Eyes of a Camera

I spent the weekend in Fergus Falls for the Frostbite Festival and the town was absolutely gorgeous! The frost covered ALL the beautiful trees in town and it hung on to each branch the entire weekend.

My dad was talking about how cool the scenery was while he was out delivering mail and he mentioned how a woman walked out of her apartment and declared how beautiful the trees were and that she would love to take a picture if she had a camera.

If she had a camera.

My dad and I reflected on that for a moment. How sad it must be to not have a camera. More importantly, to not have anything to have a camera for...as we guessed this lady did not.

I am grateful to snap these pictures...

When I throw my hands in the air because I can't deal with the 20th temper tantrum of the day...SNAP!

When my older son entertains his little brother so he will stop screaming for one second in the car...SNAP!

When I am cleaning up the mess of a healthy, abundant meal...SNAP!

When I have 20 loads of laundry to do...SNAP!

When the living room is covered with toys, crackers, cereal, books and 3 boys wrestling amongst it all...SNAP!

Without a to-do list, I would have nothing to do - and no one to do it for. I am forever grateful that I have a list 10 miles long, and will vow to do them all cheerfully and with extreme gratitude.

Some other honorable mentions this weekend captured with a camera:

My beautiful sister with her awesome date at Snowball.
My husband enjoying the company of a dozen other guys at a fishing weekend.

My mom having a "party" at the RedBox movie center.
Me helping my lovely sister getting ready for her big night.
The group of Snowball ready girls and handful of guys as they posed for 2,000 photos.
My dad playing Cootie's with my boys.
Me having a great conversation with a girlfriend I don't get to see often enough.

Kid Clothes Hangers

My 8 year old outgrew his kid clothes hangers. It was actually his older cousins hand-me-downs' fault but regardless, I shed a little tear as the shirt I hung on a hanger slid right off.

They say kids grow up in a blink of an eye - but I think I have just been choosing not to watch!

I turned the other way when his dad referred to him as a "tween" after an emotional dispute.

I chose not to listen when I am pretty sure Ethan was requesting to stay at a friends house instead of hang with us on a Saturday night.

I waived the white flag and told him to "go ask dad" when he came home with homework that looked like this: With a die, you can roll a number from 1 to 6. Predict the number of times you would roll the number 3 if you rolled the die 24 times. Explain your answer.

I am so thankful he still kisses me good-night - and for pictures!

Connecting

Wow! 2012 is here! My mission this year - to meet as many interesting people as possible! So far, so good! I just came from a coffee date with a brand new friend. Someone I had never met before but a trusted mutual friend suggested we meet - and so we did.  On the way there, I didn't know what to expect. If we didn't connect well, what escape route could I take? But I was hopeful and prayed for maybe one good hour of joyful conversation. 

But 2 hours later,  I walked away with so much more!

New books to read! New friends to meet! New ideas on how to achieve personal goals!

I couldn't feel more blessed to have spent 2 hours this morning with this person and it made me take stock of my current circle of friends and family.  Are they "filling my bucket" as my son, Ethan, would say. So thankfully, I am happy to say YES! my circle is unique and wonderful and full of inspiring, up-beat individuals and they paint my world with  the brightest of colors.  However, there is always room for more and my personal mission this year add fabulous people to my circle.

As you - dear friends and family reading this - relfect on your own "circle" may I please offer this challenge to you - connect with someone new this year! You will be amazed at the possible insights, blessings and encouragement they will bring into your life!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Picture Perfect

Notice I haven't blogged in a while? Yes, I have a newborn. Adam Jerome was welcomed August 27th and has captured my heart, my time and my brain cells.

My six week maternity leave has come and gone and today was my last day home. I wanted to conquer the world today - well at least get some of my to-do list done before I go back to work.  (I must insert here that Adam is colicky and most events like going out to eat or a trip to Target include him in tears and us doing everything to not be stared at by everyone in the joint)

So, in a usual moment of insanity I decide today would be the best day for his 6 week pictures. While he screams, I pack his diaper bag and rush out the door. This would be my first experience with Expressions by Ashton photography and my anxiety level is increasing as I realize I am in fact doing this - and without the help of my hubby. Ugh...

I arrive barely on time but Adam is handsome as can be and ready to go in our favorite outfit. Of course he is hungry so I feed him a little while I wait for our photographer.  As Adam is eating, he poops. Poops big. Poops through his outfit. (the only one I have)

So, it's time for our session and Adam has poop up and down his back. Thankfully, our photographer is an old Apple-buddy (co-worker from my days at Applebee's) and I start to feel a little better as she leads me to our private room where I can change Adam and get started with the no-outfit-needed photos.

I clean up Adam and as he is sitting on my lap waiting for his first lights and camera action -  he pees. All over himself, all over me and some spilled onto the studio floor. I am ready to run out screaming but I am here - determined and stubborn -  and he isn't crying so I better take what I can get.

The patient, amazing and beautiful Carmen, (my apple-buddy now photographer) takes Adam from me and BEAUTIFULLY positions him. I can't believe my eyes. He is sitting pretty as a picture, with his tiny hands tucked under his head and his legs perfectly curled. But before Carmen can say cheese - he is crying. Crying to the point we have to start over and now to make matters worse his sensitive skin is breaking out into a rash. Ugh...

The next hour looks like a beautiful dance you would see on Dancing with the Stars with Carmen and I handing off Adam, the pacifier, the props and organizing different positions. The song Carmen sings to go along with our dance is a perfect combination of soothing and distracting and entertaining notes. All designed to capture the heart of a 6 week old.

Even though some of these poses we only had time to snap 2 or 3 shots, I couldn't be happier with the end results. Picture perfect you might say.

I laugh when I look at these, because you would never guess what we went through to get here. It makes me wonder what the "true" story is behind every smile.

(check out the pics - http://www.expressionsbyashton.com/ and click on find photos and enter Heather Ostrowski)

3 days to come full circle

What a weekend we had! It started Saturday with a friends BRIDAL SHOWER. It was a wonderful shower filled with great women, great food and great fun. All in the name of celebrating a young woman and her new journey into marriage. We giggled as we rummaged through our purses in search of items, we teared up as stories were told of first dates and their unique proposal and we remembered our own big day or dreamed of our big day to come as she unwrapped beautiful gifts - shiny new and useful gifts.





That night continued with a WEDDING. A beautiful wedding - truly. The details in this wedding were unlike any other. I was continually wowed by the personal touch in everything surrounding this day. After the vows were exchanged and the meals were served, the speeches began. The brides dad gave one of the most beautiful speeches most of us had ever heard. He started and ended his message by painting a visual of us of when his daughter was just born and he was able to hold her for the first time. From birth to now, this was his little girl. There wasn't a dry eye in the beautiful venue as we all visualized our own lives that had passed so quickly.





The next day continued with a VISITATION for my great uncle who had passed away at 83. He was given about 3 months at Christmas time - and now here we are, family and friends who had gathered to celebrate the life a wonderful man, son, father, grandfather, husband, hero, friend, uncle, brother, nephew, great uncle, farmer - hard worker and so many other things to the people who knew him well. I marveled at the photos collected to help us reflect on the life he lived. Included were old photos of him has a young toddler. 80+ years ago this picture had been taken, yet it is still included as a significant piece of his history.





Monday rounded our events with a peak into my belly via an ultrasound to meet the life that started there 20 weeks ago. A boy. We were having another boy! Oh the hopes we have for our children. The excitement that comes in wondering who he will be. Will his dad teach him how to treat a lady so one day he can marry the woman of his dreams? Will he have children of his own and one day give a speech that his daughter will never forget? What legacy will he leave at the end of his time on earth?

Voice of Truth

Voice of Truth by Casting crowns: Oh what I would do to have, the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I am in. Onto the crashing waves. To step out of my comfort zone, into the realm of the unknown, where Jesus is. And He's holding out His hand. But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me. Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The waves they keep on telling me, time and time again. Boy you'll never win. You'll never win.

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says do not be afraid. And the Voice of Truth says this is for My glory. Out of all the voices calling out to me. I will chose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.



This song really spoke to me today as I am once again finding myself stepping way out of my comfort zone because I believe I am being called to do so.

About a year ago a wonderful lady partnered with me and together we created a workshop called Rejoice. An opportunity to help others strengthen their walk with Christ. We gave it a pilot run and we weren't able to complete the seven week journey, for a few reasons. Even though I believed we had a great program - it still felt like we had failed.

She has recently called on me again to give it another run and even though I have many voices in my head that are trying to fill me full of fears and doubt - I am going to listen to the voice I chose to be the loudest! The Voice of Truth!

My hopes are for you as you read this, if you are being called to do something that you are afraid to try or think you won't be any good at - ask yourself - who's voice is that? The voice telling you that you are no good and not worthy of success. Omit that voice from your head - because it's really not doing you any good. The more you can erase those negative voices, the clearer you will be able to hear the one - the only one - that counts. The Voice of Truth.

Awake in the middle of the night

Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 is a year of prosperity, renewal and peace for you.

What do you do when you wake up in the middle of the night? Assuming you are not a new parent and nothing has alarmed you out of your slumber, I would guess you use the bathroom, get something to drink or eat and work hard at getting back to sleep fast. But what if you toss and turn and can not quiet your mind?

My husband and I exchange our results of last night's sleep first thing when we wake up. We celebrate each others night of sound sleeping or sometimes groan over stories of being awake off and on all night. I have even found that this is my first question to my 6 year old "Did you sleep good, hun?"

Okay, so you're awake. Really awake. You feel like you could get up a run a marathon! Consider your options: lay in bed with your eyes shut tight, awake. lay in bed this way so long you start to get stressed that you are awake. turn on the tv and give up the idea of ever having a good nights sleep.

OR...try this: Get up. Go into a quiet room. Turn on the lights. Grab a pen and paper. Watch some great thoughts spill out on paper. I'm serious. You never know what kind of creative energy or thoughts will reveal themselves during these wee hours.

The BEST part of this middle-of-the-night rendezvous with yourself... you will not be interrupted! No one will need you. If you can relax about the fact that you are awake - and enjoy that you may be awake for a reason, it can be a wonderful piece of your day. It is possible that you will have enough good energy to get through your day if you can embrace this time.

So the next time you find yourself awake in the middle of the night - embrace it!