What a weekend! Memorial Day weekend for most people means going to the lake, or decorating graves, or having a BBQ. For us, it usually means at least 2 weddings, last year it was 3...yes, 3 in one weekend. This year, we had the pleasure of working with 2 great smalltown couples. It was really ironic that both days we were headed to the Stockton area too; well, one was actually Jerico Springs, a tad further than Stockton. From a photography standpoint, we always look forward to ornate ceremonies and receptions, and love the Tower Club, Highland Springs Country Club, Big Cedar, Chateau on the Lake, Wellington Place, and the Grand Ballroom. But in the all the grandness of those larger venues, sometimes the feeling can get lost. I do have to say there is something so special about the intimate family oriented weddings we were asked to be a part of this last weekend. Saturday brought us to Stockton, to a small Baptist church and the Stockton Expo Center. Our bride and groom were High School sweethearts, and their entire day was sweet, personal, simple and meaningful. These two were married by the groom's father, who really worked their stories into the ceremony, and broke down himself during the vows. I, without fail, CRY! I don't think there has been a wedding that I have been to yet, that didn't make me get all teary at some point. There is something so special about the family members coming together to bless the couple with their heartfelt words and kindness. I am always amazed by the outpouring from friends and family during these special days. Everyone works together to get along, even though most families at least have one side that is divorced. Everyone is happy to be photographed, happy to smile, and devote their time and energy to making the day special for the couple. Matrons of Honor, and Best Men are precious folks with their toasting and roasting. There is a reason the bride and groom pick these sweet people to stand up for them. This wedding was complete with a miniature bride/flower girl, who was decked out head to toe with a little veil and all. We were taking a picture of her and the bride together at Stockton lake and I was so happy thinking of that little girl's wedding day...someday. She will look back on that precious photo and see herself as the bride in years to come. *cue tear-filled eyes about to spill* Our job is special to me because I realize the importance in these photos that are treasures for the family for years to come. We are creating moments of reflection, and capturing those frozen moments in time. There will never be another wedding day (hopefully - ha), and we are chosen to capture priceless memories. It's a big job, we take very seriously; it's as important to David and I, as it is to the couple.
Wedding number 2 on Sunday brought us to our couple's family farm, 900 picturesque acres in Jerico Springs, complete with big red barn, reception tent, the best BBQ ever, and an Amish colony next door. This couple, too, had been together for 8 years and were High School sweethearts, and drove back to Missouri from where they lived in Pennsylvania to exchange vows. The groom grew up hunting on the farm, and recalled it as his favorite place as a child, I loved that they were tying the knot somewhere so close to the groom's heart. The simplicity of the entire day was totally refreshing, all the flowers used were wildflowers from around the property, and they were gorgeous! I thought they had gone to the florist! No diva moments, no fussing over hair, and makeup, no worrying about getting the dress dirty for a cool photo op (which of course, we didn't, the bride even picked up a tick in the weeds, but that didn't phase her, she just picked it off the dress and moved on); just relaxed, REAL fun. Mason jars with lemon, lime, and orange slices in water were coupled with candles for the centerpieces. We waited for the festivities to begin in Grandma's house, complete with cozy furniture and quilts and afghans galore; so universal, made me miss being a little girl at my Grandma's, and those treasured memories. The ceremony was in the middle of a mowed field, with hay bale seats, with God shining his goodness down upon the whole bunch. The best part was the Best Man literally sobbed through his entire toast...not a dry eye in the house, including mine, of course. The family was so kind to David and I, kept offering us water because it was hot in the sun and we were all sweating, and literally MADE us sit down and eat their prizewinning BBQ, which was great with us! Sometimes people just view us as paid, hired help and never think to offer us anything (which is ok, we are there to do a job), but these folks made us feel like we were part of their family. The genuine sincerity was refreshing, and it was neat to be around a functional, loving family...even if it was just for the day. I teared up again watching the father-daughter dance, so precious and real. Weddings like these make our job so fun, and make me look forward to the rest of the Summer!
We are both so blessed to be able to share these moments with each other, working with your spouse is special, and not for everyone. I am so proud of David and his work, he is always working to improve, and try new things. I love being the voice of D-Co-Pho, and creating a relationship between us and our clients, and helping people determine what suits them best, what a perfect job. Sometimes God allows us to feel the calm and contentment that gives us the peace to know we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
To finish up our Memorial Day weekend, we are hanging with the kiddos, and going to a BBQ with some treasured friends later. Life is good. Happy Memorial Day to all. Take a moment of silence and remember your loved ones lost today, alive or past. God Bless.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Well Said...
The world needs men and women.......
who cannot be bought;
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth;
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it";
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report in adversity as well as in prosperity
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheartedness are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes."
~ Dr. Larry M. Groves
who cannot be bought;
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth;
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it";
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report in adversity as well as in prosperity
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheartedness are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes."
~ Dr. Larry M. Groves
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Loving Spring Because....
Pineapples are sweet and ripe
pots overflow with green goodness
Peach hibiscus are bountiful
These purple impatiens are impressive
new blooms show their faces every day
dainty flowers are vibrant
My orchids are blooming
...and Berry Trifles are delicious! Sunday, May 16, 2010
Y oh Y
Oh, how old I am about to sound, but I don't care, here I go...
And as not to offend, this doesn't apply to all...just to some...
Store 1: Hobby Lobby
So I was perusing darn near every aisle at Hobby Lobby looking for some various this-n-thats to place in my spare bedroom and I was on the phone with Theresa. During my conversation I found myself getting very irritated b/c 2 workers, probably around the ages of 16-20 were talking so loudly I couldn't hear myself on the phone! I had to go to another aisle. So that was fine...had their yelling been work related. It was not. Loud talking about a party, talking about a co-worker, talking about the "junk" they were burdened with having to mark down for a sale. I growled under my breath, told Theresa what jerks they were and went on about my business. I saw them throwing resin figurines into a cart as I walked off, with absolutely NO care whatsoever, one of them broke something and just chuckled. I get to the register to encounter another young person, that was ridiculously unfriendly, no smile, no greeting, just doing her miserable time, punching the clock, miffed that I had items that she was actually going to need to wrap in packing paper. Nice.
Store 2: Target
I too, was all over Target yesterday looking for bath towels, a new iPhone case, blah blah blah....and 2 girls, same age group as the Hobby Lobby boys were wheeling around a cart of misplaced items to put away. I heard them talking, and one of them was in training and learning what to do from the other one. I heard them saying "we are never going to get outta here, so who cares anyway". Then the new girl went to put away a misplaced rug, asking for direction, the other girl said just throw it wherever, noone ever really checks anyway. Then they went on about their business of talking about a Spanish teacher that was a total "douche", without even trying to be quiet about it in my presence, ya know, me; the customer?? Not sure if they were in college or High School, don't really care, just seeing a pattern here. The most striking thing was the apathetic way in which they spoke, like they had come straight off The Hills (vomit-gag), every word was drawn out, and every eye roll was pronounced. Missouri wanna-be valley girls, trying to sound cool, overtexted, over electronicized, and completely unenthused and lackadaisical, dying to get off work and doing a crappy job while they are there. Super.
Store 3: Sam's Club
I am nuts about Sam's Sweet Golden Pineapples, they are HUGE, so off I go to the produce section to grab some fruit and veggies, a few other asundry grocery items and get outta there! I pull up to the pineapples, and there is a worker there that greets me, he's restocking my favorite yummies, great! I start sniffing their bottoms to see which ones are ripe, and a friend walks up to pineapple boy. Apparently this friend works there too, but is off work and has come to Sam's to bother the friend stocking. They get into a conversation about going somewhere later that evening, who was going to be there, and why both their last paychecks sucked. I thought yes, I bet their checks did suck, perhaps no incentive to work any harder, to show a more grand work ethic, naaaahhhh, screw it, let's just hang on the pineapples, shoot the breeze and do my time.
All of these young kids (oh man, I can't believe I am saying this, I feel old) had one thing in common; apathy. Welcome to Generation Y. I suppose, it's great that they have jobs at all. I think the worst part is when you are seeking one on one customer service and the person waiting on you acts as if you have interrupted their conversation. I needed a new photo id at Sam's a few weeks back, and you would have thought I was a leper the way these young girls looked at me for interrupting their NON-work related conversation. I found it interesting as they were typing in my info and clicking my picture, they were still carrying on their conversation, as if I wasn't even there. I just stood there incredulous, the audacity, and the sheer rudeness, has noone ever taught them any better? Obviously, the answer to that is no. Or how about going to a restaurant and just honestly asking your waiter or waitress for a refill? Is that too much to ask when you see them flirting with their co-worker two tables away from yours. How dare you want more Diet Coke! Or what about the checker that hasn't gotten to take her break yet or do a shift change, and makes you feel guilty for getting in her line. That's always fun.
I know I sound like a geriatric fuddy-duddy and I know I sound like I just hopped off the pissy train, but I get so tired of seeing first-hand the ridiculous sense of entitlement, lack of work ethic, respect, and acknowledgement, some kids/teens/young adults possess. There are common courtesies, manners, greetings that you just assume are universal, but apparently those things are falling by the wayside to the real problem, self-absorbedness. Sadly, these sassy young 'uns, usually have parents that have enabled their selfish behavior. --It's all about the child's convenience, their agenda, their wants, needs and caudled feelings superceed anyone and anything else. Some parents are raising insensitive kids because they are so overly-sensitive in child rearing, and the children cannot begin to understand anything that doesn't revolve around them, pertain to them, or benefit them in some way. Some children in the formative years are allowed to treat their parents like butlers, maids, peers, piggy banks, servants, and mainly like dirt, and it's often times too much work for a parent (plain 'ol lazy parenting) to correct or instruct, so the kids turn into little narcissistic monsters...monsters that eventually make their spoiled little ways into the work force... at Target, Hobby Lobby and Sam's. I found this excerpt in an article I was reading about Generation Y:
"Generation Y is much less likely to respond to the traditional command-and-control type of management still popular in much of today's workforce," says Jordan Kaplan, an associate managerial science professor at Long Island University-Brooklyn in New York. "They've grown up questioning their parents, and now they're questioning their employers. They don't know how to shut up, that's aggravating to the 50-year-old manager who says, 'Do it and do it now.' "
"The millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They've been programmed and nurtured," says Cathy O'Neill, senior vice president at career management company Lee Hecht Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "Their expectations are different. The millennial expects to be stroked and told how they're doing."
Matt Berkley, 24, a writer at St. Louis Small Business Monthly, says many of his generation have traveled and had many enriching experiences, so they may clash with older generations they see as competition or not as skilled. "We're surprised we have to work for our money. We want the corner office right away," he says. "It seems like our parents just groomed us. Anything is possible. We had karate class, soccer practice, everything. But they deprived us of social skills. They don't treat older employees as well as they should."
I also found it interesting that Generation Y is considered to be kids born between 1977-2002. Technically, I am generation Y (just barely, I was born in January of '77)? Ha - nope, not me. I cannot relate. I know most of my generation has seen our parents work, work, work, and lost the quality of family life that so many of us all craved, but there must be some sort of balance. Things have so flipped. Now we may have an upcoming generation that may not be able to make it into work at all because their mommy called in for them! We live in such an amazing technologically advanced age, that you just pray we don't lose our humanity in the process. I love my iPhone (and hopefully iPad soon-hehe), email and Facebook, but pray for our upcoming generation. I have no answers, only a short list of complaints, and the desire to understand why things are they way they are. It's really sort of fascinating from a sociological aspect, and then really can be aggravating at times. I did find it ironic, that in going to just 3 stores in the same day, they all shared such a common thread of Generation Y workers. Interesting and eye-opening for sure.
And as not to offend, this doesn't apply to all...just to some...
Store 1: Hobby Lobby
So I was perusing darn near every aisle at Hobby Lobby looking for some various this-n-thats to place in my spare bedroom and I was on the phone with Theresa. During my conversation I found myself getting very irritated b/c 2 workers, probably around the ages of 16-20 were talking so loudly I couldn't hear myself on the phone! I had to go to another aisle. So that was fine...had their yelling been work related. It was not. Loud talking about a party, talking about a co-worker, talking about the "junk" they were burdened with having to mark down for a sale. I growled under my breath, told Theresa what jerks they were and went on about my business. I saw them throwing resin figurines into a cart as I walked off, with absolutely NO care whatsoever, one of them broke something and just chuckled. I get to the register to encounter another young person, that was ridiculously unfriendly, no smile, no greeting, just doing her miserable time, punching the clock, miffed that I had items that she was actually going to need to wrap in packing paper. Nice.
Store 2: Target
I too, was all over Target yesterday looking for bath towels, a new iPhone case, blah blah blah....and 2 girls, same age group as the Hobby Lobby boys were wheeling around a cart of misplaced items to put away. I heard them talking, and one of them was in training and learning what to do from the other one. I heard them saying "we are never going to get outta here, so who cares anyway". Then the new girl went to put away a misplaced rug, asking for direction, the other girl said just throw it wherever, noone ever really checks anyway. Then they went on about their business of talking about a Spanish teacher that was a total "douche", without even trying to be quiet about it in my presence, ya know, me; the customer?? Not sure if they were in college or High School, don't really care, just seeing a pattern here. The most striking thing was the apathetic way in which they spoke, like they had come straight off The Hills (vomit-gag), every word was drawn out, and every eye roll was pronounced. Missouri wanna-be valley girls, trying to sound cool, overtexted, over electronicized, and completely unenthused and lackadaisical, dying to get off work and doing a crappy job while they are there. Super.
Store 3: Sam's Club
I am nuts about Sam's Sweet Golden Pineapples, they are HUGE, so off I go to the produce section to grab some fruit and veggies, a few other asundry grocery items and get outta there! I pull up to the pineapples, and there is a worker there that greets me, he's restocking my favorite yummies, great! I start sniffing their bottoms to see which ones are ripe, and a friend walks up to pineapple boy. Apparently this friend works there too, but is off work and has come to Sam's to bother the friend stocking. They get into a conversation about going somewhere later that evening, who was going to be there, and why both their last paychecks sucked. I thought yes, I bet their checks did suck, perhaps no incentive to work any harder, to show a more grand work ethic, naaaahhhh, screw it, let's just hang on the pineapples, shoot the breeze and do my time.
All of these young kids (oh man, I can't believe I am saying this, I feel old) had one thing in common; apathy. Welcome to Generation Y. I suppose, it's great that they have jobs at all. I think the worst part is when you are seeking one on one customer service and the person waiting on you acts as if you have interrupted their conversation. I needed a new photo id at Sam's a few weeks back, and you would have thought I was a leper the way these young girls looked at me for interrupting their NON-work related conversation. I found it interesting as they were typing in my info and clicking my picture, they were still carrying on their conversation, as if I wasn't even there. I just stood there incredulous, the audacity, and the sheer rudeness, has noone ever taught them any better? Obviously, the answer to that is no. Or how about going to a restaurant and just honestly asking your waiter or waitress for a refill? Is that too much to ask when you see them flirting with their co-worker two tables away from yours. How dare you want more Diet Coke! Or what about the checker that hasn't gotten to take her break yet or do a shift change, and makes you feel guilty for getting in her line. That's always fun.
I know I sound like a geriatric fuddy-duddy and I know I sound like I just hopped off the pissy train, but I get so tired of seeing first-hand the ridiculous sense of entitlement, lack of work ethic, respect, and acknowledgement, some kids/teens/young adults possess. There are common courtesies, manners, greetings that you just assume are universal, but apparently those things are falling by the wayside to the real problem, self-absorbedness. Sadly, these sassy young 'uns, usually have parents that have enabled their selfish behavior. --It's all about the child's convenience, their agenda, their wants, needs and caudled feelings superceed anyone and anything else. Some parents are raising insensitive kids because they are so overly-sensitive in child rearing, and the children cannot begin to understand anything that doesn't revolve around them, pertain to them, or benefit them in some way. Some children in the formative years are allowed to treat their parents like butlers, maids, peers, piggy banks, servants, and mainly like dirt, and it's often times too much work for a parent (plain 'ol lazy parenting) to correct or instruct, so the kids turn into little narcissistic monsters...monsters that eventually make their spoiled little ways into the work force... at Target, Hobby Lobby and Sam's. I found this excerpt in an article I was reading about Generation Y:
"Generation Y is much less likely to respond to the traditional command-and-control type of management still popular in much of today's workforce," says Jordan Kaplan, an associate managerial science professor at Long Island University-Brooklyn in New York. "They've grown up questioning their parents, and now they're questioning their employers. They don't know how to shut up, that's aggravating to the 50-year-old manager who says, 'Do it and do it now.' "
"The millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They've been programmed and nurtured," says Cathy O'Neill, senior vice president at career management company Lee Hecht Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "Their expectations are different. The millennial expects to be stroked and told how they're doing."
Matt Berkley, 24, a writer at St. Louis Small Business Monthly, says many of his generation have traveled and had many enriching experiences, so they may clash with older generations they see as competition or not as skilled. "We're surprised we have to work for our money. We want the corner office right away," he says. "It seems like our parents just groomed us. Anything is possible. We had karate class, soccer practice, everything. But they deprived us of social skills. They don't treat older employees as well as they should."
I also found it interesting that Generation Y is considered to be kids born between 1977-2002. Technically, I am generation Y (just barely, I was born in January of '77)? Ha - nope, not me. I cannot relate. I know most of my generation has seen our parents work, work, work, and lost the quality of family life that so many of us all craved, but there must be some sort of balance. Things have so flipped. Now we may have an upcoming generation that may not be able to make it into work at all because their mommy called in for them! We live in such an amazing technologically advanced age, that you just pray we don't lose our humanity in the process. I love my iPhone (and hopefully iPad soon-hehe), email and Facebook, but pray for our upcoming generation. I have no answers, only a short list of complaints, and the desire to understand why things are they way they are. It's really sort of fascinating from a sociological aspect, and then really can be aggravating at times. I did find it ironic, that in going to just 3 stores in the same day, they all shared such a common thread of Generation Y workers. Interesting and eye-opening for sure.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Anthem, Because it Can't all be Wedding Cake...
The Underdog,
Spoon
Picture yourself in the living room
Your pipe and slippers set out for you
I know you think that it ain't too far
But I hear the call of a lifetime ring
Felt the need to get up for it
Oh you cut out the middleman
Get free from the middleman
You got no time for the messenger,
Got no regard for the thing that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog,
That's why you will not survive!
I want to forget how conviction fits
But can I get out from under it?
Can I gut it out of me?
It can't all be wedding cake
It can't all be boiled away
I try but I can't let go of it
Can't let go of it,
Cause you don't talk to the water boy
And there's so much you could learn but you don't want to know,
You will not back up an inch ever,
That's why you will not survive,
The thing that I tell you now
It may not go over well
And it may not be photo-op
In the way that I spell it out
But you won't hear from the messenger,
Don't wanna know bout something that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog,
That's why you will not survive! (Hey!)
Spoon
Picture yourself in the living room
Your pipe and slippers set out for you
I know you think that it ain't too far
But I hear the call of a lifetime ring
Felt the need to get up for it
Oh you cut out the middleman
Get free from the middleman
You got no time for the messenger,
Got no regard for the thing that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog,
That's why you will not survive!
I want to forget how conviction fits
But can I get out from under it?
Can I gut it out of me?
It can't all be wedding cake
It can't all be boiled away
I try but I can't let go of it
Can't let go of it,
Cause you don't talk to the water boy
And there's so much you could learn but you don't want to know,
You will not back up an inch ever,
That's why you will not survive,
The thing that I tell you now
It may not go over well
And it may not be photo-op
In the way that I spell it out
But you won't hear from the messenger,
Don't wanna know bout something that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog,
That's why you will not survive! (Hey!)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
An Author in my Own Right
Indulge me if you will, this blog examines things I could talk all day about....
Books I could write, but probably won't:
Time After Time: Which Grocery line NOT to Get Into
Sarah's Cookbook: Recipes That Make My Husband Happy
Sarah's original book of goofy nonsense words. *Shabooski*
Getting to know Tatoes: Why my dog is a person in disguise
Chubby Girls are Cool and Spunky, Skinny Girls are Hungry and Sad (he he) ;)
An Insane Story From a Sane Gal: The Many Times I've been "Disowned" and Why
The Proper Way to Sort Laundry... I think the title to this one will be "Greys and Pinks"
The Art of being Observant of your Surroundings
101 Ways to Kill Slugs
Help: I'm drawn to Sock Monkeys and Hello Kitty and I Don't Know Why
The Photographer's Assistant's Guide to Making a Wedding go Smoothly
The Do's and Don'ts of Stepmotherhood. ...or the alternative title: Making the Best of What You Have in the Face of Adversity
How to Keep your Orchids Alive 101
Designer Purses: Why my Closet is the Real Door to Narnia
The Miracles I Have Seen in My Lifetime
A Recovering Girl, in a Drinking World
Working for ATT, Great Job, or Corporate Prison?
Working From Home, The Best Thing Ever - Period.
Smalltown Girls Enjoy Culture Too
Procrastination Produces Stellar Results; My Journey as A Feeler.
People That Could Benefit From Therapy, and How to Stay Far Away From Them
Baking 101: Exact Measurements
Marrying Your Best Friend, Why Communication Solves Everything
Sarah's Expert Book of Scentsy Scents
Baskets: The Best Invention Known to Man
Things I Have Done That I am Not Proud Of, But Learned From
Nevada, Mo: Why I Dislike Country Music, Cowboy Boots, Big Belt Buckles and Ignorant People
Coasters, Use Them at My House or Die
Dogs Can Never Have Too Many Toys
God's Grace: What Saved a Wretch Like Me
The Key to Understanding: My Need To Understand and Psycho-Analyze, Psycho-Analyzed (repetitive or redundant, you think?)
Sarah's Story (All names have been changed to protect the innocent) ;)
Living in My Sanitary World: The 1001 Places You Can Stash Hand Sanitizer
The Empty Toilet Paper Roll, A Metaphor for Life?
Blogging, Just For Fun Because I Enjoy it ;)
Books I could write, but probably won't:
Time After Time: Which Grocery line NOT to Get Into
Sarah's Cookbook: Recipes That Make My Husband Happy
Sarah's original book of goofy nonsense words. *Shabooski*
Getting to know Tatoes: Why my dog is a person in disguise
Chubby Girls are Cool and Spunky, Skinny Girls are Hungry and Sad (he he) ;)
An Insane Story From a Sane Gal: The Many Times I've been "Disowned" and Why
The Proper Way to Sort Laundry... I think the title to this one will be "Greys and Pinks"
The Art of being Observant of your Surroundings
101 Ways to Kill Slugs
Help: I'm drawn to Sock Monkeys and Hello Kitty and I Don't Know Why
The Photographer's Assistant's Guide to Making a Wedding go Smoothly
The Do's and Don'ts of Stepmotherhood. ...or the alternative title: Making the Best of What You Have in the Face of Adversity
How to Keep your Orchids Alive 101
Designer Purses: Why my Closet is the Real Door to Narnia
The Miracles I Have Seen in My Lifetime
A Recovering Girl, in a Drinking World
Working for ATT, Great Job, or Corporate Prison?
Working From Home, The Best Thing Ever - Period.
Smalltown Girls Enjoy Culture Too
Procrastination Produces Stellar Results; My Journey as A Feeler.
People That Could Benefit From Therapy, and How to Stay Far Away From Them
Baking 101: Exact Measurements
Marrying Your Best Friend, Why Communication Solves Everything
Sarah's Expert Book of Scentsy Scents
Baskets: The Best Invention Known to Man
Things I Have Done That I am Not Proud Of, But Learned From
Nevada, Mo: Why I Dislike Country Music, Cowboy Boots, Big Belt Buckles and Ignorant People
Coasters, Use Them at My House or Die
Dogs Can Never Have Too Many Toys
God's Grace: What Saved a Wretch Like Me
The Key to Understanding: My Need To Understand and Psycho-Analyze, Psycho-Analyzed (repetitive or redundant, you think?)
Sarah's Story (All names have been changed to protect the innocent) ;)
Living in My Sanitary World: The 1001 Places You Can Stash Hand Sanitizer
The Empty Toilet Paper Roll, A Metaphor for Life?
Blogging, Just For Fun Because I Enjoy it ;)
This-n-That
I have been busy with this and that, last week I got out all my flowers, that always makes my heart sing. I was also preparing for our Mother-Daughter Relay for life benefit at Church, which went so well! We made $1600!
Today I planted some Calla Lillies over by my office doors that my Secret Sister at church got me for Mother's Day. They are purple and so pretty!! It's humid today, which is welcome compared to the cold weather we have had lately, I was afraid one night we were going to have a frost that would kill my newly planted little jewels!
The treadmill and I have a real love/hate relationship right now. Grrr. I am down 14 pounds; I am grateful and feeling good...a zillion more to go! *sigh*
Tatoes is recovering like a champ from her little surgery. The kids are jazzed only a few more days of school and David and I are full swing into the busy wedding season. David painted our downstairs bedroom this week. We actually have a full fledged guest room now for when his mom comes! It's also my scapbooking/craft room, its so nice to have room to spread out! I am having fun decorating it and getting it all ready, I am going for the 'shabby chic' thing in there...I will post pics as it comes along.
Lastly, I leave you with this tidbit...friends are the coolest, be a positive, encouraging friend to someone today.
I love that word "encourage" – when you do it, you literally put "courage in" to that person. Someone who may be more battered than you know, closer to going down or giving up than you could imagine. You never know when your encouragement might literally be the difference in that person's life. When you're bruised and hurting, it's that person in your corner who can get you back in the ring for another round.
--Ron Hutchcraft
Today I planted some Calla Lillies over by my office doors that my Secret Sister at church got me for Mother's Day. They are purple and so pretty!! It's humid today, which is welcome compared to the cold weather we have had lately, I was afraid one night we were going to have a frost that would kill my newly planted little jewels!
The treadmill and I have a real love/hate relationship right now. Grrr. I am down 14 pounds; I am grateful and feeling good...a zillion more to go! *sigh*
Tatoes is recovering like a champ from her little surgery. The kids are jazzed only a few more days of school and David and I are full swing into the busy wedding season. David painted our downstairs bedroom this week. We actually have a full fledged guest room now for when his mom comes! It's also my scapbooking/craft room, its so nice to have room to spread out! I am having fun decorating it and getting it all ready, I am going for the 'shabby chic' thing in there...I will post pics as it comes along.
Lastly, I leave you with this tidbit...friends are the coolest, be a positive, encouraging friend to someone today.
I love that word "encourage" – when you do it, you literally put "courage in" to that person. Someone who may be more battered than you know, closer to going down or giving up than you could imagine. You never know when your encouragement might literally be the difference in that person's life. When you're bruised and hurting, it's that person in your corner who can get you back in the ring for another round.
--Ron Hutchcraft
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