Friends, I hope you are having a wonderful week so far!  And where ever you are whether it be snowed in, taking care of sick children or basking in the sun, I pray that you are able to see the incredible goodness of God.  This morning I was taking a walk through the beautiful hills of Ladera Ranch where I live and the warmth of the sun on my face made me feel refreshed and energized.  The memory of childhood winters in Indiana made me feel much more appreciative of today's sunshine than usual.  It also made me think of the Master Artist who is continually working to make his masterpiece just perfect.  Placing the light exactly where it needs to be...whether to expose not so beautiful things in our lives in order that we would rid our hearts of the things that callous us and make us less empowered.  Or to show us the glory of heaven that we would walk closer towards its life-giving beauty.  And where he has provided light he has also given the shadow.  But even in the shadow we can find His goodness at work in our lives.  Did you know that God "hides" you in his cloak?  It seems that inside a cloak it might be a little dark.  But the truth is that this darkness was meant to hide you from your enemy.  It is a place of protection.

The further I walked the more God kept reminding me of this concept of light and how he uses it in our lives everyday.  Either to build us up or tear the enemy down.  Its just that so little of the time, I forget to acknowledge that He is working.  I was reminded too of the radiance given to us by the moon.  Have you ever thought about the fact that the moon has no light in and of itself?  Its just effortlessly reflecting the only natural source of light we have, the sun.  The moon looks so peaceful and radiant.  Isn't it funny that a huge chunk of rock can look so beautiful?  The amount of brightness it gives is 100% dependent on the degree in which it is exposed to the light.  Of course, I have to ask myself "What is obtrusively hiding God's light in my life?" Am I too busy?  Are my thoughts too cluttered?  Many times unfortunately the answer is "yes."  

The greatest news is that we get to be the co-designer's in our own lives.  We get to choose whether we face the greatest source of light or not.  We have the power to remove the very thing that hinders it's radiance.  God will be our guide in knowing what to remove or He will take the initiative to hide us in his very own cloak, pulling us to his chest protecting his treasured possession from every dangerous ploy of our self defeating thoughts or an outside enemy that seeks to veil God's goodness in our lives.  These life lessons of light and dark can be used even in our vocations to become better than we are.

Here is a recent photo that I "co-designed".  I say "co-designed" because every time I sit down to make a special image for a client I ask God, "Where do you think the light should go?.....how about the shadows?.....what needs more exposure in order to tell the story of your goodness?"  When I was visiting Italy recently, I noticed that the art never seems to go out of style which was basically everything gracing the walls of the Vatican Museum. What entitles a piece of art to timelessness?  A strong message of truth and its ability to change a person's perception, widening their capacity to see.  There was almost nothing in the museum that didn't have the power to stop me.  This is the goal of every artist; to stop for a moment its viewers steps.  In order to reach this goal I believe strongly that it takes intervention of God himself.  Because He is the source of all truth and light.  In no way am I say that I have achieved this goal of my heart but I am definitely pursuing it and know that it will take an act of God himself!!

After and before.  

My friends, I challenge you to become better than you are!!  It may mean that you have to open your heart to allow some more light in or rid your mind of its cluttering thoughts but it will be worth it.  Trust me, I have too much experience in doing things my own way only to find myself again eating humble pie or flat on my face.  

Have a wonderful week!!

Annette  

What story will your children live?

The motivation behind many artists' vocation is the deep spiritual need to tell a story or speak life-transforming truth.  Stories have a way of rescuing us from mundaneness and the ordinary.  Story paints life as a masterpiece; eternal and transcendent.  TripleCord has always been built on the one principle that God's story is of absolute necessity in our lives.  Why?  Because the three of us have been radically changed by His Story and voice.  He has filled us beyond even our capacities with love and value.  We are no longer living for acceptance but FROM acceptance.  The striving is gone and the resting place of God's abundance encompasses our lives.  This is the story TripleCord desires to tell everyone who will listen.  It is the story that begins with being an orphan....

It's true that every one of us has been orphaned to some degree in our lifetime. Orphan is defined, a person bereft of protection through someone's death or departure.  And every person has suffered the absence of protection with varying degrees. I believe loneliness/abandonment has more power to stop life than any other disease or force, for which it has become the central obsession of God.  Yes, God is obsessed with you and me....his ONE desire is to love us as deeply and intimately as a mother nursing her baby.  Why?  Because He knows the utter destruction of body, soul and spirit inevitable when a child has been orphaned.

Eleven years ago my husband and I adopted two children who were both abandoned and abused.  Together over the years we have noticed how the loss of this God-mandated position robbed them of the simple joys of trust, confidence, acceptance, rest and hope.  It seemed that their lives were covered by a black cloud diminishing their abilities to feel loved.  It took nearly three years to convince them that we would not abandon them while shopping at the local grocery store.  The horror of being left at Toy's R Us when they were toddlers plagued their minds.  After years of speaking truth into their little darkened hearts we began seeing hope return to their eyes as clearly as a person revived from a coma.    

The lack of parenting and nurturing was seen most tragically in Kenya a few years ago when we arrived at Emmanuel Children's Home in Nairobi.  The comatose state of its toddlers made my spirit scream. "THIS IS NOT RIGHT!!"  No 3 year-old should be unable to smile, walk, run, play and giggle!  The problem we found to be was malnutrition of the heart.  Our team of missionaries arose to the strong calling to love.  That week we saw life return to their faces.  They sang, colored, and jumped in a bounce house we rented just for them.  It was a miraculous week and God had shown us the power of love and its ability to completely heal/transform a precious body, mind and soul.  It was a picture of an orphan becoming The Loved.

Moses, 4 1/2 years old, one of the little toddlers that couldn't walk just a year prior to this photo.  http://www.heart4africa.org is our non-profit organization giving a hand to Kenya's orphans.  

Just recently I saw photographer, Chenin Boutwell, strolling her little boy down the sidewalks of beautiful Ladera Ranch where we live. For Chenin, I believe it would be so easy to partially orphan her little one to the care of a full-time nanny, knowing first hand the relentless demands of a successful and profitable photography career.  I wondered in my heart why she looked so cute to me....I imagined the glow on her little boy's face as he enjoyed the presence of his mother.  In a moment I was taken back to the time when I was raising a little baby....The conflict of career vs. mothering haunted me.  I wasn't single, homeless or poor...which meant that the amount of time I spent on my career was simply a decision of priorities.  Chenin became a reminder to me of God's obsession....His children....and as she walked down the street I could imagine her son living FROM her beautiful undivided attention rather than striving FOR it.  As I lost sight of her, my smile remained.  I knew Chenin was a hero amongst a society who has devalued children and made them a "convenience."

It is my belief that God's intent for every child in the world is, to be preceded by a love story, and defined by truth....where man has perverted this perfect design...is where we get to be God's answer.  How awesome to be invited to be God's hands and feet to fix our world's orphan problem.  WE get to be heroes!  If we want to be.  The story our children live is vastly our choice.

Later this week I'll be telling you about Mark and Kristen Howerton who changed the whole world for Haitian orphan Kembert.

Have a great week, friends!  And go show the world what's possible by living from the true story that you are LOVED!  

~Annette Biggers

It's time to schedule your springtime TripleCord session!!  Whether you are a bride wanting a beautiful meadow session or have a fairy at home that you would like to set free on one of the TripleCord sets, we would like to hear from you as soon as possible.  As you know, we are limited to a very small window of time here in Southern California to capture the beautiful green hills...don't miss out on this opportunity!    

This year we had 5 couples wanting to book us for the weekend of July 24th...we were sad to have to turn 3 of them away.  We really do wish we could do all of these fabulous weddings!  If for some reason we were unable to contract for your wedding, do consider having us contribute to your amazing love-story through a bridal, fashion, engagement or day-after session.  We would be honored!

For the Fairies.....We have a special springtime offer for your little one!  Choose a canvas art print for your wall or a timeless 8x8 leather-bound album to remember this special time.  Also, share an online slideshow with Grandma and Grandpa!

Studio:  (949) 481-1345

We are so honored to have one of our weddings featured in the current issue of Grace Ormonde's Wedding Style Magazine.   Jennifer and Earl are a very special couple to us and we were hoping that one of the top wedding magazines would pick it up.  And Wedding Style being the "Vogue" of bridal magazines featuring the classiest celebrity weddings we couldn't be more pleased.  Thank you to publicist, Rayva Harrell, for her hard work and partnership in bringing this ultra classy and talented couple to the pages of the very best.  

Kim Knox Beckius eloquently wrote Jennifer Freeman and Earl Watson's love story and the overall spread is so elegant.  

Kimberly Bradford and Nisie's Enchanted Florist made this wedding so extraordinary...below are a few images to show some of their beautiful designs.  I wish there was enough space in the magazine for all of it!!

  Jennifer will be continuing her fine career in acting and we are in anticipation of the beautiful woman she has become on the big screen.  Jennifer's Kenneth Pool dress couldn't have been a more perfect match for her flawless figure and personality...

Here are two pages from the couples album.  We ordered a TripleCord Black Label Album edition from Kambara, USA.  They are the most beautiful, stunning and museum-like quality albums on the market.  

I love these pictures Colin took of the groomsmen that celebrate both Earl's career and the strength of family and friends.  Earl was traded this year to our favorite team Idiana Pacers.  We are buying tickets to the Lakers vs. Pacers game in March.

Thank you to the entire staff of Wedding Style magazine for producing such a classy, upscale magazine!  We are impressed AGAIN!!!  

What an honor to introduce another modern-day hero to you, Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter pilot, Lt. Damon Loveless.  Damon has been serving our country for the past decade on many missions including the war in Iraq.  He recently moved to Washington DC taking a Congressional Fellowship as a working liaison for Congressman Rob Wittman.  It isn't any surprise to us that he would be attracted to the beautiful Diana Hewitt who studied history at Northwestern.  She grew up learning the importance of honoring truth and the necessity of standing firmly on its foundations through her parents and recently got accepted into an internship program with the Charles G. Koch Foundation.  Diana and Damon will celebrate the joining of their family legacies of commitment, honor and american patriotism this summer at the beautiful Richard Nixon Library.  

A standing ovation to both the Loveless and Hewitt families!!  We are so honored to be a part of this amazing continuing story of legacy and honor.