the boys are back in town...

or just actually IN town! Zack & Chase arrived late last night in Bozeangeles, so Stephen & i were there to greet them. The rental car was upgraded to a Cadillac STS (rollin' in style!) and when we all met up at Albertsons to pick up some groceries, Chase decided to act like paparazzi - i was playing along and when i moved my hand to block my face, this happened:

my nose bled the whole time we were in Albertsons. When i went to the bathroom to survey the damage (thinking it was a small scrape), i tried to wipe off what i *thought* was dried blood, but was really the actual scrape. Oops!

All in all, it's been great to have them, even though it's been a short time so far (hopefully there will be no more wounds, self inflicted or otherwise!), although i'm a bit sad that today i am sitting behind the desk while they are experiencing their first day ever of snowboarding. hopefully tomorrow will bring more pictures (of the non-injured variety!)

Sunday, Sunday...

on the ride in this morning, i happened to glance in the side view mirror and though i had a beautiful view out the window, something about the rear view struck me and i had to share it...

(can you see the lack of snow on the ground?! it's an unseasonably warm early spring!) also, just in case you were wondering what i see when i walked into the parking lot after church on Sundays...

panoramic view...

i was going to blend everything all nice and pretty, but i liked the way it looked blocked out... this was the view last Sunday (and yes, i'm just now editing it...) - maybe there will be some more from tomorrow!

long time, no blog

Hello all! Life has been a little bit busy around Montana these past few weeks, so i apologize for the lack of information that has not been coming your way... today is actually day 13 with no full days off - one really busy day today, short morning tomorrow, then nothing until at least Sunday - pure bliss!

this last week i got a real nasty head cold - when i went to the pharmacy, they said that most of them had already gotten over what i had, so i had hope that it would be short lived... i'm still a little stuffy, but there's no head congestion, which is a fantastic thing.

Monday brought some exciting change for the whole family: Zachary Ian Sykes was welcomed to the world!
This blond bundle of joy made his entrance in just about 40 minutes and everyone is home from the hospital! This has been mildly torturous for me, as i've held every niece/nephew within a week of birth for a good old fashioned rocking chair cuddle session, but this time i have to wait until mid April! yikes! My sister was gracious enough to throw in an extra session with the rocking chair (which she suffered through) in my stead.

I've definitely been suffering from a mild case of home/beachsickness - the countdown is on and it's 32 days until i fly home! i haven't quite figured out how i'm getting everything home... my purchases of snowboard boots and bindings are the most bulky of the items and will probably have to be mailed home, but i'm hoping everything else will fit!!!

During my time out here i've definitely undergone a lot of personal growth, some a little more like awkward growing pains, but all in all, it has been a great experience (despite missing all my family, Coquina included). I feel like i have a little more direction, even if it is just that i know that photography is what i want to pursue, as well as recognizing (even more than i had already thought possible) how much more important my relationships are with everyone at Coquina! I have REALLY really missed the community and times of worship with my family and those times will be that much more precious once i return home!

All that being said, if you know of anyone who needs any photography work done, kids birthday parties, family portraits in the non-traditional style, events, promotional photos, etc and of course fashion - you know where to send them!

miss and love you all! les

slacking

i know i said i'd post pictures, which i am FINALLY doing tonight... my apologies for the delay - don't have a legit excuse :)

the first thing to point out is that the air is SO DRY up here that you can hang up clothes fresh out of the washer and they will be dry in probably 3 hours max. however, finding space to DRY said laundry, ESPECIALLY socks (being a FL girl, i've gone through more socks than should be allowed - my feet need to be FREE darnit!), is rather difficult. i decided to document the event of clothes drying in a hotel room with limited hanging space! time to get "MacGoober" (ASD, that was for you!)




then i had cabin fever and wandered around outside for a bit, these were some of the things i saw...



it's not overly clear, but this is actually a frozen lake and the view across to the aptly named "Dam Road"

thus the week continues...

Hello all! i haven't had/made the time to edit my most recent photos, so hopefully i will get those posted tomorrow... this week has gone by rather quickly (and slowly all at the same time!). i have to admit, i'm suffering from a mild case of homesickness this week in particular - my family (both genetic and "blood" alike), my dog, smelling the ocean air (though i don't miss the humidity!) and things overly familiar/comfortable, etc... i have just enough free time on my hands to think about home a little more than if i were going 24/7 - all in all, still not a bad thing as i know this is a temporary situation.

Tonight i was reading from Job as part of the read through the Bible in a year program and then it struck me how in the midst of everything ("my breath is offensive to my wife, i am loathsome to my own brothers. even little boys scorn me; when i appear, they ridicule me. all my intimate friends detest me; those i love have turned against me." Job 19:17-29), he REPEATEDLY turns to God.

i LOVE his next proclamation "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh i will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:23-27

it brought me to tears how, in the midst of everyone he held dear on earth detesting him, he wanted to proclaim Him in whom his faith is set... not only this, he shouted it! [well, an exclamation point was used on his quote - it's emphatic enough for me to consider it shouting :)] i don't do a good job of this even when things are going well beyond belief! plus i love that he, along with so many others, never knew how much they would impact other Believers - his words WERE recorded. And because of this, i'm given such a great reminder of the fact that 1. i'm only here in MT temporarily 2. i'm only in this world temporarily and lastly 3. my purpose in BOTH places is to be a witness about the grace which i have been given & share the love that the Father has for us. Humbling, no doubt!

i still miss you all, but stand encouraged and reminded in my purpose... love to you all! lauren e.

an unusual Sunday

So our normal mode of transportation down to Bozeman was out of town today, which meant either take the bus (which doesn't run that frequently on Sundays) or not go to Bozeman. Due to several different circumstances, it ended up working out that we needed to stay here at the Lodge. Stephen worked the 8-12 shift, then had to start on prep for tonight, so around 12:30 i joined in the fun. Tonight is our "Grillin' and Chillin'" - it's just what it sounds like... from 12:30 until about 30 minutes ago i have been cutting 15+lbs of potatoes for fresh French fries, all while manning the front desk (sometimes i impress even myself!)!!

I can see the Olympics playing on the television from my perch at the front desk, and i always marvel at the amount of "team spirit" each country displays, which pales in comparison of THE DAY we will ALL be united under one nation with the ultimate team spirit, united for the purpose of praising our Lord.

And what better picture of love is there than the sacrifice made so long ago for you and for me?! Happy Valentines Day - miss you all!

the drive home

ok, so this is also from Sunday, shot thru the windshield, so you'll have to look past some of the spots and squiggles... all in all, they are some of my favorite shots from MT - i get to see this view every Sunday, with the extra reminder of what an amazing and Creative God we serve

Ousel Falls hike

as promised, although a bit late...

snowboarding, day 1

well i survived! i'm a lot sore, cannot lift my arms above my head and it hurts to walk/sit/stand/breathe... ok so not really breathing, only when i move while i'm breathing :) i'm sure stephen will be posting video later of at least one of my wipeouts, so i'll be sure to direct you to that when he does get it on the internet - i'm guessing you all would enjoy laughing along with me...

stephen was very patient with me and spent most of his day off teaching me how to snowboard (but i have a sneaking suspicion - because he told me so - that it's partially due to the fact that it's funny to watch people learning i.e. falling). i felt like i was starting to get the hang of it, and as it turns out, i did a blue run on my first day, even though we had thought it was a green - turns out the ridiculously steep hill was, in fact, blue... kind of like my bruises! after several times down and too many crashes to count, i called it a day so i could rest my poor muscles, but i look forward to trying it again soon!


the photo is from the lift ride up before my first run, post several spills, pre-many more spills!

2...

be sure to check this and the one posted prior to get all the photos - went on a hike with Stephen to Ousel Falls (frozen waterfall!!!) while it is still kind of warm, but i'm worn out from editing the past two week's photos! maybe while it's slow tomorrow i can get the other ones edited... that's all for now from Montana, enjoy!!!