Number One...

J always says number one & RARELY follows it up with the second point, but I thought it would be an appropriate title for my only post you will get for the next 2 weeks. Here we go:

1. I am leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow.
2. I have rented a Harley to ride to California, even though I am a Honda snob.
3. I am going with three close friends & a HUGE SURPRISE.
4. I am grateful for flight benefits.
5. I am grateful for the job that gives me money to travel & great perks to boot.
6. I am going to miss my son.
7. I am going to miss my dog.
8. I am going to miss J's cat.
9. I am excited to go see one of my favorite Aun'ts who just found out her cancer is in remission.
10. I am glad my Aunt has stubble on her head.
11. I am so happy to be an Auntie to a bunch of J's nieces & nephews, especially Chunky Monkey & Little Peanut.
12. I am thankful that after tomorrow I won't have to go back to work until 7/13.
13. I guess twelve would have went better here.
14. I can't wait to sit by the pool and smoke a stoagie with my friend P.J.
15. I am looking forward to my stomach hurting from a week of laughing.
16. I am NOT looking forward to painting my house on the second weekend of July, anyone wanna come help?
17. I don't feel like typing anymore so here are some pictures I took this week while J's family visited.

Locks of Love

As many of you know J has some very long hair. My best friend Joey got his hair cut some time back and was telling J & I about a program called Locks of Love. The program takes a persons donated hair and makes wigs for children with cancer. J has since grown her hair long enough to make a donation. I am so proud of her, she recycles EVERYTHING, even her own hair. I love you baby!

Isn't it cute? I like it, but I am still getting used to it being gone.

A few months back a friend gave me a gift that I have not had time to feature on my blog. You can guess who it was by the set up of the picture, but can you follow the five rules she gave me?

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

Today it's all about pictures.

First up is a dear friend of mine who is the best photographer I know. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out her website!

Next the new website that I am addicted to for photo ideas. I ran across some of dAAve's pics on there, fun stuff dAAve! On this site you can comment on my pics & tell me how to make them better, please stop by & leave some words of advice. I will be adding to this site monthly so please bookmark it.

Now if you would like to see my collection as a whole & what I have taken most recently always click here.

I can't forget my dawg Jeremy check out his pics here.

To learn to become a better photgrapher stop by April's work.

Enjoy!

Returned Paying It Forward

I'm sure many of you remember me posting the Beetle pic a few months back. Well my Dad & I have been working on it it runs great. So J & I decided it's time to drive it to Chicago. No problem. We rolled up the road for 100 miles at 75 - 80 mph, and stopped for a rest/gas/coffee break. Everything was going great we only put 4 gallons of gas in the car. That's right 25 MPG! Then Jen put the key in and



Yeah, SILENCE, the kind you NEVER want to hear. So I called Dad he told me what to look for & I did. I found it & found two wires off of the car. A gentleman had stopped at this point in the game, so he told me to step aside and he would handle it. He was kind and trying to help but really, well let's just say that it's likely that I had more car knowledge than him. Another guy stopped got up under the car and got it to turn over. In conversating with me he say let's give it one more try, and VROOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM she said. I begged to do something for the two guys to show my gratitude. Of course in the honesty of paying it forward they both said no.

We got back in the car & drove it back to KY and as we were driving down the road J turned to me and said, "Honey I am so glad you are the person you are." I knew exactly what she meant. I told her "We all need a little help every once in a while, and that I will never stop helping when I can." I was proud in my heart to know that what goes around comes around and that I deserved the help I was given.

I am VERY grateful to my HP for once again sending angels to look over me.

I finally got my fall Gorge slide film back...

Here you go, let's cruise to da Gorge, soon I will be posting summer pics...lol

Gone Fishin'

I didn't get to post much last week because I was working on the 72 Beetle getting it ready to go to the windy city. I tried to spend some quality time with lil man so we bought some nightcrawlers & hung out the " Gone Fishin' " sign. We didn't not catch anything, but here is what we did catch...

Yeah...they weren't edible, but the snake I saw on the lake wanted to eat me... Ah, the joys of the country, you see a snake stay out of its way and keep on walking. I guess you would call that a Countryism...lol

So today I need a little me time I am going to edit my latest portrait session and then head out for a LONG ride. It is the perfect day for a ride, not to hot, not to cool. Enjoy your day. I will try to post later this week...

Lil man is growing up.

I am sitting here with my usual cup of coffee, but I didn't make it. Lil man decided it was time for me to get up so he made a pot. Jen told me he did this a few weeks ago, and I cracked up. I gues it is time to start teaching him how to cook too. I doesn't seem like 10 years ago that I was pregnant getting ready to pop. It certainly doesn't feel like 8 years ago that J changed her first diaper either.

Our family astonishes me. We all grow physically and mentally, but somehow we reamain a unit. Believe me we have the same issues that straight couples have. We fight about sex, money, the kids (don't forget the cat and dog are kids too). From the beginning though we have tried to "use our words". Jen and I are not eloquent speakers in the heat of the moment so we made an agreement. If you say something and it hurts my feelings because I have to tell myself what the meaning is behind your statement, well then I stop the pain before it starts by asking a question. That doesn't mean that we have never hurt each other, and it doesn't mean that we haven't been mad either. Acceptance of ones feelings does not mean you are in agreeance.

Wifey and I are two VERY different people, but this is a huge part of our relationship. To me it's no fun if you just marry yourself. I love a challenge, and I know I am a HUGE one for her, but we both love like we never have before, live a life fuller than we ever imagined, and dream of what our tomorrow holds.

It's another beautiful day to be alive. Another day of living to learn, and learning to live.