New blog post here.

Hi friends,

I'm still alive! :D Yes, I know I haven't blogged here in awhile. The real reason is that I've switched to another blogging site. However, xanga will always have a very special place in my heart, as this is how and where my husband and I met, so I will not be closing my account on here, at least for now. I follow many of you on here and hope to continue interacting with you. =)

Here is my new spot in the blogging world. I'd be delighted to have you interact with me there, but will also use this account to let you know when I've blogged. Feel free to comment on my xanga blog if you'd like.


Love,

Anna

It's in the glances you give when you think that I'm not looking
that remind me of how much you adore me.
It's the sweet little things that you do,
like painting the fingernails on the one hand I can't do so well,
that say "I love you" without words.
It's in cleaning the kitchen when I don't feel so well,
or making meals together just to be close
that show how you seek to serve me.
It's in the comfort of your strong arms
when I feel like my world is caving in
that I know you'll always be here for me.
It's in your prayers to our Heavenly Father,
and your heart that seeks to worship Him
that I know He has brought us together
and will continue to pen our story of love.



Baby, when I said "I do" two years ago, I had no idea what a wonderful journey we were about to embark on. We've had and will continue to have ups and downs, but the one constant thing is our love - it just grows stronger and deeper. I love you with all my heart and am so happy to be your wife. Happy 2nd anniversary, Sweetheart.

I don't think that there can ever be
a church so lovely as my sanctuary.
It's steeples of trees tower over
velvet grass pews and sweet-scented clover.





Curtains of ivy, trailing with grace
drape round and enclose this peaceful place.





From the babbling of the brook, to the birds of the air,
nature sings in unison - bereft of a care.





And I, in perfect awe, feel compelled to join.
My heart utters forth praise no poet can coin.



What better sermon that what nature brings?
Sheer bliss is in giving our all to the King!



From the birth of the dawn till the fading of day,
creation glorifies its Maker in every conceivable way.



How much more can I, a mortal soul,
adore my Creator and serve Him alone.



Kneeling upon an altar of soft green moss,
I offer up my life, no matter the cost.



And rising again, inspired and blessed,
I leave this sacred ground, my heart at rest.

(C) Anna Deitrich
written sometime in 2001






Pictures from our trip to Asheville, NC - Asheville Botanical Gardens & Shunkawauken Falls

Hello friends!

Wow...it feels like it's been awhile since I've 'really' updated and I feel a bit overwhelmed as I try to relate some of the recent happenings. This entry will probably end up kinda long, so bear with me. Let's see - last month I shared a couple sneak peeks of the photo session we had with my brother, sister-in-law, and sweet baby niece, Emma Joy. Click on the photo below to view the complete set.






It was so much fun photographing them! They're a beautiful family and I adore my lil' neice. She is growing so fast - I feel like every time I see her, she's a bit bigger and doing something new.

On April 18th, my sweetheart and wonderful family put together a lovely birthday party for me in celebration of my 26th birthday. It was held outdoors with a garden tea theme.




Some of the delicious food....


.....and the gorgeous (and yummy!) teapot/tea cup cake that my talented mom designed. =)


My handsome sweetheart and I.

It was such a fun evening spent with dear family and friends - thank you all for making my day so special. Love y'all! Check out the rest of the pictures here.
 
We had the privilege of photographing these two cuties in mid-April. Their mom had us put together an album with the photos as a gift to their grandmothers for Mother's Day.





We'd be delighted to have you become a fan of our business on Facebook.

On May 1st, we had our first trip for this year's goat judging season and it was to Arkansas. It ended up being a wet, rainy weekend there so we didn't get to explore the area as we'd hoped. Then this past weekend we were in California (in Chino, near the Los Angelos area). I loved the beautiful mountain ranges, constant breezes, and palm trees everywhere, but I didn't love the crazy traffic! We visited the Griffith Observatory which was fascinating, and also gave us a great view of the infamous Hollywood sign, as well as the city of LA.

Later we drove out to Santa Monica beach and checked out the sights and sounds of the pier. More pictures from this trip to come soon!

Whoa, I've jumped ahead of myself. Let's back up a bit to early May when we celebrated a momentous occasion, my Grandma's eightieth birthday. The pictures haven't been edited and uploaded yet, but it was a wonderful time as she was surrounded with her many family and friends. It was also a time of renewed friendships between family members. I'm still awed by how the Lord worked on our hearts, getting us to drop our defenses and the walls we'd built up and helped us be truly 'real' with each other.

My grandma is one special lady and I love her very much.


God continues to teach me so much as I daily listen to His Word. I know I've mentioned it before but I can't recommend listening to the Daily Audio Bible enough! We've been hearing lately of the life of King Saul and David's involvement with him. What a sharp contrast between these two guys! As Saul realized the Spirit of God was no longer with him, he turned against David, consumed with jealousy and anger/hate. David was wise, choosing to stay away from the presence of the King and living in hiding. He was presented with several opportunities where he could have taken Saul's life and claimed the throne that God had promised him, yet he chose not to take things in his own hands (a major fault of Saul's) and waited on God to vindicate him.  

Saul really could be any of us - he had good beginnings, wanted to do things right at the start - honor God and lead his people in the right direction. Quickly he became an impatient, hasty, and proud king who disregarded the words of God through the prophet and did things the way he wanted to. Hearing of his life has convicted me of the times I impulsively make decisions without consulting God first. A weakness we all struggle with is living in the flesh, the logical, natural realm of our life. God is calling us to live in the spiritual and supernatural realm of His Spirit. Sometimes His will *isn't* the logical choice and if we don't live in tune with his heart, we'll find ourselves wandering away from the straight and narrow path of His perfect will.
God, keep my heart beating in tune with yours! Help me to seek you and your kingdom first, and not try to do things in my own understanding. Fill me to overflowing with Your Spirit that I may live a life of constant communion with You.

Another thing I want to address because it's ugly yet so common in our lives is jealousy. But real Christians don't get jealous, right? Wrong! In fact, jealousy is probably one of the main causes for the backbiting and lack of true friendships among believers. If we're being honest, I think we could all think of certain people and the times that we've been jealous of them. 
God, search our hearts. Heal us of the insecurities that cause us to 'show off' and promote ourselves to those we're jealous of instead of living in meekness and humility. Change our hearts, Lord, allowing us to rejoice and be happy with those who rejoice. Fill the hunger we all have for love and acceptance, then help us to spill that over to our brothers and sisters in You and to our dark world, desperately in need of your light.   

I pray you have a blessed day. Continue to pursue His heart! He loves you so very much.

'Til next time!

Anna