Pick-Me-Up Mondays!

Happy Monday guys!

So I've got something for you all!

It's a brand new...

...tradition for this blog. (you probably thought it was some kind of prize. Well sorry to burst your bubble!)

Okay so the new tradition is called "Pick-Me-Up Mondays" (as if you couldn't tell from the title). It's a pretty simple concept, but here me out. If you're a normal person, which I'm sure you are, you probably dislike Mondays. You wish your weekend could have been just a bit longer. You could sleep-in, get more done that you couldn't do during the week, clean (maybe?), etc. Sleeping-in would definitely be on my list!

I wish I could help you and all of mankind by actually making Mondays a part of the weekend,

but I can't...

I can, however, give you a little pick-me-up (well at least I can try!). I may not be able to permanently cure those Monday blues, but I can make you laugh or smile to take your mind off of the day for a few minutes.

This video made me laugh so much! And unless I'm weird(which I'm not), you'll love it too. So enjoy!

7 Ways to Practice Peace

God has blessed me with the capability to enjoy life so much more than I used to. And so my new goal in life is to help whoever I can to experience that same joy. And I believe a big part of joy is peace. Just think about it...If you don't have peace you most likely you aren't enjoying life very much. That just no bueno, my friends.

So I want to share with you a devotional I came across today. I copied it into my phone's notes a couple years ago. It lists 7 ways to practice peace. It's funny because I may have copied this down years ago, but I realized that God has me practicing them now through the BootCamp I'm doing, which is why I'm even more grateful that God lead me to it (You can read about it here).

 Here's what the devotional says --   

"Living in God's peace is vital to enjoying life. I believe that one of the keys to living with peace in your life is taking small steps toward peace every day. Here are a few tips you can use to develop a more peaceful lifestyle.  

1. Be selective with how you spend your time. You may be trying to do too many things and end up doing none of them well. Hurrying is the flesh trying to do more than the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Be led by the Spirit.    
2. Be prepared to say "no" nicely. Sometimes we take on things we shouldn't because we're uncomfortable saying no. Ask God to give you the words to say no when you need to. 
3. Resist the spirit of procrastination. God's Word tells us to exercise self-discipline. Do what you know you need to do now so you can fully enjoy your times of rest. 
4. Eliminate key distractions. If you know you are prone to certain distractions, such as watching TV, set some guidelines for yourself. 
5. Set appropriate boundaries for interruptions. Life is full of interruptions, but you can learn to set boundaries that help you manage them in healthy ways, such as scheduling times when you are "off limits." Schedule time to give yourself a break. 
6. Modify your life. Ask God to show you out-of-the-box ways to save time and trouble. For instance, when I don't have time to do the dishes, I use paper plates! 
7. Pray and listen. If you can see that your plan is not producing peace, go back to God, pray for peace in the now, and for the wisdom to make changes that will benefit your life. 

The bottom line is to make peace a priority, take practical steps toward it, and let God lead you every day into His perfect peace that passes all understanding.  

Prayer Starter: God, lead me into Your peace that passes all understanding. Show me the daily steps I can take to walk in Your peace for me."

There's an amazing and unexplainable peace that only God can give us, if we let Him. But in addition to that, these are simple, tangible tasks for us to do in order keep us from causing our own chaos and sucking the peace and joy out of our lives. So let's puts these words into action and start practicing peace. And don't forget the more we practice the better we get. So don't get frustrated if you don't have perfect peace right away. Just take it one day at a time!


Here's a passage of scripture that the devotional included: 

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7 NLT)

Steps to Having More Joy in Your Life (Part 1)

Joy, noun

The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits. 

I like to consider myself as a positive and joyful person. In fact all throughout my life, I've been the go to person for my friends when they're feeling down. But there was a point in my life when I was filled with depression, hurt and sadness. And It wasn't until I went to college when I finally found a way to be joyful in EVERY situation.

There a few steps to having more joy in your life. Each one may take some time fully accomplish. It all depends on your heart, and mindset. So for right now, I’m only going to cover Step 1. But first, I want to ask you a few questions... 

1. How much time do you spend focusing on your circumstances?
2. How much time do you spend focusing on people and their opinions/mistakes?
3. How much time do you spend focusing on your job, money, education, or other things?

To help, these questions can be answered in the following way:

• All throughout the day 
• Often 
• Every once in awhile
• Never 

Go ahead. Take a minute or two, and answer those question’s honestly. I’ll be here when you finish....

 ....................................................................

I came across a quote by Dale Carnegie the other day, and this is what it says (I substituted a few words to fit the theme) 

“It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that gives you joy…It’s what you focus on.”

It’s all in what you focus on and the perspective you have on things. If what you choose to think about, and dwell on, is how good (or bad) your circumstances are, or how much money you have (or don’t have), then your joy, and even your peace, will be shaky at best. There’s no stability in people, things, or money, because they can be here today, but gone tomorrow. And then where does that leave you? What we all really want in life, is joy that will NEVER go away.

I don’t know if any of you watch HGTV, but I love it! It is honestly, one of my favorite channels to watch. Recently, they awarded this woman the HGTV dream house, along with a new car, and a cash prize. Now don't laugh at me, but I entered in that sweepstakes too. Everyday, twice a day and I was convinced that God was going to give me this house. 

Let me tell you why… 

Since last year, before I knew about the dream house, Uriah and I have been praying for an actually home of our own. One that is big enough to host lots of family members for holidays; sort of like a vacation home. We'll still be traveling because of his career, but for the off season months, we’d like to have a place to stay (instead of lugging our stuff back to my parents house once his contract is up). But mostly, we want to bless others with this house the same way we’ve been blessed by others. 

So here's the story.

We've been praying about a home for a while, and randomly one day I came across the HGTV dream house on the Internet. I started reading about it, and it had almost everything we had been praying for in a home; the space, the kitchen, the outdoors area, etc. So I got it in my mind that this is what God wanted for us! Even the car they were giving away was the one that I’ve been wanting since High School. With all those variables in mind…I prayed, I fasted, I had scriptures lined up, and I constantly gave myself a pep talk. I was so excited and focused on that dream home. I just knew I was going to get it…

BUUUT…I didn’t.

I was disappointed and it actually hurt me, at first, to see that woman receive what was supposed to be mine! 

Do you see what happened there? My joy was only temporary because I was so focused on a temporary thing. Without realizing it I started to allow that house, the very thing I wanted God to bless me with, to be my main source of joy. It started to become the one thing, each day, I had to look forward too. I was even borderline, obsessed with it. And let me tell you something guys...that is a dangerous place to be. When you want a thing/person more than you want God you put yourself at risk of losing the very thing you were focusing on waaayy too much. 

It’s not that Uriah and I won’t get the house we’ve been praying for, because I honestly believe that God will bless us with it, whenever He decides to. It’s just the fact that I shifted my focus, my hope, and my joy from God (which is where they belong), and moved them towards receiving the HGTV Dream Home.

Now just to be clear…

There is nothing wrong with getting excited and enjoying the things/people God blesses us with. The problem lies with making them your only source of joy. God is constant, He will never change, and He will never be an unstable source of joy. Focusing on Him is THE best and guaranteed way to having more consistent and unwavering joy in your life. 

So here’s my last question for you. How much time do you spend focusing on God?

Happy Anniversary!!

- VANESSA & JUSTIN -

Today is Vanessa and Justin's FIRST Anniversary! 

Woo!! Congratulations guys! I can't believe it's been a whole year already. A year ago today, I had the privilege of capturing Vanessa and Justin's becoming one. It was a beautiful and fun-filled wedding on what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday afternoon/evening. I even got some inspiration for my own wedding. But instead of me yammering on about it here's a little recap of their awesome day!

Happy Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Bobbitt! I hope you two have many many more joy-filled years! 

Getting Your Time Organized

Happy Monday guys!

Well...at least it's a happy monday for me. Is it for you?

If it's not, we'll work on it as time progresses. It's all about what we focus on, and today I'm focusing on the fact that it's a new day and I'm alive! Unfortunately, not everyone can say that. So for us, let's be happy for what we do have, which, at the very least, is air in our lungs! I know...it seems a little corny to say, but we gotta learn to look at the bright side of things no matter how big or small it seems (and think about it...without air in your lungs you'd be dead right now...)

 - PAUSE - 

...and think a little longer on that last thought....

You're good now.

So! On to the real reason for this blog entry. As you may or may not know (depending on if you've read any of my other posts) I'm doing a bootcamp. And I'm supposed to share something each week about it, which is why every week, for about 4 weeks, you'll be reading at least one post concerning the bootcamp.

Here We Go!

Last week, was really good for me. We had to make a "work-from-home schedule", which, basically, outlines our whole day and week. First by filling out the spaces with mandatory things (for me that's spending time with God, eating, working out, sleeping, spending time with Uriah), and then filling out the rest of the empty spaces with work hours. After I filled out the mandatory, I was looking at A LOT of empty space. Seriously guys...I had so much time on my hands it was ridiculous and I didn't even realize it nor was I doing much with it. The sad part is, I probably could have been much further along in my business had I utilized my time more wisely. BUT that's the past, and I'm moving forward with what I have today! I now know that have roughly 33 hours per week to utilize, I have a new detailed schedule, and most importantly I have God on my side leading me and showing me the way!

This detailed hourly/weekly schedule is a great tool that's helped me feel way more organized and accomplished, especially when I finish a day's work. Plus, I know what I'm going to do for each day, so I'm not leisurely going through the day trying to figure out what to do; 1, I'm way less productive if i don't and 2, it wastes so much time!

One last, but really important thing I've learned about scheduling everything, is that sometimes life happens and you have to be flexible. Leaving some wiggle room is crucial so we don't freak out (guilty) and/or have a nervous break down (guilty) when things don't always go according to plan. And let's face it, one thing I believe God likes to do is test us to see if we truly grasp what we're learning. Are we going to have faith in Him, keep the peace He's given to us, and act like He would...or are we going to throw a tantrum, explode into millions of pieces, and act ridiculously?

Now I confess...I've had ridiculous tantrums in the past because things didn't happen exactly how I had planned, but God's working on me and my grades are getting a little better with each test. But if you're anything like me, scheduling (with wiggle room) will really help you mentally, physically with work, and even spiritually if you make God mandatory. Not that He's a task on our checklist for the day, but making sure, because He's a priority, we make time to spend with Him like you would with your spouse or significant other.

Here's a screen shot of my completed assignment

You can make your schedule however you want. The picture is an example of my ideal schedule. Although, I wasn't really on schedule today because of my super tiredness. Plus I needed to spend time with the hubby (there goes that flexibility thing!).

Why is good photography expensive?

I read this quick blog entry from Jon Acuff and I truly appreciate what he wrote...Plus the pictures at the end were hilarious! Here's what he wrote:

"If you’ve ever worked with a good photographer, then you’ve learned that good photography is expensive. 

Why is it? 

Because good photography is not easy.

The photographer might make it look so. They might not seem stressed or even like they are having fun, but don’t confuse expertise with ease. They are not the same thing. 

And the truth is, bad photography is more expensive than good photography. 

Bad photography wastes time, money and memories. Whether you’re getting pictures of your baby or your wedding, imagine the cost of trying to do that again if you don’t like the photos. You might be able to have another perfectly peaceful moment with your baby but no one in the history of mankind has spent money redoing their wedding because their photography was lame. 

Good stuff is expensive. 

It should be. This principle applies to web design, writing, and almost every other field or industry on the planet. 

If you don’t believe me, go take your own photos first."

(The top photo is from Jennifer Lea Photography and the second is from Corinne McCombs Photography a few years before she became a photographer!)

Now, I like to look at myself as reasonable, because I completely understand that there are people who are on a super tight budget! But come on people...this is my ONLY job...I gots-ta make a living too! So, sorry guys. No more freebies from this chica! We can do a fair exchange of services...I'll accept that, but it has to be legit. 

Here's a link to my website, BenPark Studios. I'm still currently updating it! But you can still have a look-see

Click these links to see more examples of bad photography and good photography (the second link also has some tips for lifestyle photographers)

Why Photography?

Why Photography?

So the other day, I told you guys I was doing a BootCamp. It’s only been a week and I have learned so much already. The most important thing for me to have learned is my “why” for my photography. This is basically my voice or my mission statement. I’ve kind of been coasting for the past year and a half, just doing sessions here and there to earn some income (I’m so glad the hubby’s a pro soccer player where he’s guaranteed money once he signs a contract). However, I’ve never actually sat down and asked myself the question, why am I doing this? 

I’ve always known that I had a passion in my heart for photography; it’s fun for me and I like being around people. But what's my purpose...my mission in this crazy world of photography? I could do it just to do it and be all artsy or I could do it to make a difference in people’s lives. You know...give rather than receive? I don't only want to "receive" the satisfaction of doing photography. I want to ultimately bring glory to God, but I also want to make an impact on people’s live. My problem is, "how". How in the world do I glorify God and impact peoples’ lives through photography? It’s not like being a doctor or counselor, where you can physically see the impact. 

Photography is more like a memory keeper that people appreciate years and years later when they decide to look back on those pictures for whatever reason. And that’s just the point. Pictures are just about the only things we have to remember the good times, because lets face it, we never want to remember the dark times in life. We as humans only want to have and remember the best days and people in our lives. We want to remember joy not despair! We want to remember laughter not tears (unless it's from uncontrollable laughter!). Once those days and people are gone, the photos we took waaaayy back when, are the only things we have to remember them by. That’s what I want to give. That’s my "why". I do photography because I want to tell the story of peoples’ joy-filled and happy moments in life. Yes we all may experience some “not-so-good” times (some more than others, and some worse than others), and we may have been treated badly or we received something that was less than what we thought we deserved, but let’s learn to focus more on the good things in our lives. I honestly believe that life would be so much more enjoyable if we would intentionally focus on the positive in life, rather than the negative.

What’s your #1 happiest moment that you can remember? Write in the comments below. You might need to look back at some pictures to help jog your memory ;)

Confession Time

Confession Time

Hello world! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Pamela and I’m a photographer/graphic designer. Although these days I’ve been leaning more towards photographer, and using my graphic design skills to help out a few friends and brand my business. For a while now, I have felt like I’ve been stuck in neutral, I haven’t had as many clients as I had hoped since I took leap and started my business back in September 2012. And honestly, it’s really it’s my fault. In the past I’ve had lack of organization, focus, and discipline and the worst part is, when I didn’t know what to do, I would just do nothing! That is a VERY bad habit that I’ve tried over and over to kick. However, a couple of weeks ago, while listening to a Joyce Meyer sermon, it finally hit me…no matter how hard I try, I can’t change myself. Jesus is the one who has to do the changing inside of me. All I can do, is the tasks that He puts in front of me, but changing my inside is not one of them. That is a task that is better left to the only one who has the power to change me; Jesus. Only then will I, be a well-oiled, organized, focused and disciplined machine! Now I realize all this doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a gradual change, but I’m starting to feel and see the difference. The fact that I’m writing this blog entry is proof enough for me. I just have to continue doing my part, and God will certainly do His.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a site for women photographers called “Chic Critique Forum”. They have a TON of great tools and advice that can help me become a better businesswoman and photographer. And this week, I started a 6-week bootcamp, called “BonjOrganization BootCamp”, and it is exactly what I need to get me focused and organized! They have us in groups of 5 and we keep each other accountable. There are also assignments that I need to complete each week. So you’ll probably see a lot of topics regarding this bootcamp. You know, it’s amazing how God puts people and things in our lives, just at the right time!