Summer Day Trip

 

 Hello! I just love all the watercolor in the July 'Refresh' kit! I love to use my gelatos and to get cards that just go with my creative style is a treat. I said this last month and it's true again, this kit is full of goodies! This is the first of multiple pages I'll be sharing with you this month. I'm getting a lot out of the 'Refresh' pocket kit and glam bag.

In July of 2011, we took a trip to PA to visit family. While we were there, we took a day trip to Lititz for some family time and to give our hosts a break. Lititz is a cute little town with shops and this great park to explore. There's a man-made creek that crosses the park and it was full of mama and baby duckies. We spent the day playing and watching the ducks swim!

This month I was determined to use my stamps better. I love the stamps we've been getting in the kits this summer but I still wasn't using them. It does take a little more effort to pull out ink and do the stamping thing. So before I started embellishing, I stamped all the shapes I thought would be useful on these pages on a white paper with black ink and cut them out. I put them in a tray with my other embellies. This way they're in front of me and I can just add them to my already colorful cards or use my gelatos to add color. My favorite is the heart stamp! So cute!

What's your favorite part of this month's kit? I can't wait to see what you do with it!

Summer Mixed Media

Hello! Happy Friday! Today I have some mixed media journaling pages to share with you. I love everything that came with the June 'Breathe' Take 10 kits and I've been able to create loads of projects with them! Not only was able to create the 2 project life pages and card I've already shared with you, but I have 2 more pages you'll have to catch here on my blog in the future and these fun mixed media pages! 

I'm playing along with Little Paper Projects summer class about Little Summer Joy.  The pitch: Here at LPP, we focus self-reflection and personal growth through journal + photography projects. Little Summer JOY Project is a practice in the essence of that mission: we want to find our joy, capture our joy, and reflect on our joy this summer. We’ll share our own personal celebrations, fun times with family and friends, and unique and inspiring ways to get yourself in the picture and become a part of your summer story. Find out more at LPP.

I find myself scrambling to fit everything in and forgetting to enjoy my summers, which is actually my favorite season. Really I feel that year around. Days are long with little ones and anything that helps me remember to enjoy the everyday moments is a plus for me. So I took on this project as a way to remember to treasure the little joyful moments this summer!

This week I created my title pages and my first entry about my summer manifesto. I used the Pineapple stamp and coordinating sentiment in colors that complimented my gelato background on the next page. Once I started water-coloring, I found out this paper is not made for that. So once it dried I added more gelato color and just tried to go with it. Sometimes mistakes are fun! :) (Sorry about the odd blue lighting on that one.) I used the Summer 2015 card and blue dot washi tape from the June Pocket kit. 

To create my Summer Manifesto pages, I used the Summer Vibes ephemera and alphas from the glam bag and a couple things from the May kit too that I layered over my gelato 'wind'. I really enjoyed pulling this page together with embellishments, definitions and my thoughts! I hope your finding joy in your summer and if not let me encourage you.. You can do it! Each day always has at least something small to be thankful for. And thankfulness brings joy.

Summer Time Page

Hello! I have another great page to share with you using the Breathe kit! I am just loving this kit! Between the Pocket kit and the Glam bag, I've been able to create almost 4 pages for my album. Now that's an amazing deal for $10! The June kit is full of so many cute cards and fun embellishments. 

This page documents more of the pool time we had with family on our summer vacation in 2011. What can I say, I just loved all these shots and couldn't leave out a single one. So yes, I have about 3 pages of swimming pictures. Sometimes you just get those perfectly cute and awesomely lit photos that you can't live without! :) I used cards and embellishments from the Breathe kit and even a card from a past kit that I hadn't found a home for yet. I really enjoyed the addition of the cut apart labels in the June kit and love the added touch they can lend to a picture or card. And I also added a splash of gelato mist the 'summer time' card to give it some extra dimension. I hope you've enjoyed creating cute projects and pages with your Breathe kit this month!

Did you get any goodies from the 4th of July flash sale?? And don't forget the July kit will be for sale on the 15th. Sneaks are already popping up on the Facebook group. Get your July kit 10% off with the code 'take10'.

Hello There, Summer!

Good Morning! Can you believe we're nearly halfway through summer!? In Nebraska we are finally in the thick of hot and humid days after a rainy spring, and that means pool time. When I saw the June 'Breathe' kit, I knew I had a batch of swimming photos that were the perfect match.

A few years ago when my daughter was 1 1/2 years old, we took our yearly trip to Pennsylvania to visit family. It's hot and humid in July there too. My baby girl was beyond thrilled when Grandma told Grandpa to get his golf balls out of the baby pool and fill it up with water. For that week, it was her pool. And she loved it!

For this page I used a bunch of cards from the Breathe pocket kit and goodies glam bag, paper and embellies from the Citrus Bliss add-ons and a couple cards from my stash. The colors and sentiments in this months kits were spot on for this layout. I love how bright and cheerful it turned out. It's a perfect reflection of how this day was in my memory!

You'll be seeing more of this trip from me as I use my June kit. :) I hope you have a blast using this month's kit to document your summer memories!

August Ten

So my ten has officially become a top ten list, not ten photos. I sure wish I had a better eye for photography. But, hey, I definitely know how to make lists. I am the list queen! I make lists during the day just so I can remember everything and then so I can mark things off. I feel more accomplished! :)
So today...
1. Going to the YMCA. We started the day off right with a trip to the Y for some PiYo. It makes me feel loose! Today Millie didn't want to leave. She was coloring. I guess I'm glad she no longer cries while I'm gone.
2. Groceries for the 3rd time. This week! Grr. The country girl in me does not like. I went Sunday and then again Monday to exchange my faulty hamburger. I bought 80/20 instead of 93/7 for meatballs. Oops, that would've been greasy. So today I was back for 3 more things.
3. Playtime. We spent a fun filled hour or so with the neighbors. They have toys, lots of them. Millie loves it. And today she got to chase the bunny too.
4. Bunny chasing. Millie absolutely loves to chase the sweet bunny. Good thing Cutels is so good tempered. She just runs around searching for a safe hiding place. When she gets fed up she runs back to her cage for a break. Isn't Cutels such a cute name for a bunny!? It's "cute" and "ellls". Add bunny to the list of pets that baby girl is going to beg daddy for someday.
5. Blueberries. Millie has been thoroughly enjoying freeze-dried blueberries. She won't touch fresh ones with a ten foot pole... purple food apparently isn't edible in her book. (Please forgive the awful blurry phone picture and smile at the blue lips.)
6. Baby meal. One of our friends just had a sweet baby girl so I prepared a meal for them today. My go to baby meal is meatballs. The other moms expect it. :) In a good way. But one of the other gals brought meatballs on Monday. We thought it would be ok for them to have it again cause they're a little different. But I didn't feel right about doing that. So with a quick (and 3rd) trip to the store I was set for Hamburger Pie (casserole) a la the yellow Mennonite cookbook. I wanted to keep a spoonful for myself!
7. Starbucks outrageous oatmeal raisin cookies. Yum. Recipe coming up later.
8. Good friends and good talks. I'm thankful for my Titus 2 'older' woman. A girl can really be encouraged by a listening ear!
9. Veggies! We are part of a CSA vegetable share. Hmm I'm say that wrong. But we do get a bag of fresh, local veggies every week. Yummy! We got lots of tomatoes this week. We also have sweet corn and beets coming out of our ears. I'm looking forward to enjoying whatever my chef comes up with this week.
10. Sweet corn. It is so in season right now. It's perfect! My ear for supper was so sweet and had nice big kernels. Yum! Thanks Dad! I think we should definitely visit my parents again, at least for the sweet corn. ;) I'm attempting to freeze a bunch so we can enjoy it this winter too.
Happy August 10th!

I Wish Wednesday

I wish my baby was sleeping. We have a friend over today and H is sleeping soundly and my girl has been making herself heard for the last couple hours. I think it's time to completely drop the morning nap. We've be doing naptime from 10-11 and then 2-4. Millie just couldn't make it through the morning without a rest. But now she's really struggling with her afternoon naps.
Any tips on how to make the transition to one nap easier?
Honestly I think the transition might be harder for me than her! I enjoy being able to take a morning nap if I stayed up too late last night. And I usually get ready for the day during her morning nap as well. I'm either going to have to get up before her, which is rarely going to happen or learn to get ready faster with her around.

I wish it was 85 degrees everyday for the rest of the summer. Today is so beautiful! It's been so ridiculously hot that today I almost felt like I needed a jacket this morning. Even though summer is my favorite time of year, I do miss cooler evenings and mornings where you just want to pull on a cozy sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. But today was the perfect day to be outside! Yesterday the FedEx man delivered our new kiddie pool and today we broke it in! It was a hit and a great way to cool off. Between all 5 kids (my 2 for today plus the 3 neighbor kids), I had to wash out a bunch of grass but it was worth it. I'm happy to have a pool for the rest of the summer!
How have you been beating the heat this summer?

I do not wish for twins. Oh my goodness. Having two 1.5year olds today has shown me that I do not wish for twins. Ever. When I was a kid, I thought having a twin would be a blast. But now as a mother, I realize raising twins would make me pull my hair out after a couple days. To those mamas out there I know that have twins ...you are strong women! God must give extra patience to those moms and dads!

The Maverick's Bride

I just finished reading The Maverick's Bride by Catherine Palmer. On our recent trip to PA, Grandma gave me a pile of easy reading, fluffy, romantic books. :) She knows I like to read. It was a pile of like 8 books and I read 2 of them while we were there. They must think I'm anti-social the way I buckle down and read every time we're there. This book took me less than a week at home. And if I had nothing to do, I could read one in a day. I enjoyed this one and the story was surprisingly well developed for a 272 page book. I even wished it was a little longer!

The Maverick's Bride is about Emma Pickering's desire to follow God's calling to be a nurse in East Africa in 1898 despite her father's disapproval, her needy younger sister and her heart's tug towards rugged, mysterious, American, cowboy, Adam King. Spoiler Alert: if you want to read this book and not know the details stop reading here. But seriously, you can guess how it turns out based on the cover picture and the back cover description. :)

What I loved most about this book was Emma's character. She was a woman with a calling from God to be a nurse. But in that day, she was expected to be a proper young lady whose only goal was to find a good husband. She was faced with the added pressure of keeping tabs on her flighty younger sister, Cissy and keeping them both out of their strict father's way. Their mother passed away when they were young girls and it turned their father into an unhappy man. Mr. Pickering was a British railroad man and they were all headed to East Africa to beat the Germans in a railroad race inland. Upon arrival, Cissy was broken hearted to be separated from Dirk, the German solider she fell in love with on the ship; they were bombarded with reports of lions attacking the railroad workers; and they crossed paths with Adam King. The railroad foreman Nicholas Bond, immediately informed Emma that Mr. King was a loose cannon with a bad reputation. And Mr. Bond also made it clear that he intended to please her father and marry her. But when Emma broke her father's rules to help a sick child, Adam was there to help. At the first railroad stop on their journey inland, Emma realized Mr. King was following her and she didn't want to admit her attraction to him. That night there was a lion attack and when Cissy disappeared because she thought she heard Dirk calling to her, Emma took off to find her in the wild Savannah. Thankfully Emma was rescued by a local tribe and Adam King. Mr. Pickering died unexpectedly because of all the chaos and Emma married Adam to access her sizable inheritance so she could continue searching for her sister.
The rest of the story is about Emma's struggle to find her sister, follow God's calling to be a nurse and fight her attraction to Adam. I don't think I have to tell you that it all turns out after a few twists and turns. If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read try The Maverick's Bride! :) I recommend it.

Home on the Plains

I was reminded this week of how much I love my home state and in particular the area around my hometown. As we sped down the interstate, I could see the horizon stretching for miles. The corn had all grown tall and I could see the patchwork of green fields all around. And this time of year many of the farmers are getting their field's sprayed for bugs so there we're crop dusters diving all over the place. I grew up only a few miles from a local airstrip and remember the planes flying over our house often. We loved watching them and waving! I always hoped they would see me and my siblings waving. :) And usually if they did, we got a little wave from the wings. Now that was a special day! Back to our recent drive... Millie was asleep in the backseat and I was a little sad that she missed seeing all the planes. There were crop dusters diving on both sides of the road. I could see the flashes of white and yellow flying through the air from miles away. As we drove closer I could see that one of the yellow planes was spraying right next to the interstate and he had to go right over the road when he turned around. I sure hoped that he would buzz us when we got close. It was our lucky day! We happened to just be passing by as he finished a pass and came whizzing right over the car!! Now I remember being told that we should never hope that the planes would go right over us because they could get chemicals on you. But I'm thinking that times have changed and hopefully they're better at turning off the spray when they're not over the corn.
I love watching the seasons change and the landscape grow in Nebraska. I love watching the corn pop up the turn the plains green in the spring. (Sorry allergy sufferers.) In the fall, I love seeing the haze from corn dust as I watch the big orange harvest moon come up. There's just something about this land that warms my heart.
Where is your favorite place?

Forever Sunshine

Right now I'm enjoying a new shower gel fragrance from Bath & Body Works . 

Forever Sunshine is a blend of apricot, peonies and pralines. I don't know if this is what sunshine smells like but I love it! I have to admit I almost look forward to this part of my shower knowing I get to smell this scent. :) I sure hope they have this shower gel again next summer. I usually fall in love with one of their seasonal flavors and then they discontinue it. Maybe I should stock up!
I do love summer. But when I think of summer smells something more like fresh cut grass comes to mind. I don't really want to smell like that. Or sunscreen and chlorine. Or bug spray. I love summer but summer smells aren't usually to nice. I'd better go smell the roses in front of my house to remind me of the good smells of summer.
What are your favorite scents? What smells remind you of summer?

SSMT & my crazy week

Oh oh, I'm a little late but I have had a busy week. So first off here's my verse...
Proverbs 31:21-22 (NKJV)
She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
I'm still working though Proverbs 31. I am halfway through my year of memorization. It is definitely getting more challenging to keep on top of! Now that we're halfway through the year have you been able to keep on top of your New Year's resolutions?

So my last week has been crazy!!
First off O had surgery to repair her umbilical hernia on Wednesday. We were up at 4:30am to be at the hospital at 5:30 and surgery was at 7:30am. I'm telling you that was way to much hanging around. O was awake and didn't exactly just want to lay in bed waiting for her turn. Once she was in surgery, the waiting was the hardest part for me. It was so hard to watch her walk away with the nurse. She cried and reached over her shoulder to me. :( Thankfully we had friends join J and I in the waiting room. A long hour and half later, she was done. New belly button!! I cannot believe how fast she recovered. Kids are amazing! After 1 day, she was off Tylenol and by 2 days, she didn't even seem to remember or care she'd had surgery. I'm so glad to have this behind us.
Second I coordinated a wedding on Friday. And not just any wedding but the pastor's granddaughter. So I felt a little pressure to do well. I worried about the weather all week as I prepped all my notes. But it was beautiful! A beautiful evening for an outdoor wedding and everything went off without a hitch! Congrats to the Newlyweds!!
I hope you're having a busy and fun summer!

Outdoor Living

When the weather started to get warm this spring, we headed outside! On this particular day we had a snack outdoors on the deck.

Millie is beginning to learn how to hold still and smile for the camera. So I get some of these adorable little grins captured!

Walk for Life

The Lincoln Crisis Pregnancy Walk for Life is tomorrow!

I'm so excited to walk this year. In years past, I've wanted to participate but was usually gone or busy on the chosen weekend. So this year I put in on the calendar way early. I am finding that we're still busy this year and as I think ahead to tomorrow, I'm a little overwhelmed by the full day we have planned. But this is a very worthy cause. I think I can sacrifice some sleep. And it should be a beautiful day for a walk around the lake. So I think I might even get some exercise pushing 20+ pounds of stroller and my baby girl a couple miles.

I've always strongly believed in the sanctity of human life but since I've had my own baby girl the feeling has become personal. I absolutely 100% believe that Millie was a person from the moment of conception and it would have been murder for me to terminate my pregnancy at anytime. Each baby is a beautiful gift from God and should be treasured. This reality is something that is especially hard to accept when you're young and facing an unplanned pregnancy. The Center helps young couple make wise, Biblical choices about the future of their family.

If you want to walk or sponsor a walker, check out the details.

My not so Green Thumb

I am killing house plants right and left this week! Eeek! Here I thought the warmer weather meant that finally my plants would get more sunlight and warmth. Instead... DEATH.

Plant #1... my Heartleaf Philodendron

And yes I had to research to find that name. Do you really know all the weird names of your plants?!?
Now this lovely plant has been dubbed one of the most common house plants and easy to grow. I think that means it's pretty hard to kill - it takes talent. I have this. After 5 years, it's down to one very sad stem and a couple leaves. I noticed about a month ago that it wasn't looking the best. So I went to my go to fixes: regular watering, extra light and miracle grow. It still went downhill. Then just the other day, I left it outside for the day. You know, fresh air. It's good for kids and plants. Well I accidentally left it outside over night and it just might have been that night recently when we had frost warnings. So I think it's officially over for my poor Philo. RIP.

Plant #2... Aloe Vera

Yep I knew this one. I'm not completely brain dead when it comes to my plants. This is actually my second go around on Aloe plants. I have received 2 batches from Granny. She has a green thumb! But I apparently didn't inherit it. I started it in a small pot and when it started to droop, I re-potted it into a larger pot with some new soil. I think it's been struggling ever since. But I blame the final death stroke on Millie. Well sorta. This Aloe makes it's home on a nice bench in the sunlight in our kitchen. Sadly it's a the perfect height for Millie, so she's been pulling them out. I dug them back in and gave them a new home and some miracle grow. (It's my go to!) So I'm really hoping they'll still recover.

Plant #3... Christmas Cactus

I only know this one because I got it from my Granny and she has one that we compare notes on. Repetition will guarantee me remembering the name. This is my only plant that is thriving!! Yay! It doesn't get a many blooms as the picture but it is as full. I think we'll be ok until I have to re-pot it.

In the process of trying to help my poor plants, I ran across a new (to me) website. For your next plant emergency (or simple question) check out the Guide to Houseplants. Great advice and easy to find!

Summer is Flying By

Yes I am a bad blogger. It's been over a month since my last post. Let's just say I've been busy and not feeling like posting. The last couple months have included...

Weddings - oh weddings!! 2 in a row at the beginning of May. They were a blast. We had so much fun with all our friends and family. We had extra family in town for my sister-in-laws wedding.

Colorado. This month we took a trip to Colorado for a long weekend. It was soo relaxing. J and most of our small group took a snowy hike to the top of Mt. Quandry. I stayed at the cabin and napped. Beautiful day for napping. I really caught up on my sleep this trip. I didn't even realize I need to until I slowed down. We also caught up with the McNairs and their 3 girls and the Berkheims and little David. I love spending time with friends we haven't seen for awhile!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer! I'm especially excited that my sister is coming home from France this week so I'll get to see her the next few months. I'm thinking the rest of the summer will consist of more weekend trips, lots of yard work and a few trips to the pool. I love summer - it's my favorite time of the year in spite of the heat. :)

Presents

Here's the pictures I promised of what else I got for my Birthday. :) I have great friends and family!

First a nice sports watch from my husband. I know it's not the best picture and could stand to be cropped. I'm still sharpening my blogger skills and photographing skills.

Also Marshmallow ear buds from J. As you can see he's helping me in my running ventures. My little ears are excited about these mushy buds!

Biscotti from Granny and Papa! Yum!

Cards and money from my parents, Grandpa and Grandma Fisher and people at work. Plus Mary Kay lotion from my supervisor, Kari. My co-workers Melissa and Fran are also taking me out for lunch this week.

This really cute card is from Kari as well. Aww-some! I heart kitties!

So it was a great birthday and turning 25 isn't too bad. I actually do feel older this year. Whenever someone would ask me that I would always smile and say not really. But this year I do feel a little older but I'd say in a good way.

Spectacular Day

I know multiple posts in one day is excessive. BUT let me tell you about my day.

It started with me getting up a little earlier than normal because I needed to get to work early to make up for my lunch the day before. I woke up still feeling a little funny from the day before. So I called my doctor and they told me to drink lots of water and call if I felt worse later. Nice. On I go to work, same old deal. I keep feeling worse and by 4pm, I called my doctor and they finally ordered me some drugs. Don't you think I know when I'm sick?! Of course, I do and I know before I'm in horrible pain. Thank you very much. Yes, for all you doctors, I know more about me than you! :)

I know, get to the point - what a boring, sad day L. But now comes the fun part. I have been listening to the radio in hopes of winning tickets to a particular concert at the State Fair this year. J told me that our last name is pretty lucky but I had yet to experience this. I had previously asked Heather to go to this concert with me but when I heard about the contest I was even more excited. She's a master at winning radio contest!

I was sitting at my desk manning the phones as I watched everyone else leave work at 5, knowing I had a long half hour to go. At about 5:10pm, Hoss came on the radio and began telling us about the passes he was going to let some one win for the Miranda Lambert concert next week. I sat poised to dial. Then, the horrible words "but in order to win, you must answer this question correctly". Stink. What town did Miranda grow up in? Not the same as her birth place. Like I know. But I really love Google! So I easily find the answer and start dialing in hopes that I'm not too late. After about 5 tries, I'm ready to give up. I look at my cell phone just to make sure I'm even calling the right number and decide to call a couple more times.

On the second try, it starts ringing. Really? I can't believe it's ringing! And ringing and ringing, like 30 times, really. But once it's ringing some one has got to answer it eventually. So I'm sitting here answering my work phone with one ear and listening to the phone ring in the other, finally Hoss comes on the phone. I ask if there's been an answer yet and he asks for my guess. Of course, I give the correct answer and he asks for my name and tells me I just won! WHooo HOO!! I'm am so excited and yes I do confess to "cheating" by looking it up online. He then takes my info and tells me to look for info in the mail and come pick up my tickets at the station. A minute later, I hear my voice on the radio as he plays back my winning call. Did you know that's not live? I didn't.

I am now the proud winner of Miranda Lambert VIP passes! Heather and I will be eating Rib Ranch before the concert, enjoying a great view during the concert and riding all the fair rides for free with our VIP passes and super tickets. Hopefully we will remember to take pictures. :) So if you have ever tried to win something on the radio, keep trying!

Surprised!

Yesterday, Mom and AJ came up to spend the day doing last minute errands and appointments before AJ goes back to college. So they called on their way up and we made a plan to meet for lunch. I am very thankful for a flexible job where even though I don't normally have a lunch break, I was able to arrange something.

We went to the Roost. They serve different kinds of chicken salad sandwiches. Very good! I would definitely go back for lunch. At lunch I also got my early birthday present from A and AJ. AJ had been telling me for couple weeks that she had this great idea but she wasn't sure if she could find what she was looking for. I, of course bugged her to tell me what it was with no luck. I absolutely love being surprised at Christmas or my Birthday but I can't help but try to find out what I'm getting ahead of time. Anyone else have this issue?

In spite of having to wait, I was very happy with what I got! At work, Fran and I had been listening to a radio station where they were giving away designer purses. We tried for a month to win with no success! I am so bad at radio contests. I get a busy signal when I just call in to request a song. When I saw the new giraffe purses from Dooney & Burke, I just fell in love. But really, $300 for a purse. That I cannot do. I also rarely buy a new purse because my frugal husband is taking good care of our finances. Thanks hubby for taking care of me in ways I don't think of. :) So AJ (and Mom) found a knock-off version of this purse online. Thanks little brother and sister! I love it!

I think that I will be more happy carrying around my knock-off than if I had brought the original. I would have had to use that purse for the rest of my life because it would be too expensive. And now I can brag about how I have this beautiful purse that looks expensive but isn't. I actually take pride in that. :) AJ also got a giraffe purse for herself in a larger size. Here were are with our matching purses.

Hmm, maybe this is a step towards me blogging about shoes? Heather? I definitely will when I get my next fabulous pair of shoes. Speaking of shoes, AJ just bought a very cute pair of Dr. Scholl's gold flats - cute and comfy. Maybe I'll just live out my shoe fetish vicariously through my sister. I'm sure J would like that much better. Now that I have a house, I'm so much more excited about spending money on that instead of myself. My latest material love is Pottery Barn rugs. I love them all!

BBQ Celebration

On Sunday my family got together to celebrate my Dad's birthday on the 14th and my birthday on the 18th and AJ's going back to college. After much (MUCH) debating we decided to go to the Texas Roadhouse.
But first Mom and AJ came up early so we could get in some final pool time of the summer. Yes, I know the summer isn't over yet. But really, I don't want to go to the pool by myself. I've done that and I felt like some sort of stalker. Weird. So after a couple hours of sun, we headed down south to eat. I of course didn't think ahead to make a reservation. But in my defense, we didn't really decide where we were going until right before we left. So we ended up waiting an hour and half to be seated. Apparently being the new place in town will do wonders for business. Thankfully there we're buckets of peanuts for us to snack on. Speaking of which, what do you think of that? Are piles of peanut shells on the floor of a restaurant a gross reflection of the cleanliness of the place or just a fun past time to be enjoyed?

In spite of the wait and the mess, the food was good. Although next time I might bring ear plugs because of the loud music and even more loud conversations. I enjoyed my leftovers at home much more. I ordered a pulled pork dinner with my sides as fresh veggies and baked sweet potato. They made great leftovers for lunch the next day. And before our meal we got a refillable basket of the little bread muffins with a cinnamon sugar butter to spread on them. Warm bread with sugary butter - I should have thought of that.

So it was a great meal and a great time with family as you can see from all my pictures here and on the side. :) I am really going to miss seeing AJ all the time. They've been up to help us with moving or just to hang out nearly every weekend for the last half of the summer. Here's a final picture of AJ and I showing how full we were from supper! I will now be looking forward to when AJ comes home from college in October. Then we can celebrate her birthday with another family dinner. Maybe A will come this time so we can really make it a family celebration. (hint, hint.) :)
Safe Travels!

How Time Flies

I can hardly believe that summer is nearly over! This summer has just flown by. Three years ago when we got married, I remember feeling like the days just flew by for the next year and a half. Then, finally life began to slow down. I felt like I could enjoy my days and moments again and not fall into bed exhausted or overwhelmed every night. This summer the pace picked back up! Summer is my favorite season and I'm sad to see it go.

Recently I read a friend's blog as she reminisced about where she was 7 years ago. I thought about it and couldn't believe that 7 years ago I had just graduated high school, was working at Timberlake for the summer and was preparing to head out to WY for college. Seriously?! I could hardly believe that it had been that long. That part of my life still feels like it was just yesterday. When people ask me how it feels to be married for 3 years, I say a day and a million years both in a good way. I can't imagine my life without J always there but yet I still feel like a newlywed. (Picture from our honeymoon when we really were newlyweds.)

I remember my parents and other adults telling me to enjoy junior high or high school or whatever other event I was complaining about. I never understood why I shouldn't want to skip a few moments of growing up misery. But THANKS! I get it now! Every time I hear a co-worker complain and wish for the weekend, I remind myself that THIS is the day the Lord has given me. I try to enjoy lazy evenings at home or crazy days of busyness. I've realized that is not easy. Our world doesn't encourage it at all. Just listen to the radio. Every day they countdown to 5 o'clock. And every week they countdown to Friday and the weekend. How do you remind yourself and encourage others to enjoy this moment? Isn't this the challenge every believer faces? Enjoy moments here on earth but still live with eternity in view. I recently heard a song that says "we all want to go to heaven but we don't want to go right now". How true is that! I still want to accomplish things on earth before Jesus comes or takes me home. At nearly 25, eternity seems a long way off most days.