Tired!!!

Do you ever have those times when you are so tired you could just cry? Wow, I really need the Lord to help me through this next week and month. I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted!

But on the flip side, fun things are happening. School is hectic but I am learning so much. This weekend I did a wedding for an awesome young couple. I wish they weren't moving away!

Abby is on the Middle School swimming and diving team. That girl amazes me. She was at practice bright and early on Friday morning, before I was even out of bed! Bless her heart, she is so committed to everything she takes on.

The rest of the family is just surviving with our crazy schedule. I can not wait until Dec. 15!

Oh, and thanks for the flowers on my B-day Vicki! Hope you get to feeling better.

Abby, Rembrandt Lighting

Recent Work and fun pics

Thanks to Jim Scalia for letting me shoot his 37 Chevy! This was an advertising shoot for an assignment.

My three beautiful models!

Last week we had a little fun doing the fashion shoot for a school project. These lase few were a couple for Tonya! Thanks girls.

Up and Running

I am celebrating!! My studio has lights and electricity and is capable of having clients now!!! It is still a work in progress as I furnish it with backdrops and props and new computer, but hey we are progressing!! I am so excited. I took my first shots today. I did a couple of high key shots of Abby. Now I have to get all my seniors in for shoots and setting up lighting. I am so excited!

Business is going well right now. I have really enjoyed doing seniors this summer and fall, they are so much fun! School is also going well, but it is so busy. Our shooting schedule is full with new assignments on a daily basis. But I am learning lots of new stuff, and am really excited about the multimedia and digital color stuff. I did shoot some slide film last week. That was really fun! I forgot how much I love film. I want to try my hand at some infrared film here soon. I will let you know how that goes.

Oh, I also got to try out a lensbaby. It was a fun litte lens! I shot both slide film and digital with it. I will have to post some of those images here soon. In fact, I need to post a lot of images, I have been doing some fun stuff lately.

One more item for the to do list. . . .

Today at church I was really blessed and challenged. Our Sunday school lesson was on the parable of the master who entrusted his servants with talents. Two of the servants multiplied the talents they were given and one hid his in the ground. I pray that God will give me the wisdom and courage to multiply my talents (by telling people about Jesus). At school I often feel very isolated as a Christian, and often am not bold for Christ. I really have a desire to be bold for my faith, even if it means I will be ridiculed.

Well, I better go for now. I still have some chores left to do before the weekend is over.

Family

I am so thankful for my family. This week I haven't been able to spend much quality time with them. But today we went to church together and then to Grandma and Grandpa Carvers for dinner. We were able to visit with some of Chad's cousins we haven't seen in a year and a half. It was fun and the first time we have not been working for a while.

However, work was accomplished over the weekend. Chad gave up his whole Saturday for me and primed and painted my studio! Yippeeeeeeee! The end is in sight. I have been up editing all nights on nights I am home. And yesterday I shot a bunch of school assignments. I can't wait until I have free time again in my life. I want to spend it with my family! Only 8 months to go!!!

Three Weeks Down!!

Well, here it is Sunday night. I have completed three weeks of this semester!!! Yippeeeee! I have traveled six of 30 trips back and forth to Powell. I have to thank my good friend Kendra and her hubby Dusty for letting me stay with them in Cody a couple nights a week. I love you guys, thank you for all you do for me.

I also have to brag about how great my hubby and kids are. They are really sacrificing for me to go to school and I just am so grateful to have a family that is so supportive. I know the kids miss me when I am gone, and it gets lonely for me too, but we just keep saying "it is only nine months, we can do this" .

I am so tired this weekend. Chad and I were working all weekend on the studio. It is coming along. We got everything taped, mudded, sanded and textured this weekend! That is a huge praise. The speed of this project has been discouraging for me, but I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And we have learned a lot of good stuff by remodeling on our own! That wisdom should be shared in another blog.

Most of all, tonight as I sit here in the quiet (everyone is asleep but me) I am thankful for everything God has done for me and given to me and let me walk through. This is a tough year for our family, but God is using it to grow us. Sometimes I am stubborn and independent and think I can do everything on my own. But last week was hard, I missed my family, school was overwhelming, Chad and I were not connecting, and I was doubting everything I was doing. But God reminded me who I am. I am a His child, I was saved by His Son and I am to live for Him! And I never have to go it alone, He is always with me! Plus, God sent me some wonderful encouragers last week. This week I pray, I can be an encouragement to someone else! Thank you Jesus for always being with me.

Camping!!

What a fun way to end summer! After the kids and I started back to school, we went camping over the last long weekend of summer. The picture above was from a hike into West Ten Sleep Falls. You may notice Rae's splint. She broke her arm the second week of school! First broken bone in the family! Way to go Rae!

We spent the weekend with Mom Anita in her camper. The camper was really nice, but I still love tenting it! It was an exceptionally warm Labor Day Weekend in the mountains and we fully enjoyed it. We took a long hike into Lily Lake, well Anita Abby and I hiked it, Chad Aaron and Rae rode the four wheeler. Then on the way home we stopped by west Ten Sleep and hiked to the falls. I got some great images for the Gallery and even better ones of my family.

Aaron got to go fishing with Dad, Pepper got to pork out on camp food and we got to smell like camp fire for a couple days. It was awesome. Abby even serenaded us with some flute music, man she is coming along!

Fun Pics of Abby

Here is Abby with Delta Blue, her 4-H horse, and Gerry her 4-H Miniature Horse. Next Saturday is the 4-H horse show and she is getting excited and nervous. Abby will show Delta in halter class and showmanship and she will show Gerry in halter and trail class and a costume class. She will be Lady Liberty and Gerry will be Uncle Sam! It has been a great learning experience and Abby has learned so much! I am proud of you sweetheart!

So EXCITING!

Today was my day to work in Cody @ Open Range Images.  It was a busy day there, lots of people to visit with.  But the exciting part was that I sold my first fine art image!!!  I have three images at the gallery and was visiting with a couple from Texas.  They asked where my work was and really liked the one titled "Midnight Gun"  so they purchased it and had me sign it!  It was a little embarrassing , but way cool!  All the wonderful work in the gallery and they chose mine (probably only because I was working there, but who cares)  It was an honor.  Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bynam!

Website is DONE!!! (for now)

Well, I have been working on the website for what seems like forever! I finally have it up and running! Yippeee! I am going to take a day off to clean my house and play with my kids! If you would like to take a peek it is at www.gailcarverphotography.com. It still needs some tweeking, but at least it is up and running!

Wow, this is also my first blog entry! I started the blog as a distraction from the website, and then never came back to it. So a little about what has been going on this summer.

I have been busy trying to start my new business. I never knew what all went into this! Our simple garage remodel for the studio has been a learning experience! Man that led to so many little problems we did nto even know about!

Keeping up with the kids has been fun, especially Abby. She is in youth group now and that is scary and fun at the same time. She just got back from camp and had an awesome time. This weekend will be another missions weekend to help folks around town who have some big projects they are unable to do. Pastor Jess and Heather are so awesome. When I figure out how I will put a link on to them. Abby is also busy with her horses and 4-H projects. You should see her with big ol' Delta Blue, they are quite the sight together.

Rae and Aaron have been busy swimming. Man, my kids are like fish! Praise God, because I am more like a rock! But Aaron is already in a level two and Rae is in level three. Abs is doing level five, that crazy butterfly must be conquered this year! Rae is enjoying sleeping in and doing nothing. Aaron misses all his preschool friends and likes to torment his sisters.

We get to see Grandma Lea and Grandpa Walt next week. The kids are excited! They will be here for Abby's horse show. Safe travels Mom and Dad.

Well, I better get going on the housework. I want to surprise Chad when he gets home tonight!