Time flies {Lancaster}

    Hey, remember that time we moved to Lancaster for one of Jeff's clinical rotations? That time has come and gone so quickly. We are in our last week as LA dwellers. While our goodbye week is blended with the busyness of Christmas celebrations, I can't help but look back on our time here. I've read a lot, learned a lot, but haven't shared any of it with you!
    First, I have loved cooking here and doing the whole wife has supper ready when husband comes home from work thing! In Charleston we'd cook maybe 4 times a week, but it was usually quick meals with the help of my grill master. Here, I'd cook most nights of the week. I enjoyed the new adventure of meal planning and for cooking for more than just 2 people. We've liked having family over to join us around the table. Sometimes that was the only time Jeff could see them because of his work schedule. So here's some things I LOVE: crockpot, a freezer stocked with deer meat, Google, Aldi grocery store, and actually mashing potatoes.

    Reading over the past 3 months has been very beneficial to me. Whether is a photography how-to blog, a popular trilogy, or a psychology book. . . I've actually made time to SIT DOWN and read. I hope to share more about these books.
How Full Is Your Bucket- Tom Rath and Donald Clifton
Strengths Finder 2.0- Tom Rath
Hunger Games- ??
She Reads Truth- Bible study on You Version
Well now that I look at that short list it may not look like I've read a lot. . . But I usually don't read at all, so it's good by my standards. I've still got a Joyce Meyer book waiting for me.

    3 miles in 30 minutes or under has been my thing for Lancaster running. I don't like to go too far from the house so I stick to 3 miles. I usually get greeted by one yappy weenie dog, 2 ankle biters, and the 3 barkers down the road. Only one house along my route has their dogs fenced in so it's usually an eventful run. I've learned to avoid the route with the territorial pit bull. I'm looking forward to running more in Greenville with family/friends and reaching some new distance goals. Cooper River Bridge Run in 2013. . . I THINK SO!
    We've enjoyed visiting around our family's different churches. Elevation Church has also been an amazing place to visit. Lord help us find a God loving and serving church family in Greenville or wherever we end up.

Brothers!

Some more things we've enjoyed in LA: Sunnie able to run free(ish), Evenings out with Papa, Granny and the crew, Antioch Pumpkin Patch, birthdays and holidays, MapMyRun iPhone app, living with the ever insightful Chris, antenna tv here got more channels than in Charleston, and the list goes on :)

This is our usual spot.  Sunnie by my side as I edit away!

   More excitment coming for us: Celebrate Christmas in LA, Christmas Eve night move to Greenville, Christmas in Greer, Dec 28 visit Hartsville, Dec 29 shoot wedding in Bishopville, Dec 30 early am fly out west for a ski trip, Bring in New Year, Return to SC Jan 3, Jan 4-6 SummerShine reunion, Jan 7 Jeff starts clinical rotation in Greer!  We'll need a nap for sure.
   PS. I finished editing last Saturday's wedding.  I'm giddy with excitement and can't wait to access upload capable internet so I can share these pictures with you!!  Check my facebook at www.facebook.com/photobyjenny for a good look and my website www.PhotographyAndDesignByJenny.com.  Shameless plug.

November 28: I'm thankful for...

This post has been a long time coming.  Five years to be exact.  I've felt compelled to write about Dad, but have mostly put it off.  On his birthday or every November 28, I chicken out and don't write anything.

November 28, 2007

Five Years
It's crazy to think what's happened in the last five years.  Dad passed away at the end of my first semester at North Greenville University.  Since then, I did Summershine for three years, welcomed a niece and nephew into the family, graduated from college, married Jeff Williams, moved away, and built my photography business...and these are only the major life changers!

So much love

Thankful for my story
God's given me a story so that I can reach out to people.  When I see a facebook update about someone loosing their father or someone going through cancer, I try to comment and share encouragement.  Obviously, their wasn't an earthly victory over cancer, but I can at least relate to the hospital visits, chemo, and hospice.
Sometimes I'll include his story in my testimony.  It's extremely powerful to talk about a man who was diagnosed with stage 4 advanced cancer, given only 2 weeks to live, sitting in his bed quoting Romans 8:28 to his wife and six children after delivering his diagnoses.  Dad's positive attitude set the stage for our grieving, for our recovery.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 ESV

Dad & James coaching at BR

Good Grief
Obviously, I wish I had my Dad here, but I'll let you in on a little secret.  Dad lived his life with a purpose, a Christ centered purpose.  I know he would much rather be in Heaven than living life on earth.  So where do we go from there?  To my family.  We've grown closer through this experience, we cherish each other more, and we are at each others' side when one needs a hand.  We have a strong bond that is hard to explain.  I do believe our experience with Dad's sickness, the 2007 football season, and grieving his death has pulled us closer to each other in a way we couldn't have anticipated.  We've been able to help each other and proceed with life.  We all know that Dad wouldn't put up with whining, self pity, or complaining.  I think his former football players could tell you how that would go.
I've learned that it's healthy to share about my experience.  I love telling Jeff stories about the quirky things Dad would do.  His sneezes, his daily habits, his words of wisdom.  Sometimes I wish I could sit down at the table with Mom and Dad.  He'd be scribbling football plays on a napkin and I'd be spilling a dramatic story to mom.  Mom and I'd finish talking and debating on what to do about the situation.  Then Dad would put his pen down, look up, and within one simple sentence he'd set things straight and tell me what to do.
During dad's sickness and death, there was no shortage of support.  I remember receiving a gas gift card because someone thought about me driving from NGU to the hospital each day.  The Blue Ridge community, former football players, Mt Lebanon Baptist Church, friends, family, and North Greenville University really showed their sincere love and support!

No Pedestal Here
Dad was pretty awesome, but I want you to know these words are NOT to glorify him.  His life was spent seeking to glorify God, not himself.  Of course Dad wasn't perfect.  These words are to encourage you to embrace the people around you.  Don't waste a second questioning your relationship with Christ.  Take pictures, cell phone or camera, I don't care what with, but really take pictures. Live your life with a purpose, seek God for that purpose.

Here's a video of a former player's visit to Dad while in the hospital.  He explains things well.

blur blur blur

Photography
What does photography have to do with Dad? Well I was in the football stands and taking pictures of him on the sidelines every Friday night.  The setting was dark, lots of motion...this means lots of blur.  I remember crying over some of the pictures because they came out blurry.  It was then that I knew I needed a camera that would allow me to control the settings and produce the images I had in mind.  So there ya go, I got my first DSLR December 1, 2007.  Since then I've learned and learned, made mistakes, learned some more.  As I approach each session or wedding, my motivation for getting all family members and special people in different combinations is fueled by the collection of pictures I have of Dad.  I'm so thankful I have pictures.  You can never have too many, once someone is gone, you wish you had more.



So here's today's "I'm thankful for..." post
Day 28:  I'm thankful for the 18 years I had with my Daddy.  I'm also thankful for the last five years...A lot has happened since he passed away.  I've missed him through each step. 11.28.2007

Now for a few Farnham memories.  These pictures are priceless to me.  I can't believe these times were that long ago!  It feels like yesterday.

Dad's first year at Blue Ridge, notice the bruise on his forehead from head butting a player at practice

Daddy Vince(Grand father) always took family pictures at our holiday celebrations. 2001

Super Hero Day

Hunting Thanksgiving 2006

Relay For Life Pageant April 2007

One of our many visits to Clemson

Lots of support, November 2007

Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole

When Jeff and I first got married, I told him, "If I ever cook something you don't like, or that's not good, TELL ME so I don't cook it again, or I can fix what's wrong."  You know that Brad Paisley song that talks about asking for seconds to keep her from tearing up.  Well, I'd rather hear the bad news right then, than cook a meal for the next 30 years and Jeff have to eat it!  Once again, communication is everything.
The Chicken Rice-A-Roni Cassarole passed that "Can I cook it again? Test." Chris(Bro-in-law) ate two plates of it. . . I think we'll be seeing this lovely again!
When I decided to fix this I called mom.  This is a farnham family favorite.  She didn't have the recipe off the top of her head, so I did what any great wifey would do. . . I googled it.  Here's what I got from PlainChicken.com adapted from TastyKitchen.com.

1 box Chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

3-4 cups cooked, chipped chicken

1 6oz can French fried onions

Preheat to 350 F.

 Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions.  Cook chicken.  Add soup, sour cream and chicken to rice.  Stir to combine.  Spray 9x13 dish.  Spread rice mixture into dish.  Top with fried onions(YUM).  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

I had a different size dish, so I adjusted my bake time.  Smaller dish = thicker food = bake longer.

Now you've got 30 minutes to clean up, make sweet tea and, set out salad stuff. . . or take a nap.

I was supposed to photograph a wedding today...

Today I was supposed to photograph a wedding, but I’m not going. I’m not going because it’s a fake.

A month ago I had a groom found me on Wedding Wire and asked me to photograph his wedding on October 20. It was such short notice to book a wedding, I felt sorry for the guy. I slipped into emergency/priority mode and juggled some things around in my schedule to make myself available for their Greenville wedding. This client wasn’t the nicest in the world, but I was willing to overlook his pushiness and rudeness to help him out. He didn’t even send the right amount of money to me. He said his "financial manager" wrote the check for my services AND the band’s services. Too bad my groom was living in London at the time and his financial manager had just left for vacation. I was the only one who could solve the problem. His band wouldn’t even book the date until they had their money. SO I did what any business woman would do, I took care of my client. I took care of him to the point that I deposited his counterfeit check(I didn't know it at was fake) and wired his band the $2,500 they needed to reserve the wedding date. I only realized that this was a scam when it was too late…

How he got me:

1. I had asked many people, including my teller, “when does my check actually clear the bank?” everyone said it’ll clear by the next day. When the check cleared I was confident my client was honest with me so I proceeded with sending his band the money.

WRONG: The funds are available the next day, but that doesn’t mean the check has gone back to the original bank. It took a whole week for the check to show up as a returned item(FAKE) This means I sent the band $2,500 of my own money.

2. He was pushy and rude and always rushing me. I had text messages coming in at 3am in the morning and emails asking me “can I trust you with my money?” Of course you can trust me with your money! I’m an honest person and I would never do anything to compromise my business.

His doubt in me made me want to prove myself as soon as I could. His pushiness made me want to get this situation finalized at any cost, it even made me overlook the warning signs. He was so pushy because he has a very specific timeline of when he can get his money. If my check showed up counterfeit before I sent the money, he’d be at a loss.

3. He had his band contacting me an excessive amount, giving me unreasonable deadlines to get their money to them.

Turns out his band was a fake, it was him all along.

4. Did I mention I was packing up and moving my whole home the day all of this happened. As I was handling this situation, Jeff and I were getting the moving truck and loading all the boxes. I was stressed enough as it was. Once again I did what I needed to do to finalize the situation so I could pack up my home!

5. I was just flat out unaware that this type of scam could happen. It all seemed so real and I hadn’t heard any stories like this before.

Please don’t let this happen to you or people you know. Help them know the warning signs of FRAUD.

1. Someone contacting you over the internet

2. Sending you more money than is required

3. Anything dealing with Western Union or a money transfer. Stop right there.

4. Watch for these signs: rude, pushy, foreign, a quick deadline, “can I trust you?”

5. This person is a stranger, no matter what other details they tell you

6. They resist meeting you or have only called from a blocked number

7. They tend to target young adults and older people

I’ve spoken to many police officers, my Suntrust bank tellers, and Western Union. They were all aware of this fraud stuff. “It happens every day,” they told me. That’s quite disheartening and they said there’s nothing I can do about it now. The police department wouldn’t even take all the evidence I had(emails, phone numbers, etc.) to investigate the case. So really . . . what can I do now? I can provide you with the tools to be aware and avoid being a victim of fraud.

I’ve learned a lot from this situation. Look back at my last blog “The Situation,” I wrote this two days before I was officially scammed. To read more about what I’ve learned go HERE.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Please share this blog or info with your friends and family. Help them know the warning signs. If you know a photographer or wedding vendor, help them become aware of this new trend. Many police officers I talked to were surprised at all the detail that was involved in this scam. They had never heard about this happening to a photographer. Unfortunately, we are a new target for them.

What I've learned...victim of fraud

If you haven't read the post that preceeds this one, place read it here.  Things will make a lot more sense!
I’ve been going through Proverbs each day of October.  Trying to seek wisdom and grow in Knowledge.  The Holy Spirit can use our knowledge and wisdom to speak to us and guide us.  I was very excited about this quest and I knew many great things would come from it.  I didn’t know the lessons I would learn would be so hard and costly, but I understand that God’s reasoning is far more spectacular than mine.

After the scam happened, I felt harassed, helpless, and used.  This person had taken the money I had worked so hard to bring in to support my family.  This equaled the profit of 2-3 weddings for me, and with Jeff as a student THAT’S A LOT FOR US!  The scam officially happened on October 6…which means I should have read Proverbs 6.  Unfortunately due to moving, unpacking, and my emotional disappointment, I didn’t catch up to Proverbs 6 until a day later.

Proverbs 6:1-5 and 12-15 (HCSB)

"My son if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger, you have been trapped by the words of your lips-ensnared by the words of your mouth.  Do this, then, my son, and free yourself. . . Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a fowler's trap."

" A worthless person, a wicked man, who goes around speaking dishonestly, who winks his eyes, signals with his feet, and gestures with his fingers, who plots evil with perversity in his heart-he stirs up trouble constantly.  Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly-beyond recovery."

Even though the only thing I can do now is raise awareness about scams, God comforted me.  My prayer for this man is that he has a Damascus Road experience and completely turns from his sinful lifestyle and fully invests his life in Christ.  He messed with a loved daughter of the most high God, so we’ll see what happens.  To God be the glory.

I also learned that I can’t rely on Police or bank tellers to do their job.  I spent a whole day on the phone and in different offices trying to get someone to take action, but they just sent me to the next office.

We’ve got to be aware of what is going on in the world around us.  As disheartening as it is to hear about violence, fraud, and the latest crime trends, we must protect ourselves and know the warning signs.  I got taken, because I was naive about the situation, I had never heard about this type of thing happening to a photographer.  I thought I was being cautious about the check clearing, but I never knew about the available funds not really being available until the check clears the other bank.

God’s timing is the best.  If this scam would have happened any other time we would have had to dig into School Loans to pay rent and buy groceries.  I had just finished up wedding season so, there were actual funds to steal!  We were also moving from a place we had to pay rent into a home where there’s no rent.