i love my job.

This weekend was my all “building team” staff retreat…translation for non-geneva people: 5 RAs and my Discipleship Coordinator, Health Coordinator & Resident Council memba. Shoutout goes to Ashley, our multi-cultural eductor who couldn’t come. We missed you a lot.

here’s what we did…a brief photo journal.

Stayed at a Log Cabin Suite (#162) in the heart of the Laurel Mountains complete with a hot tub in our living room, red comfy leather couches, fireplace, big screen TV, 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a HUGE kitchen…we were one happy team.

We multi-tasked…watched a movie while IN the hot tub.

We cooked a meal together. This past week I got a great grilled cheese recipe from Better Homes & Gardens. Our sandwiches consisted of Pepperjack, monterey & cheddar cheese, avacado, bacon, mayo & tomato on Brownberry’s Multi-Grain bread…complete with a hot bowl of tomato soup. We sat around the bar style island and enjoyed dinner together.

We did Elmers Glue facials. Yep, glue. Try it.

We LAUGHED so hard together. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. It felt GOOD. While playing a game of never have i ever…well. Ok. What happens in Ligonier stays in Ligonier (according to our waiter today).

We shared a time of worship, prayer & i read a short story from Beth Moore’s Voices  of the Faithful this morning.

We told our stories. The hard parts & the happy parts.

we sat in the kitchen some more & talked about wood paneling. Lots of wood up in hurrr.

we started practicing poses for our Christmas card.

Stayed up late. Olivia, Beth & I reached the 3am mark in our master suite. HA.

sidenote: Olivia & I discovered that we both sleep in the same position. I never knew that anyone could sleep as awkwardly as i do. (this is us re-enacting it in a restaurant…yep, on the floor).

Woke up. Free breakfast. Sunshine. 70 degrees and a hike at Linn Run State Park

from L to R (jess, nancy, jill, megan, hailey, ashley, olivia, beth, me)

laughed some more…

We ate a late lunch at the Ligonier Tavern, recommended by Scott Hwang & Paul Perrine. Thank you!

Wrapped up our time with my camera & this lovely brick wall.

i love my job.

the end.

run.

lately i’ve been listening to cheesy Christian music.

sometimes when i’m overwhelmed or frustrated i want to run…hop on a plane and just peace out for a few days. My mom reminded me 2 weeks ago that this solution isn’t always a good one. Yes, i know, mom.

phillips, craig & dean sing a song about God running to us, even when we’ve broken His heart and have run from Home…and right now with a variety of circumstances in my life, the lyrics to ‘When God Ran’ give me hope & peace.

i want God to take me in His arms and hold me to His chest. i want Him to lift me to His face and wipe the tears from my eyes and tell me He loves me.

my road seems a little dusty and unclear right now. I’m just needing to run into God’s arms and ask for help.

i want to run to God. i need Him to meet me half way and run to me.

i’m thankful for this hope and comfort.

the picture below was taken last week of me and my RAs. it reminded me of this song.

Colleen.

Over the past few years, I have gotten to know Sarah Mueller…recent Geneva graduate and former RA. Sarah is now a nanny in Vienna, Austria and is greatly missed. Right before she departed for Austria, I was given the exciting opportunity of taking Colleen’s (sarah’s sister) senior pictures! With bare feet, a big smile and a laid-back personality, Colleen was an extremely pleasant and fun person to photograph.
To view Colleen’s full album go to www.martiaikenphotography.com Click on CLIENTS and type in password: MUELLER
Here are a few of my favorites…
Sarah, Momma Mueller & Colleen

Colleen, you’re beautiful!

Boyd.Saxton.Almquist Family Pics

I wrapped up this past summer with a photo shoot for a friend who I have known for a LONG time. Danyelle (Dan) and I met around the age of 5 and now at the ripe ages of 27 & 28 are still pals today! Together, we experienced Girl Scouts, neighborhood trick or treating, volleyball and a whole list of other things.
Dan asked me to take pictures of her husband and his family as well as her parents & sibs. Funny story…Danyelle married Mark Boyd, who we went to high school with! We never hung out with him back in the day but she is seeing Mark quite frequently these days.
Below are some of my favorites!

Mr. and Mrs. Boyd

Mark&Danyelle Boyd

Dan...so beautiful!

The Boyds.

Kevin & Allison Saxton

from L to R: Mr. & Mrs. Boyd, Allison, Brennan, Kevin, Jess, Danyelle & Mark

The Saxtons: Jess, Kevin, Brennan & Allison

Jess Saxton

…Brennan wasn’t loving the camera this day. So, we took him over to this lovely green fountain and I took this fun series of pictures.

Everyone together. Beautiful family!

…now introducing Danyelle’s side of the family…the Almquist fam!

lovely new addition on the back of the Almquist home on Mercer Rd.

a little sunny, eh?

Mr. & Mrs. Almquist

Jaimie & Justin...can you tell Jaimie & Danyelle are sisters?!

Dustin Almquist & Samantha Powell

contemplating a jump...

pretty sure mark & dustin win. Danyelle..weren't you a middle hitter in VBall?

To view their full album, go to martiaikenphotography.com

click on CLIENTS and use password BOYD

Thanks for allowing me the chance to photograph your beautiful family!

Mackenzie Bender

Recently I was given the fun opportunity of photographing Mackenzie Bender for the purpose of giving her a collection of senior pictures. She was SO much fun to be around and it was great to finally meet her, as I had heard so much about her from her big sister, Sam, who lives in my residence hall. (i took some of her & sam, too). Mackenzie’s best pal Leah came along on the photo shoot as well and I took a few shots of her & Mack. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

To view Mackenzie’s full album go to MARTIAIKENPHOTOGRAPHY
click on CLIENTS
type in password: BENDER

Cottage 196.

I am proud to announce that for the first time in 4 years, I successfully took my RA staff camping. Ok, so we didn’t actually stay in a tent, but we stayed in this super great cottage in the woods at Ohiopyle State Park.

It was a beautiful trip filled with hot apple cider over the fire, mountain pies, fun hikes and waterfalls.

our morning view.

breakfast.

me&myRAs

pretty excited about cottage 196

scenic view. yep!

my grasshopper friend.

Youghiogheny River. Gorgeous.

lunch on the rocks.

chillin.

lovin' it.

our day is ending.

see you soon Ohiopyle!

i Dare you.

I received a phone call last week from my good friend, Edna who lives in Harmons, Jamaica…a growing yet impoverished community in which Won by One to Jamaica has been ministering to since Hurricane Gilbert struck in 1989.  I have been friends with her for close to 9 years now. We met on my first trip in 2001.
Edna’s youngest daughter is my 4 year old namesake…full name is Aaliyah-Marti but her “pet name” (nickname) in Jamaica is ‘Britney.’ Most Jamaicans call her Britney…i, along with some others call her Britney-Marti, Brit-Mar or little Marti. She has a million names i suppose. Anyway, Edna also has 3 boys…Romaine, Dillon and J.T. and their father’s name is Wilton. Beautiful family.
Out of the 8+ years I have known Edna, she has never asked me for anything but a friendship.

This past week, she called and talked to me about little Marti’s lack of reading. She needs books…children’s books.
After this conversation, I decided to take a leap of faith and start a new “campaign” amongst my residence hall at Geneva.

Every week, my staff and I will brainstorm new challenges…or “dares” for everyone in our building. We are calling it “i Dare you.” Some examples are: eat lunch with someone you wouldn’t normally eat with–put time into doing community service in our town–give $1 to contribute to building wells in Africa, or give a pair of shoes to someone who needs them more than we do.

This week, I am challenging or “daring” my students to donate children’s books to Britney-Marti. I started encouraging students to do this 2 days ago and put an empty box outside of my door.
Tonight, it is practically full. I’m so proud of the women of McKee Hall.

Time to get a bigger box…

I’m excited about the work that God is doing in my heart and the heart’s of my staff and women in McKee Hall.

Peace. God is Good.
marti

Moving Forward.

I have been surrounded by a lot of change over the past few months and haven’t known how to express my feelings towards it all. Amidst the change have been several sweet moments…moments that are moving life forward, but are causing me to reflect upon the past. That’s normal, right? I’m not dwelling, just reflecting.

I began my 4th year as an RD at Geneva College. It’s funny how at the beginning of every new year, I immediately reflect upon the past…how have I grown? What are some good things that have happened? Where have I stumbled?

It is SO sweet to be back with students and my new staff. Here they are…

(from L to R): Ashley, Meg, Beth, Me, Hailey & Nancy

On August 8th, in between weeks of crazy-busy RD/RA training, I had the privilege of photographing the wedding of Stephanie & Justin Hart. To view their full album go to MARTIAIKENPHOTOGRAPHY and click on CLIENTS. Enter password: HART

It’s always neat to be a part of someone’s wedding day…especially capturing it behind a camera. I’m continuing to grow in this arena and I absolutely love it.

On August 15th, my sister Karen got MARRIED! She is now Karen Aiken Marando

These moments were definitely sweet moments but forced me to think about a million and one things. When Karen was coming down the aisle, different memories from our childhood were brought to the front of my mind and heart and I couldn’t help but let the tears flow. The week leading up to Karen & Aaron’s wedding (and the actual day) provided some of my favorite memories ever with my family.

(i LOVE this mirror shot)

This was also a SWEET week due to the amount of reunions that happened with good family and friends. My mom’s side of the family began trickling into town about a week prior to the wedding. Below is a picture of the Aiken family with Jeff and Karen Barker. My sister, Karen, was named after Karen Barker. We love them and don’t get to see them often enough…they live in Orange City, Iowa and teach at Northwestern College. It was SO good to see them.

I bought a camera and officially decided I love taking pictures and want to invest in becoming a better photographer…so…introducing my new cam, the Nikon D300S

Peep it:

So. Change is definitely happening. Karen is married. Christy moved to Fairfax, Virginia to finish her senior year in the Cardiovascular program. I have missed her face on campus this semester, but am proud of her to be working towards something so great.

Although transition and change tend to cause anxiety and a smidge of emotion, I know it is good.

That’s all for now.
Peace.

too much.

why is it when so much needs to be written and processed i simply can’t write…or maybe i don’t want to?

i’ve got writer’s block. Or laziness. Or a hectic life. Or one of the 3…or all of the above.

will write soon.

lots to update.

peace,

m.

a lot.

I learned a lot this week from the Leadership Summit Conference.
I’m really tired.
I photographed a wedding yesterday. Went beautifully!

I’m REALLY tired.
Taking someone’s senior pictures today in Pittsburgh…so excited!
…but I need a nap.
RD training starts tomorrow.
My sister, Karen, gets married in 6 days.
Lots to process.

…some pics from the week. I’ll share more of what I’ve been learning in a different post when I’m not so sleepy. Life is good.

the RD’s

us lady RD’s

conference lunch break. Me & LA

my beautiful sisters.