Ruth Ueland Photography

My New Blogsite!!

2011-08-14T21:34:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!! Maybe some of you are wondering why I NEVER post on here anymore... well! I've moved! :) My new site is: http://lajoiephotography.com
Check my blogsite out and leave me a comment there... I'd love to hear your feedback on the new look and my name change! :)

.Nocks Family.

2011-01-14T14:56:00.005-06:00

.Joshua & Amy.

2010-12-29T07:12:00.006-06:00

In August I photgraphed my dear friend Amy's wedding! Her wedding was gorgeous, and I was honored to capture her special day!
Joshua & Amy were married under a gazebo nestled in the quiet Ozark hills. Ah.. I love the beauty of outdoor weddings - I love trees for the church walls, grass for the center aisle, and a blue sky for the ceiling!

The Lord is good to ALL...

2010-12-17T14:59:00.002-06:00

“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” - Psalm 145:9

How true I have found this verse to be! He is indeed good to all... He is SO good to me. I see His goodness through His works in my life. Do I always see His workings to be good in the midst of Him doing the work? No... quite often I don't understand how they are for my good, but I must rest in HIM and trust that He is faithful and that He will work it out for my good. I trust that when I am through I can say, “Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” - Psalm 139:14b

I have learned that putting my trust in Him is always best. I have learned that His love for me is greater than I can ever imagine, and because of that love He will ever be my guide and protector. I have found that when I trust Him, who loves me, I am safe from all harm. “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” - Psalm 36:7

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” - Psalm 34:8 I have tasted of the Lord's goodness in my life – time and time again! He has never failed me in the past and I know that He will not fail me now. I have found Him to be worthy of ALL my trust, at ALL times, and in ALL things.. “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” - Psalm 62:8

Though I meet with trials that are hard, a test to my faith, and shake my trust in Him, when I remember His goodness, His love, His mercy, and His grace, I can press on! When I remember that His works in my life are because of His goodness, I can praise the Lord for His every working in my life. I can say, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.” - Psalm 107:8

"Delight thyself also in the Lord..."

2010-07-09T20:05:00.003-05:00

"Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."
~ Psalm 37:4-5

The two verses above have been my “meditation” very often in the past month. I find myself being drawn to them over and over again. They have meant a lot to me, and are so fitting for where I am right now. One Sunday evening a few weeks ago I was thinking on these verses and decided to pick up Matthew Henry's Commentary and see what he had to say on them. I was very blessed by what he said!! Ever since then these verses have been my mediation more than they were previously... and Matthew Henry's thoughts have helped shape more exactly my thoughts in relation to the situation I am in. I hope his thoughts on these verses are a blessing to you also.

On Psalm 37:4-5:

“We must make God our heart's delight and then we shall have our heart's desire. We must not only depend upon God, but solace ourselves in him. We must be well pleased that there is a God, that he is such a one as he has revealed himself to be, and that he is our God in covenant. We must delight ourselves in His beauty, bounty, and benignity; our souls must return to him, and repose in him, as their rest, and their portion for ever. Being satisfied of his loving-kindness, we must be satisfied with it, and make that our exceeding joy, Ps. 43:4. We were commanded to do good, and then follows this command to delight in God, which is as much a privilege as a duty. If we make conscience of obedience to God, we may then take the comfort of a complacency in him. And even this pleasant duty of delighting in God has a promise annexed to it, which is very full and precious, enough to recompense the hardest services: He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and be pleased in him.

“We must make God our guide, and submit in every thing to his guidance and disposal; and then all our affairs, even those that seem most intricate and perplexed, shall be made to issue well and to our satisfaction. The duty is very easy; and if we do it aright, it will make us easy: Commit thy way unto the Lord; roll thy way upon the Lord (so the margin reads it), Prov. 16:3; Ps. 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, the burden of thy care, 1 Pt. 5:7. We must roll it off ourselves, so as not to afflict and perplex ourselves with thoughts about future events (Mt. 6:25), not to cumber and troubles ourselves either with the contrivance of the means or with expectation of the end, but refer it to God, leave it to him by his wise and good providence to order and dispose of all our concerns as he pleases. We must do our duty (that must be our care) and then leave the event with God. Sit still, and see how the matter will fall, Ruth 3:18. We must follow Providence and not force it, subscribe to Infinite Wisdom and not prescribe. The promise is very sweet. In general, He shall bring it to pass, whatever it is, which thou has committed to him, if not to thy contrivance, yet to thy content. He will find means to extricate thee out of thy straits, to prevent thy fears, and bring about thy purposes, to thy satisfaction.”

~Matthew Henry

~[thoughts]~

2010-04-03T22:17:00.005-05:00

For almost a month now the thought has passed through my mind time and time again that I ought to post some words or "thoughts" on my blog. A few times I have contemplated the subject of what my post would be, but I never actually sat down and wrote out a post. Here I am now, though - finally, ready to write... yet I can't seem to think of what I should write now that I really can. (Don't things generally happen that way?)

The springtime!! that's what I'll write about. I love the springtime... who could help loving it?! Everything is turning green, flowers are bursting out everywhere, the birds warble happy songs, you are lulled to sleep by the night peepers, the sunshine invites me to go outside and drink it in, and I love the cool, crisp starry nights; oh, the springtime reminds me of new beginnings and of happiness... it makes my heart want to sing!! This spring I have wished to just step back and find beauty and pleasure in the small things; and the things I may not always hold in my hand... to cherish and love the things that I may have only for a moment longer. I want so much to live out my thankfulness for what God has given to me. I wish to enjoy what He has given me while I have it, because I don't know the moment when things may change. That is one more thing I often think of when I think of this spring - change. Life brings change... and with the change there can be joy or sorrow, but both are from the loving hand of my God. Change is inevitable and it helps to shape and grow us into the person we are as we walk life's pathway. I pray that through every change this spring, summer and year may bring me, I allow the Lord to shape me more and more into His image. I can trust that He will be faithful in every moment and day He gives me. And until He takes something away I want to enjoy it and never have to look back and wish I hadn't taken something for granted. I want to pause for a moment and take in all the beauty of springtime. I want to look around me and marvel at the power and works of my awesome Creator!
We serve an amazing God... I hope you will take just a moment to thank Him for all He has given you! Notice the beauty of spring that surrounds you... let a flower, bird, or the sunshine put a little happiness in your heart!

♡ ~Life is Beautiful~ ♡

{Sophie Noel}

2010-03-16T13:12:00.005-05:00

~{the .M. family}~

2010-03-16T11:28:00.008-05:00

{Max}

{Natalie}

{Jack}

{Eden}

{Molly}

{Sophie}

.Joanna.

2010-02-22T14:43:00.005-06:00

Farewell, Dear Friend!

2010-01-06T21:55:00.007-06:00

In only a few days, on Jan. 11th, my dear friend Jerusala will head off to South Africa for 6 months at Glenvar Bible College as she prepares to serve as a missionary there with her husband-to-be, Roy Daniel! Then she will come home in July, marry in the Fall and head back to South Africa to live their as a missionary.

When I first met Jerusala I had no idea that I would become best friends with her... I didn't even entertain the thought that I would keep in touch with her after her family came from PA and visited my church in March of '08. But, thanks to gmail/google talk we ended up staying in very close contact. Her family came down to our family camp again in the Fall of '08, and since then I have visited her in PA a couple times and her family has come to MO once more. What a blessing it has been knowing her over the last almost 2 years! She has been a source of endless encouragement to me, especially over the past year. I am sure that as she goes to SA there will be many others who will be encouraged by her example of Christ. I feel like my friendship with her is beyond what I deserve and I treasure it very dearly. I am very thankful the Lord allowed her into my life.

Jerusala, I hope and pray that the Lord will encourage and strengthen you for this next chapter of your life. May you find His promises ever true, and His mercies new every morning! Let Him be your guide, and may all your trust rest in Him! May you feel His care and love every moment of every day. I hope that while you are in South Africa you grow very much in your walk with our dear Saviour... and that your relationship with Him is deepened and renewed.
I will miss very much our long chats and the long talks we've had when I've been with you. I will miss everything about you!!! I hope very much that we will still find it possible to talk often and stay in touch despite different time zones and busy schedules.

Thank you very much, dear friend, for what you have been to me! Thank you for investing time in my life... for taking time to encourage and help me along my way. I owe very much to you! Thank you so much for being my friend. I will miss you more than you know...

I love you, Jerusala... you are truly amazing!

Thoughts...

2009-12-23T20:17:00.004-06:00

It has been a very long time since I've posted much on my blog. I have been so busy, and when I do have a chance to sit down at the computer posting on my blog is about last on my list of concerns! I always think that one day I will have more time to do things like blog posts, but life instead proves that I have less and less free time to do these things. Hmm... I wonder if I have any readers left? If I do, they must be very faithful and have more hope in this blog than I do!

It's almost the end of 2009... what should I say of this past year? When I actually take a moment to think about this past year so many things come to my mind that I could write of. There is one resounding theme, though, when I think about this past year: God is so good to me.

God is so good to me! When I think of failures, ways I've grown, mountaintops, valleys, and mundane things I am always reminded of how good the Lord has been to me through it all. It overwhelms me when I look back over this past year and see how the Lord has protected and guided me all the way with His loving care. He knows just when to reach down and comfort in a dark night, and He knows to reprove when I've wandered astray! Both are from Him, both show His mercy toward me, both show me just a bit of His love for me, both help to deepen my walk with Him. How often I find that when I begin to taste a little of His goodness I only want more and more of Him. To know Him is to want to know Him more... as my walk with Him has deepened over the past year I've found more and more truth in that phrase. Each day as I learn more about Him, I am constantly reminded of how good He is to me. How little I know of His goodness, but, oh, how I want to know more!!!

I was meditating on this verse a bit this evening...
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness. Psalm 17:15 Very often there are things set in my way that make me want to shrink away from what I know is my duty as a Christian, they seem so hard, or I may see nothing in them that seems like it could be working out for my good and His glory. It is often hard to follow on the path He sets before me when I can't see what lies ahead, when I don't understand why... but He is good, He knows why, and it's all out of His love for me that He sets those things before me. It is wonderful to be reminded that after He has tried and purified me... after my race is finished, I will awake with His likeness and I shall be satisfied! I will know that to follow after Him in righteousness even when I don't understand is worth it... and I will be satisfied if I always keep Him in view. He is just, He is righteous, and He knows what is best for me and He will bring me through. I truly serve a good God!

Well, I hope that you didn't mind reading a few of my thoughts. Keep the Lord ever before you and you will be reminded of His goodness toward you. He is worthy to be served, He is worthy of our love and service, He is worthy of our all!!!

.Runolfssons.

2009-12-04T21:34:00.007-06:00

Azarina

Gwineth

Thor

Maddox

Lilija

.Kevin & Carissa.

2009-10-28T20:09:00.004-05:00

You can see more photos from Kevin & Carissa's wedding in my web album.

.K & C.

2009-10-27T12:51:00.001-05:00

On October 17th I photographed Kevin & Carissa Nocks' wedding. They were married at Alley Springs (in MO). It was a simple, yet beautiful outdoor wedding. They were wonderful to work with... and are wonderful friends too. :) I had a great time capturing their special day.
More photos coming soon!

.thoughts.

2009-09-25T22:13:00.003-05:00

It's been over a month since I last posted on here. Hey, I think I may have broken a record... someone should have congratulated me, but it seems that instead I've only gotten reminders from my friends that a post is long overdue.
I've decided it's high time I oblige them and turn out another post - if there's any life left to my blog. This post is not my average post, consisting of pictures and a few words, but instead of words... and words alone.

I have been told many times that my writing is extremely dry and boring. I might try to put a word or two in my favor, but I only have one small problem, and that is, I agree with them!!! If you are bored too badly reading this you better stop and find something more interesting and "lively" to do, cause I suppose the more I write, the more boring it gets.
Now, the question is, what do I write about?? Family? Friends? Forgiveness? Decisions? Memories? Relationships? God's love? Those are just a few of many things that have been on my mind recently. There are so many things I could write about.

Time seems to fly by so fast! As I look back over the last year I am amazed at all that has happened. How many things can change ever so fast. Thinking of all that has gone on in the past year makes me wonder what the next 12 months will bring me... or where they might bring me. There are so many unknowns, so many possibilities, so many probabilities. What will I be doing in a year? Hmmm... my only answer for that is "I don't know!!"
I am so thankful to have a Savior who does know. I am thankful that I can trust Him for the future. I am thankful that I can put my hopes and dreams in His hands. He knows what is best!!!

My Times Are In Thy Hand

My times are in Thy hand;
Father, I wish them there:
My life, my soul, my all,
I leave entirely to Thy care,
My life, my soul, my all,
I leave entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand,
Whatever they may be,
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.
My Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus the Crucified!
The hand my many sins once pierced
Is now my Guard and Guide.
The hand my many sins once pierced
Is now my Guard and Guide.

~W.F. Lloyd

.The Barlows.

2009-08-23T20:14:00.006-05:00

Right now the Barlow family is visiting us... I thought I'd share a few photos of them. I love them to bits.
You can see more photos in my Picasa album.

Adam - 4

Carolanne - 3

Thaddaeus - 2

Isaiah - 1

Isaiah with his mommy, Ellie.

.Pennsylvania.

2009-08-15T20:33:00.010-05:00

The Lord gave me the opportunity to go and stay with the Hargett family (a family I met a little over a year ago when they came to MO for a visit) for almost a week while some of my other siblings were in NY. I had such a blessed and fun time seeing so many of my friends from PA... and meeting some new ones too.
Here are just a few photos of me with my friends in PA...

Angelica, myself, and Hannah Cino...
These are very sweet girls! I am so glad I was able to meet them.

Joseph Hargett and I...

I love this guy!! He made me want a little brother of my own - just like him. I said I was going to take him home with me, but the Hargetts didn't seem to like the idea. I wonder why!?

Naomi and I.
It was so wonderful to see Naomi again. I am so glad that I've been able to keep up with her in the last year over online chat.

Jessara and I.
Jessara was so much fun. I am so glad I got to see her again! Before I went and stayed with the Hargetts I had never known how much fun they could be... Friday night was especially hilarious, fun, and crazy.

Hannah P. and I.
Hannah is just great... such a dear friend, too. I mean, like totally. ;) I had lots of fun hanging out with her on Sat. and Sun.

Hannah H. and I.
I only got to see Hannah once for about an hour, which was really sad. But I am very glad I was able to see her again and spend the little time with her that I did. She is a very dear friend!

Sarah and I.
Over almost the past year Sarah and I have looked for a way to see each other again, and finally we found a way!! It was so wonderful to spend some time with Sarah again. I loved every minute of it. She is a dear, dear friend!

Jerusala and I.
I was so glad to see Jerusala again. It was wonderful spending time with her!! Even though we were a bit sleep deprived by the end of the visit, the late-night talks were great.
She is such a dear friend to me.

A thank you to all of my dear friends in PA for a wonderful time.
I miss you all so much! ♥

.Susanne and I.

2009-08-13T12:24:00.004-05:00

My friend Susanne came and stayed a weeks with us a couple weeks ago. We had a bunch of fun doing portraits together - again.
Here are just a few from when she was here.

2009-07-11T11:55:00.002-05:00

'Tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes!
~William Wordsworth

My Dear Mom and I

2009-07-06T19:40:00.004-05:00

.Halley.

2009-07-06T09:57:00.001-05:00

.Mary.

2009-06-25T12:25:00.002-05:00

.Sarah.

2009-06-23T16:15:00.002-05:00

Sarah, Halley, and Mary

2009-06-15T12:12:00.005-05:00

On the second to the last day of Missouri's legislative session my sister, Mary, and her two friends and fellow lobbyists, Sarah and Halley, asked if I would follow them around the Governor's Garden, the Capitol, and such places to do some portraits of them. Of course I gladly obliged... they were so much fun to work with.

Left to Right: Mary, Halley, Sarah

Forgiveness

2009-06-05T18:15:00.005-05:00

To heal a hate
takes grace
that isn't. There
is churning hurt
and bitterness
-and black despair.
No love. No grace.
No power to choose.
I heard a stillness.
Then
I felt His face.
His searching eyes
held mine
and would not turn me loose.
Then through hot tears
I saw and understood:
He hung cross high,
a spear was in my hand
that dripped with blood,
a helmet on my head.
I watched Him die;
but just before, He said,
"Forgive them for
they know not what
they do. . ."
then He was dead.
Slowly I raised my head:
the clouds were unarranged,
the sky was fair,
the warm sun shone,
nothing had changed:
the hurt still there
only . . .
the hate was gone.

--Ruth Bell Graham

R.G.

2009-05-15T18:32:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our new puppy, R.G. LeTourneau. Don't ask me where Abe, the owner, got the name... but R.G. LeTourneau it is.

Phillip (the little boy we babysit on Sat's) and Abe playing with R.G.

~~~

P.S. I added the Followers box/widget. I'd love to know who all reads my blog, and you following me is one way I can find out. ;)

Poem . . .

2009-04-23T11:11:00.003-05:00

"Have I been a wilderness to you?"
asked the Lord.
"A place of wandering
and of darkness
as the night?"

No . . .
It is this void
in which I find myself.
This is my wilderness,
my place of wandering
in darkness and in fog.
You are Light
and Life.
All I long for,
all I need,
is You.

How can we walk together
once again?
How can I know You, Lord,
as once I knew?

And He,
through the echoing of my empty heart
replied,
"I shall be waiting for you
at the very spot
you left my side."

--Ruth Bell Graham

Springtime!

2009-04-21T15:04:00.006-05:00

Here are some photos I took this morning. Spring is so beautiful... I love it!

A Visit from Susanne...

2009-04-14T17:17:00.006-05:00

I imagine most of you all remember when my friend Susanne came for a visit in January. Well, she came again last week! She spent Tues. through Sat. at our house. It was so great having her... we had an "awesome" time together.

Some of my favorite times were sitting on our beds discussing life, a day of shopping, and a walk her and I took one night in the rain... oh, and of course just being "CC's" together. ;)
I'm so glad you were able to come, Susanne. And I hope that we can get together sometime soon again... miss you!

Randomness...

2009-04-09T11:01:00.006-05:00

Well, I thought that I'd actually maybe write something for once instead of only posting pictures. Lately we have been really busy putting in our huge garden. We've also had a lot of company lately. Everything has been keeping life really busy for me.
It hasn't seemed as though I have had much time to blog lately. I decided I'd make a little time right now... listening to music, blogging, browsing photos, chatting with friends... life is good! :)

Last Saturday my family and the Courville family went to Ha Ha Tonka to celebrate Hannah's 14th birthday. Here are a few photos from our escapade!

Hannah - The Birthday Girl

Bocce Ball

Dear Friends - Hannah and Joanna

Lots of hiking was required to get between the different places in the state park... we definitely got our workout for the day.

Turtles sunning themselves on a log.

Spring is here. Happiness!

Jon was the photographer for the day. He did such a great job on portraits. Thanks!

This is one of the portraits he did. You can see more in his Picasa album.

Photoshop...

2009-03-29T21:10:00.004-05:00

The other day I had fun doing some self-portraits. Some of them were good, and some needed a lot of "help." I thought I'd show you the amazing wonders of photoshop...

Before:

After:

I love photoshop. It makes everything better... well, okay, maybe only photos! ;)

A Day at Maramec Springs with the Sokoliks

2009-03-20T18:35:00.008-05:00

On Tuesday we went to Maramec Springs with the Sokolik family. They are dear friends of ours that we haven't seen in awhile. A visit was long overdue, and Maramec Springs was the perfect place for one! All the scenery was absolutely stunning. It was wonderful to spend time in His creation!

L to R: Mary, Rachel, Ruth, Elisabeth, Jemima, and Megan

Melinda - she's perfectly dolly!

Megan, Rachel, and Grace

Jemima, Mary, and Elisabeth

Megan and Myself

Grace and Joanna

Grace

Me - Ruth

Megan

All my dear sisters and I.

Just a Few Pix

2009-03-14T14:50:00.004-05:00

... From Sunday afternoon. It was a windy, yet beautiful day.

Christy and me... she's such a doll.

Hannah and Jessa

Princess Emily with Abe, her king!

Enjoying God's Creation

2009-02-27T17:07:00.007-06:00

On Wednesday I went with some of my family and friends to Big Spring and Alley Spring. It was really neat observing God's beautiful creation.

Big Spring - the largest spring in the USA!

Alley Spring

Liz, Azarina, Christy, and Joanna on an adventure at Big Spring.

Me!

Liz

Liz and Maddox

Joanna, Liz, myself, and Jemima at Alley Spring.

Okay, so I'm riding in the car for hours... what's a better idea than getting out my camera and having fun doing self-portraits!?!

The .R. Family

2009-02-26T14:00:00.002-06:00

.Christina.

2009-02-09T12:05:00.006-06:00

I did a photo session with my friend Christy last Friday. She was a blast. I had so much fun with her!

Susanne's Visit

2009-02-02T17:24:00.006-06:00

My dear friend Susanne came and stayed with my family for all of last week. Our families have known each other for about 9 years. I had such a blast with her. These are just a few photos from her visit...

Susanne, Joanna and I on our way into Springfield to shop on Wednesday. We had a great time shopping, and found some great things!

We told Susanne that on Friday, her Birthday, us girls and her would go to the mall while Mary went to a few appointments. But instead we surprised her and took her out to lunch at Cracker Barrel first with some of her friends for her birthday! She was very surprised and loved it.

Our whole group that met for lunch at Cracker Barrel for Susanne's birthday.

While we were at the mall during Mary's appointments Susanne and I each tried on wigs that were somewhat a flip-flop of our hair colors. We both agreed that we most definitely looked much, much better with the hair colors that we have.

Has anyone ever tried out one of Dillards' beds to see just how comfortable they are???

After we got home from our day in Springfield we enjoyed a birthday cake which Susanne made herself. Isn't it terrible to make your own birthday cake?

It snowed while Susanne was here. So being her and I both love photography we both had to go out in the snow and get pictures!

.snowflakes.

2009-01-26T12:35:00.004-06:00

Here are some photos of snowflakes that I took a week or so ago when we got a dusting of snow. I love macro shots. :)

.friends.

2009-01-24T14:56:00.004-06:00

Here are a few snapshots that were taken on the way home from a trip to VOM that I went on with the Courville family, Hannah and Mindy Phillips, and Greg Gordon. I had a great time working at VOM, and spending time with some of my friends!

Hannah C., Myself (Ruth), Mindy, Jana, and Hannah P.

These are some of the greatest girls I know! :)

Joy, Jenny, Myself, Hannah C., and Jana

It was confusing, fun, and great having two Hannah's on the trip. They are both very dear girls!

Jana and I have been friends for about 6 years. She is a great blessing to me, and oh, such a fun friend!

The .B. Family

2009-01-07T15:36:00.006-06:00

Our dear friends from NV came out to MO for a visit last week. While they were here I did a photo session with their family... tons of fun.
What a bunch of adorable children they have!

Abe & Ellie

Adam Albert

Carolanne Hope

Thaddaeus Kris

Isaiah David

Ellie and Isaiah

...And finally, the whole family together!

A Black and White Winter Walk

2008-12-28T21:11:00.003-06:00

Well, here are some more photos from my life! I decided that all the photos on this post would be black and white. :) These are photos from a walk I took with my mom the other day.

It was just me and my mom on the walk, and I wanted a pic of us walking together...

... So this is my tripod that I used to get a photo of us walking down the road. :) How do you like it? I thought it worked pretty nicely!

Me and my dear, dear mom!!!

My Life - In Candid Snapshots

2008-12-24T09:08:00.007-06:00

My friend Sarah has inspired me to post some random snapshots of my life! I usually only posts photos that reflect 'Ruth Ueland Photography' but she has convinced me otherwise.... :)

Playing Apples to Apples Sunday evening at Joanna Burks' Christmas Party. It was tons of fun!

Esther and Nate at the party. :)

Joanna, Tanya Hunter, and Christy Penn.
The Hunter family came and visited us last week. Tanya and Julie are lots of fun... and they jumped right in and helped wherever they could!

Jemima, Julie Hunter, and me.
Julie is also interested in photography. We enjoy showing each other our photography and discussing different methods etc. :)

Hannah Phillips and me on Sunday

On Sunday most of the little girls just so happened to wear red plaid dresses...aren't they all so cute?

On Sunday after the potluck everyone cut, folded, and stuffed Keith Daniel newsletters. Many hands make light work, and everything was finished in a short time!

Recently we made tons and tons of Christmas cookies. The snowmen were sooo cute, and the "pecan somethings" on the right where just so delicious that I couldn't resist posting pics of them!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The .M. Family

2008-12-07T17:41:00.015-06:00

Things were a bit cramped for space where I did this family's Christmas photo session, but nevertheless I had a great time. They are such a sweet family!

Max

Natalie

Jack

Eden

Molly

Snapshots from Tracy & Abigail's Wedding

2008-12-01T16:29:00.003-06:00

Here are just a few photos I took at a friend's wedding. I was not the main photographer, but I had the privilege of taking some shots during the reception.
I have so much fun with photography... and playing around in photoshop, with my photography!

The floral arrangements were amazing. Tracy's mom, a florist, did them all!

Awww...how sweet! This one is my favorite.

Trying out my "new* background stand.

2008-11-12T11:26:00.006-06:00

Last week a friend, who used to be a photographer years ago, gave me his background stand that he didn't want anymore. Thanks. Until now I've never had a background stand! I've just always figured out makeshift stands, depending on where I am.
So, on Sunday afternoon I decided that I would try it out. I didn't have a subject, so I used myself. :) Here are a few self-portraits I had fun doing. Some crazy, and some sensible!

Misc. October Portraits

2008-10-26T19:48:00.004-05:00

The Fall is such a beautiful time of year, with all the trees changing colors. It's a great time for portraits! Here are a few portraits I've taken in the past few weeks (or if I'm in the photo, someone took the photo for me).

Joanna

2008-10-16T13:25:00.003-05:00

Here are some photos from a session I did with my sister Joanna. She was a great sport, and was willing to risk her life on the yellow line! :)

September Joys

2008-09-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

Annual Family Photo

2008-09-24T13:45:00.004-05:00

My family had our annual family photo taken while we were in ND. Liz had the idea of doing our photo on the train tracks near our Grandma's house in ND! (Thanks, Liz)
Another thank you to my cousins, Jessica and Laura for actually taking the photos for us!

John Mark & Andrea

2008-09-21T21:01:00.005-05:00

Last weekend my cousin Andrea got married in ND. My family had the chance to make a trip up to her wedding. Here are a few snapshots from the wedding. (I wasn't the photographer, but it was fun getting a few shots of the wedding, nevertheless.)

The wedding was supposed to be outdoors, but...it rained, so they ended up setting things up underneath a large picnic shelter! The bride was escorted underneath and umbrella before getting to the shelter.

John Mark & Andrea leaving!

School Portraits- 2

2008-09-07T19:52:00.007-05:00

More school portraits done by my friend Susanne and I!

Hosanna

Caleb

Drew

School Portraits

2008-09-02T07:59:00.004-05:00

Last week I did two school portrait sessions with my friend and fellow photographer, Susanne. These are photos from the first session. It was fun seeing what ideas each photographer came up with, and seeing each of our tastes come out in our photography.

Bethany

Esther

Timmy

Katy

Girl Portrait Fun

2008-08-11T19:28:00.008-05:00

These are miscellaneous portraits I've taken recently, (or that someone else has taken of me).
My friend Susanne, who also loves photography, came and spent a week with my family. Susanne and I had lots of fun doing portrait sessions with anyone who would oblige us.

Molly Sue

2008-08-11T18:29:00.006-05:00

I had a great time doing a photo session with Molly. She is such an adorable little miracle!

The Runolfsson Family

2008-08-02T08:03:00.007-05:00

Julianna asked me to do some family portraits of her and the kids for her husband's birthday gift. I had a great time doing their photos, Joanna was also a great assistant in helping put a smile on everyone's face for the family portraits.

Azarina

Julia

Thor

Maddox

Mommy and Baby

If you're wondering...

2008-07-29T14:29:00.002-05:00

I figure that some of you all may be wondering why I have not posted recently, well my computer is gone right now. I am hoping that we will have it back in the the next 2-3 days, though. I have a LOT of stuff I need to get done on it as soon as we get it back...so I will be editing photos like crazy to get them ready for the lab, I am supposed to have the portraits printed by Saturday, and I haven't even downloaded the photos to my computer yet! *Yikes*
With all the photo editing I must get done, I probably won't have time to post till Sat. or later.
Well, I hope to have some photos from sessions I have been doing to you soon, but till then...just have a little patience. :)

Luis & Kelli Dieguez' Wedding Day

2008-07-17T19:22:00.010-05:00

The first few days of July found me in North Dakota hanging out with cousins and preparing for my cousin Kelli's wedding.
Kelli hired a professional photographer to do the wedding ceremony and portraits, but she hadn't hired the photographer for the reception, so she had me do the photography at the reception, a relatively easy task, plus, something I love to do! But, mind you, I didn't only take photos at the reception, I couldn't miss the chance to get photos before and during the ceremony, the photographer even allowed me to tag along during their portraits! I got so many photos that turned out really nice I could hardly decide on which ones I wanted to post here, but here is a sampling of my photos from Luis and Kelli's wedding.

The Wedding Ceremony

Kelli swept up the aisle on her father's arm...

...To her beaming groom.

Luis' mom made Kelli's amazing dress, oh, and should I mention, she didn't even use a pattern!

Prayer for the Couple

Mr. and Mrs. Luis Dieguez

Portraits

The whole bridal party, including the ushers.

Luis & Kelli

Going Inside After the Outside Portraits were Finished

The Reception

The Head Table

Cutting the Cake

...And of course, a kiss. :)

Luis and Kelli left the reception, amidst many bubbles and farewells.

Amazing Wedding Photography

2008-07-11T21:42:00.004-05:00

This evening I was looking for examples of contemporary and photo journalistic wedding photography, and I came across some really good photography, I especially liked Gavin Wedding Photography , it has a unique perspective that I really like, I would like to add some of his, Gavin's, style into my wedding photography, that is, if I could get a few weddings booked. :)

-----------------------------------------------------

Last Saturday I attended my cousin's wedding in ND, they hired a photographer for the wedding, but they had me do the photography at the reception, and as soon as I have the photos on my computer I will try to post some here, but as of right now I am having a few difficulties downloading my photos to my computer, I hope to have it fixed in a few days, though... so, maybe in a few days you can see some photos from my cousin's wedding!

------------------------------------------------------

...AND as long as I am posting I may as well say that I am working on a business card, so maybe I can get that posted in a week or two to give you all a preview before I order it, and you can tell me if it looks terrible or wonderful or boring or cool or...whatever, and I can make changes before I order it if you think it would look better some other way. :)

Post to ya' later, I need to be getting to bed soon. :)

Random Photos

2008-06-27T14:46:00.004-05:00

Here are some random photos I have taken over the past month or so!

I thought this photo looked cool in black and white, so what did I do? Posted it to my blog of course! :)

Lis enjoying the company one of the babies from our church.

We had the chance to see the Comstocks the other day while they were in the Ozarks visiting friends, it has been over a year since we last saw them! How time flies.

My sweet 16th birthday was June 12, so on my birthday my family and a few other friends that live close by made a birthday dinner with carrot cake for dessert. *Yum* Plus two days later...

...the Courville family from my church came out for my birthday! This photo was taken at a creek near my house, Lis, Jenny, Mary, Jemima, and Joy sat on the bank while Sam, Jana, Hannah, Joanna, and I enjoyed the cool water.

I surmise you may be wondering just why I took this photo? Well... guess what, I am too.

Phillip just can't stop smiling anytime he sees a camera, apparently he knows that if you are are caught on camera with a weird look it is often used as black mail. :)

Isn't Jessa making a cute face for the photographer?!?!

A Photo Session With Julie

2008-06-13T12:19:00.004-05:00

Here are a just a few of the photos from a photo session I did with my friend, Julie.

Maddox- A Sweet Miracle

2008-06-03T17:50:00.007-05:00

A few days ago I had the privilege of doing a photo session with my friend's baby, Maddox, here are a few photos from the session. Isn't he adorable?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, logo #1 had an overwhelming majority of votes, ten people voted in all (some couldn't make up their minds so they voted for two), here are the results:
Logo #1- 7 votes
Logo #2- 3 votes
Logo #3- 3 votes
Logo #4- 3 votes
I am now using logo #1 as my logo, and hopefully in the near future I will put my new logo on my banner!

I am thinking...about a new logo.

2008-05-27T11:02:00.005-05:00

I have been thinking about changing my logo, so the other day I designed a couple different options to choose from. I have not quite decided which logo to use, so I am asking your advice. Which logo of these four do you think I should use, or should I stick with what I have now? Please give your input, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Logo #1

Logo #2

Logo #3

Logo #4

Matching Wednesdays

2008-05-19T13:58:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago when Lis and I were preparing for Wednesday night church services we happened to put on matching shirts, so we decided to go the second mile and wear matching skirts so we could have a photo snapped of us together. Jemima was gracious enough to snap a few photos for us in our outfits. This photo was my favorite.

The next Wednesday as we were preparing for Wednesday night church services Joanna happened to put on one of her outfits that Lis had a matching outfit to! And of course you can guess, Lis put on her matching outfit, and this last week Joanna and Lis matched!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess this week is Jemima's turn. :)

Architecture Photography

2008-05-10T08:22:00.005-05:00

Whenever I go somewhere I love the chance to snap a shot of some cool architecture I see...so I decided to share a few photos of architecture that I have taken!

Taken on Beale Street in Memphis, TN.

Taken at the Missouri State Capitol

Taken near Park Central Square in Springfield, MO

Taken at the Missouri State Capitol.

Sisters and Lilacs!

2008-04-30T12:25:00.005-05:00

On Sunday evening 3 of my sisters and I had fun posing with a huge bouquet of lilacs that Joanna and I picked. It was a lot of fun! BTW, I didn't really like how the photos of me turned out with the lilacs, so I am posting a few other self-portraits of myself from the evening!

Spring, Spring, Spring!

2008-04-26T09:58:00.005-05:00

Above: me standing in our family's wheat field. (Taken by my friend, Susanne)

Spring is here (has been for about a month), and it feels so good to go outside and let your hair blow in the wind, pick a bouquet, run through the grass, work in the garden, or just breathe in the fresh air! I love Spring!!!

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.
–Virgil A. Kraft

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. ~William Shakespeare

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
~Julian Grenfell

Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day. ~W. Earl Hall

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Audra Foveo

Spring Photos with Friends

2008-04-20T21:05:00.005-05:00

Today Jana, Hannah, Joanna, and I took a Spring walk after Church at the camp where we have church. Instead of only being a walk, though, it turned into a photo session with Jana, Hannah, and Joanna (Hannah took two pics of me, but otherwise it was only them)! Here are a few pics from our afternoon walk/photo session. :)

Jana and Joanna

Jana, do you find the photographer quite amusing?

Joanna and Hannah walking to another spot for photos.

Hannah, say 'cheese'!

Much better!

"Friend feud?"

Best Friends

One of the two photos taken of me. :)

On the way back from our walk, Joanna and Hannah picked bouquets of wildflowers for their moms.

And to top it all off we spotted a lizard on the way back, it even stayed long enough to let me snap a few photos of him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring is so wonderful, I plan to post more Spring photos soon now that we have our PC working with the internet again!

Another Glimpse at Politics!

2008-04-17T19:16:00.002-05:00

On April 15, Mike Huckabee re-launched his site, the name has changed to Huck PAC, instead of Mike Huckabee for President! Its goal is to raise money for conservative Republican candidates, primarily conservatives running for the U.S. House and Senate.
I believe that this is an awesome idea! Go check the site out: Huck PAC

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

Family...What a Blessing

2008-04-05T18:20:00.007-05:00

Lately I have been thinking more about how dear my family really is to me, therefore I thought I would share some photos of my closest, dearest friends-my family!

Playing a game with some friends from church.

Dad trying his best to read Dr. Seuss! : )

Mom holding one of her "adopted" grandsons.

Joanna and I.

Our adopted niece and nephews.

Joanna and Thaddeus, Sam and Adam, and me (Ruth) and Carolanne

Sam, me (Ruth), Elisabeth, Abe, and Joanna

My 4 dearest friends-my sisters! Nothing beats our late night discussions, midnight seems to be the time we catch each other up on our busy lives. : )

My whole family, (including our "adopted" family)!

God is good.

Family is good.

Life is good.

The Wedding of Josh & Ireael

2008-03-27T16:12:00.006-05:00

Here are the photographs from the wedding, finally. BTW, the laptop I am using is quite ornery, so they aren't all arranged in perfect order. *sigh*

The Wedding Party

The Bride & Groom with the flower girls and bridesmaids.

The Groomsmen with the Groom.

Josh & Ireael

Lighting the Unity Candle during the ceremony.

Praying together.

I present to you...

Annoying internet and computers!

2008-03-24T09:28:00.003-05:00

Our internet has been out for approx. a week! We think that our modem must have gone bad. So, anyway, I have barely had the chance to be on the internet, the only time I got to get on the internet was for about 20 minutes last week! I will try to post photos of the wedding I did as soon as we get this computer/internet problem figured out! I am really hoping that it was not our modem because that is where all my stuff is such as the wedding photographs...and if it is I'll have to burn all the pics to CDs, that is definitely not my favorite job.
I'll try to get a post with some photos ASAP, but for the moment I just wanted to give a quick explanation on just why I have not posted! : )

Glad to be back!

2008-03-13T17:57:00.006-05:00

It has been forever since I posted, I haven't been on the computer a lot in the last week (since Huckabee conceded) because I have desperately been trying to catch up on school etc.
On Saturday my friend and I did the photography at a wedding, it was a lot of fun, it was also the most unique wedding I have been to! Pictures will be coming sometime soon.
On Monday my brother got a puppy, he is so cute! He is 3/4 English Shepherd, and still quite small. It's nice to have a puppy around again! His name is Shem.
Here are a few pix, they aren't the greatest because Jemima took our canon with her on a trip to see her friend, and she's still gone.

Till my next post, enjoy the puppy photos. : )

Mike Huckabee, a Man of Integrity...

2008-03-04T21:58:00.005-06:00

After tonight John McCain has picked up the delegates needed to clinch the nomination. I had hoped and prayed that Mike Huckabee would win TX, but obviously that was not in the Lord's plan for tonight. Mike Huckabee officially conceded the race to Senator John McCain of Arizona.
I am not one bit disappointed that Mike Huckabee chose to run for the Presidency, it made me aware of an awesome man! Mike Huckabee is a man of honor, a man of conservative values, a man of great integrity, and a man of faith. I have had the privilege to meet both him and his daughter, they are truly wonderful people! Mike Huckabee didn't disappoint me at all in what he did, running for the Presidency, he only encouraged me!
Mike Huckabee has my vote in 2012, because I will be old enough to vote then! I am excited for 2012, the way time flies it will be here before we know it, then hopefully Mike Huckabee will run for President again-and win!!! I also would encourage you, if you do not already support Mike Huckabee to begin supporting him for President in 2012!
Mike Huckabee has earned my respect like no other Presidential candidate before. I'm afraid you all who think Mike Huckabee is not a conservative and have tried to convince me not to support him, will have a mighty hard time trying to convince me to support any other candidate for President if he runs again!
God bless you Mike, Janet, John Mark, David, and Sarah Huckabee, you all have earned a great deal of respect from me.

What are little girls made of...

2008-03-03T14:38:00.003-06:00

Carolanne Hope

Elisebeth

Isabelle

Kaylee

Michelle

What are little boys made of...

2008-02-27T13:02:00.008-06:00

Devin

Adam

Christian and Adam

James

Friends...Photos

2008-02-22T12:01:00.006-06:00

This week we had some friends from MN come for a visit. It was fun to see them again.
It was the first time for Mom and Dad to meet them, but Elisabeth, Joanna, and I had already met them back in November at the wedding where I did the photography.
They stayed from Sunday to Wednesday in our Grandma's house. On Monday us girls (except my oldest sister) had fun doing some photos/portraits together with Tanya and Julie.

Clockwise from top: Joanna, Julie, Jemima, Elisabeth, Tanya, and Ruth (me).
We had fun doing a pyramid. The funny thing is that it is the best pyramid we have ever done, and it was the first pyramid we have ever done using the self-timer. Joanna had to press the shutter button and scramble all the way to the top before it captured the photo. The good thing is I can put whatever amount of time I want for the self-timer on our camera, up to 30 seconds, so I believe we did 20 seconds. It worked quite well!

Joanna and Tanya

Julie and Tanya

All of us girls.

They were so much fun to have for a visit. We were hoping they could stay longer than they did, but they had to get on the road to see other friends they were planning on visiting. : ( They probably will come back in May, which I am definitely looking forward to!

New Look, Ice Storm

2008-02-18T09:12:00.006-06:00

New Look

How do you all like the new look?
Do you like the old look better, what are you thinking?
I, myself, and me likes the new logo much better than my other one. Every time I looked at my other one, I thought, "Ewww, I don't know why I ever made that logo."
I thought about doing a white background, but decided against it and did gray.

--------------------------------------------

Ice Storm

Last week we had an ice storm, our power/electricity was out for a few days, several large limbs on trees broke, etc., but I got some nice photos out of the deal!
I thought I would post a few.

Fret not thyself...

2008-02-17T15:05:00.003-06:00

Psalm 37

1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16. A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18. The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28. For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34. Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39. But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40. And the LORD shall help them, and deliever them: he shall deliever them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

These verses have been an encouragement to me in this election time. Even if one of the liberal Republicans or Democrats wins the Presidency, their day is coming. It may seem like they will prosper, but the Lord knows it will only be for a time.
If you don't already pray that all the candidates would come to know Jesus Christ, I would encourage you to do so! Wouldn't that be amazing if one of these liberals became a Christian, and ended up being a great leader for our country! Remember, God can do anything!

Finally, more flowers!

2008-02-14T09:37:00.004-06:00

I was planning to do another post with flowers the day after I did my other post of flower photos. Did it ever happen? No.
This blog has really turned into a politics blog, only, so I decided I should begin bringing it back to its original origins. : )
I really should have made my blog's url: www.RUpolitics.blogspot.com, and said: "My blog on politics... with a bit of photography mixed in". It really would have fit better. Hopefully after June 3rd, or someone has 1,191 delegates, I will totally go back to photography. *But what I am really hoping and praying for... is that you will have to wait till after the general election, because I am hoping and praying that Mike Huckabee wins the primary (then the general).*

Here are the photos:

Hydrangea

Daisy

Chicory

A Mike Huckabee win would be...

2008-02-09T17:10:00.000-06:00

For Mike Huckabee to win the nomination would be wonderful, we also know it would be a major miracle. Here is what Mike Huckabee says "I didn't major in math, I majored in miracles". I believe that is the best way to look at it.
We need to be praying that Huckabee will win, next we must get in action and start campaigning for him!
You may live in a state that has already voted, but you can most definitely still help his campaign, you can contribute, phone bank, and tell everyone you know living in states that have not voted yet, about Mike Huckabee, tell them to vote for Huckabee, tell their friends about Huckabee, and that Mike Huckabee CAN win if they will get out there and do something for him.
Mike Huckabee won the endorsement of James Dobson after Romney dropped out, and won the Kansas caucus today. If we keep stacking up wins he can also win the nomination!
Get out there and do something for Mike Huckabee, NOW!

John McCain is NOT a conservative

2008-02-09T16:41:00.000-06:00

Here is an article by David Limbaugh:

Critics of McCain's Critics Want Leftward Tilt

Isn't it ironic that GOP moderates are harshly criticizing GOP conservatives for being harshly critical of GOP presidential front-runner John McCain?
What mortal sins have conservative McCain critics committed? Oh, they've stuck to their conservative principles, fighting for the values they believe in and refusing, prematurely, to surrender. What good would they be if they so readily threw in the towel of defeat?
"Enlightened" moderates are shocked at conservatives, tagging them as uncompromising extremists who represent the very fringe of the Republican Party.
John Dilulio, a principal architect of President Bush's arguably non-conservative, faith-based initiative, is among those making these arguments.
Writing for the Weekly Standard, Dilulio says that only 3.6 percent of Republicans identify themselves as "very conservative." Is Dilulio making the unwarranted leap of implying that McCain's critics come from this 3.6 percent fringe and that mainstream conservatives have no problem with McCain?
If so, and with due respect to Mr. Dilulio, I emphatically reject that only 3.6 percent of Republicans have great difficulty swallowing McCain — ideologically and personally. McCain isn't winning a majority of Republicans, much less conservative ones, and is relying heavily on Democrat crossovers and independents, not to mention a little help from his friends Mike Huckabee and the mainstream media.
It's easy for moderates to argue that critics of moderates are extreme. That's what moderates always say. They have been complaining about conservatism since I was wearing a "Goldwater for President" T-shirt.
They've said for years that the only way Republicans can win elections is to move to the center. Their opinion is not based on convincing data but wishful thinking. History is not their friend. Republicans win big with conservative ideas, provided they have inspiring candidates. Moderate ideas dilute the message and deflate the movement, zapping it of its verve and enthusiasm.
I have read the reasonable arguments of my friend Bill Bennett and others disputing that John McCain is a liberal. They argue he is a conservative with some liberal positions and that, in any event, he's far more conservative than Hillary or Barack.
Fair enough, though the McCain critics grossly underemphasize the differences and McCain's untrustworthiness. For the record, I can't see myself as ever voting for either Hillary or Barack, two unreconstructed socialists who are soft on defense and enemies of the unborn. But hold your horses. We're not there yet.
We're in the primary season, and there's nothing wrong with all sides advocating their respective positions. If conservatives can't hold John McCain accountable now for all his apostasies, apostasies he committed with utter delight amid mainstream-media adulation, what chance will we have of doing so later?
The idea that our party can't recover from vigorous debate during the primaries is unserious, to wit: Reagan versus Ford. In the meantime, rumors of the death of mainstream conservatism are greatly exaggerated.
McCain's relative success is not a sign of the end of Reagan conservatism as a dominant political force. It's just temporarily dormant, the victim of a confluence of factors, waiting to be re-ignited.
One factor is that we have had a weak GOP presidential field, though I think some of the candidates ultimately proved themselves to be quite inspiring. McCain has slipped in largely by default, like John Kerry in 2004.
Another factor is that Republicans have been in control of the executive branch for seven years. Though Democrats have recaptured Congress, they still haven't been able to accomplish many of their legislative initiatives, including obstructing funding for the Iraq War. Even their reprehensible character assassination of President Bush has lost steam since the surge began yielding fruit.
Nothing unites conservatives like Democrats in power and working their mischief, or out of power and maliciously but effectively obstructing good government — excuse the liberal-sounding oxymoron.
And then there's the war, which originally united conservatives but admittedly has led to the ascendancy of the neoconservative influence with its willingness to accept all kinds of economic and social liberalism. I believe that's unnecessary. All three stools — and more — of mainstream conservatism can thrive simultaneously. Nevertheless, these factors and others have coalesced to dampen, temporarily, the fires and energy of conservatism.
Sometimes conservatives become more unified out of power. Of course that doesn't mean we should allow Democrats to regain the White House, either because we would unite while out of power or because we are seriously disappointed about the prospect of John McCain as our candidate.
But would the critics of McCain's critics please quit trying to marginalize mainstream conservatives and redefine mainstream conservatism? Just admit your guy is not that conservative and let us hold his feet to the fire, especially since his success to this point will give him all the more temptation to pander to liberals. You're the ones who need to chill out.

David Limbaugh is a writer, author, and attorney. His book "Bankrupt: The Intellectual and Moral Bankruptcy of Today's Democratic Party" (Regnery) was recently released in paperback. To find out more about David Limbaugh, please visit his Web site at www.davidlimbaugh.com.

I thought this was a pretty good article.
If you live in a state that has not voted yet, please stand up against McCain, and caucus or vote for Mike Huckabee when it is your states' election day.

Articles About Super Tuesday

2008-02-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

Here are some interesting articles I have found about Super Tuesday:

A Time magazine article
Another Time magazine article
A Washington Post article
A Rasmussen article

Hope you all enjoy reading these articles, there are lots more out there if you just look for a moment or two.
Mike Huckabee definitely did better than Romney last night.

Praise God!

2008-02-06T08:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday went better than I expected, I was not expecting Huckabee to do so well in the southern states. But, God is always here, hearing our requests.
As expected, McCain did wonderful last night, Romney did O.K., and Huckabee did better than anyone expected. (Sorry, I didn't mention Ron Paul, ummm...who expected him to get anything?!? He actually did a little worse than I had expected.)
As of now, the delegate count is:
John McCain-615
Mitt Romney-268
Mike Huckabee-169
Ron Paul-16

Mike Huckabee is competing against Romney quite well I think. I hope that the states that have not voted yet will see that Huckabee did better than expected, and if they vote for him, he can still win!
Keep plodding along Huckabee supporters.
Quit fighting for a man that both Hillary and Obama say they would like to run against more than any other GOP candidate, John McCain supporters.
Romney supporters, we know your candidate is all about change-he changes his position every time he runs. (I don't care for a flip-flop to be the nominee.)
Ron Paul supporters, you're not going to win.

Today God Can Do a Miracle

2008-02-05T10:41:00.000-06:00

I just got back from passing out lit. at my local polling place, I only stayed for the morning rush. I had around 50 pieces and passed it all out. There was also a Ron Paul supporter there the last hour or so passing out lit. also, it was actually quite enjoyable, we chatted in between people coming to vote. He said Mike Huckabee was his second choice-wish he would vote for his second choice!
The polls, the predictions, and most everything else does not look good for Mike Huckabee, but look absolutely great for McCain.
Who believes God can do the miracle of making McCain lose and Huckabee win? I believe he can! Right now, Super Tuesday, prayer is our strongest campaign tool! I have been waiting so long for Super Tuesday to come, it's finally here, and it looks like I am also waiting for a huge miracle to happen at the polls today.
Please get out and vote for Mike Huckabee today, but if you don't support Huckabee I am totally cool with you staying home today. ;)
Please pray with me for a miracle to happen in this primary!

...With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matt. 19:26

I am trusting Jesus for his will to be done today.

Mike Huckabee Comes to Springfield, MO

2008-02-03T19:01:00.000-06:00

I had another great privilege of going to Springfield, MO to hear Mike Huckabee speak on Friday, Jemima, Elisabeth, and Joanna also went. The event was held at the airport in a hangar.

There was over 2,600 supporters that came to hear Mike Huckabee speak, they were only expecting 500!

Mike Huckabee delivered a great speech on immigration, pro-life issues, the Fair Tax, and the War on Terror, and the Veterans' Bill of Rights.
Did I miss anything, Joy?

Here Mike Huckabee tears up an income tax form to demonstrate how he wants to abolish the IRS and put the Fair Tax in its place. Go here to learn more about the Fair Tax.

After Governor Huckabee finished speaking he autographed everything from hats to signs!

Mike Huckabee and his daughter visiting with the crowd.

Still signing things and getting his picture with fans.

Here Elisabeth has him autograph the front page of the Jefferson City News Tribune for me, because on Wednesday, the day after we saw him in Jefferson City, an article came out in the News Tribune about his visit, and low and behold Joanna and I were on the front page with him! If you would like to see the article and photo go here .

Emilee had Governor Huckabee sign her Bible.

After he finally finished signing things etc. he took a few minutes getting interviews before he left.

At this event I had the chance of getting my photo with Mike Huckabee's only daughter, Sarah Huckabee!

This was a great event, but right now I believe the only thing that is going to give Mike Huckabee the nomination is your prayer, vote, and support. Please get out and vote for Michael Dale Huckabee on Tuesday, February 5th!

Mike Huckabee Comes to Jefferson City, MO

2008-02-02T10:11:00.000-06:00

Before the event started we put together yard signs.

Several kids had cute homemade signs.

Finally, after waiting for a long time Mike Huckabee appeared! It was such a privilege to meet this man, who I trust, through lots of prayer, will be our next President.

Mike Huckabee enters the room...

Making his way to the front was quite a feat.

Mike Huckabee delivering his speech with the state legislators who have endorsed him.

How exciting!!!! We actually got our picture taken with him!

With some friends after the event was done.

Completely

2008-01-31T17:36:00.000-06:00

The secret of life is letting go
The secret of love is letting it show
In all that i do
In all that i say
Right here in this moment

The power of prayer is in a humble cry
The power of change is in giving my life
I’m laying it down
Down at your feet
Right here in this moment

Chorus:
Take my heart
Take my soul
I surrender everything to your control
And let all this is within me lift up to you and say
I am yours and yours alone
Completely

The journey of life is a search for truth
This journey of faith is following you
Every step of the way
Through the joy and the pain
Right here in this moment

Right here, right now, and for the rest of my life
Hear me say

I am yours and yours alone
Completely

I am happy, cheerful, and excited!!!

2008-01-25T13:47:00.000-06:00

I have good news, I have good news, and more good news-at least interesting news for some!
I just found out that Mike Huckabee is coming to Missouri next week! I am still trying to gather more information on it.

Duncan Hunter has endorsed Gov. Huckabee now that he dropped out!

And last night a friend called me and gave me another fact about Huckabee, Mike Huckabee has been through ---- - -! Do you want to know what those little blank spots stand for? you will have to email me or comment, and I will tell you. But not on here because some may not like it, and may use it against him! If you would like to email me, you can do so at: ruphotography@gmail[dot]com

God is GOOD!!!

Flowers, Flowers

2008-01-24T19:08:00.000-06:00

Flowers, DUH!?!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

Fred Thompson has officially dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination! Here is an article about it.

Fun Facts about Mike Huckabee

2008-01-21T19:14:00.000-06:00

He narrated the Doctor Suess book, Horton Hatches An Egg in a high school play.
He’s a big fan of The Three Stooges.
He’s a great cook.
He rides his bicycle to the grocery store.
He likes Yarnell’s guilt free ice cream.
He likes to snorkle.
He likes the The Colbert Report.
He reads a chapter of Proverbs every single day when he wakes up.
He is not fond of heights.
He’s like a kid at Christmas because he wants to open Christmas gifts early just so he can see what he got.
He organizes his socks, and everything else.
He prepares his own breakfast the night before to save time in the morning because getting up no later than 4:30 might not be enough time.
He talks to “the Boys” (his three dogs) and thinks they are listening.
He graduated from College magna cum laude with a 4 year degree in just over 2 years.
His Dad picked him up from school once in a car that had no body, just a frame and wooden boxes for seats.
He does great impressions of Billy Graham, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan, and Ross Perot.
He was left handed but was made to write with his right hand in elementary school.
He wanted to be an astronaut in first grade.
He was a pretty shy kid.
He can’t sit still. If there is ever a free minute he feels the need to get up and immediately start on a new project, for instance the minute a meal is over he has to get up and start putting things away and doing dishes.
His favorite snack food is movie style popcorn. And he likes it so much his wife Janet bought him a popcorn machine for Christmas.
He loves to play practical jokes.
His favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird and Casablanca.
His favorite church hymns are A Mighty Fortress is our God and In the Garden.
One of his dreams is to watch a game in every Major League baseball park.
His favorite books are, The Bible, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mere Christianity, and anything by Francis Schaeffer.

I thought these were interesting to learn, now it seems like I know more what his personal, fun side is like. : )

The Republican Presidential Candidates

2008-01-19T09:11:00.001-06:00

Who is right for President???

I decided to look into the presidential candidates’ records, and found some interesting results.

I will start with Rudy Giuliani of New York, upon my search I found that he is pro-choice, supports civil unions for gays, and supported giving illegal immigrants’ driver’s licenses.

Next, John McCain of Arizona, he opposed the Bush tax cuts and co-authored legislation for comprehensive immigration reform that some believe jeopardizes national security and American sovereignty.

Next, I looked into Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. I found that he has a good record in business reform and would most likely deal well with our economy, but I also found that until 2002 he has been pro-abortion, pro-gun control, and pro-gay rights, now he says he is 100% pro-life, pro-gun, and against gay rights. This switch so recently has made me suspicious whether he truly changed, or if he just did it for his own political expedience. I decided I would look and see if there was a better candidate that I could feel comfortable about supporting.

I found Fred Thompson of Tennessee, and looked into his record. He appealed to me greatly at first, that was till I found out, according to Planned Parenthood, he has lobbied on there behalf in the past; Fred Thompson has never said he did not lobby for them, all he will say is that he has no recollection of lobbying for Planned Parenthood, he has also failed to support federal constitutional amendments that would ban abortion and gay marriage, and has consistently voted against tort reform.

Somewhere along the way I found out that Ron Paul of Texas was running. He would withdraw the troops from Iraq immediately if he became President, which I believe would make for terrible chaos in Iraq if we withdrew the troops immediately, making Iraq in a worse state than ever before. He has also stated that he does not see in the Bible where it says homosexuality is wrong *Yikes*. If elect ability is a concern to anyone, he normally has approximately 3-4% in national polls.

Duncan Hunter of California seems to be a conservative, one problem though, his percentages in the polls are so low it would hardly be worth the vote, (on average he has less than 1% in national polls). If there is another candidate that is higher in the polls, but is still a good, solid conservative, why not vote for him?

There is another candidate, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. I will now look into his record. He is 100% pro-life, always has been, and supports a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion. He is against gay marriage and civil unions, always has been, and supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He supports the 2^nd amendment. While he was governor of AR, the sales tax went up1 cent, otherwise tax rates remained exactly the same as when he became governor till the time he left office 11 years later. He supports the Fair Tax. He has signed a “no tax increase” pledge, pledging that he will not raise taxes while in office if he wins the Presidency, he has also signed a “no amnesty” pledge. And he is the only candidate who has developed a specific plan to secure our borders.

I believe we have quite a group of candidates to pick from, and I have chosen who I support, Mike Huckabee. Why…because his and my values match up very closely, and he has a clean record from his time as governor. Just for fun I have taken two different polls to see which candidate the polls says I match up the closest to, in both polls my values matched up the closest with Mike Huckabee’s values and stances. I would encourage you to look at Mike Huckabee’s record and see what you think. If you have any questions about him, I would be happy to do my best to answer them!

Painting the Sky at Dusk

2008-01-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

Here are some miscellaneous photos of sunsets that I have taken over the past year.

This was taken on my neighbor's property.

Also taken on our neighbor's property. The power pole kind of messed up this photo. : /

Taken at a friend's place as the sun was going down. I liked this one especially, because I was actually able to catch the sun's rays.

Taken on another friend's property. I thought I would do something close-up in this one so it was not just "another sunset".

Also taken on a friends property! When I was taking photos of this sunset I took the most photos of a sunset that I have ever taken, I took over 120 photos of this sunset! I have several other photos of this same sunset that turned out nicely, but I thought I had better only post one, because it most likely would become quite boring looking at 50 photos of one sunset. ;)

My next post...hmm, I am not sure, but it probably will be something about presidential candidates. :) If you get tired of hearing about the candidates, just tell me and I will stop posting so much about them, really! You probably don't believe me, but I really will. :)

Painting the Sky at Dawn

2008-01-15T12:17:00.000-06:00

Here are some photographs of sunrises I have taken in the past year. My next post will have photos of sunsets I have taken in the past year.

This was taken on my family's rental property.

I took this photo on the property I live on.

I also took this on the property where I live.

I took this on our rental property. It was early one morning when most of my family went rock-picking-not exactly the most fun .

And this one I took in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The morning I took this photo my sister and I got up at about 5:40 to see the sunrise. We were disgusted when we had to wait for about 30 minutes on the shore just to see the sun rise. Well, it finally did...I got this, and a few other photos after our long wait.

Article about Thurs. Night's Debate

2008-01-12T16:58:00.000-06:00

I found this article, about the debate on Jan. 10th, on the Weekly Standard's blog. It was very interesting!
Mike Huckabee's performance in Thursday's debate was awesome, here you can watch a You Tube video of one of the moderators asking him about his beliefs on the role of women in marriage.
It seems very clear that Mike Huckabee is the genuine, true conservative candidate!