One week from today.....My girl will be home. Woo hoo !!!!
Isn't she gorgeous? We have not seen her since last April and we are counting down the days till her arrival. She is home safe from Iraq and Italy and loving being back in Seattle again...but we want her here...even if its only for a couple of weeks.
Christmas is going to be so much fiun this year. Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the 2008 ice storm so exactly 1 year ago I was sitting here reading by flashlight...not knowing I be reading by flashlight for many many more days to come. That storm put such a damper on my Christmas spirit....this year I am making up for it. Soooooo looking forward to the holidays this year.
I was going through some old photos the other day & found some pictures that I decided to create pages with. The first is a photo of my Dad & I dancing at my sisters wedding more than 30 years ago ( I was a senior in high school when my sister got married ) This picture reminded me how much I miss him. We were so much alike in so many ways. From him I learned to love photography & travel. The first trip I took after he passed away was very sad for me because I didn't have him there to go over maps with deciding which would be the best route to drive. And I didn't have him there to help me enjoy going through my photos after the trip was over.
This next one is with my grandparents. My grandmother had a hard life....she had one husband who left her & her children to fend for themselves. Another who went overseas to Germany & was not allowed to return...and ended up dying while there. And a third who also died. But when she met my grandpa (who was the only grandfather I knew) she met her match. They were inseparable & very happy together for many years.
I love the photo on the right so much. You can just feel the love they share can't you?
So my sisters & I did another race together today. A 5 mile "turkey trot". My sisters ran it but as I am not a runner I did the walk...which was also a race. And nope...I didn't come close to winning but it was really fun to challenge myself to keep at a fast pace. And I finished 20 minutes quicker than I thought I would so I was really happy with my time. The guy that was in front of me for the last 3 miles had on the most cloyingly sweet cologne....yuck. I swear he must have been wearing half the bottle...it was torture to be behind him.The walk finished just before the run began so I waited at the finish line to try to get pictures of Kim & Deb as they passed me. I got one of Deb and then waited & waited for Kim to come by. I finally gave up thinking I must have missed her.When I found them in the crowd I told them I was only able to get a picture of Deb as I must have missed Kim....thats when they told me Kim was right next to Deb & they finished together side by side in 38 minutes time.So my one & only picture that I thought was just Deb....and look who's there just to her right. Perfect !!!
And they are looking pretty darn good aren't they...considering they just ran 5 miles.
Does anyone out there love Basic Grey as much as I do? Some of their recent collections have not been my favorites ( Eerie, Porcelan, Lime Rickey, Wisteria) And others will forever be my all time favorites (Marrakech, Ambrosia, Urban Prarie)But now they have released 2 more lines (shipping in December)...one of which I can not wait to get my hands on. Origins is full of beautiful shades of greens, yellows & browns. Beautiful !!! The other...Sugar Rush is...well...a bit too "sweet" for me. But I think if I had baby photos to scrap....especially girl photos...I'd probably like it a lot more. Want to check them out for yourself?http://www.embellishonline.com/basicgrey
This layout was a first for me. Usually I choose photos I want to create a layout with & then choose papers & embelishments that compliment the photos. But with this layout I designed the whole layout before even choosing a photo or title name. It was a fun challenge for me and when I went looking for a photo this picture of Amanda in Italy was the perfect fit. And all those stairs behind her helped me choose a fitting title as well.
How would you like to climb all those stairs? Makes me tired just looking at them !! But the tiles in the front of them are beautiful aren't they?
Oh my god !!! I think I'm going to blow a gasket.I went down to tend the fire and stay for a few minutes visiting with the cats. And when I came upstairs I found the dog chewing on another memory card from my camera. (the second one he has ruined) But it gets worse...so much worse. My camera was knocked off of my side table next to the chair.....and now it doesn't work. I am so stinking mad at that dog right now I don't dare go near him.Remind me again why I thought it would be a good idea to get a dog. He is seriously going to send me over the edge...or to the poor farm.Going to bed to try to sleep...I feel sick to my stomach.
I finally have a couple of layouts to share. First another round layout. I am loving using die cut papers lately. I'm thinking I might trace some of them and cut my own die cut backgrounds for layouts sometime.This one with the brown scalloped edge & leaf design was perfect as a backdrop for the photos from the foliage drive Jake & I took to southern Vermont a few weeks ago.
A pretty simple layout that was very quick to make. My favorite thing on the page is the tree sticker that is layered over the photos. Its from a sticker sheet I picked up by Websters Pages. The Autumn Splendor sticker is by Pink Paislee.
The next one is with my new favorite photo. It was taken of Amanda by a friend in Iraq....I played with it a little in Photoshop to give it a grainy aged look. Love how it has the plane she works on in the photo behind her.
I think the Navy should really think of using her in their advertising. She is so photogenic isn't she? And the best thing of all about my girl...she's not in Iraq anymore. She is currently in Italy & headed to Greece soon. And even better than that...she will be home on American soil in about a month. Can't wait to see her over the holidays. Miss her tons.
A few from a hike on the lower mountain trails with Tanner. I hate the cold...but the snow is so pretty...
Mountain Laurel...
Tanner's favorite water to play in during the summer. I was glad he didn't venture out onto that unsafe looking ice on this day though.
Snow people...
This is the first snowman ever to be built in my yard. Love it !!!
Love this shot...
I'm thinking Tanner had no idea he was going to be put to work as a sled dog when he was invited outside with Amanda & Jake. He doesn't seem to be minding too much though...
I think they tired him out a bit...lol
sledding on the town common in front of the library...
The classic "Amanda pose" she does this everywhere. We have photos from all over the world with this pose. Love this one though with the flag flying behind her.
I absolutely LOVE this picture of Jake !!!
sweet...
doggy kisses...
being silly...
Freezing cold waiting for the commuter train into Boston.
Amanda's old boyfriend John from 10 years ago. He is such a great guy...so glad they are still friends.
One of my favorite photos.
Happy New Year...thanks for stopping by.
