farmer's market pictures and camping

These are some recent film shots from the Athens Farmer's Market.

Last Friday was our five year anniversary. We courted in Tennessee, got engage in Louisiana, got married in SC and moved out to Oregon, where we had our little girl. Our second child will be born here in Athens, and Trevor will graduate law school here next May. I wrote this to him already, but I fell in love with my husband all over again after seeing the things we have come through together. Our marriage is stronger, and I am more humbled, broken, and dependent on the God of my life than ever before. I realize more how much I need Him, and how much the gospel really is the most important thing in the world. I understand the gospel more and a little more about what it means to forgive, to love, to have tremendous hope in Jesus even in the midst of pain, to see things through, to not give up on someone, to really act out love by persevering. Things are not perfect; in fact, they are hard. Being in school (still) with very little income is hard. The pressures and craziness of law school has been very very hard. Trying to work to support our family and take care of sweet Piper can sometimes be hard and discouraging. But even in the middle of all this tension, I have a beautiful Hope, and I am satisfied and content. 

We went camping to celebrate our first five years. We had to come home early because the weather got so bad, but we plan to go again this weekend for a night or two before the wedding I am shooting on Saturday. We camped near Avery Creek in Pisgah National Forest. It was beautiful. Our campsite was near the place where the creek widens, and there are moss covered rocks and pretty woods all around. It was amazing to be totally shut off from technology and media. I didn't realize what a constant level of stress I was under until I went out into the woods and gave the people I love my full attention. I was renewed in a big way. It got me thinking about where I am headed, what life will be like with a new baby, and how the creative things I love doing have (in some ways) become the source of a lot of stress in my life. I made some decisions about how I want to do life in the future. I guess that is a whole other post. I'll write about that soon, and include links to some pretty rad stuff I've been enjoying lately.

Talk soon sweet readers. And I promise to take more camping pictures this weekend!

Paige