Time!

Wow really where does the time go? I didn't intend to be away from the blog for quite this long. But guess what, this isn't even going to be a real detailed post either...ha. Too many other things keep pulling me away from here, mainly the pool & the lake. And guess what that really is more important to us right now (don't take it personally)! Yesterday Jameson & i actually didn't have very much time to spare but we were in the pool for 15 minutes and it felt great! The pictures to the right are from earlier this week. The Stacy triplets were down visiting from Ohio and we invited them and the Coulter boys to the pool. We lined them up in age/height order and then they jumped in - i was surprised to see that Jameson was the first to hit the water! The pictures from the boat were from last weekend. i was on the Leon's boat so i could capture Carrie's whole boat and tube in the shot - this is summer to us!!

Next week i'm heading off to Florida for the ADPi convention. i'm planning to keep the tweets coming with updates, especially with exciting pictures of the awesome desserts. There are usually some amazingly creative desserts at convention. And my personal goal is always to leave the last bite (that is my diet for the week - ha). You can also follow along through the blog that was created - here.

Have you checked out the Jill Jarvis Photography site lately? If not, click HERE now! There is a sample gallery posted (click play in the lower right corner). There are some of my favorite images and it also shows what the gallery looks like that is sent to a client following a session.

One more thing before i go, we wanted to congratulate Brandt on his high school graduation. We are so excited to see what God has intended for you!

Thought this quote by Steve Jobs (which i found on from Ali's blog) was inspiring:

Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion drowned out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

And after an hour of working on this post, a few interruptions, many upload issues and a bit of frustration...Jameson & i are heading out for a scavenger hunt. With the high projected for 100 we may end up back inside very quickly, either way we'll be together!

Unplugged recap...

i've been meaning to come and post about the day that i totally unplugged. But guess what...the challenge helped me so much that i haven't been online as much overall! In case you forgot what i'm referring to, Jodified mentioned something on her blog about unplugging from the computer, internet, phone & television for 24 hours. i decided to do it on Mother's Day so i could spend the day with my boys...totally and fully connected to THEM. And guess what it was AWESOME. Not that i was surprised by that part of it. What i have been surprised by is that over the last few weeks i've been finding myself connecting more on a face to face way. Which over the last few years has seemed to have become lost a bit. For me it hasn't been so much with my guys, more with others. We can stay connected through other avenues...facebook, email, cell phones, etc. Not that i'm going to completely unplug from those places entirely, just making an effort to stay fully IN life, not just wired to life.

One more thing, this weekend at RiverTree, Greg Nettle spoke about how our DNA has wired each of us to connect with God in a different way. Such as serving others, through nature, contemplation, etc. He had 5 other people speak about how they are wired to connect to Him. It was a cool message. One exciting things about the advancements in technology, it allows me (or you) to hear the rest of this series, even once we're back home and unable to attend RiverTree. Click here for audios of their messages.

As you've probably noticed i haven't been blogging or posting much lately. This week, Jameson & i are away visiting family and friends. Lots of fun times that i'll be sharing bits and pieces of but not now. For now i'll be making memories and if the stories float around and makes it from my brain to the computer, you'll be hearing about them at that point! So what pieces of technology have you taken to but may find you have to readjust a bit?

Snow day!

We have snow at our house! It started to fall at some point mid-day Sunday. And even now, Monday evening, there is still unmelted snow in some spots. I don't ever remember snow sticking around this long in our neck of the woods.

So yesterday we started our day by leaving the house about 8:30. We went to church and then left from there to take my mom to the Atlanta airport. (She was nice enough to ride down from Ohio with me & Jameson...thanks Mom.) As we were just coming into the Atlanta area we realized that the rain was started to look a bit funny...it was snow! It steadily increased and soon we were surrounded by some pretty fluffy snow all over. Here is a shot from the ATL terminal. After dropping mom off we headed to Ikea. (What trip to Atlanta shouldn't include this fun store?!) We had a fun time wondering the aisles and then decided it was time to start heading back home. The entire time we were in the store the snow didn't slowed down. Everything was covered in white snow! We made our way about 1/3 of the way up the interstate and then met a standstill of traffic. So we decided to use the navigation system and see where it would take us if we avoided highways. It really didn't take us too much extra time to get home. As we headed a bit west the snow disappeared from the ground but then as we got closer to home, turning east again, the snow reappeared. We were amazed when we got home to see our entire house covered in snow and more was falling, which at that point was actually freezing rain. Today of course was a snow day for Jameson but the best part was James also had a half day at home too. He went into the plant as usual this morning but their power wasn't staying on so he came home. He did a little work throughout the afternoon. It is so awesome to have him around more then normal! Now tomorrow they are saying the roads might be even worse because the snow that is still on the roads will most likely freeze and become black ice. We might be blessed with another at home day for our family?!

I'd thought I'd share a picture of our freshly painted dining room. Jeannie does such a great job. I love the stripes. She did the same color just with different finishes so they are a great slight difference, the best part is that she also painted the ceiling, which I think really finishes the room. So if you're in our area and are looking for a painter, check out Paul Carr's wife Jeannie...she is the bomb!

In other news...while driving on the way to Ohio, which seems like ages ago now, we saw a double rainbow. The most amazing part was that I think we actually were at the bottom of the rainbow because the beams were coming from the water splashing from the truck in front of us.

When we're visiting my family we can almost always be found with my sister and her kiddos. These 4 have so much fun together. Deb was attempting to get a picture of all of them for her office. She wanted something realistic, I think she succeeded!

Okay I think this post is long enough, I still have more to say but I'll save it for later!

Travels!

Wow have we been having a fun time on our travels! Jameson has had a great time eating the snow! Earlier today William & Mara were here playing with Jameson. They all wanted to go outside so we got all bundled up and headed out. William asked Jameson if he wanted to ride in the gator with him and they could both pretend to be the daddys. And then he said, "Mara you can be the honey (aka mommy/wife)." I was laughing so hard at them!

Over the weekend I was in Michigan for an ADPi conference. It went really well. Our district has a new colony at Drake University. We wanted them to know we were thinking about this so we took a group photo of everyone that was at the conference this weekend. Here is the photo we sent to them.

Then today we spent the morning relaxing. This afternoon we met up with my friend Simonette. We had a good time chatting and watching Jameson be himself. Then we headed to see my grandma. If I didn't know her true age, I would never believe that she is 88. She was trying to teach me how to knit and then Jameson wanted to get in on the action too. So cute!

Skiing!!

The boy did it! We headed out to the slops this morning and Jameson actually did it! I honestly wasn't sure what he was going to do with the boots and coat, etc. Once he had it all on and was at the bottom of the hill with Papa Jim and Uncle Brandt he was all about it! He went up the special moving carpet about 6-7 times. Then he was all set to try out the chair lift. He was so cool to see him so excited and doing it! Here are some photos so daddy can see!

Tonight I'm heading to a dinner at AU. I am so excited to get to see some college friends and enjoy a yummy meal. I will be watching what I'm eating but tonight I might have a bit more then usual. I know I haven't updated the ticker on the blog to show my weight lose. To be honest I can't remember my password but I have lost about 15 pounds with 6-7 more to go to reach my official goal. We'll see that works out with so much travel going on the rest of this month?!

I also wanted to share with everyone that Cafe J has a freebie on her blog today. Also wanted to share with everyone that The DigiChick is having a party this weekend in celebration of Valentine's Day...check it out!

Disney!

We are home from a magical trip to the happiest place on earth! I'm running out of steam (still have a bit of a sinus infection) so I'm going to make this as quick as possible.

We spent 1 day at the Magic Kingdom, then we took a day off from the parks. We hung out at the pool and then went to a character dinner with Pluto & Goofy. Then we headed to Disney Hollywood Studios (previously MGM).

Jameson was so excited to meet so many all of the characters. He was so proud of himself to take his signature card up to them asking for their autographs. The day we were at the Magic Kingdom they were taping the ABC Christmas parade. Kelly Ripa & Regis were there filming as well and Miley Cyrus too. Miley was the one 'character' that Tegan was hoping to see and we were all preparing her for the fact that Hannah Montana/Miley didn't actually live there like the other characters. Well weren't we all surprised when she actually was there. Here are some pictures to share with you all! The last one of the two dads totally cracks me up. Carrie & I didn't even carry purses so we were asking for money periodically so they guys were hamming it up for this pic. Now I'm off to finish up a few things before heading to bed. You might be seeing a few more pictures from our trip, there are over 1100 of them (that is after deleting). Carrie & I were both shooting so there are some duplicates but the best part, you can actually see everyone that was there. And we didn't have to bother our husbands with holding the cameras. My step-dad John was with us for most of our trip so he was the lucky one to take the picture of the rest of the group. Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Our weekend!

Jameson's favorite part was probably the hot bath (aka hot tub). He had so much fun swimming around, jumping around, overall just having fun in the water. We all enjoyed the awesome homemade goodies from Mother Crill, a mini hike in the woods with Joe-Joe & playing a bit of pool. I had fun taking some pictures of James' sister Caree. Caree & Chris are expecting their first baby in 2009. The rest of the time at the camp was a great relaxing time (no cell phone service or wifi so it was a true get away!).

The real adventure for the weekend begin on Sunday as we were leaving the cabin. We started out down the road and when we got to the bottom of the Blue Ridge Mountains we found that the road was closed (it has snowed on the mountain overnight). So we followed the rest of the traffic and about 90 minutes later we found ourselves in Cades Cove. Now if we had only known this at the beginning we probably would not have gotten to drive through a creek in the road - which surprisingly did not make hubby come unglued, while driving my new truck. Nor would I have gotten the chance to capture the image below with the fawn in the foreground and the snow caped mountains the background. We found a ranger and found out that the main road over the mountain was now open, so we headed back in that direction. We got to the point we had been at earlier in the day and started up the mountain. Things were going good, Jameson was taking a nap and James & I were chatting. I was also able to take a few more pictures of the awesome snow and ice that had covered all of nature. Then we got to the top and found traffic completely stopped. And right there just 6 vehicles in front of us 2 cars had collided and caught on fire. Praise God all of the people had gotten out without harm. Then for the next 2.5 hours we sat at the top of the mountain while we watched most of these vehicles burn away, with a few pops in there when the tires caught fire and then the gas tanks. Jameson got to play in the snow, I took a few more pictures, watched a movie, got to see a few different news helicopters right over us - overall we got to spend some safe time together as a family. Once they had gotten everything cleared away we were escorted down the mountain with a salt truck in front of us. Then we got a little dinner and drove the rest of the way home. What should have taken us 3 hours took us 10 but we were safe and together...thankful to God.

Here is our weekend recapped in photos...

Pictures, pictures & more pictures!

Lots of pictures to share...

Jameson went to my cousin's Halloween party this past weekend. He of course had to be his own man and not wear a costume, silly boy.
This picture is from his school field trip last week. We went to the local 4H camp. He was actually pretty interested in learning about this hunting chair.

Ohio sunrise...I'm not typically up early enough to capture this light. dreamy.

Picture of me & Kelley, taken from the famous Austin. Oh boy is there a story behind this picture. Lets just say I'm actually scared to tell the story or show the picture that follows.

Here are all of the kiddos playing on one of the many wood pieces at this awesome pumpkin patch.

I love this little guy!

Now would you want to ride with that driver??

Jameson having a great time at the fall festival at Rivertree.

And there goes the bumble bee (aka William) down the ship...

While driving back home earlier this week, Jameson & I took at break at one of the many overlook spots along the WV turnpike.

Dream week!

Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7

I feel like I need to pinch myself to wake up from the dream that I'm having. I am feeling very blessed. Jameson & I went on a quick trip north for the long weekend and we both had a great time. We got to see some great friends (I even got to take some maternity pictures for my friend Julianne - she is my BFF from high school - so awesome to reconnect and get to take some pictures of her adorable baby bump), I got to get my scrap-on (Kel..now that right there is funny..ha), visited COSI & I think the highlight for Jameson was eating snow for lunch on the way home yesterday. Now for me the high point came when we pulled into the driveway last night. My dear hubby surprised me with an early birthday present...

While scrapbooking with friends I broke a personal record. I finished up a few little hybrid items, 15 scrapbook pages and a mini album recapping the summer of 2006. I'm not going to bore you with all of them now.

Look for more pictures from our trip, hopefully later today. BTW if you've noticed that the pictures that I'm posting are a bit sharper than before. I'm using a super cool action from Andrea Burns. It is the bomb!

Tagged...

I was tagged by Sarah Ha. So instead of just posting the pictures from our weekend I have some text to accompany them. Enjoy!

4 things I love about my husband:

1. That he does have a fun side (doesn't come out often but it is hidden in there - yeah for seeing it lots this past weekend!)
2. His passion for work - he so desperately wants to provide for us as a family and I admire it

3. The way he and Jameson connect (like in the car on the way home from Ohio - not many men would ride in the backseat to play legos for 5 hours)

4. That he does so much around the house for us

4 Movies I would watch more than once:


1. Pretty woman
2. Sweet Home Alabama
3. Thomas Crown Affair
4. Wild Hogs

4 TV shows I watch more than once:


1. Grey's Anatomy
2. How I Met Your Mother
3. Brothers & Sisters
4. Friday Night Lights

4 Places I have been:

1. Ohio
2. Paris
3. England
4. British Virgin Islands

4 People who email me regularly:

1. Sarah Hi
2. Mom
3. Jen W
4. Christy

4 Favorite Foods:

1. Ice Cream
2. Freshly baked muffins
3. Sweet potato casserole (I am so totally in a fall food mood!)
4. Pumpkin pie

4 Places I would like to visit:

1. Dominican Republic (Compassion child Jose's home)
2. Disney World
3. Maine
4. Key West

4 Things I am looking forward to this coming year:

1. Taking Jameson to the Magic Kingdom
2. Preparing Thanksgiving dinner for family
3. Spending a scrapbook weekend with friends
4. Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary

4 People I would like to tag

1. Sarah Hi
2. Abby
3. Jen T.
4. Christy
5. Caroline (I know I did too many but I couldn't decide)