My Return

Greetings! It's been a long while since I sat down and spilled my thoughts into this blog. Oh, how I've missed it! My life experiences in 2011 going into 2012 have opened up a world of writing topics, thoughts, and words I'd like to share... and I'm looking forward to it. 

More later! Excited to be blogging again!

The Last Day of February

Let's do a quick recap: For the year of 2011, I decided that I'm going to either do something I've never done before or go somewhere I've never been at least one time per month. In January I went to New York for the first time, and I had a BLAST! So, for February (drum roll, please) ...

I STARTED A BUSINESS! That's right, a business! I am an official licensed photographer, and I even have my own website: terrilashae photography

Here's a pic of my official logo & business card designed by a dear friend and graphic artist (Here's a link to his site: Gravy FX)

Here's a quick screen shot of my website:

 

I am beyond blessed by the LOVE and SUPPORT I've gotten for this new venture of my life! I truly have some AMAZING friends and family (BIG shout out to my new friends, too!). 

Can't wait to see what's in store for me in March! Maybe I'll try sushi! :)

Xoxoxo

My Photography Website

Well, it looks like I'm officially going to be up-and-running with my photography business! Yay! So far so good! It's still under construction right now, but you can go ahead and check out my site at: www.terrilashaephoto.com When you finish, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Xoxo

AWAKE 1/20/11

the latest poem I write for awake. i'll try to post them each week. 

"Psalm 23:1-3"

by Terri

I used to, roam around in the dark – somewhere between lukewarm and broken words…

I met him one day, listening to him whisper lies into the core of my rib cage

He, kept me engaged on the lies he fed my ears

He was a murderer. A liar of all liars and an enemy to my soul

And the longer i listened to him, the quicker my heart turned to coal, and i began to lose connection with god.

The enemy tried to trap me. I had too much flesh in my system

I couldn’t praise god with my hands even if i wanted to lifte’m

I had no vision. And i was, tired of listening to religion…

I had, deep incisions and i couldn’t see – the filthy life the enemy had for me

I was, strung out on the promises of satan’s deception –

Back-sliding, even though my adolescence was brought up in church…

I thought i was so well-hidden and so well covered that even the finest detectives couldn’t search, me out

I was lured away from my shepherds protection, just enough so the enemy could infect me with his infections

My lips would say, “lord, here’s true repentance,” …but my heart wasn’t feelin’ it

I just kept playin’ game after game and spade after spade until my hands got tired of dealin’ it…

Satan is deceitfully wicked and he wanted me to believe that god never cared

He wanted me to love rejection and to love pain and to live a life scarred and scared

My heart flared up, and i had no clue i was hiding behind liberty

I had no clue i was deceived in this mind that he’d given me

But god, he stood in front of me, and placed my pain on a rock

He took control of a life lost at sea, and brought that ship to the dock

And he restores my soul…

He brings me back from a life of destruction and converts my soul from sin

He rose again, so that i could have newness of life

When my, bones are weary from fainting and ready to die away – he relieves me and refreshes me and comforts me

He restores my soul with new discoveries of his love

With, the promises of his word

With, the peace of his spirit…

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

And though that path may seem rough and rugged to sheep
i’m quick to examine my heart with whatever he’s deciding

I’m quick to give up what i’m believing and start confiding, in him

His paths are not crooked, his roots run deep… deep, deep, so deep

His word is forever etched through the core of my iris

Freeing me from chains and bondage, like paul and silas

Cause, there’s…

No amount of filthiness that’s too dirty

There’s nothing you can do to change his love
there’s nothing you can do to change his gaze

Because no matter what we do, he still gets the praise…

Let your tongue forever bless and glorify his name

Let your life forever increase his reputation and fame

With god, it’s not just about making you clean, its about moving you forward

January: The Big Apple

For this new year, I've decided that there will be no limits for my dreams and goals. And for every month of this year, I am going to either do something I've NEVER done before or go somewhere I've never been. And, I plan to blog consistently about my experiences!

So...

This past weekend, I went to New York City for the first time with my sister and some of my dearest friends! I cannot begin to describe the feeling I had when I took my first subway ride or when I saw Times Square for the first time! However, this picture pretty much sums it up!

 

Words escape me in describing this city! I was in hyper overload! Lol. We tried to do EVERYTHING you could possibly do in two days in NYC. We stood in line at the TKTS booth to buy broadway tickets, saw Blue Man Group, we ate NY Pizza, hotdogs and roasted peanuts, we saw and walked through Central Park, shopped heavily on 5th Avenue (went to Tiffanys, Trump Tower, just to name a few), LOVED the "Fashion District," road subway after subway, saw the original MACY's bldg, took pics under 34th St., went to Rockafeller Center, saw an amazing Cathedral (forgot the name), shopped in China Town and Little Italy, saw the Empire State Bldg, everything that there is to see in Times Square, went to famous restaurants, almost got lost in Queens and stayed at a great hotel near Times Square! I'm pretty sure I've left out a whole bunch of stuff, and I can't post all 500 pictures I took, but here are a few pics to document my time there. So fun!

 

the architecture of this cathedral was breath-taking

 

central park

 

empire state building

 

fashion district

 

jumbo tron outside of forever 21. can you see me?

 

strange statue of liberty guy

 

me & my sister :)

 

ny pizza at rays! so good!

 

the girls

 

radio city music hall

 

rockafeller 

 

testing the food on the street :)

 

in trump towers

 

times square

 

traffic

After my return from New York, my friends surprised me with a birthday celebration at an art gallery then took me to dinner and a movie in the artsy district of Ghent. I was soooo very surprised (as I would often boast that it is hard to surprise me!) even to the point of tears. I love my friends and am so very grateful for them! This is at dinner: 

 

So, January has turned out to be a wonderful month of firsts! Looking forward to February!

XOXO

Meet Claire Culwell

I had the privilege of spending time with Claire Culwell this past November. Claire is an abortion survivor and an a-mazing young woman with an incredible gift. She's a speaker, motivator and she loves deeply. It was a privilege to produce her story, and I loved getting to know her; I hope you do, too.

“A Sheep’s Psalm”

wrote this for AWAKE's kickoff 1/6/2011

The biggest, baddest dude on the planet is my shepherd
He was. He is. He will forever be
He was. He is. He will forever be
My provider
My leader
My protector
He leads me down a path of righteousness and tends to my heart
In my weakness of mind, He guides me
He’s a watchman, forever dedicated to my life
He holds eternity in the etches of his palm, then sketches the perfect plan for me
Oh Lord, You are my shepherd and I shall not want
It is my assurance that You fail not
You know what I need and You are quick to provide
You influence my surrounds and surround me with safety
Though, sometimes I am timid, fearful - You are strong, courageous
If I back track, You fall back to push me forward
And like a backpack, You carry my burdens and push me toward, Yourself
And, all I have to do... is let you.
See, in order to let You be, I just have to let go of me
You are my shepherd and You abandon not
I could run from Your presence and yet, You follow me
Being a creature of habit, if I get puffed up, You hollow me
You tend to me like rusted silver - worn, but easily restored
You fight for me
And when I stumble in darkness, You light for me
Come close to me. And speak.
The power of Your words are filled with grace, mercy, love and life
Let them, fall on my ears and break my heart
There's something about knowing that You are my shepherd of every second and of every day that causes me to weep
May Your staff guide me and keep me in Your presence and, sweep me away
This is my assurance that You fail not
You are my shepherd and I shall not want

terrilashae photography: babies

Owen & Evie

 

terrilashae photography: jonathan & amber

Here are a few teasers from Jonathan & Amber's wedding. I LOVED shooting this couple! They are wonderful together and I am beyond honored that they let me be a part of their beautiful wedding day! More of their wedding photos will be posted to my website later this week. Smile!

Your Voice

Your voice is like thunder, You

hover above the sea, when

the waves of life crash and burn, You

rush to save me, your brush

artistically paints a picture of who You be

You are, the God of many waters, You are

powerful and holy, in Your temple, You are the flame

and everything screams "glory!" I will

worship You, I'll lift Your name high to see

'cause You have kept me alive when death pursued me, like an enemy

Your voice is, like Gatorade, when I am weak, You replenish me

Like sentences be, if I kept running, You're the period at the end of me

Your, voice scribbles on my heart, Your purposes and destiny, and I

won't bother to erase them, I'll embrace them like integrity

And I'll never be ashamed, to live for You whole-heartedly

I'll stand for You as a part of me, arms raised for the world to see

'cause you stood before creation, You like, existed invisibly

You spoke the earth into existence, then came here to die, physically

There's nothin' I can say or do, I'll just, keep your spirit alive in me

I'll declare Your promise, and live Your word, and

not keep you locked up in privacy

Like infancy, I'll raise my hands and offer my heart, completely

I'll stand

by me,