Zoetic Images

moving day

2011-05-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Zoetic Images has moved!

http://zoeticimages.squarespace.com/

See ya there!

Lacy & Virgil

2010-03-31T14:17:00.001-07:00

While I was in Abilene visiting friends and family I photographed Lacy & Virgil. They were getting married in Colorado soon after these photos were taken. Lacy is a nurse and Virgil is a veterinarian. The shoot was really fun and thankfully we dodged the rain! Here are a bunch of my favorite shots. It feels good to get to shoot with my own camera. I hope things work out so that I can keep doing more of this soon! :0)

Psalm 51:10-12

2010-02-08T20:42:00.001-08:00

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

some lists of things

2010-01-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

Things I Miss

Feeling at home
sunshine
summer
Mom & Dad
sharing life with girlfriends
evening walks after dinner
Zoetic Images
my Dad's cooking
Trav & Jennifer
sunsets
being close to family & loved ones
ice cream at Kendrick Park
watching the dogs play in the river in July
journaling
playing cards with my grandparents
flying kites at Nelson Park
Chapel
fishing with my father-in-law
Tuscany's
my hammock
belonging

Things I look forward to

visits home
seeing the dogs after work
mom's laughter
the smell of spring
lunch breaks with Eric
seeing my little brother hold is little girl
thunderstorms
Eric's hugs
being free from student loan debt
being a mission team photographer
living closer to home
Zoetic Images
holding my babies
heaven
summer/changing seasons
fishing with my father-in-law
having a home that feels like home
playing cards with my family
phone calls from Dad
reaching my weight-loss goals
belonging

Things I am thankful for
a warm place to rest
friends even though I'm far
hope of heaven
Christ
my pets
my family
Eric's hugs
memories
sunshine
ability to have a healthy life
my education
Dad's yummy cooking
ice cream
beauty in nature
a job that I can enjoy
my camera
being loved and sharing love

Friday 3.06.09

2009-03-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's Haiku Friday!
I almost forgot this one.
I hope you will understand.

See, it's my first week
on the job, learning new things.
The days have flown by.

I have enjoyed it.
I got to shoot some kiddos.
With the camera.

Deer!!

2009-02-28T17:53:00.001-08:00

So tonight I was cooking some yummy spaghetti for dinner and I looked out the front window to see a huge pack of dear roaming around the neighborhood. I've seen 4 or 5 around here before but never this many at one time. This is also the first time I've seen any males near the house. There are two bucks I think! Here are some pics!

How many do you see?

If you look closely at this next photo you can see the two bucks head butting!

Oops a neighbor dog started barking!

Friday 2.27.09

2009-02-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

My first Haiku, done.
With many more each Friday.
Beginning a new.

Winter came again;
Sprinkled fresh powder frosting,
then went. Came the sun.

Interviews bring stress.
Meeting, talking, hoping for
a job bringing change.

I need a spa date.

Spring Fever

2009-02-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things that really made me smile today!

Today it got up to 62 degrees!!! We took a walk through the park today and followed part of the river that runs through town! It was sooo nice and sunny! And it felt like spring, only there's still no buds on the trees yet! Maybe soon!!!

I got a fun letter from one of my best friends who lives in Boston right now. Her words always bring me joy and lighten my heart. Thank you God for sisters.

I tried a new stir-fry sauce tonight for dinner and man was it YUMMY! My hubby even ate the veggies! Now that's a big deal! :0)

The new Man vs Wild show airs Monday nights and the hubby and I always enjoy watching it together! Bear is nuts!

I've decided to start a new Friday morning tradition for my blog. I want to do weekly Haiku poems to summarize what's been going on. YAY!

I'm one of THOSE bloggers...

2009-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

So according to my friend, I'm one of those bloggers because I don't blog very often. I will vouch on my behalf that I do read alll of my friends blog posts, even though I don't always comment. In fact they're listed on my google home page in the RSS feed. Here are the top ten reasons why I haven't blogged very much lately.

1. My life is pretty consistant from day to day, so I never really have anything interesting to blog about. I wake up, eat some breakfast, check in on the hubby, check in on the weather, take a shower. Then I check my email and facebook and the blogs, hoping that I might have something to do that day. Then I pay any bills that need to be paid. Then I check the classifieds for new job postings or home rental postings. In the afternoon I eat a snack and take a walk if it's nice, then run any necessary errands. Then I fix dinner an watch some tv or read. Then I check my email/blogs/facebook and go to bed.

2. I usually blog any new photo sessions that I've done. However since the move my business has taken quite a setback and it kinda depresses me a little, but hopefully things will work out. I've put some flyers around town but nothing's come of it yet.

3. I like facebook better than blogging, and I really enjoy how easy it is to keep up with some old friends that I miss, so I spend my computer free time on facebook. I have tons of friends popping out babies these days and I like to oogle over their new pictures.

4. Looking for/stressing over trying to find an affordable rental home here takes up a lot of my energy these days.

5. I spend the rest of my computer time, uploading prints, working on albums, and reading new info about equipment and training that I wish some day I could afford to take part in.

6.. I can't think of any more reasons.

Re-Do

2009-02-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my lovely sister-in-law, Jennifer, I'm re-doing my 25 things list, because I realized I wasn't very random and fun in the last one. Here goes:

1. I currently have onion breath because I made a yummy mandarin orange, Asian salad for dinner and it has chives in it.
2.It annoys me, when people, overuse, commas.
3. I'm in the process of switching car insurance.
4. I see light and color everywhere.
5. There's several piles of deer poo in our yard right now.
6. It hasn't snowed in weeks.
7. I want my brother and sister-in-law to come visit so we can go camping together this summer.
8. I get gas at the corner station called "The Holiday" and when you shop at Albertson's you get gas coupons for The Holiday.
9. I've lost 20 lbs since Christmas.
10. Renting houses sucks.
11. I've had the same shoe size since I was 11.
12. I watch The Animal Planet network a lot.
13. Someday I want to own/run an icecream parlor.
14. My favorite foods are ice cream and homemade vegetable soup.
15. I really want to be a photographer for a mission team some day.
16. I wish going to the movies wasn't so expensive.
17. The other day I took a walk when it was 19 degrees.
18. The weather fascinates me.
19. I really enjoy laying in the grass and watching the clouds.
20. My top two love languages are quality time and acts of service.
21. I'm reading The Bourne Identity.
22. It takes me foooreeeevvver to finish a book.
23. When I do finish a book I get a great sense of accomplishment.
24. I kind of enjoy doing laundry.
25. I greatly enjoying eating food I make myself. For some reason, it always tastes better.

25 Things About ME!

2009-01-30T09:56:00.001-08:00

Okay so I caved and decided to do the 25 things facebook chain, but ONLY cus my Mom tagged me. Enjoy!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. Jesus Christ is my savior.
2. My favorite season is Autumn.
3. I believe in 2nd chances.
4. One of my heroes is Larry English.
5. I treasure my friends.
6. I'm a photographer! http://zoeticimages.com
7. When I was 14 I earned a black belt in Taekwondo.
8. I'm saving up to go to Dog Training school online.
9. I've learned that winter in Wyoming is not so bad after all.
10. The sun cheers me up.
11. I've been to Mexico a billion times and miss my friends there.
12. I want to own a cabin up in the mountains with a hammock near a stream.
13. I want to be a photographer for a mission team some day.
14. I believe most things worth having aren't easy.
15. Capturing the personalities and true beauty of my subjects is what drives me in my photography.
16. Sports casters/analysts drive me insane.
17. My brother can make me laugh harder than any person.
18. One of my favorite things to do is play cards with my family.
19. I'm married to my best friend.
20. I want to take an Alaskan cruise sometime and I've always dreamed of visiting Italy.
21. I HEART ICECREAM!
22. I inherited my mother's keen sense of smell, and my favorite sent is rain.
23. I love my dogs. A lot.
24. I've always dreamed of being a Mommy some day, but pregnancy creeeeps me out!!
25. I feel most peaceful during a rain storm.

:0)

My First Winter

2009-01-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

We had about 5-6 inches of pretty white snow last night and I took some pictures of it to share with my Texas friends and family!

Vasek Wedding Album

2008-12-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of Koby and Lindsey's wedding album. It's a 10x10 and 30 pages.
Each rectangle image is two pages, imagine it like the book was opened up. This first image is the back and front cover.

Page 1...

Pages 2 & 3...

Let me know what you think!!

sunset setting sun

2008-11-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

So a few days ago I was driving home from running a few errands one evening and I could hardly pay attention to the road because of the sky. The sun was setting behind the mountains and reflecting off of the clouds. It created the most beautiful rich colors. I hurried home and grabbed the camera and snapped these from my front yard. Oh man I just stood there, I was in awe. I also enjoyed how the trees were creating a black silhouette. I promise that these images are not edited or enhanced in any way.. God just decided to paint the sky golden that evening. He's so Awesome!

MOUNTAINS!!!!

2008-11-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

My in-laws helped me move our stuff from Texas to Wyoming, and before they left to go back to Texas we took an afternoon trip to the mountains. Here are a few pictures.

This little creek near a camping grounds was starting to freeze over. It smelled so good and fresh there. It was really nice.

This is a close up of the ice crystals on the water. If I had a micro lens I could make this look so neato.

My inlaws and Eric. I made them pose for a picture since it will be a long time until we see them again. Eric gave his Momma a good bear hug and I snapped a black and white. It's cute.

Eric found a cool stick and I took a picture, he's so funny and he makes me smile. I love that guy a whole lot.

These images are of some aspen trees after they've shed their leaves. I love them. ANd they look really awesome in black and white.

Below is an area that they use for logging and tree conservation. They only cut down the tall- tall trees so that's why they're all the same height. In the back ground is some mountains realllly far away.

Movin' on Up!

2008-11-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

So I'm pretty sure my two blog readers know that we've moved because my husband found work. But I figured I'd officially announce it! Laci and Eric have moved to Sheridan, Wyoming! I guess for a while, I couldn't really admit it out loud, not that I was embarrassed about it or anything, it's just that it's just such a huge thing to me. I mean, I lived in the same house my entire childhood, then moved to college and lived in Abilene for 5 years. So this is my first time to live far from home. Which honestly it's not the issue of living far from home that bothers me, because I know my true home is not on this earth. It's just that, moving from Texas to northern Wyoming, is such a HUGE change! Haha! If you've read my blog at all, you know that Eric and I have been wanting to move for such a loong time. You'd also know that Eric has been looking for a job even a longer amount of time. When Eric was first applying for this job(it was a three month long process) we kinda just approached it like any other job application and figured that he should at least give it a shot. Then as the process continued and the interviews got more in depth, it hit us that this job would move us to WYOMING!!!!! Haha! i mean I'd been praying for Eric to get offered a job that would allow us to move, but seriously God, WYOMING!?! Haha! It's the least populated state in the US and Sheridan has about 16 thousand people. Well after months of waiting, and worrying and praying.. He said yes this time, and we moved two weeks after being offered the job. It happened so fast, but I guess this is where we are supposed to be for a while. I am very excited about the location, I've alwasy wanted to live near the mountains, and Sheridan is right at the feet of the Big Horn mountains and reasonably close to Yellowstone. This should be an incredible adventure for both of us, and I bet we learn how to participate in some really awesome new outdoors sports! I'm excited to see the first real snow, hopefully soon!

I tried to document the drive some with my little canon point and shoot camera. Here are some images from the passenger seat!

This is Eric just after we left Abilene!

I never saw a sign that read anything about leaving Abilene, so I figured the Dyess AFB sign will have to do. I mean Dyess is pretty much why Abilene is on the map.

I wanted to take some photos of the Texas landscape to compare them with the Wyoming landscape, plus the clouds were pretty that day.

We took my doggies to Lubbock to stay with my parents until we find a bigger place up here with a yard. The back seat was half filled with luggage and cargo, so they didn't have much room. Haha this is them cuddling in the seat.

Luna kept getting frustrated because Eisen was hoggin' the whole seat, so she was falling asleep sitting up and leaning on the back door. It was pretty amusing.

The drive between Abilene and Lubbock doesn't get much better than this. Cotton, sky and wind turbines! There are more and more turbines every time I make this trip.

This photo is the best shot I could get of a "lubbock" sign. It's hard to capture anything at 70 mph.

We stayed in Lubbock for a few days, then left reallly early in the moring to make the 11 hour drive to Cheyenne, WY. This is the sunrise between Lubbock and Amarillo.

I fell asleep for a bit and woke up when we were in New Mexico. There was a little bit of snow on the ground on Oct 18.

This is just before we got to Colorado and the first glimpse of the mountains!

This is Colorado Springs in autumn.

So we stayed the night in Cheyenne, WY and then drove the next day to Sheridan. These next images are all in Wyoming.

I'm assuming this is all green in the summer. And honestly these images don't come close to capturing what it really looks like. The terrain looks straight out of a western movie about the folks on the Oregon Trail. It's really hilly and rocky in areas and goes on FOREVER. There aren't any trees except in the mountain areas, and from the looks of it, there's more livestock in Wyoming than people.

But it does hold it's own kind of beauty.

The above image is the road entering Buffalo, WY. It's a town about 30 minutes south of Sheridan, and a third of it's size. It's closer to the mountains and verrry hilly and pretty. We thought about living here, but haven't found a house there yet.

This is our little cube of a home right now. It's tiny tiny, but very cute and we are glad to have a roof and a place to lay our heads. We're still looking for something with a bit more room and a yard for our dogs. I miss them so so much, but hopefully we can bring them here soon. I know they'll love it.

More pictures of the mountains of Sheridan coming soon..

The Maize Maze

2008-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

We started a tradition of visiting the Miaze Maze at At'LDO Farms every fall in Lubbock. So while we were visiting this time, my brother and sister-in-law and me and Eric all went to see if we could figure out the maze this year. We like to go when it's dark to make the event a bit more challenging. Here are a few images I tookwith my my little point and shoot canon. I love that little camera!

My brother likes to talk to the farm animals!

That sign says, "You are now entering corn countyry!" I'm not really sure what eric is doing.

My Family

2008-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

When I was visiting Lubbock, my family and I got together at the park for a hot dog cookout. I don't know if I will be able to make it back for Christmas this year, so I offered to take family photos as incentive to come see me before we moved! haah! We had a good time and here are some of the images from that evening.

Brandon + Cassidy

2008-10-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

This was my last shoot in Abilene. :0(
But they are a beautiful couple to photograph!

This was one of my all time favorite backgrounds in Abilene! This antique door is so awesome. I love the green hinges and the aged, textured wood. It really adds an extra dimension to the image.

Kaycin

2008-10-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Kaycin is 5 1/2 months old and her giggle just makes me smile!

Katie

2008-10-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

My good friend Katie is graduating from nursing school in May, and she wanted some "senior" photos! Haha! Isn't she so beautiful? Katie has been one of my most favorite subjects to ever photograph. Her personality and joyful spirit really shines!

Sheyenne & Stefani

2008-10-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Sheyenne and Stefani were married at Stasney's Cook Ranch in Albany, TX. Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

Here are a few of Stefani's bridal portraits!

Josh & Ashley

2008-10-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Josh and Ashley were married at the Paramount Theater in Abilene, TX.

Josh and Ashley were married at the Paramount Theater in Abilene, TX.

Clayton & Brendon

2008-09-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some more cutsey kiddos!

Marc & Sarah

2008-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Taryn & Brad

2008-08-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Funky Fotos!

2008-08-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

Jordan & April

2008-08-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Nathan & Jesiree

2008-08-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Liz + Jason

2008-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Michael & Emily

2008-08-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Morgan and Landon

2008-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sheyenne + Stefani

2008-08-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Koby and LIndsey are Married!!!

2008-08-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

James + Heather

2008-08-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Melissa

2008-06-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Melissa were married in Richardson, TX. Both are graduates from ACU! It was a beautiful wedding and one fun reception! Here are a few of my favorites.

Steve & Michelle

2008-06-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

Steve and Michelle got married at Camp Blue Haven in the mountains near Las Vegas, NM. Michelle is a very dear friend to my heart and I had a blast shooting her wedding and was very honored to be a part of their special day! And of course, I had so much fun seeing all my old friends from CBH. Enjoy!

It rained and rained and was very cold while we were there, so I wasn't able to take as many photos of the beautiful scenery as I'd hoped but here are a few!

Kevin & Amanda

2008-06-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Amanda were married in Brownwood, TX. Here are a few of my favorite shots from their wedding.

The Beareden Family

2008-05-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

The beauty in the middle is one of my best friends Alaina. We worked together as RAs at ACU and she just graduated this month. When they all came down for the celebration I took some good ole family photos of this fun loving family. Here are a few of my favorites.

Sometimes I don't enjoy this being a grown-up thing...

2008-05-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Well this was my car a year a go.

As of recent Eric and I have been searching for a replacement car. Though it's not much in the car world, we were hoping to use our stimulus check + plus some we'd saved for a small down payment. However we found out after only half of what we were told we'd receive showed up in our bank account, that because we didn't pay any money in when our taxes were do we didn't qualify for the full amount.

So we decided after looking at numerous cars that maybe we could afford a lease much easier than we could afford a brand new one. However, because I've never bought a car before, I haven't had the chance to build very much credit which means I can't qualify for the incentives, rebates, or special interest rates that would help me get into a new car with a more affordable monthly payment. For the same reasons I can't qualify for a lease either.

So we transition to used cars. Which is like walking into the cereal isle at the grocery store. It just makes me so weary. Too many choices.

I don't know who to trust, or which car is in good condition. You don't know where the car's been or who's driven it. Maybe they took care of it and changed the oil, and had the tires rotated, and all the responsible car maintenance practices.. but probably not. And as sooon as the car salesman figures out they can maybe dump one on you that's taking up space in their lot for 6 months they start shoving them down your throat. I'm not very good at making decisions very fast I'm beginning to feel like I'm drowning in a sea of random cars. I've joined my car at the bottom of the murky deep. And interest rates of used cars at the bottom of the murky deep are pretty terrible. Which places me back at the beginning of this hootenanny.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I'm just about at the end of my rope.

Any advice?

Clayton's Birth Announcements

2008-04-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few examples of the baby announcements I made for Kali ! I think I did a pretty decent job for my first time making them!

Thanks to Obsidian Dawn for the free photoshop brushes.

Clayton Ryan

2008-04-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Kali, had her first baby! Clayton is 4 weeks old and soo precious! Here are a few of my favorites! Believe it or not these were taken in my living room!

Kylie

2008-04-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Morgan & Landon

2008-04-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Michael & Emily

2008-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

More from the farm..

2008-04-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Horsin' Around

2008-03-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Ellice takes care of the ACU farm and all of it's inhabitants. She invited me out for a fun evening and I of course brought along my camera! Here are a few shots. More coming soon!

This is Ellice's horse, Cali.

This is Emily, she and I were photojournalism students together at ACU. Emily will be working with me some this summer and I invited her out to shoot with me.

Koby + Lindsey

2008-03-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Koby and I were in youth group together! He's such a great dude, and I'm really happy for Lindsey and him! I'll be shooting their wedding in June!

A Visit

2008-02-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

Today when I woke up, it was thundering. With no alarm to dictate the beginning of a morning routine I was able to lay there and soak it in. Thunder calms me. It reminds me of the God who sends the storms into the sky. It's deep, rolling, bass symphony speaks to my soul like no other can. It always takes me into the mountains, to the smell of pine and to the freedom I feel when surrounded by creation. The crisp, refreshing air of nature then filled my lungs almost as if I were there again. Oh.. how I long to live in a place where I can breathe in air like this every day and to be able to step out on my back porch and it feel like home. That's where I desire to be. In that moment I wished I could photograph it, or paint it, or catch this dream like feeling so that it wouldn't fade. I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could.

Then the peace of God settled around me and in me as the rains came pouring from the sky. Oh, how refreshing! I love the God I serve and special moments like these when something as ordinary as a gentle, morning thunderstorm directs my heart to Him again. Then He spoke to me saying.. "My child, I know the desires of your heart, and I long to take you to a place like this, but be patient because your time will come. I AM refreshing. I AM renewing. I AM eternal. I AM."

Jeremy + Katy

2008-02-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Brad + Mandy

2008-02-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

This has got to be one my most favorite engagement sessions I've ever shot. We had a blast!!

JPG Magazine

2008-01-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to enter this photo story into JPG Magazine and win a free subscription and $100!!!
Please go and vote!!! Thanks!

Meagan & Doug

2008-01-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

HAha!

2007-12-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

I was thinking..

2007-12-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

It's goood to have some goals, so here are some of mine...

To photograph 14 weddings in 2008
Increase my viewing audience for my blog
To exercise daily
move out of Abilene
live in a place with four real seasons
to see an Aurora
to photograph a long term mission team in the field
visit Italy
to be a mom
take my husband to London
witness the transformation of Christ in my future children
take an Alaskan cruise
take my future son to a professional baseball game
to live by Truth and share real love

Shelby & Adam

2007-12-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Shelby and Adam were married on November 3rd. Here are a few of my favorites!
Sorry I'm a little behind on blogging.. I've been busy!!

Denton + Kathryn's Wedding

2007-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

I went to high school with Kathryn and got the opportunity to be a part of her wedding day! Here some of my favorite shots from the big day, she had such beautiful autumn decorations. I've never seen orange lilies before, they were so pretty! Denton and Kathryn were married at Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock.

It's been such a crazy week! When I got home from this wedding, I had 6 huge photo orders to fulfill and upload on top of preparing this wedding album to be viewed! And I have another wedding this weekend in McKinney!!

and the plot thickens..

2007-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

So when we were house training my puppy, Luna, we hung a jingle bell on our back door and taught her to ring it she needed to go outside. It's a way for her to communicate to us that she needs to go! It's been neat to watch her learn how to do it.

It didn't take her long to figure out that we would come running with praise and a treat every time she rang the bell and then did her business outside. Now she even rings it now, when she wants to go outside and chase birds!

Any way..we thought when we first got the bell, that we would have problems with our kitty-Diesel playing with the bell all the time which would lead to more confusion because we wouldn’t know if Luna needed out or if Diesel was being a stinker.. but it turned out well because we never really had problems with that.. he rarely touched it.

However the past few weeks I've noticed a new trend...

Sometimes when Luna is outside, Diesel will sit by the door and watch her and then he'll ring the bell when he wants her to come in! I'll hear the bell, and think.. Luna is out.. and I'll go to the door and sure enough Mr. Kitty is sitting there staring out the window at Luna, and she's sitting there wagging her tail diligently waiting to come in and pounce on him! Hah! The interesting thing is, Diesel only touches the bell when Luna is outside.

I have come to two conclusions: One is that Diesel is taunting her with his inside potty-in-the-warm-litter-box privileges and sits at the door with a smirk on his face.
Or the second theory is that Luna tells him to ring the bell so she can come in and play too.

What do you think?

Joke's on You

2007-10-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

When the mother returned from the grocery store, her small son pulled out the box of animal crackers he had begged for. Then he spread the animal-shaped crackers all over the kitchen counter.

"What are you doing?" his mom asked.

"The box says you can't eat them if the seal is broken," the boy explained. "I'm looking for the seal."

Hazel, Karen & Kathleen

2007-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Karen and Hazel are seniors at ACU, and they used to be roommates on my hall when I was an RA. Karen's younger sister, Kathleen is a sophomore, and they're all from Hong Kong! Aren't they beautiful??

Chris & Breanna Whiteley

2007-10-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

These love birds were married on September 29 in Houston.

Sikes Staff

2007-09-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Update

2007-09-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Eric has an interview on Friday September 14 at 8:30am! Please pray this goes well! Thanks so much.

If I could only

2007-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

write as half as good as I photograph, this might be a bit more interesting.

My husband, Eric, has been searching for a job/career since the early part of May.. and it has been a pretty terrible experience. We live in a town with four universities, people come here, stay for four-five years and move away to Dallas to start their career. The people that do live here, have been here for years and years and are here because of their career in education, city council or health care. So there's a pretty terrible job market. For example, he did a job search on Career Builder for full-time jobs and discovered 2,500 possible jobs in Austin, over 1,000 jobs in Lubbock and a whopping 60 in Abilene, most of which are in education, health care, restaurants and truck driving. All of these are important careers, but Eric has no background or schooling in any of these areas. Everything else the pay is not worth his time, or it's in sales. I know, I know... not all of those jobs in Austin and Lubbock are relevant, but it's just an example to show you the market.

So now you're saying.. well why don't you move? Trust me, I would love to get out of this place... but right now some of our closest friends and family live here and it's important to us to cherish those relationships as long as we have them. However, the main reason is money, we don't have the resources to just pick a town, move there, find a place to live, start over and look for jobs. Another huge reason is that I have lots of connections here for my photography business, which is still in the early beginnings, and it was important to both of us that I try my best to get it on it's feet before moving somewhere with no connections.

All of that say.. he finally has his feet in the door with a stable company with a market in Abilene for something he has lots of experience doing, and a nice salary package. He has tried so hard to get to this point. He's sent emails and resumes, and made tons of phone calls and had to take two tests last Friday in Lubbock, and we got a call this morning with the good news that he passed both tests and that someone is supposed to call next week with information about an interview, which will hopefully be one of the final steps. Right now he works as a waiter.. which if you've ever worked in serving, or retail, or customer service, you know it's a nightmare.. and he's soooo ready to get out of it, and people in Abilene tip like crap.

I have been blessed with several photo opportunities over the last few months, of which I am very thankful.. but even still we're barely making it as it is, and our student loans (for those incredibly functional and important college degrees) are about to come with fire breathing dragons and sit on our front porch bellowing out to our checkbooks.

So I'd really appreciate prayers on his behalf. Four months of searching for a job and coming up empty wears on a man and he's just about at his wits end. We REALLY need this job!

On another note my new puppy is finally getting the idea of being house trained, she's been doing soo good the past few days!! Today marks three weeks that Luna has been a part of our home! She is such a joy in my life.

AND.. Sunday is my birthday! The big 23!

Barret Hall Staff

2007-08-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Morris Hall

2007-08-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

Add Two

2007-08-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

So we've recently added two new adorable members to our family!!
Meet Diesel, he's a four month old Tabby kitten who arrived in our home on July 13. He's really cute, feisty and entertaining!

And this is Luna, our new four month old Golden Retriever puppy who arrived at our home on August 15. She is soo adorable and brings lots of love and licks into our family!

And this, Eric, Luna and Diesel! Haha, this what they do most of the time:

Hannah & Ben

2007-07-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a bit slow about posting these pictures on my blog, thing's have been sorta nuts around here! Here are a few of my favorites from their wedding on July 6, 2007.

Bye my Tater Tot

2007-07-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to dedicate this post to my doggy, Tater. He died tonight. He was bleeding internally and went into seizures. The doctor thought that when he got out a few weeks ago that he must have gotten into someone's rat poisoning.. any way it really hurts, cus he was apart of our family and I loved him very much, and now he's gone. It was so so sad to come home tonight and him not come running and lick my feet. We're going to miss him so much. Here's a few pictures starting from the first day he arrived in our home.

Boys like to play video games together.

And Tater would always stick his nose in the carpet when he was playing! It was so cute!

One of the first toys Tater had was this coke bottle that I had put some of his puppy food in it. Tater would chase that thing for hours. He finally got the lid off one day and ate the food! haha! One time Eric came in the kitchen and found him with his back two legs and sticking out of a big bag of puppy food. He was inside and had his tail wagging away! Haha!

This next picture is Tater with this stuffed moose squeaky toy that grandma got him. We had puffs of cotton all over our house for days. Just when we'd think we'd gotten all of the cotton out of it, somehow we'd find more on the floor. He ADORED that toy. He'd always carry that moose in his mouth by one leg, haha it looked so funny!

This is Tater helping me figure out some lighting equipment I borrowed. He always loved to be in the same room as me. One time I was taking a shower, and he jumped in with me! Hahah I was like AHH! He loved water!

This is our backyard, and as you can see Tater didn't mind getting mud all over it. He looks so happy here!

And these next three were taken just a few weeks ago when we bought him a raw hide bone to chew on. It's still left half-eaten on our floor. He would hide it in the corner by the stairs, so he always knew where it was!

Tater, you were loyal and loving, and I will miss you so much. Thanks for a year of great fun, many many laughs and for your love. God please keep him safe. -Laci
Eric wanted to write a few things..

Laci has done more than justice for Tater with the pictures that she chose. I have always been a person that seemed to have words for almost any situations. I suppose now is where the almost comes into play. Tater always had a way of managing to frustrate me with his positioning himself under my feet without me knowing or jumping the fence in one fell swoop. Alas what I would give to have all of those frustrating moments back. I loved Tater deeply and even in the moments when I had to discipline him my heart would break at that cute face looking up at me with those sad eyes like "Why are you spanking me? I love you." Makes me cry just thinking about it... He has brought such joy into our household. It brings be great grief to know that he will bring no more of that joy to us and that I no longer have any time to learn to love him better. I pray that the joy he brought us would live on in our hearts and that many blessings shall enter the world as a result. Good journeys, Tater. May you find a far green country with lots of space to run and a few bones to dig up. We will miss you terribly. God be merciful and gracious to you, for we loved you so. -Eric

Sharla

2007-06-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Kathryn & Denton

2007-06-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

I went to high school with Kathryn and she's marring her love, Denton in October. SO they came to good ole Abilene to have some engagement pictures done! They are so cute! Gotta' love you some cowboy!! :0)

Chew on This

2007-06-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

This is my dog, Tater! He was enjoying a raw hide treat we got for him the other day, which had him distracted enough for me to get on the floor and take some picture of him with out his tongue taking lashes on my camera! I love him lots!

Travis & Jennifer

2007-06-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have a new sister-in-law!! My brother married his high school sweet heart on June 9, 2007!! Yaya!

Hannah's Bridals

2007-06-15T10:25:00.000-07:00