What's on your wishlist?

It's ironic, even though I was born on Christmas, I never really get into the whole gift thing surrounding Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love to give, but I guess what I don't like is the fakeness of having to give a gift because a certain date says we should. I would rather see something in the middle of the year that reminds me of someone and give it to them then. And as far as receiving gifts, I've always just preferred money rather than an object. I think it goes back to middle school when my mom went and bought me all these new clothes from the Limited Too, and I didn't like a single outfit she picked out. So it was back to the mall to exchange it for new things I could pick out myself. After that year, she said "From now on, I'm just giving you gift cards so you can get exactly what you want."

But with all that said, I do love the reason for the season, celebrating Jesus' birthday, and the history behind how the wisemen came from so far to place gifts at his manger simply because they adored him. And I do love how it leaves an example for us to stop the world around us to acknowledge those who are special in our lives through the giving of a gift.

Ok, so not to be all materialistic, but I thought it would be fun to ask everyone, what is on YOUR wishlist this Christmas?? Leave me a comment and let me know. Here's a few on mine!


1. Juicy Couture purse


2. Point and shoot camera


3. iPhone


4. Gucci sunglasses


5. A trip to Paris


6. Mercedes CLK 350


Also, just a reminder, I'm still gathering addresses for those that want me to send them a Christmas card. So if you'd like one, please email me at scarlett@scarlettlillian.com and introduce yourself! I can't believe how many have poured in already. It's fun to discover new friends here on the blog! Thanks everyone!!

50,000 friends.

So last night I was doing some math. I was looking at all my stats of my websites since their conception last year. Between my old blog and this new blog, I have had over 50,000 unique visitors following my journey, and over 75,000 page loads. That number totally floored me that so many people would take such interest in my rambling words and photos all this time. Especially when I look at the visitor map and see people who follow my blog in countries I can't even pronounce.

So I want to know, of all the blogs and websites out there in cyberspace, how did you find MY blog??? And what is it that keeps you coming back?

Leave a me a comment and let me know! And thanks for being here!

A lot of new photos coming soon... Lots of editing on my To Do list right now!

A very thankful Thanksgiving.

Believe it or not, I helped cook this Thanksgiving.  So much so that my mom had to take pictures of me helping her in the kitchen for evidence.  

We had an awesome Thanksgiving full of a lot of laughs, a lot of simple moments, a lot of friends, and a lot of food and dessert!  But most importantly, this was the first year that my heart was truly full of so many things to be thankful for.  With everything I have been through lately, it was a great wake up call in being reminded, we should not just give thanks on Thanksgiving, but every single day that we are given life.

Here's a few fun photos from the day! And I hope your Thanksgiving was awesomely blessed!


Grating cheese for mom's famous broccoli casserole.

 
My two assistants, Rhett and my dad.


My mom taught me how to make "Better Than Sex" cake.


Rhett trying to help me with the batter.


After all the hardwork, our final meal!


We went to my friend Rachel's house for a dessert party she hosted. The Better Than Sex cake is on the bottom left, and was quite yummy!


Rachel just got a new kitty, Smokey.


Rachel and I!


My parents and I!

Hallelujah!

I can breathe again.

I don't have cancer!

PRAISE JESUS!

After my doctor called with the results today, I fell to the floor and said what felt like 20,000 thank you's. I couldn't think of a more incredible gift God could give me for Thanksgiving this year.

And your prayers are what I'm most thankful for. You provided such a strength for me in a time that my world was turned upside down. And 20,000 thank you's will never be enough to express my gratitude for all my friends here in blogger land.

I pray that each of your Thanksgivings are filled with joy and happiness and peace as the world stops around us and we reflect on the good and blessings in each of our lives.

What are you thankful for this year? Leave a comment and let me know so I can join you in praise!

This will be my first year not eating Turkey since going vegetarian this year, but I thought I would share this photo I took of a turkey a few weeks ago during Lori and Jason's engagement session at the fair. Looking at the turkey, it's times like this I stand in awe of all the little details God puts into his each of His creations. I never realized turkeys were such beautiful creatures before seeing this one.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!

Live like you were dying.

I can’t sleep. It’s 3:30am and I have to be up in 3.5 hours to take a test that could change my life. Or maybe instead, the test is meant to help me start living life. My mom has said of her cancer experience, “You don’t really start living until you realize you might die.” And as I toss and turn in my bed, I started thinking about all the things I keep putting off, or never done, or too afraid to do, that I’d like to do in the next year.

I want to go to Paris.
I want to run a marathon.
I want to feel snow falling on me.
I want to watch the sun come up.
I want to get a new puppie.
I want to take a road trip.
I want to go camping.
I want to fall in love.

Or maybe I can’t sleep because of the bed I’m sleeping in. Tonight I spent the night at my parents house because they will be driving me to the hospital in the morning, and I’m sleeping in my old room in my old bed with my old memories and old dreams of the old me. I remember picking out this bed when we moved into this house my senior year of high school. It’s crazy to think that was almost 10 years ago and all the seasons that have changed from then to now. All the TV shows and movies I watched in this bed. All the long time talks with my mom I’ve had in this bed. All the tears I’ve cried in this bed. All the laughs I’ve had in this bed. All the friends that once sat on this bed. All the nights I worried Rhett would fall off this bed when he was a puppy. All the dreams I dreamt in this bed, both in my sleep and in reality. All the phone conversations I’ve had in this bed. All the moments of life I wasted worrying in this bed about what the future holds when I should have been embracing the moment I was given right then.

I used to change the channel anytime Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” came on because it just hit too close to everything my mom was going through at the time. But now for some reason, I can’t get it out of my head. So I thought I would post the video for you.

Lori & Jason are Engaged!

This really is a small world. Here are the six degrees of Lori and Jason.

When I was in third grade, there was a girl in my class named Nicole.

Nicole's little brother, Jason, was in kindergarten at the time.

In fourth grade, there was a girl in my glass named Lori.

Nicole and Jason moved to Alaska with their dad in the military.

Lori and I went to school together the remaining years, but had different friends so I didn't really ever get a chance to know her well.

My freshman year in high school, I met a girl named Corinna, who then moved to another high school. But Lori met Corinna as a freshman too and they remained close friends throughout the years.

Nicole and Jason moved back to Jacksonville eventually.

Corinna and I randomly emailed over the years but only reconnected last year when she asked me to shoot her wedding in Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas, I reconnected with Lori, who was a bridesmaid in Corinna's wedding.

Lori met Nicole through Corinna.

Lori met Jason through Nicole.

Now all this time later, Lori and Jason are ENGAGED and I'm shooting their wedding in 2009!

So with all that said, I thought it would be fun to show off everyone's yearbook photos that I just mentioned above.

Me (left) and Nicole (right) in third grade.


Lori's 4th grade picture when she was in my class. Jason's kindergarten picture.


Everyone's wonderful friend Corinna!


Now for Lori and Jason's engagement photos! We went to the annual Jacksonville Fair for their session and I had so much fun capturing their kisses all around the fairgrounds, on the ferris wheel, in the fun house, on the carousel, in the bumper cars and more! We had fun in the farm area too. Lori is a big animal lover like me, and Jason used to love helping out on a farm as a little kid, so we got a few shots with the goats and cows too. We even saw a baby chicken hatch before our eyes!

Here are my fave photos from the night! Be sure to watch the slideshow at the end too, it's fun to go through the maze of the juicy color and bright lights surrounding them that night!

Interviewed by the fabulous Flosites!

With everything going on with my health these days, I'm behind on posting about this blog. But recently, I was interviewed on the Flosites blog as a featured photographer along with my photog friend Jill Higgins.

Click here to read the interview!

Also, for all those who have been asking me about who designed my website and blog, they are having a contest for you to win a FREE custom blog! Though my current blog isn't designed by them, they are in the works of recreating my blog as we speak. It will still look the same, but have a have few cooler features like flash and the comment box and easier to scroll through older posts. You can find out more info about their blog contest here! Good luck to you, I hope you win!

Biopsy update.

Hey everyone! Just giving you an update. I still don't know much more. I met with the breast surgeon yesterday for a consultation and from looking at my films, he said it looks more like a cyst than cancer. But he still wants to verify it with a biopsy, and I now have that scheduled for Tuesday morning.

So I continue to wait....... the story of my life. For about a year, I've had this verse on a post-it note over my kitchen sink for the constant reminder about patience:

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

It definitely applies now more than ever. :-) Many many thanks to everyone who is praying for me!! Your support means the world to me!

Tracy & Chris are engaged!

Tracy and Chris are the kind of people I feel like I've known forever. Not only did we bond over how we both have toy white poodles, they share a smile together that makes you feel so welcome just being in their presence. Through the wonders of MySpace, these two connected through mutual friends and now share such a playful sweet love between the two of them.

Below are my fave pics from the session and the slideshow below! We had so much fun exploring Fort George Island and the beautiful Ribault Club. While we were there, another wedding was being set up too. That will be Tracy and Chris soon! Enjoy!