Ring around the moon...

Photo by Jessica Gilliam. It looks fuzzy do to crappy computer quality...

God painted the sky super pretty this night. The moon had a huge ring around it. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. So perfect.

Christmas is here...

 

 Photo by: Jessica Marie Gilliam...

Christmas time truly brings out the joy in my life. It makes me realize everything that God has blessed me with. This year I am so blessed to be able to spend Christmas with my husband. It's our first Christmas as a  married couple, and it's so exciting! We are trying to embrace this Christmas as much as possible, because starting next year all of our Christmas's will be different from then on out. It'll be different because we will have a child. So I think this Christmas is going to be a super special one as it's the only one we will ever spend together with just each other.  

It's The Little Things In Life...

Photos taken by Jessica Gilliam



I love photographing kids. You really don't have to do much with posing and such. Just follow them around and let them do what they do best. I love the innocence and curiosity that little one's hold. It's so fun to watch them get super excited about a flower, a rock, a stick, or even a little ant. It makes me want to hold on to as much of my childhood in my personality as possible. I want to still get excited about the little things in life and show gratitude in all situations. I can't wait till my own baby is here and I can live vicariously through her. What a fun road we have a head of us. Sometimes it's hard as an adult to remember the truly important things in life and stop worrying about everything. I guess we just need to slow down and embrace our situations and cherish all the time that we have here on earth.

Passionate.

Photo by Jessica Gilliam...







I've heard people say that photography is "easy", all you do is push a button. I disagree. Photography is about passion, creativity, power, reason and so much more. If you ask me, it's easy to tell passionate photographers from "just push a button" picture takers. I like to think that I'm  one of the more passionate photographers. I love every aspect of photography. There is so much that you can do with a camera in your hand. I enjoy looking at other photographers work as much as I enjoy taking my own pictures. Photography makes me so happy. It's so cool that we are capable of capturing moments that will last a lifetime, with a little piece of technology. I've said this a thousand times, I know that I'm not the best photographer, but I'm a work in progress. I'm constantly learning something new and gaining new ideas. As of right now I have a Canon Powershot SX150. It's nothing super fancy, but i love it. I paid 200 for it and have more than got my moneys worth. I am wanting to upgrade as soon as I get the funds to a dslr. I'm not sure if I'm going to go with another Canon, or if I'll try out a Nikon. I've heard good and bad reviews on both brands of camera's so we will see. Anyway, my goal with my photography is to let my personality shine through the lens with every photo I take.

He makes me happier than anything.

Photo Taken by Jessica Gilliam....



This is Jared ( my husband ) and I at the Monett park a few years ago. I like to brag about him a lot, because I'm proud to be his wife.

Jared is seriously the best thing that God placed in my path of life. God knew that I would need someone like Jared to help get me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. After Jared and I started talking in high school I quickly realized that I was going to be head over heels for him forever, and so far I still am (5 years later). We started off as buds, then really good friends, then boyfriend girlfriend, then BEST FRIENDS, then husband and wife, and it worked out perfectly for us. Not everyone can say that they are married to their best friend/high school sweetheart, but I can, and I'm proud of that fact. Jared has always been someone that I can count on and trust with my life. He's seen every side of me. He's seen me the happiest I've ever been, the saddest, the most mad, and he's also seen me the most sick!! He knows me more than anyone else, and I'm glad for that. When I'm happy, he delights in it and is happy with me. When I'm sad, he holds me while I cry and talks me through and encourages me, therefore he's sad too. Whenever I'm super angry, he listens to me vent and if words are needed, he shares, and when they're not, he's quiet. When I'm sick, which is a lot, he caters to me. If it's a headache/migraine he brings me ice packs for my head, makes sure I stay hydrated, massages my head and helps me fall asleep. With me being pregnant he's helped a lot with that too, he rubs my back a lot, because Lord knows pregnant ladies backs HURT, he gives me pedicures, if I'm craving something, he tries his best to satisfy it. He puts up with all of my crazy mood swings and loves me still. He's such an amazing husband to me and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he's going to be just as amazing as a father to our baby girl. I've never seen someone who's more passionate than him. He puts his all in everything that he does or is a part of. He's a very hard worker and does his best to provide for our little family. I don't think I could appreciate him more than I already do, he's perfect for me in every way. I'm so in love with him, still, and always will be.

Rainbow.

Photo taken by Jessica Gilliam...

Sometimes in life it's the simple things that make us smile the most. I saw this double rainbow and it just made me so happy. I felt like a little kid again getting excited about God's promise. I can't understand how people can see such miraculous and beautiful things in nature and not believe in God. God is an amazing artist and he painted quite the picture this day. :)

Love Till I Die...

So this picture really sparked my eye. When I first looked at this it made me immediately think of Jared and I's relationship. I believe that we will be the old couple who still giggles, kisses in public, and holds hands together. I want to be that couple anyway. I know so many couples who as they get older and are married for awhile they lose sight of why they even fell in love in the first place. They sleep in separate rooms, don't dare go into public together, and when they are together it doesn't seem like they still have a spark in their eyes for one another. (Granted, there are certain circumstances that keep a couple from sleeping together such as health issues etc. in which case I'm not talking about) I know there are going to be hard times in a marriage and things aren't always going to seem so perfect. I also know that if you truly love someone from the bottom of your heart that you will always work through the hard times to grow together and be stronger. I have been with Jared for 5 years going on 6 already and it feels like we've been together longer. I think the longer you are with someone, the harder it is to keep falling in love with them over and over again each day. It gets harder because we grow comfortable and gain a routine with each other. It becomes easier to forget to do the things you once did for each other. I think though, that as long as you can wake up each morning and be excited that he/she is sleeping next to you and kiss each other goodnight each night that you will remain in love. Of course you have to be faithful to one another all throughout each day as well, which we see is a problem now days. I can honestly say that I will always remain faithful to Jared as long as I live. I will not let situations arise that will compromise our love together. I made a vow on March 24 to love and cherish him UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE. It wasn't "until the day I get sick of him and he drives me crazy" and it sure the heck wasn't "to love and cherish him as well as other guys who spark my interest". Marriage is a permanent thing for me, not something to be taken lightly. I see it as a gift. It's a gift to be able to spend your whole life with someone and share every moment together. I'm so thankful that I get to walk through all of life's journey's with Jared by my side. So guys, just remember that when you truly love someone with everything in you, show it, no matter how old you are! :)

Doing My Part...

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
–Mother Teresa


Think about that quote for a minute. If you really take the time to think about the words that Mother Teresa is saying here, your understanding about changing the world will change. I know mine did. Sometimes in life we think that we have to do huge things to make a difference in the world. There are times when the smallest things that we do can make the biggest impact. I love this quote so much because it gives me hope and perspective. Hope because I know that I have the ability to do my part in making a difference in the world. Perspective because it helped me realize  that I can't change the world alone but I can do my part which in turn will help lead others to do their part. One person truly can impact the world. They may not be changing the world, but they are creating awareness that each and every person has to work together to make our world a better place. Some people do their part by being missionaries, school teachers, the President, police officers, doctors etc. Other people simply work normal jobs but are happy and positive influences to those around them. Our personalities themselves make a difference. You can be a good person to be around which will make people look up to you and want to be the same way. You can also be someone who is very negative and have a horrible outlook on life in which case people will try to avoid you. The bad thing is sometimes if you are the negative Nancy then it rubs off on other people and they too become cynical and bitter about life. Every decision we make and word we say impacts someone. We can either make good decisions that other people will benefit from, or horrible decisions that will hurt those around us. For me, it's easier to make good decisions because I have a God who keeps me accountable. God is speaking to us to be the difference we want to see. As I have learned in church all of my life, the gate is narrow that leads to good things,  and the wide gate just leads to destruction. I choose to follow through the narrow gate and make a positive difference in this world. I don't want to live as a worldly person, but a Godly person trying to do my part in the world. We will all fall more than once, but the key is picking ourselves back up and trying harder each and every time.