my very first maternity shoot!

i've worked with susan for about 8 years. i've watched her find the love of her life and now wait as they expect their very first little boy due in january. susan asked me to shoot her maternity photos back in october and i was really excited to have my first ever shoot. i have some learning to do and truth is i've been so scared for anyone to see them! hopefully this leads to more experience and more photo shoots of people i love. because after this one i admit there's not too much i like more than capturing these moments.

"be in my eyes. be in my heart."

flowers in your hair - the lumineers.
this song was playing over and over in my head during these pictures.

home. and missing this.

i'm not really sure when the time's going to come when i look at these pictures and don't cry. there's a flood of emotions when looking at these. complete joy knowing that these precious faces even exist, are happy, and for the most part healthy. heartbreak knowing the circumstances these children live in and the opportunities they are missing out on. pride in my god that he is doing wonders all over the world, especially in beautiful, telugu speaking women. a love so deep for a country and it's people that was developed in 10 short days. and a selfish sadness that i may never see some of them again. it's been a rollercoaster ride of dividing these emotions and learning how to just... go about life in america again. so for now here are some of my favorite photos of my trip to india.

a little india update. and my sari tea party.

god has been insane this week. i've had some up and down moments with my faith over the last few years but the last few weeks have literally blown my mind and knocked me on my feet to where the ONLY person i can trust is Him. looking back i'm not sure how this india trip has even worked out for me. one month ago i had no money to put towards rent... let alone a plane ticket to india. i had no passport, no visa, nothing. as of last night (under 3 weeks to go) i have my passport (!!!!) half my money and a visa appointment today. i've had some incredible people step out and support me... whether it's been financially or emotionally. i've always wondered what people truly mean when they can feel god's complete presence around them because, let's be honest, this world really tries to pull us away from that and since i was 15 and at church camp i haven't really felt it. but he's here and he's working. i can easily switch this entire trip around selfishly... he's sending me to india... he's going to let me love on these precious little orphans... i get to go shopping and buy all these beautiful saris (ok... maybe that one i won't take back :) but truth is, i think he's going to break me while i'm there. let me out of this little bubble that is cary, nc and use me to work and shine for HIM.

last night i was sitting with a group of women. the majority of the group are people i've known since i was about 14... my best girl friends and their moms. there are a few older women who i don't know but have been learning from. grasping at every little detail of wisdom they share each week. out of 20 women there was an 83 year old who has traveled to india numerous times. through so many nerves this past week... horrible spells of nausea caused by worry and tons of tears there i was sitting with a woman 60 years older than me planning a tea party (complete with saris and india pictures) for after i come home. it was such a neat opportunity to sit and talk with her about similar things god has done in her life, even if they were 40 years ago and to see the deep heart she still has for india.

so there's still lots to come. my visa will need to grow wings and fly back to north carolina in two weeks. 1500 dollars needs to come out of a yard sale i'm having on saturday and money for my shots/meds also. my uneasy-could lose my breakfast at any moment stomach needs to chill at the thought of a 20 hour flight over a giant body of water and global hope india needs to magically let it be ok that i bring my 20 pound little ball of fluff ;) thank you for your continuous prayers and i genuinely can't wait to share my trip on here.

...

if you'd like to donate to my trip, you can click here. click on *designate this donation* - *2012 October* - and then find my name on that list (Nicole Mountz). I'll be writing notes and sending some photos out to anyone who donates, even if it's 5 dollars. thank you!!

my trip to india

since posting about my trip to india i've had some questions emailed or tweeted to me. i sent this note out to close family and friends but i decided to share it here, too. i couldn't be more excited about this opportunity so i figure the more people who know, the more prayers and support i'll have! if you're interested at all, feel free to read all about it and ask me any questions you have! i honestly appreciate any form of support you can offer... words of encouragement and prayer would be even more than i could ask for. thank you!

...

I hope you and your families are doing well! For the past few years I have been working at a job that I absolutely adore. I work at the Cary YMCA and spend my days working with some of the most amazing kids Cary has to offer! It’s through this job that I’ve really found my two passions; God and children. I became a Christian my sophomore year of high school but it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve really handed my life over to Christ. I’ve had some ups and downs but it’s been in Jesus that I’ve found my real foundation. I decided to hand everything over to him, my job, time, friends and relationships. In the past couple months an amazing opportunity has come up for me, including both of these things! Global Hope India has offered me the trip of a lifetime, to travel to India for a little over a week to spread God’s love and work directly with an orphanage. I will be traveling from October 12th to October 21st and will be in Ongole, India!

Children will always hold a special place in my heart and through the Y I’ve really enjoyed working with our outreach program. This program caters to families who cannot afford all the Y has to offer on their own so they are given scholarships to attend our programs. Seeing the Y work through these families and kids has given me a huge heart for those in need. When offered an opportunity to work with orphans it seemed like an even larger version of what I’ve been doing the past few years. While I’m there I will be joining my friend Grace who is spending 6 months with these kids. I’ll spend my days working around the orphanage and loving on the people there. We will also be worshiping with a small local church and helping them out. I could not be more excited to use the talents God has given me with the people I will meet in India.

My hope is that you will pray about joining my efforts in this trip – whether financially or prayerfully. This trip came up very quickly and has given me limited time to raise the money I need. I truly believe that when we are serving others we are serving God directly:) I ask that you pray for the children I will be meeting, for their families and the missionaries who are having the chance to influence them during their time there. I also ask that you pray for my courage to open up to these little ones and pour as much of myself into them as I can! As far as financially, the total cost of the trip for each team member is $2,700. If you’d like to support me financially, you can go to  www.globalhopeindia.org/donate click on “Designate this Donation”, check October 2012, and then check the “Designate” button at my name/photo in order to support my trip. In addition, checks made payable to Global Hope India can be mailed to GHI - 400 Fayetteville St Ste E - Raleigh, NC 27601 with my name on a sticky note.

Updates about the trip will be posted on the www.globalhopeindia.org or on my blog, www.myteacupsinpeony.blogspot.com. Please feel free to email me or call me anytime – I’d love to hear about what God is doing in you and your family’s lives! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

I love you and thank you all!

Nicole Mountz

india!

i've been offered an incredible opportunity to travel to india! my very good friend grace is working with an orphanage in ongole, india for six months and i will be flying over to help her out. it's no secret that i have a huge passion for kids and lately the desire to travel has just kept increasing. i'm beyond excited for this opportunity and really can't wait for it to get here! the trip will be october 12th through the 22nd and as of right now it is up to me to raise the funds for this trip by then! i'm trying to ignore the worry i have about raising the money and focus on my excitement to work with these beautiful kids. if anyone would like more information on my trip, please email me at nicole.r.mountz@gmail.com and i'd be more than happy to send you some info about it! thank you for all the support i've recieved so far and i cannot wait to share more! keep me in your prayers as i work to get there!

also, if you are in the cary or raleigh area, i will be selling threads of hope bracelets to raise the funds. i will post on twitter or instagram about the places i am selling them or if you're around i'd be more than happy to meet up! thanks again!xo

twitter and instagram: @nicolemountz


photo by my friend grace.

a new home.

riley and i are finally getting settled into our new home. there have been lots of changes around here and as you can see in the picture up there... things are going very well:) i'm settling back into my normal job, finishing setting up our new living space and raising money for a trip to india in october! i'll post more about it this week but for now i couldn't resist posting this little picture of my fuzz ball of a dog.

the smallest thing.

(click image for orignal source)

“You know, the smallest thing can change your life. In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - and when you least expect it we’re on a course that you could have never planned, into a future you never imagined. Where will it take you? That’s the journey of our lives: our search for the light. But sometimes, finding the light means you must pass through the deepest darkness.”

there is always hope inthe small things.

(best fortune ever...)

(iced caramel machiattos on 105 degree afternoons.)

(mom's homemade lemon cupcakes.)

(birthday tattoo.)

(birthday dinner.)

(first stages of the painting process of my new room.)

(bake sale run by my incredible middle schoolers. we raised $712 in three hours.)

(lonely flower on our driveway bushes.)

(my fairy tale farm i pass every morning on the way to work.)

(oreos, hot fudge and ice cream.)

(almost healed.)

(locked out on a sunday morning.)

(nail time with a three year old.) 

(birthday wishes from aussie land.)

(my 9pms lately.) 

(surprises in the freezer.)

that's all it is.

“because that’s what life is about. it’s about the time when you lay in the grass next to those you love. it’s about the color of the sky. it’s about a roaring fire on a winters evening, a cup of coffee on a cloudy morning. you’ve got to realize that everybody bleeds, and that everybody hurts. everybody laughs, and everybody smiles. that’s what it’s all about. that’s all it is. there is no set meaning of life, there is nothing that can be defined, or written. it’s a matter of sculpting your very own definition.”

- unknown.”

my lucky little elephant.

this morning, right before i walked out of my room, i remembered my tiny little elephant bracelet my best friend gave me almost a year ago. probably one of my favorite birthday presents of all time. as i tied it on i remember thinking... my lucky little elephant.. i haven't had much luck lately, we'll try you out today. 

not even half an hour later i sat holding a sweet little boy who had just been involved in a horrible accident that i witnessed first hand. a trailer came detached from the truck in front of me and steered off the road and into an oncoming suv. luckily no one was seriously injured. i have replayed the whole morning over and over in my head and continuously thanked god that no one was hurt. why is it that it takes something so intense as an accident to put things into perspective and to pull you out of your own reality and force you to sit back and just thank god for being alive. all day my elephant and new words of encouragement on my wrist have been a reminder that even though things have been rocky lately, there's so much in my life i'm lucky to have. life, family, friends, sweet little smiles of my campers and most importantly a savior who loves me unconditionally. 

savannah and summertime.

at the beginning of june,all my friends and i traveled down to savannah, georgia for one of my best friend's weddings. next to charleston, savannah is hands down the most gorgeous city i've been to. i'm so thankful for the summertime, even tho the cool weather, hot chocolate and sweat pant longings are starting to creep in, i'm trying to suck up as much of these peaceful days as possible.