressed.

Since it was an Atnip getting married I got to meet the legendary Atnip family! I had heard tons about them, from the boys, and they not only met but exceeded the vast amount of expectations I had for them. :D I am not sure I measured up to their expectations of me since I was told that my brothers made them think I was an angel... :-?
Either way, I promptly added them to my list of favorite people and decided then and there that I was coming back some day to visit when we could stay to go caving, climbing, and fourwheeling. Right Karissa!? Maybe next time though I will be able to find more than dryer sheets for blankets... ;-)

Right now I am wading through masses of pictures that hopefuly a few of will make their way here for y'all to see.

:D

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