Ask and you shall receive

Once again I have deviated off the path. Several posts back I questioned whether God uses the internet, after the whole experience and ordering the book I have read only once chapter, that's it one little chapter. One of my favorite stories in the bible is when Moses leads his people out of Egypt, God gives them sign after sign and they just don't get it. Well, now that is what I feel like, I pray and ask God to give me signs as to where I should go or what I should be doing to glorify Him and then I get my modern day "miracle" and it is sitting in my backpack with only 1 chapter read. I am the type of person that when everything is going good I start to think how great I am doing etc. etc. but I couldn't be more wrong. I drive a Honda civic, my dad bought me that car when I turned 16 in 1999 and she is still going strong. This car has taken me to numerous places (some I had no business going to) but nonetheless we have been everywhere together. Some people pray at night or during the shower, I pray in my car. Even when I was in high school my favorite part of the day was once I got off work at American Eagle and I would just enjoy the ride home. Often I would even take the long way home just to have a little extra "me" time. Throughout college I would accomplish more on my 3 hour trips back and forth from Princeton and Morgantown then I ever did in the library. During the period of my grandpa being sick I would take the travel time in the car to listen to Bebo Norman and just cry til there were no tears left. Today was just another one of these times when I was headed to work this morning but God was sitting there beside me pulling me back to him. As I was driving the song "motions" by matthew west came on and as I sang the words I was reminded how much I need my Heavenly Father no matter how strong or independent I think I may be. I was just thinking how I just need another Christian friend to talk with about daily struggles. I pulled in and just took a minute to pray and prepare for my day. Once I got to work and changes into my scrubs my friend Ethan came in we exchanged good morning like we do every morning and I went to set up my room. Then I realized I forgot my pen so I went back into the lounge and as I was digging in my backpack Ethan just asked "candice, are you okay? you just seem a little distant lately" that was all it took as the tears came pouring down. Within 5 minutes of asking, God provided me a friend to talk too. If you are ever struggling whether it be with daily life, family, friends, faith, motherhood, or anything else and you need a friend I am here for you.

Let your Light Shine!!

I was driving home after an evening of last minute shopping and just singing to the radio when I started to think back to last year's Christmas Eve. I was on call so Josh and I stayed here in Morgantown, it was also the first time we attended our church's Christmas Eve service. The whole service was just amazing from singing the best Christmas songs and Pastor Tim's message was wonderful as always, but what brought me to tears was how the service was closed. For the last song we were each given a candle and to light while we continued to worship. We were sitting in the back of the church and I became speechless as I watched how one lit candle turned to another doubling the light and this continued as 2 became 4 and 4 became 8 and so on. I felt like a child as it occured to me this is the perfect example of being a Christian. Yes it is hard but you share your faith with a friend 1 becomes 2, then you both share again 2 becomes 4 and you get the picture. Can you just imagine what a sight if we would just let our light and savior shine. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas just remember when you shopping for you never list and becoming inpatient because you have been in line for over 5 minutes that we are so Blessed.
Merry Christmas!!
Candice

My favorite three letter word....?

MOM! This has officially become my new favorite word. Noah is starting to verbalize little words including mom and dad, of course we are estatic. For 26 years I have been "Candice", my mom has always had little pet names for me but in general everyone just calls me Candice. I love that my little guy has a special name for me that only he can use, to him I will never be Candice but instead I will always be his mom. I then started thinking about how I (being an only child) am also the only one that can call my mother mom. It's amazing how one little word can have such power. Motherhood with it's many many challenges is the best blessing I have ever received!

Giving Thanks

Well, I have definitely been neglecting my blog. I have been soooo far behind on editing and working and just keeping up with daily life. BUT, hopefully I am almost caught up for now. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday week and enjoyed time spent with their families. I was on call this Thanksgiving so we stayed in Morgantown and celebrated the holiday with our second family, the Mewshaws. God has blessed our family more than we could ever have asked for and while I was yearning for the smell of my mommaw's amazing homemade biscuits I realized as always God always has a plan for us. I never knew that 8 years ago a random girl I met on my first day of college would become my family. Jenny drove a huge Dodge Truck, listen to country music and ate creme brulee, I drove a Honda Civic, loved hip-hop, and had never even heard of creme brulee. This year I am thankful for a thousand things from as small as coffee to the amazing grace of God. But I am also thankful for friendships and family like Jenny and Danny, I have no idea what I would do without you guys in my life.

Does God use the internet?

This past week I had an experience and I wasn't sure if it was something I should share pubicly or not. After reading this some of you may think I am truely crazy while others may be as blown away as I am. I am enjoying being a child of God and just exploring our relationship, I have noticed that I pray way more than I ever have and I just feel secure knowing that I have a God that has everything under control. I was sitting in church on Sunday and just praying for God to use me in whatever way he desires. While praying I thought to a book we used to sell when I worked at Tolley's Bible Book store called "God Chasers". I have never read this book and know nothing about it except from the title I gather it has something to do with chasing God :) I really didn't give it much thought until lastnight when I went on Amazon (which I use all the time to buy photography equipment) to buy my girlfriends baby gift. I added her diaper bag to my cart then clicked to proceed to checkout, once on the next page I noticed my balance was about 10 dollars more than it should have been and when I looked at the items in my cart their was 1) the diaper bag and 2) the book "God Chasers". Josh was sitting beside me on the couch so I asked if he had been looking at amazon on my computer but he said no. I had just bought several things about 2 weeks ago and the book was not in my cart at that time. When I clicked on the book it states it was added Aug 24th. I felt like I had just witnessed a modern day miracle. I am always praying for signs from God that I am making the right decisions. Of course I went ahead and bought the book because now I have to know more.

What is your Rock?

Josh used to tell me how much my independence impressed him and to be honest it also used to impress me. I thought I was really strong and that overall I made really wise decisions, (not always but for the most part). I used to think that I was the one who controlled my life which frequently got me in trouble with my mother. Flashfoward to married life I realize how much I depend on Josh for EVERYTHING! If I receive good news he is the first person I call, I just want to share evrything with him. Josh is a fabulous husband and amazing father but I have come to realize that I have been using him as my foundation in life. He has always been the sturdy ground that has held me together, the only problem with this is no matter how amazing I know he his, Josh is still just human and not exempt from failing. We have quickly outgrown our home and have been looking at houses everywhere throughout Morgantown. We found this great house in a great neighborhood that was twice the square footage as our current house and to beat it all the price was awesome. After further research we found that the house has a cracked foundation and that was the deal breaker. Unfortunately this house was not built on sturdy ground giving it a faulty foundation. This made me think about how I have built my life on faulty foundations and the only true Rock to build on is through Jesus.

where does my strength come from?

For many of us today was just a random Tuesday and we are just thankful it isn't Monday, but to a friend of mine today will be a day she never forgets. She will play each and every detail of this day over and over again in her mind but it will never make sense. Today is the day my friend lost her husband after an extremely short battle of an unbelieveable aggressive cancer. They only had a couple of weeks from the day of the diagnosis til today. This just hits home so hard because she is my age and they have an amazing little girl that is 2 weeks older than Noah. When you here of sorrow such as this you just want to run home and wrap your arms around your family and NEVER let go! I have no idea what is going through her mind and I am sure she is just numb right now. I know when I lost my grandpa (he was the only father I have ever known) i went through numerous emotions. The whole time he was ill there were certain songs I would play over and over just because they reminded me that my God is still my God even when I'm at my lowest and you want answers when there aren't any. While I was running today i was just praying for Jess and her family and i kept thinking "where is she getting her strength from"? and the words of this song came to mind. It is so easy to trust God when we are ontop of the world but when we are hurting sometimes it is just as easy to blame Him for our suffering. I can't say if I were in her position that I would be as strong with my faith and I am sure at some point I would question and possibly blame God but fortunately He never leaves our side. If you could please just take a moment and pray for my friend even if you don't know her and just lift her and her family up to God.

Rob & Christina are Engaged!

I just love this couple. Rob and Christina are the perfect match for each other. I had so much fun doing this shoot down on the Waterfront. We arrived to a band playing some very dark heavy metal music that was definitely not setting the mood for a romantic shoot. They were troopers so we headed on down the trail and ended up with some wonderful pics. I can't wait to capture their amazing wedding in April. Congratulations you two!

Introducing Baby Brooklyn

Here is the follow up of the photoshoot with baby Brooklyn Wine aka my future daughter in law :) She is growing each day and I know its hard to believe but she just keeps getting even more cute. Hope you enjoy the slideshow.

Hold the emails

If you are trying to check out my website or send emails, I am in the process of launching a new site so change back in the next day or so. For right now please send emails to candiebennett@hotmail.com
thanks
candice

twin teaser

If Jenny and I were any closer we would be joined at the hips. Jen and I met our very first day of our freshman year at WVU, she was a cute little innocent girl and I was just plain clueless. We automatically hit it off and even after I went back home to finish college we would always pick right back up as if we had never been apart. When Josh and I moved back to Morgantown I was thrilled to be so close to Jen again but after her husband graduated they moved from Morgantown, to New Mexico and now reside in Pittsburgh. Josh says he can always tell when I'm on the phone with Jen because we laugh nonstop which is completely true. Other than my husband this girl knows me inside and out (actually she can probably read me a little better than Josh can). When I was pregnant with Noah and past due I couldn't stand the thought of just sitting around and waiting so I got up grabbed some coffe from Panera's and headed to Pitts to hangout and make the time go by. On the way up I felt some cramping but seriouslly when you are that big EVERYTHING hurts and cramps so I figured oh well and kept on driving. Needless to say after spending 600 in Ikea, Lunch at Bucca, and a trip to Gap i decided I needed to head home. Thank God for cruise control cause I don't know how I would have made it back. After reassuring jen she should go on to work and that it was nothing, I ended up calling back at 11 to say we were having a baby. Be the amazing friend she is, Jen quickly faked being sick and was at my side in no time. She never left my side, literally she was there the whole time giving me strength and encouragement. When I needed advise on being a mom, I would ring up Jen even though she was not a mother yet herself. Fastforward moths later I had a dream that jen was pregnant so i call her and stated, "just wanted to let you know your knocked up" the best part is she had just found out THAT day she was pregnant...see how close we are? In July Jen gave birth to two of the most amazing little boys at 31 weeks. It was an honor to be there with her when she first was able to touch her boys. She is such a natural at being a mother. Now that both boys are home I couldn't wait to get my camera on them so here is a little twin teaser and the rest is soon to come.

Change is Hard

I have always thought of myself as being spontaneous and have often stated, "I love changes", but that is all coming back to haunt me now. Josh is getting to the point where we have to make a decision on where we are going to live once he graduates. Up until now I was ready to pack my bags and head out, but now the reality of having to move is settling in and it scares me to death. The worst part is I have let the decision literally control me, it is the first thought when I wake and the last words we mutter before bed. After contemplating every possible scenario and how life is going to work out over the next year, I realized once again how hard it is to not be in control. The most humbling part of this is how God has let me try to fix it myself and then right before I breakdown He is always there to pick me up. I have been so worried about leaving my friends, Noah's Daycare, starting all over with my photography business that I have not given consideration to God's plans for me and my family. The comfort of knowing no matter where we are we are the there for one reason only and that is to be used by God. Throughout this week I have blasted this song in my car daily. I have repeated The lyrics "Jesus Your Name is Power, Breath of Living Water" over and over in my head. If there is a situation in your life and have tried everything you can possibly think of to fix it, just sit back enjoy this song and whatever is burdening your heart hand it over.

Christina & Rob engagement Teaser

Here is a sneak peak at Christina and Rob's engagement shoot from the Waterfront. More to come later!

Baby Brooklyn Teaser

Here is a little teaser on the adorable Brooklyn Wine. I could seriouslly just eat her cheeks, she is too cute!

Handing it over.

As a child, I was horrible when it came to working with groups. I couldn't stand the thought that my grade was at the mercy of someone else, I have always been a little of a control freak. I have always thought no one would do it like I would (not saying my way was right but it was still MY way). After last week I have learned the hard way that sometimes you just need to surrender and hand it over. It seems like anything that could go wrong has gone wrong over the past week. I noticed that my car was starting to overheat, my husband downloaded a program on my computer that deleted several important files, Noah got sent home from daycare with a temperature, an old man was rude with me, my computer got hacked and you are probably getting the point by now it was a BAD week. Oh yeah, and my son is moving to the big boys room (if your not a mom you may not understand the emotions this brings). Being the type A person I am, I have tried to fix each problem but have found myself drowning with disappointment, frustration, and fear. I was sitting in church today and felt those tears welling up again and it was just such a relief to let them go and cry (I mean really cry). It felt so good just to be vulnerable and know that it is okay. As I sat there i just prayed to God and handed it all over to Him, he knows my burdens even before I bring them to Him. I have been so caught up in what I thought was wrong that I overlooked all that is good. It is so easy to keep wanting more of life but unfortunately that hunger will never be filled unless feed our spiritual hunger. I love how I arrived at church feeling empty and overwhelmed but left with a fullness and the energy to attack anything that is thrown my way. This is a song from the wonderful movie "Fireproof" if you are married this movie is a must. Even if your aren't married it is still a must.

Baby Stiles

Spencer and Bethanie have the cutest family and it will only become even better after baby Stiles is born. I admire their ability to wait til the birth of their child before finding out it's sex. I remember when I was pregnant, Josh and I comsidered waiting and not finding out what we were having....that lasted one hour before we changed our minds. It is such a small world, during our shoot we were just talking about life and such and dicsovered that we attend the same church here in Morgantown. I can't wait to welcome their newest addition, congratulations to you both!

Christenson Wedding

Scott and Suree celebrated their marriage in style. Suree is originally from Thailand, she added her special touch to the fabulous food at the reception. Her bridesmaids dresses were also made in Thailand and Suree actually sewed the crystals on her own wedding gown. The reception was held at the beautiful Pete Dye Golf Course. Prior to the recpetion, guest socialized while the sound of bagpipes filled the lounge. Here are a few of my favs and the slideshow, enjoy.

Take the challenge

I was on call this past weekend and unfortunately got called in Sunday morning. After finishing our case, my friend looked at me and said, "Alright Candice, I am taking the t-shirt challenge". At first I didn't realize what she was talking about, but once she removed her scrub top underneath was her t-shirt with the words Jesus Freak boldy written in red. I had to smile. The next day we were talking about her experiences of the previous day, she caused a mixture of reactions, some people smiled, others frowned, while some would not even make eye contact. I'm not asking you to run out and buy a Jesus Freak t-shirt but I am asking you to take the challenge. Our Father answers prayers, heals sick, saves marriages and the list goes on and on. Therefore be proud of who you are! If you consider yourself a child of God, then don't worry what others think. When eating dinner out with family proudly bow your head and give praise to God for His amazing grace and love. Go out and let your light shine bright, you never know how your simple daily gestures may be used to lead another God. If you read this and take the "challenge" I would Love to hear about your experience, please just send me an email at candicee@candiceelainephoto.com or feel free to leave a comment on the blog.

Two words on the front of my shirt

Noah is now over a year old but I am still carrying some of that "baby" fat, so I have taken the plunge and renewed my gym membership. For those of you who know me well understand that I have basically no self-confidence. Each day when I get to the gym I start feeling a little self conscious considering most of the girls there are a size 4, makeup perfect and sporting a cute matching athletic outfit. Yesterday, I went to the bathroom to change and pulled out my clothes from my gym back (i pack at 5am so I just throw whatever in). Inside was a t-shirt I bought while in Honduras and the front had two simple word "Jesus Freak", so I dug deeper thinking I had to have another shirt in there. All I could think about was what are people going to think of me if I wear this. As soon as that thought entered my head I literally almost hit the floor. Am I really so self absorbed that I care more about what girls think of me than being true to my Heavenly Father? I completed my workout and once I reached the car I just couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened to me. Yes I am insecure about my body, my ability to be a good wife, and loving mother but I just couldn't believe how insecure I am being about my faith. Jesus loves me so much He took my sins away on that Cross and here I am scared to proclaim I am His. After many many tears and a long ride home, I just had to praise God for placing that shirt in my bag and bringing me back to my walk alongside Him.

The Quigley Family

There are few words to describe how awesome the members of Quigley Family are. I was doing a family photoshoot at Chestnut Ridge Park and ran into this family as they were out playing with their kids. Joe contacted me to take some pics of his family but his email had me in tears. This family gives so much time, energy, and love back to our community. To learn more about this family and why they have touched me so much please visit their website at
http://www.timmysfund.org
The Quigley's along with their huge support group are now in the beginning stages of constructing Timmy's place, click on this link on the main web page to learn how you can become a part of something so big, it will definitely affect you for a lifetime.

Send Out Cards Invitation

Hey Guys,
My friend Nancy is hosting a Send Out Cards party at her house on the 24th at 7pm. Send Out Cards is an awesome way to stay in touch with friends and family and you can do everything from the comfort of your home. If you are interested in learning more or think you may like to come just send me an email at candicee@candiceelainephoto.com I would love to see you there!

Katie is a Senior 2010

Katie is an amazing girl, she is full of life and so much fun to be around. I am a little partial considering she is my cousin. I was so excited when she came up for a weekend visit and we headed to spend some "girl" time together. What girl doesn't love shopping, Olive Garden and some fun Senior Pics to top it off. Katie was such a tropper considering it was like 80 degrees and we were both sweating bullets. Here are a few of my favs and the slideshow.

not what I expected

Flash back to 5 years ago, I was the definition of miss independent. I remember eating rice and frozen vegetables for a month straight because I absolutely refused to ask my mom for money (that was just stupid, but a great diet). Josh and I met while I was in nursing school, it is sad to admit but I used the guy for free golf. As our relationship began to grow I never let my guard down. Even when I knew he was the one, there was still a part of me that held back for fear of being hurt. As we continued to date I made is VERY obvious that I never wanted to get married (I wasn't going to be that girl). Needless to say the next year we were married. Then I made it clear that I never wanted kids, I wanted to work and focus on a career..... 2 years later Noah was born.
Josh left tonight for a golf tournament in VA and he took Noah to grandma's on the way. As I sat crying on the porch (cause I just didn't want them to leave) it made me realize how much I have changed over the past few years. I have gone from miss independent to miss completely dependent! I have to laugh as I write this just because of how much we change overtime. The life I once considered was all about me now includes two of the most amazing boys and they are what my life is all about now. It's amazing how so much of my identity and who I am comes from not being Candice but from Josh's wife and Noah's mom.
On our wedding day I refused to be announced as Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Petrunger- I have a name too and it is not Mrs. josh Petrunger. I think at that point in life I considered the title offensive now I consider it an honor. I guess it's true when they say, "never say never".

surrendering

Each Sunday I come from church so rejuvenated and ready for the week. As many of you know I have struggled lately not with my faith but with living daily in a way that I feel pleases God. I have everything in the world to be thankful for and I truely am, God has blessed me with the most amazing and loving husband who I could not imagine a day without. Then He took it even another step with blessing us to have a family and healthy little boy. In April I took a trip to Honduras that has impacted my life in a way I didn;t realize was possible. One of my biggest fears has been I would forget the burden God layed on my heart as I walked throughout the village of the local familes we were serving. So, today I came to the conclusion that I am a girl that wants my cake and wants to eat it too! I want to have a relationship with God that guides me each day......but I also want my dream house and all my worldly possessions. Not saying there is anything wrong with with financial success or luxery homes, but for me I have often put my dreams before my Father. This song had me tears as I sang out in church today. It is so hard to surrender it all due to the fact of feeling vulnerable, but with God when we surrender it actually strengthens us.
Each week as we are singing I look around and am awe of those who raise their hands in worship, I have ALWAYS wanted to do this, but something always holds me back. I fear that what if the person next to me thinks Im weird. So silly how we worry about what others may say or think even while at church. So this is my year and I am going to learn to lift my hands in worship and "surrender" it all to my God.

Introducing Max Woods

Little Max is so adorable. We had a wonderful time going around the house taking fun candids. John was so cute as he ran around the house finding different ways to prop little Max up for his shoot. My favorite shot has to be when John rolled out the Harley. This family is just beautiful inside and out. max is growing so fast and I can't wait to get my camera on him again.

Going through the motions

It seems like throughout different chapters of life there have been numerous songs I have held onto for inspiration, comfort, excitement, celebration, etc. Recently i just cannot get enough of this song by Matthew West, some of you may know that Matt had to have surgery on his vocal cords and wasn't allowed to speak for a whole year. After recovering, this song sums up not only his past year but daily life.
Last week I was on my way to work at 630am and just in my head I was thinking man I wish that song would play, you know it, the very next song was it.
Routines are needed but they can also hinder us. Work 7-330, pick up Noah from daycare, head home (fighting traffic), make dinner, work around house, bathe Noah and put to bed, pack lunches for tomorrow, check emails, pay bills, edit pictures.....daily chores never end and it is so easy to become absorbed with just staying afloat. But at the end of the day, you hop in bed and realize that today is gone, completely gone and there is nothing we can do to bring it back. So at what point did I stop and take in the beautiful sunset that God has given, or hugged my husband a little longer than usual. I am making it a point to live and love with all I have, at the end of today I will not look back with the regret of going through "the motions"

Struggles

Life is definitely going by with a flash. Noah turns 1 next month and I have no idea where the year has gone. Lately I have found myself with the constant feeling like I am forgetting something. Finally, the other day I just sat down to think what is it that is bothering me? What am I forgetting to do? Why do I feel so unnerved? Then I realized I have been so busy with work and trying to grow my business and spend time with family that I have been neglecting my relationship with my heavenly father. I have been so busy with myself and MY wants that I have deviated so far from the path God has layed for me. Sunday at church this song was played and it touched me so deeply I just wanted to share it with everyone. This song was written by the lead singer after he had attended a camp with a friend who was struggling with a chemical addiction and he just didn't know how to confront him. So often we are scared of what our friends may say if we confront them. Watching someone you love struggle with life wether it be drugs, alcohol, or even faith is hard to do. But staying silent isn't always best. I just encourage each of us to invest in those we love and give more of ourselves. Hope you enjoy the song.

The Hutchison Family

Tina is by far one of the most stylish moms I know, she is beautiful on the inside and out. So it is no suprise how stinking adorable her two little girls are. I was so excited to get my camera on the newest addition to the family, Kate. I couldn't resist her chubby cheeks and thighs! She was excellent through the whole shoot, we had to stop for milk a few times but then she was good to go. Jacqueline was more interested in planting flowers and playing in the dirt with grandma. She was too cute with her Dora the Explorer gardening gloves and she even has her own gardening tools.

Anniversay

Wow, I can't believe it has been 3 years of marriage already, the time flies by. Josh and I met in our hometown of Princeton, WV. We have been in Morgantown now for 4 years. During the past 3 years we have moved 4 times, bought a house, got a dog, changed jobs, had a wondeful little guy (noah), lost loved ones, and fallen more in love with each passing day. At the end of the day yesterday we both just laughed at how much life has changed, previously we have gone out or taken a romantic trip to celebrate but this year was quite different. We were both up at 530am, showered, Noah woke at 6, everyone got dressed, dropped Noah off at daycare, I went to work, Josh to the hospital for a rotation. 5pm we finally made it home, Josh had to prepare for a presentation and being the amazing wife I am, Noah and I went and bought 5 dollar Little Ceasar Pizza (and bread sticks) for our romantic dinner. back home by 6, ate dinner. 7pm, Noah's bath time then bottle then attempting to put in crib. 8pm editing pics. 10pm finally bed. This is our life and I LOVE IT!!!!

The Bryner Family

This was such a fun shoot!! Ellen is a RN at Ruby and her daughters Riley and Marisa are such beautiful girls. This family definitely knows how to have fun, these group does it all from cheerleading, to softball, to bowling. Little James was so cute and the poor guy was fighting an ear fection but just kept on smiling.

Beach Fun

I could definitely get used to this style of living. The beach has been amazing and Noah absolutely loves it. We had a great time yesterday just playing in the waves and sand. Mom and Tim took us out to dinner at "Michaels", Noah had his run into a lemon and kept coming back for more. i know it was evil but we just couldnt resist. Then we headed to the boardwalk for a fun evening.

Day 1 at the Beach

Yeah!!!! We finally made it to the beach! Noah was such a champion, we had a little rough area before Winston Salem, but then the kid slept for 4 hours straight. He was so much fun watching as he tried to take in the sand and ocean. We had him sitting in the sand with the waves coming around his legs when my mom started waving from our condo...being the great mom I am I turned and started waving back right when Noah got smacked in the face with a wave. He was a sport, thought he would start bawling but he just coughed up all that water and sand. He loved the pool, I think he would still be in it if we wouldnt have pulled him out. i love vacation with family, Josh and I are off for a walk on the beach.

Intoducing Garrett

I had the best time doing Garrett's first photoshoot and I finally found someone who likes to eat as much as I do. Katie was so much fun and a great mom. Hope you all enjoy.

week without noah

So, the Grandma's have been keeping Noah since Thursday and I am about to go crazy. I seriously thought about driving to Princeton to pick him up lastnight. I never dreamed it would be this hard to be apart for just a week. Thankfully we are heading to the beach on Saturday, I am so excited to see him play in the sand for the first time.

Mother's Day

Today was my first official mother's day! I couldnt have asked for a better day. I woke up to tulips and my fav (cup of Joe)! Josh, Noah and I just enjoyed spending the day together. We are all sick but even with raw noses and a box of tissues, we headed out to the park. This is the first time Noah has ever been to the park, and he wasn't to fond of the experience. He was scared of the slide and swing, but had a blast eating all the woodchips (I hope he can digest them). Today made me stop and remember how much God has blessed me and my family. I think of all those who desire to have children but are unable. Motherhood has been the best experience and I hope God contiues to bless our family. I hope everyone had a wonderful mother's day.
Here are a few pics from the park, I love the one of my husband on the little horse (just another reason I love him so much).

Gratitude

I should have written before now, but I wanted to wait til I had time to really sit down without any distractions. It has been a week now since I returned from Honduras but the experience is still laying heavy on my heart. In junior high i made my "bucket list" but at the time I just considered it a list with all i wished to accomplish. One item on that list was to go on a mission trip, my only regret is that I didn't go sooner. I have never felt so strongly the presence of God in each step i took along this journey. God humbled me in a way my heart needed. My prayer is to remember each day how i felt while in Honduras, I desire to follow God each day and to serve others. For so long it seems like I have put such emphasis on myself. I have frequently gotten my desires confused as needs. I hope to stay grounded and keep my eyes and heart where they belong, on Jesus.

Grant is such a sweet little addition the Julie's family. I used to work with Julie in the ICU then we both left at the same time. She is now a RN in the PACU at West Virginia University.

Honduras

I can't believe I am still packing my bags, but even more I can't believe I am leaving tonight! Just a little update, I am going to La Ceba Honduras for a 8 day medical mission trip. We will be seeing on average 100 patients a day. If you send me an email just give me a little time to tackle my inbox once I return. It is so difficult to leave me husband and little guy for a whole week. Check back for an update on the trip and photos of all we accomplished!

50% OFF

Hey guys,
just a little reminder only 5 more days left to receive 50% OFF. Just book your wedding, enagement or other photoshoot before midnight on April 15 and you will receive 50% OFF. Just shoot an email to candicee@candiceelainephoto.com or call me at 304-920-9270. Slots are filling up so be sure to hurry up and take advantage of this promotion. I look forward to hearing from you!

Rachel and Evan are engaged!

Rachel and Evan are a such a wonderful couple and I can't wait for their wedding! I was lucky to be able to be part of their engagement even though we froze by the end of the shoot. Macy, their cute little addition to the family graced us with her presence at the end for their first "family portrait".

Josh and I went to the Passion on Sunday and what an amazing experience. It was definitely food for the soul, I am so excited about Easter this year. This will be Noah's first Easter and even though he has no idea what is going on I am still just excited. I love the family traditions, my mommaw hides eggs the night before so all we "big" kids can find them, then we all take turns hiding them for the kids then once again they hide them for us. Easter Bunny's, candy, and baskets are all great but when we comprehend what Jesus did for us, I am still in awe. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and hopefully this crazy snow will go away so we don't have to wear our winter coats this Sunday.

exhausted

What a call week, I am truely exhausted and missing my family at this point. This has been my toughest call week so far. My church is having its annual Passion play tonight and I am really hoping to be able to go and enjoy without being paged in again. Noah has started crawling and he is everywhere and into EVERYTHING. This morning I caught him sitting in the bathroom floor chewing on one of Dakota's dog bones, I guess it could be a new teething toy but it was just way to gross for me.

It's Friday!!

Wow!! What a work week. So thankful it is Friday just wish the call was over. For those of you that don't know, I am also a RN. Weeks like this make me realize just how blessed I am truely am. Each day has been full of really sick patients and several facing death soon. Even when times are rough we can always remember there are others having it way worse. My email is back up and working but if you havent received an email from me then please just resend it to candicee@candiceelainephoto.com. Also, dont forget you only have til the 15th of April to book your event to get the 50% discount. There are limited slots available so hurry up before it's too late.

email

hey guys,
i am having some issues with the email account listed, so if you have emailed me and not received a reply please resend email to candiebennett@hotmail.com until this problem is resolved, sorry for the inconvenience. thanks

Celebrate

In celebration of the opening of my website, any photoshoots book between today and April 15th will be HALF OFF!!! So, if you are that last minute bride, or just simply in need of a new family portrait, just shoot me an email at candicee@candiceelainephoto.com or simply give me a call at 304-920-9270 I would love to hear from you.

Rachel and Evan are Engaged!

Rachel and Evan are my terrific neighbors, they have always been wonderful friends and I was excited to capture a little of their love. This is just a teaser and more will be added.