July 1...Random thoughts

I am up at the insane hour of 5:45 am, and have been up for a whole hour. Can't sleep, must be all that Coke I've been drinking lately...BAD Jen....or possibly little L kicking me in the face as I tried to sleep. Will that boy EVER sleep the night through in his own bed...sigh. Anyways, I figured I might as well post on my sorely neglected little blog.

*Thought #1: We are off to San Diego today. Most beautimous of places. I am thrilled to be leaving the horrendous, scorching heat behind, but must say that I do not relish the though of traveling 6-7 hours with my 16 month old...love her soul. True to her age, she is a busy bee & will probably have a difficult time sitting still for so long. I am having painful flashbacks of last years drive when our little peanut screamed almost the entire way home...but it'll be better this time...right? But she's cute anyway. :)

*Thought #2: Z lost her first tooth on Saturday. It has been loose for a few weeks since she took a voracious bite of a big green apple (her favorite) and made it "wiggly". She walked in from the front yard & said, "Look Mom." In her palm lay the TEENIEST, TINIEST little tooth EVER! Are they SERIOUSLY THAT SMALL??? I hugged her & we got all excited, but I felt that little jolt in my heart as she skipped away. My little girl is growing up. Another milestone. Bittersweetness. (yes I DID take a picture of her with her cute little gap...but my Mom has it...MOM! I need it! :D)

Thought #3: I am ashamed at the state of my office. It is a pit of despair. Seriously. Piles & piles EVERYWHERE. I think my goal for the month (for the few weeks we are in town) needs to be to clean out this space so that my mind can breathe a little bit better. Maybe when I get home I'll post a before & after pic...no promises, but surely that would motivate me.

Thought #4: Who knew that starting a small business would consume absolutely every particle of brain cell in one's head. Just an FYI for those of you who were unaware. Joyful obsession.

Thought #5: I have a new favorite store...Hobby Lobby. Yep, we Arizona folk have finally been blessed with this rockin mecca of crafty, home decory goodness. My mom, sisters (and little B) spent a lovely hour there on Saturday. Ooooh what delights. It is like Michael's and Joann's all rolled into one. I'm addicted. Of course all I could think about was stuff for the business, but that is pretty general these days. Who knows maybe I'll actually buy something for THE HOUSE next time I go. Now that would be a novel idea.

Thought #6: Speaking of novels, I'm reading a GOOD one. Katherine by Anya Seton.

Originally published in 1954, it is a LONG, epic, historical story that I'm absolutely loving. I couldn't even find it in the library, but ended up borrowing it from a friend. It is GOOOOOOOOOOOOD. Best book I've read in a LONG time.

Thought #7: And still speaking of reading, me & miss Z are enjoying this:

Totally takes me back to when I was growing up. I am LOVING that Z is into the chapter book thing now. We have read so many fun ones together lately, the Junie B books, Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little to name a few. Good times.

And now I am hearing the sounds of awakening...goodness it is going to be a long day. Make it a happy one. Ciao!

Tag, I'm it....

Alrighty, been tagged by my very awesome cousin Kristie. So I'm doing it...although my answers are probably gonna be WAY boring.

1. Four places I have lived: Mesa AZ, Tempe AZ, Fresno (I think...right Mom??) CA and uhhhhhh oh yeah....Safford AZ. See, boring.

2. Four shows I watch (gosh TV...what is that?? I'm always on the computer): Grey's Anatomy, Supernanny...sometimes (makes me feel good about my own insanity). Honestly I can't even think of anything else...I really never watch TV.

3. Four jobs I have had in my life: Waitress at Denny's, Bank teller, L&D RN, and NOW photographer! :D Hardest job?? Mom of 3.

4. Four places I have been: Mexico, Maryland, California, Guatemala.

5. Four Blogs I read regularly: Goodness there are a lot...my Mom's, Tara Whitney, my friend Rachel, my sister Jessica.

6. Four of my favorite foods: Shrimp, lobster, jamocha almond fudge ice cream, sourdough bread w/ clam chowder FRESH from San Francisco....YUM!!!

7. Four places I'd rather be right now: Photography workshop, shopping all by myself w/ LOTS of money, on the beach w/ a good book & no interruptions, on a date with my hubby.

8. Four things I look forward to in the next year: My new business flourishing, B heading off to nursery, Z in full day school, getting new floors...please oh PLEASE let this happen in the next year.

9. Four things I like to do in my spare time: Read, take pictures, spend time with friends (including my dh), play in Photoshop/work on my business stuff.

10. Four favorite things to do with kids/family: Make goodies, talk, be "out" together (hiking, swimming, movies, etc), one-on-one time doing whatever.

I TAG: Jess, Mom, Rachel

I'm Alive!

Hello out there! I know you have probably all been thinking I forgot about this little blog, but I haven't...I've just been spending EVERY spare minute on something very important to me! Click the image below to see what has been keeping me up nights...

I'm gonna try to keep up with both blogs, but this summer is pretty much dedicated to getting my little business up & running so you may find me posting over at the other blog more often...and now...back to work! ;)

She Did It!

How on earth is it possible that the sister who was ELEVEN when I got married just graduated from college today? Unfathomable! I CANNOT seriously be THAT OLD?!?!?! But anyways, I'm sooooo proud of you Jess. This is an accomplishment you will ALWAYS feel good about (speaking from experience). Relish this moment.

GO DEVILS!!!

Happy Birthday Ames!

You make the world a much more beautiful & interesting place. Happy birthday little sis! Love you!

My AMAZING Weekend

Can I just tell you that I just had one of the most fun, fulfilling & exciting weekends EVER?!?! I had an absolutely UNBELIEVABLE time at my photography workshop. I made FABULOUS friends who I feel like I've known forever, learned soooooooooooo much & came away with a new lease on life. I definitely feel empowered & set free in my photography. I've made friends who I will have forever & I stayed up WAYYYYYY to late chatting about shooting (pictures that is), kids & everything in between.

Here are a few of us at the end of our whirlwind weekend....the SPECTACULAR Cheryl Muhr, the oh so hip, fun & uber cute Lindsay S. (direct from the UK), one of my new VERY bestest friends who is like me is sooooooooo many ways & who I wish was my next door neighbor....the gorgeous Rachel T. & me.

Stay tuned for some of the images from my fun filled weekend....

In other news....

Just had to quickly report that I'm off to a FABULOUS photography workshop this weekend. I'm sooooooooooooo excited. Haven't been this excited about something in a LONG LONG LONG time. Yippee!!!

Have an awesome weekend...I know I will!!! :)