darla~ this stunner is passionate about her love for God, and the callings He has placed on her life. when i met darla, she was expecting her second child, finishing a nursing degree, and moving into a new house. it didn't take long for me to realize she makes a habit of taking on big challenges, to see God's Faithfulness in her life. i really admire her ability to juggle many different things, and do them all well [and look good doing them ;-).].
kim~ kim doesn't waste her words. i love being with her; i always hope i will absorb some of her wisdom. kim has a generous soul, is incredibly witty yet kind, and appreciates a lot of lovely and wonderful things in life. she knows who she is and what she likes, and at the top of that list would be her hunky dutchy man, jaco.
laura~ "kender" is one of the stronger personalities in our group. typically, people would take that to mean she is loud, but, quite the opposite. similar to kim, laura is very thoughtful about how she expresses herself, is really logical in problem-solving, and when she speaks we listen. what she shares has weight and typically makes you think. kender is super talented, dearly loves her nephew, God's creation, the canucks, and starbucks, and has one of the prettiest smiles i've ever seen.
mel~ one of the unique things about our group is that we don't all go to the same church. mel felt this year was a good one to do more at the church she attends, so, hasn't been involved with us on a weekly basis, but, we haven't disowned her, we just say mean things behind her back for betraying us. just kidding! :-) mel has an incredibly big heart and loves people genuinely, qualities which make her a fantastic fourth-grade teacher, fellow life-groupie, friend. she gets excited about sharing what God is doing, both in her life and in others'. mel also has the most infectious laugh you have ever heard; it's seriously awesome.
pam~ if you looked up "lovelysweet" in the dictionary, you'd find pam's picture. this woman wears her heart on her sleeve, isn't afraid to show her feelings, and genuinely cares about you. pam single-handedly made me feel like a welcome addition at life group through her caring voice and questions, smile, and hugs. pam is really humble, teachable, and doesn't pretend like she has life figured out; i find that refreshing to be around. meet the lovelysweet pammer....
theresa~ i don't know what our group would be like without theresa. i'm pretty sure theresa has the greatest ability to connect deeply with each one in our group. her capacity to relate to, well, humans, is incredible and a gift from God, which totally suits her for her chosen profession as a behavioural counselor. theresa is a deep person, and her son, josh [pictured below second-from-the-right with theresa and two friends, for their Christmas card last year ;-).], is half her age and equal her potential. i so admire how theresa has raised josh as a single mom... no longer single, theresa married the amazing chris back in september, and i got to shoot their wedding portraits...
not sure if anyone beyond my life group will take time to read this, but, i have been wanting to write this blog post for a really long time... my life has been very blessed by relationships with other people, not the least of which are the chicas pictured here. being a part of such a diverse group of women is fascinating to me, challenging and fun in amazing ways. our love for God is the common force that drives us, and i'm glad i have the opportunity to publicly thank God for these incredible friends.
p.s. thanks to each one for letting me shoot your portrait at least once! i hope you feel as beautiful as i think you are.
