::Christie:: Making Memories. Choosing Joy.

A day Full of Thankfulness

It was a good day. It was a Thankful day. A road trip to Columbus to be with Sister and Brother-in-Law.

It began yesterday after work to spend time in a hotel with a pool ("pule" as Z used to say) and a visit with dear, dear friends. It began yesterday, Thankful that we didn't leave at the time we wanted because we have jobs. Good jobs. It began yesterday when we shared laughs and memories with those special friends.

It continued today when Mom and Dad came to Sister's (and BIL's). We gave Thanks for family. We gave Thanks for those that weren't there. We asked for Blessings and Safety for those that we will see soon...so very soon we can hardly stand it.

Thankful for food. For love. For family. For closeness. For health. For Memories. Thankful that I actually used the camera I brought to help us remember.

Thankful for laughter. For games. For terrific weather. For two brothers that were able to get thru a football game without fighting....so very Thankful for that. 

Thankful for the past year of blessings in our lives. For great times. For tough times. For boring times. For exciting times.

Thankful for kisses.

So very Thankful today. So very Thankful for this life.

Vacation favorites

Doing a bit of procrastinating with getting the house picked up, so thought I'd share a couple of my favorites from our vacation this summer to Silver Lake, Michigan.

Lake Michigan was so cold! Nick braved it better than any of us. I love the expression on his face.

On days like today when homework battles have taken their toll, looking at this sweet smile helps. 

One Day 2012

I had so much fun taking pictures for Hollywood Housewife's One Day party! I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing with all of these photos, but I may print an Instagram Photo Book from Persnikity Prints. I already love having these photos...it is definitely a snapshot of what my days look like during this season of life. 

I think this would be a fun project to do every year on your birthday. The little things that don't mean so much today, may mean the world to you tomorrow...you never know! It would be neat to have a book like this for every year of your life. What your routine was, what you were wearing, what color of nailpolish you had on, what you were eating, what the people you love looked like on this day. 

I used my camera phone for every single picture today. Using the TimerCam App for the iPhone certainly gave my photos a different viewpoint. I loved using it. Some of the reviews weren't that great, but I didn't have a problem with it once, and I am still using the free version.

Here is a snapshot of some of my favorite pics throughout the day:

 

As many as I took, there are just as many that I wish I would have gotton. The boy's being dropped off at school, Scott at work, Dad staying with the boys until I got home, just to name a few.

Thanks Hollywood Housewife for hosting such a fun party! I'll defintely be playing along again!

One Day

I plan on joining Hollywood Housewife tomorrow for "One Day"... Taking pictures of every little thing to document our lives...you know, Making Memories and Choosing Joy! I promise, I won't clog up my Facebook feed for my friends, but you can follow me on Instagram if you want to see my photos. Using the TimerCam App on your iPhone would be perfect for this! Let me know if you'll be joining in!

 

Missing

Today, I'm missing my sisters and the little dude.

Let the countdown begin until we're together once again!

A favorite iPhone Camera App

For those of you that want to get in the photo every once in awhile...You know you should! I've used this app a few times and it's worked pretty good! At free, the price is right!

TimerCam

 

Toy Story Mania

I'm finally getting our memories from our Disney World trip in 2010 saved. I've procrastinated for two years because I wanted the book to be perfect. First I had to decide between traditional vs. digital. Once I finally decided to save our memories digitally so I could print copies for the boys and grandparents I thought the hard part was over.

I obviously wanted to make sure this book was something special, as it was such a spectacular trip. I wanted the magic of the trip to carry thru in the book I created. So I began searching the internet for Disney ideas, and Disney scrapbook supplies for the pages. I found all kinds of supplies and templates that I wanted to use. And so I began to try to put something together. I would make a page...put the photos and journaling together, and freeze when it came time to add all the "special" touches. So I would begin again, with something different, and it would never be quite what I wanted. I would stop after a couple of days and pick it back up again after a couple of months. For two ridiculous years!

Two years later? I finally had an "aha" moment and realized that it is the memories and photos saved that will make this book special. It isn't the scrapbook supplies that will make this book magical. It is my words, and our photos. So I pulled out what I know best and what I've turned to the last few years...simple and classic...Project Life. I decided to start with photos I knew would come together easily, as it was our favorite ride from all the parks. I had these two pages together in so little time it was crazy. I feel really silly that I've spent so much time making this harder than it needed to be! I am grateful that these stories are finally being told and the memories preserved and cherished forever.

I will most certainly be sharing more of this project! Can you feel the relief in this post that I'm getting it done?!?