I watched the weather report and saw that it is supposed to rain later this afternoon. I got up, got dressed and set out, determined to beat the elements.
Again.
So many crazy things happened during this shoot. First, my phone fell out of my pocket. After having the phone for two years, I became an official member of the “Cracked Screen Clique.”
Then the wind *entered stage left.*
I had to remain aware of my surroundings because my love for creativity and need for safety don’t always play well together. Therefore, I had to make watching my back look 
as fashionable as possible.
Passers-by stopped passing to ask questions about my brand and the blog.
Toward the end of the first half, I started to feel raindrops. I took that as God telling me it was time to move along. I prayed that God would hold back the rain so I could make it to the next location for the second half of the shoot.
Well, I definitely made it.
However, as soon as I placed my camera on the tripod it started to pour!
All I could think was, “But God! I prayed?!”
Feeling like a kid whose bike was stolen, I quickly packed up my stuff and walked away.
Making it only a short distance away from the location, it stopped raining.
Now feeling like a kid on Christmas, I hurried back to my spot to finish the shoot. This, of course, came with more distractions, including the sun playing “Hide and Seek” behind the clouds, random men stopping to smile and offer unsolicited commentary, and me stopping to look at the pictures while criticizing myself for my seemingly ever bloated belly.
Toward the end of this shoot, I heard the Spirit saying, “Consequences.” I took this as the possibility of running into someone I didnʼt want to see or someone walking by helping themselves to my stuff. After all, I was shooting EXTRA close to my old employer! *Gangsta moves*
Again, I quickly packed up and left. By the time I got halfway home, there was loud thunder, followed by a strong flash of lightning. I heard a guy scream, “Aww man! I thought someone took a picture!”
Then it started pouring.
I mean pouring!
All I could do was thank God the rest of the way home.
Another shoot complete.
Mission accomplished.
This experience reminded me of so many lessons.
Things donʼt always go as planned. That doesnʼt mean you pack up and quit. Sometimes you just have to wait for the rain to pass and try again.
Distractions are what you allow them to be.
Sometimes God wants to upgrade our lives, but we refuse to let go of comfort and complacency. This may include upgrading from an iPhone 6s Plus to an iPhone X…
*Insert sheepish grin here*
About the look:
Distressed Denim Jacket: Rainbow Shops.
Black Skinny Jeans: Old Navy.
Metallic Silver Pumps: Rogue Helium.
Fuchsia Cindy Dome Satchel: Michael Kors.
Lipstick: MAC Flat Out Fabulous.
Sweatshirts coming soon! Subscribe and follow me on IG for release date updates!
xoxo,
Annitra
Different by Design 
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