SnowFall

I have been feeling super run down this week. 

I am sure it is because of all the 

stress involved with Freedom Week.

No matter why the what is the same:

sit, regroup, and store up some energy.

And so I have.

And it's in these resting times

that I so enjoy my camera.

It helps me slow down and capture

the miracles around me.

They are happening all the time.

Today they came in the form of snow.

The second snowfall of the year.

And its still Fall.

Thus the title of SnowFall.

backyard

leftover halloween pumpkins

the street

Capturing snow with a camera is not easy.

Just in case you wondered.

Wondrous

We are in the land of snow.
This photo was taken a few weeks back.
It would be a whole lot better
with my old broken camera,
but I take what I can get.

I was having a bad day
and when I opened up this file
it made me smile from ear to ear.

I am so blessed to be a mother
even if sometimes I want to quit the job.

My husband and my girls
are my greatest treasures.
Period.
Nothing else is relative
if I don't have them first.

They make everything enjoyable.
Even the stuff I don't like.
Snow
for instance.
Not a huge fan.
I did grow up in San Diego
after all.
But, my family makes snow
wondrous.
Wondrous to behold.

Thank you God
for giving me an eternal family
and this mortal life
with earthly experiences
to savor
with the ones I love most.

The Uinta's

There is no better day than Sunday

to post a bunch of photos

of my family

and God's great earth.

I love them both.

Thank you God

for my amazing life.

Feel free to join us on our drive

from last weekend.

It's pictures like the one above

that make me want to 

oblige the girls

when they tell us we need to have another baby.

How bout it honey?

Rock on rock.

Or as Caroline says it

big rock, little rock.

I love girls with pockets.

I love pockets with souvenirs.

I love free souvenirs.

I can hear your sigh.

I wish you could have come with us too.

Just imagine what I could do

with a camera that costs more than $100.

My birthday is coming up LG.

(hint hint)

Yeah right. 

We all know he ain't spending more

than $100 on me for my birthday.
A girl can dream though.

We love you Uinta Mountains.

Especially in the Fall.

Thanks again to a God

who is the ultimate artist.

You take our breathe away.

Utah skies

For your Sunday viewing pleasure,
I present God's country.
Oh so breathtaking.
Thank you God for your glorious earth.

Genesis 9:11-16

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, 

that I may remember the everlasting covenant 

between God and every living creature 

of all flesh that is upon the earth.

Acts9:3

And as he journeyed, 

he came near Damascus: 

and suddenly there shined round 

about him a light from heaven.

Job 31:26

 If I beheld the sun when it shined, 
or the moon walking in brightness

Isaiah 14:14

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will be like the most High.

Psalms 78:14
In the daytime also he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a light of fire.

Don't Smell the Roses

Yesterday, while at Abigail's soccer practice
something occurred that I know you are all dying to hear about.

If you gag easily, you may not want to read on.
The story's main characters are Caroline and I.
The main subject matter is dog poop.

At the field.

In Utah,

being at the field,

is

awesome.

Thank you Rocky Mountains.

Life

Enjoy a humorous explanation of your life.

My Husband Loves Boobs

I remember having a conversation years ago with a lady about breastfeeding etiquette. She had whipped it out in sacrament meeting and I was a little astonished.

"Isn't that why we have mother's lounges in every church?" I prodded.

Let's Party

In the past year, as I've delved into the facebook world, I have been amazed at the achievements of my high school classmates. (BTW - if you haven't liked me on facebook yet, you can do it here, or on the sidebar.)

Joe Weirzbecki is a tea-party guru.

Alex and Chelsea are the founders of BreezyMama.

I already told you about Ted Johnson.

Jeff Keirns is a producer in the world of Reality TV.

Ty Gurney runs a successful surf school in Hawaii.

But some of the achievements that I have been the most impressed with are the ones I won't reveal. They are the few classmates who have confided in me about their sobriety. I am so proud of them for realizing that they had a problem, and doing something about it. I am so grateful for Alcoholics Anonymous that helps so many people realize their dreams. I  am such a huge believer in the 12 steps and have found great happiness in my life by following its principles with my codependency. Sometimes just living a normal healthy life is the best accomplishment of all. And really, we all have addictions to overcome. It takes a lot of courage to admit that.

Your daily funny

I am trying my darndest to keep you guys entertained.

Smile.

Laugh.

And thank God for all your blessings.

Thank me in a comment. :)

Family Photos in Beautiful Knoxville

Please excuse the post full of pictures of my beautiful family. It may not be that funny. But it will sure be some eye candy.

We've been married almost 14 years.

We've had 4 kids.

We've only had our photos taken at JC Pennies.

Do you spell JC Penny plural

JC Pennies or JC Penny's?

Anyhow.

You get the point.

This is a confession that tells you two things about our family.

1 - We've been poor.

2- We didn't value a good photographer near enough.

Our friend Jessie was a Saint.

She was in the middle of moving

and we were leaving the State of Tennessee

the very next day.

I had to have some pictures with

my precious dogwoods.

She not only obliged.

But, rocked the house.

Thank you Jessie.

I will love you forever.

Jessie is about to have her first baby any day, so she will probably take a little time off. Or she will be shoving her camera in the face of her best subject ever. She also happens to be a perfectionist. As evidenced by the photos. She doesn't have a site yet, but if you want to be put in touch with her, just let me know. She will be in the Knoxville area for a little while longer.

I literally cried my eyes out while looking at these photos tonight.

How I miss my Tennessee.

We took these photos at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.

It's a beautiful place, much like all of East Tennessee.

Lucky for us we got to enjoy it on a perfect Spring day.

It was raining.

Did I mention it was a perfect way to say goodbye.

 This is where I wanted the photo, but Jessie being the professional that she is said that we couldn't set it up right. But, thank you Jessie for sending me this one shot of THE spot. It's just beautiful. And so fitting of TN. From my favorite trees, to the old rock structure, all the way to the rusted old metal.

Our Sweet Caroline.

Her nicknames are Curls, Boots, and Shirley Temple.

She looks just like her daddy.

Even their smiles are identical.

Our not so sweet Caroline.

Beautiful Bella.

Sweet Sophia.

Adorable Abigail.

The whole family.

The whole family with the dogwoods.

The only picture LG and I have of us kissing since we got married.

You would never know that we were in a fight that day.

Thank you to Jessie for solving all of our 8 years of marital issues that played out during our time in Tennessee in one final moment.

It's hard to be mad at someone when the photographer requests a kiss.

My favorite picture of all time.
Does it not just scream Tennessee?

I really do love this man so much.

Even more than I love his wife.