Uganda video

i went to Uganda in August.
and then i made this video from all the short clips i took while i was there.

i hope it makes you smile like it makes me smile. :)
i hope it gives you a glimpse of life in Africa.
and i hope it makes you want to go to Uganda.
please watch and be blessed.

on looking back to move forward.

note: i wrote this post on my 20th birthday (in October), but because of my travels (i'm home now!) i'm just getting around to posting it. :)


wasn't it just yesterday that i turned 13 and was terribly impatient in waiting for the "important moments of my life" like driving, graduating from high school, and getting married?

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 14, insecure, and wishing for a close friend or two?

wasn't it just yesterday when i was 15 and scared to death of driving over 35mph in a 50mph zone? ;) 

wasn't it just yesterday when i was 16, saving every penny for a "big camera", and dreaming about photographing weddings and high school seniors?

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 17 and had a checklist for my life? 

graduate from high school: check!

launch my photography career: check!

leave the family farm: 

graduate from college: 

fall in love:

get married:

start a family: 

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 18, wearing my brave face, and confidently leaving home to take on the world, but secretly terrified and shaking in my black Converse sneakers? 

wasn't it just yesterday that i turned 19 and decided to throw out my life's checklist? because nothing had happened the way i had planned and i was confident that God had a different (and way more fulfilling!) plan for my life.

wow. 

7 years of my life.

what can i say?

i can't believe how much i have changed...but i can believe it.

i regret much,

lost much,

hurt much,

and wished much.

i also learned much,

saw much,

lived much,

dreamed much,

grew much,

and loved much. 

it's funny to look back over my "teenage years" and see who i was then compared to who i am now. 

but when i look at who i am now, i realize how much more i still need to grow. 

i'm looking back to move forward. 

and today?

today i say goodbye to the teenage years.

today i look forward to my best years ever.

they're right in front of me, happening as i type. 

today i look forward to the dreams and goals for 2014 that God will give me.

here's to a year full of just Jesus, total faith, and fantastic things. :)