Thanksgiving skies

P1150015.JPG, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

So, I probably took around 2000 pictures over Thanksgiving week. Obviously, I have a hard time editing myself.

Here are some beautiful skies I enjoyed on our family vacation to the outer banks of NC.

Fall, finally

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So, the weather is finally turning. I never thought that I would be ready for cold weather, but this year I definitely was. I am a fall kind of girl though. I can't stand the frigid temperatures of winter, with the runny noses and bare trees. And although I always welcome spring, I am not fond of the return of bugs and bees and pollin. Summer is fun, because its the time of vacations and cookouts and most importantly, my birthday. But the drenching humidity makes it very difficult to enjoy. So, fall it is. The perfect days when its so cold in the morning that you pull out your winter coat, but so warm in the afternoons that you want to sun bathe, and so nice in the evenings that you want to build a campfire and look up at the stars.

Thanks for joining us Fall. It's about time!

(The shot above was taken in Fall '06 at Dan Nicholas Park outside of Salisbury.)

Last year...

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This month last year, Jeremy and I were heading to Hawaii with my family. We spent an amazing week in Kauai, thanks to my mom's great bargain shopping skills. I have never been anywhere so beautiful. And I really hope to be able to go back again one day.

The job has been going well. Keeping busy with that.

Jeremy and the band are recording right now. We're all really excited to hear the finished product.

But now I must go to bed. 6:30am is gonna come too quickly.

(The shot posted above was taken last year in Kauai, Hawaii off Hanalei Bay at sunset.)

Changes

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The new job is going swimingly. I really enjoy it and am doing pretty well at it, if i do say so myself. My 3rd day of training I ended up making the highest sales percentage the company has ever seen. WOW! It was totally God. Anyway, they are very excited about me and I am excited about making money to pay off debts and build a savings.

The hardest part about the new job is that I have to travel quite a bit, pretty much five days a week. Sometimes within an hour or so, which allows me to go back and forth everyday, but sometimes farther so I might have to spend the night. That hasn't happened yet, but I heard that they may be sending me to Fayetteville next week, so that would be the first overnight week. It will be hard to be away from Jeremy for 5 days straight. I know we'll be fine, but I hope its not every week like that.

Another unfortunate aspect of the job is that the hours are 1pm-9pm, Tuesday-Saturday, which normally would be awesome -but I will have to miss youth group every week. It has become such a large part of my week and my life over the past two years, that not being there is going to be difficult.

And lastly, going back to work means that I must give up some of the freedom that I have been able to experience over the past two years. Like the freedom to travel. I am going to miss it so much. I love just going away for a few days - to the beach, or the mountains, or to see friends and family. It has truly been a blessing to be able to go whenever we want to. But, as I am joining the ranks of the working world again, this is just one more thing I must say goodbye to.

Change is hard sometimes. But I definitely see the good in this job and the opportunity we have to become debt free. So, we have decided that that is a priority. So, goodbye familiar and hello change!

(The shot above was taken underneath the Avon Pier in Avon, NC this past June. I don't recommend walking on it, though.)

I'm tired

backside of a building, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

So, I haven't updated in a few days. But its been a very busy week.

It started off on Monday with Andrew Bryant coming to Salisbury to take band shots for the guys. We had a lot of fun. Beforehand, me and the boys hit Marshalls and Old Navy, looking for some fun tshirts and good fitting jeans. Who knew I'd become a stylist? Then when Andrew got there, LOS played a couple songs for him and then we just jumped right in to picture taking. Andrew had some really great, creative poses in mind, and the guys came up with a few too. We pretty much tried everything we could think of. Inside, outside, standing, sitting, jumping, singing. It was so fun. If you want to see a few of the shots, visit Andrew's blog and look for the post called Lords of Salisbury. They are amazing!

The other big thing this week is that I have started working full time again. It's been two years since my last full time job. I took some time off when we moved to NC, simply because I could. Honestly, I thought I would get bored not working and then want to go back to work immediately. But that wasn't really how it ended up. I became a new person. My life stopped revolving around my career. I was able to volunteer in the youth ministry and grow in my walk with the Lord, because I gained a whole new focus and put my identity in the things it should be in. So, I feel now that I am ready to work again after all these changes. We could definitely use the financial boost. And I am looking forward to having more of a set schedule again. I'll be on the road a lot, mostly locally. But if I am ever in a city near you, I'll let you know!

I am so tired now. Time for bed. Gotta work tomorrow!

(The shot posted above was taken in downtown Salisbury, NC back in May '06. I love the look of old buildings, especially in alleys or at back entrances.)

Planes, trains, and automobiles

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If you haven't figured it out yet, I love to travel!

I was asked recently, which mode of transportation was my favorite between plane, boat, and car - and I chose car. Planes are great when you are going long distances, particularly over large mountains or bodies of water. (And of course, you get amazing views that you'd never otherwise have the chance to see.)

But flying is definitely not a feeling that I love. I usually take motion sickness meds to keep from getting too nauseated. I'm also afraid of heights. Ironically, I've been skydiving and I've also been on an aerial acrobat plane.



I've only been on one cruise, and I really enjoyed it.



It didn't make me sick, but it wasn't like it was so fun that I would exclusively travel by boat from now on. However, I did get sick on a smaller boat - Jeremy's uncle's sailboat. It was a 4 day trip off the Gulf Coast. I was okay until we had a storm roll up on us. All day long we were tossed about by the wind and waves. Definitely not my favorite day.

I guess I like the familiarity of driving and maybe that feeling of being in control, but something about getting behind the wheel of a vehicle just feels so right.

I love driving long distances too. Usually when Jeremy and I go anywhere, I drive almost the entire way. Partly the reason is that I have a tendency to get car sick if I'm not driving. So Jeremy kindly lets me drive.

It was pointed out to me recently that I am pretty much a jetsetter. In the past year, I have been to Hawaii, NYC, Florida, Mexico, Gatlinburg, Maryland, the Outer Banks, Nashville, Savannah, etc. (And not even to mention trips to the NC mountains, several visits to Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, & Winston-Salem, and countless visits to Emerald Isle.) And of course, when I visit all these places, I love to take pictures!































I hopefully will one day have a job or the kind of life that involves a lot of travel. I may have an interview this week, in fact, to travel around to various churches and take photos for church directories. It may not sound like glamorous work, but the fact that it combines traveling with photography is quite exciting to me. Now I just have to convince Jeremy that he can live without me for a few days a week!

(The shot posted above was taken in February 2006 on 1-40 West in the mountains of TN on the way to Gatlinburg for a youth conference. Don't forget to hold your breath and of course honk your horn until we're all the way through the tunnel!)

Georgia on my mind

P1140065.JPG, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

This weekend I went to Savannah, GA with Jeremy, Justin, Mikey, and Katie. The trip was great. Lords of Salisbury played an outreach at the beach on Saturday with another band called The Vow from Florida. While the bands played, a local church gave out free hot dogs and drinks, while also witnessing to and praying for people.

Saturday was also my 29th birthday! :) Didn't technically get to celebrate it then, but that's okay. It was a fun day regardless.

On Sunday, we led worship at church. My friend Katie Koontz performed a few of her songs as well. I sang back up for her. We used to sing together a few years back. We called ourselves Sketch. Anyway, it was fun to sing together again.



After church and lunch, we headed to the beach. It was so incredibly hot and humid the entire weekend. I can't remember a moment when we weren't covered in sweat. So, swimming was a nice relief from the heat. After that, we headed downtown and saw the classic spanish moss covered trees and gardens.



Then we went to the river to sightsee and eat dinner. We walked down the old cobblestone streets and visited waterfront historic storefronts.





Sunday was Justin's birthday, and he really wanted to eat crabs. So, we found a great place on River Street called Fiddlers Crab House. The tables had buckets in the middle for your trash. It was awesome. Ha. Actually, it was very good.



Then they brought out some chocolate cake for Justin and I. And it was probably the second best chocolate cake I've had in my life (the first being from Sunset Grill in Nashville, TN called the Chocolate Bombe). Then we all went to see Bourne Ultimatum. (Probably the best of the three movies!)

All in all, a great weekend. But it's good to be home.



For more pics from the trip, visit my flickr page.

(The first shot posted above was taken off Bay Street in Savannah. The trees were gorgeous and covered in Spanish Moss.)

Hooray for lighthouses

lighthouses rock, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

I don't know why, but I really like lighthouses. Now, that doesn't mean that I want a collection of five dozen cheesy lighthouse figurines in my house or anything. But I have always wanted to visit the lighthouses up and down the eastern coast of the US, just to say that I've seen them all.

I guess part of my like for lighthouses comes from my enjoyment of the beach. The first lighthouse that I remember seeing was on Cape Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of NC, where Jeremy spent his high school years. Most likely, the first one I saw was the Bodie Island Lighthouse as you travel south on NC 12. It's kind of small, with a few horizontal white and black stripes.

But as you continue to go further south to the village of Buxton, you see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I think its so beautiful. I like the diagonal stripes and the fact that its so tall. You can still climb up to the top, which is fun, and see a great view of the island.

All of my memories of visiting this location involve hanging out with Jeremy. I have pictures of us at this lighthouse even before we started officially dating in college. So, perhaps my "like" of lighthouses really comes from my love for my husband. Somehow they are linked in my mind.

At any rate, I love to travel. And tomorrow we are leaving for Savannah, GA. Jeremy's band, Lords of Salisbury, will be playing a show on Tybee Island. And I just discovered today that there is a lighthouse there. So, what better birthday present for me this Saturday than to see a new lighthouse? Hooray!

(The shot posted above was taken at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, NC in 2006. We try to go back every year.)

Oh, Mexico

P1090453.JPG, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

My husband, Jeremy, just got back this week from a missions trip to Mexico. He went with a team of 12 to the city of Morelia to work construction for a local church plant. They mixed stucco and covered the entire inside and outside in one week. Then in the evenings they went to outdoor rallies and church services to minister to the people. Today at church, the team gave their testimonies from the trip and they were very moving.

Then Jeremy shared a message on faith that was very powerful and convicting. Much of the church was moved to tears of repentance for the lack of faith that is so prevalent in the American church today. The genuine response of the congregation was very touching. When God moves in people's hearts like that, all you can do is stand in awe of His presence and love.

We will be going back to Morelia, Mexico in January 2008 to speak at a Pastor's Conference and at local churches. We went last January for the same reason. When you go on a trip like that, you expect for God to use you to touch others. But I wasn't expecting for God to use them to affect me as much as they did. I almost feel like I got more out of the experience than I gave.

Maybe that is why we are all called by Jesus to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Because not only does God want to use us to impact others, but He wants to impact us as well.

(The shot posted above was taken in January 2007 in downtown Morelia, Mexico. There were so many beautiful, historic buildings. I look forward to going back.)

Day Two

P1030021, originally uploaded by jermandjessvess.

I have never been very good about keeping up with blogs and journals in the past. But this time I am feeling motivated.

I am about to get ready and head up to Durham to assist Andrew with a wedding at Duke Gardens. Its a beautiful location that my family used to visit often, so I look forward to seeing the amazing shots taken today. I am not sure if the entire wedding will be outside or not. The weather service is forecasting rain, so I am praying and hoping for this couple's sake that it holds off until the festivities are over. They say that rain on your wedding day is lucky, but I can't really think why.

(The shot posted above is of a railroad track in Salisbury, NC. I love to travel and have always wanted to take a trip on a train somewhere for fun. Something about it seems like it would be so romantic.)

Welcome to my Photography Blog!

I purchased a new digital camera for myself a year and a half ago...

SPECS:
Camera Type: Point & Shoot
Megapixels: 5 Megapixels
Optical Zoom: 12 X

...and ever since then a passion for photography has grown in me. I began to become slightly obsessed with taking pictures where ever I went. Recently, my husband, Jeremy, told me that I should consider photography as a career. So, I casually tossed around the idea in my head.

That very next day, I met Andrew Bryant. He is the brother of one of our best friend's wife. Anyway, he was taking pictures of his sister's wedding and I noticed his camera and struck up a conversation with him. It ended up being a God ordained connection for me. Andrew owns his own wedding photography business and he offered me the chance to shadow him. At first, I thought he was just being nice. But sure enough, he did come through on his offer.

Today I went with Andrew to Cedarwood Country Club in Charlotte for a bridal portrait session. I was so nervous. But at the same time so excited. He let me use one of his cameras and take shots. I have never shot with such a nice camera, especially one that is manual. So, the first half of shots I took were all too dark or too bright. But, it's all part of the learning process.

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to be a second shooter for Andrew at a wedding in Durham at Duke Gardens. I am siked, but again, pretty nervous.

(The shot posted above is one of the first pictures I took with my camera a year and a half ago. It was taken at my parents beach condo in Emerald Isle, NC. I love the beach!)