Still here!

Hello there!  Well, I'm still in WI and will be here for another five days yet.  The time just flies by, though, and I can't believe that I've already been here for two weeks!  I suppose that it's due to Christmas being right in the middle of it all and there's always lots to do before and after the actual day.  Oh, well...such is life!!

I've been having lots of fun here visiting family, playing Scrabble with Mom, playing dominoes with Mom & Luke (my brother), going on Therapy Dog visits with my Dad & Buddy (the dog), and just relaxing and having a good time.  I'll be sad to leave next Tuesday but I'm also kind of anxious to get my semester started and to get it finished so that I can have my bachelor's degree IN HAND!!   Yahoo!! :)

I hope that you are having good days, too!  We'll be home for the next few days (no big travel plans) and we plan to bring in the new year quietly and just here at home.  There's a storm that's supposed to start and last through tomorrow, so we'll see how that ends up, but it sure makes me glad that we've gotten the majority of our traveling OUT of the way!!  Have a safe and Happy New Year and we'll "chat" here again in 2011!! :o)

Wisco

Hello!  I thought that I had better get on here and give a quick update as to what's going on in my life! :)

I had a wonderful birthday on Thursday!!  It was such a special day and I felt very lucky to have as many friends as I do who helped celebrate the day.  I was THRILLED to start the day off with breakfast at Brent's house with JT, Shannon, Danny, Jane D., and Justin (and me and Brent, too :).  Brent served up biscuits & gravy, eggs, waffles, bacon and OJ...yum!  What a great start to the day!!  Then, I had lots of visits, phone calls and e-mails throughout the day, I enjoyed lunch with my good friend, Meegan, and then spent the evening with some great friends in Elk Mtn.  It was just a spectacular day and it made turning 30 a special event!  (THANK YOU, Kristi, for no black balloons that night!! :)

Then on Friday, it was time to fly to Wisconsin, but guess what...I woke up feeling TERRIBLE and was pretty sure I had the flu.  I really wasn't sure what was going on, so I decided to take off anyway and see what happened.  All in all, I felt crummy all day, but I made the trip and now I am safely in WI (yay!).  Even though I was pretty sure that I was coming down with the flu, now I'm starting to wonder if I was just over-tired because I'd had several late nights this past week.  I slept WELL last night but still felt a little "iffy" this morning.  I just told myself to get over it and I went on to enjoy my day.  I've felt fine since.  Anyway, we drove about two hours this morning to have breakfast with some of my aunts & uncles and cousins from my dad's side of the family.  After breakfast we went to my aunt & uncle's house and visited until three this afternoon and then we headed for home.  It was a GREAT day!!  I'm glad the weather cooperated, too, and let us travel. :)

So, I'm here at mom & dad's and enjoying being here already.  Except that it's C-O-L-D and it seems much colder than WY, so I've been kind of whiney about that... haha! :)  Hope you're doing well!  I'll update when I can, but no promises for regular posts!! :)

By the way...straight A's this last semester.  YAHOO!!! :o)  I now have one semester left with only two classes to take and I'm THRILLED about that!  *laugh*  :)

I'm 30 today!!!

Oh my goodness...I am 30 years old today.  YIKES!!  haha! :)

Really, I have been totally fine with turning 30...until the year arrived.  Starting the day after my 29th birthday, I just started freaking out about being 30!  It lasted all year long and finally about two weeks ago, I started to feel like it might not end up being so bad after all.  haha! :) 

With this birthday coming up, I've been thinking lots about who I am and what I am and it's been good for me to ponder that for a little bit.  For the most part, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at in life.  There's a few things that I've decided I'd like to see change from this point on, but it's nothing that is a deal breaker and so that's pretty good, I think! :)

So, here I am...30.  My day today is going to start out with breakfast at Brent's house (he's a good friend of mine) with a few other friends joining us (Julie S...do you remember doing that for Brent's 30th?! :).  Then, I'm going to have lunch with another good friend, Meegan, and I'm really looking forward to that, too!  Finally, at the end of the day, I'm going to go join my friends west of here for an evening of Pampered Chef and some good visits.  All in all, I think it's going to be a wonderful day!! :)

I hope you have a great day, too!  I'd sure love to hear any comments from those of you who have experienced 30, whether recently or awhile ago, and what you have to say about it.  It's always fun to hear peoples' opinions on different milestones in life. :)  Take care!

Look what I got!!! :)

These arrived in my office today from my good 'ol Papaw!! :o)  Aren't they beautiful?  If you click once on the picture, they'll zoom in and give a bigger, better view.  Dad sent them to me for my birthday this week.  THANKS, DAD!!!!  xoxoxo

(sorry the pic quality isn't the best...these are from my camera phone. :)

DONE!

Well, I am officially DONE with this semester of school!  Wahoo!  I just submitted my last assignment a half hour ago (just in time for the midnight deadline!) and it feels SO good to be done.  Now I'm going to relax and ENJOY the holiday break.  No classes or homework until January 10...whew! : )  On a side note...guess where I fly to on Friday?!  Can't wait!! : )

Catching up...again...

Wow!  Sorry for such a long hiatus!  I've been super busy trying to finish up he end of the semester.  I had company at my house last weekend and then one of them got the flu and ended up staying an extra couple of days so between that, work, and school, I've been busy. 

I had a final exam yesterday and found out about the project I turned in a week ago....I got 100% on it!  Wahoo!!  That was pretty cool to hear, especially because we worked hard to get a good grade (it was a team effort).  I hope to find out about how the final went in a few days.

I also am still finishing up my final research paper for my other class.  Originally, it was due yesterday (Friday) but then she gave us an extension until tomorrow (Sunday).  I took full advantage and I'm working like a crazy lady today to get it finished.  I'd really like to submit it TODAY and be done.

So, that's my life!  Nothing too exciting. : )  This week will be a short work week for me as I fly out on Friday for Wisconsin!!!  YAY!!! : )  I'll be home with family for the Christmas holiday and I'm super excited about it.  There's LOTS to do before I leave, though, so I'd better get back to work.  I just wanted to give you an update since it's been over a week since I wrote on here.  Yikes...sorry about that!!  : ) 

Have a great weekend!!

I love birthdays.

I love birthdays!  I really do!  I really love celebrating MY birthday, too! : )  It's not the whole getting gifts thing (even though those ARE fun! :), but I just love to get together with friends on my birthday and HAVE FUN.  I think it's just a good day to have fun and celebrate, whether it's going out to eat, going for coffee, or getting together at a friend's house for games.  Celebrating birthdays (not just mine!) is FUN! : )  However...I just realized that two weeks from today, I will be turning 30.  This year, that has NOT been as easy to accept as I thought it would be!!  It's just...different.  So, I'm excited that my birthday is coming soon, but I'm not sure I'm so thrilled about 30 just yet.  I'll get back to you on that one. : )

This week has been crazy, so I apologize for no posts being put up.  I haven't been to bed before midnight this week and I'm just tired tonight.  I laid down on the couch around six to "rest my eyes" and woke up at 8:40.  Oops!  I'm going to go to bed very shortly!! : )

I submitted a final project yesterday!  Wahoo!  For that same class, I have a final exam on the 10th and I'm not that worried about it, so that's nice.  The only other thing I have left is a 15 page research paper and I'm more concerned about that because I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to write about, but I plan to get that going this weekend.  It's due on the 12th (an online submission).  I had one more take home exam and two-page essay, as well, but that got canceled.  Why?  Well, it's fantastic that it was cancelled because that's one LESS thing to do, but it's super sad because the professor is fighting stomach cancer and is NOT doing well and it was just too much for him to teach this last week, create a take home final and grade it.  I feel so bad for him!!  So, anyway, we ended that class early.

I'm looking forward to the weekend coming up!  It will be nice to have a break just because it feels like this week has been crazy.  The weather predictions have changed again, though, and now it looks like it's supposed to snow straight through Monday.  Ugh.  At least I don't have to shovel the sidewalks, though!!  ha!  :o)

Sunday musings

Well, the Thanksgiving holiday is over and according to my "holiday" radio station, there are 26 days, 7 hours and 24 minutes until Christmas, so get to it if you haven't already started getting ready!! ha! :)  I've been mulling over in my mind what to get my family members for the holidays and I think I have it all figured out.  Now I just need to go BUY the items!!  There was NO way that I was heading out for Black Friday, though, so my shopping will now commence! :)  Some of y'all are just crazy to head out for Black Friday, but I'm impressed that you have the "oomph" to get out and go! ha! 

I had a good day at home today.  I woke up not feeling so well, so I just stayed indoors today and laid low.  I did a lot of homework stuff for end-of-the-semester projects and I also did some work on work stuff, so it was a good day.  I even refused to let myself take a nap!  I have to start re-training my body for the work week, ya know!?! ha! :)

This week will be the last week of classes and then a week of finals, with the semester ending on December 10.  I have a project due on the 1st, an exam on the 10th, a 15-page research paper due on the 10th and then my final take-home exam (which I'll get tomorrow) and that's due on the 8th.  That take home exam is no picnic, either.  It's a 17-page front-to-back exam and he will take direct quotes from our readings, but you have to be super cautious because he'll change ONE word and that makes the entire option WRONG.  *sigh*  It's a nightmare.  Anyway, with that exam, I also have a two-page essay question to answer.  So, it's not too terrible of the end of the semester, but I sure don't want to leave everything until the last minute!  I'm super thankful, though, that one of my professors decided to cancel our final exam on the 7th and instead, she just left us with our 15-page research paper.  Up to the cancellation of the final, we were going to have a final exam (6-7 pages) and the research paper.  Yikes!  I'm glad she cancelled the final...her exams are NOT easy!!

So, I'm finishing up my project for Wednesday and doing a couple loads of laundry, too, so hopefully the evening will be just as quiet as the day.  Oh...we got two more inches of snow today!  It's pretty!  But the wind is supposed to pick up now and that will make driving not so fun. :(  All for now!!  Hope you're doing well and having good days!! :)

It's a-blowin' out there!!

Wow.  It is windy out there today!  And c-o-l-d.  No joke.  Right now, the temp is a mere 3 degrees, but the wind is right around 32 mph with gusts up to 40 (and that's IN town!), so the windchill is hovering around 25 degrees below zero and they're saying the windchill is likely to be around 35 below zero tonight.  Yikes!  If you've never experienced Wyoming winter before, this picture is a pretty accurate depiction of what it's really like on I-80 when the wind starts a-blowin'!!  (I found the pic on the web, so thanks to whoever took it, but trust me...I am NOT out driving in weather like this!! : )

I have plans to spend Thanksgiving day with a family in town, so I'm glad that I don't have to travel very far.  If you do, though, be safe and enjoy your time with family & friends!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!  : )

I'm missing...

I'm missing Wisconsin today and I'm missing being within driving distance of my family.  Why is it that one day I'll be fine and then the next day, I just miss that part of the country and I miss being close to my family?  What goes on inside of us that makes our feelings flip like the switch of a light?  Whatever...I'll never fully understand it.

A week? Really?

How can it have been a full WEEK since I last posted?  This week was busy.  I was SO busy at work and almost every day after work involved time spent on projects and end of the semester stuff.  It was not the most fun week I've ever had in my life. :)  One comment I heard more times than not this week from everyone, though, was, "I sure am looking forward to getting a break for Thanksgiving!"  I think that's how a lot of us feel!  I know that I'm sure looking forward to having four days off!!!  I plan to sleep, clean, write some letters, read some books, take naps and maybe work on some homework. :)  Of course, there's "attend a holiday dinner and eat" mixed smack in the middle of that, too, so no missing out there! :)

I tell ya, I sure am looking forward to graduating from college this spring.  I feel like a broken record on that subject, but I am SO tired of doing both school and work.  It's exhausting on so many levels!!  I'm registered for all of my classes for the spring, but I'm registered for a couple of extras because I'm not real sure what I want to take yet.  My opinions on what classes to take seem to be changing on a daily basis, so I'm thinking that I just need to go to WI for Christmas and completely remove myself for a full two weeks and then come back and decide.  I think that I'm just too burned out to make any decisions on classes right now.  What a whiner I am, huh?!? :o)

I'm always glad for Thanksgiving.  It's not my most favorite holiday of all time, but I really do enjoy the time spent with family & friends.  I also really enjoy that it serves its purpose to get me thinking about what I'm truly thankful for.  I feel so blessed in life and as time goes on, I realize more and more how lucky I am.  I had a wonderful upbringing and still have a great relationship with my family.  My life since leaving home has had its bumps, but for the most part, it has been full and rich and satisfying and I've certainly had a lot of opportunities in my lifetime.  I'm SO thankful for all of my experiences and I'm thankful that this is a holiday that reminds me of that.

As you start your plans and travels to visit family, please travel safely!! :)

Lazy Sunday

I had a very nice day today!  I went to my Sunday church meeting this morning and then out to lunch with two very special ladies.  After lunch, I ran a couple of errands (ones that I can't do during the week because of work and school) and then I came home and just relaxed.  I turned on some Christmas music and just bee-bopped on the computer, completing little projects here and there.  It was a nice, lazy, relaxing Sunday and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!  Did you have a lovely day, too?  I sure hope so!!

Now I'm off to bed so that I'm ready for a new week of work.  Have a great night and a great start to your week!

The past and the present

Well, it hasn't been snowing out today and it turned out to be a nice day!  The temp is around 30, but the sun is SHINING and the wind is quiet, so it's a beautiful day out!

Last night, I was getting ready for a paper that I have to write tonight about my personal and professional ethics code and I had a nice thing happen!  A few years ago, I was really struggling with feeling down and I was also battling a lot of anxiety. It was a rough deal. Through it all, though, I kept a journal and I allowed myself to write whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and let me tell ya, I wrote about anything and everything.  Last night I decided to sit down and look through the journal to see if there was anything in there that would add to my paper.  Wow...I was SO amazed.  My "rough time" was during 2006 and when I read through some of the things that I was feeling and experiencing, I felt like it was just yesterday that I was experiencing everything and that time period came flooding back to me.  When I stop and look at the date on the journal entries, however, I think, "Wow.  That was a long time ago.  I'm so far from that place!"

What I felt truly thankful for is that things are SO different than what they were at that time.  I've made some significant changes that altered a LOT of things in my life and I feel so much more balanced than I was during that tumultuous time.  I also felt like even though I have an "off" day once in awhile, my entire life is altogether better.  I am no where near the place that I was in during 2006 and I'm so thankful for that!!

I was glad to read about the past and to see a vivid improvement with the present and I just found myself wanting to take all of the lessons and changes with me into the future.  Just because things are good now doesn't mean that it's smooth sailing for the future.  Hopefully I can take with me what I've learned, though, so that maybe I don't make some of the same mistakes or wrestle with some of the same things that I struggled with before.  I just hope that I can learn from the past and make the future brighter, better and richer.

Snow.

The time has come.  The snow has arrived. Here is a small picture of my world.

The picture was taken earlier this morning, so there is a bit more snow on the ground than this.  Maybe three inches so far?  Anyway, the background on the blog will change for awhile, too.  Happy Winter!! : )

Time Change!!

Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight!!! :o)

Colds are crummy

So, I've been battling a cold this week.  It set in on Tuesday.  The sad part is that there are only two times in the year where I feel like I really can't afford to call in sick to work because of how busy I am and it's that exact time when I get sick.  If it were an illness like the flu, you can bet your bottom that I wouldn't be leaving my house!!  But a cold?!?  Well, I'm a Wyoming gal now and out here, the phrase is "Cowboy Up," so that's what I did this week.  And it was miserable.

I think that I'm over the worst of it, but I still feel kind of crummy off and on.  I plan on sleeping for something like a hundred hours tonight, though, since I don't have to get up to an annoying alarm at 6:30 in the morning (as if I actually do get up that early...it's more like 7, usually), so I'm really hoping to tomorrow is when I start to feel "normal" again. : )

I'm supposed to go to a bridal shower tomorrow, too, so I'd better seriously be feeling much better by the morn! : )

I hit a milestone this week, too!  I registered for my LAST semester of classes!!  Wahoo!! : )  I am not 100% sure that the schedule will stay as is because I'm hoping to get into a different class that's already closed, but I am enrolled in my "back-up" courses plus a "for sure" course, so I'm half way there!  If this other closed class doesn't work out, then I'll initiate the back-up one and away we go!  Either way, I'm currently enrolled in enough credits that when I go in and look at my degree evaluation, it shows that I'm complete.  Do you even realize how exciting it was to see that today?!?!?!  I felt giddy the entire day today just because of that.

I hope you're doing well and have something nice planned for the weekend!  We're supposed to have weather in the 60s and that is almost unheard of at this time of year!  No worries, though...snow is predicted for Monday & Tuesday. : (

I just noticed something...why do I all of a sudden have people from 133 different places who have come to my blog in the last day or two?  I've never had that many visits in one day!!  EVER!!  Weird...I'm feeling slightly stalked...or watched or something...but only just slightly.

Take care!! : )

Voting

I voted!  Here's what I thought...I didn't go in feeling completely clueless, but I did feel like I need to go into future voting sessions with a more confident feeling of who's running and who I want to vote for.  I love to vote and I love the feeling that I get when I vote, but I know that I definitely want to feel more confident about my choices.  I hate to even say it like that because I'm not going in there with no idea of what's going on, but sometimes I have the same feeling that I have when I go into an exam that I'm not prepared for.  I just feel like I know most of what I'm supposed to know, but sometimes I don't feel a "without-a-doubt" confidence.  So, that's my goal for the future...be more involved and more informed.

I hope you voted, too!! : )

Happy November 1!!!

Wow.  I can't believe that it's November already!!!  Where does time go, anyway?  This weekend, I was looking over some work documents because I received a renewal form for some things last week and I was just disgusted because I was sure that I had just taken care of this and I knew that it was way too early for renewal.  Turns out that the last time I dealt with it was November 2009.  Good grief.

I had a pretty good weekend this weekend.  I caught up on my sleep, paid some bills and got November's budget in line, went to a potluck and then waited around my house for trick-or-treaters.  I wasn't planning that too many tots would stop by and yell, "Trick or treat!!" but I was glad that one did!! : )  She was a witch with vampire teeth. : )  Other than that, though, no one. : (  I guess the other 90 pieces of candy in the bag I bought will go to work with me tomorrow.  (Well, maybe 80 of the pieces will go to work. haha!)  I can always hope that next year will be a  better turn out, right!?!

School is going well.  I am studying for an exam that I have tomorrow and right after that, I'll be finishing up two papers that I need to submit within the next week or so.  Not including Thanksgiving week (because I'm sure both of my classes will be canceled) and finals week, there are only FOUR weeks of class left.  You cannot begin to comprehend how excited I am about this.  This hasn't been the best semester for me.  I really enjoy one of my classes (of three), but even still, it's just been a t-o-u-g-h semester to keep motivated and to want to be doing this.  I think it just might be a severe case of senioritis. : )

Along the lines of school, I have been seriously contemplating going on for a master's degree in "Student Affairs in Higher Education," but in reviewing things last week, I found that the particular program I'd like to get into starts the same week in May 2011 that I will be having finals.  So, I think I'm going to postpone that dream until 2012.  It might be really good for me to have a break, anyway.  Some say it's harder to go back after a break and I might have to agree, but I seriously think that I need a break.  If anything, it will be good for me to try and pay off some debt.  Ugh.

Last week was advising week at work.  It was a L-O-N-G week.  There were late nights, early days and LOTS of overtime.  I think that the brunt of it is over with, but I'm trying not to be too relaxed just yet.  : )  This year, the professors decided that they wanted to free up my time a bit more by handing out the registration information to the students they were advising.  At first I was super nervous about the last minute change and how it would go, but it ended up being an awesome change.  I was still super busy, but no where NEAR what it has been in the past.  We might have to talk in our next dept. meeting about a few glitches that occurred, but for the most it was a fantastic change and one that I hope that they continue. 

Okay...I need to get back to studying.  Happy November 1st!!  : )

Inspiring

Very cool Louis Vuitton commercial...

What is a journey?
A journey is not a trip.
It's not a vacation.
It's a process. A discovery.
It's a process of self discovery.
A journey brings us face to face with ourselves.
A journey shows us not only the world, but how we fit in it.
Does the person create the journey or does the journey create the person?
The journey is life itself.
Where will life take you?

catching up!

Wow!  I can't believe that it's been over a week since I last posted.  Things have been crazy-busy at work, but good.  I've put in some long hours, though, and so any extra free time is spent on homework or sleeping.   : )  Other than that, there's really not much else that's going on with me!

Yesterday was quite the Monday, that's for sure.  It was not a good day, in many ways, so I was glad that today was MUCH better.  But guess what started yesterday?  Snow.  And wind.  And cold.  I really can't complain because we have had such a lovely fall season, but this change sure happened quickly.  One thing I can now confirm, though...all the trees have lost their leaves!!!  : (  It had to happen sometime, right?

Well, if anything more exciting than this comes up, I'll be sure to let you know! ;)  My life really does consist of work, homework and sleep right now, and I can promise that there's nothing exciting about that!!  haha!  :)  Hope that you're doing well, too!! :)

A week of reminiscing

This past week I received two envelopes in the mail containing my medical files from my surgeon who performed my thyroidectomy (when I had thyroid cancer).  During that cancer time, I learned that it's very important to keep a copy of your medical records and even more so with situations that are as critical as this one.  It's just always good to go to your doctor appointment(s) prepared with your OWN copy of your file.

For some reason, though, I never got a copy of my file from my surgeon!  So, this year, I finally got my act together and requested a copy of my file.  It showed up in the mail last week and I finally opened it yesterday.  You know, I never cease to be amazed by the flood of emotions and flashbacks that occur when I spend time reading through my medical files from the years that I was fighting thyroid cancer.  Honestly, this long out (seven years now since first diagnosed), you'd think that "reviewing" that time period wouldn't cause that much emotion, but I'll be the first to admit that it sure DOES stir up a lot of emotion!  It makes me wonder...does a person ever really "heal" from something like that?  Maybe that's something that no one can answer until they've been through such an experience (and I hope that it's an experience that YOU never have to go through!!!), but it just seems like I should be reacting to it like I would with any surgery.  For instance, if I had my gall bladder taken out or something, I'd probably share the story with ease and remember it without much emotion.  Why, though, does a cancer story do just the opposite and stir up a lot of emotion?  Is it because in your first days and weeks of discovery, it's kind of like a "brush with death"?  I just really don't know.

Anyway, it's good for me to read through those files and remember what I was experiencing and to review what the doctor's were saying about me at that time.  It's just good to know of the details of the events that were taking place.

In addition to all that, my mom and I also got into a conversation this week about those first days/weeks of finding out I had cancer and for the first time (that I can remember, anyway), I heard from mom some more details about what she and dad were really going through during that time.  I know it may seem silly to even say it, but I honestly didn't realize what THEY were experiencing then (outside of fear) and I'm sure it's because I was pretty focused on myself those days.

It's just been a good week of reminiscing and a good week to just remember how thankful I need to be.  Cancer is something that changes everything about you and about your life and you're never the same person again, even in the littlest things.  It's also something that you're never prepared for, either, no matter how many times you face it (and that was something that I learned during the time that I went to support groups for a little extra help).

Anyway, this is nothing super revealing or exciting, but it's something I've been glad to experience this week and it was just a little something that I wanted to share with all of you. : )  All for now, friends!!

There is BEAUTY in the world!!!

With the miners all safely rescued TODAY, I thought this would be a fitting time to share my current favorite song.  Turn up your speakers and ENJOY!!!  : )

ugh.

I was having a good day today and then I went to class.  Class was a lot too liberal for me today, plus it covered a heavy subject that just made me feel awful.  So, now I'm back to work and I just feel like I'm in a funk.  : (  I have SO much to do today and now all I want to do is go home and sleep for awhile.  Waaahhhh!!! : )

Part of me wonders, though, if some of this feeling is coming more from the fact that I'm so tired of school.  Last night, I was getting ready for today's class and I just kept thinking, "Oh, I am so DONE with this!!"  I just feel burned out.  I know it's so silly to even say that, though, because I know that I'm ALMOST done and I just need to hang in there!!  But, that doesn't change the fact that I'm just tired of it all.

Hmmm...I just realized that I'm hungry, too.  Maybe THAT is playing into some of these feelings?!?  haha!  It's funny how low blood sugar can affect your mood, eh? :o)  Enjoy the rest of your day!!

Happiness

Just so you know, I love my blog.  Right this very moment, I'm just HAPPY with how it keeps my family members in tune with what's going on in my life and it keeps my friends...entertained.  ha! :)  I really love how it's a journal for me.  Sometimes I don't write things because of who MIGHT be reading (for instance, a coworker, maybe :) and so I keep those things to myself, but what I do write is important to me, even if I may not feel that way at the moment that I'm writing.  When I go back, though, and read through some of things I've written, I feel happy.  Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Was I really thinking/feeling that at the time?"  It's good for me to reminisce and to see how things have or have not changed.  Yes, friends, I do love my blog. :o)

Just an 'ol homebody.

As I am aging, I notice one thing (among many, let me assure you! :) about myself...I am a homebody.  Now, don't get me wrong...I love getting together with friends and family and having some seriously good times, but I also L-O-V-E to be at home.  I think that feeling is heightened even more right now by the fact that I'm SO busy with work and school that any free time I do have, I just want to be at home, being quiet, and relaxing.

I also love to travel the world and visit new places, but I always love to come home, too.  I love traveling for the weekend to visit friends that are a few hours away, but I tell ya...I always enjoy coming back home to my own bed.  Don't get me wrong, either...I am THANKFUL for all of the wonderful memories that I have from the various trips I've taken and I wouldn't exchange those for a penny, but there is something to be said about HOME.  I know that it's a place that I certainly love.

What about you?  Do you consider yourself to be a homebody or not really?

Another weekend done.

Well, let me share this past weekend with you. :)

On Friday night, my friend, Shannon, and I went to Cheyenne and ate some supper at Red Lobster (YUM!) and then did some shopping at Target. 

Saturday...I slept.  We'll come back to that.

Sunday, I went to my Sunday morning church meeting, out to lunch at a local mexican restaurant with some friends, took a short nap, went to gospel meeting in Cheyenne, out to eat at Olive Garden with some friends and then back to Target for a quick stop (it's that time of year to stock up on flannel sheets, you know!!).

All-in-all, I had a great, fun-filled weekend! :o)  But, let's talk about Saturday.  Do you know what a sloth is?  No?  Well, let me write out the definition:  "aversion to work or exertion; laziness; indolence."  That, my dear friends, was exactly what I morphed into on Saturday.

Now, before I begin, let me just state that every night last week, I was up until at least 1:30 AM, most nights until after 2 AM.  Some of those nights were because of homework and maybe ONE of those nights was due to that stupid facebook that I've recently joined.  Either way, by Friday night, I was seriously lacking on sleep.  One other thing I ask...for those of my friends out there that are married with kids, please do not hate me for this post.  I am not in any way PROUD of how I spent my day Saturday. :)

So, Friday night, Shannon and I got home around 11 PM.  I was exhausted, so I promptly came home, took a HOT shower, got into my pj's and got ready for bed.  I did check my e-mail and facebook before hitting the hay, so I didn't actually GO to bed until 1 AM, but that was fairly early, considering how the week had gone up to that point.  My friends...when I woke up the next morning, it was 11:45 AM.  I was still tired, though, and could tell that I had a nice headache to start the day, so...I rolled over and went back to sleep.  I woke up at a little after 1 PM and my headache was NO better (honestly, I think it's because I don't get my usual espresso coffee drinks on the weekend and I think I go thru withdrawals!).  I got up, though, and tried to make something of myself.  Finally, around two, I texted my friend to say that I wasn't going to make it to the local college athletic event and then...I went back to bed and soundly slept until a little after 5 PM.  At this point, my headache was MUCH better but my body was also starting to get angry because I hadn't eaten in 24 hours.  So, I got up, ate some supper, did a few things and went to bed at 11 PM.  Again, I soundly slept until 9:15 AM Sunday morning, when my alarm went off.  Let me tell you, though...when I woke up, I felt like a MILLION dollars!  I felt great and I proceeded to have a GREAT day, too. :)

So that, in all its honesty, was how I spent my weekend. I was glad that I was able to spend Saturday recooperating, but I do know it was rather extreme. It did encourage me to TRY to be a little better about going to bed at a DECENT time during the workweek and to be consistent about it!  This past week was a little out of the ordinary as I had a few class related things going on, but even I know that 2 AM is a little CRAZY!!

So, tell me...how was your weekend?! ;o)

I'm tired.

I'm glad that it's Friday because I am WAY tired this week!  Too much going on and too many late nights (because of homework AND facebook, I'm afraid). 

I received news this week that one of my aunts (on my dad's side) has liver cancer.  They're still determining all the details, but maybe in the next couple of weeks we'll know more.  It's just such a downer.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...cancer sucks.  It ruins so many lives and it's just a nasty, nasty thing.  That's all I'll say about that for today.

On a more positive note, we just completed our SIXTH week of the semester!  Only ten more left!!  YAY!!!! :o)  I really do hate to wish my life away, but I will be SO glad when I am doing with the "work full-time & go to school part-time" routine.  The other day I was thinking about it all and I decided that I don't like the person I am right now.  It's hard to get around that, though, because of how badly I want to finish this degree!  The part about what I don't like right now just involves being SO busy that some things that are really important to you get cheated.  For instance, I just haven't been able to keep in touch with my friends like I want to.  I wasn't fantastically stellar at it before, but now that I'm SO busy, it just feels impossible.  Another thing is getting to Bible study at a decent time so that I can sit and be quiet and think on things for a little while.  It seems like not only have I missed out completely on Bible study more times in the last six months than I have in the last sixteen years, but when I do get there, I feel like I'm racing in at the last minute.  That's not how I want it to be!!  I'm also getting tired of feeling tired and stretched thin all of the time, too.  I do realize that I am a procrastinator, though, and that does affect me sometimes (unfortunately!!), so I can't be too whiny about things since sometimes my "problems" are self-inflicted. :)

Weekend plans?  Well, I would like to clean my apartment, so that's at the top of the list!  I also have to study for an exam that I have next Thursday and, finally, I'd like to catch up on some sleep!!  It's gonna be a good weekend!! :o)

I think I'm in trouble.

So...facebook has taken over my world and I think I'm in big trouble.  haha!  Okay...maybe it's not THAT bad, but listen to this...last night, I logged on to facebook and had every intention of only being on ONLY for a couple minutes.  TWO HOURS later and I finally was able to pull myself off of there.  HOW RIDICULOUS is that?!?!  I think that I'm going to have to be more careful! :)

I now have two exams done.  Yay!!  I got an "A" on the one exam and the other one I completed yesterday, so maybe I'll know my score tomorrow.  I felt pretty good about it, so hopefully I at least get a "B" on it.  We'll see!

Then, I thought, that my third exam was this Thursday but guess what?!  It's not until NEXT Thursday!  Wahoo!! :)

Other than that, there's not much else that's new!  Ciao for now! :)

I did it.

I did it.  I joined facebook.  I said I wasn't going to, but I'm tired of feeling like I want to leave comments for people but can't (because I have been using my mom's account (with her permission!) to look at pictures and such).  So, I joined tonight.  And as I was adding "friends" to my list, all of a sudden facebook started popping up a repeated message that said something like, "You're adding friends too quickly and that could be seen as annoying to people.  You need to significantly decrease this action or you will be blocked from facebook." 

WHAT????  Isn't facebook a networking site?  How can making friend requests be annoying to people when you're just asking the ONE person to be your friend!?! 

After getting that message, I proceeded to send out 10 more friend requests. :)  I figured I'd better chill, though.  I'd hate to be blocked from facebook BY facebook on my first night with them.

How ridiculous... :o)

Friday FUN!

I decided to remove my last post because I realized later on that I think that some of my grad students read my blog.  So...I wouldn't want to be a bad example for them (as far as talking about co-workers)!!! :o)

It's FRIDAY!!  I'm so very happy.  I was up very late last night working on homework and even though I don't feel too exhausted yet, I'm SO very glad that I can sleep in tomorrow. :)

One thing, though, is that when I did go to bed, I laid there and came up with a few different plans to solve some "problems" that I've been running into at work and at class.  This morning when I woke up, though, all of those plans seemed ridiculous and I thought, "What was I thinking?!"  WHY does that always happen!!  How come it's when you always want to fall asleep right away that you think about the craziest things, come up with crazy "plans" to solve them, and then the next morning realize how big of an issue that it really WASN'T?  Maybe some day I'll have the courage to follow through with one of my great "solution plans"!!  haha!  :o)

Have a good Friday and a great weekend!! :)

Musings

My cousin, Keytun, had a baby this morning!! :) She had a healthy, 9 lb. 7 oz. baby girl with a full, dark head of hair. From what I've been told, the little one's name is Jema Lou. Congratulations Ryan, Keytun & Brylee!! :o)

I didn't get to bed very early last night because I was working on homework and let me tell ya, I'm payin' the price for it today! I'm so tired and I've developed a nice 'ol headache. Ugh. It's supposed to rain this afternoon, though, so hopefully that will help the dryness which will then help all of these allergy issues that me and everyone else is battling with right now. It's so dry and that, combined with all of the smoke from the forest fires around here, makes for some nasty allergy days!! Blech. :(

I've been keeping busy with school these days! I have a 12-page take home exam that I've been working on this week (front-to-back pages, mind you) and I'm almost finished with it, but then I have to finalize it with a two-page short essay that the professor decided to add on at the last minute. As if a 12-page multiple choice, true/false, and matching exam wasn't enough. And trust me...this exam is not easy. He likes to be tricky, so he makes the exam as difficult as possible and it just takes forever to work on. I'll be glad to hand it all in on Friday! After that, though, I have to start studying for an exam that I have on Monday for another class in addition to finalizing a 5-page paper for that same class, which is due next Wednesday. And then? I'll start studying for an exam that will take place the week after that for my last class. Have I mentioned that I'm really looking forward to next May when I will be finished with all of this and all I'll have to worry about is my job and that lastest novel that I want to read?!?! :)

Oh, it really could be worse than this, so I'll stop whining. :) I've just been kept pretty busy in the last week and I'm just looking forward to getting it all DONE. After all, this will all be ONE MORE thing that I'm finishing for each class and that just means that I'm closer to the end of the semester, right?!?! :)

Speaking of the end of the semester...I bought my plane tickets to fly home to Mom & Dad's for Christmas. I'll leave town on the 17th and will be at their place until January 4. I'm really looking forward to it!! It's always nice to get home! Plus, I'll get to finally meet new Baby Jema!!! :o) Can't wait!! :)

He dun kilt him a baar!!!

Well, I had to get permission to post these pictures because I wasn't sure if Dad wanted to be advertised on the world wide web! :)

For eight years now, Dad has been putting in for a hunting tag for black bear. This year, he finally got a tag! He spent something like eight weeks baiting (going out every day and putting out bait) and on opening morning, he shot this bear a half hour after the season started.

I know some of you aren't that big into hunting, but to control the population, they have to hunt bear. This year, the DNR made a mistake in their estimations of how many bear are around mom & dad's place and now the area is being overrun and the bear are doing LOTS of damage to people's crops and farm animals. It's sad, really.

Anyway, Dad worked long & hard to do this, so here are a few pictures to show off his bear!! :) He does plan on getting a half mount with it. I'll show pictures when he gets that done.

If you click ONCE on the picture, it will open up to a bigger view.
Here is a picture shortly after the kill. I can't tell if Dad's smile is so big because of how excited he is or if he's terrified that the bear really isn't all the way dead yet. haha! :) Live weight on the bear was about 260 pounds (that means that's how much it weighed before it was gutted).

This is how many guns that Dad brought with him for safety. Luckily, he only had to shoot one of them to get the bear. heeheehee... :)

Finally...a picture of his lucky huntin' hat... Can you guess who he was visiting when he got that hat?!?! :o)

Great job, Dad! This is pretty cool and I'm glad that you had a successful hunt! Love you!! :)

Tires 'n stuff

I bought new tires for my car today! After a few phone calls, I finally laid $499 on the table for four brand-spankin' new tires. Since winter is coming sooner than later, I figured it'd be better for me to be prepared with new tires since my other ones were practically bald!! Buying tires, as always, was an interesting experience and not one that I enjoy very much. The quoted price for four tires of varying brands, but similar styles, ranged from $72 per tire to $183 per tire. This was after calling four different shops in town. I ended up going with a middle-of-the-line-price by purchasing four Cooper tires. Here's to hoping that they treat me well!! :)

School is going good. I'm really learning a lot from my Public Relations class and my Relationship Ethics class, so I enjoy attending those classes. My third class, Advanced Communication Theory, is not that great and the instructor is difficult to tolerate because of his rudeness and crudeness. I don't dare say anything, though, because he's the kind that would take it out on you in your grades. So, needless to say, I'm looking forward to December and the end of the semester. Only eleven more weeks of class and then one week of finals! Wahoo! Wait...is it a little too early to start that countdown? :)

I've already started looking at tickets to fly to Wisconsin at Christmas. I can't believe that it's time to look at that already! It's been great to have mom & dad come out here and visit more often throughout the year. They are loving retirement and I'm loving that they're retired!!! :)

Since fall seems to be settling in for everyone, I decided to change the blog's background to some pretty fall foliage. It's my favorite season!!

Things at work have slowed down TREMENDOUSLY, thank goodness. Now I'm just trying to stay motivated with actually catching up!! When things slow down, it's easy to get into a mood of wanting to slow down a little, too, but it's important that I keep plugging along and GET AHEAD with things!

I purchased season tickets again for the university's women's basketball team. I'm not sure that I'll make it to all of the games, but as a friend reminded me, I'm still supporting the team with my purchase! :)

Hope you're doing well on this fine September day! Happy fall! :)

More thoughts, bullet style :)

• It's been a LONG while since I've posted, but things have been going good! I have been SUPER busy with work and school and I'm really hoping that it will slow down starting this week. We had a drop/add deadline finish up on Friday so students have to file petitions to drop classes now and usually once that deadline passes, things slow down quite a bit. I sure hope so!!
• My classes...I really like them! I really enjoy two of them and one of them...well, let's say that I'll tolerate it because I don't have a choice about it. :) It's just a drag because the professor is so obnoxious, but I'll manage just fine. The other two classes are the ones that I'm excited about..."Public Relations" and "Relationship Ethics." Both have proven to be VERY interesting so far! I think I'll learn a lot from them!
• I had to have our spring 2011 schedule loaded into the system by midnight last Friday, so I stayed late to work on it. After getting everything finished, I went to the folder for my Communication degree program and took a peek at the classes they're tentatively offering this spring and I'm excited about how things might work out! It looks like they're planning on a class on Tuesday nights and another one on Thursday nights and both are ones that I can take and ones that would let me graduate! Wahoo! :) Let's hope that things go accordingly and that they don't CHANGE the plans of what they're offering! :) It would sure be nice to have two nights of classes and that's it!! It's two separate classes that meet only ONE time a week, so that would be NICE! :)
• As I already said, work has been SUPER busy. I've worked late almost every night since the 23rd, Fridays included. It's not my most favorite time of year, but it would probably go a lot better if the students would LISTEN to the directions that they're given, whether from me or from one of their professors. I have become a firm believer that it's okay to repeat directions to students three or four times because the reality is that they're probably only going to hear the info ONCE.
• Mom, Dad & Luke's (my brother) visit was short, but super sweet! :) They pulled into town on Friday the 27th and left on Monday morning the 30th. We had a good time and laughed a lot and drove each other crazy some moments, but it was great!! :) I took them to the mountains one afternoon to see some scenery and that's about the "biggest" thing we did. We had some shopping trips and a potluck supper, but other than that, we just hung out and relaxed. It was NICE and I'm really looking forward to my time home at Christmas!!
• This week marks the official LEAP into the academic year. Two weeks down and 14 more to go before this semester ends and then I begin my LAST semester as a college student!! I'm so ecstatic about that! Mom & Dad asked, "What will you do then?" I said, "Start a Master's program?" haha... :) We'll see! :)
• Yesterday I ordered a new computer! Yay! It's a Dell desktop with a LOT more speed and functionality. It's due to arrive on the 22nd, so I'm excited for that day to arrive!
• Have a great week!

Thoughts on life

• My parents & brother are coming to town today!! I'm very excited to see them! They'll leave on Monday when I go to work, so it's a short visit for them.
• I have been feeling a bit "blue" for the last couple weeks now. I can't figure out if it's a seasonal depression that's going on or if it's more than that. This week has been better, thank goodness. I've been super busy this week, though, so maybe I didn't have enough to do over the last couple weeks? Who knows...
• I am so over school right now. I have two classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and one class on Tuesdays & Thursdays. All of them are over the lunch hour. I've decided that it's rough not to have ONE day off from having classes (when working full time).
• In 15 weeks, I will be turning 30. Thirty!!! Yikes!! What am I going to do?!?!
• Why do people have to be so rude? If there is one thing that will leave me speechless, it's when complete strangers make comments TO ME in a public setting about my weight. It just baffles me. And we're talking rude and mean comments, too. It's not just a general observation or an "engage in conversation" comment. It's a flat-out rude comment about my appearance. Why do people have to do that? Do they not think that I already struggle as it is that they have to add their two cents worth? I just can't imagine doing that to someone, especially about something so sensitive.
• Back to school...my new mantra is, "I can do this, I can do this!!!" :o)
• Have a great day!!

Break time

I'm tired of blogging and I'm super busy right now. I'll blog when I can, but maybe not for a few more days.

Tiredness

Yesterday evening I was reading through past blog posts that I have on here and I thought, "Man...there seems to be a consistent pattern of sounding all down and depressed." I'm going to try and be more uplifting. But I'll start after today. Maybe. :)

So, it's 7:25 PM and I'm just heading out the door from work. I'm taking home a stack of stuff, too, and I plan to work from home all day tomorrow. At least I'll be able to stay home, though, and sit in my jammies while I work. :) If need be, I'll come in to the office on Sunday afternoon/evening, depending on how I feel.

You see, the University starts classes on August 23. Our graduate students are reporting back this coming Monday already (Aug. 16). And I have LOTS to do before they all show up!!!! Ack!! So, I'm trying to work, work, work so that when things actually DO get rolling, it won't be as traumatizing to let a few things "go" for a couple of days. :)

Tonight, though, I'm just going to CHILL OUT and read a book. *sigh* :o) Okay, maybe I'll do some laundry, too, but we'll see. :)

My good friend, Meegan, reminded me today that I hadn't put anything up about finishing school. Oops! I finished and I have been GLAD to be done! Although, I honestly don't feel like I've felt like I'm relaxing and having a break because I know that in the blink of an eye, I'll be starting three more classes again. I haven't felt annoyed by that or anything, but I just don't feel like I've really been able to just fully relax. It probably doesn't help that I've made plans for about every night of the week since my last class ended. ha! I told my mom that I'll have to start classes again just so I can slow down a little!! *laugh* Anyway, I finished the semester on a good note...I took four classes (for a total of 12 credits) and I got three A's and one B. I can't complain about that!!! :o)

And that's all for now! I need to get home and eat some supper. I hope that you all have a great weekend!! I have to say...our seasons are changing!! This morning I left home and I almost went back in the house to get a jacket!! It was a bit chilly!!! It's been in the 40's at night and you CAN feel it. THIS is the time of year that I really love. *sigh* :o)

More images from the wedding

Here are some more pictures from Monique & Daren's wedding day, courtesy of Esther (friend of mine & Mo's) and Karen (Mo's step-mom).

Again...for EVERY picture, if you click on it once, it will open up to a bigger screen and you will be able to get a better look at it. ENJOY!!!

Monique's family...minus her brother & sister-in-law, Monte & Poppy, and brother-in-law, Morgan, who both couldn't make it to the wedding. :( Monique's sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces/nephews to the right and step-siblings (and Lana's spouse :) to the left.

A beautiful picture... :)

Monqiue's nieces & nephews...if you can't already tell, I just love these kids! They're great! :)

Monique being handed over in marriage by her dad. You can see the Kendrick Mansion in the background. It's a museum now. It was just all a very pretty setting for a wedding!

Brent, Mo and Me...we have been the three partners in crime for a long time now. I'm glad we have this picture. :)

Monique & Daren with the parents...his folks on the left, Loren & Lil, and Mo's dad and stepmom on the right, Karen & Dave.

These girls just had a lovely time together. They're cousins who don't get to see each other all that often, but they're thick as thieves when they're together! It's great to see! :)

Monique with her dad, Dave, and her twin sisters, Melody (left) and Michelle (right).

Part of the get-away plan for Mo & Daren involved bubbles...some folks couldn't wait until the get-away to blow bubbles so there were bubbles everywhere for awhile. I love this picture because of the joy on Monique & Daren's faces. It's priceless! :)

More of those who were having too much fun with the bubbles. I hope they don't get after me for posting this picture. ha! :)

The guestbook table...the sign in the center said, "All because two people fell in love" and then they had pictures of parents, grandparents and great-grandparents surrounding it. Daren's family pics were on the right and Mo's were on the left (second picture below). It was neat to see! They also had the bottles of bubbles for later on as well as packets of wildflowers that you could take and plant in order to remember the day. On a side note...That's my arm you see in the picture. I was responsible for taking pictures of the guests so they could place the picture in the guestbook later on (next to the person's signature). I was also responsible for making sure that the children didn't take six tubes of bubbles at one time. That job was more tough than the picture taking. ha!

(Below) The picture of Monique & Daren is in the center...her dad & step-mom's wedding picture is to the right of that (just behind theirs) and her dad & mom's wedding picture is to the left of that (just behind theirs). Mo's mom passed away almost four years ago now and I thought that this was a nice way to remember her this day. In their wedding picture, she & Dave are around 18, I believe. Pretty close to that age, anyway, and quite YOUNG on that wedding day long ago. :)

A Friend, Amy, had asked about a picture of the cake in the previous post. There was no cake that day! Instead, Monique & Daren had milk and cookies!! The milk wasn't out yet, but you can see the bottles they used on the right (these were engraved with their name & wedding date and given out as thank-you gifts later on...I got one! Wahoo!) :)

The happy couple...

The food table...there were grapes, cheese & crackers, cold roast beef for sandwiches (with mustard or horseradish to add to your sandwich), asparagus, strawberry salad, and then these sticks of rosemary with mozzarella, artichoke and salami on them (like a kabob...I don't know how to explain them, really, but they were good). It was delicious!!

Miss Ivey, Monique's niece. She belongs to Michelle & Morgan...

The twin sisters, Melody (left) and Michelle (right).

Daren & his brother, Ryan.

Monique & Daren's Wedding

Well, the wedding was absolutely beautiful!! The weather was wonderful (low 90's) and the ceremony & reception were just as wonderful. I started crying as soon as the wedding party came around the corner (I'd been feeling it build up since I got up that morning) and I pretty much did not STOP crying until we were on our way to the reception. :( But, as I told others, it was a happy-sad cry. I'm VERY happy for Monique & Daren and I'm thrilled that I could be there with them, but I will sure miss Mo. Don't worry, though...I've already added it to my "places to travel" list! Wahoo!! ;o)

Now...the pictures. Before I start, please take note...for EVERY picture, if you click on it once, it will open up to a bigger screen and you will be able to get a better look at it. ENJOY!!!

I arrived an hour and a half after they started taking pictures, so I got one of D & M with all of the nieces and nephews and another one of everyone visiting BEFORE the wedding ceremony.

Now, this next picture is hard for me to talk about. It was a "bridezilla" moment of Mo's. She decided that she did NOT like where the ceremony was set up (because of the sun), so she kind of forced everyone to help her move things.
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Oh, yeah right...like MO would do that!!!! :o) After some discussion by MANY people involved, it was decided that it would be better to move the ceremony setting BACK about 15 feet so that everyone (bridal party included) could be in the shade for most of the ceremony. So, everyone that had a free hand started moving chairs back...including the bride and groom!!! :o)

But what did Grandpa Ray do to help? Why, he held Mo's flowers!! What a gentleman!!! ;)

Monique & Daren with Dean and Scott. Dean & Scott had a part in the wedding ceremony...Dean spoke, Scott prayed.

Monique & Daren with John & Esther. I *love* this picture!! :o)

Then, it was TIME FOR THE WEDDING TO START!!! I included the following picture because it's the only one I captured of Daren's mom & dad, Loren & Lil.

Monique & her Dad after he just walked her up the aisle.

Dean is sharing his message.

The group of singers. I believe that the title of the song they were singing was "Homes of Zion". Monique might have to correct me on that one later. It was a beautiful song and the singers really did a nice job with it!!

The vows.

After the vows were said, rings exchanged and the kiss to "seal the deal," Mo's nieces and nephews sang a hymn from our hymn book, number 226, "O, Teach me how to love." They did a FANTASTIC job!!! I was SO impressed with them and VERY proud of them!! :) (P.S. -- Mo's step-mom, Karen, made the dresses for the girls. Aren't they cute?! This is a good picture, too, to kind of see what dress Monique's sisters, Melody & Michelle, chose for the wedding. I'm not sure where they bought them from, but I thought they were very lovely!)

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Daren & Monique as Mr. & Mrs.!!!!!

I caught this picture as they were walking away and I think it's one of my FAVORITE pictures from the day. I just love the simplicity of it.

Saying congratulations and some visiting before the reception.

At the reception. My job for the wedding involved taking pictures for the guest book, so my personal pictures of the reception aren't very organized. I was happy with what I captured, though!

The next couple pictures show the "damage" done to the car! Yes...these pictures were cropped to protect the reputation of those who had a hand in this car makeover. ;o) They were actually very nice to Daren & Mo's car, thank goodness. :) If you click on the first picture, it will open up to a larger view and you can see the GREAT pictures that someone drew on the front windshield of Daren & Monique. It was quite hilarious!! ;)

Signing the marriage license to make it official.

Getting ready for the bride & groom to make their get-away! We had BUBBLES to blow on them as they ran through!! :)

I didn't do so well on this shot, but Daren & Monique are right in the center of this picture. Click on it to make it larger, if you'd like.

THE END!! It was an absolutely LOVELY day and I think that Monique did a wonderful job with putting this wedding together. It was simple and elegant and heart-warming and special. I was glad to be there and I hope I "captured" the day in a way that's acceptable to all of you!! :) If there is a special something you'd like to see from the day, please let me know! I may be able to get my hands on a picture taken by someone else and I could possibly post it here. That being said, if you were at the wedding and want to e-mail me some pictures to post, please feel free to do so! I sure wouldn't mind posting pictures here that others took as I know that I did not capture everything! :)