That Was Last Year

How does one sum up a year in one blog post? Personally I don’t think it can be done, and sadly I might be leaving out big things, even important things. But if there is any take away from this let it be that when you fix your eyes on Him, start loving others, and trust Him you just might have an epically, amazing, awesome year!  

I moved back from Florida in November 2011 and started doing wedding photography full time. I would lie if I didn’t say I was scared at times or even didn’t trust that I would make next months rent. The winter was scary but the summer was exciting. When the summer hit it really felt like a job, like I was doing something. Some people were referred, some people were friends, some people were recommended, and some people heard about me on craigslist!

The Piano Fort was an awesome music venue I went to a few times last year.

One of my adorable nieces

 

I not only got to meet this awesome photographer, but I also was able to shoot a wedding with him!

Publically I would like to thank God, family, and friends for believing in me, challenging me, and pushing me to go further. Also the different bride and grooms that allowed me to tell their wonderful stories, so many weddings this year were so encouraging to see and be able to document!

 

 

Got excited at the beach.

Dominated at most pushup contests...

 

We had lots of fires, but I don't know if we had enough.

Me and a bunch of cool people I climbed St Helens with.

I took pictures of food and ate it ;)

I visited family in Cap Cod

I was on a boat.

My crazy but beautiful sisters, and mom

My grandfather turned 90!

Me being the youngest dork in my family.

Branden Harvey is another cool guy I met this year. He lives an awesome life by actively loving the people around him. He might be one of the nicest and genuine people I have met!

 

I photo bombed an awesome family's Christmas photo!

I am making photo bombing cool again.

I hiked Saint Helens, I traveled, I played games, I watched all the Lord of the Rings in 24hrs again, I fell in love with reading, I shot guns, I failed at planting a garden, I made copious amounts of pizza, I cut down my first Christmas tree, and I just wrote a really long sentence. I also fell on my face (literally and figuratively) and know some amazing people that helped me get back up. Here’s to 2013 (the year with 0123 in it), the year of more trusting!

 

I want to end this with something my friend found on the Internet that was very encouraging:

 

HOW TO FEEL MISERABLE AS AN ARTIST

1. Constantly compare yourself to other artists

2. Base the success of your entire career on one project

3. Stick with what you know

4. Undervalue your expertise

5. Let money dictate what you do

6. Bow to societal pressures

7. Do whatever the client asks

8. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals to be accomplished tomorrow

 

 

 

Family and Legacy

First and foremost I would like to thank my grandpa for sharing stories and his legacy with me and others. Also his commitment to always living a good life with purpose and taking care of the things that God blesses you with.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa!

 

Family is very important to me. Not just the ones I grew up with or the ones I know best. I also love the family that raised my parents, and their family that raised them. It’s important because family is about the past, present, and future, which all leave a legacy.

In my family's past you will find much failure, but you will also find much success. You will find hardships, times of plenty and times of want. You will find travelers, artists, teachers, bakers, farmers, and many more skilled workers. The older generations carry with them vast wisdom from life lived, and if we have a listening ear, we might learn a thing or two about how to live better today. It’s easy to want to cover up things in the past--hurts, bad choices, that one uncle that no one talks about.

However, we forget that family is not about being perfect. It’s not about always making the right decisions. This makes me happy because I don’t know anyone’s family that doesn’t have hurts, struggles, and sin. If it were about having perfect families, we would all fall short and it would be a very depressing fact. We are coming into the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of our Savior and even he came from a line of sinful men and women. Let's not cover up the past--embrace it and let it show Christ’s grace that flows out from your family. It can transform lives and repair broken relationships.

After you look at the past generations and gain wisdom and lessons from them, you then have to live in the present with the crazy family you have right now. I think I speak for everyone when I say “I have the craziest family.” They might be crazies, but I love them. They know how to push my buttons, tear me down, and build me up. Because we grow up with them we tend to extend less grace because they should “know” better when they hurt us, right? But that is not the gospel. Jesus was born to save us. While we were still sinners he came and died for us, not because we deserved it, but because of grace.

Finally, how we live today will affect the future generations. We can’t just eat whatever we want, or live anywhere, or buy anything. Everything we do will have some sort of affect on future generations, good or bad. Many of our fathers and grandfathers rose to the occasion of protecting us during World War 2, fought the great depression, and passed legislation, all of what leads us to today's struggles and successes.

So what is your legacy going to be? Will you look back at history and learn wisdom and see God's grace? Will you live in the present by loving your family and showing them the grace Christ has shown you? Will you act now and plan for the future? It starts with working hard, becoming artists, bankers, lawyers, judges, farmers, doctors, architects, all in the name of Christ and His kingdom. Sing loud, eat well, play hard, live a fantastic life, and in the end, may He get all the glory.

 

Peter Mahar - Destination Wedding Photographer - Portland OR