Worry.

Worry, anxiety & becoming overwhelmed easily are three things I struggle with daily. It has become more of a problem in the past year than ever before. There are days that even the smallest thing can send me into a full blown fit of anxiety, worry and I am overwhelmed by it in an instant. I am married to a man that is the most easy going person I have ever met. There are very few things that get his blood boiling and he can keep a calm and cool attitude in almost any situation. I admire these qualities about him and have always coveted them! I want to be like that. I want to be able to look a problem that seems so much bigger than me right in the face, be able to smile and say "I can do this." But alas, that is not me. God is teaching me though.

A lot of people make New Years Resolutions. I have never been big on making them but this year the Lord laid something on my heart. We were on a cruise the week before Christmas and I was reading my devotional book. The chapter I was on was called "Casting your cares." I got to the third page of the chapter and I came to a line that said "The truth is, when we wallow in worry and give in to our anxious fears, we are actually disobeying the instructions of the Bible." Um, whoa. My worry is a blatant disobedience to God's Word! That really put it into perspective for me. Right then and there I repented for my anxiousness & worrying. Come to find out though, it's a part of my flesh that I literally have to die to daily.

It was appropriate that we were on a cruise when I read another line that really knocked my socks off. "Sometimes we can feel as if we're drowning in the imaginary oceans we create with our persistent worrying." That line right there describes my daily worries and anxieties. There are some days that I literally feel like I am drowning in a sea of it all. Like I can't catch my breath for a moment before another wave of trouble crashes on top of me. So that's the moment that I closed the book and called out to God in prayer. And that would be the moment that he laid a goal on my heart for the new year that was fast approaching. I wanted to become a more patient person who doesn't worry and become overwhelmed at the drop of a hat. What I wasn't realizing is that all of this was a chain reaction. My impatience leads to worry, which leads to anxiety, which led to sometimes anger and when it's all said and done I almost always ended up feeling sadness and sometimes depressed. I would beat myself up for loosing my patience so easily and that was causing me to feel defeated constantly. Of course, this was an internal battle that only 3 other people knew about.

January 1, 2014 came and I made the choice to become more patient, anxiety & worry free from here on out. Sure there will be days that I fail, after all I am only human. But that's what's so beautiful about God's grace & forgiveness. He forgives and forgets it all, picks you back up to start right where you left off. The Lord gave me a few scriptures to recite daily and especially in those moments where I feel that I am on the brink of coming undone. 

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." 

Matthew 6:34

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

Instead of choosing worry, anxiety, impatience, anger or frustration I will choose faith. Faith in my God- who has never failed me- to bring me out of the place of darkness that I might be feeling. The way I choose faith is to give my cares over to God each day in prayer. 

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." 

Hebrews 11:6

Hansen Wedding

I had the privilege of shooting this beautiful wedding. The venue was SO beautiful! There were moments of laughter, crying & beautiful words being spoken over this beautiful couple. So glad to have been apart. Hope yall enjoy!

For session info & pricing, email larissafloyd@yahoo.com

Sandlin's: Maternity

After having to reschedule and work around this crazy Houston rain & weather, we were finally able to head over to Crenshaw park yesterday and grab some photos! Ashley's due date is literally a week away so she was about ready to POP! I love this family and I am so thankful for Ashley in my life! I hope you enjoy!

For info on sessions & pricing, please email me at larissafloyd@yahoo.com

Way Family!

This family is so special to me! Yvonne & her husband have taken a chance on me several times when I first started out. They have helped me become a better photographer and I am so thankful! We took these photos in Galveston off the strand. Other than the swarm of mosquitoes that we stumbled upon, we had a great time! Enjoy!

For session info & pricing, please contact me at larissafloyd@yahoo.com

A light in the darkness.

This past spring, I planted some flowers in three different pots to have on my front porch. They grew very nicely but once the heat of summer hit, they just couldn't keep up. I was watering them twice a day to keep them alive. We went on a week long vacation and when we came back, they were goners! I left them out on the porch for about a month after that and finally got tired of looking at the dead plants in these beautiful pots so we moved them into the garage. 

About 2 months ago, Jeremy and I started noticing that one of the plants had little baby sprouts peeking thru the soil. Mind you, I haven't watered them since they were moved to the garage and they aren't where they can get sunlight. So imagine my surprise when I started seeing GROWTH. I ignored it and went about my business but one day as I was getting Rylee out of the car she dropped something and it landed right beside the pot. I leaned over to pick it up and God spoke something into my spirit that I haven't been able to shake since.

There are a lot of times that we feel isolated and like God doesn't hear our prayers. We are in a season of DARKNESS and we aren't having any spiritual GROWTH. At least thats what we feel in our flesh. Just like the flowers that I planted, I couldn't see any promise of growth or beauty on the surface of the soil. Thats how we are as humans sometimes. We feel stuck in a rut, isolated, dead, weary, tired, confused and in the DARK. 

I could only see what was happening on the surface of the soil and it wasn't promising. But deep beneath the soil, there was work being done. Sometimes it's in the darkest hours of our lives where our biggest and most natural growth happens. The Bible says on many occasions that God is exactly what we need and what we cannot be ourselves. 

He's a light in our darkness-

Isaiah 9:2 "The people who walked in darkness  have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone."

He's our peace in times of trouble-

^{Philippians 4:7 "} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

He's our help in time of need-

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

He's our provider when we have nothing-

Philippians 4:19 " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."

Those are just a fraction of what God's word has to say to us about what He is for each and every one of us. 

There was a point in my life where I went thru a very hard time in a relationship with a friend. Some things surfaced that had been said and to be honest, I was completely devastated by it. I had bared my soul with this friend and I felt completely betrayed. I didn't know if I would be able to trust another friend like that again and began the process of keeping others at an arms length from there on out. I was in a very dark place at this point in my life. I felt isolated. I felt betrayed. I felt lonely. Part of me even felt dead. In that time of sadness and darkness, God was doing a work in me beneath the surface. He was forming and molding things within me that have shaped me into the person and friend I am today. I look back on that time and see that it was in my darkness that he birthed new life and vision within me. He gave me the ability to receive friendship again. I have some of the best friendships today that I have ever had in my entire life. That's something that God did within me and then for me. I know that a lot of times we want growth to look like a happy time and maybe even a powerful encounter at the altar. Sometimes it is like that. Most of the time He finds us in our lowest and darkest times. 

Next time you're facing a situation where you feel like all there is on the surface is deadness just remember that beneath it all, God is working and forming a newness that will soon push out the old and breath new life and vision into your situation!

Tougas Family!

This was not your ordinary sit-and-pose family shoot! We had SO much fun at this family shoot. They wore capes, rain boots & at the end the kids ran thru the sprinklers! I so enjoyed my time with this sweet family! Enjoy!

For info on sessions & pricing, please contact larissafloyd@yahoo.com

Miss Ella

This, by far, was one of my favorite shoots that I have done! I love this little girl and her family! She was the perfect little model and was so good! Enjoy!

For session info & pricing, please email me at larissafloyd@yahoo.com