Tagged...

I was tagged, by my internet friend Yin last week and because I've been soooo busy didn't even know it! I don't really have 7 blog friends to tag in return to pass it on, but thought I'd play along so you all could learn some more unique things about me.

First here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

OK, let me see if I can think of 7 facts that you might not know about me. {{{lol}}}

1. I am the oldest of 7 children.
2. I am married to a twin in which they are the youngest of 7 children.
3. I am a "TAD" on the perfectionist side. ;-)
4. I have Never traveled outside of the US but have grand dreams of it some day.
5. I have TRUE Hazel eyes (this means that they change colors with my mood or clothing color) They mainly stay a greenish-blue... But have been known to be very blue, very green, green with brown specks, and even a green with yellowish-brown edges(when I'm really mad according to DH).
6. I have had 3 pregnancies but none have lasted full term... and believe it or not -- dh and I have always wanted 5 children!!!
7. I accepted Christ and received Salvation when I was 9, but I have LOVED the Lord with all my heart only since I was 19. That 10 years in between I learned a lot of hard life lessons and believe it's what makes me value my relationship with GOD so much now.

Hope any of my few and far between readers found my 7 things interesting and enjoyed it!

Until Next time... Blessings!
Shawna

Check me Out posting on the 1st again!!!

Today was an interesting one in our house!

So, my DH wakes me up this morning before I could really get my bearings about me. This happens most mornings since I'm more of the night owl in our household. He proceeds to tell me that his older almost full 250 GB HD just seems to have crashed. You see this is a BIG deal because a month or two ago now he bought me 2 new 500 GB HD's to transfer all of my info to so he could have my two newer 320's to use for his PC and so he could back it up as a clone like we do mine.

I wanted to pray with him right then and there but he said just come and see how bad it is. I came in and he had written some DOS script to appear to be "running" that said something about not finding such and such files to boot HD. I was almost hysterical because it had not been backed up EVER and had 1/2 of our photos from the past 5 years on it, all of our business files on it, all of our 3 websites, all our client info, and on and on... I just kept saying we need to pray about this... what can you do if you turn it off right now... and he just had this look on his face like it would NEVER work... and you see this worked on me because he's been a computer guy for almost 20 years. So I figured he could tell by the error code it was impossible...

I felt HORRIBLE and was almost ready to cry because it was ALL my fault... and he had been asking me to please hurry up and finish moving my info over to the new HD so he could have these two... and then he just busted up laughing, uncontrollably and says April Fools!!! I was like you big fat jerk!!! That is so NOT Funny!!! So NOT Funny!!! I can't believe you!!!

Anyhow... I've had a few problems with my left foot, knee, and leg over the past 2 or 3 years now. I almost needed surgery originally but chose intensive therapy for 3-4 months. I finally was back to 76% and insurance released me saying the rest was up to me. I then twisted the same ankle less than 6 months later getting it caught up in a tree root system on the ground and having some pain for a couple months. Then this year alone, I hit the inside of the kneecap BAD to where it hurt to walk for almost a month... and just as it was getting better I hit the outside of the same kneecap. So all that to say I have bouts of pain if I'm getting lax on using it, exercising, walking or the such to keep it stretched and healthy. Well, with this cold winter... we weren't walking as much and the last week or so I've felt tenderness in it again... and have said so at least a few times to him. So, it was in his mind, recently!

So, after his prank this morning I had decided to GET HIM BACK!!!! this year. He was in his office trying to get some work done before 5 and I started down the hall way and stomped a little and pretended to stumble... I started off kind of gently and escalated my voice from Oh my gosh that really hurt to Oh NO it's killing me to Oh my goodness I think I broke my leg... and was faking a cry and he came running down the hall totally freaked out trying to get me to calm down...

Seeing the panic on his face brought an intense guilt to my heart and I actually started to tear up for real because of my remorse for playing such a horrible prank. He wouldn't even touch my leg right away, he was trying to think and do the right thing by not moving it and seeing if I could move it on my own.. and was being such a calm and loving husband that I was in tears for real by now and I just didn't have the heart to take it any further... I had to yell amidst the tears of guilt "April Fools Baby, April Fools!!!"... He just rolled over dying laughing right there in the hallway and said OMG honey that was so good!!! Hollywood called and they want you for that new chick flick movie... I then had to explain the guilt was what made me tear up when I realized how much he really thought I broke my leg... BUT... when all is said and done... I have to say... it was well deserved... He gets me every year before I'm even out of bed (more or less) because I'm so gullible... I had to teach him a lesson.

Anywho... all evening long he just kept saying how PROUD he was of me for my prank... he didn't know I had it in me... How SICK are we in this house??? Roflmbo

I told him later I actually still felt really bad playing the girl who cried wolf... and pulled out way earlier than I had planned. But I have to admit... Now, I'm a tad worried he won't come check on me the next time I really do get hurt.

You see I tend to be a "little" accident prone at times... so I WILL need him later for real! What's a Girl to Do?

Well, hope your April fool’s Holiday was a good one!

Love & Blessings!
Shawna

You Have Got To Check This BLOG Out

I have been visiting Pamela's DigiTreats Blog for a while now... I have been digi-scrapping for almost 3 years now and I found her about 9 months ago, I guess it was... Can't remember the exact time frame but I would say in May 07 around the NSD (National SB Day) or such. Lets just say though with the stuff I've recieved in freebies alone... I wished I had met her earlier on... lol

But even if you don't catch an item as a freebie, she has fantastic prices. Especially for the Quality she puts out!!! I am not on her CT (although if she needed someone for her templates, I'm available... lol {wink}) But if you haven't heard of her or even if you had & you just forgot... You better not Walk but RUN over to her blog and check her out for yourself!!!

She has the most awesome MEGA MEGA MEGA Kit she's been sharing for several weeks now. Sorry I never mentioned it earlier if you visit my blog! But it's Called "ABC" and there are 3 categories she's working in... a little of each one each week she shares.

Here's just a small sample of each portion that she's shared this week alone:
-- Girly Kit -- "ABC Skip" -- Boyish Kit -- "ABC Run"

-- General Kit -- "ABC Jump"

Aren't the color schemes Great? I think although they are being made for one thing/subject... they are fairly universal for anything... And the Jump kit is very universal! There's so much to mix and match too. So, here's the link to her blog if I've piqued your curiosity: http://digitreats.typepad.com/

I imagine the ABC kit(s) will go on for a long while as she is making papers and alphas for each letter of the alphabet. As you can see above she's only in the C's now... and she has several still available for FREE on the front page of her blog... Once they move to the 2nd page she puts them in her shop for a reasonable rate, too... So if you missed parts you can still get them. Also, several other ladies through-out the net are sharing matching kits on their blogs... and Pamela always shares their links with us when they do!

Anyway, just thought I'd let any of my friends that are visiting know about it. Mainly because I am so flabbergasted by her generosity and talent that she shares with us... and so much of the time for Nothing in return but a Thank You! So, if you do grab it. Don't forget to say THANK YOU, please. Trust me she deserves it, you'll see when you get there.

Blessings,
Shawna

OMGosh She's ALIVVVE {{lol}}

Well I just wanted to post what my DH gave me this Valentines Day. We have just had one challenge after another and they just keep stretching us to GROW every time.

The latest thing is that for the second time in less than 9 months he was "laid-off". Both companies (med-lg) said it was due to not enough money coming in to pay his salary... It's amazing that for 20+ years each that neither of us had ever been fired or laid-off and then for this to happen twice in less than a year. But it's been a "good" thing in more ways than not.

We decided after this last time in early January to Go For It!!! out on our own. DH has been in the Computer repair industry for almost 18 years now... and specializes in Network Admin... but is well versed and experienced in many areas software & hardware related... forgive me if I don't use the exact terminology... as my shop talk is more in layman's terms with him... Anyhoo -- we are now doing this completely all on our own... at least for a while to see if it works for us. Because it's basically a bunch of "crap" when they say there's not enough work. My DH stayed busy 8-10 hours a day... 5 days a week... working for them... On ecompany he was with over 5 years... they just got tired of paying him what he wanted which was probably only 1/2 of what he was worth. He was always fixing the newer less experienced guys mistakes or answering questions for them while working on another job... and getting treated like an employee.

So, this time I finally encouraged him to try to be the employer for a while and he's giving it a GOOD solid go. He hasn't been smacked-down busy but he's been keeping not too far under his regular "salary" coming in. So, we are "dreaming" that he can GET busy... and maybe we can get ahead and stay debt free without going under... or living week-to-week the rest of our lives.

It's exhilarating and "what are we doing" scary all at the same time... but If we don't try we'd Never know, right? And we'd always say "What If?" so, we're gonna take away the what ifs and brave the fire!

So, all that to say -- since DH has a little more "Free" time on his hands... and we're trying to save money right now... he made my Valentine's Day Card this year using my paper scrap supplies. And ALL I can say is WOW!!! He has always been very creative and artistic... and tried to make things for me(more when we were dating the first 2 years) but even after we got married... So I have several gifts like this. But I was so impressed that he apparently pays attention to all the things I told him about in my scrap room... embossers, cuttlebug, quickutz... lol... because This below is the result of him all alone in my scrap room for part of the day on Valentine's Day. (click on photos to enlarge)

- Front - - Back -

- Inside -


Now, how lucky am I? He also did some much needed work on my PC for my digi-scrapping! When you're married to a computer guy, it's harder than you think to get him to actually work on his own PC's {{{lol}}} He made me pancakes for breakfast... a sandwich & soup for lunch... & shrimp primavera and wine for dinner. And we played cards and goofed off the rest of the day... It was a fantastic day!!!

Well, that's it for today... I just wanted to brag on him a little. ;-)
Blessings!
Shawna

Gosh! It's been a while!!!

Oh how much life has changed since my last posting in early September...

Some of the most amazing things, some of the hardest, some of the most fun, and some of the most sad. LIFE is what happened just plain and simple; but if you care to know more you can read on a little.

Firstly - On Sept 11, 06 while most were having memorials for the 5 year anniversary of a very sad day in US history... I was excitedly preparing to share some of the most AWESOME news with my husband that I could ever share. After 6 years of trying to becoming pregnant -- we FINALLY were. I called him towards the end of the work day and jokingly teased about not cooking supper(as I often try to do - I'm not the cook in our family, lol)... so it didn't alert him to anything "special" happening. During the day I had prepared a little digital card with a photo of the "positive" test and a "Congratulations Daddy!!" on the inside. I had the restaurant bring it out to him with our camera to take a photo when he read it. IT was one of the happiest moments in our lives to date!

Soon after that event, everything in our lives just started to roll like the "snowball effect" so many refer to headed down a huge hill. We ended up moving out of state(which was way more stressful than just moving across town-to my surprise), my husband changed jobs, and unfortunately within a few short weeks of finding out we were pregnant, we were in the ER having a miscarriage. So many life changes in so little time... all within 2-3 months. By December we were a "tad" overwhelmed with all that was going on... to say the least.

BUT... God is our great and merciful defender, protector, and the shielder of our FAITH. We have grown so much through all of this. We are stronger "together" as a family unit and stronger in our beliefs as a brother and sister in Christ. Even though things haven't turned out perfectly in our minds, there has been this amazing freedom and peace that has happened in us over the past 7 months. Awesomely enough, there is a renewed HOPE that has taken place in our spirit-man. Our realization of how much of a LOVING Father, how much of a friend in Christ Jesus, and how much of a comforter in the Holy Spirit that we truly hold in the palms of our hands has become a daily realization in our innermost beings. -- Oh how very, very much!!! He really does LOVE us with an "unconditional love" that most never experience in a lifetime. We have found it over and over again in GOD. In addition, we have been fortunate enough to realize that he has blessed us even here on this earth with one another in experiencing that same unconditional love with one another.

So, all that said... even though "life" really came at us, the "LIFEgiver" came at us in an even more "powerful" way. We didn't welcome all the changes right away, but... now at this point -- "more or less" on the other side of it all, our Hearts are forever changed... We are continuing to welcome whatever has come in our past, whatever is here in our present, and whatever may come in our future. We are also trying to remember to continually "THANK" God for bringing the trials, tribulations, and the blessings our way. "In ALL things, give Thanks" 1 Thess 5:18

We have moved one more step closer towards the mark in this race.

Peace and Blessings,
Shawna

Reunion Weekend

Well, well, well -- My dh is gettin' old!!! We just attended his 20 year HS Reunion. It was fun! I got to meet a lot of the people he's always talking about when he talks about his childhood and youth.

Yellowstone Drive

Headed to Yellowstone

Kalispell, MT

Hanging Out with the Francis'

Glacier NP

Kalispell, MT

July 6th

Today is Custers Last Stand, Windcave NP, and Devils Tower

July 5th

Wow what a busy couple of days it was!!!

We spent our 4th of July doing several very interesting things...

First we went to the Sioux Falls Sesquicentennial - 1856 to 2006 "4th of July " Celebration.

We were included in their entire celebration as though we were a member of their town. It was an absolute blast!!! We had Bar-B-Q sandwiches, chips, water bottled there locally, and ice cream and cake... at "No Charge"!!! What a generous town. We got to watch live demonstrations of what it was probably like to live there when their town was originally founded it 1856. The trip to downtown Sioux Falls, SD was serendipitous! We had only planned on seeing the falls the town was built around and weren't even sure how nice that would be... turns out they were absolutely GORGEOUS!!! On top of that we were able to enjoy the wonderful celebration that was going on. Around 1 pm it started to rain and everyone was running for their cars, but it wasn't so early that anyone missed out on a wonderful day. The temperature was fair, not sweltering... pretty pleasant actually.

If you are ever in the area, it is definitely a place to take the time to stop and see this historic little town. I know there was tons more to do there and see that would have been just as fabulous as the Falls... but we were on a deadline to get to the Badlands before it was too terribly late.

The next stop we made was originally scheduled in because as a child my husband had been to it on a family vacation back in 1976. He assured me that it was worth a looks'ie. I have to say that I totally agree with him!!! It was a very small town, but the town of Mitchell, SD held a couple of gems not to be missed. One of them being something that most everyone has probably heard about... "The Corn Palace" This place was absolutely stunning. It was first built in 1892... then a second building completed in 1905... the third and current structure was completed in 1921. Each year since the final structure was built, they have redecorated and adorned it in a "new theme". There have only been 4 time periods that they said this was not the case. Those were during the Depression, WWI, WWII, and Mitchell's Centennial Celebration. Any photos you will ever see of The Corn Palace will "Never" do it justice in my opinion. The reality of what it entails is lost just a little in a photograph. To see each and every item(corn-in 11 colors, grass, grain, milo, rye, oats and sour dock) in all it's detail -- up close and personal -- is beyond anything I've seen before. I am sure that the planning process lasts all year the previous year in preparation for the next years design. The organizational detail that must be involved alone to bring such a thing to fruition each year will astound you when you see it. Like I said I know my photos can't even begin to do it justice... but I hope you enjoy them anyways.

The other place that was a gem to any man... and any woman interested in camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, boating, etc... then you would absolutely love this place... "Cabelas" We just HAD to stop and take a gander for an hour or two when we found out it was there in Mitchell.

From what I gathered at the visitor's center is that Mitchell also had several other unique things to do if you wanted to stay a few days. They have an old-fashioned Drive-In theater... they have a small indoor water park at one of the hotels for the kiddos, they also have several antique shops, boutiques, art galleries, second hand shops... they also have other museums - the Enchanted World Doll Museum, the Oscar Howe Art Museum, and a Prehistoric Indian Village. We didn't get to do any of the other things because this was only a quick pit stop for us... Well, it started out that way, lol.

Three hours later... we were eventually back on the highway headed for Badlands once again. But... when we kept passing all the signs for a Historic 1880's Original Town... We just HAD to make another quick pit stop again!!! lol

At first, my husband was a tad hesitant to stop. He said that we were already running behind schedule and would be setting the tent up in the dark. I said, "pleassse... I have always wanted to see a true old Ghost Town in real life" He said OK... Well, it turned out I was the one having to remind him we needed to move on... since it was almost 10 pm and getting pretty dark... He was enthralled in so much of it, as was I.

** By the way, as a side note -- the sun seems to rise about 4:30 am and not go down until about 9:30 pm the further Northwest we went during these summer hours. It was great to finish doing things during the day, but not so much fun to be awakened to sunlight before 5 am when you were going to bed so late, lol. Sorry, a little off topic...

Anyway, one neat thing at the Ghost Town was that it was home to the horse "Cisco" that Kevin Costner used throughout the movie "Dances With Wolves". It is kind of the claim to fame for this teeny tiny town. No one actually lives in the Ghost Town its self... it's more of a tourist attraction... The buildings were amazing! They have been brought in from all over... and are restored or being restored to as close to the original as possible. There is a building that holds a ton of artifacts and memorabilia from throughout time in one of the buildings. In addition, you also get to tour the upstairs of the main building that houses a lot of memorabilia and props for the filming of Dances With Wolves.

So another 3 hours later... we were finally leaving the 1880's town... We were one of the last 3 people to drive out of this little town... lol -- We did eventually arrive at the KOA campgrounds in the Badlands area around 12 am, set up camp and were finally off to sleep around 1 am.

July 5th - We slept until about 8 am. After eating, packing up, and checking out, we arrived at Badlands NP about 11 am. What amazing things this nation holds that speak to the splendor of God's Creation. It seems like everyday of this trip I see an entirely different landscape. It just amazes me the variety just a few miles can change your view of the world.

Badlands

Wall Drugs

Mount Rushmore

Vacation So Far...

Well, this morning I'm actually writing to you from Sioux Falls, SD. We are going to see the Falls here that the whole town was basically built around in 1856 and then we're heading on to The Corn Palace, Badlands NP and Mount Rushmore. I will post pictures of these on my next update.

But I wanted to post just a little info on where we've been so far... We're off to a crazy busy start. I can't believe all the really neat things we have already saw just in our first 4 or 5 days. Note: You can click on any of the photos for a larger view of it if you'd like.

Our first stop was in Indianapolis to say "Hi" to one of my four little brothers who I hadn't seen in a couple years... It was a pleasant little visit... And let's just say he's not so "little" anymore. He's all grown up!!! He has one daughter and another child on the way soon... I'm so proud of him. Here's a couple photos of us.


Then, we were in Chicago for 3 days and I know that the major belief for the reason it is called the "Windy City" has to do with politics, but it sure does get a lot of wind there, too. I was surprised especially in the evenings. I do believe that any of the four reasons it received it's nickname could be true. You can find out more information here about the 4 main beliefs of this particular nickname. Another nickname is "The Second City"... The term for the most part has to do with its history. It is second both in population and in cultural influence to New York City (although Los Angeles did overtake Chicago in becoming truly the second-largest city back in the 1980's). The nickname may also refer to the "second city" emerging out of the ruins from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Chicago still to this day remains an important cultural and business capital in the United States. I found the history of the fire so intriguing as we learned about it on a "free walking tour" provided by the "Chicago Architecture Foundation". Our guide wouldn't even allow us to tip her. This tour was truly the most interesting and educational to me... Our guide was so personable and friendly. There was so much we learned about Chicago... that we really hope to get to visit again... at least for another 4 day weekend. The cultural arts alone are worth a visit to this amazing city... One of what I thought was the most interesting pieces of artwork around town was what they call "The Bean". It is said that the artist actually modeled it after "mercury". Here are two photos: (1) an outside view (2) from underneath - more or less an inside view.


The modern day gargoyle was pretty cool...

and the "Navy Pier" is a must see... and the food at Bubba Gumps was great!



I cannot forget to mention "The Magnificent Mile" if you like to shop!!!

We also went up in the John Hancock Building to "The Hancock Observatory" the last morning we were there. We had heard from my brother and several locals that if you were going to have to do one or the other that the view from the Hancock Observatory was the best... but... if you wanted to go in the tallest of the two you should go to the Sears Tower. So we chose the best view option. Here is a photo of the two buildings that I took of the skyline... and also some photos from the top. The photo of the two buildings was taken from the Museum of Science and Industry Area... The others were taken on our visit to The Hancock Observatory.



It was very hot during our visit. There were so many people everywhere we went. I think mainly it had to do with the fact that unknowingly we showed up smack dab in the middle of "The Taste of Chicago" Event... The most exciting thing about this was the fact that this was the 3rd time by freak coincidence that we were able to see Phil Vassar in concert for free at a major 4th of July event. They say the third times a charm, right??? And this tour was the very first that he sold CD's and came out to sign them after the concert. We bought two -- one for my sister since she was the one who had got us into his concert in Hot Springs, AR in 2005. The first time we saw him was in Nashville, TN on the Riverfront in 2004. The second was at Magic Springs Amusement Park in Hot Springs, AR... We have secretly become Phil Vassar Groupies... I am attaching a photo of this years 2006 Chicago concert... and a couple of scrapbook pages I did from last years 2005 and one last one of Nashville 2004. The crazy thing was that we were in 3 different states at 3 different times with no previous knowledge of the concerts and it was Phil... how freaky is that??? A total trip...


(Chicago 2006) and (Nashville, TN 2004)

(Magic Springs, Hot Springs, AR 2005)

Anyways, I guess that's enough about our 3 day Chicago visit and the start of our vacation...

The last thing we've done during the first several days was to stop in Mitchell, WI for the CowParade Wisconsin 2006. This was a pretty interesting event. I couldn't believe some of the work these artist put into this project. Downtown Mitchell its' self was a nice cozy place to visit. We enjoyed the stop over for the afternoon, trying to find as many of the herd of cattle that had been let loose to roam the streets of Mitchell. We only saw about 1/2 of them. These were a few of our favorites.





I will update you again as we have time or when we are able to use a wireless connection. We will be camping a lot this trip so it will depend on how the Campgrounds are set up if we can get on the Internet to do this. I hope you enjoy the account of our vacation this year as much as we're enjoying being on it!

Until Later, Shawna

Please Note: All photos in this post are owned and the copyright belongs to me, my husband, or my family as the original photographers. Thanks so much for visiting!

Last Week...

I had such a busy week... Whew!!! Let's see if I can remember everything I wanted to share?!?

We've had a couple nieces graduate from High School in the last few weeks and we decided to give them a gift that would last a lifetime... not just for their first college apartments. I spent about 30'ish hours making the 2 albums. It ended up being a tad tougher than I had originally planned. Isn't that how "easy" projects usually go? Well, I bought these "Zoom Albums" but... the program template cuts out about 1/2" of usable space all the way around the page... I did not like that! So... I thought I'll just design the layouts to the right size a tiny bit smaller than the actual page size and create my own template. Well it was all working out until I printed the first one... {lol}My fancy smancy new Epson R1800 printer and it's stupid borderless printing option doesn't apparently work in a logical way. Go Figure!!! So then, dh and I had to create a little attachment for the pages so that when we printed the last 2 books (that came in the package of 3 for $24.95) we wouldn't mess them up. It worked out pretty well... but I'm definitely gonna have to figure out "Why in the heck" borderless printing isn't really "BORDERLESS"!! It enlarges the photo your trying to print and pushes it out cutting off about 1" of every edge of the page. I bought this printer for the specific option of borderless printing of my 12x12" layouts... so there better be an easy fix for it... but right now there's not time to figure this out... too many other life pressing things. So here's a few photos of how the albums turned out. Also, there are photos of the gift wrap I made for each album. I made a little trinket box for one of the niece's(which I forgot to photograph) and a little gift bag out of scrapbook paper and embellishments for the other.



I love Target!!! That's my Simple confession today. I found these photo slide frames in there the other day and I just couldn't help myself!!! I got 5 different styles and sizes with tax for $25.

I have already finished with 2 of them. I used all the photos of me and dh with our fancy anniversary photos that we've had done for 2003, 2005, & 2006. I think they turned out so cute. These are going to look great in my scrapping room. I'm going to use the others for my 35th b'day shoot, and a couple other events that are special. Here are a photo of the anniversary ones I've finished so far.


Our weekend was a busy one this week... (pretty much why I didn't blog on Saturday) It was such a fun weekend. First, we headed out of town to meet some friends about 2 hours away for an Audio Adrenaline Concert at a street concert series called Sundown at Market Square Mall. For anyone who doesn't know, Audio A is a Christian Rock Group. They have been traveling for 16 years and this year is their last tour. Here's their Website if you want to hear some of their stuff. They are an awesome group! After the concert of course we had to stop at Cracker Barrel for some Chocolate Cobbler 'ala mode... This stuff is the BEST!!! Here's a "copycat recipe"... not sure how this one tastes but I think I may try making this myself... lol

We then said our goodbyes and headed over to my dh's twins home to get some shut eye. We enjoyed Saturday morning hanging out eat homemade blueberry pancakes and laughing at my fear of heights and enjoying the tour of their lovely garden & landscaping. We definitely need a lot of training from them when we get our own home and start to plan our yard. I love their yard! It's to die for - like in some hoighty toighty magazine.

Around lunch we headed out for my much needed Jo-Ann's fix... we don't have one here; so , dh always let's me stop and enjoy a little shopping there when were in town. I got some awesome deals!!! They had all their clearance an extra 30% off of the already 60%... I got some great goodies for scrapping and the house for only $10.37 DH was even impressed...

We then made the small trek up to The Smoky's for the day. We went swimming. Well, dh did! That water is so stinking cold up there... and the sun was kinda low so I couldn't get up the nerve to go past my toes this time. It usually takes the water rafting to make me get in that water anyways. We played some cribbage and ate a little picnic dinner after finding our little spot for the synchronized firefly showing at Elkmont. This was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my entire life. It was so mesmerizing. I can't believe it isn't one of the seven wonders of the world. There must've been a million fireflies. They would start in one spot and move around you as though they were an orchestra playing the most masterful piece ever written. Then they would stop for a few seconds and then it would happen all over again. We sat there amazed in awe of the beauty of this creation of God for 30 mins without even realizing it almost. It was just absolutely fantastic. If you ever have the opportunity to see it... you should definitely take the time out of your busy life and attend... and be patient. They didn't come out here till nearly 10pm it seemed late, but the fact that it didn't really get dark until nearly 9:45 accounts for that. They say they usually stay at it for about 2-3 hours at night for about 2 weeks out of the year. Here's a link for more info. from the state park website about the fireflies.

I've been tagged...

I was tagged for the first time from my friend Khristy on her blog... So this post is just a reply to her tag... It's amazing how tough it is to answer all the questions about yourself. But, I did it, lol... Now, I'm not promising my answers would be the same tomorrow, since I usually change my mind rather quickly about stuff... that's just who I am. I don't like people changing things on me but I guarantee you I will change them on you. {{lol}} So here goes:

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
1) Training Coordinator
2) Project Assistant
3) Design & Construction Assistant
4) Housewife ~ This has been my favorite job hands down
* Note: Wish I could add mommy to the list; someday soon I hope!

Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over:
1) Maid in Manhattan
2) 2 weeks Notice
3) Serendipity
4) Wedding Planner

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch:
1) CSI - Vegas & NY
2) The 4400
3) Criminal Minds
4) Design on a Dime

Four Important things to me:
1) God
2) Family
3) Scrapbooking
4) hmmmmm...I listed everything important to me!

Four Tunes That Play In My Head:
1) Wash Over Me by Jami Smith
2) Totally by CFNI
3) 100 Years by Five For Fighting
4) What ever DH is walking around singing that day

Four Favorite Food Dishes:
1) Texas BBQ (Sliced Brisket)
2) Chicken, Chicken, and Oh Yea, Did I mention Chicken?
3) French Vanilla Moolatte at DQ
4) Anything my DH cooks - he's the Chef in our house!

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1) RAK's (almost daily-depends on my week)
2) DID
3) 3S
4) BlogLines (this is kind of a cheat, since I have 229 blogs I'm subscribed to) {lol}

Four Digi Designers I like:
1) Khristy Schmidt
2) Tracy Blankenship
3) Shabby Princess

Four Favorite Colors:
1) Lavender (my wedding was Lavender, Silver, & White)
2) Blue
3) Lime Green
4) Anything with a 70's color combo (I'm a flower child - what can I say?)

Four Favorite Kits you want to Scrap with over and over:
1) "Simple Life" by Khristy Schmidt
2) "Family Togetherness" by Carrie Stephens
3) "Instant Tear" & "Wild Tear" Actions by Atomic Cupcake

My 1st Blog Posting!!!

So... Guess What? I'm jumping on the bandwagon!!!

I'm officially going to start blogging. I guarantee you, though -- I will not be a daily blogger type by any means... I am hoping I will post at least once a week. In reality, though -- knowing myself as well as I do -- I wouldn't be surprised if there are times I don't blog every week and other times I may every day.

My DH may even be blogging here a bit, now and then... if he has something to say.

He is the one "behind the scene" helping me to do this blog, since he's the computer whiz in our home... Don't you just love the logo he has created for me? He's by far the creative/artistic one in our household. I'm just crafty, I guess you'd call it.

Well, here's hoping my first post turns up ok on here... and I'll be back to fill you in more at a later time. About what specifically; who knows? But I'm sure it will vary just as life does... especially since there are so many "sides" to me. {lol}

Until Next Time, Take Care & Blessings!
Shawna