Some REALLY Late Link Ups

Disclaimer:  In my defense, I did start this post on Monday when these link ups would have been MUCH more relevant....better later than never, right???  Sorry, not sorry!

I will apologize in advance if you are sick and tired of me and my links up, but hey if it gets me to post...let's just roll with it, shall we?  And, this will be a fun post...packed with pics and yes, I took them ALL with the big girl camera which may or may not be totally obviously!   OK, here goes....for the first time, I am linking up with Sami for:

You know how sometimes your eyes are bigger than your stomach?  Well I am not sure what to call my weekend, but it was the activity equivalent to that.  I crammed way too much into my weekend - most specifically one day of it.  My Saturday morning started with a catch up breakfast with one of my besties....6:00 AM no less...our schedules are killing us, but we made it work!  I ran home to pick up Zach and we hit the road.  Wortham, TX bound to be exact.  It is about an hour and 45 minutes from home and the site for Tough Mudder Dallas 2013.  

If you don't know about this obstacle event, click the link and learn about the insanity that is Tough Mudder.  It was crazy....there were people of all ages and sizes - some were wearing costumes.  

It is an obstacle course like no other and before you start wondering how the chick that can't even RUN a 5K got herself into this pickle, I was just a spectator and picture taker.  Three guys from my office were participating and I volunteered to try to get them some photos.  In my opinion, the best part of TM is that they stress that it is not a race, it is about supporting each other and getting through it.  Over the course of the day I saw countless times when Mudders were helping other Mudders complete an obstacle whether they were teammates or not and I loved that.  Tough Mudder is also a huge supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project.   I don't know how anyone could argue with that!  Two of these guys were Tough Mudder virgins....the one in the yellow - this was his third!

Here is just a big photp dump sampling of the pics that I captured Saturday....I wish Zach and I would have made it to more of the obstacles....but I will do better next time.  I am already seriously considering volunteering for 2014.

First obstacle

Arctic Enema....no, I did not make that up

Prior to the Cage Crawl

Cage Crawl....scary if you are claustrophobic

The guys giving each other a boost - Berlin Walls....yep there were two

Funky Monkey

The final obstacle - Electroshock Therapy

THEY DID IT!!!!!!!!

I loved this sign....and this day was definitely release form worthy!

And I can't forget this guy....he was a trooper!

Zachary had a soccer game at 8:oo PM that eventually got rained out.....crazy weather blew in.  By the time we got home it was about 9:30 and the last event on our list was my dear friend Holli's Halloween party.  We were exhausted and add to that the the wild weather and I made the decision to stay home.  I felt terrible and know that I missed a great party!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early for Zach's annual birthday pictures.  We went to Dallas in the arts district and managed to squeeze the session in even with the threat of rain looming.  This was our fifth year having them done with Jesse.  We are thrilled with his work and I only wish that I had started taking these side by side photos the very first year we started with him.....Zach was only 9 then. :(

We got to meet their new son, Ollie (I wish I had taken a picture).  They recently adopted him from Uganda.  He is precious and so obviously an incredible blessing to Jesse and Rachel. Congratulations to this new little family!  By the time we got home from Dallas, we were pretty spent and managed to get a little resting in on Sunday afternoon before gearing up for another week!

Even though it is really late for it I am linking up with my girl Holli for:

Just for Holli and in honor of Halloween tomorrow, I am going to the spooky side.....seriously, who doesn't love a little "Thriller"????  Love you, Holli!!!

In Focus Friday w/ My Mind's Lens: October 2013

Thank goodness my contributors are keeping with a fall theme this month, cause LAWD knows I am failing miserably.  Although we are experiencing some cooler temperatures around these parts, the last couple of days have been pretty darn close to 80 degrees and in my dictionary that DOES NOT = Fall....just sayin.  As October is winding to a close it is time for Kaeley's In Focus Friday.

Lucky for us, in Kaeley's part of the world they are actually experiencing Fall and she is sharing some of her favorite images from this wonderful season.

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Last month I shared a list of the must-take photos for the fall.  At that point, fall was really just starting to set in.  Now, there are more leaves on the ground than what's left on the trees.  Fortunately, the rain has held off, but I'm sure it won't be long before it returns as well.  In the last couple of weeks, I have been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather we have been receiving in the Pacific NW and getting outside as much as possible.

I have had the opportunity to meet with several families for portrait sessions, as well as take some pictures just for myself.  So this month, I want to share some of my favorite pictures from the last month or so.

If you would like to see more about what fall is looking like over at My Mind's Lens, you can click here.  

What are some of your favorite things about fall?

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Thank you, Kaeley!  I have a busy weekend ahead....super early breakfast with a girlfriend in the morning, followed by a 100 mile drive to Wortham, TX to take pics for some guys at work that are doing the Dallas Tough Mudder (and to add to the insanity that is TM...they are calling for rain), soccer in the evening, followed by a Halloween party.  I think we will just collapse on Sunday..lol.  Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Gettin' Crafty and Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday seems to be my posting day here lately....what can I say?  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen some of these little pretties pop up this week.

I can't take all the credit....the paper is pretty much the star of the show.....I think it is GORGEOUS...such vibrant colors!  However, I did think of what to do with said beautiful paper.
I wanted to add some color  and detail to my in progress gallery wall, while also adding letters.  My current last name as well as my maiden name since I will be adding pictures of Zachary with my parents as the wall progresses.  These turned into just what I was looking for!!

With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought that these would make great gifts....not only personalized but also very affordable.  If you are interested, please feel free to contact me for more details. (julesbeautifulday(at)gmail(dot)com)

Although I am pretty partial to this paper....you can definitely customize it with any theme that you would like.

See....I can make anything work! ; )

In other news, it IS Tuesday and you know what that means.....I am linking up with Holli, Leslyn and Lauren  for Tuesday Tunes.

I listen to a little bit of everything, so you just never know what is going to grab my attention, but one thing that never changes is my alarm music.  Contemporary Christian (KLTY 94.9 in the Dallas Ft. Worth market) wakes me up every single morning.  It puts me in the right frame of mind to drag my rump out of bed.  This great new song from TobyMac has been in the morning rotation lately and I can't get enough of it!

Third Thursday Scrapbook Stories: October 2013

Katie is not only a Mrs. now, but she is just one day back from her Bahamas honeymoon....she better be rockin' an awesome tan!  I would have been more than understanding had she asked for a reprieve this month with all that she has had going on, but as always, she was prepared.  I actually received this post mid September.  Not only was she early but she made sure that her layout was season appropriate!

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Hi everyone!

October is going to be a crazy month for AJ and I. I'm saying "going to be" because I'm writing this post way way in advance so I can get it to Julie before it posts (which I guess would be today!)

The reason I have to write it so far in advance is that AJ and I are getting married on October 5! And we are going to be on our honeymoon until October 16 (which I guess would be yesterday...)

So, here I am in August, writing this post for Julie :)

Aside from October being our wedding month, October is also home to one of my favorite holidays - Halloween.

Now, some people are shocked to hear that Halloween is one of my favorites. Scary movies, blood, gore and anything haunted totally freaks me out. As in, afraid to turn off the lights, crazy nightmares, can't sleep for days because of a movie commercial, kind of freaks me out.

But, Halloween also has an adorable side. A smiling jack-o-lanterns, nice witches, friendly ghosts side. That's the kind of Halloween I like!

And this Halloween paper fell squarely on the "cute" Halloween side, so of course, I had to use it!

I wish I could remember what paper pack this adorable paper came from. I know I bought it at Michael's, but despite all my online searching, that's all I can dig up.

My other favorite thing about this paper (aside from the cuteness) was that all I had to add were my pictures, the journal spots and the "fa-boo-lous" ghost. Everything else was already there for me!

Sometimes its so nice to just have to add my pictures and move on. Especially when it is already summer and I've yet to scrap Halloween!

Do you ever use pre-embellished papers?

Tuesday Tunes

I know content has been lacking around these parts lately and for that I apologize.  There are posts brewing, I just haven't taken the time to get them typed out - I realized the other day that I never posted about Katie's visit...how in the world did that happen?  I also did a little mantel decorating for Halloween....which I NEVER do.  Hopefully, there will be some posts on those soon.  In the meantime, I am linking up once again with these lovely ladies:  Holli, Leslyn and Lauren for Tuesday Tunes. 

This is a fun link up...it just kind of makes me happy....puts a little spring in my step!  So yea, I am going to keep linking up.  Today, I am kind of grabbing a semi oldie from the "this makes me happy vault".  Colbie Caillat is not only G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S, but I love her voice and you would be hard pressed to listen to this song and not have your foot a tappin'.  Enjoy!

Tuesday Tunes

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with Holli, Leslyn and Lauren for Tuesday Tunes.

So, it definitely isn't quite as good as Blurred Lines, but there is no doubt that it will get your foot tappin' and maybe your booty shakin' if you happen to be somewhere that booty shakin' is appropriate...or not! And hey, that infamous striped suit that Robin was sportin' with Miley at the VMA's makes an appearance.  For the record, I have forgiven him that debacle...enough said.  Happy Tuesday, blog friends!

Gallery Wall: In Progress

I had thought that I wouldn't share any of this until I had the entire thing D-O-N-E.  But I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it.  The thoughts of this gallery wall have been taunting me since I moved, back in April.  The framed pictures have been patiently hanging out underneath the sofa table just waiting for the day I get off my duff and grow a pair....I have been so nervous that I am going to "screw it up".  I had a vision in my mind and I was worried that it wasn't going to be Pinterest worthy....oh the pressure!!!

I couple of months ago there was an amazing frame sale at Michaels and I got enough frames to get me current with Zach's pictures.  Oh, did I mention that the bread and butter of this gallery wall is Zach's yearly birthday photos?  Anyway, that purchase just added to the pile and I was beyond frustrated.

I was told, on very good authority (yep Heather, I am talking about you) that the best thing to do was to make a paper template for each thing that would go on the wall:

Then the idea was to hang each template on the wall with painter's tape and kind of live with it to see how I liked it.  This way, I could be free to move things around if there was something that I didn't care for, and not have to worry about a ton of extra holes in the wall.

My friend Kristi and I wanted to get together this weekend and I suggested brunch and then hanging out at my house and helping me work on a DIY (yes, I was referring to the gallery wall albatross).  She quickly responded and said that sounded great without even hearing what the DIY was.  I WAS PUMPED!!!!!

Honestly, I was just hoping to get the templates cut out and on the wall....nothing more.  I  certainly had no idea the progress that would be made.  Whereas, I do most of my projects in stages, i.e. baby steps. - when Kristi gets going on something she is an animal!!!  And I mean that in the very kindest of ways....she is not messing around!  We went from templates to laying everything out on the floor to hammering away in a very short amount of time.  Oh, and I use the term "we" very loosely....she was on a mission and I just kind of stood back out of harm's way...lol!  I am teasing of course...I cannot tell you how grateful I am for her help. What I  have been fretting about for months....she knocked out in a matter of hours.  Once we had everything laid out on the floor, we made a few adjustments.

Yes, you do see Halloween prints in two of those frames...they are on my mantel through Halloween, but there are already nails ready for those frames....GO, KRISTI!!!!

She asked me if I liked it and then asked me if I LOVED it.  I truly did, and she asked if I has ready for it to go on the wall.  I must admit...I was shocked, but so excited at the same time!

Yep, she is a ROCK STAR!!!!!

I wish that there was an exciting AFTER photo to end this post, but unfortunately it will have to wait.  I have pictures to order, filler do-dads to ad and a couple of crafty things to complete.  All of Zach's photos are B&W, and I am going to order color family photos to add pops of color around the wall.  But trust me, I am beyond thrilled with the results so far!  Kristi is an angel and without her, those frames would still be hanging out under the sofa table...dreaming of their destiny!

Orlando 2013: A Girl's Weekend....The Final Installment

On our final full day in Orlando, we got a really slow start.  We decided that it was going to be another beach day and decided to grab brunch before heading towards Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach.  He headed to Dexter's  - which is apparently rather happening on Sunday mornings.  We managed to snag three seats at the bar and although it took awhile to get our food...it was worth the wait!

Once we finally got on the road to Cocoa Beach, we hit a massive rain storm.  We were worried that the day was going to be a bust, but we didn't give up.  The weather finally started to clear and our first stop was capturing pics on I Dream of Jeannie Ln - in case you didn't know, I Dream of Jeannie was filmed in the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area. 

Even though it still looked like rain, we decided to brave the beach.....

Why yes, I do have Fred Flintstone feet!

Megan wrote in the sand to commemorate our visit to Cocoa Beach and even included the bottle from I Dream of Jeannie

The tide crept up on us and we lost drinks and magazines, but we took it all in stride.  To me, any day at the beach is a good day and it was a wonderful end to a great weekend!  If you missed any of the previous posts, you can find them here:

PART 1          PART 2          PART 3

I hope you enjoyed the recaps......have a wonderful weekend!

OH, WAIT!!!  I CAN'T END THIS POST WITHOUT GIVING A LITTLE SHOUT OUT TO TWO OF MY FAVORITE BLOGGERS:  KATIE FROM KATIE STORIES IS GETTING HITCHED TOMORROW....I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER!  AND I AM WISHING HEATHER FROM OUR LIFE IN A CLICK THE HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS....HER SPECIAL DAY IS TOMORROW AS WELL. BIG HUGS TO BOTH OF YOU!!!