My 12 Best of 2011

It was fun going down memory lane.  Wow! God is so Amazing! What a year we have had! The beginning of the year brought many changes for our family. The Lord has been and will ALWAYS be with us.  I am so thankful that He is our Mighty Counselor and Coming King. I can not wait to see what He will do in 2012.   Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Kim

Blessings,
Kim

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Here we are at the end of the year!  I made it again through the 365 pics a day!  This is the 2nd year that I have completed and I will definitely do it again.  One, it makes me pick up my camera more, two, I have learned a lot and three, I love it!

These pics are shot with my new camera! We had a great week on our ski trip.  The first one is shot inside the car, driving up the mountain.  I was not driving : ) My hubby was!

Well, Everyone, Have a Safe and Happy New Year! And hopefully, we will see you and your 365 pics starting tomorrow!

Keep Christ First!
Many Blessings,
Kim

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Blessings,
Kim

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Oh My Goodness! I AM SO IN LOVE with my man!!!!! He is soooo good to me!  I wanted a new lens for my camera, 50 mm! And instead he got me a entire new camera plus two new lenses!!!! I am so excited!!! So, here is some bokeh pictures!  I was so excited to play around with my camera that I ran home and took these pictures!  This is the best Christmas present!
I am so blessed!
Merry Christmas!!!!
Kim

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Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Kim

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Yum! One of my girls Christmas cookies.
Blessings,
Kim

Some Friends came to Visit....

The Willow came to visit our home this week.  When they arrived my daughter baked some yummy cookies with them and they enjoyed them.

Everyone was excited to see them and one little critter was especially interested. I think they were a little nervous but we immediatley reassured them that we would take care of them.

They had a ride on the snow man choo choo train ride.

During the week, we took them to the "Happiest Place on Earth."  There was a very special ride dedicated to "The Willows."  They had a blast! Toad especially loved driving the car through the ride.

At the end of the week, we had a special dinner prepared for them.  You could call it an early Christmas dinner.  It was delicious! They had a blast... We loved having them... 

What a blessed week!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Kim

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Okay, tried it again!  I think I got it!
Blessings,
Kim

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Bokeh baby!!!!! We are on the road again!  We came home for the week to be with our family at Christmas. So that means I got to see my girl Denise.  I went to her house to talk about a ministry that we will be doing later this week.  I love to serve the Lord with her!  We make a great team.  Anyway, she showed me step by step bokeh and these are the results. I found out that my lens needs to be on manual and I don't have manual focus.  Ugh!  But, I was determined.  I grabbed her camera and shot away.  These are the results!  Yeah for my girl Denise!
Blessings,
Kim

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Random pictures!
I thought the first one was funny that in mid December a nice beautiful orange was hanging on the tree.
And of course a little Christmas decorations to go along with the month.

Blessings,
Kim

A Day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

We were able to attend a field trip at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  My son attended a speaking engagement with Sandra Day O'Connor.  She spoke about being the first woman Supreme Court Justice and pretty much told a room full of teens that hard work got her there.  After, we visited the library.  I have never been to a presidential library. It was amazing!  We actually were able to see part of the Berlin Wall.  I was amazed! I kept saying... Wow, that is so cool! My girlie girl did not really get it but I did!
The first picture is of the Christmas trees on display.  They have a collection of trees representing the history of The United States of America.  I only pictured four of them.
The second picture is my girlie girl in action.  That is what she does... always taking picture in ways that I don't even think of.
The last picture is a piece of the Berlin Wall.  AMAZING!!!

Blessings,
Kim

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My daughter got bokeh on her camera! Ugh! Still trying.....
Blessings,
Kim

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Tried for Bokeh but this is what I got.  It looks interesting but not exactly what I wanted.  I will be trying again and will post when I get something.

Blessings,
Kim

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I took the top picture about 2 weeks ago when we went to get our tree but I forgot to post it.  The second one is of some more fall colors.

Blessings,
Kim

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Some rich Fall colors!

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The last of the zoo!
When I went, we saw all kinds of beautiful plants and flowers.  It seemed everywhere I looked I saw something to take pictures of.  The animals were fun to capture too!  I love to see God's creation.
The picture of the purple flower is sooc!
Blessings,
Kim

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Another picture from the zoo! Sunning in the Sun!

Blessings,

Kim

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Do you every feel this way?  Just hide your head in the sand?  Or mud?
Funny!
Blessings,
Kim

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Oh, the colors of the zoo! So pretty!
You are probably wondering where the animals are?
They are to come...
Blessings,
Kim

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We went to the zoo today and this is some of the beautiful foliage and flowers that we saw.  Yes, it is November 30th! It looks like Spring!

Blessings,
Kim

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I see God everywhere.... do you take the time to see Him?  Sometimes I don't... but when I stop and notice, I see Him.

God is Awesome and Worthy to be Praised!

Blessings,
Kim

365-328-331 A Tree Hunting We Will Go!

We actually were able to do one of our traditions this year.  For the last 9 years we have gone to the mountains and cut down our own Christmas tree.  This has been a family tradition that I feel my children will always remember.  One of my best friends introduced us to this and then she left ME! Well, we continued on without her but I always think of her and miss her so much.  We have been through sleet, snow storms and at times we have had to walk in snow up to our knees.  But not this year!  It was a sunny beautiful day.... Just enough snow on the ground to give me some nice scenery to shoot.

Now to get the tree home... through two states... and then to decorate it!

Many Blessings,
Kim

365-324-327 Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends at Thanksgiving!
We have had a blessed and wonderful week. We had our first ski trip and we stuck with one of our family traditions and cut down our Christmas tree.  Those pics will soon follow.

Blessings,
Kim

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SOOC!!!

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365-319 Plus 1000 Gifts

The Lord has been working me through some of my feelings of late.  On Saturday, I was invited to a Women's Brunch from one of the churches that we have tried.  It was very nice and intimate and the ladies were very welcoming and loving.  The Lord used this time to gently show me some of my ungratefulness and unthankfulness. So quick can our thoughts turn from thankful to discontent, selfish and critical.  Or should I say mine.  I can easily start having a self-pity party for myself.  In the mean time, make my entire family miserable.  Not to mention, my poor husband.  Oh, what a bear I have been to live with lately.  Well, the Lord used a lady, through her teaching, to show me my discontent and how I need to be thankful and grateful for the MANY blessings I have that I don't deserve!  God is so awesome how he gently pricks my heart to show me what I have been doing....

Some of the verses that were covered was 1 Thes 5:16-18 Be joyful always, pray continually: give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4:-6 , Colossians 2:6-7 and Colossians 3:17.

I am here now.  This is where God wants us.  Maybe forever maybe not, but none the less, I am here.  God had placed our family in this situation for such a time as this.  It does not matter why.  I am here.  I will choose to obey my Lord and live a life pleasing to Him.  Not bitter, discontent, selfish and critical. I will choose to see the beauty and the thanksgiving in the things and people He has put in my life.

226. My Savior..

226. My Salvation..

227. His Word and His gentle reminders...

228. My family...

229. Time with our daughter that came to visit...

230. My husband..

231. New Friends...

232. Old Friends....

233. Fellow Believers that have the same Spirit no matter where you go...

234. Sunny days....

235. His Blood...

Many Blessings,
Kim