Happy Birthday to My Bride

Regina Adele
It was seven years ago today that I asked you to marry me. I said that I didn’t know what the future held but I knew who held our future. The Lord has taken us on an incredible journey through adoption and photography. As I celebrate your life today and our marriage, I think of all the weddings we have been at (over 60) where we were the photographers not to mention all the weddings you sang in or as a bridesmaid and the many friends that we went to as guests (20 some the year you graduated from Messiah). You have impacted so many peoples' lives and especially on their wedding day. You really do have a gift and I am so proud to be your husband. I am your biggest fan. Today you turn 30, my bride. Your beauty and radiance has been ever increasing since the day we were married. I love you. May the Lord bless you and may all your dreams and desires be fulfilled.

With Love
Eric Ray

A New Decade...

Well..it was bound to happen one of these years. This is it...my last few hours of the twenty somethings. When my eyes open early tomorrow morning as I rise to go hunting with my husband (yes, you read that correctly!) I will be celebrating 30 years of life on this earth. Eric has been asking me to go hunting with him for a long time and so I decided that tomorrow is a day of new beginnings. Yes, I will wear camouflage, yes, I will wake up before the sun, yes, I will go out into the woods and sit in silence hoping to see a big deer coming towards us, but no, I won't pull back the bow to release any arrows. See, for me, it's really just about spending quality time with my husband. Malakai will be with Grandpa & Grandma Martin while we go out into the woods. Life is seeming to move at such a fast pace these days and I realize how blessed I am to be able to celebrate another year of life with the people I love most. So today, remind yourself of the value of life and celebrate someone!

Gann Family

I took a little trip down to Black Rock Retreat on Saturday for some family pictures. Pat and his wife, Jennie met at BRR one summer when he was a counselor and she was working in the kitchen. They were both on staff when I was counseling. Pat is one of the funniest guys I know. Incredible musician, faithful friend, and passionate about loving on kids who are in desperate need of love. Now he and Jennie have three beautiful kiddos and it was so fun to see them in their parental roles. Meet the Gann's...

Hostetler Family

Zoe is the apple of their eyes and there's no wonder. She is a simply beautiful miracle. I've been working with them for the last three years and I always enjoy our time together. Zoe loves cats and there was one that was following us all around the farm. She couldn't have been more excited. Hope your trick or treat night was fun and that the pretzels were a hit!

Pete & Jen: 5 Years Later

They met at school but didn't like each other. She was the quiet, straight-A bookworm and he was the almost-in-trouble punk with a 2-sizes-too-big basketball jersey. They ended up IMing each other one night and that became the catalyst of their friendship. You could say they were the poster couple for "opposites attract".

And her wedding dress...listen to this true story. After they moved, their old house was broken into but they didn't think that anything of great value was missing. Jen prayed about it and kept checking a nearby dumpster when she saw a box she recognized a few days later. She pulled out a trash bag that had a dress bag and white dress inside. It took a few moments for her to realize it was her wedding dress. Had she been dumpster diving a few days later, the dumpster would have been empty as it was scheduled to be picked up. I love how the LORD even cares about wedding dresses!

Their 5-year anniversary is 11.20.09. This photo session was something Jen had been dreaming about and wants to continue every five years. What an incredible idea! Love looks different on you with each passing year, you know. Here is what five years of marriage looks like on these two. Pretty incredible I would say...

A Night In The City

Last night we took Malakai into the city to our former neighbors' houses for some trick or treating. Didn't go all out this year, just put his beloved wig on and everyone thought he looked like James Brown! Here he is with our friend, (and one of his favorite babysitters) Melissa. She watched him while Eric and I went to a walk-through drama production at In The Light Ministries where my cousin, Marvin was one of the actors. We stood in line for two hours outside with his wife, Dori and were getting pretty "punchy" by the time we finally got to go inside. The hour long production was extremely powerful and tear-jerking. One of the prayer ministers shared with us that they know of over 100 people that committed their lives to Christ (Some Hindu, Muslim, etc.) after seeing the play. Praise God!

Derek & Lindsay: Engaged

There's always been a little bit of chemistry between them because that's how they met...in Chemistry class. How cute is that? They weren't even supposed to be in the same class because they were in different grades, but God had it all planned out. Ever since then, they've been in separable...3 1/2 years and counting. Their wedding date is set for next Oct. 23rd and they couldn't be more excited. Lindsay is just so sweet and sincere. When I talk with her, I know she really listens to me and that is such a valuable personality trait. Derek is Mr. Steady. He doesn't seem to get worked up about much and adores his fiance'. We had a great afternoon together on our little adventure in Manheim. I found some new favorite spots I think! Here's a few highlights...