Before we moved to the city, we lived in a townhome. Bobby and Stacey were next door. They were married just after us and wanted to start a family. A few months ago, Sidney came into their world. What an adorable little girl she is. We spent Labor Day morning with them and did some pictures of Sidney and them as a family. What an honor it was to hear from them. We loved capturing this new little family.
Enjoy their slideshow.
I’m reading The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg Here is a quote from it:
“I make my living as a quilt artist, and for the most part the work I do is commissioned. I charge a hundred and fifty dollars a square foot, not without guilt. But I have whole days when I stand at my design board moving pieces of fabric around, and I don’t sew a stitch. Then something clicks, and I hit the machine. The money I charge pays for the thinking time too; I explain this to my clients. And people do pay it, willingly–I have more clients than I can handle. The wait for a finished quilt is four to six months, but people don’t seem to mind that, either. I think there is a longing for things that reflect a certain kind of slowness; perhaps the pendulum is beginning its inevitable swing back. I’ll be glad if it does.”
Ahh, I love so many parts of this quote. I don’t even know where to start. The occupation is variable, but the principle to those who practice art is universal. In a fast paced virtual world, it is often hard to value time. At least it being slow as good. Art is a process and a dance between the artist and the art. It’s beautiful as it takes shape. It excites us to see the end product and something that we don’t rush.
This is something that our clients know and value as we create their images and albums. The time is part of the process and adds to the excitement and value of the piece.
It is interesting – as much as I love to knit because it makes me slow down and just create something from scratch with my hands, I’ve never looked at my photography from that angle.
Thank you for the reminder! Slowing down and thinking *is* a good thing!
You both are such a blessing.
Last weekend we did something that does not happen often enough. We took time away for just us to WinShape Retreat. The founding family of Chick-fil-A has formed a foundation, WinShape. There are several different divisions. One is WinShape Retreat. We are part of the Adjunct Faculty. This retreat consisted of six couples who serve in different ways including; worship, teaching and counseling. It was an honor to be included in the group. This weekend was set aside for the twelve of us to feel valued and rested and for our marriages to be enriched. As well as really feel connected to each other. We all are normally there at different times and don’t get to bond as a group. This was a wonderful chance for that. I felt so restful in our return and told Chris that we should schedule this into our marriage once every quarter! : ) Check out their site and carve some time out for your marriage too.
This part of the Retreat is called Normandy. It consists of the main house in the middle with six suites. When the Retreat was still a working dairy barn this was where staff lived.
A sweet note, goodies and roses were waiting when we arrived to our room.
A view of the beautiful table we ate at three times a day. Bill and Cilli, the Inn Keepers loved on us and patiently served us. What a joy it is to have them in our lives.
If you know me, you know I love a good massage and visiting the Chiropractor. I like for my body to be in alignment and stress free! It was a wonderful surprise when we found out we were receiving couples massages!
On Saturday morning we all went out with WinShape Wilderness who we have worked with in the past. They put us on a GPS scavenger hunt. It was so fun and the perfect challenge.
There were stops along the way that had marked challanges for each couple to do. One of the stops was a climbing tower where we were to climb to the top as a couple. Here is Monique climbing the wall while her husband cheers her on!
When it was our turn, we had a blast. Here we are going back down.
Grant, Monique’s husband, is the newest Chick-fil-a Operator. He now has his own store at the Mount Berry Mall in Rome, Georgia. Everyone is so happy for him and he treated us all to milk shakes after our adventure.
A wonderful meal with all of us.
OK, so our part of what we bring to the table at WinShape is Pottery. Some know well that this is a passion of mine. It was hard to decide if I wanted to pursue Photography or Pottery in life. I’m glad I chose Photography. I am able to still explore my love for Pottery and share it with others in a form of worship. Here is a view of what the Pottery Worship looks like. It such a blessing to share it with others and always leaves me feeling relaxed and full.
Thanks to Shawn, Christina, Betty (mom), Bill, Cilli and WinShape for all that you did to make our stay so wonderful. It was also great to meet new faces and spend more time fostering the relationships with those that we already had.
love,
Katie and Chris
Great idea!
Feel free to email if you have any questions!
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Stacy, so true, we do need to carve out time four our marriage. I love pottery and those who are close to me love it for gifts too. : )
Thanks for the info. I’ve got an idea for a sermon in clay but I need to find a sculptor who can start with a solid block of clay and render the idea.
Good for you guys…….we need to be better about taking time out for our marriage. And Katie – I would love to learn all about pottery. What a beautiful gift!
Carlos, Thanks for finding us!
In most churches worship consists of singing and music. This is a time where people sit in the audience and listen to music for a half hour while I make three pieces of pottery. They are able to interpret it any way they want to see the correlations of pottery to their spiritual life.
Then we talk about it for a little bit afterwards.
It’s really a great thing especially for artists who are more tangible.
Thanks!
Katie
Can you explain a bit about what “Pottery Worship” consists of? I’ve never heard of it. Found you via Matt Adcock’s site which I found via the strobist blog.
Katie & Chris:
Looks like your retreat was wonderful & refreshing… You both deserve it… Aunt Luanne
P.S. BettyAnne~~~~ lOVE THE NEW DEW !!!!!
Bobby!
How sweet of you to write all of those comments in here. You guys are so awesome. Thank you! It was such a joy to capture your new family! I still remember meeting right before your wedding! Wow how time does go.
As for one of your friend’s questions about what 6 of Four Creations means….
Chris and I had our first date on the 6th of the fourth month…April 6th and we’ve been working hard at this business of creating ever since.
Thanks!
Katie
Those are precious!!!
Chris and Katie,
What a pleasure it was for Stacy, Sidney and I to meet with ya’ll last weekend for this photo shoot. Thank you so much. Great work! The moment I received the slide show address, I viewed it and e-mailed it to family in Alabama and friends at work. Here are a few responses:
Wow! Great work. I watched the slide show over and over again when I got home after work. Give Sidney and Stacy a big hug for me when you get home.
Love you, Dad
Hey Bobby! That was the best baby slideshow! Great photography and cute baby! I loved the different angles and different kind of shots than what you normally see in baby photography. You must be very proud! What does “6 of four creations” mean?
Penny
That show works really well.
Sidney is growing up fast & she is really cute.
I’m sure you are both very proud.
Kevin
She is precious….
Linda
Awesome pictures.
GOD Bless you and your family!
Ligia
Great slide show!
Carolyn
Beautiful family.
Really nice photography.
You are certainly blessed!
Karen
Thanks again!
Bobby
Ohhh, what a sweet little thing. She looks like such an alert and aware baby! CUTE!