'Celebrating Teens' Photo Challenge

This week's photo challenge, over on i heart faces, is "Celebrating Teens" ... well, I say, it's about time! Let me introduce you to one very amazing teenager ... Hannah.  We've known Hannah ever since the world was blessed with her presence, 16 years ago.  She comes from a very special family that  we've been blessed to have known, for over 27 years.  Well, two years ago, her older sister, Elizabeth, began experiencing mild bruising, which got progressively worse.  Other major symptoms began showing up, causing much concern.  To make a very long story short, after the initial doctor visits, and following the ordered lab work, she was hospitalized, and all the testing began to find out what was causing these symptoms.  A bone marrow biopsy confirmed a very severe case of Aplastic Anemia ... in other words, her body was no longer capable of making it's own healthy blood.  The doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant, and, the search was on for a donor.  Friends, and family, had begun praying round-the-clock.  After the testing had begun with her family to find a donor, they didn't have to look far ... they found a perfect match ... her sister, Hannah!  She was more than happy about this ... to be able to help her sister get well!!  The transplant was scheduled for July 31, 2008, and they both came through the procedure very well.  Hannah bounced back fairly quickly, but, the long road to recovery lay ahead for Elizabeth, with some ups, and downs, and moments of deep concern for her, as her body was healing ... but God watched over her, and heard our prayers.

It has been almost 2 years, now, and with the miracle of Hannah's perfect match, and much prayer, Elizabeth is doing wonderful today!  I could share so much more here ... there are so many layers to this story ... one I have to mention ... due to the treatments she had to undergo, which would cause the loss of hair, Elizabeth had her beautiful, waist length hair, cut for Locks of Love, and, again, in loving support of her sister, Hannah sat by her side, getting her beautiful, long, hair. cut, as well!  These girls are both so very special to so many people, and I wanted to share a bit of their story here, with you.  

So, this is Hannah ... the teen I've chosen ..... and I'm celebrating her!  It's actually her birthday month, too!  She turned 16 on June the 8th!  Happy Birthday, Sweet Hannah!  Oh, and on a side note about her attire you see her in, here ... well, both Hannah, and her brothers, were quite comically dressed up to welcome Elizabeth home from a Christian retreat, a couple of months ago! It was definitely a memorable homecoming! =)

There are many more teens waiting to be celebrated over on i heart faces.  To get there, just click the logo below, and scroll to the bottom of the page for all the links ... and let the celebration begin! 

Before and After

I've been loving the flowers this spring, so, I went back through some files from the past couple of years, to see what I could find to play with, in my editing program.  I came across this beauty ... with a little 'friend' attached.  These are all of the same image .. the first one is SOOC ... (straight out of the camera) ... no editing here at all ... sorta dark, and dull.  On the second image, with a few clicks, I let PSE7 do a little 'auto' processing of it's own ... nothing too exciting, but it did bring out the colors.  On the third one, as you can see, I changed the color up a bit, added a fantastic texture, by Jerry, from Shadow House Creations, tweaked the blending mode, and opacity, and just had fun with it ... it's all for practice, and not every time, but sometimes, what we end up with is kind of nice. I'd like an opinion, or two, here, so, let me know your thoughts on the last one below! =) Constructive criticism is always helpful!

The earth smiles in flowers ......

...... yes, indeed it does! I believe it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once said that the "earth laughs in flowers", well, I used the word 'smiles' here in my title, because that's what they make me do! Infusing scent, color, and joy, into our lives, flowers are one of the most glorious creations that God has graced the earth with! A week and a half ago. my husband, and I, visited the flower gardens at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  We've not been there in awhile, and we noticed there had been a few improvements made ... all quite nice, I might add. It was such a beautiful day to spend with all those flowers ... I hope to post more soon, but, for now, here is a snippet of what we found ....

Tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes!

~William Wordsworth~

Give me odorous at sunrise
a garden of beautiful flowers
where I can walk undisturbed.
~Walt Whitman~

"The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing [of birds] is come,

And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;"
{Solomon 2:12}