Alright, here’s some photos from the first part of our day today. It’s only 3:50pm right now so there’s plenty of time left for more shots, so hopefully more to come. Photo captions are below each shot.

Here’s our legit, REAL leis that Megan greeted us with at the airport. The smell nice, and they make the whole room smell good. Bethany’s is on the left and mine is on the right.

Just a quick shot of Bethany and Titus, my two favorite people.

Family shot. Apparently Titus thought Hawaii was more interesting than this photo.

I just love his big blue eyes.

A shot of our friend’s daughter. She’s fun.

Titus with my lei on.

Our friend’s son with his “Automoblox”. They’re like the legos of cars or something. I’m way too stupid to understand it.

“Sorry dad, no more pictures.” - Titus

Christmas Tree 2010 from Shay on Vimeo.

A long week came came to a close tonight with the above photo. Hands down it was the hardest night I’ve had a in while — surprisingly hard. We all look happy, and we are, but just a few minutes later everyone in this photo had tears in their eyes (minus the babies). Happy hearts turned to bummed hearts because we had to say goodbye to one of the families. Due to a great new job opportunity for the husband, the Lord has willed that they move across the country. We really don’t know if they will every move back to California or what the Lord would have, all we know is that tonight would be the last night we would really see them for a while.

I actually didn’t think saying goodbye to them would prove to be so difficult. It’s not that we haven’t known for months what God’s plan was. We even made arrangements to spend the last four days with them, just to get our time in. And it’s not that we don’t trust God’s sovereignty, because I believe we all do. The truth is we are friends, and in many ways we are closer to these people than our families. We have grown together, laughed together, worshiped together, camped together, ministered together, and enjoyed our families together. These are the kinds of people you let watch your kids, and you do the same for them. They are kind of people you give your house key to, and the ones that loan you their truck when you’re moving across town. They are ones that let you live in their place for six months before you get married (rent free) just because they want to bless you. They are the ones that open their home up once a week so a college-aged Bible study has a place to meet, complete with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. They are ones that invite you over to watch the World Cup and cook bacon wrapped hot dogs. They are the friends who you share struggles with, joys with, and the unknown with. They’re the ones you ask to pray for you and know they will. They are friends who love God and love people, and the kind of people you want to be around. That’s why it was so hard.

I don’t know what the future holds for my friends, but I know that I can’t be selfish with them. I’m sure there are other people across the country who need them and maybe God has sovereignly moved them just for that? Sad or not, I have to be OK with God’s plan. I need to learn more and more to trust Him even when it’s hard. I hope and pray God will use these good friends in their new home and new community to bless others the same way He has used them to bless me.

Maybe it’s because Bethany has gotten really in to the Pioneer Woman, or maybe it’s because I love a good competition, but this weekend found me creating a Dutch traditional dessert called Hollandse Appeltaart (AKA: Dutch apple tart). Our church has yearly contest for a special service we called “Turkey, Tarts, and Testimonies”. During the service we sing some traditional hymns, spend some time hearing from people and sharing testimonies, and at the end we enjoy pie and dessert together. But where my dessert comes in is that the men are to provide the pies, with no help from the women. So my friend Josh and myself got together and baked the night away on Saturday. In fact, we live streamed the entire thing and if you have about 3 hours of uninterrupted time, feel free to watch it here.

For some reason I only took one photo of our final tart, but I did take a few photos of the miniature one I made. I’ve placed it next to my iPhone to give you an idea of the size of this little guy.

The recipe called for some great ingredients including “currants” which are like a small black berry which we found out are regulated by the USDA in some parts of the U.S. Thankfully Sprouts had them in their “open stock” area and we weren’t missing any ingredients from the original recipe. Other ingredients included apples (of course), raisins, lemon zest, sugar, and cinnamon. We made the crust from hand as well, which included an egg and sugar baked in. Super tasty…

Here is our final submission. We were #33 and we took 2nd place in the fruit category for taste! The family cookbook recipe calls for the tart to “always be served with a dollop of whipping cream and strong coffee” (which might explain Bethany’s love for coffee…it’s in her blood!). Our tart was on a cake stand with a French press of Starbucks Christmas blend, along with cups and plenty of dollops for every judge. I even created a little card with the name of the tart and the Dutch flag for good measure. It’s hard to see, but the background of the card I have a drawing of some old Dutch ships, presumably bringing their culture to the States! Later in the evening one of the judges told me we actually placed 2nd in both taste and presentation, but they weren’t awarding any pies with double prizes, yet it’s good to know that it looked as good as it tasted.

And as they say, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much” (and I’m Norwegian so I guess that’s saying something).

Over the past few months I’ve begun a correspondence with a friend from college over email that is highly irregular during our times, but something I’ve really enjoyed. What we’re doing may come as a shock to many in our culture, but we’re writing letters to each other. Some looking to judge me are already saying to themselves “oh come on! Letters over email? Lame!” But these “letters”, though delivered electronically, carry more weight to me than any other email I receive. The main reason: they have substance.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that email is horrible or doesn’t serve a purpose, or whatever — that would be wrong. Quick messages to transfer information will always have it’s place. Twitter, instant messaging, Facebook wall-posts, etc. have their place too. But what I’m finding is that as I’ve forced myself to wait to respond to these letters and really write from my heart, I’m getting a lot back from the experience. That’s the trick. We don’t write every day. In fact, we have actually let weeks go by without responding. It’s been a fun way to keep up with a friend that’s over a thousand miles away, but also show him that I’m willing to take the time and write him. I guess those are probably the key ingredients to building a relationship with someone: time and substance. Without both you’ll probably never see any of your relationships grow.

I think you should try it. All it takes is a commitment from another friend that you may not have regular contact with, but want to continue to build a relationship. Take the time to write them about your normal life. What you’re doing at work, or how you’re involved in your church. Tell them about your spouse or your dog, or your love for cars. But make sure you keep it simple as if you were writing with pen. Don’t over communicate, but summarize when the details don’t really need to be explained. Start each letter with “Dear ______” and end it with “Sincerely,” or another appropriate ending. I think it’ll be a rewarding time for you and I can guarantee that both you and your friend will appreciate each other more through the process.

All photography is © Shay Thomason. Any unauthorized use without the sole permission of the photographer is strictly prohibited.

That day I made my her laugh

That one really late night

That place we used to live

That day we moved

That day I finally fit

That time we were small

That other time we were small

The day we played with friends

That day we got away

That night we just relaxed

That day at the beach

That day we picked a winner (or two)

One of the great pleasures of doing photography is the time I get to spend with friends and families. Over the past few years I’ve been doing family portraits for various seasons and occasions, and I wanted to share some of them with you. For those of you who have been to my portfolio site, some of these you will have already seen, but there’s definitely a lot of unpublished shots in this batch.

:: warning: “shaymless” self-promotion below ::

Come September I will begin to schedule family portraits for Christmas cards and holiday events, and I would love to photograph your family. I try to keep my sessions short and to the point and I definitely try to make it fun for the whole family. Feel free to contact me at shay[at]shaythomason[dot]com and let’s get together and make some memories. Until then, enjoy these from my past clients:

All photography by Shay Thomason. © Shay Thomason. All rights reserved.

My good friend Blake Boys has submitted his video to have his car blown up by Conan and I think it’s definitely up for the running. Check out his little tune and send in your comments for Conan to blow up Blake’s car… as he pleads with his guitar!

If you’re having trouble viewing the above video, click here to view it on NBC’s site.

Three years ago my parents moved from a lifetime of residing in southern California to central Kentucky. Their new town is home to Abe Lincoln’s birthplace and you can literally walk the downtown area in about 5 minutes. I just got home (California) from visiting them for the past six days and I only have one thing to say: Kentucky is not my home.

It’s not that Kentucky is all bad — it does have it’s moments. Louisville is a pretty good city, for example. They boast that they are the 16th largest in the Union, but what I love are the old brick buildings and the Ohio river that it sits against. Also, there is something to say for the American history that Kentucky holds. Everywhere you go you’ll find bronze signs with gold lettering telling you that you’ve just entered a historic city and then explain the significance. But that might also be it’s downfall. The reality is these cities were probably a lot more exciting in the mid 1800’s then they are today because I don’t think anyone has done anything to keep them up in the past hundred and fifty years. But that didn’t stop my parents from loading us up in the car they borrowed (or in Kentucky it could be pronounced “burred”) and lead us around every place that might have any significance, historical or not. The view from the back the car wasn’t always bad as the photo above portrays. The chances of seeing a tractor in your lane with a nice water tower in the skyline isn’t that likely in southern California, so I had to get a shot of it at least for posterity. Nevertheless we saw most of what Kentucky has to offer in a few car rides and it’s not something to write home about — which is why I figured blogging might be the option in my case.

California, at least for now, is home to my home. I say “home to my home” because even as I’m writing this I’m realizing that my home really consists of more than a location, bedroom, kitchen, or even fond memories. Bethany (my lovely wife) was telling me about a blog she read the other day that discussed this very topic. The writer, CJ Mahaney’s daughter, basically explains how she isn’t sad that her parents are moving out of the house she grew up in. She explains how her parents aren’t ones to live in the past and how really home is “where mom is.” As I grow older and continue to establish my own home with my wife, I agree with this sentiment completely and would further add some qualifications to it.

Home for me really consists of the following: where my wife is, where my church is, and where God is choosing to use me. To be without my wife (and I don’t mean to sound cliche) would be like a half-me walking around — it would be weird, gross, and pretty awkward for those around me. She is the one that God designed for me and the more we grow together, the clearer that becomes. Furthermore, to be without a local church would be devastating to my spiritual growth. To miss the teaching of God’s word, the fellowship of other believers, and the constant use of my spiritual gift would leave me misguided and spiritually bankrupt. The church is really an extended family. These are people that I trust my life with and people that I want to be around all the time. They are my friends, my mentors, my brothers and sisters, and my teachers. I want to learn from their experiences, rub shoulders with them, share my prayer requests with them, hold the battleground with them, sing with them, learn with them, share the Gospel alongside them, and learn to love Christ more with them. Finally, I want to have God use me where I am. I don’t want to be idle in my obedience to God. I want to do what he says and trust him for the results. It’s in these things that my home is really established. If my home only consisted of my bedroom, some framed photographs of times past, and some simple memories it would missing some very key elements of my life and wouldn’t be much of a home at all — it would be missing God’s plan and God’s people, and those are things I just can’t live without.

I need to look back a lot. It’s not that I don’t see God doing amazing things in my life today, because He is and has, but I need to look back and remember how far God has brought me and cared for me so I don’t get prideful. It’s so simple for me to get caught in the trap of thinking that I did anything to deserve the life God has provided or that I should get any glory for His work. The truth is, apart from His grace — I’m just another lost sinner in need of a Savior. Apart from His plan, His sovereign will, His work, His love — I am nothing. Even coming to Salvation wasn’t something I did, it was a gift given to me by Him and I am eternally grateful. That’s all for today.