toes in the water ...

Over the last year or so we've had a few friends move away.
more specifically .. they've moved to the water.
not near a lake or some river .. but to the OCEANS!!

I'm not jealous .. or as my 16 year says 'jelly.'
actually .. I lied.
Sorry about that.
I'm totally jelly.
I'm jelly beyond belief !! (haha ok I swear not to use jelly like that, again)

On our vacation to San Diego last year; as soon as there was a hint of salt in the air - we swore every single hill was going to be the one that would reveal the blue waters of the ocean.

After an hour of  "OOOHHH this is the hill!" we finally laid our eyes on the much awaited coast. :)   Yes .. we were that excited.

I know that there are cool watering holes and places to swim around Moab; but it's not quite the same as the smell of the ocean in the air and the feel of seaweed in your toes making you scream like a girl.

I see my friends on Facebook fishing and boating and swimming and tanning in the ocean breeze .... ahhh!!  :P  Jelly OVERLOAD !!    (sorry about breaking the jelly promise ... lol  I was weak)

my point ?

• I love the smell of the ocean
• I want to go back to the ocean
• one day I'll live close enough to regularly visit the water 
• and I'm a little envious of my family/friends on the coast

why ?
Because life is better at the beach ..

I made this print out of one of my favorite pictures from
our 2012 vacation to San Diego.

ps .. it's Mother's Day in 2 days - don't forget your mamas, grammas, and sister wives.  (LOL)

click here for the print quality version of the print above

it's here .. it's here !!

You'd be hard pressed to find a day where I splurge on something specifically for me.  correction    "...where I splurge on something new and/or expensive specifically for me."

we'd researched extensively and had our hearts set on getting me a Canon T1I before we go on vacation, this year. It was really exciting for me, because my nicest camera to date was a Kodak Easy Share.  $89 on it's most expensive day. 

I was on the phone with my dad,  who has always shared & encouraged my love of photography.  I informed him about my exciting purchase plan, when he said 'you might want to reconsider.' 

I thought maybe he'd heard bad things about the Canon or had some advice to offer; when he dropped a bomb on me.   

During my parents' visit next month - apparently he'd been planning on giving me his Nikon d40x AND three kick-ass lenses.  oh. my. gosh.   

words just cannot explain my level of gratitude and excitement!

after running around like a kid, screaming with joy ruining the surprise of actually 'giving' it to me .. he sent it all to me, the next day.

It arrived after a mix-up with the Post Office.  By mix-up .. I mean I heard FedEx when he said post office .. then freaked out for 2 hours when FedEx couldn't find the tracking number.   what ?  .. they sound similar.  fed ex .. post office. fed ex .. post office. 

He also sent all his books, guides, and instruction manuals.  It's going to take me at least a year to get through the basics of the camera.         

after realizing how much would be involved with this camera - I made the very adult decision to put off the purchase of my silhouette, until I've got this baby down.   

*pats self on back*









anyway .. onto the point of the post - these are my favorite pictures (of the 243) from day 1

the last, lone survivor of the fishies we adopted in 2008

'one of four'

cutest. dog. ever.

I can't take enough pictures of our foliage 

don't you love how his tongue is the same angle as his neckerchief

how everyone will be seeing my face for some time to come ... smile !

our four-legged baby .. so sleepy

I love the moon coming out while the sun's up

this is her 'take the picture & hurry up' smile

"deer tracks mom, you HAVE to get a picture with your new camera!"

I love random shots like this .. au natural

lol the teen doesn't like 'au natural' .. she 'ducks n runs' or smiles big :P

and this  last picture isn't really a nice picture lol

it's just to compare the size of the 'big' lens to a giant wendy's drink .. that's all.

I love my new camera .. <3

he's crazy sweet .. I'm crazy

I won't be the first to say it - but I'll say it, anyway; I can be a brat.

by brat I mean stubborn, melodramatic, and spoiled

quite the package, eh ? :))

"I don't want you to buy me ANYTHING!!" were my exact words on my way out the door to work, in the morning.  I really can't explain it, other than I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 

I don't mean to be moody and irrational .. I guess it's just part of my charm. :)

despite my biting his head off in the morning; my ever-so-sweet husband took time out of his day to come to work to bring me this .. 

how did he do that ? you might ask ..
In November - he was the loving husband he always is and he had made A TON of these tissue paper flowers for my good friend's baby shower.  now, he's a pro.
fast forward a few hours .. I got home and within a few minutes discovered something new on the wall.
omg ..
I have to admit that it made my heart flutter a little .. he crafted for me.
he CRAFTED for me .. that's so hot.
he used the matching 'plaque' I used for his Valentine's gift and turned it into something I'll cherish forever.  He used mod podge and ribbon and lace and doilies .. all to make me smile.

I am unbelievably lucky that he puts up with my crazy ...

what I learned today

• calm my anxiety
• irrational expectations get me nowhere 
• have a little faith in the people I love .. because they have all the faith in me.

'technology takes over ...'

the reality of this post is that it exists because as soon as I saw the image below it spoke volumes, to me as a wife, mom and child of this technology craved society.

It's excruciating for me to admit; but a handful of years ago, I had a point in life where I couldn't get enough time on the glowing interwebs box.
video games, apps, social media, online worlds, forums about anything & everything, etc.

I ignored a few things that should've been very important to me; I let relationships fade, friends calls go unanswered and my ass got way too big; all because of a box of wires, a motherboard and graphics card.

I can happily say that's a shadow of who I am, today.

I still love my facebook and computer stuff, but in small intervals. (stares at blog, pointing out the obvious)

I prefer my addictions of a crafty, outdoor, social, and familial nature, these days. ;)

original image found on thisisnthappiness.com

winter is a four letter word ...

I reserve the word hate for a select few things.

winter is high on my list of stuff that's H bomb worthy.

it's cold .. it's gloomy .. your fingers are frozen .. your nose is runny
Ew.

winter is just plain gross

 

'waaaayyyy too cold' North Dakota was home for years.  I've seen enough blizzards, six foot snow drifts and forty below zero to last me and my kids a lifetime
Ew.

.. my point .. 

these days - we avoid winter at ALL COSTS

we're so dead serious about that - we moved to the desert.

lol .. that's us - we're hardcore. *flex*

our friends in Denver & Salt Lake have been getting inches on top of inches of snow
... our condolences ... 

the sunshine spent all morning beating against the red rocks
we went at noon ant it was still radiating warmth

In the sunshine, it peaked in the mid 60's ...in FEBRUARY !! :)

  

it was SOOOO gorgeous, I almost felt guilty .. 

pfftt .. I kid I kid.

no guilt here .. just pure sunshine appreciation.

the four legged friends agree .. sunshine <3

when we started it was a little 'brisk' and we all kept our jackets on ...

but within 20 minutes, the jackets were off

sorry about your genes ..

"I'm pretty much the shortest of all my friends." was the matter-of-fact statement of the night from our 8 yr old.  The teenager decided to choose that moment to chime in about how she was also shorter than most of her friends.

' .. sorry about your genes.' was my reply through my laughter. 

Outside of some newsworthy miracle growth spurts in our old age; chances are - G. and I will never be a 'tall people.'

*shrug*   what's the big deal about height, anyway ? 

d e p r e s s i o n

depression is weird in how it comes and goes, without any sort of routine or schedule
depression sucks the life out of the room, in an instant
depression makes you yell at your best friend for no reason
depression causes migraines, heartburn, and nausea
depression makes you have to apologize to everyone around you
depression makes me want to hide in a hole
depression actually pisses me off
depression will not define me
depression can't win

double frown .. double hug

In general, I'm a shiny happy person.  :)
I love to laugh, make fun out of boring situations, and be a goofball at all times.
That's why it felt so foreign to find myself in a severe state of frown several times, today.

my bestest four legged friend of 5 months - senor Nugget - had to spend the night at the vet because he was having his nuggets removed. :(  we haven't spent a night without him, since he came barreling into our lives! >_<

I also have an old friend that I keep up with through facebook.  This morning he announced his pregnant girlfriend went secretly to sign papers & the baby is to be placed for adoption. He's devastated, as expected.

Then there's my good friend, who I've worked with for a couple years. She lives just down the street and our kids have all been friends for years.  She lost custody of both her 14 yr old son and 16 yr old daughter.   I feel crushed for them, all.

I have been through a lot in life.
And by a lot, I mean 87% of all things you could possibly imagine .. I've had to deal with.

I can't imagine not having my girls with me.
so, tonight - I gave them 2 hugs & 2 kisses & told them twice I love them to the moon and back


I wish I could mend my friends' broken hearts .. I can't imagine the desperation they're feeling right now.

lighting a candle, sending prayers, and happy thoughts.
if someone reads this .. I hope you do the same; send prayers and double hug your loved ones.