29 + 11

It's December 1st, Trish and I are one month away from our 30th anniversary. God has been so good to us. We don't have a financial fortune, but I am the richest man in town. I love my wife. We have a fantastic relationship. Her Aunt Peggy told us before we got married: "Never be angry at the same time." We've lived by that through the years. We're not perfect. We have been angry at the same time, but the application of that advice is that we don't express that anger at the same time. We give each other time to deal with our feelings. We work through our differences rather than fight, yell and insult. Not fighting doesn't mean we never disagree. We just don't fight about it.

We have 4 wonderful children, all married now, and 6 grandchildren. They're not perfect either, but they all know the Lord Jesus, and are doing their best to serve and follow Him. I couldn't ask for more.

Our 3 yr old granddaughter Eva was here yesterday evening, and found a folio of some of our favorite family pictures. She was going through them trying to figure out who everyone was. Many of them were of our children when they were toddlers and infants. She guessed most of them to be her cousins, and didn't realize she was looking at her daddy, Aunt Elise, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tim. Going through them with her brought back a lot of good memories.

Pictures are a wonderful way to preserve our memories and to give us time to reflect on them. That's why I'm a photographer. I love capturing moments and memories for my own family and for others as well. I hope as my clients look back on their photographs, they have the same kind of fond memories and pleasant moments of reflection.

Purpose

I believe God has a purpose for each of our lives. That purpose, ultimately, is that we be in relationship with Him, and that we grow in that relationship - to love Him more passionately, and to become more Christ-like. Beyond that, I couldn't say for certain that He has a specific career chosen for each of us. But, I do know that He uses our careers, and wants us in a career, that will facilitate His purpose of drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him, and helping others to enter into that kind of relationship as well.

For me, that career is photography. When I started turning this hobby into a career, I did so with much prayer. One day, still seeking confirmation of His leading, and seeking to understand how photography fit into the sense of "calling" I felt in my life, I prayed, "Lord, Why photography?" He reminded me of my trip to Africa a couple of years before, and the lessons I learned there about His compassion for the multitudes. He reminded me of the multitudes of faces I saw there anytime we set up in a village or marketplace to preach. I had never seen crowds gather like that here. He showed me that day that photography was a way of putting faces on the multitudes. I may never see crowds gather in America like I did in Africa - 100's to even 1,000's of people spontaneously gathering at a time just to stand and hear the gospel preached. But I would see a multitude of people in front of my camera, and each one was just like me - they would each have needs, for which I could pray, and which Christ could meet.

Become a fan!

Check out our new Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5694334098

I didn't know it until recently, but businesses can set up Facebook pages. Instead of a "friend" you can become a "fan." Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Victoria's Secret, the NBA, Microsoft, are a few of the companies that have pages. It's apparently fairly new, as even Coca-Cola only has a little over 600 fans at this writing. I'm hoping this will be one more way of making people aware of our studio. Check it out, and tell your friends!

Thanx!
Rick

Ambassador search underway

We are searching for ambassadors for the class of 2009! If you are interested, contact us during the month of November. We will meet with candidates and their parents to explain the program the first week of December. If there are still positions available, we will accept applications until December 21st. However, there are only a limited number of positions available at any school, so don't put it off.

We are looking for junior girls (face it, girls get more excited about photography and are more likely to talk to others about it than guys), who are involved in activities at their school, are well-liked, and are willing to put forth some effort to help us get the word out about Carr Portrait Art senior portraits. If you're involved in one or more activities such as cheer, softball, basketball, volleyball, band, FFA, football or baseball team manager, etc., please call Rick or Elise at 392-3929 by November 30th!

The students we hire will be photographed in January or February, be provided with a folio of images to show your friends, and will help us build a mailing list of students from the Class of '09. More details will be given at the December meetings, including "what's in it for you!"

Late summer & Fall promos for the studio

I'm excited about what we've got planned for the 2nd half of this year! (Can you believe we're into the 2nd half of the year!?!?!? Wow!)

Post cards are ordered for our late summer/fall/holidays marketing.

High school seniors!! August is almost full. We are now booking September and October senior portrait experiences! Call by September 20th for 30% off September sessions - 40% off October sessions - or 50% off November sessions!! Call on September 6th - ONE DAY SALE - for 80% off Classic, Custom, or Deluxe Senior Portrait Experiences!!!

Visit our Family and Child portrait pages for information about our Toy Sessions, Fall Family Portraits, Home for the Holidays, and more to come for high school seniors. Plus, this Fall we'll be kicking off an all new Senior Ambassador program for the Class of 2009! If you would like to be kept up-to-date on any of these promotions, use our contact page to let us know! We mailed a newsletter in July (and would be happy to send you a copy of it), and will be mailing some postcard reminders as each of these promotions is taking place! Don't miss out on your best portrait experience ever!