The tattooing of an Olympic athlete

Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr is one of the most thoughtful people I know – she’s absolutely full of laughter and is such a joy to be near. We had the opportunity to counsel together at Honeyrock three summers ago as a part of their Summer Leadership School. Before she left at the end of the summer for training, she wrote everyone on staff a letter - that’s no small number of letters to write! (Nancy - I still have mine!) She took some time off from classes at Wheaton in preparation to speed skate in the 2010 winter Olympics, but every time she was in town (and even out of town) I was amazed at her ability to keep in touch with all of us. I’m grateful to be in Wheaton this summer as we’ve been able to reconnect in our free moments!

Nancy recently decided to get a tattoo of the Olympic rings with a cross in the center, and she had an entourage of friends supporting her : ) She got it placed right above her skate boot line, so it’ll be visible to the cameras while she skates. Nancy has such a strong commitment to the Lord and she never fails to give him credit for her successes (something I couldn’t admire more.) This tattoo is another way for people to know about her faith and for Nancy to share the truth with them if they want to know more.

D Lee must not be too fond of needles.

The final product!

A rainy day and a cookie-making explosion

We’ve had lots of thunderstorms recently in the Chicago area and staying inside on a summer day can spark either boredom or creativity. We chose creativity. 100 cookie cutters, a double batch of sugar cookie dough, a trip to the local grocery, lots and lots of frosting, and every color of sprinkle known to mankind made for a productive and tasty day complete with some entertainment by Will :)

Celebrating Lily and Jonathan

I'm in Louisiana this weekend celebrating the wedding of my friends Lily Panagiotis and Jonathan Dunn! Taylor and I'll spend tomorrow capturing all the emotion and excitement of their wedding day, and I could not be more thrilled to be a part of it all :)

Kevin and Sarah's Engagement

Kevin and Sarah are such a fun couple to be around. I came into our photo shoot a little scattered from a hectic day and left feeling relaxed and so full of joy. Their delight in one another is contagious – I found myself smiling throughout the entire afternoon with them. It became so apparent to me that Kevin and Sarah are completely comfortable with one another. They’re not afraid to be goofy around one another and to laugh at themselves (I love what was happening in the fourth photo!) I’m more than excited for the opportunity I have to shoot their wedding with Tim in July :)

Alternator Adventures

This week has been one huge adventure in learning about DIY car repair. When I found out last week how much it'd set me back to have my alternator replaced I decided (with much encouragement from my dad) to tackle the installation myself. I sort of wish I had a photo of each auto-savvy person's face when I told them what my plan was - none lacked skepticism. What is a little blonde girl doing attempting to replace her alternator?! But I was determined. Just gotta take out the two bolts and the belt right? How hard can that be? Hah! I was okay until the part when Nicky Teeter told me I'd have to move the whole engine to get the final (mind you, incorrectly installed) bolt out. I was not built for such a job. So I returned, tail between my legs to the guys at Gearhead, whose offer I originally turned down to fix my car. One cut with a Sawzall and one new bolt later, we were back in business! Todd at Gearhead let me help him finish the installation (skinny arms DO come in handy for reaching in between tiny spaces under the hood!) and he didn't charge me a penny.

I guess sometimes it is worth it to try and do things on your own to save some money. But I'm learning that it's more important to set your own pride aside and know how to ask for help when you need it...

Sarah gets photo credit for this one :)

Kevin and Sarah Sneak Peek

I spent a beautiful afternoon at Blackwell Forest Preserve with Kevin Graham and Sarah Beasley. We all just graduated from Wheaton together and I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding in July! We traipsed around the forest through the mud and the mosquitoes to find some fun shooting locations on Wednesday. Here's a sneak peek of our afternoon... Come back soon for more!