Sports

Sports is a big part of my life. I'm a basketball coach, my nephews play football and basketball, and my little brother plays soccer, football, and basketball. Being their biggest fan is only part of the fun, capturing them in action is the second part! Enjoy my sports inspired photos!

Happiness Reminder

I know that this isn't exactly a "photography" post, but I think that every once in a while I need a reminder about what is important. I, like anyone else, get caught up in the moment. That isn't always a good thing depending on the moment. I am still learning about life, something that I hope I never give up doing. But, when the going gets tough, I find it hard to always see past the silver lining of the clouds. This time, I am trying a new approach. Instead of becoming pessimestic, I want to remember the small things that make me happy. It's not about finding, "happily ever after," but about finding the moment that creates your "happy right now." There is no order to my list, just things I am remembering that have or will put a smile on my face.

1. My family. You don't get to choose your family. Even if I could, I wouldn't trade them in for anything. NO family is perfect, but my family is perfectly disfunctional. We have our ups and downs, but I know that when it comes down to it, we are ALWAYS there to step up, put our arms around each other, clasp hands, and unite. There is no bond quite like the Thomas Family. The following pictures don't even show all of us, but it is a small glimpse into the family that means the world to me!










2. Mason. I don't know that there are the right words to describe this kid's importance to me. As cliche as it sounds, he was God's gift to me. The day he was born I remember standing over the top of him in his teeny, tiny diaper, taking his little hand, his little fist took my one finger, and I was in love. I never stood a chance. His very existence amazes me, he has taught me what unconditional love means, and there is nothing better than his laugh. His eyes are so intense and so innocent; I have sympathy for the first girl who looks deep into them because they will be lost forever, not that any girl will ever be good enough for him. His smile will touch you to the very core. I am not the same person since he came into my life. Forever my Bubba!







3. My Mom! My best friend, my confident, and the one person that knows me better than anyone else. If anyone knows me at all, they know that I have a relationship with my mom that is unbreakable. I have never met a person that is more giving than her, or who has taught me about life like her. There are days that I couldn't make it through if I didn't have her supporting me in everything I do. A best friend and a mother, all in one person - I am a lucky person!

4. My Friends. I don't have a large circle of friends, but those I do let in are friends for life. People I don't have to pretend around, that laugh with me and sometimes at me, that will cry with me, and that I can depend on. Loyalty is something so important and once I have let you in, I will be loyal forever. Like my family these are only a small portion of those important people, but it does give you a glimpse.

The first 4 are the most important parts of my life, and the things I can truly depend on. The next things are really just the "small things" that make me happy! It doesn't take much, all it needs is to provide just an instant of happiness and I'm hooked.

5. A new purse
6. Flip Flops
7. A long walk on a warm day
8. A picture of the sunset
9. Laughing so hard that you cannot breathe
10. A text from someone special
11. A good book
12. A rainy day
13. A good cry
14. Holding hands with someone that makes your stomach do little flips
15. A first kiss
16. Falling in love for the first time, the second time, etc
17. The fact that I have fallen in love, had my heart broken into a million pieces, and put myself back together again
18. For a moment, there was someone that wanted to spend their life with me, the feeling of having that person get down on a their knee, tell me that they wanted to grow old with me, and placing a beautiful ring on my finger.
19. Knowing that it was just a moment, that he wasn't really the one, and again surviving through a heartache
20. The sounds of sneakers on the gym floor
21. Being called Ms. Thomas, Coach Thomas, and my favorite, Auntie B
22. The sound of a crowded gym, the whistle of the ref, and basketballs on the hard gym floor.
23. A new outfit that makes you feel like a hundred bucks
24. Being a teacher, and knowing that I have made a difference
25. Diet Coke
26. A sun tan
27. Falling asleep in someones arms
28. Hugs, big bear hugs
29. Sand between my toes and the sound of the ocean
30. Pictures
31. Inside jokes with your best friends
32. Communicating with your best friends without ever having to say a word
33. Singing loudly in the car
34. Dancing in your house, with your friends or just wherever you are
35. Hearing I love you
36. The butterflies I get walking down Main Street at Disneyland
37. A movie that makes me cry
38. Lit candles in a dark room
39. A glass of wine
40. Reality TV

Believe it or not, this list could go on. When I started this list I wondered if I could get past the first 10. Mission accomplished? Yep! I think so. I feel better about life already. It puts the negative in a day into perspective. Now, this is a game I could get used!

Jordyn Renee Hanevold, Class of 2010

12 years ago on April 4, 1998, my oldest sister, Jennifer, married her husband Grant. Not only did we get Grant, but we also were blessed with his 3 kids as well. Family is and always has been number 1 to me. 3 more kids to love and spoil was more than I could ask for as an aunt, and I have been in love ever since. Jordyn was only 5 when Jennifer and Grant got married and I have gotten to watch this little girl grow into a beautiful young woman. On February 12th, Jordy turned 18. Last year was a rough year for her, but she has proved time and again that she has strength. She is a senior this year and graduating in just 6 short weeks. I got to spend an entire day with her taking her senior pictures. It was one of the best days I've had! She may be all grown up, but I will always see the sweet little girl with freckles and loving blue eyes. I am very proud of you Jordyn, I love you very much!

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark

If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Love never fails; Character never quits; and with patience and persistence;
Dreams do come true.

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters.

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.

We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.

And so the lion fell in love with lamb

I once knew a girl
In the years of my youth
With eyes like the summer
All beauty and truth

Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.

If you're able to be yourself, then you have no competition. All you have to do is get closer and closer to that essence.