Part of me cannot believe that it’s already Christmas. It seemed that only a few months ago it was summer, and school was just beginning. Yet here it is, December 24th. Christmas Eve. Time seems to go so fast and so slow at the same time, never stopping, just going on and on. This Christmas, I’m more excited than before to spend time with my family – you never know how much you miss spending time with them (just the normal days, the little pretend arguments, and the laughter) until you’ve spent a significant amount of time away from them. And so this Christmas, I’m just thankful to be here. I’m thankful that I’ve finished a semester and I’m excited for the next. Most of all though, I’m thankful for the gift that Christ gave, enabling us to celebrate this season with true joy.

Here in the highly unpredictable Mid-Atlantic, winter isn’t generally full of snow. Sometimes it’s just plain nasty out, like right now (30 degrees with I-have-no-idea-how-many-MPH-winds). At school, we all just roll our eyes and say “Ugh, Virginia weather” or “why can’t we have snow instead of rain?”.But not all days are nasty, and sometimes it’s cold out with the most beautiful sunlight that you’ve ever seen. That’s what happened with these photos. The sunflare was fabulous, but the first and last ones are my favorite. The sun was almost done setting, and we crouched down to the level of the smoldering horizon, before brushing briars and grasses off of our clothes and running back to the house, lured by the promise of hot tea. And so, for me personally, the last image so perfectly captures the end of a winters day here. It’s soft, and volatile, but while the sun lasts you’ll find us wandering through the crisp air, chasing those elusive moments of beauty and perfection.

(Kudos to my fabulous best friend for being my model, for freezing for the sake of art and for running off in search of beautiful moments to capture with me.)