Stories, Chapters, and Threads

I never would have said I was a story teller. But with God as the author of our story, nothing is impossible.

And we can for sure never guess the ending of the story He writes for our lives.

This journey hasn’t been a short one, as stories never are.

And this chapter, like the last, is not what I would have created or written for myself.

To know I still get to take pictures of beautiful families and help tell their stories and IN ADDITION, I get to tell stories to music.

Starting next week, twice a week, I’ll be teaching dance at our local recreation center.

I’ve always imagined that would be part of my story but I had no idea HOW or WHEN.

The nudge that it was time started as soon as my little girl was born. But I knew I would have to wait. So I waited patiently for His timing and His grace.

He waited on me, too, as more opportunities were shared and as business started to grow within photography.

But let me start at the beginning.

Since I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. You may remember me sharing that I taught my grandfather. I pretended he was my student and I was the teacher.

But on every form I had to fill out of what I wanted to do when I grew up, I wrote own a dance studio.

Never mind the fact that my seventh grade career quiz told me I was going to be a game warden. Such is life.

But then I graduated high school, and somehow I got into Clemson University. I was accepted into Clemson under Arts and Humanities with a minor in Business with hopes to open a dance studio one day. However, as the first day of orientation progressed I knew Elementary Education was the route I wanted to go. I could still teach dance I reasoned.

Then, throughout college, I danced on the dance team and drove home to teach at my dance studio where I grew up. During my summers, I worked with NDA, the National Dance Association, and had the opportunity to travel across the country and teach at various camps. This was much harder for me as I had to learn all choreography from a video and show up to training camp prepared to perform. I learned a lot from that! Most particularly that I am a visual learner (that needs someone right in front of her!) so the video was quite challenging.

I remember one camp in particular this AMAZING HI (Head Instructor) was leading our camp and we were talking about what we wanted to do when we “grew up” and of course, I said, “Open a dance studio.” She looked at me and said, “No way. I would never do that. I wouldn’t want to teach someone the wrong way.”

And from there my wheels started spinning. How could this incredible dancer not want to share that?? And this fear started creeping in. I wasn’t half the dancer she was…if she can’t do it, how could I?

So I pushed the idea away. Not mattering that I dreamed of this my entire life.

And life continued.

I coached cheerleading and taught school.

I got married and Russ started teaching and coaching, as well.

We had two little boys and the fear was solidified—how could I have a dance studio that was open at night with two boys who would hopefully play sports and a coach for a husband?

Yep. No way it would work.

Then, Cray turned one! And since I had Kuy, I knew I wanted to stay home, and Chasity told me of how God spoke to her that she should GIVE AWAY Sugar Snap.

We left the shoot and I thought that should be me. And it was. And it’s been a beautiful journey. One that still AMAZES me with every click of the shutter.

Then, Callie was born in my first year working from home. And literally when we got in the car after finding out she was a girl, I looked at Russ and said, “Where is she going to take dance?”

And the seed that was planted so many years ago started to take root.

I could do this.

Not me. But if God wanted this as part of our lives, He would open the doors.

I could still do photography that I had grown to love so deeply. The passion to capture families and wedding days and the hardest days to the happiest days is a joy I’m not certain I’m ready to give up yet.

I can teach dance two days a week at a place in our hometown where there’s a need in a building that’s already built IN this community that raised me and so we can grow together.

So yes, like photography that made no sense to someone like me with no experience or knowledge to quit a SECURE job with benefits, I’m taking ANOTHER leap of faith and trusting this journey He has our family on together.

I will be teaching dance twice a week in my hometown!