Catch Up

So I have come to realize that I am REALLY bad at this take a picture everyday deal. I have taken a lot more pictures since taking on the challenge but there are some days if I am being honest that I have forgotten so I have decided to change things up a bit; take a fair amount of pictures each week to capture what is going on in life. This takes the pressure off the stress of getting one EVERYDAY. So here are some from the last week and a half.

Playing on the jungle gym at the park with Morgan. And yes I am hanging on the monkey bar while holding her. I haven't gotten P90X back from a friend yet so I thought I would get some sort of arm workout in while playing!!

Friday nights are spent with the teens for a few hours doing a Bible study. The Bible study is great but I have so many laughs and get some extra quality time with the kids while driving them home. Mackenzie and Abby are two frequent riders and they sure know how to liven up a car ride! (Don't worry parents we were parked when this was taken, my full attention was on the road.)

Every so often I kidsit the Grundys so that Kim and Larry can have a date night. Friday night I spent time with the kids. My night consisted of making dinner, UNO, playing Wii, playing Rock Band (found out I am not so good at drums which squashed my dreams of being in a girl band), and sneaking behind a local hotel to find the perfect spot to watch the fireworks with the kids. Oh did I mention Cavan and I wrestled, a lot. I don't have brothers so wrestling is new to me but I held my own!

Morgan and I had our first sleepover. Even though we live together I have never had her alone for the evening. What did I learn? She is a bed hog and since I'm not used to having a child in my bed I did not sleep well. I woke up at every movement and sound haha. But it was a fun night and I look forward to when we can watch movies and have popcorn at our sleepovers!

Trouser went for a ride in the car. It had been a while since he has been in the car but I think he liked it. Unfortunately I had to wipe his slober off my window and I will have to vacuum his hair off the back seat. The joys of owning a pet.

Grandpa and Morgie. She's stylin' with her glasses. He likes to call her Miss Hollywood when she sports them.

These are my two girls. Rachel is on the left and Rajai is on the right. Rachel recently left the orphanage in Nepal so I have a new girl Ivona but I haven't recieved a picture of her yet. Rajai had me from the first moment I laid eyes on her beautiful blue eyes. She is deaf and lives in Burundi Africa. I would love to meet them someday. For now I love them from afar by praying and financially supporting them.

I went on my first mission trip as a leader. One of the highlights of the trip was to listen to Abby play worship songs on the guitar as the others sang along.

These were some of the inner city kids that were at my VBS table. 

Here's the gang in front of the church we helped at this past weekend.

Well there you have it. Hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my world. More insight to come soon, I promise.

Project 365

So I came across Project 365 while reading someone's blog a while back. I decided that this was a fabulous idea (although I kinda wish I had found it for the beginning of the year, oh well). I find that as I've gotten older days just seem to blend into months and before I know it a whole year has past! So, when I found this project and I thought it would be really cool. You take one photo a day for a whole year. The photo can be of anything but should somehow represent your day or be significant to your life, that way a year from now you can flip back and see what you actually did, who you met, what was going on, etc!

I figured I rush through most days just looking for the end when I relax. Or my favorite is to rush through weeks just to get to the weekend, which is far too short if you ask me. Well, I DON'T want to rush through life anymore. I feel like I am not taking advantage of the precious time the Lord is giving me. And better yet I forget to appreciate the little things, the people and time right in front of me. No more! At least I'm hoping this project will help me appreciate life more.

The project seemed simple enough right? Yeah, I thought so. Except it is really hard to choose just ONE photo for some days because so much goes on. And then some days its hard to come up with a photo or I almost forgot to take a photo (and granted I've only done one week so far, haha) . Anyways, I started July 1, 2010. Here was my past week in photos.

JULY 1 - A girl at work called out so I spent the day on the phone instead of filing and occasionally answering the phone. A year ago I DESPISED the phone. I hated talking on it. At work I didn't feel confident enough to handle the calls. As far as my cell phone I just am not a phone person to begin with so add in awkward silences and that sets up a situation where I avoid talking on it. Funny how a year changes things. The phone at work doesn't scare me anymore. Bring it on patients, I can handle your "medical emergencies." As far as my cell phone, I'm getting better about answering phone calls and staying in touch with friends that way.

JULY 2 - I bought a pair of sneakers. This may not seems like a big deal but it is for me. I haven't bought a pair of sneakers in 9 years!!! I know, that's ridiculous. I love my old sneakers, Kathryn passed them down to me, they saw me through 4 Varsity USA/Summits and momentous occasions. Not until I was telling someone that I've had them since the 8th grade did I realize that it was probably time to give them up and get a new pair. Well I finally found a pair I like (I am very particular about my shoes so that is a HUGE deal) and they were on sale!

JULY 3 - We had Cami for the day so that Kim could get ready for their 4th of July party. I love Cami but large amounts of time with her can be draining because of her syndrome. There is a lot of repetition, frustration, and asking for food. It takes a lot of patience and love. With that being said, we had a good day and even took Morgan for a long walk to get some much needed exercise!

JULY 4 - My family was a party pooper this year and didn't do anything so Larry invited me over for a picnic. From being attacked with noodle squirt gun things, to spending time with the Grundys, Plungis', and Wallaces, to watching the small scale fireworks it was a good time. Here's Cody and Cavan loving on each other he.

JULY 5 - this is the day I almost forgot to take a photo! I didn't do much but these weird headaches/migraines have been plaguing me since I was in the car accident and sure enough I had one that day. I swear by Excedrin, knocks my migraines right out.

JULY 6 - I spent some time with Grams. She gets kinda sick of my Gramps sometime (I can't blame her, I love him but if I had to listen to him everyday I would not even put my hearing aids in in the morning!) and needs some girl company. So I went over after work and we had dinner and then played some Scrabble. I like to think its keep the Alzheimer's away by keeping the mind active!! Please don't hate on my scrub top, its not the most flattering thing!

JULY 7- Youth group at the beach. This picture was taken on a whim but I think it beautifully encapsulates what I want the kids to get out of youth group. First and foremost I want them to love God but then I want them to feel connected. To love each other. To strengthen each other. To lift each other up.

So there was my first week. I know this is not for everyone but I would challenge you to take a different approach to life and appreciate each day for the gift it is (yes, even those kick you while you're down bad days).