Camping in September

Here are the pictures of our 2-day camping get away! We didn't arrive until after dark on Friday so putting up the tent was a bit difficult.

Mark and his architectural masterpiece in the background.

I had a little scare when I heard rustling in the bushes. I could have sworn there was a mountain lion stalking me. Come to find out it was only a little...armadillo coming to say hi.

Hey! Don't laugh. They can be scary!

We spent a lot of time around the campfire.

Playing Frisbee and dominoes.I even had time to make some art!

It's the domino man!

The Simple Life

Mark and I are headed out to do one of our favorite things in a few hours. We are going camping! Surprise, surprise. This time we are going to stay the whole weekend! We've never done that before because our camping trips are usually spur of the moment. This weekend we had prep time.

I'm off to get everything together so when Mark gets home from work we can jump in the car and go. Be looking for pictures when we get back.

In the meantime, here are the pictures of the house that I promised a few weeks ago.

First, this is the microwave that saves us so much counter space! Yippee for room to cook.


These are the light fixtures that Mark installed. You can see the antique-looking one in the back and the white kitchen light with the crown molding in front. It looks soooo much better than it did!





Next, is the functioning master bath. We're still not done but hey! we can use it.














Finally, here is our new t.v. We really needed it. Our other t.v. was Mark's parents old t.v. and it was probably over 15 years old. Needless to say, Mark is ready for football season and he's already christened the set by inviting friends over for food, beer and football. I love my husband!

In the Woods

What am I up to?

I just finished reading a new book. In case you are wondering, which you probably aren't it was In the Woods by Tana French. It's a pretty interested read but you have to get through a few chapters before you can really get into it. Once you get about a third of the way through, it is hard to put down.

It's not a scary novel but is considered a psychological thriller and I bet the ending leaves you a little disappointed. I bet you can't guess 'who done it?'

I have now moved on to another book, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't read this book yet...given he buzz that surrounded it some time ago.

So to answer the question posed earlier. I'm not up to much but I am trying to get caught up on some reading!

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back...

In case you are wondering, those are the lyrics to a country song and NO, it's not about love lost. It's about getting older and (in a way) wishing your life away.

I have heard it a dozen times but for some reason my wheels started turned when it came on yesterday.

I remember being younger (even just a few years ago) and not being able to wait for the next major changes in my life. Things like: going to college, graduating, finding a career, getting married, buying a home. All of these things turn the page to reveal the next chapter of your life. I don't regret moving forward with my life by any means but I have noticed that I have a tendency to want to put 'major changes' off lately.

I'm not the only one who does this. For some reason, people think that putting these major things off will keep you from getting older. Well, I've got news for everyone (including me). It doesn't matter if you put it off. The world keeps spinning, you get older and you can wait too long.

So, I would like to take a moment to say this: Don't rush through your life moving from one major event to another...you need to take time to 'smell the roses' (if you will). But don't forget that stopping for too long reduces the number of roses you have the opportunity to smell. You have to find your balance.

Personally, I want to smell as many roses as I can before my journey through the metaphorical garden is over.

Fixer Upper

I am married to one!

Not that Mark needs to be fixed but he he's certainly fixing up our home...which (in my book) makes him the 'fixer upper!'

Labor Day weekend was spent doing several projects.

1. Installing hallway lighting. - The previous lighting looked like submarine windows.
2. Installing a new kitchen light. - It's so nice to have the ugly, yellowed lighting out of the kitchen. Not it's bright and beautiful.
3. Installing a microwave above the stove. - My parents came into town to help with this project (thanks mom and dad!).
   
4. Fixing the toilet in the master bath. - Again, with help from my dad, Mark and I now have a functioning toilet in our bathroom!
5. Installing new plumbing in our master bathtub. - We can officially shower in the tub that we tiled nearly 6 months ago. (shout out to the parental units!)
   
6. Installing new hardware in the master bathroom sink. - I am happy to say that water now longer shoots out on the front of my pants when I try to wash my hands or brush my teeth. (ditto to the last shout out.)

I'll try to post pictures later so check back. Mark and I need another weekend to rest from all of that work but we are happy to have it done!

We also spent Saturday at Katie and Chris' baby shower. We are excited for baby Cohen to get here...only a few more weeks!

The Windy City (not Amarillo)

Mark is taking me to Chicago to celebrate our 1st year of matrimony!!!! My how this last year has flown. It's easy to spend everyday with your best friend. I am looking forward to our trip in October. If anyone has any suggestions on what to see, I am open.

All You Need Is Love!

I don't expect this to be profound or revolutionary but I heard someone reference another person the other day and the reference went something like this: She had a long list of people she hated.

Simply put, that made me sad.

Jesus said to love one another. There are countless poems about it. I believe that it is a topic in most movies, books and songs. And, people have made a career on the topic (think Hallmark).

I truly believe that it is in the human condition to love others. I think that if you look into another person's eyes and truly try and see where they are coming from then it is pretty hard to hate someone.

I believe that if you think about it, you will find that it is much more difficult and it takes so much extra energy to hate others. In fact, if we quit using our extra energy to hate, dislike and pick others apart, we may actually be able to be more productive and naturally make a positive impact on this world.

Life is too short to spend your time making enemies and writing lists of people you hate/dislike. Save yourself some time and energy and appreciate the differences that make us unique (even if those differences annoy you a bit).

Love is a choice you make from moment to moment. ~Barbara De Angelis