Friday, April 24, 2009

Fire is fun.

Well my first internship is in full swing and we are having SUCH an amazing time so far!! I'll post more about that on Sunday.
Anyways, last night we hung out with my cousins and some of my friends cause my cousins are moving back to Chicago today after spending the last 3 months here recording. Sad day...but last night we had a nice big goodbye blow out. Literally.
Blue coast burrito, bon fire, badminton, and bowling, but the best was when the guys almost blew each other up. I got to shoot this with Erin's, my intern, new Canon 5d Mark II. It is now the love of my life...I shot with one last week and my life is forever changed...check out the insanity here.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Shoe by shoe.


Something that has been coming up in a lot of conversations lately and came up again yesterday at church... is faithfulness. Being a good steward.
I think it's something that gets looked over A LOT of the time as we are so focused on just getting things done. I was talking to one of my best friends, Sarah Chellappa, the other day and she is studying world religion. She was sharing with me that in Hinduism they believe that everything they have is from god. So they treat it so well, they don't throw their stuff around but believing that it is from god or is a god they treat it with the utmost care.
I started to think, why don't we do that?? I take soooo much of what God has given me for granted and not been a very faithful steward with my: finances, time, friends, my stuff, etc...
I heard a story years ago from a highly succesful guy names Peter Daniels. Basically when he was little he wasn't given much hope for his future whatsoever, told by his teachers that he would never amount to anything he started believing. Then in his late 20s when he was illeterate he decided that is NOT the way he wanted to live anymore... he taught himself to read and started making just little changes in his life, being faithful with the very little he was given. It was as basic as putting his shoes back in the closet exactly where they belonged. On his way to work about 45 min into the drive he realized that he hadn't put his shoes in the closet and litterally turned around and went back to do it. THAT is how disciplined he had to be with himself being faithful in the small but that discipline and trustworthiness poured over into so many other parts of his life that now he's either a multi millonaire or billionaire in Australia...just from taking those small steps in the beginning.
Whether it is putting your shoes back in your closet, making your bed in the morning, doing what you say you are going to do, or not buying that outfit that you don't realllly need.
I've always wondered why the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer... it's all about the stewardship, how you value what you've been given? Treating it like treasure rather than squandering it! It's best illustrated here...
"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth....."His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! ....Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
"'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." Luke 19:20-26

Time to put those shoes back in the closet!!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

A quiet sliver in time.


I'm sitting here on my bed listening to Bon Iver, savoring the clean, dimly lit apartment; the city lights outside; the warm spring night and thinking about this past week and the weeks and months to come.
Moving down here I knew it was going to be a quiet season for me: of me really coming more into who I am called to be, growing up, and drawing so near to my love, Jesus. It has been just that. I don't even quite remember who I was before moving, I feel like I've grown up in ways that I never even knew existed and grew deeper in Jesus to the point that that is truly all that I desire. It's been such a rich time and I know it's only going to get better, deeper, and stronger. But this past week started the next season for me. I've had the past 6 months to dream, plan, pray, travel, spend time with friends, and connect down here. I've LOVED it. More than anything. Now though it's time to go up higher and actually walk in what I know I'm called to do... it's been a nice break and now I'm refreshed and revved up for this coming season. It's been amazing as it's going to be more busy than I've ever been, more traveling than I've ever done, and more out-put than I've ever given. But in this increase, I've seen God come right along side of me and provide each step of the way, each worry or fear of not being able to pull through God has made a way. I'm astounded and I've only been in this one week so far! The end of August is the nearest slower time in sight and until then I'm trusting God to get even 6 hours of sleep each night with all there is to do. But I know that with each promotion that He takes me to He provides and doesn't leave me behind to fend on my own! It's exciting and I'll hopefully be posting a lot about all the interns coming in, the weddings, photo shoots, and traveling that will be happening but if I don't post everything just know that sleep is coming before blogging.
I love you all so dearly and am thankful for you.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Barlow Family Vacation

Vacations with my family always seem a little hard to come by... having 9 in one family with all age ranges under the sun, everyone owning a biz or in school, and running a church. This seems to limit our options a lot even just with a spare moment to get away!
Well back in the winter someone decided to bless our family with a week of their timeshare wherever we wanted to go! They all decided on Mrytle beach so this past week my family drove down here to Nashville to pick me up and we allll headed down 10 hours in the big BarlowMobile....an adventure in itself let me tell you! We spent the first two days with some friends down in Charleston actually unexpectadly! We just headed over for lunch and they invited our whole family to spend the night and tour Charleston with them! It was AMAZING! They own a home on a finger of the Atlantic and the view is just breathtaking! I could definitely live around there someday! And Charleston DON'T even get me started. Probably one of my favorite city's that I've ever been to! I felt like I had stepped into a southern version of Europe! AWEsome.
We then spent the next 5 days in Myrtle Beach at the time share and it was beautiful.... unfortunately it was pretty cold most of the week so we just chilled and sat in the hot tub... but that is my type of vacation anyways! :) The last day there we all rented beach bikes and road along the water for about an hour.... the fun sort of got dampened though when my phone fell out of my pocket along the beach and I couldn't find it ANYWHERE.... that being my business phone and all I was pretty worried! Thankfully my dad had the idea of calling it and someone had actually picked it up... rather than my fear of it being out in the ocean! THANK GOD! :)
We headed back to Nashville Friday night and got in early Saturday morning for a nice chill day of driving around some of my favorite places, Leipers Fork, Natchez Trace, and tons of other places! My family headed out Sunday afternoon after they got a chance to visit my church for the first time and hang out with some friends! ALL and all it was a beautiful, refreshing, HILARIOUS time!!! Hope you enjoy the slideshow! :)