Pinterest?

I admit it....I am way behind the times.  I have just started digging around in Pinterest.  Although I am not too sure that I am ready to immerse myself quite yet I admit to finding things that I love.....to repin or not to repin?  That is the question.  Until further notice....I choose to embed (or copy and paste until I figure out how to properly embed - no cracks from the peanut gallery).

Expect a lot more posts like this for October.....I have yet to name the theme, but I believe that it will soon become very apparent.  Check back often!

As Promised.....A Few From the Salmon River Trip

I am beat, but just wanted to drop in for a quick post....after all every post doesn't have to be a mini novel, right?  Back in a post from July, I mentioned that Zachary and my dad had taken a rafting trip to the Salmon River in Idaho.  I finally got a look at the pictures the other day and wanted to share a few.  On their first rafting trip last summer my dad took oodles of pictures.  He is really not much of a picture taker so I knew that he did it just to humor me.  When I say he is not much of a picture taker, please don't misconstrue that to mean that he doesn't take good pictures, but that he doesn't get quite the joy out of it that I do!  So, while this trip may not have had the quantity....I was thrilled with the quality of these priceless shots.  And trust me, 18 pictures is plenty for a few pages of Zachary's "Summer Fun" scrapbook that is currently in the planning stages.  Enjoy!

Not sure what he is doing here, but I am guessing they stopped for lunch

Here is the whole gang.  Dad and Zach are on the back row far right.

Love, Love, Love this shot!!!!

That is perhaps one of the biggest dandelions I have ever seen. Awww...I adore that sweet face!

A Weekend to Recover from Last Weekend

Have you ever had a weekend scheduled that you just know is way too full?  That by the end of the weekend you are already going to be longing for the next Friday at 5 o'clock so that you can recover from the 48 + hours that just transpired?  Well that was me last Sunday at this time.

For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I am working on a scrapbook.  I have been working on it on and off since about May.  I originally got all the photos at the end of January, but had a really rough Spring health wise and didn't really start digging into it until the end of May.  At that time I gave myself a deadline of Oct 16th.  That will be Lindsey and Matt's one year anniversary.  It is an engagement/bridal/and wedding scrapbook.  I work best with a deadline - if you tell me no rush, you better mean it!  With the deadline looming I have kicked it into overdrive....at least I did last weekend.

Friday afternoon I rushed home and fed our crazy cat and packed up all my scrapping supplies and headed off to a friend's house to scrap.  She is one of the most creative ladies I know and can most always help me if I am stuck on a particular page - which I most definitely was.  I got past that block and moved on.  Before I knew it I looked up at the clock and is was 11 PM. 

Saturday morning I had a million errands to run and the day was culminating with a girlfriend's 40th birthday celebration in Dallas.  Melinda is one of my friend's from Louisiana and Denise is her best friend whom I used to work with at Pavestone.  I have blogged about them before, but they are truly awesome ladies that I am blessed to call friends!  We started the evening out at the bar at their hotel....

Melinda, Me and Denise

The Birthday Girl and I - the beginning of the allergy eye is evident - YUCK!

Denise and I

we had fun but soon headed out to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar in Addison. 

The whole gang outside of Pete's

The place was beyond packed but a lot of fun.  Not to put a downer on the evening, but by this time I had one serious case of allergy eye and could barely see out of my right eye....not to mention it was pretty painful.  For those of you that know me well, this is a pretty regular occurrence but always manages to happen at the most inopportune times - not that there is ever a great time.  Even though I wasn't feeling like a million bucks I was determined to make it to the last stop - S4 on Cedar Springs.  The first time that Denise and Melinda came to stay with me we had dinner at Cyclone Anaya's a great Mexican Restaurant in Dallas.  Afterwards, we really wanted to go dancing and the bartender told us that the best place around to go dance was S4.  It turned out that it was a gay bar (no, I haven't been keeping anything from you!!!), but we had the BEST time and met some really fun people.  Since we had such  a great time there before, this is where Melinda wanted to end her celebration.   By this time I was feeling pretty lousy but was determined to at least go in for a bit.  The highlight of the evening for me was watching from the sidelines as the dance floor erupted when Lady Gaga came over the speakers singing "Born this Way" - it was Gay Pride weekend people.  It was truly a sight to behold...LOL.  I arrived home exhausted shortly after 1 AM - I am getting old!

Sunday morning, brought another day of scrapping.  I was determined to be productive and arrived at another friend's house around 10 AM.....we ended up working on our books until almost 8 PM.  

Two pages from my productive day....

I ended up driving home in an insane storm - hail, strong winds on sideways rain.  To say I was frazzled when I arrived home would be an understatement.  So to recap....an incredibly packed weekend where no domestic chores were accomplished not the least of which was laundry and I pretty much had to play catch up all week with grocery shopping, picking up around the apartment and washing clothes.

This weekend was much easier to handle.....got the grocery shopping done early on Saturday, Zachary had a soccer game in the afternoon and that was pretty much all that HAD to be done.  So with my pillow loudly beckoning....my kitchen is clean from a home cooked spaghetti dinner, lunches are packed and my project from work that has been in the works for what seems like forever is complete and has been emailed.  Didn't make much progress on the scrapbook, but I am still determined to make my deadline....I am 27 pages in and I am not giving up!

This was all I managed to accomplish this weekend on the scrapbook.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Arlington Honors CPR Heroes

Here is the article that ran this morning in the Arlington Citizen Journal. 

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/19/3379661/arlington-honors-cpr-heroes.html

Although the details weren't exactly accurate (not like we are dealing with the NY Times here) it was nice for my mom as well as the first responders and 9-1-1  operator to be recognized.  Mom had recently taken a CPR class and was well aware of the new chest only compression method of CPR, which she was administering even prior to her call to 9-1-1.  For you Mom - I have set the record straight!

My Parents at the Ballpark Ceremony 09.14.11 - 9-1-1 Operator to the left and two of the first responders to the right.

Have a great day!





Epic Fail and the First CPR Survivors' Event

Someone, who shall remain unnamed (but you know who you are), asked me yesterday if I was keeping up with my blogging - knowing full well that I wasn't.  To add insult to injury he also threw in "wasn't that one of your goals?"  Ouch....that one hurt!  Yes, in the words of Katy Perry, the 30 Days of Lists has turned out to be "an epic fail".  In theory it sounded like a lot of fun....but when it came right down to it, the topics were kind of strange and instead of being a fun little exercise to get me blogging, it seemed like a chore that unfortunately I was dreading.  Not only that, but the time it was taking me to create the lists, was taking away from me trying to complete the other goals for the month.  If it would have been 30 Days of Small Crafty Projects, I may have hit a home run, but unfortunately it wasn't.  So no excuses, but like I said - "an epic fail" on my part!

Last night, prior to the start of the Ranger game they had a short ceremony celebrating 3 recent CPR saves and to recognize those who directly contributed to their survival.  Most importantly (at least to us), my amazing mom was recognized for providing my dad immediate chest only resuscitation until the paramedics arrived.  We also got to meet the 9-1-1 call taker that stayed on the phone with her until help arrived, as well as the first responders that worked on my dad until they arrived at the ER.  It was pretty emotional because really, how can you ever thank someone enough for saving your life??

Dad talking with one of his first responders

Paramedic in charge and the 9-1-1 call taker

My parents and the first responders

Mom, Dad and Zach

This was as close as I got to the field....once the ceremony actually started, I only got a view of their backs....BOO!

Mom and her Life Saving Award

Close up of the award

Without going into a lot of detail....we came VERY close to losing my dad.  Thank God that my mom was still at home (she was on her way out the door) when he collapsed and that she is a champ under pressure!  It was touch and go for more than an hour.  This happened on a Saturday, he was out of ICU by Monday and was home on Thursday.  His cardiologist said that his recovery was nothing short of miraculous and he quickly became known as "Wonder Boy" around the hospital.  The doctor from the ER came up to his room on Sunday night at the end of his shift because he said that he had to see with his own eyes that my dad had made it.

For those of you that were praying for him as well as the rest of us...thank you from the bottom of my heart. There are no words to describe the gratitude that I feel.  The power of prayer is truly amazing and we felt beyond blessed!  This goes without saying, but every time you see a loved one make sure that they know how you feel and yes, it is OK to hug just a little tighter....I know that I do!  

Day 3 - Things to Do On a Sunday Morning

This list is actually supposed to be Day 4, but since I am running a day behind I thought it would  be more appropriate to tackle this one today:

Things to Do On a Sunday Morning

1. Sleep in (in a perfect world this would involve someone other than my 10 year old)
2. Laundry
3. Apartment cleaning
4. Catching up on work if necessary
5. Watching a good movie still in my PJs
6. Going to the grocery - to beat the crowds
7. Curling up in my favorite chair with a great book
8. Scrapbooking or doing some type of crafty project

After reading this list back over, I have decided that I really need to get some excitement in my life!!!!

Day 2 - I Am Happiest When........

If you have started following my 30 Days of Lists Challenge you will notice that it should in fact be Day 3. Be patient with me....this daily blogging thing will take some getting used to.  The Day 2 list topic is "I Am Happiest When...."

1. Zachary and I are cuddled on the couch watchig a great movie - today it was Rio.  That is a seriously cute movie!  Actually, absolutely any time that I am with my boy makes me beyond happy.
2. I spend time with my family
3. I do something to make someone's day
4. Life throws me a curve ball and I end up none the worse for wear on the other side
5. I get to see my friends - some of them I am fortunate to have close by and others are WAY too far away (you know who you are!)
6. I make a scrapbook or collage and actually get to see someone open it - it so makes all the work 100% worthwhile - secretly I think it is some kind of natural high that I can't seem to get enough of (is that bad????)
7.  I am at shelling at the BEACH....no where else that I would rather vacation - Sanibel Island in FL is my favorite!

I think this list could go on and on, but I think this is a good representation of the things that are at the top of my list...and after all I think that is sort of the whole point!  Hope you are having a great holiday weekend...you will be hearing from me!

Goals For This Month

DAY 1

I imagined that I would only see one prompt per day (see previous post), but low and behold this morning I went to take a peek and it turned out that the entire 30 prompts are listed.  For some reason I didn't think that I would struggle with any of the prompts, but I am glad to know that it is up to my discretion if I choose to substitute a prompt.  With some of them I can already see a writer's block....or maybe I should call it a "list maker's" block approaching.

Without further ado....here are my goals for the month:

1. Stick with this list
2. Finish current scrapbook (this may be a little ambitious, but I am aiming high)
3. Clean my closet
4. Clean my garage
5. Exercise more (this is an every month goal)
6. Blog more : )
7. Get my son on a better weekday schedule (have to make this one happen!)
8. Stop using so many Post-It notes (trees are cheering everywhere)

At first I was concerned because I thought....wow, this isn't much of a list.  But looking over it and thinking about the limited spare time that I have to make it happen - I think that this is a pretty tall order.  Will everything be crossed off in 3o shorts day?  Probably not, but I will rejoice in the strides that I have made and incorporate the ones that I didn't quite get there on into the next monthly goal list...lol.  I didn't get my journal page done tonight, but I decided to blog instead of craft - which I guess is conterproductive to completing goal #2.  Oh well, at least I managed to blog two days in a row and that is working toward goal #6.  Have a great evening and stay tuned for Day 2.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZING DADDY!!!!  I am so happy to have him here to celebrate 62!

30 Days of Lists and an Evening With Keith

So after another long abscence, I have determined to come back with a vengence.  The last month for me has been pretty crazy and once I can wrap my head around all of it, I may very well blog in depth about it.  Until then, I have decided to try a more light hearted avenue.  You may have noticed that I have a new "button" on my sidebar.  30 Days of Lists is literally just that:

• Not everyone can make a mini scrapbook every week or an art journal page every night.
• 30 Days of Lists is our encouragement and challenge to you that you CAN journal just something every day – even something as small as a list.
• Every day through the month of September we will be posting a list prompt – anything from weekend goals to celebrity crushes. At the end of the 30 days you’ll have a collection of entries creating a small snapshot of your life right now.
• Only 5-10 minutes per day are really needed. While you’re waiting for someone, or when you’re the passenger in the car.  There’s no wrong way to do this and if you don’t like a prompt on a certain day, just change it.

A new list topic will be posted each morning at 2 AM Pacific starting tomorrow Sept 1.....I guess for those early birds that want to jump right up and start their lists before hitting the shower - NOT!  The crafty part comes in by way of the journaling book.  Anyone that knows me knows that I am all about the crafting.  I have no idea how I survived prior to having a Cricut...and I am only half teasing!  Anyway, I must admit that I cheated a little on mine.  I found a really pretty one at the store and did a little embellishing myself.  I am happy with it and can't wait to get started!

Here is the cover

Inside title page

How exactly is the going to effect my blogging you ask?  Well, in addition to jotting the list down in the journal  I am going to attempt to also post each list on the blog.  I am not going to be so bold as to say everyday, but definitely much more frequently than I have been managing to lately.  If I manage to also get crafty with the pages, I will post those as well.  I am hoping that now that I have said it out loud, I will be better about sticking to it.  Time will tell.

On to Keith.  My dear friend Megan and I went to see Keith Urban on Sunday night.  It was another amazing show!  I say another because this was our third.  It has become a tradition...I see that he is coming to town and immediately email her to see if she wants to go.  I mentioned to her after the show that maybe after this concert we would feel like we had seen and heard enough.  No way...we both agreed that we were eagerly anticipating the next tour.  He is really amazing in concert - his voice is great and he truly puts his heart into his work.  It makes you feel like every dollar you spent was 100% worth it.  So in a nutshell..if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of his shows....don't miss it! 

Probably as close as we will ever get to him....lol.

Waiting for the show to start