off for a few days...

not that I've been around much lately anyway! I've been busy helping out my dad at his shop the last couple of weeks. It's been great spending so much time with him; reconnecting with him I guess. And now, we are off to Algonac State Park for the weekend with my parents, my brother and his family. Algonac has an amazing fireworks display that the whole town comes out for. Excited for our boys to camp for the first time and to try out our new (used) camper that we just bought. Wish me luck getting some great fireworks shots and that the boys don't go bonkers over the noise!

Haven't taken any pictures recently so here's another from our sprinkler fun the other day. Check out the hair (and the killer biceps :D)

Have a FABULOUS holiday weekend and be safe :)

trying to be brave...

He wanted to go through the sprinkler...he really did! And he kept crawling through...over and over...and cried evertime.

Can't say he ever gave up though.

proof that he is mine...

curled up next to the window on a rainy day with a book...ok, so Spongebob isn't my reading material of choice but it's a book!

Jake has finally reached that stage where he says funny stuff on a daily basis...a few recent gems:

• While jamming to some iTunes on the computer he picks up the phone and says "'ello? no, no, I'm dancing." Too busy to talk I guess...must have been another telemarketer.
• After asking him if I could trim his bangs to get them out of his eyes, he agrees. Once the scissors come out though it's a whole 'nother story. OK, so I put the scissors away (my plan is to cut them while he sleeps) Jake dramatically sweeps his arm across his forehead and says "PHEW! That was close!"
• Pointing to my butt "poop." Yup, that's where it comes from buddy (and yes, I was fully dressed and no, there was no poop on my pants, and please Jake, for the love of God, no need to pull that one out while we're in public)
• "A Jacob" used to describe any child that is approximately J's age. Alternate use: said to Zack when Z is doing something J deems "bad." Apparently Jake hear's his name in that context often, lol.

onto the important stuff

OK, since many of the people who read this are of the scrapbooking variety, I figured I'd throw a little bone to you all. A little review if you will.

Finally got my copy of Donna Downey's "creative albums" on Monday and man has that girl got some mad skills. Creativity oozing from her pores (great visual, eh?) SO many cool ideas...all with the steps shown to create the mini masterpieces. Not only do they look amazing, they are completely doable and that's pretty important to this craft impaired individual.

Shows some variations on the "typical" mini album ideas as well as some cool new stuff that I've never seen before...albums made from floppy disks, paint chips, cigar boxes and my favorites, the rolodex album and mat board album (completely quick and easy but soooo fun looking).

Anywho, I completely recommend the book to any and all of my scrapping buddies. And one more thing, apparently Donna and I have this crazy, cool psychic connection thing. I bought some of those sliding metal binder clip thingies on Sunday (not knowing what I was going to use them FOR, just thought they were cool and super cheap) and just a day later, Donna shows me how to USE them on page 102. Nice Donna.

Cannot WAIT to get the Photo Decor book...that book is the whole reason I'm waiting to decorate this house, seriously.

breakfast at our house...

you see, it is an informal affair. Juice, waffles, coffee, the floor, the table, wherever. We do a very good job of gathering 'round the table for dinner each night but breakfast usually takes place wherever we happen to be. And the 5 second rule is a joke in our house!

all is well...

And my June 19th pic...Yes, they did sleep in the same clothes, lol, and Carlos is reading them the SUPER educational book known as Spongebob and Jake is working his way through the CORE of the apple but all is well. No one is screaming or hurting or climbing on me or making a mess. They are calm and happy and quiet and I relish these family moments.

and on the 18th of June...

she started taking pictures.

So, I really love the idea of taking a picture a day...a picture of something that's important or not-so-important in your daily life. I think it's cool and so in an effort to be cool (seems I've been trying to be cool since high school, lol) I'm going to try to do it everyday. Plus, it should be a great way to get to know my camera a bit better (yup, THAT camera which I finally got on Thursday :D)

I want each picture to tell a story so I'm going to include a little bit of the backstory behind each one. I think looking back on these pictures and their stories years from now will put a whole new spin on them...make me look at my life with a new perspective. I just don't have time to do ALL the scrapbook pages I'd like to but there are stories that I don't want to lose. I think this is a great place to store all those memories.

If you want to see a couple of great examples of picture-a-day stuff, check out my friend Kelly (who not only takes amazing pictures but has gorgeous kids too!) and this guy, whom I don't know but takes some incredible photos!

So, today's pic (or rather, a pic I took yesterday but am posting today :p)...



Z and my sister Lindsay...both of my sisters love their nephews so much. You can see it when they interact. I love that they are able to be such a big part of their lives now that we are here in Michigan. Sharing some lunch (both of my boys are easy to please if you have some goodies to share!) at Tyler's birthday party. Love our tight knit family.

cake tastes best when you're one

My nephew celebrated the big 0-1 today with friends and family luau style. He is such a sweetheart and has an amazing personality for such a little guy...so, dear Tyler, a very happy birthday to you!

from the creators of Southpark (need I say more?)

Team America: World Police...seen it? *THE* singularly most UN-PC movie I've ever seen but also very, very funny (in the most UN-PC way possible, lol) If you've got a hankering to see some puppet sex, this movie is for you :p

download heaven

In just a couple of short hours, I'll be able to download my pre-ordered Coldplay CD from iTunes. I loooooove Coldplay. I love Chris Martin and his perfectly honed "lead singerishness"... and Gwyneth - so calm and cool...the name Apple has even sort of grown on me :)

Can I tell you a little story? Might help explain my Coldplay fanaticism. I've always liked them, from the first CD...from the days of Yellow. But, when I met Carlos, he wasn't really into them (yet.) I introduced him and he became a fan as well.

Maybe you weren't aware of our story. We met and fell in love in a pretty quick fashion. We worked together for a short time during Gallo's crush. Working 12 hour days, 7 days a week, we were together a lot. And when we weren't working or sleeping, we were together. We met the first week of August, 2001. By mid October, *I* had proposed to him. We quickly made arrangements to be married during an already planned trip to Vegas in February...just 10 weeks into the relationship. Years ago, I would have thought someone like me was crazy to jump into a relationship so quickly (especially considering that BOTH of us had been recently divorced.) Funny how things work out though. I guess we both learned a lot from our previous relationships and recognized a good thing when we saw it!

So, in mid-February, we packed up the car and headed to the Luxor (a super cool hotel if you've not been.) On February 15th, we were married here, witnessed by some friends of ours that also worked at Gallo and my parents. It was wonderful. Not as big or extravagant as the first one but so. much. better. After the ceremony, we took a limo to a tiny airstrip and a helicopter ride to the only winery in Nevada. The Pahrump Winery. We went through Red Rock Canyon and had a delectable dinner. There was also a wine tasting...one I couldn't participate in thanks to a tiny 10 week old fetus we like to call Jake these days. We do however have a few bottles from the winery that we're holding onto for posterity. Amazing day, one I'll never forget.

Anyway, back to Coldplay. We finished our weekend in Vegas visiting with our friends and family and gambling just enough to justify being in Las Vegas. We only had a couple of days there but we made the most of them. When it was time to pack up and head home, we were still in our honeymoon euphoria. We spent most of the 5 hour drive back to Fresno listening to Coldplay. Not for any particular reason other than we liked it and had it in the car with us. The day was beautiful, we had the moonroof open and we just listened. And talked about our future. And held hands and enjoyed each other's company. It was bliss. And so, Coldplay, no matter what incarnation, will always remind us of that time, will always take us back to that short but unforgettable weekend.

Coldplay is an integral part of most every road trip we embark on these days...early morning drives to catch the sun rise...weekend trips to Ikea to stock up on inexpensive Swedish furnishings...I can't help but smile whenever I listen to one of their catchy tunes.

Understand now why I'm such a fan?

Oh yeah, bought tickets to their show at DTE in late August the other day. I seriously can't wait!

Thanks for reading my ramblings...just wanted to share my excitement :)

OH, and in other news, the Pistons WON! Yeehaw! (And my condolences if you are a Miami or San Antonio fan, lol)

get what you want...

OK, so everyday when I boot up the computer I see this:



I got it here.

I picked it out because it's funny...the "close-upedness" of it...the coke bottle glasses. It's funny. I used to have the picture of one skeleton smacking another in the back of the head. Funny. No other reason.

Now though, whenever I see my desktop, it seems to be mocking me. Daring me. Challenging me to, you know, get what I want.

Problem is, I don't know what I want. Check that, I *do* know what I want but I want too many things. Not material possessions (of course there is a long list of those that I want as well) but things I want to do/be/see. My problem is two-fold.

1. In case you weren't aware, I am the most indecisive person I know (HENCE my post a couple down from here.) I have too many what-ifs and buts to logically decide between my alternatives. Which direction to take? I don't know, what if I pick the wrong one?

2. Motivation. Or lack thereof. I *can* get motivated...I guess my procrastination stems from the fact that I haven't set a clear goal for myself.

I am at a crossroads apparently...geez do I hate that phrase, seems appropriate here though...without getting into the specifics of my dilemma (because really, how long do you want to spend reading my rambling?) any suggestions on how to overcome my inhibitive proclivities?

btw, have I mentioned that I dig ellipses...and parentheses?