I was sooooo wrong...

I always thought I could take a great family photo.

All I needed was

 a better camera,

some decent lighting,

a somewhat cool background,

and the ever elusive

cooperative warm bodies...

Then, surely then, I would be able to take a great photo of la familia.

I was

  so, so 

wrong. 

 Believe me, I tried.

It wasn't pretty.

Enter the magnificent Micha Wixom.

Photographer extraordinaire and owner of Shuttergirl Photography .

Talk about saving me from myself.

Micha,

 you rock.

Coming up for air...

Hello?

Hello?

Is anybody still out there?

Hello...?

Just thought I'd let you know where I've been for the last month or so.

A vortex.

Yes, that's right.

A vortex.

I was sucked into the
early morning seminary
vortex, and I'm just now coming up for air.

It has been a crazy, life changing, beautiful, challenging, exhausting, glorious month.

And every day I am changed.

I have never known such intense tutoring by the Spirit, save the time that I had Sawyer here on earth with me. 

I just have one question...

Why is it that the Lord uses the hardest things in our lives to teach us?

Granted, studying for hours and getting up insanely early to teach a roomful of teenagers is not high on the list of major challenges in life, but c'mon, I mean

  4 a.m.?

Seriously?

How is that holy?

And yet, when I walk in that room with those kids,

 and the Spirit begins to open eyes and warm hearts
 (mostly mine)

something glorious happens.

And then I know.

This is God's work.

And I am lucky to be there.