Handwritten X's and O's

 Two blog posts ago, I recapped a year in my life as of a year ago.  So much has happened since then and I want to seriously start blogging again.  I've missed this creative aspect of my life.  These past few months have been long and difficult (as winters have been for me these past few years), but spring is approaching and I've found my spirits almost miraculously lifted.  I'll most likely post a thing or two about that in the coming posts.  Starting April 2, 2015 my new goal is to post once a day for the rest of the year (or maybe 365 days), we'll see how well I do.  Hopefully, I'll be better at restarting this whole blogging thing than I am at keeping some other goals I've set for myself.
  I haven't been super faithful about taking photos.  Some days I'll take twenty-plus and other days I'll take minus-zero.  That is something else I'm hoping this blog will help me with--reminding me to take more photos and document my life with my husband.  Leading up to the wedding, I was busy planning then after the wedding, I found myself just wanting to enjoy married life without taking many photos after that I slowly found myself feeling worse and worse.  Not wanting to take photos of me just laying around resting, I found that I would forget to take photos even during the holidays.  I don't think I have a single photo from Thanksgiving or really any good ones from Christmas.  This is going to have to change.
  It's been a busy year.  Here's all the things I've been doing since I last posted:

Skiing on my last family trip to copper mountain for a while

Learning on a trip to San Fran for a chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia conference with some sight seeing thrown into the mix

Remembering the 20th anniversary of the Flight 705 hijacking

Beer tasting in Memphis with my main man

Choosing a life together with my favorite youth pastor

Relaxing on the Smith Lake with a few family friends

Sailing in the crystal waters of the British Virgin Islands, best family vacation and first vacation ever to solely create on film photographs

Growing in Christ during a week retreat in Florida with some really amazing girls

Posing in front of Cassidy Carson's camera with my fiancé in Franklin, TN

Photography by Cassidy Carson Photography

Playing dress up in my wedding gown and attracting a thousand little bugs in my many layers of tulle

Photography by Cassidy Carson Photography

Planning a wedding with the help of my mom and a TON wonderful ladies (which includes but is not limited to Mona E. Dunlap Events, Deedra Stone Designs, Christine Ohrberg, Aunt Jeanie, and Cousin Kathy)

Marrying the love of my life

Photography by Cassidy Carson Photography

Celebrating our marriage with family and friends

Photography by Cassidy Carson Photography

Honeymooning in New Orleans and eating way too much yummy food

Moving into D's apartment and being asked to decorate to my heart's content

Turning into an old lady on year twenty-five of my life (and eating some yummy, birthday-sprinkled, homemade cinnamon rolls)

Rooting for the Rebs against the Dawgs (there also might have been some celebrating when we won)

Praying for strength and wisdom on the winter weekend trip with the youth

Knitting four Christmas stockings (and countless other projects, mainly a birthday shawl, finishing my sweater, and a huge blanket that has yet to be sewn together)

Worshipping the king who became baby and whose birth was a gift to us all; a gift of undeserved grace and mercy

Creating our own holiday traditions

Praising the Lord that D was born

Loving a married Valentine's Day and that D never hesitates at being my model

Playing in the snow with 2 puppies and a man who loves to embrace his inter-child

Experimenting with all the different types of film I can buy

Photographing all sorts of things on film and always anxiously awaiting the developed and scanned images

Enjoying over 6 months of marriage with joy and laughter and constantly seeing my sin and growing in my walk with Christ;  I'm so thankful for the man who calls me his wife

Thanking the Lord for all the many blessings he has bestowed on us

Sending out our first married Christmas card 

Toasting to a new year and all that it brings

Surviving an allergic reaction or two

Crafting in as many different mediums as possible

Trying to fight past the pain and fatigue and finally get a definite diagnosis

Jotting down ideas for an eventual novel, hopefully

Continuing to be a sporadic, but somewhat faithful pen pal (faithfully remembering to write back even if it's been about a month since I received the letter)

Reading and rereading some amazing novels

Today: Contemplating moving over to Wordpress or somewhere else.  For some reason I've had quite a bit of trouble with this blog post today.

Title: "Love Letters" by The Lovebirds
Filmed by Kawa Amina & Kit Provided & Edited by A Bryan Photo

I Been Pushing For This For So Long

     Friday I fly into Houston, Texas and make my way to Huntsville to participate in The Kitchen Sink Workshop, a photography workshop that covers everything but the kitchen sink.  I'm pretty stoked.  Some how in 2011 when I was first venturing into the world of senior photography, I stumbled across Amanda Holloway Photography on Facebook.  Since then I have lusted over her photographs.  To say that I am super pumped to have the opportunity to learn more about what I love (and not have to blunder through to find my way) is an understatement.  Yesterday, I laid out everything to pack and I'm normally the girl who wakes up super early the morning before we leave on a trip and is throwing things in a suitcase (after staying up late the night before trying to get the necessities, i.e. clothes and camera/laptop packed). I'm too excited and nervous to be a procrastinator for this trip.  I'm so worried I'm going to forget something vital (like my camera or brain).  Hopefully, we'll get there safe and sound and without me going crazy from nerves first.
     On a totally unrelated note, the music today comes from the background music of Zoe, the Border Collie, performing all of her amazing tricks.  While a part of me wishes I could teach Oscar all of these tricks, I know that it takes a lot of time and patience.  Patience may not be something I have in spades.  Plus, before I start trying to teach him any adorable tricks, I probably should figure out a way to teach him and Jack not to dig (and not to bark at the cat).

Title: "Desperate Measures" by Marianas Trench

A Tepid Flickering of Street Lights Wipes the Grief Across Her Face

     I've been feeling a little under the weather (if you can count joint problems as being under the weather) so I took a holiday from blogging, but now I'm back!!  And am hopeful that I won't be missing anymore for an extended period of time anyway.  I've been sickish for over a week now and am starting to get better (my feet are almost pain free, whereas this time last week I was having trouble putting any weight on my the balls of my feet, especially the left one).  The whole time I've been staying away from WebMD because I've been through some of this whole routine before a couple of years ago (where I was convinced for a whole TWO weeks that I had Lupus--I don't, btw).  But when  my toes turned a purply/blue color tonight I thought I'd go ahead and things up (I know very bad idea). I don't think I did too much damage, mostly because we've already ruled somethings out (like gout and arthritis--unless it's an arthritis that doesn't show up on tests).  Anyway, since I've thoroughly freaked myself out I'm just going to concentrate on my blessings and ignore anything I don't like for the time being.

Five Things I'm Thankful for This Week:

Family time this Thanksgiving with my Mom's side of the family whom I never really get to see

(P.S. isn't my little cousin so adorable?!?)

I've almost completed a whole pair of fingerless gloves 

(minus the thumbs which I haven't quite figured out how to do yet)

The wooly sheep-puppy I call Oscar

(and the fact that he seems to have been mostly good during our out of town trip)

Jack-ster

(who conquered his first circle rawhide recently)

The simple fact that I'm getting better

(I was really hoping this episode wouldn't last 6 months like the last one did)

And last but not least the love and care from God that gives me hope even during the rough times.

I just found out that one of my high school friends is no longer with us.

He will be greatly missed by all who got the chance to know him, especially by the wife he left behind.

Title: "Violence Out Tonight" by Little Comets

I Wish I Could Be Just A Little Less Dramatic

     Today has been a great day. Gosh, I really wish all of my blog posts could start like that. But seriously, today has been full of hope and accomplishments. And this is one of the reasons why I wait until the end of the day to post. I have gone TWO whole, full, normal days. I can no longer say that my full day is a normal person's half day (of work/busyness). For that I am immensely grateful and I am acutely aware that me feeling better is nothing short of a miracle. (Okay so I know it was all science but I also know that I could still be in pain and not positively reacting to the Botox and its all because of God's will for me to get better in the bigger scheme of things.)  Being better has meant finally getting new shoes, being more energetic (and happier), leaving the house for errands without a big to-do, having projects to juggle, making good on a promise to finish burning my Easter mix, and already starting on a new one (mix that is).
     My parents and I spent most of our day in Oxford.  First, shopping with my grandmother (well just my mom and I).  The absence of my dad probably explains why we ended up loosing Grandmama in the clothing department!  She was lost for at least 10, if not 20 minutes (she was in the dressing room).  Grandmama had gotten tired of waiting on us to look through all of the racks to try on some of her choices (it didn't even matter that I had all the rest of her clothes she was going to try on).  She didn't even seem worried once we found her, she didn't loose herself.  (My grandmother's made of some pretty tough stuff.)  While we were out shopping I got to try on some shoes.  I definitely felt like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Christmas in April, I'm telling you.

One happy girl right here.

Grandmama and Dad waiting ever so patient.

Will joined us for lunch and he actually didn't mind when I pulled out my phone.

We also drove around Oxford trying to figure out which house was Eli Manning's.  I lived in Oxford for almost 4 years and I had never seen that part of Oxford.  There were so many beautiful, huge houses with lots of privacy and tall, tall trees.  I kind of felt like I discovered the secret part of Oxford, which was pretty cool.
     Then we came home and I went out to Lowes, Jo-Anns, Wal-Mart (yuck), and Target (YAY!).  (Because I know you guys want to know my whole schedule.)  But there are some seriously awesome projects rambling around in my head that I'm hoping will turn out as awesome in execution as they are up in my head.  I almost went overboard at Jo-Anns (and I still feel like I may have crossed that thin, thin line), but I did put stuff back.  And I saved things for if I end up really using what I bought.
     I bought things that might help me fulfill my Resolution #2, to create a mini book centered on Oscar, our future puppy.  However, because I do not have any scrapbooking things then I definitely needed to get a few things, like paper and STAMPS and some washi paper.  When I bought the stamps I was hoping that I could possibly use all of the paint that I bought at Wal-Mart as my ink (so I didn't get any ink pads).  Once I got home I had the hardest time finding if I could actually use paint or not, until I ran across this article.  I don't know who the author is, but I have a feeling I'm going to visit this page a lot more often.  I love the look of adding small details with stamps (and washi paper).  (Again it's all about the little things.)  I also can't wait to experiment with my stamps to come up with awesome new looks (using this article as a guide).  I'm sure I'll keep you updated with every little thing I do.  I can't wait to get started.  I even bought a page cutter so I can get straight lines.  I totally feel like a scrapbooker right now (minus the fact I have yet to do anything with the supplies I bought).

I literally couldn't resist any of these, especially the cupcake one!

I didn't realize this until I took the guys out of the package, but I bought a DIY stamp.

I had to put the stamp on the wooden toggle-thingy AND line up the label on the top.

But seriously, how freaking cute are these guys?

I can't wait to use them all!

Title: "Mama's Broken Heart" by Miranda Lambert

You Love The Little Signs of Life

     AHHHH! Y'all, this is my 101 post and I almost have 1,000 page views!! (but I'm pretty sure half of them are me looking at my own blog... You know to make sure there isn't anything out of place.) And OH GOODNESS is my southern accent is showing. I try my best not to let in my writing, but there is no way I could ever actually say "you all" or "you guys." I hope y'all understand.
Today, well most of this week really has been almost a complete 180 from my past few weeks (or really past few months). Which means the Botox is actually working. I'm not 100% normal (and by that I mean my migraines are still there... And I can't wear scarves or necklaces and I've almost 100% given up wearing perfume). But I am finally able to enjoy life again and think about other things besides the horrible pain I'm in. Which is an enormous feat, in and of itself. It makes me tons more hopeful that this is the right treatment.
     With this new energy and life I am feeling I got to join my parents for a trip down to Oxford. The main mission of this trip was for them to meet with my brother's German professor so they can find out where all they need to visit when they go see Will in Germany this summer. Yeah, I know super awesome right? Well, I accidentally tagged along for their meeting and was given the car keys (cha-ching). Which meant I had like an hour to myself. What did I do? I came back to the locked condo, of course (I definitely needed some relaxing time maybe in the dark). Where were my keys to the condo? They were inside, of course. The whole drive to the condo I was fantasizing about laying out the grass near our condo relaxing to the new CDs I had just downloaded onto my iPad (which was in the condo too of course). By the time I turned into the condos, I had decided that I could feel a slight migraine coming on and I didn't want t miss dinner so I'd just listen to my new CDs inside, in the dark. But having no keys completely changed that decision. So I ended up fulfilling my fantasy and lying in the grass next to the condo. It was a little itchy (and I may have gotten a slight sun rash, that's completely gone now) but all in all I felt like I was embracing the moment. I played music on my iPhone and just basked in the rays of my frenemy, the sun. But after not even an hour, I got bored and therefore started taking pictures with what else but my handy dandy PHONE! Surprise, surprise.

So I'm trying to put more pictures of myself on here.

     My parents ended up taking my brother and some of his friends (and myself) out to dinner. Where the topic of his loathing of my photography came up. And I ended up capturing a few shots at the end of the night (very smoothly as one of his friends commented). Will really has a lovely band of friends. We kept each other laughing almost the whole night (well they mostly kept us laughing, but hey we at least tried to be comedic). I bet these ladies and gentlemen have some fun college years ahead of them. And I'm hoping they won't mind too terribly bad when I tag along with them to Memphis in May. Hopefully I'll be feeling great by then, but we'll see.  

 So I'm definitely not as smooth as I think.  

I spy with my little eyes at least one person looking (and smiling for the camera).

And here starts the drama of Will.

Not quite sure what he is doing here, but I love this of my dad (on the far left).

Title: "The Weight of Love" by Snow Patrol

Alabama

Because my migraines have taken over today here's just a picture from my weekend in Wetumpka, AL. My parents and I are visiting my grandfather (in Titus, AL). We also visited my grandmother's (and uncle's) graves.

It's always disappointing to me when I realize my pictures are a little bit blurry. I have taken my focus off of Auto and put it on manual in my slow change over to everything on my camera being manual.  However, this is kinda how my whole day feels with my migraine.  (I've added a picture I took the last time we visited in November.)