Lunching in Cars with Books

Somedays I like to go by and pick up a salad for lunch, go to a parking lot near work (often in front of Joann's and behind Olive Garden :)) and read. I only get a single itty bitty hour for lunch. Why is it some hours DRAG by while your lunch  hour flies on a rocket ship at wharp speeed?! Anyway on some days I would rather save the gas driving home and grab a quick meal and a good book. I don't like to be at the office if I absolutely do not have to be so a parking lot seems to be my resting place some days.

Today after waking up an houra and a half earlier to get three kids off to school on time I was too tired to do anymore driving than neccesary. I found myself at Rosa's for a nacho salad and a parking lot with my new book in hand.

Drew think's it is dangerous for me to be in a parking lot alone in a car, but I always lock my doors and am always surrounded by busy people coming and going from the shops whose parking lots I am borrowing.'

It is incredibly refreshing to sit, alone, usually completely uninterrupted for an hour a day. It reminds me of the feeling I had when I went to the movies by myself. Sometimes I just need to be reminded that I can do anything I want all by myself.

I have been on a book scour ever since finishing Bossypants. I tried to get into another Emily Giffin book but it just was not there for me. I went to Hastings the other day to see what they had going on and came across a book that my Nana has been reccomnending to me...
 it is a story about a 50 something woman's progression with Early Onset Alzheimer's... sound familiar?!  Nana found this book to be very inciteful and hopeful so I picked it up on sale.

However I am headed to the lake this weekend and did not want to spend my weekend in a ball of tears (I save that for my nights) so I came across a lovely Nora Roberts book (also on sale)...


 promsing to be romantic and light hearted... and the main character is a wedding photographer, just what I am looking for to relax with.

Tonight I am making chicken and rice for the kiddos and Kelsey and I are off to her Cheer Texas meeting!

update

I was called out for my lack of blogging this morning, (or last night, still not sure what time) from my sweet friend in Africa. THANKS WHITNEY!

This past week and coming weeks have been NIZUTS! I have shot weddings the last two weekends and am so excited with the new photos. Everywedding brings new challenges and allows for more learning. This past weekend a precious couple was married and I loved their enthusiasm while taking their photos.... Pictures to come soon!

(iphone picture from Starlight Wedding Saturday night)

I was suprised last Friday by a call from my Nana telling me they have a house here in Amarillo. Let me prefacee this by saying, that I often look at my family and am in such awe of the giving spirit that is spread throughout. We are the most tightknit group of people, sometimes we don't get along, but I am continually blessed by the immensity of Love that is shared. I have never seen another huge, extended massive family that keeps in such close contact as ours. Blessed! Well one particular amazing member of our family decided to purchase a house that was up for auction as an investment, and guess who gets to live in it.... My MOM and NANA! Upon hearing the news that they had a Home here in Amarillo, they hopped in the car and were here the next day to see their new digs. It is such a blessing for them to have their own place to live and for them to be FINALLY here close to a group of people to help keep them active and allow them space. God is Good! The best part is they could be in it within the next two weeks!!

It is true though that whenever one area of your life starts to get figured out, the puzzle pieces start falling into place, the rest all falls apart. Last night I was faced with someother challenges that I had an incling was coming but goodness it was like a typhoon. I am not quite ready to discuss details but am praying that God will help with my anxieties and remind me that HE IS IN CONTROL!

This week I am staying at My Aunt Tammy's house watching  Kelsey, Max and Emmee while their moms are in VEGAS celebrating Rhonda's 50th. It is going to be a very busy week but I am excited to get to hang out with them for a little while. Their mom's will come home Friday night just in time for me to pack some lake outfits and Drew and I will drive to Lake Texoma Saturday to spend Labor day with my Dad and Christie.

Busy busy busy!!

VEGAS!

So excited for our FIRST plane trip together!

 

Had to try the slots in the Airport for his first time in Vegas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spot where 10 months ago in Vegas I texted him to accept his offer to make our relationship official... best decision I ever made.

 

 

 

Family meal at the Cheescake Factory! Everyone but Drew ordered my FAV... Lousiana Chicken Pasta

 

 

 

 

 

Cosmopolitan, definitely where I want to stay next time.

 

Fancy night out on the town!

 Then we had to fly home.

 

He

He cleans the house so I don't have to deal with complaining.

He reminds me to stay positive.

He comforts me in knowing that I do not have to go through it alone.

He feeds and waters Cooper.

He fixes things.

He tries to better himself.

He suprises me with flowers.

He holds my hand.

He listens to my advice.

He is the life of the party.

He makes me smile.

He just moved to Amarillo, no more hour-long distance relationship for us! So excited to venture into this new part of our journey together!

Home.

We are home from Vegas!

We had an AWESOME trip full of fun with friends and new adventures. Drew and I made it through our first real trip together without killing each other... we decided there will definitely be more in our future! We came home with shopping bags from Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 to kick start our wardrobes in the fall. I am back at work to a mess of quotes needing to be done and leads needing to be called. Tomorrow we have a big-o wedding to keep our Saturday busy. Vacation is definitely over!

I will post pictures as soon as I can find the time to do so, in the mean time... check out some new wedding photos over at my Photo Blog.

Gone

I am off for a wee little Vacay with my friends. If needed, I can be found here...

 

See you in a few days!!

Weakness is a blessing

I will admit I woke up this morning and thought, "I can't do this anymore." I am soo tired of what is going on in my surroundings. So exhausted from having to fight for what is right. So weary of putting on a strong and happy face to those around me so they don't think I am changing. Tired of dealing with the selfishness of this world and trying to carve out a place in it. Weak!

I have NEVER thought that my getting bogged down by lifes many hiccups as a gift from God but it is. He knows that I am the kind of person who has to be broken under the weight before I can turn it over to him and therefore he has gifted me weakness so I will be drawn closer to him. I am not made to be the person who skips through life with ease, I am meant to struggle and through that my relationship with God has and will continue to blossom and grow.

Today I am thankful for the weakness, I am not alone.

Lane's Bday

This past week Lane had a birthday! Of course we decided to have a little schindig at the house for him. Neeley wanted it to be extra special and a little different than usual because of it being his birthday... but if you know Lane at all you know that he would much rather chill and absolutely have NO attention on himself, thus began a challenge to have a complimentary low-key extra special birthday bash. I believe she pulled it off!!

His birthday cake had a guitar on it so the party had a music theme which was perfect for the person who could sit in a room close his eyes and listen to music for hours...

I made these pinwheels out of printed off music sheets to string along the wall in the living room.

 

Neeley turned this lamp into a cool musical piece by stringing cd's to a wire and hanging around the shade... Super fun and cool touch!

 

She also made these adorable flags out of scrapbook paper with music lines on them then stickered letters on them to spell out the above message.

 

Candles are a MUST HAVE at any of our gatherings and they looked great lit and displayed here with some more musical themed decorations.

 

 

 

Lane got some cool shirts and a couple adult beverages glassware since he is now considered "of age"

 

 

Overall it was a great night of celebrating one of the sweetest guys day of birth!!

The Help

Last year my Nana gave me a book to read, it was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I couldn't put it down! I was so intruiged by the writing and in shock that our country used to be in that state of chaos and prejudice. I loved reading about Skeeter's ambition to buck the system and Abilene's calm nature in the midst of wrong doing. Minne was such a delightful character to read, her spunk and no-nonsense attitude kept me turning the pages.

Last night My Aunt Tammy, Kelsey, Rhonda, Neeley and I had a girls night out with dinner and a movie. We went and saw Hollywood's version of The Help. I was very abrehensive about seeing the movie, as cute as it looked, the book was just so good and movies have a tendency of ruining books sometimes. I will proudly say they did a GREAT job with the movie. For obvious time issues they could not put in every single detail of the book but included enough that it was a full story and depiction of what the book was. Completely impressed! I think Emma Stone is adorable as Skeeter and Bryce Dallas Howard is despicable as Hilly Holbrooke. I highly recommend it to any and everyone!

 

 

   

 

Thailand

There have been ALOT of asian influences around lately, on tv, in the DIY world, in my dreams... I had the honor of traveling to Bangkok, Thailand with my best friend in the summer of 2006. We joined Let's Start Talking and raised money to go teach English to university students in the heart of Bangkok. It was such an amazing time in my life... we had study groups everyday and I would sit one on one with students as they would read through the book of Luke practicing their English. I had several students who kept pursuing the word of the Lord after we left and one atheist student who was very highly educated with whom I left my Bible. I think about my time there alot and pray for the people there and their journey to find God. I remember thinking how hard it would be to be a Christian in that environment, how unbelieveable the story of Jesus is to one who has grown up buddhist or without religion. If I did not grow up in a Christian home would I eventually find my way to God?

I was reminiscing and praying for the sweet people there while looking through photos, I stumbled across these from one of our weekend get aways. Some of the pictures remind me of the Bachelorette's last season when they spent time in Asia. I just wanted to share some of the beauty I experienced in Thailand 5 years ago. One day I hope to go back and visit my friends there and experience the culture again!

He and I

I hate having pictures taken of myself but recently while working a wedding out at Starlight Drew and I managed to snap this self portrait. We have maybe 4 photos of us together from our 10 month romance, desperately need to change that!

He makes me laugh every single day. He is striving to better himself to one day provide for a family. He opens doors. He fixes my roomates plumbing problems. He tells me to CHILL OUT when I get worked up and stressed about nothing. He loves my mom. He works harder than anyone else out at Starlight. He adores Kelsey and loves to tease her. He doesn't mind that sometimes all I want to do is sit on the floor in a pile of chaos and craft. He cooks a mean breakfast for lunch on days that I like to sleep in.

I am very excited for him to meet the rest of my family in early September.

90.

Today he would be 90 years old.

Today we would sing Happy Birthday to him as he strummed along with his fingers, closing his eyes to the sound of his family singing.

Today we would probably eat Abuelo's or Perini's in celebration of an amazing life.

Today I would kiss his cheek and tell him how much I love him, how proud to be of him I am.

Today we would all fumble around to give him gifts that severly lack to express how much he means to us.

Today we would laugh and cry at memories we have shared, each taking our turn to tell how he made us feel as if we were his favorite.

Today we would witness love from the greatest love story of all time. We would watch as two people look lovinginly at one another in amazement of another year of celebration.

Today he would be 90.

Instead today we will remember what it felt like to celebrate with him.

We will remember what his love felt like.

We will walk taller and be prouder today to remember that we are his representation here on Earth.

We will think of him looking over us from the place he lived his life to finally be.

We will strive to be more like him in all that we do.

We will call Nana to tell her we love her and miss her beloved today.

We will praise God that we even got to know him and be part of his life.

We will praise God that he was apart of ours and know that we are better off because of him.

Today we celebrate the Amazing life of the Greatest Man I Ever Knew.

Happy Birthday Grandy!!

I miss you and love you!

Breakfast for Dinner

Sometimes you just need to have a little breakfast for dinner... that is exactly what the girls and I decided to do on a recent night of chilling together. With us all saving our pennies for VEGAS we decided breakfast would be a cheap way to get us all fed for the evening.

 

Neeley got to work making egg casserole ....

 

Bailey wanted fruit and decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to have a go at eating a coconut

 

It looks so nice and simple to attack, right... WRONG!

 

Finally got into and to the clearish thick milk... not at all what any of us expected

 

 

Really hoping to never be stuck on an island having to eat this stuff.

Great night of hanging out with the ladies, waiting for Jersey Shore to come on and eating breakfast! Sometimes you just need a simple night.