50 birthdays

Today is a very special day. Well, every day is special, but this one in particular because my sweet mom is 50 years old! In honor of her, I decided to do a birthday blog!
I usually don't get all sentimental about my family on here, although I'm not really sure why. I'm convinced I've got the best:) "God has surely been good to us," my mother would tell you. I always marvel at the fact that I've got such a great mom. She truly is a best friend. I can tell her anything and know that she will offer the best advice possible, without judging, even when playing devil's advocate (mom's are so good at that). We laugh together, cry together, drink coffee together, reflect on the Lord's goodness in our lives and both get nostalgic during the fall season (our favorite!)


She's servant-hearted, loving and kind. I rarely see her angry and she grants us patience even more than we deserve. She's always taken the time to understand us and listen to our problems. I really can't say enough about my mom and the more I write this blog, the more I realize I should've done this a long time ago! Hands down, she is the best mom & "Mimzy".


Mom-you are the greatest! So loving and compassionate toward anyone and everyone. I've never met a person who didn't like you. In fact, I can't help but want to brag about how many people that have met you & told me just how great you are. You are kind to strangers and you've done a great job at teaching us to put others before ourselves, even though we fail at doing so...sometimes;)


Thank you for always being the biggest fan, greatest support, having an open heart and ear to always listen and lean on. Thank you for your wisdom and humor. I'll always cherish the years you poured your artistic abilities into our birthdays (the cakes were the best!) Oh, and not to mention the Halloweens you've dressed up, the Easter's you spent dressed as a bunny, the Christmas' you went out of your way to keep our belief in Santa going. The holiday traditions, the dress up clothes, waking me up for Sunday school at the age of 5 with your singing "wake up, wake up, you sleepyhead". I can't imagine not having a mom who encouraged us to reach inside our imaginations as much as you have. My whole life you've pushed me to follow my dreams, something I've never once regretted.


Mom, I hope 50 years have left you feeling nothing short of blessed or joyful. Thank you for being such a beautiful person inside and out. You are an inspiration.

To life...and 50 years of it! Happy Birthday!!!

I love you.
-Abby

rainy day in Chiang Mai

I love rainy days, especially when spent in a sweet coffee shop in Thailand...



Even better, when the sweet coffee shop has the world's best iced mochas...

mmmm...


...and in the midst of good company



"And maybe when a person doesn't buy the lies anymore, when a human stops long enough to realize the stuff people say to get us to part with our money often isn't true, we can finally see the sunrise, smell the wetness in a Gulf breeze, stand in awe at a downpour no less magnificent than a twenty-thousand-foot waterfall, ten square miles wide, wonder at the physics of a duck paddling itself across the surface of a pond, enjoy the reflection of the sun on the face of the moon, and know, This is what I was made to do. This is who I was made to be, that life is being given to me as a gift, that light is a metaphor, and God is doing these things to dazzle us."
-Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller

I've got a lot of thoughts I've been storing up while on this trip. I've decided to be in the moment for now. Pics to come when I return back to the US.

peace,
Abby

It's official...

I'm adopting a Burmese baby.


Enjoying Thailand. Longer update tomorrow.

Pray for Burma.

-Abby

Sawadee Kha (hello) from Thailand!

I'm currently sitting in bed at the cutest little guest house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where it's raining. The perfect sound and ending to a great day. It hasn't even been 24 hours since I arrived in Thailand and here I am. What a whirlwind, mind-blowing trip it's been. Bryan has reminded me at least 7 times today that it hasn't even been a full day yet. Hello, pinch me, I'm in Thailand. WHAT?! We laughed all throughout the day about how amazing it is that we are here and how this has come to be. Our God is SO big and so loving!

I left OKC at 6:40am on Sunday and arrived in Bangkok at 11:40pm Monday night (or 11:4am OKC time). We are exactly 12 hours ahead of everyone in America which is somewhat fascinating to me. Time change is such an odd thing when you are on the flip side of all that is familiar. The flights were smooth, the people are real friendly and the culture is beautiful. Thailand isn't really what I pictured although I really didn't have any expectations to begin with. Bangkok is a huge city with large buildings and busy highways. The airport there is massive! Bryan and Nikki picked me up and we immediately headed to a guest house. It was so great to see a familiar face upon arrival. This morning we woke and had breakfast at a quaint little restaurant down a small alley. The smell and weather remind me a lot of Sierra Leone...I even had scrambled eggs and pineapple for breakfast which was typical for us in Africa. It's funny to be here and reflect on previous experiences. I've been missing Sierra Leone a lot but I know that God has me here instead and for good reason.

We flew out of Bangkok around 1pm and arrived in Chiang Mai an hour later. Chiang Mai is much smaller and more natural. The grassy mountains remind me of Hawaii. The air is thick but it's tad cooler. The place we are staying at seriously looks and feels as though we are in a giant tree house. (See photos!) After meeting some folks Eleho partners with, we relaxed a bit then headed to the local mall where we ate. I had fro-yo in honor of SoCal. It was tasty:) I'm trying to avoid all spicy foods for at least a little while, considering my stomach has a bad habit of getting ulcers when I'm overseas. We'll see how long I can go without getting sick!

Anyway, it's been an exciting yet exhausting 24 hours. I leave you with my first photos of the trip. We have internet access so I'll keep you all posted as we go along this journey.

first night in Bangkok:


Breakfast in Bangkok:



Welcome to Chiang Mai:









peace,
Abby

the Bean is 1

NOTE TO READERS: I'm an aunt therefore I reserve all bragging rights on this post;)

It's official...baby Ellie bean is 1 year old! My beautiful, amazing, little angel of a niece is a big girl now!
We celebrated this past weekend, not just one birthday, but TWO! Because not only is Ellie 1, Owen turned 3! THREE! What?! When did these babies get so big?! Since their birthdays are so close (O's is June 16th and June 18th is Ellie's) , my sister had a joint "Pirates & Princesses" party. We had so much fun pigging out on b-day cake & ice cream, hitting the treasure chest pinata & of course, watching the kids open presents. It blows my mind how big they are getting and how fast it's gone by. Whether it's swimming with Owen or cuddling with Ellie, I try and soak in the precious moments as best I can. I know they will grow faster than we'd all really like (cue John Mayer's "Stop This Train"). There's just something about their innocence that makes me want to squeeze them and never let go! They are such sweet reminders of Gods love and blessings poured on our families. Life would not be complete without them.

Yesterday, my sister and I decided to shoot some photos of Ellie in a cute little birthday number. Naturally, I can't help but share these photos with you. I just love her so stinkin' much! I promise to post b-day pics soon!

Here she is ladies & gents...Ellie Cunningham on her 1st birthday!

















With a full heart,
Abby

Natasha & Dan/E-shoot

While at Invisible Children, Inc. I came to know Natasha. She handles the Book Drive so whereas we weren't in the same dept., we often met at the "water cooler". She was sweet enough to let me join her at the Animal Liberation Orchestra show at Belly Up (coolest music venue in San D) one of my first weeks in CA. Anyway, Natasha informed me early on that she was getting married in July and I asked if she needed engagements. We finally got around to it the day before I left California! I was thrilled to shoot these for her and Dan. They are the first couple I've ever photographed at the beach! We drove out to my favorite place: Coronado! If you ever visit San Diego, you MUST go here. It is beyond beautiful, the sand is different than most places in SoCal and it's VERY clean. Not to mention they have Hotel del Coronado (you can see it in the back of some photos). It's gorgeous! These two were incredibly natural in front of the camera...they even danced. LOVE IT. I couldn't pick just a few photos so I decided to post quite a bunch that were personal faves. THANK YOU NATASHA AND DAN! You guys are wonderful. I wish you nothing but the best & a life full of happiness!
























Hope you all enjoy.
-Abby