happy birthday cole!

I have been an aunt since I was 12. And I am aunt to 2 beautiful nieces and 5 handsome nephews. Last Saturday we celebrated my youngest nephew's 2nd birthday. And since I took a class with Sharon Clark (Smitten Photography) I think I'm some kind of photographer. I must say, though, that I love taking pictures. Here are some pictures of Cole and his big brother, Isaiah, and other friends from his party.

yay! it's my birthday!!
Cole with his uncle Adam and brother, Isaiah
my best friend, Chaille's, boys (Nick, Beck & Jack)
one of his pals, Hayden...very serious
finally, his pal, Landon.

It was definitely a fun day celebrating little Cole's life. The joy of nieces and nephews is you can give them back to their parents. I love mine.

things i REALLY like

i'm in a bit of a reflective mood and wanted to share some things i'm REALLY liking right now. granted, there may be things i REALLY like, and even love, not on this list. it's spontaneous (and in no particular order).

...Chic-fil-A corporate headquarters: nestled back in a wooded area 10 min from the ATL airport. hiking trails, free lunch (includes CFA sandwiches, icedream with toppings, diet dr. pepper & lemondade anytime), and friendly staff. what a great place to have a training meeting!
...a rental car: it's usually new and an automatic. i love driving a car that's not mine!
...the moon: it never ceases to amaze me that as a turn a corner and catch a glimpse of the moon, i gasp. literally gasp. it's huge, perfect and low.
...dark chocolate: needs no explanation
...business trips: it's rare in Young Life that i go on business trips. but, occasionally. and so my 24 hours in Atlanta has been nice so far. i'm enjoying being in a hotel, driving a rental, eating dinner alone, and learning more (of course)
...fall: i do wish it was cooler, but nothing is better than a fall evening.
...the mountains: adam and i got to spend (his) fall break in an amazing mountain house less than 2 hours from Charlotte. it was amazing and relaxing and extremely peaceful.
...the kite runner: i'm not sure how long ago this book came out, but i remeber it's following. i usually reject anything that becomes instantly popular. and i am aware that i miss out on things b/c of this. however, after seeing the movie first, i knew i just HAD to read this book. it's incredible. i don't have the ability to come up with words to describe it.
...my husband: he got up early to take me to the aiport today. that was kind of him. he's loving, kind, smart, witty, and just so fun to be around. i can't wait to see him when he picks me up from the airport tomorrow.

so, there you have it. my "REALLY like" list for the right now.
enjoy.

T minus 30

In 30 days I will be 30. Just like that my twenties will be over. I'm not really sure how I'm feeling about the whole thing. My mom was 32 when she had me. I remember when I was 15 and the woman I babysat for was turning thirty...she said to me, "I'm twice your age!" Well, duh, I babysit your kids. Those girls are now 19 and 17. Crazy.
I'm thinking that age is a weird thing. I'm not really sure where I thought I'd be at 30. Of course, when you are 15 thirty seems SO old. But, now that I'm here, it doesn't really seem that old. I sometimes feel younger or at least feel like I act younger (than what I think 30 should act like). "They" are saying that 30 is the new 20. But, I don't want to be 20.
I do feel like our lives can be marked by the decades of our 20's, 30's, 40's and so on. I wonder what my 30's have in store for me? Travel perhaps. Probably kids too. A move. I'm not afraid of turning 30. It just seems weird, like I should have something to show for my 20's. I am thinking that this is going to be my year!! I may spend the next 30 days thinking about what I want my "Year 30" to be and go for it. As my friend CC says, "put yourself out there!"
I am looking forward to 30! And since I love birthdays, I hope it'll be a great one!! (no pressure, huh?) I think I'm going to set some goals for myself this year and live a full life!!

washer & dryer

So...sometime in the spring we finally got a washer & dryer for FREE. That ended my dragging all our dirty laundry (literally) to my sister's every Tuesday. And for about 3 or so months we did our laundry freely whenever we wanted or needed...it was pure bliss.

Until the week or so after our return from Colorado when our dryer ran all night blowing only cool air. I didn't want to believe the possibility that it could be broken, so I kept using it. Only for a day..I'm not an idiot.

Luckily my sister lives nearby and the following Tuesday I took our clothes. And something completely and utterly unbelievable happened...my sister's dryer broke. In my care (use). She had to buy a new one. Freak accident, right?

That was a few weeks ago...after our dirty clothes have been piled up I decided to bring it tonight. On my 3rd load something wrapped around the spinner thing in the washer and jammed it. It doesn't spin/move. Not to mention's my sister's parting words to me earlier today were, "don't break anything." Are you serious?! Is this even possible?

Tomorrow a repair person will come to her house and I'm really hoping (and pleading with God) that it can be fixed...not only so I have a place to do our laundry, but so that I don't have to help my sister buy a new washer. UGH!!

moral? we need a new dryer!

her passion overflows

our models...doing some "action" shots (i.e. walking)

our beautiful models jumping!!

our teacher and her beautiful self. i love her pregnant belly

just a quick nature shot of some mushrooms. i liked it

This past Saturday I got to be a part of "Smitten Photo Academy." My friend, Sharon Clark, has her own photography business and it's simply amazing. (www.smittenphotography.typepad.com) She actually did our wedding stationery which was so cool, but as she was discovering her passions she decided to solely pursue photography. And it's been such a joy to see. (since i check her blog daily)

A couple times a year she runs a 4-hour class on how to use your camera and take pictures. What I loved most was sitting at Sharon's feet as she shared her passion...not just of photography, but of capturing the lives of children, families, events, and so much more. It's also super cool that she is willing to share all her "secrets." I would imagine that she blesses the people on the other side of the camera every time she has a shoot. You should check her stuff out!!!

I have no desire to be in the picture taking business...I just want to know HOW to use my camera and take great pictures. here are few from that day. (clearly i CANNOT figure out how to put my text above my pictures without deleting them)

This is Ridiculous

Is it appropriate to use a blog to vent? i am.

So--our gas light came on in the honda last night. I prefer to get gas at Costco b/c usually it's cheaper. After last week's gas hording & gouging due to hurricane ike, we filled both our cars up. No problem. Well, you'd think so, until it's time to get gas again...like this morning. I drove "all the way" to Costco to find it closed & empty. The station across the street...same thing. On my way towards the Dentist I passed a couple more that were down. UGH!!! ARe you serious that we live in a spoiled & developed country, but have run out of gas!? FINALLY...I see one with cars and pull in...they only had the low-grade, so I was in luck!! Relief. for now.

I was just so annoyed. Partly b/c I feel like I deserve to have everything (resources) available to me when I need/want them, probably b/c I live in a country that's created this in me. And partly b/c it's ridiculous that we ran out of gas (okay, not totally). We actually heard on NPR this morning that if the hurricanes get worse, the crisis will only get worse.

I'd like to be able to ride my bike anywhere or hop on a bus/train and not have to depend on gas. But, for now, I'm a slave to it.

funny stuff

this is about as political as i'm going to get...enjoy!!!