This Made Me Smile :: Monday :: A Whole Bucket Full of Joy

Well would you look at that, it is Monday again! 

I nearly forgot. 

Well, you see, I remembered that I should post today about a hundred times today.....

but then forgot about a hundred more times.
I usually attempt to post on Mondays earlier in the day.
But as I write this....it is 9:24pm.
And you know what? By the time I post this it will be later.
Yeah.
Okay, to the point:
It is Monday. I have committed every Monday to post something little that makes me smile .
Or makes me happy.
 Or makes my little heart warm and fuzzy.
Or something that I like.
Or just something I wanted to post on my blog.

So here is a little list of things that made me smile in the past few days:
1. Getting baptized with The Little Brother in a lake (by our Pa). What could be better?
2. Playing three different kinds of sports until my knees hurt (hey, I am getting old okay?).
3. Seeing dear friends again.
4. Laughing with my siblings at wonderful sibling moments...until our sides hurt....very badly.
(there is a lot of hurting going on here)
Sibling moments.

The end.

(hey, it is 9:46pm now..... I think I will go join The Little Brother at eating something)

Happy Monday!

~Mackenzie Hope~

5D, Full Frame, and 50mms

How do I begin?
I have been looking forward to this for months now.
You see, a while back I decided that I was going to get a 5D Mark II.
 Last Thursday I ordered it, and it arrived yesterday.
The delivery got here at 5:00pm.
I had been waiting all day with anticipation.
But "anticipation" is too small a word.
But it is also the only word I can think of.
Oh well.
I spent most of the day listing for the UPS truck, and jumping up every time I heard a car.
Finally, when I was talking to my brother and going out to mow the lawn, I saw a brown truck begin to pull into our driveway.
I screamed, "It's here!!! It's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" , grabbed my little brother and jumped up and down, then ran around in circles (still jumping).
(It is true, ask him)
After getting the box in my hand I ran inside and with shaking hands opened it up.
And there it was.
A Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
I dubbed him Fredric Wilhelm II.
And I am in love.

Many, many more pictures coming.

Yours Truly,
Mackenzie Hope

Dan & Kate::Engaged

As I said when I posted the preview to this shoot, I had a blast shoot Dan and Kate's engagement pictures. We went to a lovely little park nestled in the woods, with pretty plants, flowers and a barn. I had never seen or heard of this little park before, but I will want to be using it again for sure.
By the end of the evening my cheeks and sides hurt from laughing and I loved how there was not a moment when they were not laughing, or saying sweet things to each other.
They were the best, and I simply can't wait to shoot their wedding this coming Saturday. 

So there you have it. 

I shall be back at some point.

I hope you are having a simply splendid week.

Yours truly, 

Mackenzie Hope

This Made Me Smile::Monday::A list of good things

It has been a wonderful weekend full of laughter and joy.

I can't write down all the moments that made me smile, there are too many of them.

So a little list is the best I can do. 

A list of 15 (because today is the 15th)things that made me smile in the past few days:

1. Sunshine and warmth 

2. Driving and new adventures 

3. Polka-dot dresses and denim shirts

4. Making numerous phone calls to announce exciting things

5. Little brothers to watch movies with and inside jokes with

6. A good, fun game of volley-ball 

7. Gas stations and Arizona Tea 

8. The smell of flowers in the kitchen 

9. Making plans 

10. Lawn-mowers

11. Laughing until my sides hurt

12. Green grass 

13. Waking up the the sound of the birds singing sweetly

14. Reading God's Word

15. Answers to prayer 

Happy Monday!

~Mackenzie Hope~