SimplistiKate

Oh I could just die. This woman is such a light in the world I was thrilled when she agreed to let me photograph her and interview her. Scroll to the bottom of the photos to read some of my probing questions. My theme for this shoot was simply... "Rachael". I wanted to capture a glimpse of her classic bohemian style and I also really just wanted an excuse to hang out with her and catch up. I chose an early August evening in the prairie lands hoping to get a bit of color from the sunset and a cool breeze from the open air. Scroll through and enjoy her effortless beauty and take a moment to sneak inside her day to day life. What does a typical day look like for you? My days are not my own and depend on the individuals who walk through my door. People/life are unpredictable in the world of mental health – you have to be ready to adapt to any given situation at any given moment. The only thing I know for sure is that I go into work around 8, leave around 6, and do paperw...

I open my back patio door and step out into the warm August afternoon. My left arm is full with my two notebooks, my devotional, and my large study Bible. I'm in the mood to write. I place my chair in the shade and sit down. As I sit down I am greeted by a warm breeze that rustles the aged trees above and provides a hum of noise as the wind captures the leaves and branches and makes them sway and move. The sound and feel of the wind is like a warm welcome from the Lord saying, "hello, I'm glad to see you and thank you for making time for me today." I'm urged to write with the thought of simplicity is on my mind. I sit here in the shade on a small concrete patch with overgrown plants and flowers surrounding me. Our back "patio" is nicely concealed behind our garage and is beyond fancy. The concrete is littered with roof flakes that fall from our decaying roof, sand and toys from the kids sandbox, weeds spit up through the cracks, and our three grills sta...

No makeup, bed head, sweatpants, and a warm smile welcomes me Sunday morning from Miss Rachel Patterson. The one thing I think of to describe this girl is "au natural". She is no primpy girl checking herself in the mirror, rather she is a fly out the door full-time college student, work-a-holic. The youthful 21 year old is trying to find her way as a junior social work major at the University of Northern Iowa. Though Rachel currently lives at home she basically just sleeps there only to wake to a full course schedule, juggle her three different jobs, attend leadership classes with her local church, and maintain her social life. I was able to slump down on the couch with her Sunday morning before lunch and pull out random questions. The fun thing about Rachel is she is full of life and full of stories. Me: What's your go-to outfit? Rachel: I always wear skinny jeans or jeggings, toms or boots (I never wear sweatpants to class) and I usually throw on a cute shirt and a ...

On this rainy Thursday I find myself in a spirit of thankfulness. For no apparent reason really. Usually I am super duper thankful and joyous after landing a well fought for job, or my kids finally ate a whole meal without dessert, or I found a killer scarf that rocks with every outfit. No this thankfulness came while I was in my basement washing loads of sick blankets and clothes (my family and I are just getting over the cold virus). It was here in my very ugly basement where tubs overflow with clothing and nick knacks, where my washer leaks, where it harbors that musty smell that I looked around at the mess and instead of steaming with anxiety over its imperfection, I smile. I smiled at the many tubs of children's clothing thinking of the many memories those tubs hold of my two young children. I smile at the books that are lined up that Luke and I selected to keep out of our many college book assortments, they have meaning to us. I smile at the decorations that fill any hole i...

I haven't written for a month. It's been busy with the swarm of the holidays events. I am just now getting back into my weekly rhythm. I haven't known what to write about either and I've been too exhausted at the end of the day to compile my thoughts. This week I attended a wonderful gathering of woman at Orchard Hill Church to begin a six week series on "Identity". The one hour session got my head spinning with so many things that have been on my mind. So here I write, here I blurb out my thoughts, and here is where I will probably begin a series of new entries that focus more on my brokenness rather than my "holy thy am" self. Hopefully I can make some thoughts in my mind make sense... I recently went through a small dark time where I really felt empty and feelings of hopelessness crept in. I had been low on sleep and energy with both kids waking up multiple times throughout the night, my youngest had been ultra clingy and whiny for the past ...

Murphy Christmas can be summed up in a few words, organized chaos. Murphy Christmas is when 51 relatives come together to eat, drink, and play 500. It's the highlight to the end of year because it is always filled with great conversations, hardy laughs, and a lot of critical thinking during the 500 card tournament. Here are many shots of the organized chaotic event... Welcome to the JAWs Hotel (Jeff and Wendy's)!! This is a beautiful new age victorian inspired home. There are so many details of Wendy's decorations that makes it feel so homy. It always smells good and there is always beautiful sparkle through out the house. I captured a few here... The stockings are hung along the staircase with so much meaning. Each is adorned with sports pins, grandmothers broaches, misplaced earrings, pendants from necklaces, etc. What a great way to display them and add meaning, right? I had fun being the paparazzi as the guests arrived. Next we head inside and enter into a sea...