Lancaster Wedding Reception.

I had the honor of taking wedding photos for my friend Val & her new husband, Jeremy.  The wedding was gorgeous, as was the bride!

Here are some favorites from the reception. To see the rest (& the ceremony photos!), go to www.facebook.com/beautifulthingsphotography.

The wedding cake

The groom's cake

Cutting the cake

Bridal Party Table

Garter toss. The groomsmen were pretty entertaining (:

Their exit from the reception

Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day, Val!

xoxo - Sydney

Duncan High School Graduation.

My brother-in-law graduated from high school this May! These are the group shots I took at his graduation from Duncan High School.

You can see my other work at www.facebook.com/beautifulthingsphotography!

xoxo - Sydney

Please be praying.

Hey guys (:

Please be praying for my cousin Kamiya.  She is 4-years-old & she has MRSA, which is a type of staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics.  She goes back to the hospital tomorrow...  We're not sure how bad it is.

My aunt has the same kind of staph infection.  It got into her bone, & she's had several unsuccessful surgeries.  This kind of staph infection is drawn to metal, so any kind of implants/etc. are a bad idea.  She's most likely going to have her leg amputated from the hip down pretty soon.

Please pray for my aunt, but also for my cousin, & that this infection doesn't spread to her bone.  This must be very scary for my aunt, as an adult.  I don't know what it would be like for a 4-year-old girl to have something like this.  She's normally a very active, energetic little girl, but right now, she can't walk normally because the infection is in her thigh/hip area.  If it spreads at all, the doctors said it will be pretty bad news.

Another small request: I, as well as a couple of other members of my family, have had staph infection before.  Mine was a different type, & I had it drained & I was fine.  But after having it once, you are always a carrier, & you're more likely to get it again.  So please pray for me & my other family members, that we won't get it again, & that no one else will get it.

I can't imagine how scary things are for Miya.  She's going to be visiting doctors & hospitals, & that's scary at any age.  Please, please be praying.

xoxo - Sydney

Changes.

Well, folks... A lot has changed since the last time I used this blog. I went to Tumblr for a while & met some awesome people, but then it started feeling a little too MySpace-y... Too much spam & too many people who were just craving attention & popularity. Not my style.

The biggest & most important/wonderful/amazing change is that I'm married now!

Remember that boy Laker I liked so much? Well he is now my best friend, the love of my life, & my husband & companion for the rest of my life. I couldn't be more blessed (:

So for those of you who missed it, here are some of the wedding photos! 

This is my family. From right to left is my little sister/co-maid of honor, Taryn; my big brother/usher, Kiefer; my mom; Laker; me; my dad; & my little sister/co-maid of honor, Mackenzie.

These are my new in-laws! From left to right is Alex, Sybil, Laker, me, & Paul. They are absolutely wonderful! I couldn't have asked for better additions to my family.

More new (ish) additions to my family! These are my cousins/adopted little sisters/flower girls, Kamiya & Keiara. They're the cutest (: We were granted custody of them last summer.

I love my daddy (:

The rings

The kiss

Cutting the cake, plus our bride & groom toasting flutes

After signing the marriage license

Bubble farewell

Credit for all photos goes to Kevin Craig.

I'll be using this blog a lot more often. I want somewhere to actually blog - to share my life & share in the lives of others, not just repost photos. 

So here's to the future!

xoxo - Sydney

Fail...

So, I used to do a pretty good job of keeping up with this blog & my tumblr. But lately, Tumblr is my only form of blogging (Also, I almost spelled "only" o-w-n-l-y just now).

Therefore, if you choose to read about my thoughts & what God has been teaching me lately, please go to www.sydney-aerin.tumblr.com

That is all.

(:

So this is the new year...

I'm so thankful that 2010 is over. This has been the worst semester of my life. I’ve had to deal with the loss of loved ones, a car crash, academic struggles, sin, & medical issues. I’m ready to let it all go & move past it.

However, when I look back at this semester, I realize that despite all the awful things I’ve dealt with, I also received some of the biggest blessings of my life. My Shawnee family – Rebecca, Blake, Momma Burrough, & Laker, have been a constant support for me the past few months, holding me accountable, giving me advice, & providing a fellowship I can’t replace. God restored the strong friendship I had with Blake, as well as restoring the amazing bond Becc & I have. He allowed Momma Burrough to become a friend, mentor, & second mother to me. & He gave me Laker. More on that later. (: I have faith that He has a plan for the 5 of us, & that He put us all together for a reason. The fact that He’s calling all 4 of us to move to Shawnee next fall was pretty surprising for all of us, but we can’t wait. He’s got great plans, & I can’t wait to find out what they are.

Frontline Church has also been a major blessing, first in OKC & then in Shawnee. God is working through the pastors & church members, & I’m blessed to be a part of it. I’ve met some amazing people, & I’m pretty stoked to see how my relationships with them grow.

Back to Laker. Regardless of how things end up between us, he has been amazing to me. Somehow in the course of the past couple of months, he has become my best friend & my constant support. I don’t know what I’d do without have him. God has us together right now for a reason, & I’m excited to see where He’ll take us in 2011.

At church this morning, Trey preached about how we need to look back on 2010 & really break it down & figure out what we need to let go of. Fear, worry, finances, frustrations, obstacles, & sinful desires were a few of the things I listed. In 2011, I’m letting it all go. God comes first, & He’ll take care of the rest.

Here are a few of my New Year’s resolutions:
1) God is first. I need to set aside time for Him daily… Make Him my priority, not just try to squeeze Him into my schedule whenever it’s convenient for me.

2) Give myself whole-heartedly in every relationship I’m in – as a daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, church member, etc. I need to set a Godly example & show Christ’s love to everyone.

3) Write more. It’s such a good release for me, & I don’t do it often enough.

4) Play cello more often. It came so naturally to me, & I’ve let that gift go for the past year & a half. It’s time to use it again.

5) Be more creative. God blessed us with the ability to use our imaginations, & to work & make things. He gave us free thought, & I feel like He wants us to use it in every way we can. Whether it’s writing, painting, photography, cooking, whatever… I want to be more creative & use my free thought & creativity to glorify Him.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2011 (:

#RH2011,

Sydney

Car Crash (12-29-10)

“It’s all because of Jesus I’m alive.”

This is true every day. The fact that we wake up every morning is God’s decision. But Sunday morning in church, that statement meant so much more to me.

Wednesday night when I got back from Ponca, I drove to Laker’s. We hung out for a bit, then loaded up the car – clothes for a couple of days, my cello, his guitar, presents - & left to go to Shawnee to spend Christmas with Momma Burrough, Becc, Blake, Ethan, & Rachel. We’d been talking about it for over a week, & were super stoked.

We had City & Colour playing. Laker & I were talking & having a pretty peaceful conversation. We drove 6 blocks & stopped at the red light on 10^th & Broadway. The light turned green & we drove forward. Next thing I know, I’ve got an airbag in my face, my ear is ringing, & smoke is coming from the front of the car. At first I didn’t know what happened, but then I realized airbag = wreck. I looked over at Laker & asked if he was okay, then realized I was breathing out some kind of dust or smoke. Laker jumped out of the car & ran around to check on me, & I looked up to see the big truck that had hit us, & two guys running towards us from the car behind it. They asked if we were okay, while I was still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

I got out of the car right as the fire truck pulled up. An ambulance arrived shortly after, & an EMT started questioning us. Aside from a seatbelt burn, some bruises, & some raw skin on my nose from the airbag, I was fine. Laker complained about chest pains, so the firemen took his vitals. The police arrived, & the guys who had checked on us gave them an account of what happened – It was a “left turn yield on green,” & the other driver didn’t yield, he just drove straight into us. Laker’s car was totaled, but it was the other driver’s fault so Laker doesn’t have to pay for the damages.

Looking back, all I can think about is how fortunate we were. The fact that the whole front of the car was dented in, & both airbags went off… It could have been a lot more serious. We made it out with only bruises & burns. God was definitely looking out for us.

If I got anything out of this experience, it’s that I can’t take anything for granted. Things can change in an instant. We are so arrogant to make plans & expect them to always succeed. Also, the people in your life are irreplacable. If something had happened to Laker, I don’t know what I would have done. Don’t take anyone for granted. Appreciate every minute you have with them, & live every moment to the fullest.