God Bless the Broken Road...

There's a pretty popular country song by Rascal Flatts called "God Bless the Broken Road". It's a man singing to his true love about how all of the past heartbreaks he's had have led him to the place where he can be with her... so in the end they were all worth it; That without each of those things, he wouldn't be the man he is today, and he wouldn't be with her.

Yesterday, I had a wonderful lunch with my AMAZING friend, Bianca. We caught up on all the craziness that life has brought both of us the last few months (which often times sounds like a country song in itself!)... because between phone calls, text messages, twitter, facebook and every other form of communication, we haven't had much actual face time in the last month.

As we talked for those 2 hours, I began to really think about a lot of things... I am not a perfect girl. I'm not even close. And if I really look at my life and the things I've been through and where I've come from, it is one big broken road of mistakes, failures, crushed hopes and dreams, and disappointments. There are a few paved spots thrown in there of excitement and happiness and great choices... but either way, the road is bumpy.

I thought about how I met Bianca... and how it just seemed like a whole lot of chance (or one really cool God, and a matchmaking twin sister), and if I'd made different choices, I would never have had her in my life. You see, internet, the song is talking about a man and his true love, but I think it is true of so much more than that.

The people in my life, my career choice, my education, my church... everything is here because of a series of choices... both good and bad. Right now, at this point in my life, even though things are sometimes very difficult and discouraging, I am truly happier than I have been in a long time. Through that broken road of choices, both good and bad, I have arrived at a place that is wonderful.

I believe that to be true about my photography as well. Occasionally I go back and look at old blog entries, and pictures I took a year ago... and I am always humbled and encouraged and inspired all at once. I know that I have come such a long way in a fairly short time, but I also know that I still have so far to go. I receive emails from other photographers of different levels... some who have just picked up their first camera, some who have been shooting for years. This is such a humbling thing for me, even now. I look at the broken road of my photography and I am absolutely amazed at how far I've come... but there are days when the road ahead seems like it goes on forever.

The part of the song that I love the most is the part that says "GOD blessed the broken road"... I owe everything I have to God. I know that the gifts and talent (and luck!) that I have is because of God, and I am so thankful that He has blessed my broken road!

I am going to end this post with a series of pictures. Since I'm shooting a wedding later on today, weddings are on my mind, so these are a few of the weddings over the last year or so... and I can't even believe the progress. You can also see the change in my branding, and even the size of the photos over the last year!