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First up...

Thanksgiving:

My Thanksgiving this year wasn't spent in typical holiday tradition sitting idly watching football or planning black Friday shopping excursions; this year it was in the middle of the Texas Hill country without even cell service and yet full of family fun and adventure. Being the city gal that I am, I might have been “getting away” from work and daily responsibilities but my laptop was making the trip regardless. So I packed up my necessary equipment in my Altego backpack and headed to “camp”. Camp Eagle that is. It’s a great place – you should check it out.

Winter Clean Out.

I'm so sad to have not blogged in faaaaarrrrr too long!  It's sort of unbelievable how overwhelmed I have been.  I think I say that a lot but I realized through a series of things happening (or not happening) that I have been shutting down due to overwork.  "All work and no play makes Constance a dull girl", and totally not function properly.  My new recent habit has been to do nothing if I don't know how to do it at first.  This has mainly been a problem with my freelance and as overflowed into blogging.  Instead of thinking, asking, or creating a solution I just don't do it.  ugh!  not good.  To be honest the only reason I am blogging right now is because it is about the only thing I can do while a video I'm working on for work renders.  It takes about all the juice my laptop has to offer so I shut down most all my applications while it works.

Busy busy bee.

It's Friday, this has been a crazy week.  I feel as though I haven't stopped at all and honestly I'm not even sure how I got to Friday.  Like when you get to a destination and don't remember any of the drive... uhh yeah kinda scary.  So sorry to my fantastic and loyal readers but I haven't anything too ground breaking for you this week as pretty much my fun projects have been on hold for work.

One upside to being a designer/photographer though it sometimes your work is fun to show.  And this week I had the extreme pleasure of a newborn photo shoot!  Yay!  So here are some of the shots we got.

Meeting Benji!

I might be a little obsessed.  It's true!  

I went to meet my newest little nephew this past weekend/week and fell in love with him and the 2 year old that is Boone!  Wow is 2 a busy age!  That kiddo just goes and goes but his adorableness never ends.

3 Decades Old

Today is the day... I'm 30.  YIKES!  I've been laughing all day because as people wish me happy birthday it almost sounds like they are offering their condolences. I really don't feel like I have much to say right now about turning 30.  I'm sure that will change at some point but for now I'll just tell you about the birthday party I had last weekend. 

Yes, again this year I threw myself a birthday party.  Maybe it's an odd thing to do but it's my excuse to have a themed party, get my guests to dress up, and create a fun atmosphere that gets remembered (for a while anyway).  This year a Murder Mystery party was on the agenda.  And as previously blogged it was going to be a wild west theme.

So I went ahead and downloaded the game which came with all the clues, invitations, a website guest could log into to find out more details and other party tips and ideas.  Of course, being me I had to design my own invitations, clues, name tags etc.
Here are my creations:

Everyone did such a great job staying in character and trying to figure out the clues that led to the murderer, it was so much fun.  So here are a few more pictures from the evening.

The Cast!

5 Lessons from Gone with the Wind

Apparently I didn't get enough book reports out of my system in high school—that almost seems impossible. Nevertheless, these are lessons I learned in reading Gone with the Wind.  I'm not saying they are lessons I have exceeded in accomplishing - these in many cases have been truly convicting.  I have had this nagging feeling, since starting Gone with the Wind, of heart ache.  I'm not sure if my hopes for the "greatest love story ever told" (I naively assumed a feel good) were being dashed by what I think is more accurately "a great love story tragedy" or if I really just became invested in the characters but either way I *felt* this book.

When I first started contemplating this post it was out of a pang in my gutt and I thought I must get my thoughts out there somehow... but I had no idea what it would turn into.  As I am writing and revising and coming to terms with my thoughts I am realizing this is a SUPER DUPER "keeping it real" post.  So I have come back up to the top here to write this little disclaimer that I share my heart and it ain't always pretty so if you are looking for a light-hearted post on GWTW this isn't the one to read...google on my friends there are some good ones out there but this one is personal and apparently I feel the need to share ;)

Here's the short side of it.  I put up walls and I put them up fast.  If I think I'm going to be hurt I get angry and pissy and stay-the-heck-away-from-me-y because I want whomever I fear is going to hurt me to get back, run in fear, leave me alone... better than being hurt and vulnerable!  right?!?  ummm no, not right but I do it time and again unless I can consciously stop myself.
And that my dears is exactly what I feel like Scarlet does.  I guess her wall is money and a do-what-I-want attitude. BUT they are walls baby!

So, without further ado, here are a few things
I have been pondering as my heart aches through this book: 

Benji's Birthday! Today my nephew was born.

One thing I plan on doing to relax this weekend is probably not going to do much relaxing this weekend so I scratched that... but I am going to be celebrating my birthday a little early with some friends and one infamous Murder Mystery Dinner... stay tuned pics, a recap and hopefully a little video will be posted for the curious.

A big pet peeve of mine is driver's ignoring all traffic/construction signs waiting until the last minute to merge....NOT OKAY!

I am really loving fall! Here is a pic of my mantel fall decor!

Yesterday was 10-11-12... Just sayin'.

My favorite flower is I don't have a favorite flower I don't think.  Any flowers given to me I love including potted.  Succulents I think are beautiful, I really like babies breath cause it looks the same alive and dried.  Oh I do have a least favorite flower.   Oriental Lily.  Yeah they are pretty but the pollen is messy and I think the smell of the flowers is terrible.

Most recent favorite flowers...Phil had them delivered to work.  Sigh. Swoon!

Foto Fun-day!

I felt like it was time to catch you up in my life via a few photos so here you go!

HI!  My hair has gotten really long.

I got some cute new shoes for fall!

I finally went the Dirty Guv'nahs concert!!!

It's Birthday month!!!

Welcome to October.  Funny thing is ... wait what's the funny thing?  Oh I don't know.  I don't even really like celebrating my birthday once it gets here but I love talking about it and planning an event.  I think birthdays should be a day you get to plan something super fun to do but it isn't about you it's just your day.  I think that doesn't really make sense.  Well that doesn't surprise me; my head is everywhere recently.

Did I mention this birthday will officially make me 30!!!  Yeah for real 30!  Ummm I want to be okay with that and I know everyone will tell me reasons why I should be but today I'm feeling....overwhelmed by it.  Kind of like what have these 30 years accomplished? Have I done anything that matters?  Have I brought glory to God at all?  Man it's easy for insecurity to creep in on me in October.  It's a weak month for me for sure.  Also, giving up life hopes (little "h") and expectations are not easy even when your head knows truth the heart can be slow to catch up.

So that was a super happy way to start the week.

Anyway, I just recently finished listening to Gone with the Wind (49 hours) of audio listening... and I loved it!

Not that everyone has time to listen to/read such a long book but it is totally worth it if you have never read it.  Now I am reading the sequel to GWTW, it's called Scarlett.... did you even know such a thing existed well I somehow grew up not knowing this and just for the record Scarlett should be considered mandatory reading along with GWTW.  I sort of feel like I have learned some life lessons from Scarlett O'Hara through this literary adventure.  I'm going to work on putting my thoughts on this together and I'll get back to you (here is the follow up post) cause I'm not quite there yet.

Rockin' down memory lane

I've been pretty quite this week as far as blogging.  I just haven't finished any projects or really had much to say.  But I thought I would at least get a fill in the blank Friday in.

My first memory is foggy. ;) I have the worst memory when it comes to remembering things from my childhood. I remember kindergarten pretty well but that seems kind of late for a first memory.

My first love was since I don't want to answer this question the way I think it is meant to be answered I'm going cheat and answer with the first hobby I loved was... rubber stamping!  I was an addict and I think I was only probably 12... but my Mom would take me to classes on how to make cards and crafts with rubber stamps.  All my $$ went to adding to my collection  and I truly LOVED it!

My very first favorite color was I don't really know.  I remember in 4th grade I had a purple and a turquoise pair of Keds which I LOVED... so maybe those?

The first time I really felt like a "grown-up" was when I  had my first job, lived with a roommate in Lewisville and had to start paying my own car insurance.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is depends on the morning.  If it is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or every other Friday I stumble to my bathroom for my towel and then go to the other bathroom to take a shower.  If it's Wednesday or every other Friday I stumble to the kitchen and make coffee, let the dogs outside and plop at my desk to start working.  On the weekends... it's never the same.

The first CD (cassette tape, record, etc...) I ever bought was ... probably New Kids on the Block... or Amy Grant I'm not really sure.

My first car was a silver 1992 Nissan Stanza! It was my Dad's car first but when I was 16 he tied a big silver bow to the front and gave it to me!  It was awesome!  I still love that car.  We kept in until it had 300+K miles on it, sold it to some of my friends for $500 and they drove it til it completely died.

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall!!!

Something I am very proud of is hmmm my hubby of course. I feel like it is a "girly" thing to want to see an aspect of someone's life that you don't know - so that when you aren't there you can visualize it. Can anyone relate? Well anyway, Phil's job is one of those curiosities to me. I really want to see the ER from his standpoint, meet the people he works with, see how he sutures?... ummm are we really sure he does that...anyway I want to see him in this environment that he has worked so hard to get to. I mean seriously this week when he was telling me about a kiddo that he was stitching up I really had to stop and think because I still have a hard time picturing him with a needle and thread sewing up some kid.


My favorite thing about myself is probably that I'm reliable. I indeed (to a fault and sometimes my own chagrin) am faithful and will follow through with what I say I will do. I think it is a good quality to have and one that a lot of people justify not having.


My favorite color for fall is the deeper tones of green/brown.


Something I've been learning lately is my insecurities are me not trusting God with my life.


A book I am reading now/have read recently is So long Insecurity, You've Been A Bad Friend to Us by Beth Moore. As some of you know I have "issues" with Beth Moore and as I was reading a few reviews on this book I read one user's review that summed up my "issues" to a T! I wish I could have said it this succinctly and accurately. "She is almost insufferably girly."... AHHH yes exactly. That being said while I usually have a very hard time relating to her manner of speech and emotions I have still found this book to be profound and true...though many examples she uses as sources of insecurities root don't resonant in my own heart, I am glad to be reading this one.

My favorite Pandora Station is this one isn't very creative but it's what I listen to the most...Country Pop Radio


This weekend I will pull out my fall decor! I am very excited about this and since tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox I figured why not! will post pics soon...hopefully.
Here are a few inspirations I'm thinking about incorporating:

Just pick one!

There is a commercial on right now for some car company that depicts a lady who is a very swift decision maker, she is sure of her choices, she knows what she likes until all the sudden there are so many great car options she ends up beside herself in indecision...

today I feel like that.

I decided to pre-order the new iPhone5 which is kind of a big deal for me since I am still using the 3GS and I have been wanting to upgrade for awhile.  I was due to upgrade with my contract for a while but I have been holding out; just waiting to see if the new iPhone was going to be worth me getting or if the 4 would go cheaper and I could get a win that way.

So regardless of which phone I upgraded to it meant I was going to get a new cover.  Previously I have been sporting the affectionately dubbed "ninja turtle" case. It has served me well as I have not completely destroyed my phone in some drops that could have done it in.

But now I am thinking I would like a case that is a little less "sticky" and has more personality to it.
But oh the choices when you are trying to choose one case to represent your personality or design aesthetics or character.  I almost feel like I have different personalities when choosing.

One of my new favorite sites is called Society6, it is kind of like Cafe Press where artwork is uploaded and you can order t-shirts, mugs, prints etc. from that art.  I got this gem for my hubby and my bro...

I decided that I would check it out for a new phone case....and boy was I overwhelmed.

I picked out my top designs and started narrowing them down.  Now I have a top 4 that I just feel a little torn between.

My style.

My passion/career/humor.

My happy -so so cute it just makes me smile.

My softer/cute side.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with the oh so adorable lil' owl but it's funny to me how such an inconsequential decision really has me stumped/personally reflecting. 

This is the day the Lord has made.

Fill in the Blank Friday...

Right now the weather where I live is amazingly awesome.  High of 77...so unheard of it seems.  Of course rain is in the forecast and threatening to undo all outdoor plans for the weekend but you win some - you lose some.

The best piece of advice I've been given is live one day at a time.

God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

Enjoying one moment at a time; 

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it; 

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life 

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

My most favorite person in all the world is my hubby!  I'm so proud of him, I love him and all his craziness, I admire his compassion, I'm thankful for his humor, I'm honored to walk beside him.

If I were to have a "mission statement" for my life, it would be
To quote a historical document (Westminster Shorter Catechism) I will try to answer this question.  It is hard to "keep it real" and answer this because I don't always live my desired mission statement but if I were to make one this is what it would be:

What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

My most favorite item in my closet is generally always the "newest" item is my favorite so right now it is red skinny jeans (that I haven't even worn yet), and three new tops from the JLo collection at Kohl's...they are so cute!

The best cure for a bad day is to go to sleep and try again tomorrow.  That may sound totally Eore - esk but that is generally how I feel when I have a bad day.  I'd rather just wave the white flag on the day and reboot for the next day.

Today is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and glad in it.

100th Post!!!

This is officially my 100th post!  I feel a little sense of accomplishment.  Thanks for everyone who has taken the time to read my musings that have quite a range of topics.  I thought just for fun I would let you know what some of my top posts have been (in case you missed it),what some of my favorites have been, and some great ones that just maybe didn't get a lot of reads.

The Wedding Creations

As I promised a few weeks ago I would post all about the creations I helped with for my sister's wedding.  Well we had some minor tragedies regarding some of these creations but nevertheless I thought I would show you what I was busy creating.

First of all the invitation and programs for the wedding.

September - Compassion Blog Month

It is September! I am very excited for Fall. I actually love summer the most of all seasons but I am looking forward to Fall clothes right now and cooler weather is a must for the Fall fashions to make their way out of my closet. But those cooler temps aren't happening here this week, today it is supposed to reach 104 degrees F which is a bit outrageous.

This September is the Compassion International Blog Month where all us Compassion Bloggers are teaming up to spread the word about sponsoring children through Compassion International. I blogged a week or so ago about becoming a Compassion Blogger, blogging unselfishly with a purpose and Compassion is behind that mission.

Labor Day Weekend

Over this labor day weekend I will be taking it easy I think.  We don't have any big plans which is different for us.  I'm sure we will fill it up though.  But maybe just maybe I will have some time to craft!!!

Baby Shower

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for a sweet friend who endured PA school as a spouse along with me. She is about to have her second but her very first GIRL!

Here are some pictures from the shower:

10 Things to Know about Marriage and Grad School!

I think that it is time I share with the world my advice for anyone who is going to be the spouse of a grad student.

So maybe your spouse is researching, preparing, applying, or anxiously awaiting to get into medical school you are wondering what it is going to be like.  I'm hoping you stumble across this post in your research.  My particular experience was when my husband went to get his Master of Physician Assistant degree.

I'll preface by saying that the PA program my husband attended was a three year program which is different than many others as others are two year programs and it was much shorter than a MD.  Also, my husband had to go back and level undergrad classes as his first Bachelors had nothing to do with the science or medical field.  So our adventure to complete the Master of Physician Assistant degree was a seven year process.  Leveling undergrad was not the challenge that was so easy I've never really considered it part of the adventure until I looked back and saw the journey full circle.

oh so crafty.

As you probably know I have been busy which means I haven't had time to do anything other than what needs to be done.  Well this weekend I didn't have much on the calendar as far as events or responsibilities so I decided I wasn't going to do anything!  Interpreted for clarification that means I had time to CRAFT!  Saturday I slept in until 11:15am WHAT!!!!  Crazy.  I was a little upset with myself honestly because I was wasting my day of nothing -- sleeping.  It's ironic - I know.  But once I got myself going I headed out to "maftland" (man land/craft land) and started working on a few projects.

Employee Review/Self Assessment

Yesterday at work was my annual review.  I generally don't think about reviews at work I suppose mostly because we don't have them very often.

So when I received word that my review was this week I thought, "hmmm where are those 'notes' I was supposed to take throughout the year?" These 'notes' are so that when my review comes about I will be able to remember concerns, struggles, etc. that I experienced throughout the year.

Unselfishly blogging.

When I started my blog it was a completely, self absorbed endeavor.  Well who am I kidding; it still is,  It is my place to say what I want, share what I want and it is generally all about me.  As I was doing some blog research for work I ran across a blogger who blogs for Compassion International!  WHAT!?!  I didn't even know you could do that. 

It's August again!

And so it begins!  It was around this time last year that I blogged about starting to worry about the holidays etc.; I know that seems crazy but once Aug. hits my family explodes in birthday celebrations and then the holidays begin.  So it seems fitting to me that this week's blanks are all centered around birthdays.

Fill in the Blank Friday...on a Monday

I am proud of my parents.  They have been married 33 years, home educated their children (who have all gone to college; soon-to-be all graduated from college; and have made it through without student loan debt), seen all three children married off to amazing Christ following people, started and run their own business to support the family, and so much more!

Picky Palates & Fussy Eaters!

This post idea originated while having a conversation with a new acquaintance. She mentioned starting something called Whole 30.  You may or may not be familiar with it but it is pretty much like the cleanses I have done except without the cleanse part ;)... you just get whole, natural foods. You are basically "resetting" your body and breaking bad habits like empty carbs, sodas, junk food, etc..  If you don't know the ingredient in something you ought not eat it. 

I am/have/hope/can/dream...

A slew of blanks are back... and as usual I am stumped by at least one question.

I am a people-pleaser. It's annoying and tiring but it's kind of like an addiction and I haven't found a reason good enough to make me quit. ;)

Too busy to blog...sheesh

I have been too busy to blog... I've been so crazy I feel like my head is going to spin right off. So here is a quick recap.... cause truthfully I'm still to busy to blog but I just need a moment for me and to vent I guess.

Oh and before I vent too much let me just say all of my busyness is from blessings in my life which I completely acknowledge and I am grateful for... I'm just .... um busy.

Big Sigh!

Back in April I blogged about my excitement for Phil graduating PA school and then, of course, he ended up breaking his wrist which delayed his graduation by a month which at the time, and perhaps even still today, seemed like the cruelest of jokes....maybe even jokes is the wrong word.  It just seemed cruel.  So CLOSE and then delayed.... but the month passed and he officially graduated, got his Master's diploma and yet we still didn't feel as though it was complete.

American Plaster Copy of Greek Stone Architecture

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Roman marble copy of a Greek bronze original"? okay probably not. Unless you were in art history, at some point, this phrase is probably foreign to you. But this phrase was drilled into my head in each art history class I took and it still comes to mind often.

Well Color Me...

Today's prompt is: 

COLOR!!

Color is for sure one of my favorite topics, as most all of you probably already know.  So today's prompt is great for me... BUT I was WAY too busy to blog the other day so now it's Monday and I have set out to finish it.  I have few little things that I want to share so I'm going to manipulate this color theme into working through my bits of things to share.

Fill it in....Summer Fun.

Time to fill it in.  And today's prompt is:

Write about anything...

Oh boy!  Well I love summer. Texas summer's are hot and humid and get a terrible wrap but I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.  Sure being hot and sweaty can be annoying when the sun is blazing down mid-afternoon but if you are at the pool you don't mind.  And I love the mornings and evenings so perfect.  Not a goose bump to be had which means it is perfect.

Here are a few things I love to do in Summer:

Shakespeare in the Park

Dallas Summer Musicals

Kayaking

Laying out at the pool

Being on the lake

Vacationing

Celebrating my Wedding Anniversary

Fashion Trends

How do you know what is hot?  Do you care about what styles are in store for the future?  Are Euro and New York runways a top concern of yours?  I'm guessing that your answer is probably no!  I like to think I somewhat care to know what is going on especially when it comes to color. But in reality I don't have the time, money or energy to care about what is truly on the forefront of fashion. And when I saw the latest post by a color expert I follow and value incite from I couldn't help but feel as though the fashion industry is as sick of itself as we are.  I mean seriously there are a lot of things that walk down the runways that I just don't "get" but this one seems like a designer just gave the bird and moved on.

Who done it?

Today's Fill in the Blank question is:

It seems as though most of the linked up bloggers and Lauren herself have taken this question with an imaginative grain.  Which leads me to wonder do people not have dinner parties any more?  Well the hubs and I love to host people at our house and dinner parties are indeed something we are known to do.  So this question isn't really a matter of if but when or what should be next.  SO  I'm changing the would(s) to will(s).

CHALLENGE!

This week I have realized that I like challenges, just not too many at one time.

This cleanse I am on is a challenge...
First let me start with the facts, I started a 24-day challenge.  The first 10 days are a cleanse specifically and the end is just training you to get in a habit of eating well.  So Day One you measure and weigh yourself, list accountability partners and goals.  Funny thing about accountability partners is I'm my biggest accountability.  I don't worry about someone else knowing if I "cheat"( or whatever an accountability partner is for in this) I worry about disappointing myself.  The directions on the cleanse say to be 80-90% true to the plan... for a person like me it probably should have said be 100% and I would have been.  But in the end it said 80-90% so that is what I set out to do and that's what I'm doing.  Coffee with a dash of milk in it are my 10-20% leeway. I don't suppose a cup of coffee is really even 10% but it's my "cheat".  I could have given it up... but I don't want to.  I like it.  So the upside in this adventure of 7 days so far, is that I have stopped taking my allergy medicine (hope it's not a fluke but so far so good). Woohoo! The first two days of the cleanse I had a wretched headache but now I feel pretty good.  The thing about the challenge is I don't really feel like it's a challenge... maybe cause I distract myself with other things like finding awesome recipes that I can eat and trying them out.  As long as you are having fun it can't be that bad! Also, I can eat all the veggies I want so I'm not hungry.

Zucchini - Turkey Burger

Last night I made the best Turkey-Zucchini Burgers (patty wrapped in lettuce - not a bread bun) that I found on the Advocare website!  Ummm delish!  YAY for new awesome meals.  So far in 7 days I have had two adventures with "eating out" the first was Phil wanted sushi delivered so he ordered his rolls and I ordered stir-fried veggies (spicy), of course they aren't really fried and brown rice came on the side so I just ate the veggies and since brown rice is an accepted complex carb I had a couple bites of it but put the rest in the fridge for another time (success I think).  Then Sunday I went with a couple I was doing an engagement session for to a little cafe for brunch and they had breakfast al-a-carte and so I ordered a hard boiled egg and sliced apples!  SUCCESS!

So you may be thinking what do you not eat.  Well I'll tell ya.  No sugar (unless it's already naturally in the fruit), no cheese, no pasta, no breads, no chips, no mayo or ranch, right now no chicken or beef, no lunch meat, no soda, no cereal, no yogurt.

What I do eat:  salad, fruit, veggies, tuna, salmon, good ground turkey, sun flower seeds, almonds, almond butter (small amounts - no weird extra ingredients), pickles, olives, spices (pepper, sea salt, garlic, onion, cayenne, basil, oregano), lemons and limes (flavors so much so wonderfully), hummus (homemade...no weird ingredients mixed in), frozen fruit for smoothies (no weird preservatives or sucrose), meal replacement shakes from Advocare

I mentioned last week that fill in the blank Friday was changing and that I wasn't sure what form it would take.  I threw out a few ideas and at the same time committed to take a photo a day throughout June.  I'm not very good at taking a photo a day apparently because I keep forgetting.  Yesterday was supposed to be a drink and the day before a hat.  I didn't take either.  Such a shame.  But I did take the first couple and I do want to continue.  Today is 6 o'clock.  I missed the AM version of this because I got to sleep in a little today so I will have to try at remember at PM.
So adding the challenge of a photo a day I think was a bit much.

Here is my picture from June 5.  Sign

I was working on creating a map for my sister's wedding invitations and I needed to create a hwy sign so I googled what they looked like and Viola!

Weekend Warrior

I thought I had a relaxing Saturday of nothing to do and completely open for my choosing but as it turned out it ended up I scheduled it into being a very busy day.

First, drum roll please.... I started the 24 day challenge cleanse.  Yay!
Then I went and met my Dad at Starbucks (my vice in the cleanse) to order and finalize the details of Leah's Wedding invitations. :)  Getting excited!

Then I headed toward the salon to get my locks trimmed up. And I headed home to grab my gear and sub in a soccer game for the Saturday team.

That evening I got to babysit  our friend's sweet girl, miss Lyla.  She has changed so much in just a few days that I hadn't seen her I was amazed at how quickly she could pull her self up to stand.  And she wasn't scared of the dogs when they came up to her which was new and pretty fun.

I call this pic. "The Stare Down"

Lyla and Arden have a funny relationship.  She is timid of him and he wants to play but then the moment she stares at him he becomes all timid and starts to whine.  Very funny to watch.

Sunday I new was going to be a busy day, I of course woke up with a tremendous headache that I'm not quite sure what to attribute it to but it nagged all day. But I was schedule for a 8:30am engagement photo shoot. That is a story all in itself, but the shoot went great and I am very excited to edit the photos.  Then it was off to Target to pick up some veggies, a b-day present and some converse tennies. :)  more on that another day Then I went to Miss Hope's 1 year birthday party!  I can't believe she is one!  I had to leave a little early cause my headache was pounding and I needed to rest a few minutes as I had a soccer game that evening. It was a good thing I took a little rest because I was the only girl to play on our team for the first 15 minutes and then one other girl showed up which didn't give me any rest for the game but at least we had a full team on the field. Anyway, enough of the run down...on to...  the...

PHOTOs OF THE DAY

My pic of the day for Saturday was supposed to be Empty themed.  I guess I'm reaching a little here but I am using this pic from Saturday because the car seat is empty and Lyla petting Buster is so cute!  They got along great and Buster just followed her around watching everything she did.  He is very protective of her.

SATURDAY, June 2

SUNDAY, June 3 (sort of)

This is actually my Monday night dinner but I forgot to take an On My Plate photo on Sunday.  Plus this is far more interesting then anything I ate on Sunday.  This is Spaghetti Squash with Salmon, Squash and Tomatoes.  Super good - cleanse approved.  Yeah I don't normally use the extra squash as it is over kill but my zucchini had gone bad and I needed a little extra filler.

MONDAY, June 4 (sort of)

This picture I actually took Sunday.  But since I am flipping my days I thought it was perfect for Close Up day.  This is the sweet little girl whose birthday party I attended Sunday afternoon.  I took these photos of her for her 1 year portraits and her parents framed them so beautifully I was so proud to see it.  I just love all the close ups of her.


well that's it for now.