This year was a terrible year in my world of art. I think I painted maybe three paintings. If you know me, you know that is B A D. So Brett (my generous, wonderful, supportive husband!) paid for me to take a portrait class in 2012 by an artist that I have admired and looked up to for years!
I am SO EXCITED!!
Find out more here!
One Resolution Down
This seems like an extremely doable project! I'm always looking for different things to photograph and am very excited to do this! (IF I can remember about it!)
21 Months!
Neely turned 21 months yesterday which means she's dangerously close to being 2!! I can't believe how fast this is going!
Wrapping Presents!
I've been trying to wrap presents differently this year. I (along with 204737 other women) am obsessed with kraft paper so I bought some several weeks ago to use instead of wrapping paper. I have been looking on Pinterest and racking my brain to come up with cute ideas. This is the first year of my life that I've seriously enjoyed wrapping presents! It's more like crafting instead of just wrapping. Next year I'll start earlier and all of our presents will be wonderfully wrapped.
The reason I'm tooting my own horn is because normally my presents look like a third grader wrapped them. My mom is the best present wrapper alive so I have a lot to live up to! I'm on my way, mom!
Have you done any fun packaging this season? I'd love to see it!
The reason I'm tooting my own horn is because normally my presents look like a third grader wrapped them. My mom is the best present wrapper alive so I have a lot to live up to! I'm on my way, mom!
Have you done any fun packaging this season? I'd love to see it!
A 40 Year Journey
December 18, 1971 was a day for the history books. It was the day Ron & Cheri sealed their love by getting married before God and man.
Theirs has been a journey few could survive, yet God has been faithful.
And by saying God is faithful I mean that yes, my parents have been married for 40 years and that in itself is a feat this day and age, what with disposable marriages and all, but what I truly mean is that today, December 18, 2011 shows a couple that is more in love than ever before. And that is an accomplishment. You see, any couple can stay married for 40 years. But my parents have made an art form of being happy together. They are constantly bettering themselves and their marriage.
They are without doubt the two most amazing people I have known in my life. If you have had the pleasure of knowing them or even meeting them once or twice you know that my mom's smile lights up a room and her laughter is so beautiful that you find yourself searching for something else funny to say so that you can hear it again, and my dad's tough-guy look disappears when his eyes crinkle with love and his voice is laced with compassion. My parents are treasures.
It makes me cry to think about how much I love them.
You will never meet a more talented, loving, gorgeous, compassionate, godly, artistic, amazing couple than my parents.
Today I wish them 40 more years (I told them that the other day and they said, "NOO!" which makes sense...who wants to be over 100? haha) together, only I wish those years be on the beach in San Diego next to me!
I love you both with my heart. You are the lights in my life and I am so blessed that you're my parents.
Happy Anniversary!
Papa, Get the Moon
I can't embed the video for some reason but here is the link! It's Neely reading "Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewE3oQIRLvg&feature=share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewE3oQIRLvg&feature=share
Christmas is Almost Here!
Kiiiiind of freaking out about how close Christmas is!!
I made the choice to make all of our Christmas gifts this year (except for Neely's) and I've only started on a few! I have my work cut out for me! Good thing I love making things!
How about you? Do you have all of your shopping done?
PS Don't you just love that reindeer? It's been with me most if not all Christmases in my life! It has a twin that has two broken legs which are now held together by Strawberry Shortcake bandaids! I love Christmas and I love bokeh!
Photography
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I am hoping and believing that 2012 will be my year to live out another dream of mine (the first one being motherhood!) which is being a professional photographer. And by professional I mean making money at photography. I know my photos are good enough (I have been thankfully very encouraged by my friends and family and some strangers!), I just need God to open certain doors and give me ideas and finances...
Brett and I have decided we need to pursue it 100%.
That is why the above verse is so important. I need to seek God's hand in this. He gave me a passion and a talent and I want to use it to love people. I want people to see how beautiful they are, I want them to be around me and feel His love for them through me.
I will be fervently praying for direction and I hope that you will join me in this!
I will blog about it more in the upcoming months. I want to put my fears and goals out there so that you can join me in specific prayer.
Technology-Free Wednesdays Are Back!
Our record player's needle has been broken for months. For the life of us we couldn't find a replacement anywhere! This means two sad things. One, we haven't listened to records in months. Two, TFW have been non-existant!
Until yesterday.
We were at Target (because I live there) and saw a combo record player, mp3 player, cd player, radio and tape player! Right then and there we decided to buy it as our Christmas gift to each other!
Last night was our first TFW in months and it was so fun! We ordered food from OB Noodle House and played Rummikub! It's so nice to have our phones on airplane mode, tv off, computer off and just talked and laugh. I am so glad we have reinstated this weekly tradition!
Until yesterday.
We were at Target (because I live there) and saw a combo record player, mp3 player, cd player, radio and tape player! Right then and there we decided to buy it as our Christmas gift to each other!
Last night was our first TFW in months and it was so fun! We ordered food from OB Noodle House and played Rummikub! It's so nice to have our phones on airplane mode, tv off, computer off and just talked and laugh. I am so glad we have reinstated this weekly tradition!
I Miss Her
(a bunch of thoughts...)
It's been 3 weeks and 2 days since she left us and I still can't believe it.
Last night was her memorial service in Las Vegas. It was beautiful and sad and happy.
There came a point during the video memorial that my aunt made for her that I wished I was in a room alone so that I could lay on the floor and cry.
But, I was surrounded by my grandma's family and friends and I felt it necessary to hold myself together.
I've been doing that for weeks now.
I think seeing my cousin cry before the funeral started reminded me, "Hey, it's your grandma's funeral. It's okay to cry."
That should be obvious but I have felt like I need to be strong because no one else has been showing their sad side.
But I don't know if I'm going to choose to be that strong anymore.
She was my precious, dear grandma. She loved me fiercely. I loved her fiercely.
I tried to always make a point to stay close with my grandparents. Even when I didn't live near them (which was most of my life), even when I had 14 million other things to do. I cherished them . And that's not to say I'm so great or deserve an award, it's just perhaps a reminder to you to cherish the grandparents in your life. To make time for them. Because their generation is the greatest generation.
I loved hearing my grandma's stories, I loved giggling with her on the phone.
This morning as we were getting ready to drive back home from Las Vegas, I thought I heard my grandma's voice downstairs. I got excited and in a split second remembered.
She's gone.
Brett thought he heard her too.
My mom has had a couple great dreams about her.
I want to dream about her too. I want to talk to her again and hug her again and kiss her.
<cue the ugly cry>
I want so bad to look across the dinner table Christmas Eve and catch her eye and smile.
I want to pick up the phone and call her and make her laugh.
I want to write her more letters. I want her to be able to write back.
I want to play Skip-Bo with her.
I want to walk downstairs in the morning at my parent's house and have her offer me cereal or toast and I want to see her disapproving look when I tell her I am not hungry.
I want to see her loving on Neely, her great-granddaughter.
I want to see the love in her eyes for my grandpa, her husband of 55 years.
I miss her. I miss her. I miss her.
There is a void in my life. I think I will notice it more and more as the days and weeks pass by.
Obviously this is selfish because she's happier now than I can imagine, but I miss her.
I think I'm still a bit shocked that she's actually gone. The day before her stroke she was here. She was okay.
I am lucky because I have no regrets about her. I always knew she was proud of me and thought I was wonderful and beautiful.
She never had a cross word with me.
This weekend I found letters I had written her that she saved. She didn't save them all, only some, but in one I wrote, "I think that if you and I were the same age we would have been good friends." And it's true.
Oh my grandma, I miss you terribly. I always will.
It's been 3 weeks and 2 days since she left us and I still can't believe it.
Last night was her memorial service in Las Vegas. It was beautiful and sad and happy.
There came a point during the video memorial that my aunt made for her that I wished I was in a room alone so that I could lay on the floor and cry.
But, I was surrounded by my grandma's family and friends and I felt it necessary to hold myself together.
I've been doing that for weeks now.
I think seeing my cousin cry before the funeral started reminded me, "Hey, it's your grandma's funeral. It's okay to cry."
That should be obvious but I have felt like I need to be strong because no one else has been showing their sad side.
But I don't know if I'm going to choose to be that strong anymore.
She was my precious, dear grandma. She loved me fiercely. I loved her fiercely.
I tried to always make a point to stay close with my grandparents. Even when I didn't live near them (which was most of my life), even when I had 14 million other things to do. I cherished them . And that's not to say I'm so great or deserve an award, it's just perhaps a reminder to you to cherish the grandparents in your life. To make time for them. Because their generation is the greatest generation.
I loved hearing my grandma's stories, I loved giggling with her on the phone.
This morning as we were getting ready to drive back home from Las Vegas, I thought I heard my grandma's voice downstairs. I got excited and in a split second remembered.
She's gone.
Brett thought he heard her too.
My mom has had a couple great dreams about her.
I want to dream about her too. I want to talk to her again and hug her again and kiss her.
<cue the ugly cry>
I want so bad to look across the dinner table Christmas Eve and catch her eye and smile.
I want to pick up the phone and call her and make her laugh.
I want to write her more letters. I want her to be able to write back.
I want to play Skip-Bo with her.
I want to walk downstairs in the morning at my parent's house and have her offer me cereal or toast and I want to see her disapproving look when I tell her I am not hungry.
I want to see her loving on Neely, her great-granddaughter.
I want to see the love in her eyes for my grandpa, her husband of 55 years.
I miss her. I miss her. I miss her.
There is a void in my life. I think I will notice it more and more as the days and weeks pass by.
Obviously this is selfish because she's happier now than I can imagine, but I miss her.
I think I'm still a bit shocked that she's actually gone. The day before her stroke she was here. She was okay.
I am lucky because I have no regrets about her. I always knew she was proud of me and thought I was wonderful and beautiful.
She never had a cross word with me.
This weekend I found letters I had written her that she saved. She didn't save them all, only some, but in one I wrote, "I think that if you and I were the same age we would have been good friends." And it's true.
Oh my grandma, I miss you terribly. I always will.
Amazing!
Brett shared this with me yesterday and it brought tears to my eyes because they are so good.
Please try and watch the whole thing...it's worth it!
If this video doesn't bring a smile to your face then I don't know what will!
Please try and watch the whole thing...it's worth it!
If this video doesn't bring a smile to your face then I don't know what will!
O, Christmas Tree
On Thanksgiving day we decorated for Christmas! Neely was asleep when we decorated so we saved the tree's star for her to place in the morning! She was very into it and made it right on the tip! Sadly the fake tip couldn't handle the weight so it slumped over, but it was so cute to see her try!
Have you decorated for Christmas? If so, I want to see pictures! Link to a blog post about it! If not, when do you plan on decorating?
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