Overcomer

Meet Jen.

She's a survivor.

And meet Diego...

...her right hand dog.
He's a lifesaver.
The love they share is beautiful.

Jen has had to overcome a lot of things.
One was breast cancer.
Another was 6 1/2 years of the demands of military service
as an army medic and mechanic.
She has also overcome a lot of challenges to get her degree
and become a licensed electrician.
She will tell you that if not for her animals,
she doesn't know how she would have made it this far.

But then I look at Diego.
I don't think he would have gotten too far if Jen hadn't rescued him, either.

We got together at Jen's lifelong stomping grounds
for a special celebration.

It was her birthday,
and the day she got the news that she is now four years cancer free.
Being the Vikings fan that she is,
she had a quick little wardrobe addition to commemorate the occasion.
(And since the new quarterback is #5, she's all set for next year too.
Do you suppose it's even remotely possible that in celebration of FIVE years
the Vikings could make it to the Super Bowl for her?)
As luck would have it,  her latest work project has been
WAAAAY up in the rafters of their new stadium construction.
Better her than me!!

Since our session at the park,
Jen has rescued another dog to share in the fun.
I look forward to meeting Tonka!

Jen, I'm so glad that you and Diego found each other,
and thankful for all the good things God has brought into your lives over the past year.
And I'm especially glad you are capturing so many treasured moments in photos.
It's hard for the challenges to stay at the forefront



in the face of so much joy.

Winter Close-up

If you're not from the tundra, you might be inclined to think two thoughts about winter here:

Cold.

Snow.

While we have our fair share of both of those,

the conditions can vary tremendously, and the types of beauty with them.

Today the wind had the fresh snow swirling, 

whipping the flakes right into that window on the left.

It is not often that the temperature and conditions are such

 that the flakes sit there for a few minutes before they melt or blow away.

But today they did, at just the time when the light was perfect.

And I was here for it.

I do not have the ideal equipment and skills for photographing snowflakes.

This guy does.  If you are even remotely captivated by the beauty in these,

you should go check his out.

He will tell you all the science behind them and everything.

There is no perfect snowflake.
They all grow in certain ways for certain reasons,
partly because of their beginning (what type they are),
and partly because of what happens to them on their journey.

So much like us!

I spent probably twenty minutes shooting before the clouds broke.

and the sun was melting the flakes too quickly for me to shoot them.

I love the tree skeleton shadows it made on the snow. 

Blue shadows.

The sky, the colors, the frost, the weight and texture of the snow,
they all depend on temperature, humidity, wind, cloud cover.

The birds love to hang out in our yard,

where they know they'll find food at this time of year.

They are entertaining companions!

I love how they can hang on by their toenails.

Sometimes if feels like that's what we're doing too. 

Let me answer that for you.

Yes.

You totally are. Treasured by God. 

Winter.
Some days it's really not our friend.
Thank God for the days that make up for those.