Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

The Happy Wanderer

“I love to go a- wandering along the mountain track, and as I go, I love to sing, my knapsack on my back.

Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.”

brown's peak

Once a week my Mom and I go hiking. I love it so much. Experiencing nature is such a huge part of who I am.

mountains, hikingThis week we went to Kings Mountain National Military Park and climbed Brown’s Peak. It was beautiful and had a very wild feeling to the area.

king's peak

The view from the top was actually a delightful surprise. It’s hard to get views in the NC/SC mountains, because there are so many trees – and let’s just be honest, because you don’t get up very high even on the top of the peaks. :) But this view was very lovely and you could hardly see any buildings in the distance!

summit view, brown's peak, HDR

Here’s my lovely trail lunch, consisting of an avocado with the largest pit I’ve ever seen, a handful of succulent dates and homemade gluten free, egg free, oil free, dairy free granola bars! Okay, the chocolate chips had a little dairy in them. :)

trail food, avocado, datesMy lovely mom at the summit!

hiking‘I love to wander by the stream that dances in the sun, so joyously it calls to me, “Come, join my happy song!” ‘

hiking boots

Working on my bridge pose. Looks more like a table right now.. haha!

yoga, mountains

“I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev’ry green wood tree.”

hiking

yoga, mountains

“High overhead the skylarks wing, they never rest at home, but just like, me they love to sing, as o’er the world we roam!”

hiking boots  pinecones

 

“Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God’s clear blue sky!

Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.”

Peace and love,

Bethany

 

 

 

 

Oh, Christmas Tree!

My family drove up into the beautiful (little) mountains outside of Boone to pick out a Christmas tree for my mom and sisters. It was a chilly fresh morning with gorgeous light breaking out over the trees.

We loaded up into a wagon and rode up to the top to select our tree. It was bumpy and cold and way too much fun.















Binding up the tree so it would fit on the roof of the car :)

Tree hugger!


Countdown to Christmas {day three}

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28

NY Trip {part two} lakeside..








To purchase these photos as artwork click HERE. All profits go to help people in need through World Vision.

Family Portraits – Brechbills !

I had the opportunity to create some portraits of this lovely family while I was in NY this past week. (NY pictures coming soon!) I loved watching them, the way they interacted with each other and laughed and just meshed perfectly for the pictures.. I could tell they just love being together.

Thank you, Jeremy and Janelle, for letting me capture your beautiful family!

Fog over the mountains…

To purchase this photo as artwork in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

Extravagance

Extravagance. The word leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Images rush to my head of .. opulence. Ridiculous expensiveness.. wasteful.. excessive..
But the word has been redefined for me.
I was having my morning alone time with Jesus and was reading in my devotional book about the widow who gave her two last coins. I’ve read the story countless times, heard messages preached and illusions drawn. But it hit me in a fresh way. A radical way.

Get this.

“She gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.” (Mark 12:44b The Message)
That’s how Jesus described her to his friends.
It was a praise.
Extravagance.

Suddenly, the word is beautiful. Giving more than she could afford.
Risk.
Trust.

That’s what Jesus is asking of us. To not just give enough that we feel better than the next guy.
To not just give our all.
He wants EXTRAVAGANCE.
What we can’t afford.

That’s it.
I’m so tired of living a life centered around my trio of most important people.
ME.
MYSELF.
I.
I’m tired of just being a great Christian. Tithing, serving, faithfully attending church.
I’m gonna give what I can’t afford. I’m gonna live an extravagant life.
I’m gonna climb out of my cozy,comfy boat and stagger onto the waves.
Radically take risks, join the war.
Follow the One who is the Light.

{beth}

The moments that count.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few days. About life. Relationships. The differences between perfect online friends and real messed up people. Don’t freak out that this is an anti-social media blurb. It’s not. I love social media. You can connect instantly with people you love all over the world. I can see pictures of my international friend’s babies within minutes of their births. It’s a gift that has connected us to the world.

But I think there’s a catch. It’s so easy to instead of being in the moment you are in, enjoying the people you are with, to constantly be in the other world. How many times do we take a photo just to post it online? Or as soon as we get to a restaurant with buddies we have to “check-in” so all of our online friends can see that we are having a great time? What about actually having a great time? We spend so much of our time, energy and love creating this perfect life of ours online, where we can be whoever we want to be. We can be shallow, fake, perfect. No one on there has to know about our hurts, has to know about the stupid things we said, the embarrassing things we did. What if instead we stopped and set down the phone, looked into the eyes of the people we are with and focused on them? Their pains, problems, hurts, joys, loves, interests, passions..

Because the last time I checked, real, raw, messed up people are better than fake, shallow, online people any day.

{beth}

So close, yet so far away.


I love details.. I love the tiny lines, the tiny specks, the intense color. Things you have to look at really closely to notice.. beauty waiting to be seen. To stop and take that second look, to study a little more closely. I think God loves detail.. I think he makes it so that we don’t just pass by and glance at his creation but actually stop for a moment to really look at it. To really enjoy it. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. If you’re focused on things you need to do, places to go, problems weighing you down and just glance at the world around you.. you won’t see it. I think he wants us to search it out. To seek it. And that’s why he hides it. He wants us to take the focus off of ourselves and problems and such, and focus on beauty.. His creation.. singing it’s praises to their Maker.
-beth

To purchase these photos in high resolution click HERE.100% of the profits from these photos go to help people in need through World Vision.

Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise!

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
Martin Luther

-beth
To purchase this image in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

Page 1 of 212