I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family!

This month’s featured client is David and Amanda Chambers. I met Amanda in Community Bible Study (CBS), when our children were smaller. She is a person whom everyone enjoys being around; she’s funny, witty, transparent, joyful, encouraging and a good listener.  We hit it off immediately and had so many fun lunch dates at Briggs after class. We’ve been rollerskating a few times together with our young children. Amanda writes a wonderful monthly blog called Scripture Scrapbook.

I was glad to meet Amanda’s husband, David, at our slideshow. I had heard so many good things about him over the years. I enjoyed seeing David and Amanda interact while they chose their favorite portraits; they are complete opposites, yet their personalities compliment one another.

Here is David and Amanda’s story…

David and I met almost 26 years ago when I was working as a school librarian in Harrells, NC. My cousin, who knew David in Raleigh, suggested to him that he ask me for a blind date to his brother’s rehearsal dinner dance.  I accepted the invitation.

The groom had arranged for a bus to pick people up from one point and drop them off at the place of the dance. I chatted with the bus driver and I realized that she had recently become a Christian.  After she dropped me off, and David and I had met, we talked for awhile, but suddenly the groom interrupted us.  “The bus driver wants to see you,” he informed us with all seriousness.  So we immediately arose and went to see what Annie, the bus driver,  wanted to tell us.  After we climbed up into the bus, she proudly handed us two slips of paper, “You two, goin’ to be together!” David, amazed, looked at her astonished, and proclaimed “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.”  I, equally amazed at him, thought “Here is a real leader.”   We then read the notes she had handed to us, each with Bible verses about husbands and wives, and her address (to be invited to the wedding).

What qualities do you and your husband appreciate about each other?

My wife Amanda is my best friend on earth, and second only to Jesus, who is my best friend in heaven. She has all the qualities that I most admire in people and completely embodies all the wonderful charm of a beautiful and intelligent woman. Amanda helps me find the best in me, and she lives her life as a wonderful and persistent reflection of the Lord’s hope for a human being.  I am thankful to be married to her; and she extends her nuturing and mature love to both our sons with constant devotion and concern.  Her friends love and trust her; and she is a terrific daughter and sister to her family members.  All in all, she is gracious and good, and I love her.

As for character traits,   I appreciate my husband’s balance of personality: his romantic and spontaneous side, and his business like leadership side too. He is very attentive to birthdays and anniversaries, taking pride in finding the right gift for me.  He is also very loving and supportive of our two boys.  My husband, my point man in the world, is an Estate Planning Lawyer, who helps families conserve their resources. Of course, I think he is the best around, and he really does have many gifts that come together to make his work enjoyable and productive:  business, expertise in this area of the law, perseverance, an amazing work ethic, understanding of the client and their needs, and a talent for understanding people. He usually begins his meetings with prayer.  He runs his own office, Chambers Law.  He can be found on the web at www.ChambersLawpllc.com. (919) 277-2200.

I was a librarian in rural NC  with the goal of becoming a librarian in a school for missionary children overseas when David invited me to meet him. I still maintain a missions outlook and am excited to launch a new adventure on Thursday, October 7th at my house called Mindchanging Moments.  Once a month I will have a luncheon at my house and a missionary will speak to whomever can come. A friend from the US Center for World Mission will be talking about worldview to some elementary, middle school, and law school students, as well as adults.

I am a home school teacher;  Luke is in the 5th grade. We do a program I designed called Climb Pro.  It is an acronym for the goals we have for Luke:  Creativity, Logic, Integrity, Memory, Balance, Precision, Resourcefulness, and Organization.

We have two young men: David and Luke. David is 23 and at law school in Raleigh at Campbell. Luke is 11, would love to play football, loves to read, play legos, and is thrilled that his electric scooter just arrived from Ebay. David was the entertainment at Luke’s birthday party by anchoring the football games in the pool and in the field. The boys do enjoy each other, even when one aims a dry ice bomb at the other.

We purchased a wall portrait (pictured left) of our sons and hung it in our living room. If I ever have a sad or weary moment, I cast a glance of the wall portrait of the two boys together in my living room, and the grayness vanishes and vitality returns.

We have one ancient canine, Astro. She showed up on our doorstep in Miami.  She is the smartest and sweetest dog that ever lived….and she is the only other female in the household. She’s the only one who has been mandated to live outside, however.

Luke was born when David was over twelve and a half. Because we homeschooled David that seventh to eighth grade era, Luke and David bonded quite a bit.  When I think about the time Luke was a baby, my strongest memories are of Luke being wrapped around David’s neck or hanging down his back.  David grew to be 6’5″.  David loves basketball, and played his freshman year at the University of South Carolina.  He has been to Moldova four times to do sports mission trips.  He has also been blessed to have served  in Mexico and China. He has also  visited France and Israel this year.  He is very sensitive and loyal.  He also carried a lot of my responsibilities for me when I had a hard time walking last summer.  We have a prayer group just for his age group.

Luke is my man who knows his mind. If you don’t have a plan, he will come up with one.  In defense, I now have a daytimer and check it regularly.  He loves being with people, and loves competitive sports.  His next public debut will be as Pope Urban II at a medieval feast.  Pope Urban II is the eloquent pope who persuaded the folks of Clermont, France in 1095 to take up arms against the Seljuk Turks who had taken over the Holy Land, preventing Christian pilgrims from completing their journey.  We have two prayer groups for Luke’s age group associated with our two home schooling coops: Tapestry of Grace (history and literature), and Classical Conversations (basic memorization and writing).

I am utterly thankful to God for my family and for His ever faithful watchful care over us. Life is so fragile; it is a miracle to live each day, and especially to live together in this particular time.  After we had David, we hoped for many years (12) to have another child.  We were told we wouldn’t have another one, but then is there another one like Luke? He did finally make his appearance, fortunately after my husband had completed his graduate school and training in estate planning.  And the boys are very much friends, although law school is taking too much time in Luke’s opinion.

My biggest challenge is to not get too tired. There are so many things to do, to write, people to encourage and be inspired by….I have to remember that although God is limitless, and His Spirit in me  is my power, I need boundaries.  God gave me a body that I am to take care of, a husband to love, a young man to encourage and support, and a vibrant younger young man who is galloping towards his teen years and independence….I also have two parents who are very dear and almost 80 and who live in Virginia…and an almost 101 year old father-in-law.

One of the items in Luke’s Climb Pro goals is balance:  and that is my greatest challenge. Without the Lord, I can do nothing. He is the one to whom all credit is due for any fruit in my life. I cannot understand why He chose me to be an ambassador for Him on this earth, but His ways are higher than mine, and His understanding far surpasses mine…so, day by day I try to listen to what He tells me in the Bible, and I try to cast all of my cares upon HIm because He alone is able to carry me along.  I came to the Lord when I was 14 and He has never forsaken me, even when I have made foolish choices.

When I was 18, I attended a conference that encouraged us to memorize and meditate on Scripture. We moved a few years ago…between homeschooling, moving, and all the rest, I needed to be anchored on the things of God!  I found a Scripture Memory program on the 49 Commandments of Christ.  I wanted to encourage my mother and aunt to join me in the program, so I started writing them weekly with the new verse from the list and adding a little commentary to it or how I applied the verse or included what others wrote in.  The distribution list has grown to 170.

I also include a prayer list, and we have seen all kinds of answers to prayer from adoptions to healing to grace for suffering. John 14:21  “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”  The Enemy is a deceiver, but we can be equipped to keep our minds free and in the truth by clutching God’s words to our hearts and letting them transform our minds. It is an encouragement to memorize/meditate on the basic commands of Jesus, and if anyone wanted to try it, they can email me at ajchambersnc@aol.com.

Susie and I first met at Community Bible Study in Cary. She carried a potty around in her car (Her daughter Grace was potty training).  We ate lunch after Bible Study where I remember Grace relished chicken fingers and Ranch dressing. Susie has a special sensitivity and vivaciousness about her that I knew would draw out the best in my sons.

So much of my life has been behind the scenes in raising our two sons. This seems to be almost a harvest season of life. Many things that have taken years to plant and grow seem to be maturing right now. I feel that my boys’ portraits were taken at the perfect time. I was so glad to finally get to her studio. We had an appointment four or more years earlier, but Luke had poked a q-tip in his ear just before the appointment, and I was suspicious of damage to his ear drum.  This last May, another crisis also came up the morning of the portrait, but I was determined to get them to Susie’s anyway.

When I saw the slideshow of all the portraits set to music, the tears started rolling because God seemed to be smiling at me through the portraits. Susie photographed my playful older son in a serious pose (shown above), communicating the transition taking place in his life in starting law school. We purchased a trio collage (shown below) which hangs in my husband’s study. That is his space in the house, reserved for him, and he likes to see his family with him there. When I saw the Facebook Slideshow for the first time, I melted when I saw the pictures and music. The baseball portraits captured Luke’s personality and sparkle of my then ten year old.

I would hope that all people everywhere could have the same blessing of working with Susie as we did. God has given her an innate ability to bring out the best of the smiles in all ages and sizes of people.

-David and Amanda Chambers   Cary, NC

Take a look at Amanda’s Facebook Slideshow of ALL their heartwarming portraits set to music. It will make you smile. Enjoy!  http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=445818232813

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Thank you David and Amanda for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I’m glad to call you friends. Have a great month everyone!

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

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To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.