Photography

I have taken a huge interest in photography. I had my first photo session with my cousin's family this past weekend. Nervous doesn't even describe how I felt. Terrified more like it. What if I don't get any good shots, what if they don't like the shots I get, etc etc etc... Turns out I had nothing to worry about, the shoot was so much fun. I feel so grateful that I was able to capture these images for them. Here are a few :)

Thank you Hurricane Earl

Never thought I would ever write a post quite like this. But thank's to Hurricane Earl out in the Atlantic, we have had some absolutely beautiful weather this week. So last night I forced my hubby and lil girl, down to the beach. I was just convinced that with Earl out there, it was prime time for looking for shells. Unfortunately for me there were no shells, but the scenery was totally gorgeous or as my 4 year old would say " totally awesome Momma".

You spin me right round

*You spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby
Right round round round*

That is certainly how I have felt this last year. I have neglected so many things, but started so many other things. My husband came home from Afghanistan, we moved, and Emily started Pre-school. I think things are finally settling down and we are getting into a routine. Which has been sorely lacking here in the past few months. I haven't scrapped in a few months. I have 10+ layouts half done. I was without a printer to print out my journaling on. I have been seriously considering starting a photography business. Right now I am just getting the hang of things. Doing a few sessions here and there. I will leave you with some of my recent faves of pictures....

~ A

Where does the time go?

I ask myself this every day. Sorry I haven't been around much. I am backed up on my emails too. Let me try and get you up to speed on what has been happening in the past few months. Emily started preschool back in September. We have been going to Gainesville to see our gators play. We went to Disney World on Nov. 1st for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. (which might I add a total blast!!) Getting ready for Michael to come home for R&R. Yes Michael is coming home very soon for a well deserved break. Emily and I are beside ourselves. I am putting up the Christmas Tree a week early because of all the excitement. I have lost 31lbs since August. My baby turns 4 next week, so we are in party planning mode here. Wizard of Oz is her theme. Ummmmmmmm that's really it. I drove 9 hours today so I am a little out of it, but wanted to give you guys an update no matter how crazy it is :) Hopefully I will be back to posting soon :)

Page Maps Studio Calico Sketch Contest

I hate participated in a contest in FOREVER!!! So when I heard about this contest, I just had to go and see what it was all about. After checking it out, I couldn't resist jumping in. I had a ton of fun creating this layout :) TFL!

Some Scrappy Goodness

Life has been crazy busy, but I have been scrapping :) Thought I would share. Have a beautiful day :)

Independence

During this deployment I am learning about myself. There are things I never thought I would have to deal with. Personally the thought of dealing with it scares me. I have always had someone to take care of me or lean on when things get rough. I made a joke with Michael before he left that atleast I didnt have to worry about his car breaking down ( it's a 2008 Acura TL), I spoke to soon. Not even 2 weeks after he left, the car died. I was mortified. Not only did it break down, but the tag that I had been after him to renew expired. So here I am alone with a three year old and a broken car. I will NEVER joke about anything like that again. Did I mention all the traveling I was doing while this happened, so the car has sat for 2 months and now is finally fixed. So now I have a new appreciation for the things that my husband does for me.

I have been doing a little scrapping here and there. Haven't finished anything persay, but I will give you a peek of what I have been working on.........

trying to get down to the heart of the matter

I have been doing some soul searching lately. I had been completely let down with scrapbooking for reasons I am not going to disclose, but I stopped having fun with it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to quit or not. With my husband leaving and adjusting to the curves that life has thrown me, I packed everything up. For weeks all my scrapbook stuff sat in the bottom of my closet behind the closed door. Slowly little by little in the last 2 weeks, I have been bringing it back out. I have been falling in love with this hobby all over again. This time though my daughter is joining the ride. :) She is so sweet, she came out of her room yesterday and said " momma- it's scrapbooking time". So here is what I have produced with "scrapbooking time" :)

Taking things one day at a time

Need I say more :) I just wanted to pop in real quick and say we are doing ok. We made it through the 1st month of Michael being gone and I guess we sort of have a routine finally established. I will update more later...... :)

Amanda

Happy 4th of July

351 days and counting.....

You know that song, " I can see clearly now that the rain is gone" ? That is totally how I feel, like a fog has been lifted. We even went through 2 days of not hearing from Michael at all and I didn't even break a sweat. Which is unusual for me. I am a control freak, love to have things planned out. That is just how I am. So naturally I am going to have some rough moments with this separation. Even Emily is doing better, the tantrums are few and far between. Nothing major like last week. Believe me, I know we will have down days, but right now I am going to enjoy the good. I have spent a lot of time reading since Michael left and that has helped keep my mind off things. In fact I have read 3 books in the last 2 days. I feel bad though because my scrapping has been affected. I haven't scrapped in months and while Michael was home we packed everything up and put it in the closet. I just have lost the desire to scrap right now.

Well I have to run- gotta clean and get some laundry done :) Here are some recent pics-

Amanda

Adjusting

Adjusting to a deployment sucks. I am not going to sugar coat it. I have had some very bad days, but some pretty ok days too. Yesterday was one of those days. I have been through deployments before, but never where I was living on my own and having a child to raise. My daughter breaks my heart daily. The first day after he left, she laid in my bed half the day wrapped up watching cartoons, telling me that "I miss my daddy, I have tears". She has had major temper tantrums, the littlest thing sets her off. I am trying my hardest to give her the attention and reassurance that she needs. Trying to find a routine for us has been daunting. Everytime I leave my house, my husband manages to get online. So I have to rush back home to talk to him. My daughter seems to brighten up after talking to her daddy. Thank goodness we are never far from home! I will play this game until he is settled. We have a box already set aside to mail to my hubby, Emily has been coloring lots of pictures for her daddy. :)

Oh yea gotta LOVE thieves!! You would think being among soldiers you wouldnt have to worry about this, but NEWSFLASH they are just as bad. I hope the soldier that stole my husbands glasses enjoys them while he can, cause Karma is going to come back and bite you. The were $400 glasses, thank goodness we didnt pay that for them. Otherwise I would have had a heart attack. So I will be off to the store to fix my husbands broken pair that he never had fixed to mail to him.

He's home

For two weeks and all it has done since he has been home is rain. Guess what it did while I was in texas?? Yup it rained every day. UGH I was so looking forward to the beach with him and Busch Gardens. Oh well we will have to figure out other things to do. Can I say I didn't know it was going to be this hard having him home. I am totally being territorial and quick to be irritated with him. I swear if he touches my thermostat one more time or tracks dirt on the carpet again, I will just scream. I am trying to remember he is only here for 2 weeks then gone for a year, but sometimes he just grinds my gears. Comes in and thinks he is the man of the house and we have to go by his rules WTF~! Does he not understand that we have a routine that works for emily and I. That he needs to think about that before he gets his head up his butt. It was kind of sweet justice when he dropped his ipod in the toliet yesterday. Thats kind of mean isnt it. I love him I do. Just transitioning to this deployement has SUCKED. Not that it doesn't suck all the time, but this is the first one with Emily. Thanks for letting me rant over this nonsense. Sometimes you just need to let it out. :)

Gotta head to walmart oh joy.

Amanda

Home from Texas and Fernandina......

Sorry it's taken so long to post. I have been home for a week and it has taken that long for me to recover. Texas was good. Glad I got to see my hubby and my girl Christine :) Had some really yummy BBQ while there. I am still dreaming about the cream corn... Can that be overnighted?? LOL

Shrimp fest was awesome as always. I got to see alot of people I normally don't get to see. This year I spent alot of time with my cousins, which was nice.

Hmmm--- I have some good news. Michael is coming home next week for 2 weeks :) Then he will be gone for a year :( I am thankful he gets to come home before the big trip. So this week will be spent getting ready for him to come home and Emma is getting fixed on Wednesday, so busy busy....

I am going to scrap with pursejunkie tomorrow night (thats right be jealous!!)

Ok gotta run and get to cleaning-

AO

I'm leaving on a jet plane.....

That's right. I am running around going crazy to get all packed up. Going to my parents tonight to drop Emily off and then I am flying out to see my hubby tomorrow :) SO EXCITED. Not only will I get to sleep in!! I get to spend 5 days with my hubby- OH and did I mention I am going to lunch on Sunday with Christine from Tallyscrapper. Hard to believe it has been almost 2 years since I have seen her!! So I totally shouldn't be on here posting, I really should be packing lol see where my priorities lie lol. I will leave you with my most recent layout. I totally don't ever scrap about myself- I absolute hate doing it, but I did it. Thanks Kristina for the great challenge :)

Hope you all have a FABULOUS rest of the week and weekend :)

~AO

Happy Friday

Woohoo it's Friday..... Getting ready to head to the beach again. I am truly enjoying being back in Florida. I missed it so much while we were living in NC. I guess you can take the girl out of the beach, but you can't take the beach out of the girl. Being at the beach just makes me feel at home. Guess that would have to be being born and raised on an island. I am enjoying doing things with Emily, that I got to do with my mother at her age. I have so many shells now I dont know what to do with them all, but it is so much fun and relaxing to go shelling. I just wish Michael was here to enjoy this too. Speaking of Michael, I am heading to Texas next week to see him for 5 days. I am soo excited. :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend last week. I went home to Fernandina for the weekend. Got to see my home girls at the Croppe Shop. You know who you are. I enjoyed getting to see everyone again and scrapping. Oh wait I totally didn't scrapped just ran my mouth and shopped. :) Can't wait to do that again. TWO WEEKS LADIES :)

Ok well gotta run- I will upload some photos later on-

HAVE A FABULOUS FRIDAY EVERYONE!!

AO

Taking it a day at a time

That's how things have been lately. Overwhelmed is a good way to describe things. Life has been a little crazy. I got a lesson in friendship and trust. Truly have been heartbroken over the situation. Then I have been thrust into the situation of being a "single" mother, Michael was able to come home for 10days and that was amazing, but he had to go back. UGH This is totally turning into a woe is me post, but that is not my intention. I will get through this because I am strong. I have had just a bad week emotionally.

The bright spot in all of this is, I finally have gotten my mojo back!!! Woohoo!! I am so happy to be able to enjoy scrapbooking again. The last 9 months or so it felt more like a job than fun. So after taking the long break and reprioritizing things, I am truly happy with scrapbooking again.

So I guess that's it for now. I dont really know what else to say. Drawing a blank.

~A

Some Scrappy Fun