Growing up, I was that “well rounded” kid that was good at many things but didn’t overly excel at any one thing.  This didn’t bother me much until it was time to take the SAT and I needed to figure out where I was headed in life.  I took that test 3 times (mainly because I was trying to get a certain score because that’s what the Naval Academy required).  My score went up each time, which was good, but each time my math and verbal scores were the exact same.  The EXACT same.   Well, except for the one time that my math score was a whopping 10 points higher… So, even towards the end of my high school career, I was still as well rounded as ever.

For Christmas of my senior year of high school, I asked my mom and her side of the family for a “real camera” for Christmas.  I wanted one of those that looked like what the professionals used, with the big lens that could zoom and stuff.  I looked through some magazines (this was before the Internet was an every day thing) and found the Nikon N50.  It was about $500 and came with a lens (I don’t even remember which one).  So, at Christmas that year, as we celebrated with my mom’s side of the family in Washington, DC, I opened my first SLR camera (although I still didn’t know that’s what it was called!).  With it came a lens and several rolls of film from my uncle who was a photography enthusiast.  As I loaded that first roll and listened to it advance, I didn’t realize that with each click of the shutter and the sound of the film rolling by that I was slowly building part of my future.

As I was nearing the end of college and most of my friends were graduating (on time) I was looking into switching my major or transferring schools.  I was hoping to still get my degree from Clemson (which I did) but then maybe go to a 2 year program somewhere to get a photography degree.  But they all wanted four more years and I was out of money and out of patience for school :-)  So, I switched to a French major (from Mechanical Engineering… I know, I know, it makes no sense!) and graduated a year and a half later.  At that time, I packed up a couple of suitcases and moved to Brussels, Belgium, camera in tow.  As I taught English, worked with missionaries, and began to build relationships, I was still praying and trying to figure out what in the world to do with my life.  I remember telling someone that if I could do anything, it would be photography.  But even then, I had no idea what that meant or what that looked like or how I could get there.  My Nikon N50 was still chugging along but looking back, I still didn’t use it to its fullest ability.  But, it didn’t stop me from dreaming.

It’s now 8 years later and while I’ve upgraded my camera twice and have learned most of what my camera does and how to manipulate the images that I want, I’m still dreaming.  And the best part is that Ben is dreaming with me.  We talked this weekend on our way down to Charleston for a beautiful southern wedding about what we wanted with our future, what we hoped it would look like and how we might get there.  It’s still a ways off, but it’s fun to dream.  I’ve always played it safe with my dreams though… I dream a dream and have a plan on how to get there.  Like when I wanted to be an astronaut (for real!). I was going to go to the Naval Academy, get a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and then apply to NASA.  Done and done.  But, God had other plans.  And those dreams were dashed.  So, I think ever since then I’ve played it safe.  I haven’t dreamed big dreams.

But, those days are over.  I’m dreaming big.  And I know there will be disappointments.  But that’s where we’ll grow.  We’ll learn and readjust and keep on going.

Right now, my next dream is to get a full frame camera.  It’s time to upgrade our equipment!  Hopefully we’ll be adding this beauty to our arsenal later this year :-)

What are dreaming?  Are you dreaming big?  Are you scared to dream too big?  Don’t be.  Because if you don’t dream big, you’ll never have the chance to even try to get there.