2 Weddings, a Fountain, and a Broken SLR

What-a-weekend! Here are a few highlights (in order of occurrence)

1. My SLR stopped working (gasp!)...but thankfully, it is under warranty so it is at the SLR Doctor for 3 weeks (prepare yourself for some sad point-and-shoot pictures).

2. My oldie (but bestie) Michelle got married! ~w00t~

3. I fell in a fountain in my bridesmaid dress. (fail!) And YES it was as hilarious as it sounds...and NO it is not on YouTube!

4. We had a gradeschool reunion of sorts...(which lead us to wonder when we all grew up!)

5. Another wedding! Jim's Uncle John and Jennifer...there are officially 3 Jennifer Greffet's (can the world handle it?!)

6. My legs are still sore from #3, and I still lol when I think about it!

Pictures to come. Maybe some fountain ones...maybe!

Happy 4th Birthday (week), Ava!

We love you so much! Jack(ie) misses taking walks with you...

and sharing Doritos with you...

...and just hangin' out!

'Cause you're the best cousin ever...

...messy fingers and all!

Love: Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Jen, and Jack(ie)

ps: check out this video of Jack singing "Happy Bir-day"...he's been practicing for you!

my heart's truth

With time, the things that make me care seem to change.

Tears and laughter reverse their roles.

The world switches from big to small depending on the uncertainties that surround us, while comfort packs its bags and moves from place to place, never leaving a forwarding address.

But through the impermanence of people and feelings, you stay as slow, as warm, and as forever as children's summer laughter.

You remain a part of my heart's truth, the part that doesn't get crushed beneath the weight of time passing...

...the part I give thanks for, everyday. (unknown)

Jack and Papa

Stump-grinding in Style!

Jim decided to undertake the project of grinding the 2 stumps we had left in our yard…no mind that this is roughly 2 months after the actual trees were cut down :)

As Jack and I are watching him from the window, I realize that with dangerous woodchips flying everywhere, Jim is protecting himself by closing his eyes (smart thing to do while operating a high-powered tool!).

To the rescue, I loan Jim my sweet (girly) glasses (and smile) as he continues to grind the stumps…in style!

It takes a real man to operate a power tool with accessories!

Tall as a Koala!

Naked in the Park...

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. ~ Mark Twain

love today. . .

Love today. Squeeze all the sunshine and beauty from it, for you will never see the likes of it again.

The Incident

An incident occurred in the early (early!) morning hours of August 20, 2009.

Please observe. At first glance, this appears to be a calm, loving, peaceful angel sleeping, but...wait, let me zoom out...

There we go! Notice, no bedsheets, scattered blankets, an aching back (oh wait, you can’t tell that from the picture, but trust: my back is aching!)

At approximately 2:30 am, Jim awoke to discover that Jack had snuck into our room and made himself nice and comfy on the floor at the foot of our bed. (No pictorial evidence, but he was curled up on the bed skirt that I haven't put on our bed in months!)

Jim proceeded to move Jack back to his own bed, only to find out that Jack had an "accident" in said place of slumber.

Jim cleaned Jack up and put him in bed with me before he left for work.

By 3:00 am, Jack was wide awake, playing in bed, running through the house…all over! I gave him my cell phone to play with so I could get a bit of sleep. (Sorry if he called you!)

At approximately 3:30 am, I awake to hear Jack saying, “Uh oh! Mama, uh oh!” by the tenth time of hearing this, I open my eyes to see that Jack managed to remove his diaper (WHA-?), and have an "accident” on our bed!

Lovely.

In a last-stitch effort to get some (any) sleep, I made a bed on the floor in our room using probably the thinnest blankets we own! (Not smart on a hardwood floor!)

Jack continued his shenanigan’s by unscrewing the knobs from my sweet “new” dresser and handing them to me as if he was doing a chore! (Bless his restless heart!)

I’m assuming I fell asleep between 4:00 and 4:30 this morning, and slept a very uncomfortable hour (yes, just 1!) before my alarm went off.

Have a nice day, because I’m pretty sure you got a better night’s sleep than I did and you probably aren't in desperate need of a chiropractor at the moment, as I am.

But then, I have this little monkey to go home to at the end of the day, and thinking of that, my back doesn't hurt so much anymore...

Do you photoshop?!

If you do, you must, must, must go to Pioneer Woman's site and download her *updated* Actions Set 1 and 2.

Being a total Photoshop novice with little time on her hands to learn/experiment/play with photo editing, these actions are an awesome way I can edit photos beautifully with minimal time and effort. I will be the first to admit, that actions are like "training wheels": all the results with minimal effort...but ya gotta start somewhere!

Here's what her ahhh-mazing actions can do (click to enlarge):

1. SOOC

2. Seventies + Boost

3. Vintage (50%) + Boost

4. Soft and Faded

5. Colorized

6. Old West + Boost + Slight Lighten

7. Lovely and Ethereal

8. Heartland

9. BW Beauty

Don't you love?!?! Check out how I've used my favorites in the past: Soft and Faded (for outdoor pics), Heartland, and Colorized.

Boy and Dog

Boy and a (neighbor's) dog.

Boy laughs at dog.

And laughs some more.

Boy sprays dog with sprinkler.

Boy and dog love the sprinkler!

Boy thinks it's funny.

So do I!

Boy enjoyed his adventures with dog.

The End.

Bunny kisses...

There never has been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son. (Author Unknown)

Jack loves to give kisses these days...but with the help of a Diet Coke and a little prodding...

He gives "Bunny Kisses" with his nose! l-o-v-e!

Dresser Makeover

So, this weekend I got the urge to attempt being crafty (once again!) and decided to give our (my) bedroom furniture a makeover! (I say "my" because I got this bedroom set in grade school! I so remember having a volleyball game at St. Justin's and showing off the brochure for my sweet furniture-to-be!) The furniture has definitely withstood the test of time!

During the process of this project I concluded that:
#1: I HATE stenciling!
#2: I LOVE damask...(see blog background)
#3: Seriously, stenciling sucks!

The coolest part about my furniture is that the drawers come with interchangeable "faceplates" in 4 different colors: white, black, hunter green, and red. Through the years, I've gone with the basic wood (aka: no faceplate), white, and black.

I wanted to spruce things up and being so indecisive, I thought this is a perfect way to try something new (and not permanent!). So I sprayed the red plate ivory, stenciled a damask design around the drawer pulls, and...voila: a whole new dresser!

So now, I need to find some cute, inexpensive drawer pulls (25 to be exact!) I'm thinking either green, clear, or something fun! Ideas?!?!

You are a child of the universe...

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story...

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth...

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul...

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

("Desiderata". I love this. I remember receiving it from a teacher at my 8th grade graduation and every time I read it, I'm a little happier than before. Happy day to you!)

(click to enlarge)

It's the climb...

Let me start by acknowledging that, yes, I am a nerd! And yes, the post title is from the...Hannah Montana song, The Climb, and yes, I know it's super cheesy but:

#1: I love it (and I don't care who knows!)
#2: It reminds me of my friend, Laura, who isn't around to make me laugh everyday!
#3: It just fits perfectly with today’s pictures!

I can almost see it, that dream I am dreaming. But there's a voice inside my head saying, "You'll never reach it".

Every step I'm taking. Every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking.
But I gotta keep trying. Gotta keep my head held high.
There's always gonna be another mountain; I'm always gonna wanna make it move...
Always gonna be a uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.

Ain't about how fast I get there.

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side.

It's the climb!

I may not know it, but these are the moments that I'm gonna remember most...

(smile) Ladies, not only is Jack brave, but he's a rule-breaker! See: what a rebel!

________________________________________
Note: I do not condone breaking City Ordinances (usually). In fact, I was freaking out the whole time they were climbing, because I could just see the "Park Police" coming to bust us, but thankfully, we avoided authoritative notice! Whew! Disaster averted.... (I blame/attribute my complete fear of all authority to my Mom! Thanks, Mommer!)