Do me a favor...please

I received a call from my best friend, Beth, the other day asking me to do her a HUGE favor and photograph her group of girls for *D* weekend.  I'm up for doing favors (although this didn't seem to qualify as a favor)...and it helps that I really love Beth :-)

So I showed up to Monkezz Brew in Thomasville, camera in hand, to photograph this group of 5 girls and their fearless leaders, Beth and Emily.  When I walked into the room where they were working (making jewelry and picture frames), I was overwhelmed with this feeling of pride.  I was so SO proud to call Beth my friend...she was giving up an entire weekend to minister to these young girls and she was so genuinely happy to be there!  She was patient and attentive.  She was like the perfect "big sister" to those girls...which told me right away that she loved them--a lot.  

Then, as she was introducing me to one of the girls, I heard her use the descriptive, "my very best friend".  I was honored that she called messy little me her VERY best friend....honored beyond belief.  Isn't always so nice to be called "friend" by someone you love so dearly?  

The girls were so funny and full of life...they were an absolute pleasure to photograph.  I just adore teenage girls--they are at this pivotal point in life where they are still very innocent about what it means to be a woman...but they are learning quickly.  I admire Beth and Emily for investing in those girls' future...for giving those girls a perfect representation of what a woman should be.  

 

So, as I was riding home yesterday...I thought about the "favor" that I was supposed to do, but that was really done for me.  You see,  I was wallowing in self pity yesterday (quite possibly due to not eating quickly enough after a long run--my mind and body started revolting)...you know, the kind where you just KNOW that you have it worse than anyone else in the entire universe while also knowing that you're being COMPLETELY ridiculous.  That was me yesterday....and I was so ashamed of myself.  What I really wanted to do yesterday was hide away until the intense desire to wallow exited my head....but what I ended up doing yesterday was photographing 5 teenage girls and my very best friend Beth.  And what ended up happening was me seeing how absurd I was acting and how very blessed I am on so many levels.  So do me a favor (no, really) next time I'm in a funky mood, put me in a room full of teenage girls and I'll snap out of it...they have a way of making me giggle.

Here are a few pictures of the girls...I think they really liked being followed around by a "photographer" downtown...they just lit up (and it probably helped that people were stopping in their cars to stare at them--they are beautiful girls).