10 years of wedded bliss!

So much for my goal of blogging every day! Maybe it will be a goal for JULY! :)

Chris and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last week. We took a mini vacation to an amazing little place in Lake Geneva. If you are ever looking for an incredibly romantic get away, check out http://www.lazycloud.com They really have thought of everything! The photo was taken on our second night there. I just love it. The glimmer in our eyes... we really are happy! :)

There are no telephones or TVs... which was perfect. Our lives are so very hectic, that it was nice to be "forced" to talk to each other. We had several heart to hearts and made some decisions about where we want to go. Hopefully we will have a plan and be heading in the direction of resolution by the end of the summer. I think being in this infertility "limbo" has really been hard on both of us and our marriage.

On other notes.. summer school will be over on Friday! YAY! I really have enjoyed it, but it will be nice to have my entire day to myself. By the time I get home it is usually close to 2, and I spend way too much time online and don't seem to be getting much done. I need to really get the upstairs cleaned out so we can get my studio moved up there. :) That is part of the master plan. I actually did spend almost an hour up there yesterday!

A friend of mine... Andie has a great blog and a great photo tips blog. She introduced me to
PaperBackSwap. It is a place where you can list your books and swap them with others around the country... similar to what you may have at your own library, but with LOTS more books! Be sure to check it out. And if you do, be sure to mention me or Andie as your referal! :)

I have some other photos to share... but blogger isnt playing nice this afternoon. Will post them a little later! :)

I made this!!!!

It is no secret that I am challenged when it comes to the kitchen. Some friends consider me quite the creative genius in other areas of my life, but I am pretty hopeless when it comes to the kitchen. Thank goodness my loving husband is not picky when it comes to eating!

I really wanted to do something special for Becky's birthday, so I decided on this fruit pizza for the class. Our students LOVE fresh fruit and usually can't get enough. So I decided to do this instead of a cake. It was painful to say the least. It was a challenge, and the cookie crust was not quite done... but in the end it got rave reviews. I don't think I will be making another one anytime soon! LOL!

Chris is the BEST!!!!

Becky got a new pink Razr cell a few weeks ago. I was just a little jealous. My cell phone is almost 2 years old and I was just tired of it. DH has always said that he thought Razrs were a waste of money. Of course, I had to disagree and have been dropping hints for the past week or so. Since we have Verizon, we can get the light pink one that no other carrier has. Of course, this is also the pink that Becky really wanted but couldn't get! :)

So Chris agree to let me go look and to see if we were eligible for an upgrade on our phones. Turns out that HIS phone was eligable, but mine was not. Being the ROCK STAR husband that he is, he agreed to let me have the new phone. Thanks to the AWESOME rep at the Verizon counter, Chris was able to keep his phone and I got my new pink Razr....



Of course, Chris is now taking every opportunity to remind me that I am now in his debt. Everytime he wants something, he just says, "Pink Razr" :)

I am spoiled... and I love my husband!

End of An Era...

A 1992 Cavalier… strange to consider this car as a symbol of an era… but it was just that.

My parents bought this car for me when I was a freshman in college. It was my lifeline to life at home and I spent HOURS driving between Normal and Antioch. It was my first real time of independence. I could go wherever it would take me. I traveled to schools for practicum and eventually to my student teaching placements. It allowed me to have a job off campus that I loved. I paid dearly for parking spots on campus and even had to fight my roommates for the sacred spot in our apartment complex.

We used the car as collateral to pay for our wedding. It was in this car that we took our first real vacation as a married couple. We drove through 8 states in 8 days that Spring Break. It was our reliable car as Chris was driving the Geo Metro at the time. IT was not always reliable, and required several alternators and batteries over the years. However in the end, it always came through for us.

As much as I liked the cavalier, it was time to move on and get a newer car. I was now a professional and wanted a “grown-up car.” We bought a Kia Sportage for me to drive and Chris started driving the Cavalier. We still depended on it, and it made the long commute with Chris to work each day. Eventually, it became apparent that we needed to upgrade once again. Chris bought a Malibu and the Cavalier became our back-up car. Sadly, that was really the last time it was driven. I was now driving a larger SUV and Chris had his Malibu.

The cavalier has sat in our driveway for 5 years. I guess part of me just didn’t want to get rid of it just yet. We talked about getting rid of it all the time, but just never followed through. It stopped working and had really started to show the miles and years. Chris finally arranged for our neighbor to come and take it to the junk yard. We were paid $50 and off it went.

So it is the end of an era… I am now more responsible and more grown up. We’re in our 30’s now. But I honestly had a pang of sadness as I watched him take our 1992 Cavalier away!

Whirlwind

I am so excited to be heading to Florida thanks to the generosity of one of our swim parents. I will be spending some time with Chris, who I haven't seen for a week now. :( I am happy to be going... but feeling rushed and crazy!

Getting ready for CKU was a whirlwind. It was worth every hectic moment. I couldn't have imagined a better weekend. I'll post more photos when I get back from Florida.

I am just wishing that I had some quiet time... you see my head is full of all of the things that I feel that I "need" to do. I really need to get the house clean before I leave... I really need to get the rest of my things packed and ready to go tomorrow.... I really need to unpack from CKU still... I really need to clean my scraproom... I really need to write a few more articles for one of my DT's... I really need to finish a project for another DT... I need to finish my CKU album... I need to do lesson plans for the days I am going to be gone... I need to set up some IEP meetings at school... I need to.... I need to... I need to.... I need to relax!

Ok... it feels good to just get that out. My good friend Becky keeps reminding me that I need to just relax and enjoy the time with Chris in Florida. I know she is right... so maybe I should go do a few of those things that I "need" to do!

Elements of Style ROCKS!

This past weekend was probably one of the most amazing weekends in my life. Attending CKU was AMAZING! I am exhausted but very inspired. I loved my elective classes, but I could have skipped all of them to spend more time with the amzing Junkitz Ladies! Stacey, Janna and Teresa were AMAZING and made every moment of our album track fun and inspirational.


I love this album more than anything I have ever created before. It is like having a piece of my soul in a scrapbook. It is far from finished, but I can't wait to have the time to work on it. As much as I love my album, I loved the experience of creating it even more. The Junkitz Girlz are so real and took the time to get to know each and every one of us. The track was designed to make each album unique. I am just not a cookie cutter type of gal. This was a PERFECT track for me!

I was also blessed to have a great dorm... Robin and I joined last minute and they welcomed us with open arms. We were in the "Aged and Distressed" Dorm and had cute hats and nametags made by one of our dorm mates. Here is a photo of us with Tim Holtz:


I was also blessed with my table mates at my track... they made an already amazing experience even more fun! We shared lots of laughs and even a few drinks... It is amazing how quickly you can bond with complete strangers who share a common passion. Thanks girls for a great time... I hope we can get together again sometime real soon!



I really need to do some laundry and grades... Chris left for Florida this morning. I might try to make a short trip out there later in the week...we'll see if that works out. I really miss him... especially since I spent so much time working with photos of him! :)

Off to get some rest... and maybe grade a little....

Off to CKU!!!!

I am so excited to be off to CKU later this morning. I still have a list of things that I wanted to get done and didn't.... Oh well! :) I am excited to spend the weekend with 700 women as passionate about scrapbooking as I am. I was at dinner with coworkers last night and they just didn't get it.... it will be nice to be with people who get it! :-)

The downside is that Chris and I will be apart for 10 days... longer than we have ever been apart in our marriage! I get home on Sunday and he flies out on Sunday morning early. I am a little bitter about him heading to Florida without me... but I am more sad about being home alone for a week. Good thing I have the attack dogs here at home!

Just wanted to post a quick entry... off to try to get a few more things done!