{destinations}

Things are always moving forward. It seems so rare when they move in the direction you are actually aiming for, so it is such a blessing when they do! In my life, it seems I have long periods of going nowhere, followed by a short period of arriving at several places all at once! Yes, I'm being vague on purpose. I have two HUGE things to announce soon, but not yet. Almost there, though.

We went to my mom's in Mississippi this past weekend (a 2 hour car ride for us). I was bored in the car on the way home, so I thought I would document some of the trip, via my camera, from the passenger side window. And so I present, "The Delta, as Seen Passing Through" (which is the only way you'd want to see it!):

Corn. Lots of Corn.

Grain Storage, or Architectural Masterpiece?

A Not-So-Unusual Landmark

Old & Rusty

Cotton: The Only Snow You Get in the South

When Rain Doesn't Come

Flat. Very Flat.

Shack Shop

Not For Transportation

A Not-So-Unusual Landmark II

Highway Companions

The Famous Service Station

Feel like a redneck yet? ;)

The best part of a trip is getting home!

Civilization At Last

Driving in Memphis

latest layout

How 'bout one layout just for fun? This one uses the awesome Birthday Collab at the The LilyPad!



Cheers!

{spoiled, but no spoilers}

Just when I think things can't get any better....they do! Check this out:



I'm a member of the first-ever Lilypad creative team! I'm so excited, I can barely stand it! I can't believe I'm placed next to all that talent! My plate is pretty full right now, but I was not about to turn down this opportunity. Speaking of talent, I will be working with some amazing products, I just can't wait! I have been so lucky to get on the wonderful teams that I am on, that I truly am spoiled!



So....Harry Potter 7 has been out for 5 days. I stood in line at midnight Fri/Sat night to buy the book, and read the entire next day, until I was finished. I simply couldn't put it down. I have to say, it's the best of the series, and that's saying a lot! So read it. That's all I'm going to say. Oh...except that Rowling has already said that a character encyclopedia will most likely be in the works soon! YAY!

latest layouts

My baby celebrating another year. Sigh....



My smart girlies on awards day. I'm so proud of all my kiddos!

Cheers!

{renewing vows}

I got the chance to marry my best friend, my confidant, and my husband all over again yesterday. The morning show on one of our local radio stations, Q 107.5 was having a contest and asking for the best love stories. They would marry the winners at a party that would be aired on the show. I had wanted to renew our vows at our 10 year anniversary, but we missed the chance. I thought this contest would be worth a shot, so I sent in our story, and we were one of the couples chosen! They provided everything - cake, champagne, flowers, even garters. So yesterday, for four hours, we partied with Karson & Kennedy and 5 other couples. Elvis even officiated. Hey, it's Memphis! It was such a blast! And this time, I got to propose! (Oh, and I had the best shoes by far!)













I love you, honey, and I'll marry you over and over!

Cheers!

{happy birthday morgan}

My oldest little girl celebrated her birthday yesterday. She may be 14 now, but she will always be my little girl. I can't believe that in only two short years, I will have a driver on my hands! Why does time move so swiftly in the present, but seems so slow in retrospect? When Morgan was born, I never would have thought I would one day have a teenager, yet I can't pinpoint the exact moment that it happened. I know I have made plenty of parenting mistakes, but I am so proud of my princess!





Happy Birthday Morgan!

*latest layouts*

A few layouts using some of our recent vacation photos:

Sugar Rush



Little Boys Don't Need Shirts



Cheers!

{florida bliss}

Hello from sunny Pensacola! I've been soaking up rays (and a bit of rain) for the past 5 days, and burying my feet in the sand. Ahh... I am in my element! Our itinerary so far:

Wednesday the 4th: arrive in Pensacola. watch awesome fireworks set to music (HOW do they do that?)
Thursday the 5th: test ocean waters at Pensacola beach. get rained out after 2 hours
Friday the 6th: go to water park in Foley, AL. defy death on lightening fast slides
Saturday the 7th: go see Aunt Anita in Vernon, FL. kayak in spring-fed creek
Sunday the 8th: return to Pensacola. check out Pensacola Beach Boardwalk for dinner
Monday the 9th: lazy day. catch up on computer work and a bit of scrapping

Tomorrow we will be heading down to my grandfather's in Lakeland, followed by 4 glorious days on the beach on Anna Maria Island. This may be my last day of internet access. Yikes! In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite photos so far:

*at the Pensacola Beach:*





*at the water park:*





*at the spring-fed creek:





I will do my best to update with more photos as the week progresses!

latest layouts

a few I forgot to share ;)

*unplanned nap*





Cheers!

{one kidless week}

All four of the kiddos have been gone since last Saturday. That's NINE days, with one more to go. They are with their grandparents' until we leave for Florida on Wednesday. I was ok for the first 7 days, but I have reached my limit. I want to see my children! I will see them tomorrow night, so I guess I can hold off one more day, especially since I have so much to do today to get ready for the trip (as I sit here playing on the computer instead)!

We have been using our time without them wisely, though. Friday night we went to the casino because we had a couple $20 gift cards. We ended up gambling the $40 free dollars, and coming away with $120! I'd call that a profit! We liked the winnings so much, that we were hesitant to spend any! Seriously, get this: Our plan was to go have fun at the casino, try our luck, then have a nice expensive dinner while we were there. But once we got that money in our hands, we decided to drive back to Memphis, grab a cheap burger at our local bar, and we only had ONE drink! LOL Are we nuts? But now we still have $100 to buy something cool.

Saturday was the fireworks show downtown. One of our favorite bands, Skillet (who is, incidentally, a Memphis band!) was playing, and the show was free. More cheap entertainment! We took a cooler and some chairs, and had a couple fun hours downtown. I even got the whole band to sign my t-shirt. Adult fun.

latest layouts

*quick change artist*



I took these photos on our camping trip. They were taken one right after the other. She was all pouty, then I clicked the shutter, and she changed her attitude, just like that!

*catch it*



These photos were taken a couple months ago, at the Hutchinson family reunion. It was hot outside, so Alex decided he wanted to play a little game of indoor catch with a teensy football. A little practice, and he's much better at it!

Cheers!