California

Ok, ok so I only did one entry about my California trip!! I'm so sorry, but we were really busy and then when I got home it was back to life (a.k.a work)! However, I wanted you to know that I made a few videos on my trip, so you can see all the trips we made. To see these videos just go to my Youtube channel. Please check them out and rate/comment if you feel so moved! LOL I had lots of fun making the videos (and I discovered my computer has a nifty little movie making program, so I was able to add effects and transitions!! Yay me!! LOL), so enjoy!!

Also, I took tons of pictures, which you can still find on my Myspace page. Just click on my picture and then go to the California photo album!! I meant to post a bunch of them for WWWAT, but I got back late Tuesday night and Wednesday was insane, so alas, I did not get to post. :( Oh well, maybe next time. :D

Napa Valley, California

So, today (Friday) we headed out and went to wine country - Napa Valley, California!! The land here is much different then I remember/thought it would be. It's insanely flat around Modesto, being the valley, but as we drove towards Napa we encountered the hills, and saw the mountains in the distance.
Our first stop was Sweetie Pies, a cute little bakery/cafe in downtown Napa. They have an amazing selection of individual pies, cakes, tarts, and other homemade goodies that all look so amazingly good! Then we walked around downtown a bit. I took this picture of a cute church in downtown:

We'd planned to go see a geyser not too far from Napa, so we decided it was time to head that way. The geyser is called the Old Faithful Geyser of California. As the geyser erupts it makes beautiful rainbows!

Here we are in front! The sun was shining and, try as we might, we just could not escape the shadow on the face shots! LOL

They also run a "petting zoo" at the geyser sight, so we saw . . .

Fainting Goats, that sadly did not faint for us:

Four Horned Sheep:

And Llamas!!

Afterwards we decided to head back to Modesto, and that's when we saw the smoke. Yes, a wildfire had broken out in the 45 mins we were at the geyser. It was kind of sad, because it was near houses (beautiful houses), but being the tourist I took a few shots (yes morbid, I know). So here's the plume:

So as we left the sun was setting over the vineyards . . .

and the windmills . . .

And that was our day in Napa! Tomorrow we're off to Lake Tahoe. It's going to be cold, with possible snow in the morning! Needless to say I didn't exactly pack for this kind of weather, so layers are my friends! But they're having an Oktoberfest celebration in Tahoe City, so we'll be checking that out. I can't wait, and will take tons of pictures, so come back later to check them out!!

P.S. For more pictures of Napa, check out my MySpace page and the California picture album!

Greetings from . . .

CALIFORNIA!

Yes I am officially on vacation in the lovely state of California, visiting a friend for 6 days. I hope to have lots of things to tell you and lots of pictures to post. Nothing today, as I just arrive very late last night. However, I wanted to share my excitement with those that come upon my blog. :D So enjoy your week, and I'll keep you posted!!

WWWAT: Beginnings & Endings

I'm very proud of myself this episode of WWWAT. I actually knew, almost immediately what I would post. Fortunately my niece had her first birthday not too long ago, so I thought she'd make the perfect subject! Check out Crystal's Blog for more great stories about this cutie, and some great makeup tips & reviews too!!

Ok so, I can't take credit for this one, but you can't talk about beginnings without having a picture of her immediately after birth.

Here's the cake at the beginning of the celebration. Looks good, right?

Yeah, she thought so too!

Yum, yum! The end of that cake, and the beginning of her first sugar rush.

New clothes before opening the wonderful presents.

So this is the end of my post of her beginnings! For more great entries rush over to Rachel's Blog and check out Mr. Linky!

Another day older, another second wiser. . .

MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com
Birthday Comments

Yep, that's right today is THE day. I am officially 26, and starting that gumption thing I mentioned earlier. LOL It's not as easy as it sounds, but I'm determined to try and take it day by day. So, wish me luck, blow out a candle for me, and have a wonderful day, on me!!

I know I'm late. . .WWWAT!!

So, my "different view" is not different for me, but rather different for you. Yes you, all you bloglanders, who can't see what I see. Now you can!!

Reading

Blogging

Texting

(yes, I was typing nonsense)

The inner sanctum

a.k.a inside my purse

For more different views, head over to Rachel's Blog and check out the other, on time, entries. ;)

Another year, another plan.

Well, in exactly 6 days is my birthday. 26 - it's just a number, right? Honestly, I've never been overly obsessed/depressed with getting older, but this year it seems extra hard. I just want to stay 25, is that okay? It's not so much the number, I guess, but rather the personal expectations that I had placed on my life and these numbers. You know, the mental conversations you have at ages 18-20, "Oh by the time I'm 25 I'll have a fabulous job, I'll be traveling, I'll have a boyfriend/fiance/husband, blah blah blah blah. . ." Then reality hits at ages 23-25 and it sucks!! LOL

Now the mental conversation is, "OMG I'LL BE 30 IN FOUR YEARS!!!!" Which is not old, nor the end of the world (and we all know that 30 is the new 20), but you know that time flies, and if you want to achieve the goals in life that you wanted to achieve at 25 (which have now been pushed to 30) you'd better get rolling!! It's at this point in time that it's good to be reminded that God is in control of every little detail. It's His timing our life's clock is set to, not our own.

Slight topic change! LOL

I've been thinking a lot about gumption. If you've seen the movie, "The Holiday," you know that gumption is the main theme of this movie. I LOVE that movie. I saw it again recently and that whole idea of gumption really resonated with me. My favorite scene is when Iris is having dinner with Arthur and part of their conversation goes like this:

Arthur: "Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend."

Iris: "You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake! Arthur, I've been going to a therapist for three years, and she's never explained things to me that well. That was brilliant. Brutal, but brilliant."

Then the other day I finished reading Gone With The Wind (longest read of my life, btw!) and as I read the "About the Author" section, they had a quote from and interview Margaret Mitchell had with her publisher. When the publisher asked her what the novel was about, she replied, "if the novel has a theme it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong and brave, go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption.' So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't."

So my goal for this 26th year of mine is to be the leading lady of my own life and to have more gumption. I think I've lacked some of that in my life, and it's time for some change. It's now or never, right? I don't really know what this will look like completely, but part of it is that I'm not going to be afraid to go for what I want. For the present that means applying for jobs that maybe I don't feel like I am capable of getting, but would love to get. If the job is meant to be, God will open the door. If it's not meant to be, then He'll close it, and I'll try the next one.

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Nothing too bad here! My life is pretty boring. . . LOL

Just something pretty.

So for those of you who don't know me as well as others, I am OBSESSED with So You Think You Can Dance during the summer. I think there is a hidden dancer inside of me that never had the opportunity to be released (long story. let's just say I had a sheltered childhood) and now I have to live vicariously through the dancers on SYTYCD. Last season was really amazing, and I am a HUGE fan now of the choreographer Mia Micheals. I think lyrical dance is my absolute favorite, and I just wish I could move like they do. So here's my favorite dance from last season featuring a song by Elisa called "Dancing."

The girl in the previous video, Lacey Schwimmer, was one of my favorite dancers. Well now Elisa is releasing a new U.S. album, and in honor of that her website has created a new video featuring Lacey. It's so pretty too, that I had to share, so enjoy!!

Hope your summer is full of beauty and art!!

WWWAT - Summertime

Summer is my favorite season and my favorite time of year. As a southerner summer always seems to bring lazier days, and life as I wish it could always be. My favorite part about southern summers are summer storms. Sadly I have no pictures of these glorious storms, but I do have a few other favorite things about summer, so they'll have to do.

Bright Colors!!

Fabulous sandals!!

Barefeet AND dips in the pool!!

Enjoy your summer and hop on over to Rachel's blog to check out the other entries!

R. Kelly found Not Guilty.

Not having actually been in the courthouse, is it awful that I am shocked and disappointed in this verdict? I think he's guilty. There I said it. Maybe I bought into the hype, or maybe he really was framed. I guess the only thing we'll really know was that there was enough doubt for the jury to find him not guilty.
Care to discuss/share your opinion? Please do, I'm all ears.

*Warning*

*The following is me, venting. I admit there are other things *cough*hormones*cough* going on with me right now, but this is how they manifested, so I'm venting.*

You know, I try to let little comments roll off my back, mainly because they're coming from a toddler and so I recognize that he is venting his frustrations the only way he knows how, but turning four made things worse. I hoped things would get better, but turning four has gone to his head. He thinks he's all grown up now, Mr. Independent, and therefore takes tones when he speaks, does things without telling anyone, and yeah basically acts like he's twenty-four. The way he talks now is what is very irritating. He's so rude! Not foul mouthed, yet, but just the tone of his voice and the way he says things, it's like having a sulky teenager in the house.
I didn't let the running away when he saw me pull up to the house, effect me, because I knew he was just upset that the parents were leaving, but you know when he looks right at you and says, "I don't like you" it kind of hurts, especially when it happens not 5 minutes after walking into the house, and you haven't even spoken to him. Honestly it makes me want to quit right now. Who cares if I have another job lined up, screw it all!! (OK I'm too "responsible" for that, but seriously, would you stay at a job where you're put down?)
I know, I know, tomorrow is another day and sure enough he'll do something completely sweet and win me over again, but I just needed to vent, and not keep it inside. So I hope all you out there are having a wonderful day, and just know, even if I don't know you, I like you. :)

Too sad for words.

For those of you familiar with the world of Christian music, the name Stephen Curtis Chapman will be known to you. Sadly, his youngest daughter was hit and killed by a car yesterday. As if that couldn't get any worse, the car that hit her was being driven by her teenage brother. Those of you that believe in prayer, please pray for this family. She was only 5 years old, and one of the three little girls the Chapman family has adopted from China.
My hearts and prayers go out to them.

Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was excellent. Everything I had planned for my mom went smoothly, and I was completely exhausted afterwards! LOL The entire weekend was rather busy for me. The two older kids had multiple sporting events, and Sunday was not only Mother's Day it was also the little one's 4th birthday!
Monday was the 14th birthday of the oldest, and we all celebrated with a dinner out. Do you know how difficult it is to shop for a 14 year old? It's that age where everything they use to like they hate, and everything they want to like is not quite age appropriate for them yet. Thankfully in times like this, girls always love jewelry!
Well I hope y'all enjoy the rest of this month, as school ends and summer officially approaches!

Tag!

Rachel tagged me, so here it goes. :)


What I was doing ten years ago: I was 15, back from the mission field for 7 months, hating high school and wishing I was back in Kazakhstan. Not a great year for me. Had my first "emotional breakdown."

Five things on my to-do list today: Work, e-mail Crystal, get M to bed on time with minimal fuss, get organized for Mother's Day, watch Grey's Anatomy.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off bills, buy new cars, buy own place, and travel.

Three of my bad habits: Reading late at night, "grazing" (a.k.a mindless eating), running late.

Five places I've lived: Abbeville, AL; Karaganda, Kazakhstan; Columbus, GA; Cleveland, TN; Athens, GA.

Five jobs I've had: PK/MK (oh yeah, it's a job), TA at a day care, babysitter, cashier at Garden Ridge, and nanny.

Five people I want to know more about: Anyone who wants to post this on their blog.

WWWAT - Self portrait

Ok, so here I am. *side note: the books in the picture are the three I'm currently reading.*


To view the other AMAZING entries go to American Mum and check them out.

So over it!

So, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the 3 year old (he'll be 4 next month! maybe things will get better?) has an issue with his pants. This has been going on for about a year, and it started with his shoes. They had to be SUPER tight and if they weren't tight enough he'd go into full temper tantrum mode. Now he'll only wear his Crocs and he has to wear socks with them. So then the "issue" moved to his pants/shirts. First he wanted to wear the pants that were so tight I almost couldn't button them, and for his shirts all the buttons had to be buttoned (yes even the top one on polo shirts). Then he decided he didn't like any shirts and pants that buttoned. So now all he'll wear is t-shirts and pants with elastic waistbands. His mom and I thought it was a control issue, since before her or I would pick out his clothes, so we started letting him pick out his clothes, but he still only wants to wear certain pants/shirts. Recently though even the pants that he loves, and would wear every day if we'd let him, have made him start to freak out and he says, "They're falling down!!" and collapses onto the floor into hysterics. It's really becoming ridiculous, because they fit him perfectly and we're not going to put him in stuff that is going to fall off of him.
Now with the warmer weather coming we're trying to get him in shorts (because all of the pants he likes are lined jogging pants that are winter wear, and not suitable for these GA summers) and even when he picks out the shorts it's like all hell breaks loose. His poor mom has had to tell him she's going to make him go to school in his underwear, just to get him to put on clothes that are warm weather appropriate. Yes, he'll complain about being hot, when playing outside, but when I suggest that maybe he should put on some shorts, or take off his socks, he's like, "NO." and I say, "Well I can't do anything for you then." The other day I fought with him for 45 mins about it, because he wanted to go outside and the only way he could was to wear shorts (which he picked out and then freaked out over.) I know, I know pick your battles, but this one was started earlier by his mom and I felt like I needed to follow through with it, because he already tries to play us.
So, now I'm not even sure it's a control issue, but just him being stubborn. I don't know, but it sure is getting old fast! LOL If you're reading this and have any suggestions, please comment, 'cause his poor mom and I are just dying here!

The Colors of Vacation.

This is my first time participating, but I thought it would be fun. So, enjoy!



Green:



Alligator




Blue:

Kite

Life

Life is pretty normal right now, however this also equals boring and therefore nothing super interesting to post on this blog. The kids have been fine, although it's always a struggle with the 3 year old. Right now Nana is visiting so that makes for occasional interesting events. Yesterday we engaged in a full out tickle war with the 3 year old, me, the 13 year old, and Nana. At one point the 3 year old was so exhausted from laughing he said, "Oh I think I'm going to die!" Needless to say we got a great laugh from that. Other then that I've been filling in for the mom driving the kids to different sport activities. Like I said, life's pretty normal. Scary. . .

Hippity Hoppity!

MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com
Easter Comments