Friday, October 19, 2012

a sweet, sweet family...

There are just those people.  You know who they are.  Faithful, hospitable, kind, sweet people.

I had the privilege of photographing their wedding four years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long...  When Andrea called me about flying to Houston to take pictures of their new addition, she said, "I just can't think of anyone else I'd rather have taking his picture."  There couldn't be a better compliment.

Is he not precious?  He's named after his paternal grandfather, and it's just a perfect name for this sweet little guy.  :)  I am lucky to know the entire family and look forward to watching him grow up.


Andrea, my friend, motherhood looks great on you.  You were made for it.  Your caring, humble, patient personality makes a killer mom!  Robert is a lucky boy, and I think he already knows it.  But, he'll know it more as he grows.

Best wishes, Michael and Andrea.  And much, much love!  Thanks for blessing me with the gift of my time there.  I love you all dearly.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

"the story"


People have been asking "how did it happen?"  So, I wanted to write out the proposal.  It may be a little long-winded, but I wanted to remember the details, and the surprises that you'll find out about.  :)

David’s best friend, Andy, got married in Williamsburg, Virginia.  The wedding was beautiful.  It was an elegant, quaint, sweet ceremony in the bride's mother’s back yard.  The morning after the wedding, we had planned to spend a few days at Virginia Beach.  Our little “mini-vacation” together was definitely not what we had imagined, as it was 47 degrees, cold, and very windy. 
Needless to say, when David kept suggesting we go on a walk along the beach, I questioned that idea, but it made sense when he said that he wanted to find a bar to watch the football game (the Washington Redskins).  It was a really sweet walk, and we talked about how perfect our whirlwind romance has been.  
We never found a good spot to watch the game, so we went back to the restaurant at our hotel.  We had a great appetizer and split a bottle of wine.  I remember feeling very intrigued by how quickly David was drinking the wine.  Our time together is usually peaceful and enjoyable, but he seemed to be rushing things.  He again eased my suspicions by just stating that he wanted to go back to the hotel room, where he could hear the commentary.  So, I quickly finished my wine, and we left.
Looking back, I’m very impressed by how calm he was on the walk back…  Until we got to our floor.  I walked quickly and said, “Hurry!  I need to go to the bathroom.”  He told me to stop, looked at his phone, and then mumbled something about a frustrating client.  He walked to the door and opened it.
I walked into a dark room, lit only with a walkway of candles.  They were everywhere!  Candles leading to a small table, which held a bouquet of flowers and a ring box.  I froze.  I stood at the doorway, dropped my purse, and just stood there.  I remember taking off my shoes.  I don’t really know why I took off my shoes, but I did!  I didn't know what else to do.
The only thing I could do was stand there.  I started tearing up, and he said, “You might want to walk towards me.”  The path of candles was beautiful.  As soon as I got to him, he got down on one knee.  He said, “Camille Beasley, will you marry me?”  Of course I was going to answer “yes,” but I didn’t know what to do next.  I just stood there. 
That’s when I heard a very loud squeal from my SISTER, who jumped out from behind the bed.  I screamed and jumped, David screamed and jumped, and then Jacob (my brother-in-law) came out of the bathroom to reprimand my sister for not letting me answer.  I didn’t realize that I hadn’t officially answered, so I turned to David and said, “Of course I will marry you!”
That’s when he put it on my finger: a beautiful, ascher-cut diamond engagement ring, with small diamonds and vintage etching in the band.  It is literally perfect; I could never have designed it better.  What’s more incredible is that I have always said that I wanted a family ring, and it was David’s grandmother’s ring.
We four had a champagne toast, some snacks from room service, and spent the next few hours visiting, calling family/friends, and reliving the crazy surprise that had just taken place.  David and I met up with Candace and Jacob later that night for a late dinner at the hotel restaurant – Catch 31.  It was perfect.  The wine, the atmosphere, the food, the company, the emotions; it is a dinner that I will forever remember. 
And so it begins – the rest of our lives.  I cannot wait to spend it with him.  His gentle spirit, sense of humor, humility, kindness, and caring spirit are just a few of the things that amaze me about this man.  He is good man, and I am a lucky, lucky girl.

engaged.


Wow.  I don't even know how to put this into words, but I'm getting married! 

His name is David.  This weekend, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his forever.  With candles all around, a bouquet of flowers, and a beautifully vintage engagement ring.  It was perfect.

David and I met in Virginia when I was a travel nurse.  Our first few months together definitely had their challenges, as I literally moved completely across the country from him.  With the distance, though, has come a beautiful relationship and fostered some deep commitment from each of us.  

There are plenty of things that I truly appreciate about David, but I just can't look past how calm I feel around him.  I have this overwhelming sense of peace whenever we are together.  It's truly like nothing else in the world matters; I am completely able to just "be" and to be loved in that way. 


I often find myself thinking about my Mom.  I think about the woman she was and the woman that she would encourage me to be.  She would love David, love to hear the story of our engagement, and be so ecstatic to talk through wedding plans.  It's almost toxic to imagine this process without her...

But, as I think about Mom, I appreciate how she taught me to enjoy life.  I hate the times that David and I are apart, yet I covet how our relationship is fostered because of it.  I truly have learned to "be" and to enjoy each moment I am with him, and I know I learned that from her.

The calm kindness with which she lived life is exactly how I want to be.  I can only hope that I can be the wife to David that she was to my Dad.  

(more to come... including the "whole story" and more about China!)

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Mr. and Mrs. F

I have the greatest brides.  I really do!!!  This lovely lady e-mailed me about shooting her wedding right before I was heading to China.  It worked out so well, I invited the fabulous Hillary Gamble to shoot with me, and it was a lovely, lovely day.



Hillary and I both deemed this "First Look" as one of the sweetest in the history of them.  It was so, so precious.



Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church is ALWAYS a beautiful venue, and the overcast skies were really incredible!




I love photos like this.  Hands with 3 generations of rings.  I hope this image is cherished FOREVER.




The greatest, greatest smile of all time always comes right before the bride walks down the aisle - I LOVE IT!










A little "Roll Tide" to go, and they're off.

Thanks for letting me be apart of your big day.  I truly loved it!

For the full gallery, head over to:  www.scbphotography.smugmug.com


Thursday, September 13, 2012

worship

worship: "to have or express feelings of profoud adoration"

I had so many surprising moments of worship in China.  We had team devotionals and a prayer time, but it was more than that to me.  I worshipped mainly when I was photographing kids and their interactions with our team-mates. 
The building where we stayed has huge, beautiful windows that let in a lot of natural sunlight.  For a photographer, it's a dream location.  I felt like every picture was perfect - was exactly how it felt - and photographed so easily because of the setting. 
What a blessing to be able to capture those moments.  And to feel joy in doing so.  It was really incredible.

**DISCLAIMER: I realize it's a little ironic that I am posting about photography with no pictures.  While I do plan to edit this post with a few "non-kid" photos, I have decided to not post pictures of the children on my blog.  If you are interested in seeing either a slideshow or a gallery of images, I can privately send you a link.  E-mail me!**

on being "unplugged"


I went to China with few expectations.  I knew what I needed to do for my trip and knew about the organization I went with - Show Hope.  That was about all.  I wanted to truly "experience" it fully - as something completely different than anything I was used to.  I did, and it was wonderful.
Since being back in the United States, I have been missing how "unplugged" I was over there.  I didn't have cell service, usually couldn't use my computer, and couldn't get iMessage or FaceTime to work, even when the wireless internet was working.  

And, it was beautiful.  Pure.  Restful.

It allowed me to do things like TALK to people.  Journal my thoughts/events of the day.  Listen to music.  Or best of all - just BE - in silence.  Without the temptation of facebook, e-mails, instagram, and text messages, I could use my time for other things.  And, I'm so glad that I did.  What's even more amazing is that nothing exploded.  My clients waited for me to get back.  The online bills can be paid now.  The e-mails went nowhere except to my inbox, and they are still there.  

And, I came back a better person for the experience of it.  

One of Show Hope's "core commitments" is James 1:27, which talks about pure religion including care for orphans.  I was lucky to experience this "purity."  Life seems much simpler there; I am so grateful that I got to experience it...

(more to come soon!)

Monday, September 10, 2012

I left my heart in China.

Many children in China have my heart.  I'm not sure that I'll ever get it back.  One sweet little boy has many medical problems, but when I walked in the room, he nothing but smiled and giggled.  My moments in his room were full of joy and of worship and of love; those sweet, pure moments are times I will never forget!

I realize that a lot of you guys may not know what Show Hope is or is really about.  It's a "movement to care for orphans."  Their main ministry right now is two-folded.  They give grants to families who are adopting internationally.  They also work to care for special needs orphans in China.  There are four centers in areas of China who take on children who would have just been left to die.

For whatever their conditions were, often the children were left in a small room to die.  Orphanages didn't know what to do with children with Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy, cleft lip/palate, bad malnutrition, brain syndromes, spine abifida, etc.  The founders of this organization asked if they could have a room to start caring for these children, and it has now grown to these special care centers.
I did not know what to expect, but I could not have had a better experience there.  I worked with an incredible group of people on my team who encouraged me the entire time.  I'm actually going to be blogging about my experiences there over the next few weeks, so if you're interested, check back!  
I did blog once for Show Hope while I was over there, so if you're interested, CLICK HERE.