My goal is to do some posts this year, hopefully more regularly. 2011 saw illnesses of my parents. My dad has recovered from his but my mom not so much.....
We are getting ready to send our youngest off to college this fall. We are waiting on our daughter's decision on whether or not to join the army.... Yes, lots going on and lots of photos taken but I just never got around to blogging. Facebook grabbed me and sucked me right in. My boy, third from the left, was voted to homecoming court last fall. He had fun, made some new friends as a result, and it was a beautiful day for the last home football game of the year, and marked the end of his marching band career forever. He doesn't want to be in band in college... bummer.
I snapped this photo a few weeks back, totally thrilled that after two years of living together, my old guy finally caved and let the younger beagle snuggle with him. Here I thought it was the beginning of something magical and wonderful that would happen time and time again.... it hasn't since this picture was snapped.
Ruby loves Freckles - I always believed he could take her or leave her but I do believe he has softened a bit. Why else would he have allowed this tender moment. My old beagle may be a curmudgeon, but I adore him so.....
Visit I Heart Faces so you can get your fill of adorable pet pics!
I just saw this pop up on my AOL news feed, was intrigued by it, went to the link and totally laughed myself silly. I love Glee and I love, love, love, love Matthew Morrison!
Yup, since January I have been working two jobs, which has left little to no time for me to put together a creative blog post. Not that my life would excite anybody else, but I love my life and wouldn't change a second of it. We do what we have to do. I am so fortunate to be able to work from home transcribing for lots of doctors via a transcription service. Because work had gotten sparse, I interviewed with a private practice and am now transcribing for this lovely gentleman. I also work for another doctor there but I couldn't find a photo of her. Both of them are very, very kind and not the least bit stuffy as you may expect from a doctor. He's both warm and friendly and funny. Here's to a nice long working relationship with my new employer and his staff.
Oh, and the day I accepted the position, my boss from my other job called to let me know my work would be increasing by leaps and bounds - hence I type from sun-up to sun-down every day 7 days a week - at least until we are done paying college tuition.
Is even better than a slice of chocolate cake with butter cream icing! And, it's certainly a lot less fattening. I didn't think I'd have an opportunity to enter the I Heart Faces theme for this week as I am so bogged down with work (which is a good thing). However, a few minutes ago I heard the familiar sound of my daughter at the piano. This is a sound I have sooooo missed over the last few months. I grabbed my camera and voila I had a photo to enter. The dogs in the background are a bonus. I think they missed her playing also as whenever the music starts, their games begin!
Be sure to head on over to I Heart Faces where there will be lots of Slices of Life!
My daughter had a tough time with her first semester in college. The academics were rigorous and she just didn't feel at home there. She couldn't wait to get home for Christmas break, and I assured her that by the time rolled around for her to go back there (in February), she'd be "so sick of us" she'd be looking forward to going back to school. I figured that seeing her stuff laying all over the house would be too much for this organized mom to bear - I run a fairly tight ship you know.
Over Christmas break (which ended today) she did an online nutrition course to help ease the workload for the spring semester. She worked her tail off every day, sitting at the computer with earphones in watching lectures, making notes, completing projects, and taking weekly tests at the local community college.
As hard as I tried to get on her nerves, i.e. constantly waving my camera in her face, giving her odd jobs to do, having her constantly take the dogs out, she still seemed relatively happy.
We enjoyed tea together (hers was in her Jack mug), we spent time chatting when she had a few free minutes each day.
I did try to get on her nerves so that she'd look forward to going back to school. However, that never happened. We had such a nice 7+ weeks together.
Today was the day she had to go back to college. We were both sort of sad but really didn't say too much about it. We didn't want to get all emotional...
So I took pictures!
With Daddy
With Ruby
With Freckles
But none with me or with her brother - her brother was too ill to get out of bed. None with me because I am always the camera operator.
So, she did not fail biology last semester, it was just one of those tough classes that made her first semester in college not the best experience.
I failed at making her wish she was back at school. But, I guess that isn't such as bad "failure" after all.
She said she actually was "ok" with going back......... she'll be home in five short weeks for my birthday......
Two weeks before Christmas, I had sinus surgery (deviated septum repair (septoplasty), so I was sort of under the gun to get things done as early as I could because I didn't know how I was going to feel afterward, and I knew I was hosting Christmas dinner for my family (20 people). Unfortunately, the day after my surgery my husband came down with a cold that led to a sinus infection, and I in turn caught the sinus infection two days after him. Not at all fun when you are forbidden to blow your nose for at least two weeks after the surgery!
At any rate, I survived and my nose now breathes much better and actually even sits a little straighter than it did before - YAY!
Here is just a smattering of photos covering the holiday season in our home.
Danny with his big gift - a hoodie from Millersville University!
The Nighmare Before Christmas is a favorite in our house - so if we see any "Jack" or "Sally" things, they are definitely snapped up to give for Christmas.
My son turned 17 three days after Christmas - So, his December is always a very "giftful" month.
Freckles decided that my husband's chair is now his own to sleep in all day long...
My niece's little boy could possibly be the next "Woody" in Toy Story - it was one of his favorite Christmas gifts.
I made my daughter go outside and shovel in the snow/sleet/freezing rain because nobody else was around to do it.
And Ruby appointed herself chief window viewer and sofa guarder in our house.
Yes, the camera is pretty much always at the ready.... Now, if I could just get a grasp of Photoshop CS4, all would be perfect!
Noah is my neighbor and we visited with him, his parents, and his new baby sister on Sunday - We go over to their home the Sunday right after the Feast of the Epiphany each year now, this being the third year, to have some King Cake.
While I was taking photographs, Noah looked up at me with a rather perplexed look on his face...
He then had to get a little closer....
Nope, still couldn't figure whatever it was, so he got a bit closer....
If he gets much closer, he'll be IN the camera!!! However, .....
He had to get just a little bit closer.. While we're not quite sure what he was looking at, we are guessing that he maybe saw the the shutter opening and closing. Whatever it was, I'm glad "it" was there because I got to take lots of photos of this very perplexed, and very cute little guy.
I am starting off my year with an entry into I Heart Faces contest this week. It's been so long since I've entered photos or blogged about anything. Believe me, my life's just fine and all is going well. I just stepped back for a while and am working longer hours. When I stop work by 9, 10, or 11 at night, my brain is just too fried to compose any blog posts.
But, I hope to change that up a little bit. If I can get my work done by dinner and let the evenings be just for fun and relaxation, then I can get back to blogging more often. As it is, with college tuition for one I need to grab all the work that I can. College for the second child is only a year and half or so away - so hard to believe.
So, back to my entry - one of my favorite subjects is my niece's little boy - and he never gives me a hard time about taking his photo - at least not yet. But, then again he's only three years old.
Be sure to visit I Heart Faces and see all of the Best Face Photos!
I have taken pictures and I have about five half-written blog posts that I never posted. Life is really good and I have been busy. I am looking forward to some nasal surgery next month that will help me breathe much better (I can only breathe through one side of my nose) and hopefully, by some chance, stop the daily headaches.
All in all, I can't complain about anything and who'd want to hear me complain anyway. I am looking forward to the holidays and am thankful for everything I have in my life be it good or not so good.
Exactly one year ago tomorrow, we said goodbye to my sweet, sweet mother-in-law. She lived to just one month shy of her 94th birthday, and we know that she has been reunited with her sweetheart who passed 25 years before her.
On July 19 of this summer, we said goodbye to my brother-in-law after a very brief illness - it was way too soon for him to leave us and his wife....
But on September 24 my family had a very good reason to be happy and to celebrate for our niece married the love of her life...
My new nephew-in-law is a carpenter by trade and had a novel way for the rings to be presented... What better transport than in a handcrafted tool box!
The wedding was such a fun time of family.....
Great food and sweets and dancing....
And while this past year has brought much sadness with the loss of loved ones, my family is still able to enjoy fully all of those times that are meant to be fun and joyous occasions.
I even caught my recently widowed sister-in-law enjoying a moment of fun - displaying just a glimpse of her wicked sense of humor....
I don't know why I just can't do an update every day. There is no reason not to. I wake up breathing so that in itself is something noteworthy. Pioneer Woman (whose blog I have faithfully followed almost since the beginning) lists the 10 key ingredients to a successful blog and one of them is to basically "water it" daily.
So, I am watering.....
Tonight I am thinking about my daughter who is now off to her freshman year of college. This is what she looked like as we drove her down to deposit her at her new home for the next nine months....
All the photo editing in the world couldn't have erased the fear on her face that day....
We arrived and moved her into her temporary housing for the first four days while she participated in marching band camp. This dormitory had air conditioning....
She didn't want us to leave so we hung around for quite a while. I think she was really mildly traumatized by the fact that this was really "it" and she would probably not see her home for a month.
I then casually mentioned that her brother, dad and I should probably get back on the road home and this is what I saw....
She wasn't quite ready for us to leave yet, but there really wasn't much for us to do either. So, we all strolled outside and looked around the "turf" outside her dorm. This was to be the gathering spot for the freshmen band members at 5 PM. So, we waited and chatted, and she chewed her fingernails...
Finally, a few other girls walked over to the "turf". We encouraged my daughter to go over and introduce herself. She hesitated a moment and then finally agreed. She walked over and joined in the circle and....
The moment her butt hit the ground, we were outta there!!
We aren't coldhearted parents. We just knew that we needed to use the opportunity to leave. We returned four days later for the kids were all moving into their permanent dorms.
We are still going through a period of adjustment... many ups and downs. I think the ups will begin to outnumber the downs for her soon. I for one haven't shed many tears on her departure. I think I'm too excited about this next four-year adventure she will be living. Also, knowing she's really only an hour away brings me great comfort.
Could very well be another birthday for our guy to look like this.... Here's hoping Freckles will be wearing his birthday hat come February 1, 2011.
He has pancreatitis but it seems that the combination of fluids, antibiotics, and anti-nausea medications have really turned my little guy around. We saw him tonight and there is life back in his eyes and I swear he was smiling. The girls at the vet's office are smitten - he's quite the ladies man there.... They are enjoying his "song" - he had been completely quiet since he got sick.
Our gift is some more time and if it's a week, a month, or a year I'll take it!!!
Can a person every have "too much" time with their dog. I doubt it..... Freckles was like Marley when we first got him at 7 1/2 weeks of age... I never thought I'd survive puppyhood with him. But I did. Now 12 1/2 years later I look back on the first months (well maybe first year and a half) and I realize how quickly it flew by. My neighbors would just laugh when I told them my woes.... and to this day they still laugh at me and recall all of my "Freckles stories".
Now I sit here knowing he's hooked up to an IV with the possibility of making a decision soon. He's not suffering at all right now, he's just not feeling well. I'll get through it and will make the best decision for him (not me). In fact, the vet already knows my wishes.
I got lots of great photos of him, and for that I am thrilled! When I repaint my office, some of my "Freckles art" will be proudly displayed on my wall - especially this last photo....( I am so glad I got a good camera)
Twelve years and six months flew by................
At first this may appear to be an intricate knitting project I am currently undertaking.
However, truth be told it is a sock!
Two socks actually, two fairly dirty socks.
These socks have been sitting here since Sunday afternoon - when my college-bound daughter peeled them off of her sweaty feet following her participation in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. I wouldn't normally have a problem with her removing her wet socks. In fact, I think it's a good idea!
However, these socks have been sitting in this one spot since Sunday, and it is now Thursday. And, the socks have been sitting outside one of the entrances to my home....
...the entrance we use all day long when we come and go from our house...
And the entrance that friends and neighbors use....
And I have had to repeatedly walk by them, day in and day out. I refuse to take them inside. You don't know how hard it was for me to just walk on by, but I did walk on by every single day. I really couldn't figure out why they sat there so long and considering she's leaving for school this week, I didn't want to make a big stink about it (no pun intended), but I really found these socks to be annoying.
Is it just me? Am I making a big deal out of it? Could I just exercise a bit more tolerance?
