day 7- a photo of someone you love

This is obviously a toughie, as I am blessed to be surrounded by people I love deeply. However, I had to pick this picture:
These are all the girls that "grew up" in my parents' home. Paige, Kali, Torri, Me, and Avree. My mom stayed at home when Kali and I were younger, and when we went back to school she began keeping teacher's kids. And oh how we didn't know our lives would change because of this decision. These girls are a part of our family. Paige and Torri were bridesmaids in our wedding, and when Brent and I were making the decision to return home, these smiling faces were a HUGE part of that decision. They truly are an extension of our family-- except, as Brent likes to say, they are better than family because we CHOOSE them :). [Not that we don't love our families...]. I was lucky enough to be able to return to help coach them in their softball season, and I even have Torri in class, that lucky dog! :) Kali and I love them like they are our sisters, and Caroline will refer to them as her aunts. This picture makes me so happy because it is so full of people I love.

Speaking of which, I found this picture too. This is Caroline on day two of her life. How precious in every way. We were able to spend a great Thanksgiving with her, and even though she is no longer the tiny infant that just sleeps and sleeps, she is still has wonderful...and adorable! Consider this a bonus photo for the day!


Also if you frequently stop by this blog, click on the "follow" button to the right to become a "follower." I like to be able to see who stops by! :)

thankfulness

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is "good," because it is good, if "bad" because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country. -C.S. Lewis

I am thankful for:

a home I wanted to move back to
a husband who loves me every moment, even when I'm bent over the toilet throwing up
that I don't throw up very often
that brent and i are both healthy
a family that welcomes me with open arms
back rubs
8 healthy, fun, wonderful nieces and nephews
a mother in law who has the patience of a saint!
a father in law who makes me feel like one of his own
being able to coach softball with my softball coach
a new home that is warm and safe and cozy
so many helpful hands in helping create the above
being close to paige and torri again-- and that relationship
a sister who will always look out for me
a brother-in-law who loves my husband like a true brother
cars that run
that i don't have allergies
winter coffee creamers
a mom who is selfless and giving
a God that is always faithful
a Jesus that is always enough
a Holy Spirit that is ever present
being able to teach To Kill a Mockingbird
having a dad who is my own Atticus Finch
a HUGE back yard
having extended family that brent and i WANT to spend the holidays with
a great job that i love

... so very much more.

day 6- a photo that makes you laugh

Apparently while we were sick I couldn't count. The second day three was supposed to be day 4.

Here is my photo that, without fail, can make me burst out in laughter:
We had just gotten a new tv so I was taking some "before" and "after" shots for memory's sake...so Brent thought it would be a good idea to have some before and after shots of him watching the different tvs. The first photo is just of him slouched on the couched, no smile, watching tv. This was his idea for the second-- watching the new tv. I remember I could barely take the photo because I was laughing so hard. He's such a goober. I love him to pieces. Thanks for making me laugh, Brent!
and are coffee tables only good for collecting junk?!

day 4- a photo of you

I feel like this day has very vague instructions. A photo of yourself? I looked through a view albums I have, but I landed on this one. Just this weekend while spending time with family, I realized I had never posted the pictures of my haircut I got in June. There were several reasons for this- we didn't have internet, we were super busy etc. But mainly it was not posted because I HATED it. I cried for weeks. I know it may sound like an exaggeration but there was literally not a day that I did my hair after the hair cut and actually liked it. I felt so superficial because of the struggle I was having with it.

I don't really know what made me want to get it cut, or why I decided to cut it on the last day of school the week before we were going to move [a very emotional time anyway]. Afterward if I was watching tv and a commercial came on with a woman with long hair I literally had to change the channel because I would be so mad at myself for cutting it. It was easier throughout the summer, and once I could pull it back into a ponytail [which took a little time], it was easier for me to handle it. It still isn't growing at the rate I wish it were...but at least it's not as short as it was in this picture.

This picture was taken a day or two after the cut. I had been at the pool [one of my first and glorious pool days of the summer], and had Brent snap a picture when I got back because I had promised some people I would send them a pic. It was SHORT! Yikes. Never again...but at least I did it so I never have to wonder if I would have liked it. That answer is VERY clear to me now :)


Side note: spell check didn't recognize the word internet in this post? Weird.
Also, I have been home sick the past two days. Guess it wasn't the sweet potatoes since 8 of us on Brent's side of the family caught the bug. Ugh. Not fun.

day 3- a photo from the last place you went on holiday/vacation

To start: I didn't think I would be blogging this weekend. The plan was to just enjoy all the time with our family that is here...as much as possible. And we have... Friday evening and all day yesterday were wonderful blurs of family time. We had spent most with Brent's fam, since they're leaving sooner, and then last night around 8 went over to my parents to visit with Kali and Dan. And Brent ate a sweet potato. Oh, you evil sweet potato, you!

He woke up at about 4 a.m. and hasn't really left the bathroom since. And it's his BIRTHDAY for crying out loud! Oh, sweet potato, I will curse you forever.

But on a happier note: Today's photo is a picture from the last place you went on vacation. B and I have been other places since this trip, but haven't considered any a "vacation" necessarily. This week long trip to beautiful weathered state of California a year and half ago though...definitely a vacation.

We visited Brent's brother and family. Fantastic.

And my dream of going to Disney Land finally came true :)

And now I'm going to check on the sick birthday boy :(.

day 3- a photo that makes you happy

I love both of these pictures so much, and since they are both of the same thing [basically], I figured it wasn't cheating to put them both up.

These are pictures of us playing our favorite card game with some of our absolute favorite people, Meagan and Shane. Shane was a worship intern while Brent was a sports and fitness intern... and after playing intramural softball together I invited them over one evening. We laughed and talked for hours that night... and from that moment forward spent so many of our free moments together. When we were leaving Louisville, one of the very toughest parts was knowing we would be leaving Meagan and Shane behind too. Friends like them don't come around very often, and we know that... I joked with Meagan saying they were "lifers"-- meaning she was stuck being my friend for life.

I miss these simple evening we spent together. We'd make supper, sit around and talk for an hour or so, and then Meagan and I would clear the table while the boys shuffled the cards. And then we would play until we were bleary-eyed and a little crazy. A lot of nights our games ended well after midnight, sometimes meaning we would pull out the blow up mattress and they would crash in our living room instead of driving clear back to their apartment. Those were happy times, filled with joy and fellowship.

The top picture we are actually playing cards in Gatlenburg, TN. We went there on a little vacation together at the beginning of the summer. We spent the 3 and 1/2 days lazily... in the hot tub, mini golfing, hiking, and playing cards. Glorious.

All of our time together is HAPPY. Thus my choice to use these photos for today.

Meagan and Shane-- we miss you! Don't forget, the house next to us is for sale :)

photo challenge-day 2- a photo of yourself a year ago

This picture was taken sometime last fall. I like it for several reasons:
1. It reminds me of all the silly times Brent and I share together.
2. It reminds me of a simpler life in our little apartment in Louisville.
3. It reminds me of my dad graduating from the Highway Patrol [the shirt]
4. It reminds me that things can be more fun when we are uninhibited.
5. It reminds me that around this time last year I had my wisdom teeth pulled [that photo was in the same folder].

photo challenge

If you follow my sister's blog you have seen her newest inspiration. I decided I would do the same as a way to hopefully get back in the swing of things myself.

So this is the deal. It is a 30 day photo challenge. I will not promise those will be thirty consecutive days, however. So I'll just go ahead and take care of day one before I bound off to basketball practice for the day:

Day 1: your facebook profile picture
Brent and I recently went to Joplin to visit Brent's sister and fam. If you don't know, my sister-in-law, Beth, is a FANtastic photographer. Check out her webpage if you don't believe me. Anyway, we were exploring an old house and she snapped this photo in the basement. I just like the lighting, and that my hair isn't really fixed, that I'm tan from summer, and that I'm not looking at the camera.

more house update- bedroom & bathroom

Here are some photo updates of our house! The first batch is of the master bedroom. It has a border [which was a NIGHTMARE to get off...right Beck? and Mom? they were fantastic help :)] And horrible green carpet. We re-carpeted all of the bedrooms which made a world of difference! And, just like in the rest of the house, we painted ALL OF THE TRIM in here. Quite the job. Lucky for me, Joan is a fantastic trim-painter. Well, without further adieu... our bedroom [the first three are before, obviously... and we took these on move in day and didn't really get a great shot but you get the idea]



After: A beautiful gray! [Grandpa helped us cut down our bed frame and we just got it painted black and set back up this weekend, so it's not in the photos]. I think this is my favorite room we've re-done so far :)

And now...the main bathroom. This little gem was pretty nasty when we first laid eyes on her. My mom scrubbed away for hours [literally] with her yellow gloves on. I thought this room would go quickly since it was so small, but I learned my lesson! Again it was covered in wall paper, but there was also a lot of patching that needed to be done once we took the wall paper down. Again...it couldn't have been done without a team of helpers [Paige and Torri even got their hands in on this one!]

And after... :) Much better. This paint, a very faint blue, had my favorite name-- "Stillness." I thought that was fitting for a nice relaxing bathroom.

Brent took this picture. I would have shut the drawers and moved that washcloth off the counter:)

And this was in the same folder as these photos, so I just had to add it :)

i want...

...
to blog about the following:

- projects I've been doing
- my job
- more pictures of our house
- some writing I've done recently
- pictures of our life
etc
etc
etc

Instead I am writing a blog about what I want to write a blog about. Thus is my life currently. Hopefully there will be more to come later, but I'm learning not to promise too much.