It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Today started like any other day, the alarm clock went off, I got out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the office to get some work done. Life has been so chaotic with the purchase of our first house, working two jobs, putting the house together, and now the transition of leaving DermStore and solely working from home.

There isn't a day where I do not feel blessed to live the life that I do. I have an amazing husband, beautiful family and friends who love me, a baby niece or nephew on the way, an astonishing house that I truly only dreamed about living in, a job that pays wells and allows me the flexibility to be do things that a normal 9-5 job wouldn't. You could say, life couldn't get better.

Today Josh had the day off for Presidents Day. Although I still had to work (Bummer!), I broke away from the computer and pulled Josh with me for a walk. I was wanting to get a breath of fresh air and walk around the plain block that I drive all the time. I just wanted to get the blood flowing and burn a few calories in the process. Since we have moved in, we haven't been able to really explore the neighborhood or our surroundings. Little did I know that our walk today was going to open that opportunity for us.

We stumbled upon what could be the perfect little bike ride, beautiful views, and the strong Sacramento River. We are literally 1 street over from the river. Our neighborhood is full of beautiful cherry blossom trees, and the sound of nothing but the birds chirping and the leaves whistling as the breeze gently blows through them.

All of these incredible things just make me feel more blessed, and thankful that on days like these, I can take off on foot and enjoy nature as God intended. How can I not smile after this?

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

Today was a day of realization, and even a bit of motivation. I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and how I have completely fallen off the bandwagon. My original idea of a "photo of the day", is a bit, shall we say... cumbersome. Some days, you might smile because of something someone said or did, etc. It isn't always "tangible", and therefore, impossible to capture with a photograph. I have continued to ponder this blog dilemma for quite some time now...

Tonight Josh and I watched the movie, It's Kind Of A Funny Story. The story revolves around a 16 year old kid who is stressed to the max with all the drama that comes with high school: college decisions, applications, grades, pressure, girls, etc. The list could go on forever, but we have all been there so no need to elaborate for further understanding. This kid feels that he has it so rough, he is contemplating suicide. As he thinks about jumping off a bridge, he pictures his mother, father, and younger sister. Instead of jumping, he rides his bike to the nearest Psych Ward and admits himself. He ends up being in the ward for 5 days. In these five days, he meets all different people, with all different problems, stories, and lives. To make a long story short, at the end of his 5 days, multiple people emotionally touch him, and as a result he ends up touching almost every single patient and changes the outlook of many.

While I can't completely put myself in this kid's shoes, I can definitely take something away from this somewhat cheesy but otherwise great movie... never let a moment go by without appreciating who and what you have in life, take the time to make someone else smile, and never underestimate the small things.

As I sat here with the credits rolling, I thought to myself "what a great story line; A life lesson that should be shared with others." As you might predict, this is where my brain connected my long-lost blog to the movie. I came to the conclusion that this blog is a "small thing", a small thing that I enjoy; why should I let the inability to define every day with a photograph get in my way of not doing something that I enjoy? Along that same line, if there is something that makes me smile, but isn't tangible, why shouldn't I share it?

The realization today is this: no matter what, a smile is a smile and therefore, always worthwhile to share with others. From now on, my postings may or may not be "tangible" photographic memories. They will instead be memories that I will "photograph" in my mind to keep with me at all times.

Smiles!

Chosen Family!

Not very often in life do you find someone who not only is your best childhood friend, but your maid of honor at your wedding, and your friend for life. I was lucky enough to find my best friend in second grade.

About a month ago, I saw this card at the store that read "A Good Friend will know how you take your coffee"..."With Booze in it". It was such a fun, cute card, all I could think of was Krysti. I dropped the card in the mail. A few days later I got a message on facebook from her thanking me for the card but more importantly telling me that she actually purchased the same card for me but had lost in the middle of moving Cole, so she bought another one and sent that instead. She knew when she received the card that it read familiarly but didn't realize why until she thought deep about it. She made it her goal to find the card.

Today, I received the card it the mail. What an amazing feeling to have a friend that lives in a different city, at a different stage in life, but through lifes ups and downs, I can count on her to be there and know exactly whats on my mind.

As the saying goes, friends are chosen family, and this girl... I would chose over and over again.

Welcome Ling!

We are so excited to have Ling-Ka visit us! She is headed our way on Thursday evening. For quite some time now, the guest bedroom has become our... laundry pile. So, today Josh and I pulled the huge pile of clothes out of the guest bedroom, put them in the living room and watched a movie while we chipped away at the mountain of clean clothes. We actually had a really nice time even though we were doing chores.

All I have to say is we are ready! Welcome Ling!

Wake Boarding Time!

Josh and I were planning on having a nice relaxing weekend at home, but when Caleb and Andrea invited us to go wake boarding on Shasta Lake, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Wow. Is all I have to say about wake boarding. Unfortunately neither Josh or I were able to get up, but it sure was a fun day at the lake. We tried wake boarding and then enjoyed their new 4 person tube! We stayed at the lake until dark. We had a nice day and was kissed by the sun. :-)

Happy Meals!

As I mentioned in a earlier post, Josh and I have made it our goal to do more things with Paige and Spencer. When I was a kid, I really enjoyed doing things with my aunts and uncles and want to pass that down to our nieces and nephews as well.

Tonight we decided to take Paige and Spencer to go see Despicable Me. What a fun night! We spoiled them rotten with popcorn, soda, and the movie, but that wasn't it. After a tub of popcorn and the movie was over they were hungry for dinner. Opps. Little did we know they hadn't eaten before we picked them up. We asked what they wanted, all the only thing the of course wanted was "Happy Meals!!". So, we continued the fattening/spoiling and took them to McDonald's. After McDonald's, we headed back to our house and hung out a little more. We watched Giant Iron Man while Spence fell asleep on the couch.

All in all, we had a great time :-)

The Works Bomb!

Every company has their own way of getting new jobs/customers/sales, etc. At the end of June, we moved buildings and now share a building with an engineering company. They are a fun group of people, very friendly and include us in their team events.

We, DermStore peeps, we a little intrigued/worried when they invited us to meet them out side to "blow up a plant". At 10:30 am, we headed out to the back patio where we found a homemade "bomb" made of The Works toilet bowl cleaner, tin foil, and a two liter container under the plant. The trick is to make 10-15 small foil balls, stick them in the two liter, pour a little of The Works in the 2 liter bottle as well, give it a little shake, and get to a safe distance. With a big BOOM! we were in business :-)

The story behind the Plant explosion was this: Last time they found a dead plant in the office, they threw it away. Within minutes of throwing the plant away their phones were ringing off the hook. This time after finding another dead plant, they decided to take it up another notch. Instead of just throwing it away, they thought they would blow it up and see if they could get more bigger and better jobs. Time will tell!

Fun, expected event in the work place!

Grill Master

Question: Who loves coming home after a long day of work, to a bbq chicken dinner with your hubby?

Answer: I do!

New Endeavor!

Lately, I have been having a really hard time. Work has definitely gotten the best of me. Almost 2 weeks ago, I was given an ultimatum, move to LA or lose my job. After much consideration, I came to the conclusion that I am not going to be happy in the LA office. Therefore, I sit here today, every day, worrying about when my job is going to end and if I am going to be able to make it work. I have a tremendous husband that will help me along the way, even financially, but for anyone that knows me, knows that that isn't going to sit well with me. Whether it be a good trait or bad, I am not sure, as I have seen my independence both work for me and against me.

One thing that I have always wanted was my own business. I have thought and thought, and forced myself to come up with ideas that were just never feasible. A couple months ago, I had this idea that just clicked. As with anything it will need some details to figure it all out, but it is definitely feasible, and a great start up as there is very little up front costs. I feel excited about this endeavor. I feel that my current job situation is going to be OK. I feel like my current situation will drop me straight into the front seat of this new endeavor. Without my current job, I wouldn't have had the experience, or idea to even think about this endeavor. I feel lucky to have gotten the experience that I have and continue to get until the day that DermStore decides that I am no longer needed.

Until then, I will continue to keep my head up and strive for something that I have always wanted. Life works in mysterious ways, things seem to work out in a way that you want. :-) Today I was able to work on planning out the details and even working on my website!

July 4th!

Today is July 4th - Independence Day. With a tradition of family dinners and fireworks, this one was no different; with exception of the lobster tails!

Cindy and Randy's wedding anniversary was back in February. We have been wanting to do a special dinner of lobster and steak fillets since then to celebrate. Unfortunately getting them to both have a night off along with the rest of us just hasn't happened. Well, due to the 4th, they both had the day off, so this year we combined our efforts.

Andrea and I were in charge of the kitchen while Caleb was in charge of the grill. Garlic mashed potatoes, bread, corn on the cob, fillets, lobster, and even some chicken filled the counter. What an amazing dinner! I think I gained 5 lbs last night, but it was sure worth it. The lobster tail was a smidgen over-cooked, but we had such a great time making it. We've got it down for next time! :-)

On the way home from Cindy and Randy's, Josh and I stopped at a perfect corner, got out of the car and watched the fireworks. Perfect end to a nice day!

Uncle Joshie's Friend

Today, Andy turned 28! HOLY MOLY! How time flies. I can't believe he will be 30 in just 2 short years. Today was also Caleb's birthday, he turned 31.

Since this is 4th of July weekend, we have Monday off! yah! 3 day weekend! I have a lot of stuff around the house, and errands to run, but since I have 3 days to do it, i figure that I would play today :-)

In October when Josh and I got married, I inherited a niece and a nephew. Paige, 9 years old, and Spencer 5 years old. Since they were a little older when we started dating, I was just a "friend" of Uncle Josh's in their eyes, not quite an aunt. And I can say that I have that same feeling too.

I absolutely love kids, and have made it my goal to do more with Paige and Spencer. I want to make the bond between us feel more like family and less like "Uncle Joshie's friend". So today, I decided to steal Paige for some girl time. We went to the mall, the toy store and last, but definitely not least, Michaels! I wanted to do something with Paige that brought out her creativity as well as something tangible that we made together for her to have. We went up and down each isle and found the perfect project - a little shoulder bag that we could decorate. We had a TON of fun doing it, and got some much needed bonding done :-)

Cleaning? No... I say dancing instead!!

Today, lets sum it up in a few words: Friday, start of 3 day weekend, off work early. I LOVE today! I was going to get all the cleaning and housework out of the way this evening that way I could have the rest of the weekend free to do whatever with. For me, the only way to clean is with the music cranking and some dancing as you go. (I have learned that the vacuum can be a pretty good dance partner, you just have to lead and it will follow!)

Minding my own business, I was cleaning, dancing, and let's not forget singing at the top of my lungs, all when Josh comes into the living room. He began laughing at me, but didn't realize that him laughing came with some hot water.

How did he redeem himself, you ask? Let's just say that I was able to let the vacuum sit a couple of songs out!! :-)

Mr. Fix It!

2 weeks ago, I had to call our landlords and ask them to come and fix the sprinklers. While they are the nicest people in the world, I still hate having to call them to fix things. Needless to say, Bob came out and fixed our sprinklers, no problem.

Last weekend I was mowing the lawn, and yep, you guessed it, broke the damn sprinkler that Bob just fixed. Whining with my tail between my legs, I definately didn't want to call Bob and tell him what I did.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a determined individual. So, without knowing a thing about sprinklers, I head out to the yard trying to figure out #1, how these things work, #2, what is actually broke, and #3 how to fix it! Well, I grabbed the broken head and googled it. (Side note - I love that "googled it" is a verb in this day and age). I figured out #2 - the connector from the pipe to the head is what broke. With learning that, I think that to solve #3 all I need is a new connector, and now, quite frankly, who cares about #1 cause I think I can fix it now!

Now that I have all that figured out, it is time to get the connector out of the pipe in the ground to replace it. Well.... good luck. This is a major problem. I couldn't get it out. It was about this time that my Knight in Shining Armor comes to rescue me. Josh used a chisle (which I thought he was nuts for trying), and actually got the connector out! Not only did he do it, he did it in like 2 minutes flat!

So off to #3. We head to Lowes to buy a new connector. $0.28 later, and we were out the door with our connector. We got home, screwed it into the pipe and the head into the connector, and turn the spriklers on. Voila!!! Sprinklers fixed, and I don't have to call Bob! All thanks to my handsome Knight in Shining Armor :-)

Blast from the Past!

Who loves a lemonade-pop? Josh and Ashley do! This past week has been the hottest week of the year so far and boy has it been hot. We have been in the 3 digits all week. I happened to be putting away dishes yesterday and found the homemade popsicle container and sticks. I couldn't help myself... i just had to make some. The lemonade was fresh in the fridge and calling my name, so lemonade-pops it was!

What a blast from the past! I remember these popsicles as a kid, we would use anything that we had in the fridge at the time, iced tea-pops were always a fave... I may just have to do those next :-)

Welcome Summer!

Slacker!

It appears that I have been immensely slacking on my photos of the day. Life has been rather chaotic with weekend plans, long days, and work going... well... not as planned. Excuses, excuses, I know. So, here we go again. Tomorrow I jump back into my photographic moments and post my photo of the day. Today, I must admit that I was not "camera ready", and wasn't able to snap a photo of the day, so you will just have to enjoy one of my new faves of Josh and I at the Doobie Brothers/Chicago concert a couple weekends ago with Dad, Rose, Andy and Cristi. Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and PS; yes, that is a beer bottle in the picture... a $7.00 beer bottle to be exact. Ouch! Concerts are expensive to drink at!

"You Use a Flowbee!"

I am not even sure that I can fully explain the comedy behind this picture. All I have to say is "a blast from the past... the flowbee". Its so funny how things come around full circle.

As I mentioned in my previous "The Norm"! posting, it isn't every day that you can laugh about random things that some how tie to your life. Growing up, my Dad had purchased a hair cutting device called the flowbee. You may or may not be aware of what this is, but basically it attaches to your vacuum and has a blade like a razor. You position this end piece on the end of the flowbee which deciphers the length that you want to cut your hair. You turn on the vacuum, it sucks up your hair, and while sucking, cuts any hair that is long enough to reach the blade. Its an at home haircut with no cleanup. The day of "The Norm"! posting, Josh and I were joking around about him needing a hair cut. I mentioned that I used to cut Andy's and could cut his too. He busts out laughing and says "with what, a flowbee?". I know this may not seem all that hilarious to anyone on the outside; however... I literally was in stitches. I laughed and laughed and told Josh how Dad is on his second flowbee (the first one broke, he liked it so much that he bought a second one). We have continued to laugh about that since that day.

The story gets better. Tonight, Grandma and Grandpa are in town so Dad and Rose invited us over for dinner with everyone. As we are sitting at the dinner table, we were discussing how everyone has their quarks. Dad teases us by saying that he can't think of any quarks that he has. Without skipping a beat, Rose says "You use a flowbee!". INSTANTLY Josh and I burst into laughter. (Still chuckling just thinking about it!). We had to bring Dad up to speed on the events that occurred with Josh and I to explain our continual laughing. Just when we thought the laughs were over, Grandma felt the urge to ask what a flowbee was. Dad got up from the table to fully demonstrate the flowbee.

STILL LAUGHING!!!!

First "Real" Bike Ride!

Today was such a BEAUTIFUL day! Finally, after a couple busy weeks, and finally getting all the equipment I needed, I was able to take my new bike on a "real" ride! What a great first ride! I met Dad and Rose down at the River Trail, and we rode 13 miles along the Sacramento River. Located on this trail is not only the gorgeous views of the awesome river, but also my favorite spot in Redding, the Sundial Bridge.

We not only had an amazing time, but I feel in love with my bike and the trail! I will for sure be doing this as often as possible!

AWESOME first "real" bike ride!

The Queen BeeOtch has Returned!

Yes, I said it, The Queen BeeOtch has come for a visit. Boy have I missed Janice. She is one of those people that just make you laugh, no matter what situation you are in. I say the "Queen BeeOtch", because Janice took me under her wing back when I was 19 working at Hallmark in the mall. She has a few more years of life under her belt than I do, and she taught me at a young age many things about myself. I have always been a strong individual, but it is because of the people who surround you that make you the person you are today. Janice taught me a lot about standing up for yourself and the things that you feel strong about. We used to joke about this saying that she was the "Queen BeeOtch" while I was the just the "Junior" in training. Throughout the 6 years of our friendship, the nicknames of Queen BeeOtch aka QB and Junior BeeOtch aka JB have stuck.

This weekend, as I have already posted was Rodeo week, and Saturday night was the night of the Rodeo. What a GREAT time. Boy do I miss that girl. We picked up right where we left off as if she never moved away and as if we talked daily. Lots of laughs as always. GREAT NIGHT!

Pancake Breakfast!

Rodeo week in Redding, CA! Each year, there is a crew of "Asphalt Cowboys" that put on a whole show. They stage a bank robbery, then hide a "loot" that the town searches for all week worth $500, and then do a pancake breakfast on Friday. Today is Friday, and therefore was the pancake breakfast! The Asphalt Cowboys literally close down Market Street (reminds me of 4th of Julys in MS), and serve pancakes to thousands of people. Last year was a record breaking year of 11,000 people. Halfway through this morning they were estimating that we were going to set a new record!

The above picture is of one of the asphalt cowboys, literally, stirring the pancake batter with a paddle because it has to be so long. All the mixed batter is in the 5 gallon paint buckets. LOL! Ahh.... the perks of living in a small, redneck town.

Janice will be here tomorrow for the rodeo. 5th row baby! So excited!

Baby Gus!

Being stuck at work on a beautiful spring day is nothing but the worst. However, when you have a surprise visit from you friend, Leanna and her adorable baby, Gus, it just makes the day SO much better!

Baby Gus is so sweet and adorble! It was so nice to hang out with them today!!

Sleepy Time!

Allergy season has been hitting me hard, especially in the sleep department. For the past two weeks sleeping has been extremely hard. I was so incredibly tired yesterday, that I even had trouble sleeping last night, ironic. Today, I just needed some sleep, and I got it.

I snuggled up on the couch this afternoon and took a long nap. Hopefully I will sleep good tonight, and be as fresh as new tomorrow!

Cowgirl Up!

YeeHaw!! Redding Rodeo is back in town, and I am ready to cowgirl it up! I ordered the tickets a little while back and finally got them in the mail. My good friend, Janice is headed to town and we are going to rock the rodeo like we did in the good ol' days.

Janice and I used to hit the Redbluff, Redding, and Yreka rodeos annually until Janice moved away to Klamath Falls. This year, we are going to play it up and make up for all the rodeos missed. This rodeo is on Saturday night. So excited!

The Love of a Mother and Daughter!

Another great day! Mom and I drove around Riverside a little bit to check it out, and then decided to head to Ontario where we hit the Ontario Mills Mall. There are many many things I miss about not living minutes away from my Mom, but for some reason, shopping is high on the list. So, to be able to walk through the mall, chatting about everything, and shop all at the same time with her... it was a blast.

We found the Fossil store (So exciting!) where Mom bought us both ADORABLE new purses, and we bought the boys new wallets. We ran to JC Penny to buy matching wallets and then had to head back to the airport for me to fly back to reality. :-(

All in all, the day was amazing. Can't wait to do it again!

Lady in Red!

On Saturday Mom and I had a BLAST. The day started with a great breakfast at the hotel, and then shopping the little shops and street fairs of downtown Riverside. We found the most awesome antique shop. It was clean, smelled nothing of a "normal antique shop", had nice items, and 4 stories high! We stumbled upon the perfect tea set display that I will use for Grandma's tea set that Mom gave me at my wedding shower, a tea cup for her personal collection as well as a "Mother" hankie. We saw these crazy hats, and I couldn't help myself but snap this picture of Mom being Lady in Red.

After we did all our shopping, we headed back to the hotel where we lounged by the pool for a few hours, vodka-cran in hands, and then off to our 80 minute massages! We first sat in the Eucalyptus steam room (I still can't decided if I liked that or not; however, my skin loved it!), and then were escorted to our personal villa were we, i do believe were in Heaven. The massage was absolutely amazing, we didn't want to leave. But... they kicked us out. So, we headed for the jacuzzi, shared a bottle of wine and chatted for hours.

SUCH AN AMAZING DAY!

Finally Arrived!

After weeks of anticipation I finally arrived at the Ontario airport where Mom picked me up for our spa weekend! We arrived at the Riverside Inn late Friday night. We unpacked our bags and chatted til wee hours in the morning. SO much fun!

We also instituted a couple new traditions. Annually we will be planning a girls getaway weekend. As you can see the in the above picture, Mom purchased a blow fish wine cork. Each year, we will be getting a new wine cork to symbolize that year's trip.

Not often enough do I get mommy time. So excited that we were able to make this trip happen!

Packed and Ready to Go!

I feel like a kid at a candy shop! Bouncing off the walls, I am so excited!

Tomorrow I fly out of Sacramento to Riverside for a spa weekend with my Momma!! I have a feeling that sleeping tonight might be a little on the tough side. My bag is packed, waiting on my makeup and bathroom accessories, and I am ready to go!

YAH!!!!!

Cinco de Tequila, anyone?

As you can see, this white girl is definitely not of Mexican decent. Therefore, I can not say that I can celebrate my Mexican heritage or pride. This holiday commemorates the Mexican's unlikely defeat over French forces at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The celebrations are mostly limited to the state of Puebla, where the victory represents a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism.

So the question is; what are we celebrating here in the United States as caucasians living in America? Unity of the Mexicans? Well, since I am not Mexican I can't truly "celebrate" the army's victory, or the unity of a race that I am not a part of. I can however, completely appreciate and partake in the perfected liquor of the Mexican culture. So today, i say Cinco de Tequila, anyone?!?

H - HO - HOR - HORS - HORSE!

Can you say HORSE?!

I sure can say it, spell it, and shoot it. Today was another beautiful Spring day, so this evening Josh and I headed to the school down the street from our house to shoot some hoops.

2 out of 3 games, Josh kicked my butt. (Little does he know I was going easy on him ;-) But... that will just be our little secret; let him have his dignity of not losing to a girl!

All in all, I am extremely rusty! My good ol' 3 point shot is a bit... well... off. Guess I am just going to have to practice more!

Refreshing Spring!

A day late and a dollar short. Sometimes, that is the way it goes.

Yesterday (yes, yesterday) was such a beautiful day that I couldn't help but get a drop of sunshine after work. I called up Lorie and we headed out the the McConnell Foundation for a walk. 3 1/4 miles felt AMAZING. So refreshing! After sitting all day long at work, it feels so great to get the blood flowing, especially on a beautiful day, chatting with a great friend.

I wish Spring was year round and we could avoid the rain and the summer heat. I guess I truly am a spring baby!

Looking Good!

When you look good, you feel good!

Today I had a really nice day with Josh and his family. We had a wonderful day, and a great dinner; good food, good company. Its always nice to get your husband's family members better. I got to spend a little more time today getting to know Josh's aunt and uncle, Ron and Paula, and grandmother, Dale, and mom, Cindy.

It's so nice to be able to go to dinner and have all sorts of conversations all while getting to know family better.

Snikerdoodles!

What a GREAT Saturday! Breakfast with my hubby, a ride around the neighborhood on my new bike, a new outfit from Ross, a visit with my friend, Lorie, a couple movies cuddled on the couch with Josh, and a huge batch of Snikerdoodles!

What else to say other than, my life is awesome!

Kids Say the Darnest Things!

A good ol' Friday night in Redding, CA; what else but a couple games of bowling?! Tonight, Josh, Casey, Caleb, Paige and myself headed to Shasta lanes to "knock some pins down".

Paige is such a cute kid. She has a great personality, and as the saying goes "Kids say the darnest things." She had us chuckling all evening long with her silly, funny comments such as "1 quarter, 3 gum balls! A Strike! Perfect Night! Booyah!"

Kids DO say the darnest things!

Unexpected Visits!

How often do you get numerous unexpected visits throughout the day from friends and/or family?! Well, today was apparently my day!

My friend Leanna, and her handsome little one, Gus stopped by the office today! Since she no longer works in office with us, we don't get to see her often enough! Little did I know, my unexpected visits weren't over for the day!

Dad had some free time tonight, so came and hung out with Josh and I for dinner! He was craving burgers, so we had a good ol' fashioned bbq dinner. I absolutely love living in the same town as him again. Its SO nice to get to have "drop by" visits with him. :-)

All in all... fantastic day!

The Little Things!

What can I say? Sometimes it's the little things that make a rough day a little better. Today, a glass wine was the little thing that helped me finish the evening in a nice relaxed mood. Thanks to Trader Joes for the Two Buck Chuck!

Scentsy!

I am a candle lover just as anyone, so when I was invited to my friend's "Scentsy Party", I was intrigued. Not only would I be able to do some new candle shopping, but I would also be able to see my friend, and her beautiful 7 month old son.

So, tonight was the party, and I learned all about these new wick-less candles. How cool! Is all I can say. These are very similar to a tart burner; however they use light bulbs, and the wax heats to a point where the scent emanates from the wax, but doesn't get so hot that it would burn you if you touch it. Since this wax heats by the light bulb, it does need electricity, it isn't a fire hazard like a lit wick is. One thing that is unique that I am super excited about, is that they have a burner that is similar to a night light! I ordered this as well as 3 wonderful scents!

All in all, I am very excited about getting my new Scentsys', and had a great time visiting with a good friend, and seeing that handsome little boy!

"The Norm"!

Sometimes there is nothing "out of the norm" that you can capture with a camera that makes you smile. You can't photograph the conversation between you and your husband about the "flowbee" (laughing out loud as I write this), or the conversation with your friend about Oklahoma, the musical, which brought back memories to seeing this favorite musical with your mom when you were a kid.

As I sat here this evening thinking about all my smiles I had for the day, I came to realize that the photographic moment for today was a picture of my everday life. Not often enough do I realize, "the norm" is what brings about the most everyday smiles.

Backyard Potty Break!

You know a day is going to turn out great when you get to sleep in, and when you do finally wake up, it is to the sound of birds chirping and the sun peaking through your blinds. Today was such a beautiful day, that we couldn't help but find ourselves wanting to be outside.

Josh and I had a wonderful time today. We decided that since it was beautiful, we would grab the card game, Phase 10, a couple of beers and head outside for some relaxing fun. We had a GREAT time. This picture is just a reminder of the fun day we had. Josh was having such a good time that he just couldn't leave for a second. He decided that apparently, our big tree out back needed to be his restroom... He giggled the entire time as I took it upon myself to take advantage of this photographic moment!

Little Black Dress!

Today Josh and I headed up to Mount Shasta to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. What a great day! We brought them a nice dinner and enjoyed a great visit. Grandma and Grandpa told us numerous stories about their dating days and stories throughout their kids growing up. Toward the end of the night, they told us the story of how they met, and their secrets of how they "wooed" each other. Grandma told us how she bought this special black dress on layaway to impress grandpa and his family. She bought this dress for the date where she met grandpa's brother and sister-in-law. She made weekly payments for a total of $110 back in 1952.

Grandpa decided to head down to the basement because he could have sworn that grandma and I were about the same figure when she wore this dress... little did I know, he was right! Seeing the look on their face while wearing the dress was precious... completely priceless.

Pranksters!

Not everyday in the office is filled with laughter and good times. Majority of the time, my day is filled with a never ending task list that continues to get longer and longer as the minutes go by.

Today, however, was different. The pranksters strike again! Jordan, our "top man on campus" seems to always be the brunt of the pranks, most likely because he has a great sense of humor and is the "top man on campus". Today, a few of the girls at work decided that Jordan's new office needed to be broken in... with balloons, shipping popcorn, streamers, and other odds and ends. Quite the surprise for him when he came in to a "new and improved" office!! Great way to say "Happy Friday!" and get some good laughs out of everyone!

Reservations Made!

What could be more awesome than spending an evening in a gorgeous hotel with restaurants and shopping, and a scheduled appointment for an 80 minute massage? ... Doing it with your Momma!

Today I finalized and reserved our plans for a mother/daughter spa weekend to celebrate my beautiful mother. Not only does this hotel look AMAZING, it includes shopping, food (of significant amounts), and a spa!

As you can imagine, I am super excited about all the above. Excited to spend some quality time with my mom, excited to have a massage, excited to go on a weekend getaway to a beautiful hotel, excited to do a little shopping, and eat some fantastic food! What's not to smile about all this?!

Spring is Here!

In the past 4 years, I have killed numerous plants from calla lilies to roses, from grass to large plants. Lets face it; me and foliage are just not meant to work together.

A year and a half ago, I moved into my first "real" house. With this house rental, I inherited 3 mature rose bushes. Well guess what guys?!? I haven't killed these yet!

Today I found my first blooming rose of the season! Beautiful, bright red! Glad I didn't do too much damage with my first year of pruning. :-)

The Beginning

For those of you who know, or don't know me, let me recap. I enjoy the small things in life, the beauty that surrounds me, the family and friends who know and love me, the daily adventures that I embark on, and the all-around life I live. I like to consider myself creative, but tend to get in ruts and not sure how to embrace it sometimes.

Today I have been inspired by a friend. We spoke about finding the things in life that we enjoy doing, are good at and make a living out of it. While that is much easier said than done; there is one thing that is easy in that statement: Find the things you enjoy and run with them.

I decided to do just that. I took a moment tonight to think about what I really enjoy. The first thing that comes to mind is being creative. I can not pin point my creativity to just one thing. So, to make this easy, inspirational, and uplifting, I decided I needed to come up with something that I could do on a daily basis that I would find enjoyment in all while having time to fit it into my busy days.

Starting tomorrow, I will post one picture daily of something that makes me smile, laugh or think of something wonderful. I will share my thoughts or stories that go along with each picture.

Remember, find the things you enjoy and run with them!