Filtering by Category: Personal

our path

The longer I live, the more I learn this:

Our life isn't about finding the straightest path with the least resistance. Our life is about experiencing and knowing a faithful God.

This past year, Kenny and I have walked through some confusing and challenging times. During these times, I had to believe, that God redeems. He redeems our hearts and our dreams and sometimes, He redeems our circumstances.

That's what happened to us.

We are really excited to share that we will be moving to Portland, Oregon. In God's amazing plan, Kenny has been given the opportunity to join the staff at A Jesus Church. He will be working alongside some incredible people and doing what he loves. We are humbled and honored and so thankful.  God has been working behind the scenes for many years to prepare us for this move. He is faithful.

As for photography, I will finish up my weddings here in California and travel for a few of the remaining. I will continue to book a limited amount of weddings along the west coast for the coming years. I still love photography. I also love ministry. And I love my family deeply. This is where I will focus most of my time.

With all my heart, I believe nothing was wasted in this past season of our lives. God is so much bigger than our plans and our dreams and our happiness. He is always plotting for our joy. Deep, true joy that is only found in Him.

Please stay in touch. There are many adventures to come! Much Love friends, K and K and p : )

Nine years

Thank you Kenny for letting me stand beside you for the last nine years as your wife.Thank you for letting me stand next to you for the last thirteen years as your friend. Thank you for letting me stand with you, this past year, as a parent to sweet Parker.

Our story has been full of adventure, heartache, joy, and laughter. Through it all, you have shown me Great love.

Thank you so much for creating a crazy, beautiful, redemptive life with me.  Happy Anniversary Stone. You are my hero.

Happy Birthday Parker

One year ago today, I met you.

I actually first saw you through the windows of the nursery. Your birth-dad invited me in and let me hold you: A moment I will never forget. You had the sweetest face. And I think you even gave me a half smile. I helped the nurses bathe you for the first time. You hardly cried and stole my heart.

I sat in the nursery everyday and held you when I could. While I didn't know if you would be our child, I knew I loved you. I knew you were one special little boy. And I knew that if God gave me the chance to be your Mom, it would be a dream come true.

Three days later, I walked into the nursery one last time. Kenny and I held hands and we nearly ran to your cradle. We picked you up and held on tight. And then we cried. For you. For us. For your birthparents. They had asked us to adopt you.

Parker, adoption is the hardest decision anyone can ever make. It is full of great sacrifice and the deepest love. We hope you always know that. Your birthparents are heroes.

For the very first time, that evening, we got to call you family, you were our son. And that was the best moment of our lives. We never dreamed God would write a story this amazing and let us be a part of it. You are such a gift.

I am so grateful for the chance to be your Mom.

Happy, Happy Birthday sweet boy! I know you are only one, but your life has already touched a lot of people. There are great things ahead and I can't wait to see them unfold for you.

We love you Parker William. We love you so much. Happy 1st Birthday!!

When God says no to a dream, or two, or three....

I am a dreamer. Truly.I feel like that's just the way God has wired me. I am a visionary. I see life as one big opportunity to do things: To do great things.

And this season, for some reason, I feel like every time God gives me a new dream, it just doesn't work or He closes the door. It's confusing and at times, really painful. Yet as I'm in this place of processing disappointments, I am learning to find purpose in the broken dreams.

Broken dreams build our patience. They test our resilience. They keep us humble. Broken dreams have the ability to change us. They can crush us. They can motivate us. Or they can re-align our hearts over and over again with the will of God. Broken dreams deepen our faith. And eventually, they lead us to God's best.

In the process, our hearts are changed and awakened to what is most important in life. God redeems broken dreams.

I know in my soul, that someday soon, God will bring a dream to fruition in our lives and it will be beautiful. It will make sense of all the broken dreams. And it will be evidence that God is always, always working behind the scenes, in a hundred different ways, for His glory and our good.

I pray you keep dreaming. Don't lose heart. God is faithful. Kimberly

The Mess

The common thread of my life this past year has been risk. And if I'm being honest, sometimes that seems a little too messy; too uncertain. I'd rather have a predictable, easy life.But  lately I've been realizing that this messy life actually sets the stage for something beautiful:

The mess reveals my humanity: That I'll never be perfect. That despite my efforts to be a great Mom, I will fail Parker often. That even though Kenny and I have a pretty sweet relationship, there will always be tension. We are broken people. And genuine relationships will always be hard work. The mess makes me see that I am not in control. Life won't be pain free. Life will always change. Risk is inevitable, whether we want to accept that or not. Mostly, the mess creates in me an ache for Hope.

You see, all of the sudden we crave purpose outside of perfecting our little lives. We decide that there has to be more. In the middle of this imperfect world, I have found a perfect, unchanging God who redeems all of my mess and gives me purpose and hope. Great hope.

praying for you friends, Kimberly

This photo was taken by our sweet friend, Bethany. It was a season in our life where Kenny and I first starting sensing that God was asking us to dream a little bigger, and since that time, life has always been a little crazier and a lot more meaningful. 

Stories from the past year

I shouldn't expect that life will always make sense. God calls us to walk roads of joy and pain; He gives us the good and the hard. And all of these things work together to change us, and in the process, give us a life with great purpose and meaning. As we look back on 2013, it was a life changing, full year:

*Adopting Parker has been the most amazing thing that has happened to Kenny and I. My dreams of what our adoption story would be, don't even compare to what God unfolded in front of our eyes. We are deeply grateful. And we would do it again, in a heartbeat.

*Losing my Grandpa and Janee, within a couple months of one another, has totally impacted my life.  All of the sudden you realize just how short life is and there is no time to waste. Both of their stories have changed eternity and I am so grateful for the chance to know them.

*At the end of each year, I am so amazed that God would let me make a living doing what I love and meeting the best of people along the way. We photographed nineteen weddings in six months. It was such a gift.

*So many of our clients not only invested in our work, they invested in our story. You wouldn't believe the people who came to meet Parker after we adopted him. Our clients showered us with gifts and love. Thank you friends. Your generosity inspires us.

*Walking through a very confusing and hurtful season at the church, which ended in another great loss for our family, has been very hard. It's changed us, taught us so much.

*I still can't believe that my sister doesn't live in Chico anymore. I hated seeing them leave. Makes you realize that life changes quickly and the time we have with people is what matters most. So grateful for the best sister a girl could ask for.

*And because of all that happened, we have been given more time together, as a family of three. Working with Kenny, Parker alongside us, is a huge blessing. I love it.

A lot has changed this year. A lot has changed me. More than ever, I am ready for a new year; and hopeful for new seasons and stories.

Thank you for being a part of our crazy, crazy life this past year. much love friends, K and K and P

 

Too powerful not to share

After showing up in my news feed for a few days, I finally took the time to watch this video. And now, I have to share it.

Abigail was a photographer; a beautiful person with a beautiful legacy. Her words are incredibly powerful: They are full of life and joy, in the midst of pain and sadness.

May you be inspired and moved by her words. Her joy and peace are deeply grounded in her soul. And God is using this girl, far beyond her brief life here.

Today, I am so humbled by this.

janee

This is one of those posts that I never dream of writing. Six days ago, our beautiful friend sat with us in our home. She babysat Parker earlier that evening. And the last text we exchanged, we said, "see you soon." 

There is brevity to life like I've never known.

Our sweet friend Janee, passed away this week. She was struck by a car while riding her bike, and in an instant so many lives changed.

But our lives were changed long before Friday, our lives were changed because of the life that Janee lived. Our lives were changed because she chose to love us all. To love Jesus more than anything, and make sure that her moments mattered.

Janee, you are beautiful. Your kindness marked you. You always found ways to serve others.  You never complained, no matter what was in front of you. You listened. You encouraged. You showed compassion. You didn't want to be the center of attention, instead you found those that needed attention and loved them well. You made people feel like family. You made your family feel like heroes. Janee, you had joy that changed the world.

Thank you for loving Kenny and I. And loving Parker. Thank you for all of your thoughtfulness and the intentional ways that you encouraged us. Thank you for being our friend and spending more time with us, than we ever deserved.

Today, life is different. This accident has shocked a community. We are grieving a great loss on this side of heaven.

But in the midst of this tragedy, I know, with all my heart, that there is also great hope. Janee is whole, she is in heaven with our God. And her life continues to make a difference.

Life is precious. Our days are numbered. Janee taught us so much in the short time she had. She lived a story much bigger than herself. Janee pointed people to Jesus. She loved well. This is a great gift that lives on through her beautiful life.

We love you so much Janee. We are so grateful for the chance to to know you, to call you friend. What an honor. And like we said on Wednesday night, see you soon sister. Until then, you will be greatly missed.

"Hope is the anchor of my soul." Hebrews 6:19 This photo was taken last week. We will treasure it forever. 

A memorial service for Janee will be at 6pm, this evening, Tuesday the 5th at Neighborhood Church in Chico.

The view today

So much of me wants to see what lies in front of me. And I don't just mean for today, I want to know what tomorrow and next week will hold, next month and next year.  If I am being really honest, I waste many moments, worrying about tomorrow.

I know I shouldn't live this way. I am called to live in today; the mundane, the exciting, the painful, whatever that might be. I can plan and prepare for tomorrow, but I can't control it. Even when I think that I want to see the entire road right now, I realize it is God's grace, that I can't. So I am learning:

Be fully present today. Live in these moments. Trust God. He is good.

I wish I wouldn't waste my time trying to see the entire path, when what I can see today, is beautiful enough.

 

A new season

Since the day we started, Kenny and I have always photographed weddings together. However, many of you know that for the last eight years, Kenny has also worked full time in ministry. Last month, things changed for us when Kenny knew it was time to step out of his position.

Sometimes God calls us out of our comfort and stability. He calls us to take great risks. He is always asking us to do something bigger than ourselves. And deep down, we know we were made for this.

So here we are today: After months of praying, discerning, and talking to others, Kenny and I begin a new chapter of our life. We will work full time, as photographers. We will plan together, dream together, succeed together and at times fail together. We will spend more time pouring into our clients and creating beautiful photographs. We will spend more time with Parker. We will spend more time doing what we feel called to do. It is exciting and terrifying.

So, as we take this risk, we realize that no matter how hard we work, we are not in control. It's a vulnerable place to be, but the best place to be. Ultimately, we are praying that God takes our dreams and our hard work, and ignites this business to do great things.

Feel free to join us. Like we always say, your support means the world to us, especially in this new season. Much Love Friends, K and K and P

"A ship in the port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." -Grace Hopper

My Summer

Summer has ended. And with that, I realize just how much happened. It was definitely one of those seasons that I felt deeply -- about so many things:

Complete love and awe for Parker. Every day I look at him and cannot believe he is our son. What an undeserved gift. Deep gratitude and pain for Parker's birthparents. Gratitude for their selfless decision that changed our lives; giving us parenthood in a matter of moments. At the same time, there are days when I hurt for them because I just can't imagine how they feel. It's hard to process sometimes. Great grief over losing someone that I love. In May, my Grandpa held Parker for the first and last time. It was a beautiful moment, but so hard to say goodbye to the person who influenced me to laugh more and ALWAYS be generous. I still miss him everyday. Sweet laughter because of my family and friends. Parker just beams with joy. Kenny is the best. And we've had some of the greatest laughs with family and friends this summer. Bittersweet sadness the day my sister moved. Kenny and I have said a lot of goodbyes to friends and family over the years, but this was the hardest. Sometimes you just don't realize how close you are to someone until they move away. Blessed to have a sister like her. Heartache over ministry.  Ministry has been difficult. The kind of season where you wrestle with God over so many questions. And at the same time, you hold onto God with all you have, because you know He is faithful. Incredible joy because I get to do what I love This summer, we have worked with the best people: People who become friends; who influence us, encourage us, and broaden our perspective. We are so grateful for these people who become a part of our lives. Marvelous hope for the future.  I've come to realize that this life is just an opportunity to let God live out His dreams and His heart through us. At the end of the day, we hope our life will be bigger than ourselves.

So we bid the summer goodbye, knowing it changed us, for the better. Thanks for being a part of our crazy adventures that we call life with us. Much Love, K and K and P

We ended our summer in Napa, shooting a beautiful wedding. Here's a snapshot of our afternoon before the wedding. Love us some family time!

 

Happy Birthday Kenny

Dear Kenny,

Thank you so much for working harder than anyone I know. Thank you for taking out the garbage and the dirty diapers. You are the best. Thank you for making me laugh all the time. Thank you for letting me beat you in one on one. (I think that happened once). Thank you for not choosing the easy path in life -- although sometimes I kind of wish you would ;) Thank you for letting me drink your Starbucks. That's real love. Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for being the kindest person I know. Thank you for keeping my car clean. I know there are a lot of other things you could be doing with your very little spare time. Thank you for accepting the fact that we are both terrible dancers. Thank you for introducing me to the new One Republic Album. Thank you for never judging my cooking skills. And eating salad all the time. Thank you for making the little things in life the best. I love our runs in the park and watching your basketball games. Thank you for taking me to Cannon Beach every year. Road trips with you are the best. Thank you for dreaming with me -- for always wanting to do great things for Jesus. Thank you for never being complacent. For challenging me and helping me become more resilient.

Thank you for  adopting Parker. Thank you for loving us more than we deserve. Thank you for making both of our lives the best.

Happy Birthday Stone! You are an incredible, incredible husband and amazing father. We love you so much K and P

 

 

Dear Parker

Dear Parker,

You are three months old today. Three months ago, my life changed forever. Three months ago, I held you for the first time. I felt your little heartbeat near mine. And I still can't believe it.

I will never forget the three days we spent holding you, praying for your future, wondering if you would be our son.

I will never forget the hospital waiting rooms, riding the elevator up to the fourth floor, every day, so many times.

I will never forget your birth parents. They are the most brave people I've ever met. We love them deeply.

I will never forget the nurses, especially the ones in the nursery. They took such good care of you and welcomed us in.

I will never forget the kindness of our family:  On Wednesday morning we walked into a waiting room full of support. Most of them driving lengths to be with us, no matter what.

I will never forget holding hands with Kenny as we walked into the hospital for the last time. This time, to hear the best news of our life.

I will never forget signing the adoption paperwork, in the nursery, late in the evening.

And I will never forget walking out of the hospital in the rain, with you; a new life awaiting us all.

There's days when I still can't believe it. Your story. Our story. God bringing it all together to create something beautiful. Our little family of three. As I finish writing this, I am holding you in my arms and can't even begin to express how humbled I am to be your mom. It's a gift.

I love you more than you might ever know.

Parker William Stone, you are the sweetest.

A Beautiful Mess

God has ordained these days for me:

The chaotic moments. The beautiful moments. The unsure moments. The mundane  laundry and cleaning, dishes and diapers. The spontaneous times with my boys, that brings me more joy than I could ever imagine. I tend to feel overwhelmed often, by all that needs to be done. There have been challenges. The sadness in saying goodbye to my Grandpa as he held Parker for the first and last time. The chance to find resilience when ministry is hard. These days have been full.

But God doesn't look away -- God has placed all of this in my life right now. Not because He knew that I could handle it: He placed all of this in my life, because He knew it would give me a choice: A choice to trust Him for more miracles.

At the end of this season, I will be able to look back and know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God carried me through. It was His strength and joy.

This life is a beautiful, beautiful mess...

 

Our Life These Days...

Some people have asked me what our life is really like now. My best answer: It's different; more full and very rich.

From the moment I wake up, there is always something to do. I no longer go into my office undistracted for hours at a time. There aren't many quiet moments. But there are many, many sweet moments. My iphone is full of beautiful moments, mostly pictures of Parker. I used to think I was busy before, but my definition of busy has changed. Right now, I am typing this, with a newborn in my arms. Who knew that you could stare at a child's face for so long. Some people said I might not ever want to work again, but I still love my job. I am more inspired today than I was yesterday. There are days of great awe and amazement. There are days of tears and chaos. There are days of failure. Tomorrow will probably look a lot different than today. My home isn't near as clean as it used to be. We still eat grilled cheese at least once a week. We still laugh a lot and have dance parties often. Kenny is still my best friend, I think our love is stronger now. Every day, I am reminded that I can't do all of this without God's grace. And every night, I go to bed really, really tired, but totally thankful.

Our life has changed, it's different, but I wouldn't go back for a moment. ever. I just know that all of this is a gift.

And here is small glimpse into our latest...

And because he is just the cutest... (thank you iPhone)

A little break...

I am so sorry about neglecting the blog lately. Life has been a bit crazy. And because we have about three weeks left until wedding season starts, we wanted to excuse ourselves from blogging for just a little while, so that we can spend any extra time with sweet Parker.

We will continue to post on our facebook page and instagram. Feel free to follow both our work and life in those places. See you soon friends! K and K and p :)

And since he's just the cutest...

a beautiful beginning

I have tried to finish this post for days. I think I finally realized that it may never be fully finished. It is a journey so complex and emotional and amazing, that I know there will always be more to remember. So for now, this is our story on paper:

Three weeks ago, our life changed. Forever.

Three weeks ago, we met Parker's birthparents. Three weeks ago, we sat across a picnic table from two people, who would ultimately make the most courageous and selfless decision of their lives, in trusting us to raise their beautiful son.

Our lives collided with two people, (who we will call Joe and Krista), in a story that became the last chapter of this adoption journey.

We first heard from Joe on Parker's due date. It was an email through our blog. He shared a small bit of their story, with no promises of adoption. However, as we exchanged emails, we all felt compelled to meet.

You should also know that we were in Oregon, when he emailed. Joe and Krista live in Oregon, so our first meeting was a miracle in itself.

Our meeting was brief, but overwhelming. Joe and Krista had been through so much. Sadly, Oregon DHS was involved in their lives, threatening to take their son into custody the minute he was born. And so they were desperate for a better answer. Desperate to give their child a more certain future, yet completely torn over the thought of not raising their son. Adoption was not their first choice.

Their story left us heartbroken. Heartbroken for them, for all of their pain. Heartbroken for the choices that they would have to make.

We returned to Chico, not knowing what Joe and Krista would choose. There had been no commitment to an adoption plan, only a commitment to choose us, if they were to make a plan.

It left us confused, not knowing what our role was, but sensing that God had brought us all together. With Krista's due date past, we knew that every day mattered. So we prayed with more intensity than I have ever known. We prayed for clarity.

As we sorted through our thoughts, we decided that we would definitely support Joe and Krista, no matter what. We felt called to do that. We also realized that this would mean driving back to Oregon, with a lot of unknowns.

So on Monday, April 8th, when we received the call that Krista had gone into labor, we drove north. We had no idea what we would face. They had asked us to come, but not to the hospital.

And then, late that evening, we received a text that they wanted us to visit them.

This invitation led to the next eighteen hours at the hospital. Kenny and Joe would go for walks, while I sat with Krista in the early hours of her labor. We paced the halls. We prayed. And we all stayed by each other's side as if we had been friends for years. As Krista progressed into harder labor and throughout her three and a half hours of pushing, I remained next to her.

At this point, we still had no idea what would happen with Parker. They  had dreams of parenting. And we just hung onto God -- knowing He had called us here.

Parker was born via C section at 2:15pm on April 9th. The Oregon DHS arrived at the hospital at 4:00pm on that day.

The news wasn't good for Joe and Krista: On what should have been one of the happiest days of their life, there was great sadness. Grief over the reality that they would not walk out of the hospital as a family. Grief over the fact that they would have to make the hardest decision of their life, in the next two and a half days.

Parker would either go into foster care for many months, while Joe and Krista walked through a grueling process to fight for their parenting rights. or Parker would be adopted by us.

And so our prayers became prayers for peace. That whatever Joe and Krista decided, they would have peace to move through all of this. We knew either choice was going to be hard.

For the next three days, we stayed at or near the hospital. We would spend time with Joe and Krista. We would spend time with Parker; seeing him as their son. Some of our family members came down to support us --  which helped more than we could have imagined.

There were times of great peace and strength for us. And there were times of exhaustion and sadness. It was very hard.

It was hard to see the overwhelming grief of Joe and Krista. It was hard to imagine Parker going home with a stranger. It was hard to trust God, no matter what.

On Friday afternoon, Krista asked me to come to her room. She was in her clothes, standing near the bed. All I remember is hugging one another right away. We held onto each other and cried, long hard tears. Nurses came in and out. And I will never forget the moment that Krista told me to love Parker and take care of him for the rest of my life. She asked me to be his mom.

There aren't words to describe that moment. I cry every time I think of it. Krista is a hero to me. I don't believe for a moment that I am any better of a mom than Krista -- only that our paths were at different places. I cry because I know how much she loves Parker -- enough to trust him to us. Joe and Krista are beautiful people.

The following hours were filled with great joy and sadness, all at the same time. But one thing we all had; we all had peace; deep, unchanging, peace.

I will never forget walking into the nursery one last time, this time holding Parker a bit closer, knowing he would be our son. I will never forget signing the papers to adopt Parker late that evening. I will never forget saying goodbye to Joe and Krista at the hospital.

Three weeks ago, I never imagined Parker. I didn't know his parents. I didn't know that my life would be forever changed. Changed not only by one small person, but his amazing birth parents and the road that we walked together.

Our story is not about us becoming parents, or "getting a child". It is not a story of infertility. It is God's story, in which He brought together so many pieces to create something beautiful and redemptive and miraculous.

We love Parker so much. We love Joe and Krista so much. And we believe, that although this chapter is finished, all of our relationships, our stories, are just now beginning.

And so we started this adoption journey with a dream, and through every moment of the journey, we now end with a life and perspective much bigger than we could ever imagine.

Thanks for walking with us. We have been blessed by so many of you.

Much love and gratitude, K and K and p

parker-9-2 copy
parker-9-2 copy

Parker William Stone

I sit staring at our new son. He is beautiful, miraculous, and reminds us every day, that God does not miss a thing. He went before us in our adoption journey and walked with us every step of the way. He was with Parker in the womb and led Parker's parents to us. There is not an ounce of doubt in my soul, that God is real.

Parker is amazing. His story is a miracle and his birthparents, are our heroes.

One day very soon, I will share the whole story. Please stay tuned, because it might leave you speechless.

For now, we introduce you to Parker William Stone Born April 9, 2013 at 2:15pm Adopted April 12, 2013 at 8:00pm

Love is patient

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.1 Corinthians 13 

These words lined the aisle of our last wedding. Right now, it is a painful and sweet reminder of the road we are walking:

Last week, we were contacted by another birth family. It is a heartbreaking situation, and we are still very uncertain what will happen. Either way, we are called to love. We are called to take chances: To love people for who they are, not what they will do. To love without fear. This kind of love is scary, because you risk pain. Yet, that is the beauty of it: Somewhere in the risk, there is peace and joy. We stop worrying about ourselves. Deep down in our soul, we find, that this is what we were made for.

I believe this kind of love only comes from God. And I believe it is this kind of  love, that will change the world.

Here's to hoping God will give us the patience, courage and resilience to love like this. And maybe one day, our adoption story will have an ending. For all of you who are still following, thank you. K and K

 

Chapters

Our adoption journey is not over -- sometimes I don't even know how much it has started. And right now, we are at the end of one of our chapters:

In early January, the day after our home study, we were contacted by someone on Facebook: She was pregnant, and she was looking for adoptive parents.

This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship and a dream in our hearts.

We skyped and exchanged texts. We waited for the day when she might officially ask us to be the adoptive parents.

And that day came. But that day was a lot different than we ever could have imagined. In the midst of such exciting news, there was also a very confusing side to this story: The birth dad had done almost everything possible to stop the adoption from happening.

The week we were asked to be adoptive parents might have been the best week of our lives, but it was also a heartbreaking week of our lives. Because that was the week, that God asked us to walk away from a dream. As we prayed and gathered information, God gave us clarity, and we had to let go of this birth mom and her baby. It was not our battle to fight.

That was two weeks ago now, and just yesterday, we heard from the birth mom: On Sunday, a beautiful baby girl was born. We are so happy -- and celebrate her birth. At the same time, we are sad, confused and grieving the end of this chapter, saying goodbye to a dream. It is bittersweet.

We feel honored to know this birth mom -- to walk through a really tattered season of her life, learn from her courage, and be chosen as adoptive parents. We are learning that this story is so much bigger than ourselves.

Behind the curtain of life, the God of the universe is writing a beautiful script. And we believe that this script is always perfect, because He is perfect and good to us, even when we don't understand.

So while today is a bit messy and unresolved, we do know this: One day, our adoption story will have an ending; and that ending will be all the more beautiful because of the heartaches of today.

Thank you for walking with us friends.
Much Love,
K and K