Fail: Twice Baked

Oh man...ohhhhh man...OOOOOHHHH man!!! Can you see it? Look around!! My blog is completely redesigned and I freaking LOVE it!!! It's been redesigned to fit my Jenny Anne Photography bidness. I hope this will be a place where guest and (hopefully) future clients will come to find their pictures, read their stories, and smile just like they did on their wedding day all over again. Just. like. this... :D heeeee!

Ok, anyway, on to my post.

Some of you may not know, Brian and I have been praying about changing churches. I'm really sad about leaving CHBC as it has been my home for the past 4 years. I will miss seeing my friends week in and week out. I will miss a lot of what CHBC was to me. BUT, I'm excited about this new chapter with my hubby. I'm excited to see where Brian and I can serve. I'm excited to see a new church being planted and the members in that church live out their faithfulness and be encouraged in each other's grace in the lives of the believers. So, all that said, we are switching churches to Redeemer Arlington, a Sovereign Grace church plant in Arlington.

It's been my heart's desire to be in a church plant for a while. A couple was moving to Rhode Island to start a church 4 years ago and I seriously considered going with them. But, the Lord had me stay here for a while. Then last year, I visited my BFF Bethany in Boston and went to church with her and her hubby at a church plant there. I remember sitting there thinking, someday I'd like to be in a church plant with my hubby. Now, here we are...we have the opportunity and are excited about it.

So tonight, we went to a dinner group for the first time. I opted to bring dessert for the dinner. As you may (or may not) know, I LOVE to bake. It's the fat little girl inside me, folks. Yes, I have a fat girl inside me. I even named her. Ask me someday and I'll let you meet her. She like's cake...and cookies...and ice cream...ok, she likes it all.

ANYWAY, last night I decided to bake a French Apple Pie. The recipe didn't call for a pie crust, but I decided to put one on the bottom anyway. Well, as it turns out, I think it made the pie really dry. The pie didn't turn out (or at least) didn't look the way I wanted it to. So I decided to keep that here at home for us and make some cookies on Thursday after work just before we head out to the dinner. Now, I've made this recipe oh i don't know...a BAJILLION times! This time when I made it, for some reason, they weren't as fluffy as the last 99million times. They came out kinda flat and the icing was really really thick. It was so odd. I don't know what happened. Thus concluding to a Fail: Twice Baked.

A Better Possession

Can you think of your absolute favorite possession in your house? Maybe your office? Maybe in you room...or you might even be wearing it...say something like an antique diamond ring from your husband's grandma he presented to you on the night of your engagement.

I've often thought about having a house fire...I know, I think of weird things. But I would think about my special (sometimes most expensive) possession I would absolutely save. Or it would be the thing I would put in a fire safe lock box (which, btw Brian, we still need to get!).

For me, I would save...well, my computer, external hard drive, and my camera...all equipment I use to build my photog bidness. Other than things that cost money, I would save my Bible and a banker's box of 15 something journals I've kept over the years and pictures of childhood and such. Those are precious possessions to me.

But what about things like a big house? A big car? A new ipad or iphone for that matter? What about all those things that make us comfortable to have an easy life...one without wants, desires, and longings. Could you give all of those up? I discintly remember going to buy my Mac in 2007. I was SO excited about it, but also HATED that I spent that much money. I bought it. Was excited. But felt guilty. I told God that if he had me move to a third world country and give all of the "comforts" of life up, I would. Honestly, I can't say that I would do that any more. Yikes! Where has my heart been settled on? Hmm...definitely not on heavenly things.

Today, during lunch, I took a walk to Borders near my work. I usually do this on days I don't have anything going on. I like to get away from my desk to spend some time in the Word. Lately, I've been reading Hebrews and I came across Hebrews 10:34-35.
Here it is:

For you had compassion

on those in prison,

and you joyfully accepted the plundering

of your property,

since you knew that you yourselves had a

better possession

and an abiding one.

Therefore do not throw away

your confidence,

which has a great reward.

This convicted me. "Joyfully accept the plundering (good word) of your property."

Would I joyfully accept the loss of everything I owned and loved and possessed? In a joyful way, as well? This would be hard...

BUT LOOK!!

The author goes on to say the reason of their joyfulness in the plunderment (made up word) of their possession...THEY HAD A BETTER POSSESSION!!! AN ABIDING ONE, for that matter.

What was that abiding possesion? Jesus Christ! Duh. They knew they had Christ on their side. They knew all they EVER needed was Christ...and they were completely satisfied with that. "You shall not eat by bread alone, BUT by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." He is all we need. Christ, our sacrifice, gave himself up to be sin (he knew no sin) so that we could come boldly unto the throne of Grace to find help in the time of need. The author of Hebrews, encouraged the people here to not give up their confidence...because they had a better, abiding, possession.

Married: Wensa and Nick

"Does this mean I get to be on your blog?"
She asked me.
"Haha, OF COURSE!" I said to her that bright beautiful Saturday...the day of her wedding!


Wensa is a dear friend of mine from church. I have loved getting to know her and watching her grow in her walk with the Lord. Together, with her partner in crime and former roommate, Abbie, those two girls can be trouble. When I say trouble, I mean, you just won't stop laughing.
And that's exactly how it was on her wedding day. So. much. laughter! It was awesome! Wensa knew how to relax and enjoy something. She didn't worry about anything. Mostly because, well, that's pretty much how she rolls and she also knows and trusts a God that is higher and sovereign over the little details of even her wedding day.


This was my last wedding job I had for the summer before I got myself hitched a few weeks later. I loved everything about shooting this wedding. The fun, easy-going atmosphere of the bridesmaids, Wensa's dress (OH. my. LANTA! It is too die for!), her birdcage veil found on Etsy.com, and pretty much her smittenness (is that a word?) with her new hubby Nick. So sweet.


Please scroll down and enjoy the rest of the pictures. If you want to see MORE pictures, find my facebook page here. And thanks Paul Barrios for helping me shoot that day! Always a joy to shoot with you, friend. (congrats on your new baby boy, Gavin!!)

The groom waiting patiently for his bride.

Favorite shot of the day. YES!

love...I just...love this!

I love his grin!

Hubby and wifey. boom. done.

Seriously, these girls rocked!

I love this picture of her dress!

Find me on facebook!

Oil in Water

Welp, I know it's been...umm... 2 1/2 months since I last posted. Yikes!! I've been kind of busy...ok, REALLY busy. The Lord blessed me this summer in a number of ways. I was able to photograph 6 (SIX!!) weddings this summer!! I loved doing every one of them! I still can't believe those wonderful brides chose me to be their photographer. Amidst all of those weddings I was shooting, I, myself, was planning MY OWN wedding! Yep, that's right, I GOT MARRIED! On September 4, I committed myself to love, honor, and obey Brian Andrew Bosak. :) I can't tell you how surreal it is. We keep talking about how a year ago, we did not know each other. And now...and now...we are MARRIED!! And I gotta say, I'm falling more and more in love with this wonderful man everyday. I mean, really, I have THE BEST hubby ever!! I'm incredibly blessed to be married to a man who loves me and desires to carefully lead me. He is so supportive and very wise. He is patient when I am sinful and loving to correct me. I'm amazed at how good God is to carefully choose this man for me to spend the rest of my life with and glorify God together.

But anyway...

Marriage rocks! Seriously, folks. It's SO much fun! Even in the hard times...and the hard times, they do come. But it's so fun to be with your best friend all the time. Even Brian, as a guy, says marriage rocks. So, single guys out there, get a move on and ask a girl out. She could be your wife. Don't wait any more. Get going. ;)

I'm learning a lot in marriage. I'm learning a lot about my own sinfulness. There's sin there that I never thought I would have! Sometimes, it's surprising. I'm also learning to love someone else carefully. I'm learning what my own love language is and what his is and loving him the best way possible. I've realized the way I love is by acts of service. I enjoy doing things for Brian. I take pleasure and joy in cooking for him, making sure the house is clean and nice and welcoming, folding laundry (I hate folding laundry). I am learning to give myself up to love him better. Though, I fail at this more times that not, but I'm learning.

One thing I've realized is that I do things the way my mom taught me. I remember how she would bake in the evenings and I would help. My favorite thing to help with was making apple pies. I had this tiny 5 inch in diameter tin pie plate from our "play house" kitchen set Mandy and I would play with. I would use that to make my own personal apple pie. I remember how my mom would roll out the dough and knead it. I remember how she would fold the towels and sheets (though fitted sheets are still a pain). Now that I'm doing all of those things for my husband, I find my mind going back to how my mom taught me to do all of these things. Even tonight, for dinner we had spaghetti. The sauce was my mom's recipe I made in the crock pot. And every time I make pasta, I remember how my mom would put in a drop of oil so the pasta wouldn't stick together. Now, I know this is not unique knowledge, but seriously folks, I wouldn't have thought of it myself. I never thought this would actually happen, but I really really enjoy cooking and baking. And I just remember how my mom would bake a lot. She would make zucchini bread sometimes, which I thought was just weird. I mean, zucchini...and bread...it just doesn't mix (HA! Get it? mix. bread. get it? get it?)

Anyway, even though it may not have seemed like it at the time, I did pay attention and remember a lot of what was taught...even when it comes to the small things like putting oil in the water.

Thanks Mom!

He Reminds Me of My Dad...

"Todd reminds me of my dad...that's one of the many reasons I am marrying him."

She said to me on her wedding day, Saturday, July 31, 2010.

This weekend, I had the utmost privilege to shoot Todd and Holly's wedding at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. I had done their engagement shoot in the winter this year.

And let me tell you something.

They are an AWESOME, FUN, LOVABLE couple!!!

I love that they love to laugh!!!

Holly was completely and utterly calm on her wedding day.

Many tears were had that day between her and her dad, who are super close, and then between herself and Todd as they did a First Look.

And then later on, after the ceremony, between well, the whole bridal party. :)

It was so wonderful to capture everyone sharing in their joy as they became husband and wife!!

This blog is just the teasers, but I just LOVED the pictures I captured of her dress and shoes.

Our church is filled with stain-glassed windows that bring in such yummy color lighting.

And, I mean, the dress AND shoes are an important part of the wedding. ;)

I'd like to proclaim that these pictures are done with little to no editing. They are SOC...

straight out of the camera.

This is my favorite pictures of a dress...by far.

And Holly totally ROCKED that dress! It was BEAUTIFUL!!

Stay tuned for more pictures...after my wedding. :)

Ordinary Fridays

I can't wait for more ordinary Friday's with Brian.

Tonight, we ordered Domino's Pizza and had Cake Love cupcakes for dessert.

Mmmmm...SOOO good!!

After a very productive day of me moving out of my current house

and into one of our pastor's house on the Hill for a month

and then Brian and I buying my wedding band tonight,

we opted for an easy night in with pizza and sweets.

I can't wait for more of these kinds of days with him. :)

Cakelove. I got carrot cake and Brian got 44th and Caramel and Sea Salt...err something like that.

Nothing better than Domino's and an old Alfred Hitchcock movie.

I'm also preparing to shoot a wedding tomorrow at my church.

I rented a 17-55mm f2.8 lens for the occasion.

And let. me. tell. you.

I AM IN LOVE!!! (with the man in the picture)

but also with this LENS!!! mmm it takes SUCH yummy pictures!!!

When we got to the mall this evening, it was such lovely weather, I couldn't let it go to waste...

Sooo Brian kindly agreed to be model.

I think he does a FABULOUS job. :)

Talk about yummy. :)

"Today was a fairytale

you were the prince.

I used to be a damsel in distress

You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six.

Today was a fairytale.

Today was a fairytale

I wore a dress

You wore a dark grey t-shirt

You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess.

Today was a fairytale.

Time slows down, whenever you're around.

Can you feel this magic in the air?

It must've been the way you kissed me.

Fell in love when I saw you standing there

It must've been the way,

Today was a fairytale.

Today was a fairytale
You've got a smile that takes me to another planet
Every move you make everything you say is right
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale
All that I can say is it's getting so much clearer
Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale"

Taylor Swift

Yeah, I can't wait to marry you, Brian Bosak!!

I love you!!

Little Joys

Category: Life

My bridal shower is coming up on Saturday. (!!!!!!) :::Insert excited fist pumping here::: My sister Mandi, maid of honor, is doing a splendid job of pulling it all together. I can't wait for it! My mom, sister, future mom-in-law, future sister-in-law, and future dad-in-law will all be coming this weekend for the shower. I can't wait! I'm SO tempted to take a peek on our registries to see what we've got, but I have been disciplined and have not done so...Brian has...but he's not telling me. :) So anyway, I wanted to get a new dress for the shower. Please note: I hate dress shopping. Hate it. If you noticed from my status on Facebook, I hate dress shopping. It's ridiculously hard for me to find a dress I like, that is cute, fits great, affordable, and modest. It's practically impossible now that most dresses are WAY TOO short and WAY TOO expensive. I had gone shopping with one of my dear friends (and bridesmaids) Regina and was so discouraged at not finding anything. I wasn't going to give up though! I'm a determined little booger! So, last night, I decided to head for Georgetown. Now, if you live in DC, you know that G-town is pretty expensive with stores like JCrew, Banana, Tommy Hilfiger, White House/Black Market, Cusp, and other cute little boutiques that I will never EVER afford. (which I'm ok with because a woman's beauty is not to be of her adornment, but in the quiet and gentle spirit...1 Peter 3:3). But a girl does want to look and feel pretty, especially when it's a big day...like a bridal shower day. I was feeling pretty hopeless in finding a dress and was even gonna settle for buying a dress for $100. YIKES! Yes, I know....

But, whilst walking to the uber expensive stores, I remembered this WAY cute second hand thrift store. I didn't think I would find ANYTHING in there, but it was worth a shot, right? As you all know, I'm sure, thrift stores are definitely a hit or miss. You can browse through all the gross 1980/1990 clothes with the embroidered reindeer Christmas sweaters or the puffy sleeved prom dresses or the almost torn shirt to find just one little treasure. I had almost given up hope when I saw this super cute yellow eyelet dress hanging in the middle of the rack. I pulled it out to see what size it was...alas, there was no size on the tag. The sales lady didn't know what size it would be either. I looked it over a few times and concluded that it would be way too small for me, but decided to try it on anyway...couldn't hurt, right? Well, to my dismay, IT FIT!! It looked GREAT TOO!! I felt like the sisterhood of the traveling pants where the pants fit EVERYONE. It is perfect for my bridal shower. I felt relieved and excited to wear my new dress on Saturday. I was rather proud of myself for being financially thrifty! Yay! Go me! And uber excited that God provided! Yay! Go God! And just even more excited that I can add little accessories to my new dress for a little creative touch by yours truly. So just by adding light pinkish flats, blue rose earrings, and a light pinkish ribbon from Joanne Fabrics to go around the waistline for a belt, this dress has a whole new look to it! Yay for creativity!!

Creative little touches is what makes life, your surroundings, people more interesting.

This blog is just about the little joys I am enjoying right now....

This picture and the fact that my church is together in one room again.

Going for peaches at Eastern Market on Sunday morning before church with Brian.

Having a girl moment in the middle of a mall with a dear friend eating Godiva Chocolate. :)

Him. :)

Our newest member of the houshold, our phern, Phillis. Brian takes care of her till I move in.

This WAY AWESOME toy I picked up at the orthodonist yesterday. :) haha...watch out, Bri!

And super cute bobbypins and necklaces from Etsy.com and the way cute wrapping the sellers put them in. The bobbypins came in the little bag, and the necklace was wrapped in the floral material. These will also be used with my dress. :) If you haven't checked out Etsy...you GOTTA! Everything is handmade which means it's all original. I just love original pieces.

The Hippstamatic app on my iphone! It take pictures in a completely different light. It has changed my photographing world! Brian took this picture, unbeknownest to me, whilst I was intently listening in at our member meeting Sunday night.

The rest of the little joys do not have pictures, but are worth of mentioning nonetheless (nonetheless = awesome word)

Hugs from Brian after the zipper from my dress breaking and calling my mom in tears. (yes, the zipper broke...getting it fixed today)

Sweetened Green Tea...sweet and healthy.

The way God provides good gifts for his children.

Rocking awesome deals from craigslist for our furniture!

And this verse I read today:

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind.

and declares to man what is his thought,

who makes morning darkness,

and treads on the heights of the earth--

the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Amos 4:13

I'd LOVE to hear what your little joys are!! Leave me a comment...or two...or three...or 27.

: )

simply.

jenny.