KD Photography - Moments Captured

News!

2008-07-08T10:09:00.002-05:00

Well, first off, I am back! I got so engulfed in my photography blogging, I totally quit blogging about my personal life so...I promise to make a concerted effort to post more. After all, my kids are growing up before my eyes and I don't even take enough pictures of them anymore.

For you guys who have been following my drama over the last several months, I FINALLY got a job. Yippppeeee!! I even managed to have yet another heartbreaker over the last couple of weeks with a dream job that fell through once again at the last minute - I can't even count the number of jobs over the last nine months where I made it to the final two but just missed the mark. Crazy enough, I had two offers on the table this past Thursday and I just made up my mind this past weekend. It was tough choosing because both jobs were insanely different but after discussing with Hays, we felt like Conceptus is the better fit for our family. For you young ladies who are absolutely sure your family is complete, go check out the site - it might be something that interests you. I know I will be one of the first women in Lubbock taking advantage of this technology. I will start this next Monday the 14th or I will wait until the first Monday in August...not exactly sure which one yet but will know more later today. I will be training in Dallas a week or two and then will train in Mountain View, CA for two weeks in August. Mountain View is just 6 miles from Palo Alto where FoxHollow headquartered. I love that area. There are other similarities between the FoxHollow position and this new position with Conceptus. Well, the devices couldn't be more different and the physicians are completely on very different ends of the spectrum and the anatomies I will be focusing on are as different as you can get but the companies are similar which is what ultimately helped me make up my mind in the end. Both companies are very small, which is such an added bonus in my opinion. This enables companies of this size to have their own defined culture, which is also so very important to me. I rode with two different reps in Dallas and they both were so funny and so charasmatic, which is exactly why I loved my colleagues at FoxHollow. Apparently, these are the types of people Conceptus hires...look at me! ha ha! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, I want to LOVE my job! I want to LOVE the people I work with and I want to LOVE my manager. Each and every single individual I spoke with loves my manager. BONUS!!! Right now at this moment I think I would love to get back into the cath lab someday but who knows? Maybe I will absolutely love Conceptus and stay with them for years and years to come or maybe I will love working in Women's Health as much as I loved Cardiology. And now look, not only will I be able to give you advice on your heart but I will soon be able to give you advice on how NOT to have babies!

The kids, Toya, Hays and I just returned home from Austin this past weekend...we had a great time and I did manage to take some photos. Stay tuned and I will post more later on today!

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-05-31T13:45:00.004-05:00

I had an unwelcomed birthday yesterday...Hays surprised me with a birthday cupcake, a coke and some Prada sunshades. It was a great day and I spent it with four of my great friends last night...we didn't get pictures but it was fun anyways. Thanks Averi, Britta, Jamie and Stacy - love you girls.

Memorial Day Celebration

2008-05-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

Chip and Jessica hosted a great party on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. There were lots of fun people there and the party lasted well on into the morning hours...I think we all paid for quite a while.

I think I have the prettiest friends...love you girls!!

Grammie and Dougie - quick funny story: Doug spent quite a bit of time hanging out by the keg so Grammie said, "I guess I am driving?" and he said, "It's your car." Poor Grammie always has to watch out for everyone else.

Some more of my pretty friends -Teresa and Lori.

Some things never change...

This is my niece, Kristin, and her boyfriend, Blake - What a handsome couple!

Until Next Time...

Kellyn's Awards Day

2008-05-31T13:12:00.002-05:00

I know all parents are proud of their children but man, I am incredibly proud of Kellyn. Despite much uncertainty and many changes this year, she still managed to come home with many awards...she had a fantastic year. We are so proud of her A Honor Roll award and she was commended on both her Reading and Math TAKS...not only that but she made a perfect score on her Math TAKS; she received a medal for this and was so happy.

Kids are resilient and mine are no different...its been a crazy year but we prevailed and my kids are fine in spite.

Blaze's TBall

2008-05-31T13:08:00.002-05:00

We signed up Blaze for Slaton t-ball because we knew he would know some of the kiddos on his team. Hays and I knew every single one of the parents on Blaze's team so it was nice to be back in Slaton for the t-ball.

T-ball isn't the fastest sport out there (even slower than regular baseball, imagine that!) so I didn't get many action shots. I did get some way cute shots of him in the dugout. Until next time...

Stacy's Bridal Portraits

2008-05-04T19:36:00.003-05:00

In case some of you have forgotten, I have a new blog - www.kdphotography.squarespace.com - I am thinking about keeping this one for personal posts so don't delete this one altogether but I the squarespace blog is definitely permanent now because I love it. Just posted some bridal portraits on my new blog...check them out when you get time.

New Blog

2008-04-15T21:13:00.004-05:00

Hey guys ~

I have a new blogsite...

Go check it out when you get a spare moment!! www.kdphotography.squarespace.com
(Oddly enough, Blogger wouldn't let me add a hyperlink to this address.)

Last Ones of Krysa

2008-04-08T17:51:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist adding a few more shots of this "Stunner" of a senior!! Thanks Krysa...YOU ROCKED IT.

A Few More of Krysa

2008-04-07T15:35:00.003-05:00

OMG, I could play with all 500+ pictures I took of Krysa yesterday...she is such a natural. I love these shots - stay tuned, I will have more up later.

My First Senior Session WOW!!

2008-04-07T01:45:00.003-05:00

If every single subject I photographed looked like this Senior girl from Slaton High School, I would never do anything else ever again. This is Krysa - she worked it like a rock star. Well, maybe not a rock star but definitely like America's Next Top Model. It's almost 2am and I am falling asleep as I type this so I will add more pictures later and I will give you a guys a peek into how Krysa and my day went...it was comical but we got some sweet pictures out of the deal. Krysa, you were a trooper! Sorry it took so long to get these posted...took forever. Hope you aren't still up waiting for them as you have to get up so early - break a 95 tomorrow, girl. I know you can do it!! Anyway, enjoy these pictures and I will be back tomorrow to add some more. Thanks again, Krysa!

More later...

Meet Jorden

2008-03-30T10:41:00.002-05:00

How sweet is this face!! This is my second cousin, Jorden. Isn't he adorable? Jorden is the second son to Wendy and Shannon. He was born in November and I hadn't even laid one eye upon him until just recently. Shame on me! I have spent more time with Wendy in just two days since being back in Lubbock than I have in five years. I have missed them and its so nice to be back close to them. They had us over last night for wine and salmon and March Madness...it was a great night. Thanks guys!

I played around with some texture in these images as he was lying on the carpet when I took these...carpet doesn't make for a very good backdrop.

More later...

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

We are in Lubbock now...it has been a very hectic week so I will provide an update later. It was so sad leaving our friends and our home in Amarillo but it's nice to be back in the Hub City again. More later...

Another Update

2008-03-22T09:27:00.002-05:00

Well, I suppose it's time for another update; however, the news regarding my job search is not so positive this time. I interviewed for two different positions this past week that I felt really, really good about...they both fell through. It was a tough few days because one of the jobs was my old position and I honestly felt like I had a good shot at landing that position again. They gave it to another guy who also worked for FoxHollow before the acquisition - he had only been with the company a little less than a year when he got laid off. Oh well, I am coming to terms with the fact that for some reason, God did not want me to work there...even though that was where I wanted to be more than anything else, He didn't and that's all that matters. I laid in bed for a day and then the next morning, I brushed myself off and got up to face this crazy world. I mean, what else can I do? Lay there and wither away? Of course not, that's not me at all. I don't have anything else working but I did apply to several different posts on Thursday...maybe I will hear something soon.

We found a rent house in Lubbock in the Cooper North district which is where Kel went to school before we moved to Amarillo so we are definitely happy about that. The house is cute but small...we will deal for a while as its only temporary until we can find a home we love for a very long time. We are sick of packing and moving. Our movers come Wednesday and we close on our Amarillo home on Friday - we will officially be Lubbockites (is that the word?) then.

My photography business is getting up off the ground rather nicely...I have a few sittings coming up soon and my last sitting turned out just great. The family was very happy and they want to take more pictures this summer. I have a long way to go before I can actually call it a "business" but I am having fun and learning a lot.

Other than all of the drama, everything is coming along...once we get moved into our new home, we will feel even better. I will keep you all posted. Have a blessed Easter guys.

Beat That!

2008-03-22T09:25:00.001-05:00

I can type away on my Blackberry like nobody's business but I can also type pretty fast on the computer...so, I took this test. This is what I scored. See what you can do!

71 words

Speed test

Update

2008-03-17T08:35:00.003-05:00

Hey Guys ~

HAPPY ST PATTY'S DAY!

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would update you on my crazy life. We close on our Amarillo home Friday, March 28th...man, that's only 11 days away. So, that means we have less than 10 days to get packed up and moved out of here. Thank God for family is all I have to say right about now - My mom and dad came up on Friday and then my sister and her two daughters came up on Saturday. We spent the entire weekend packing and cleaning and doing laundry. It was crazy! I have no idea how we could have done it without their help...as weird as it sounds, we actually had fun. We ate a bunch, drank a little and watched Blaze perform every single song off of the Chipmunks album. I swear to get this on YouTube as soon as possible...it's the funniest thing I have ever seen, and yes, I would still think that if he weren't my son. So back to the house thing...everything is pretty much packed up except for the necessities. The closets will take me a few days for sure but other than that, THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY. This picture below is the only stinkin' picture I took from the entire wkend...UGH! Check out this Michael Jordan doll we pulled out of Blaze's massive amount of toys. Notice the missing foot and the other foot! Think I could sell it on Ebay??

I am headed to Lubbock this morning...I am house hunting and job hunting all in one day. My list of about 20+ homes will hopefully be narrowed down to about two or three this afternoon. And then at 2pm, I have my second interview with EV3, which is the company that acquired my old company, FoxHollow. Please say a prayer for me this afternoon if you get a chance...I really, really want this job. I miss what I was doing so much and this opportunity would allow me to do just that again plus some. I will hopefully know more this afternoon sometime and update you. Crossin' my fingers and saying lots of prayers.

Happy St Patrick's Day and Happy Spring Break Week also! Hoping to get some pictures of chubby little Brynlee over the next few days so check back towards the end of the week for those.

Until next time...

Meet the Lee Family

2008-03-10T11:04:00.003-05:00

Stephanie contacted me almost immediately after she saw her nephew's pictures I took back a few weeks ago. We were supposed to shoot last Saturday but Stephanie had the flu and the wind was horrendous so we shot this past Saturday...we couldn't have asked for a better day - overcast skies, 60 degrees, variable winds...PERFECT! This family rocked. They wanted to make their session "their own!" (Paula Abdul's famous words.) And that's exactly what they did...I love the Harley shots and I love how casual and laid back this family truly is. Made for an very easy shoot. And, I also like how they will be able to look at these pictures for years and see themselves...not a group of people who put on clothes that made them feel uncomfortable and posing in the park somewhere by some beautiful flowers. (Not that that is bad...I just think you should be able to choose your own style for your session.) Thanks Lee Family, you guys were great and I so enjoyed my afternoon with you all. I will be in touch.

Two of Alyssa because I just couldn't decide which one I liked best - these girls were freezing so once we got back in the car, she put her coat on. When I saw the fur trim, I asked her to get back out and I got all of my camera equipment back out and I took a few of her in this cute coat. I love how they turned out...I think she should model.

Huge Praise

2008-03-07T09:42:00.003-06:00

Hey guys ~
Just so you know, we finally found a buyer for our home. After five weeks on the MLS and four weeks FSBO, a couple has made us an offer. We sign the contract today and we are supposed to close on March 28th. Yes, I said March 28th, so that gives us three weeks to pack up and move to Lubbock. WOW, that is fast. Thanks to all of you for your kind words and prayers over the last several months. We are super excited to get back home; however, we have made some great friends in Amarillo and we are certainly going to miss them immensely.

On the job front, I had my interview yesterday with EV3 which is the company that purchased FoxHollow. The interview went well but I can't even speculate right now what the outcome will be as they are interviewing several people. I will keep you posted!

Have a great weekend!!

Bloggin' Queen

2008-03-03T15:15:00.003-06:00

Shots of Blaze outside in the snow today...

I did not take any of him out in the yard because a) there wasn't enough snow on the ground to make for a pretty picture and b) my butt was not putting on clothes just to go take a few pictures out in that insanely cold weather. Not lazy, just smart.

Kel was at school so once again, she gets left out. Poor Kel!!

Could the Tide Be Turning???

2008-03-03T11:32:00.000-06:00

I opened up this fortune today at a Chinese food buffet here in Amarillo. The waitress gave us four cookies and I put them in my hand and shuffled them around saying to myself, "Pick the right one, pick the right one!" I opened up my fortune cookie to find my destiny - "Don't be hasty, prosperity will knock on your door soon." Seriously, I so believe in God's will but every once in a while, I do believe in fate, superstition, karma, coinicidence, fortune; whatever you want to call it, I do believe it happens sometimes. I said to Hays, "Out of all the fortune cookies in this restaurant, this is the one I open??" He laughed a little but I could tell he was so hoping we could actually have something here. This leads me to my update on my job situation and our home on Glenwood.

I had an interview with a pharmaceutical company on Tuesday...it went well and I was asked to ride along with an employee of the company on Thursday. On Friday, the hiring manager called to make me an offer. I relunctantly informed her I had some concerns. See, this company insists we must be living in Lubbock by the time I finish training which will be the end of April to the first of May. There are a lot of issues with this demand...first of all, we have a home in Amarillo. We can't just simply pack up all of our belongings and get to Lubbock without selling our home first. Oh sure, we can find a way but it will be very difficult. My sweet parents even offered up their home for us to live while we are in transition. I love my parents way too much to do something like that to them. Holy cow, all four of us? My kids can be monsters, I am so unorganized and Hays is just, well Hays. He likes his own place. Secondly, my training would last six very long weeks. We have no idea what we would do with our kiddos for those six weeks because Hays works in Lubbock...who on earth would keep our kids from 6am to 8am everyday and who would keep them from 3:30 to 9:30 every night? It just wouldn't work. Every single job I have applied for over the last few months have included Amarillo in the territory so it would have been fine for us to live here until our home actually is sold. This particular pharmaceutical job only includes Lubbock; therefore, I HAVE to live in Lubbock. Because I have been out of a job for five months now(yes, five months now - you'd think I would be all cut up and in shape but I haven't been to the gym once! ha!), I feel like I should jump on this job but there are many many cons and I just don't have a good feeling. That's why this fortune cookie was so coincidental to me..."DON'T BE HASTY..." unduly quick; precipitate; rash; impatient; impetuous; thoughtless; injudicious - These are all synonyms for 'hasty.' "PROSPERITY WILL KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR SOON." Prosperity's synonyms are abundance, accomplishment, advantage, affluence, arrival, benefit, boom, boomlet, clover, do, ease*, easy street*, exorbitance, expansion, fortune, good times, gravy train*, growth, increase, inflation, interest, luxury, opulence, plenteousness, plenty, prosperousness, riches, success, successfulness, thriving, velvet, victory, wealth, welfare, well-being - I don't know about ya'll but I am totally diggin' "gravy train" and "easy street" right about now. So, at this exact moment I am typing this post on this Sunday evening, I have no idea if I will take the job offer or not but I do know I have complete peace tonight no matter what happens. Sure, I received a great and totally fluky fortune today but the truth is God will take care of me. It's plain and simple!! But in the mean time, I am so hoping God put that little fortune in that bland little cookie to make a point. ; )

So, could the tides actually be turning for me??? I certainly hope so. We had four showings this weekend and an open house today that brought in seven couples for a total of ten new couples viewing our home this weekend...One of the couples asked if the refrigerator is negotiable...Hell lady, the kids are negotiable if the price is right!! (Just kidding, Toya!) Anyways, my realtor totally expects an offer from this particular couple so I was hesitantly happy to get that news. We had to be gone from 2pm to 4pm today for the open house and Blaze had soccer practice at 4 so as we were driving home at 4:45, we noticed a vehicle in front of our house. It was another realtor with yet another couple. They stayed over 40 minutes. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't spend 40 minutes in a home I wasn't interested in. To sum it all up, we had a ton of interest in our house this weekend which feels so good.

So, that's my life in a nutshell...always a whirlwind!! Have a great week guys and wish us luck on making the right decisions and finding a buyer.

EDIT:
I have an interview with EV3 Thursday...this is the company that purchased my old company so I have a chance to get my old position back, which is what I always wanted. I will keep you posted!! No new news from realtor this morning but still hoping to hear something today - will keep you posted on that, also. Have a great Monday!

Week In Review 3/1/08

2008-03-03T08:22:00.008-06:00

I am going to start a weekly entry entitled Week in Review...I should have posted this yesterday but I got a little busy trying to get Hays out of here and to Lubbock before the big winter storm hit. My goal is to pick out a few things in each week that brought particular interest to me...I am sure there are many, many things that are worthy of posting in a "Week in Review" but mine are going to be a little different and not always so newsy and stuffy. Sometimes entertainment and celebrity focused, sometimes sports focus, sometimes a focus on the activities in our lives, etc. I promise to bring a wealth of information, although it may not always be useful, it will be informative nonetheless. Sit back, grab a cup of joe and enjoy Kenda's take on last week.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS UPSET #5 RANKED TEXAS LONGHORNS

It's been a long season for the men's basketball team but they have managed to pull off a number of good and sometimes GREAT wins. Saturday's win against the Longhorns was definitely the best thing that has happened to them this year. Did it get them into the Big Dance? Most definitely not as their record is just above 500 at 15-13. Their win Saturday did put them at an even 500 in the Big 12 with seven wins and seven losses. After Bobby Knight's departure, this is just what his son and the Red Raider basketball team needed.

AMERICAN IDOL CAST-OFFS

Alaina Whitaker and Alexandrea Lushington were the last two girls to get booted off of American Idol...neither one of them had a great night but Amanda Overmyer should have gotten tossed out on her butt after that ridiculous rendetion of "Carry On..." and that oh so horrible Cruella Deville look. Come on...you be the judge:

Anyway, just for the record, my favorite girl is this little cutie:

You can read her bio here.

On the boy's side of things, Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico ended their American Idol dream (don't I sound like Ryan Seacrest?) this past Thursday. Neither one of them had a good performance either...especially Robbie as he was so karaoke-like. Jason is just a dork with his tuft of white hair on the top of his head...gimme a break.

My favorite guy is a toss up between David Hernandez and Jason Castro. I truly truly like David Archuleta; however, I think he is a shoe in and will win the whole thing so I had to pick a few other of my favorites.

Check out this amazing performance by David Hernandez this past Tuesday:

So, while we are on the subject of music, singers and YouTube, let me just embed one more video...this one doesn't have anything to do with American Idol but it did come from Brittain's Got Talent and this guy's story is amazing. I have never, ever given a flyin' flip about anyother types of music other than pop, hip/hop, country, top 40 and ESPECIALLY not opera but man, you gotta watch this when you get time. I had chill bumps all over my body. Love it!!

USELESS NEWS and SOMETIMES COMICAL HEADLINES

Apparently Hasbro and Mattel are threatening to sue an online website called Scrabulous citing piracy. This particular online game is free and attracts 700,000 players a day. I guess the toy companies that market Scrabble are up in arms that some one else found a way to make some money on the internet yet again. Yes, it's free to all who play but now these guys who developed the site are making $25,000 per month from online advertising. Why didn't I think of this??? Oh geez...I have got to think of a way to make money on the internet - everytime I think there isn't anything else to do, someone else comes up with something I so should have thought of. Not that I play Scrabble or anything but come on, how hard can it be?

JLo named her twins Max and Emme...Love both names as my best friend, Kim, named her son Max and then another good friend of mine in Amarillo, Macey, named her little girl Emerson and everyone calls her Emmy BUT what's so comical about this is what TMZ is saying... Come on guys...can't we find something better to talk about, like the election or something??? nah, this is much more entertaining!!

In Michigan, a man was arrested and prosecutors intend to charge him with embezzlement. The man was apprehended after an investigation showed he was the culprit in the heist of 217 cases of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix. Seriously, stuffing? What was he going to do? Sell them in the black market or cautiously truck them across the border to the Mexicans. ????

I am sure there are many more events that happened last week that are certainly worthy of an appearance on my blog but I used up so much time sharing useless information on American Idol, I will have to reserve my really thought-provoking headlines for next week. Until next time...

Black Belt Blaze

2008-03-02T18:23:00.002-06:00

One of Blaze's favorite things to do is get on the floor with his daddy and wrestle, box or karate chop with him. I got some pretty good pictures of him in action this evening even though a few of them are really out of focus...Enjoy!!

This picture is for you, Averi...I think it will melt your heart. Anyway, how sweet is this?? Blaze got a little hurt as he tried to headbutt Hays (yes, headbutt...thanks Hays for teaching your kid so much violence! :0 ) so he consoled him for a bit. Blazer got over it pretty quickly.

Springtime Favorites

2008-02-28T07:00:00.003-06:00

The Cybersisters topic this week is our favorite things about spring...

1. The smell of the sprinklers and of cut grass
2. Taking walks with my kiddos (like we did yesterday...pics to follow)
3. Daylight Savings Time
4. Cool mornings and warm afternoons
5. Sitting on restaurant patios with friends having a margarita
6. Spring Fever...I love that feeling when it's a warm day in March and you just can't wait to have more and more days like that
7. GREEN GRASS and leaves on trees (so tired of seeing bare trees and brown grass)
8. The last day of school...it truly makes me sad because I know Kel will be moving one grade up but I know it makes her happy and I remember how happy it used to make me!
9. Episode Finales...I don't like when my shows come to an end for the year but the finales are always so exciting
10. Tennis outdoors instead of indoors

Have a great day, guys!!

Free Pass

2008-02-25T09:49:00.001-06:00

Hey guys -
By posting this episode on my blog, I get free admission into a big convention held in Vegas next March. Hays is always looking for a reason to go to Vegas and man, would I love to attend this convention. So, thanks for looking.

I'm Famous!!

2008-02-21T10:01:00.003-06:00

Well, amongst Amarillo tennis players anyways!

My friend, Monica and her kiddos came over last night to hang out with us while Hays was in Lubbock. She brought over something she received in the mail yesterday...low and behold it was me on a mailer. I had no idea I was going to be on it (kind of funny they didn't ask for my release but who cares?) so I was pretty surprised to see myself on the flyer twice. Check me out below.

So Professional!! ; )

2008-02-21T09:11:00.006-06:00

Check out my cool new business cards and logo. A company by the name of Graphic Design Warehouse designed my logo and made my business cards. They are too cool! They are double-sided, full color and laminated and they were dirt cheap. I handed my first one out last night to a lady in United who had a cute baby...LOL! She was probably like, "who is this freaky woman??"

The Miller Boys

2008-02-19T21:57:00.003-06:00

My friend, Bekah, asked me to take her little boys pictures. We had a beautiful day in Amarillo today so we jumped at the chance to get a non-windy session in before the yucky weather hits again tomorrow. As you all know, it's not the greatest time of the year to take pictures but we totally managed and found some way cool places to take some shots of these way cute little boys!

Thanks Bekah for giving me the chance to practice my skills with your awesome kiddos. They are truly adorable and both boys were big troopers, too. More pictures to follow soon but thought you might enjoy seeing a sneak peek!!

The Winner!!

2008-02-18T10:06:00.003-06:00

Here is the hairstyle I finally chose...

I went with the cut and the color - my color is a little dark right now but will fade after a few washes, I think. And, I don't wear my bangs in my eyes like this chick but she totally can pull it off because she's probably like 15 years younger than me. Everyone said they like my hair but what else are they going to say? "That crap looks horrible!!"

I will get some pics of me up here as soon as Stacy sends them to me as she has some in her camera from Friday night at Keith's new bar.

New Doo for Kel

2008-02-18T09:53:00.003-06:00

Kellyn was so excited about getting her haircut. It was definitely high time. We took a before shot which is immediately below...LOTS and LOTS of hair.

OMG, look at all of the hair Gloria cut off.

Viola! Finished product...I think she looks adorable!

Blaze's First Valentine's Party

2008-02-15T10:41:00.002-06:00

Blaze started a Mother's Day Out program a couple of weeks ago...we are having so much fun at home together but I thought he might need some kid-time too. He loves it. I love it! He had his first party yesterday and he really only cared about getting a gift from me. He didn't even eat his yummy cupcake! After we picked up Kel, we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks again. (He has been asking for weeks to go see A and the C again but I use the mommy-doesn't-have-a-job-so-we-can't-spend-too-much-money excuse on him...well yesterday when I told him I was taking them to see it again, he asked, "Mommy, did you find some money?" So comical!) After the movie, we went out to eat at our favorite burger place, Red Robin. We love this place and we are sad Lubbock doesn't have one.

Love this shot of his dirty finger nails and scraped up fingers...such a boy!

He was embracing his valentines with such excitement...don't let him fool you; it wasn't because of the sweet cards he got, he wanted the candy!

This is probably how he actually feels about Valentine's Day! Love this little card.

And oh my gosh, how flippin' cute is this! These babies were going for a ride as Blaze and me were leaving. I couldn't resist taking a picture or two.

What a perfect shot for V-Day...don't you just know these moms love these sweet babies so much?

Pucker up!

Kellyn was ecstatic to get yet another Jonas Brothers poster...her Vday party isn't until this afternoon so stay tuned for pics from her party...plus I will post pics of her new doo also. She is chopping hers off and she really needs to, too. She has the thickest, waviest hair in the world and quite honestly, it's always a mess. She absolutely hates it.
Have a great weekend everyone!

We're Back

2008-02-15T06:56:00.012-06:00

So you may remember when I was a part of group called the Cyber Sisters?? Well, we are going to try to get started again posting weekly topics. I am not so sure it will be as consistent as it was last year because there are some of us (no names mentioned) who haven't posted in months and months! Anyway, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, our topic this week is about LOVE. So, here are the five things I am absolutely LOVIN' right now:

1. My BlackBerry - I really thought I wanted the iPhone and I am so glad I didn't get it. This is the greatest invention ever...and man, can I go to town on the typing.

2. PhotoShop or CS2 - this software has been my saving grace over the last several months. It has kept me busy and its been so much fun to see what I can make out of my images. Now, if I could just get some new pictures (hint hint! anyone need pics taken of their special someone?) Many of you have seen this picture if you have visited my website; however, this is one of my favorites post-PhotoShop.

3. Tennis (DUH!) - Also another one of my saving graces that has kept me busy over the last four long months. I will say my game is not up to par at all, though. I haven't played good in three or four weeks...I think it may be my tennis elbow. Ouch! This hurts bad!!

4. Friday Night Lights - OMG, if you haven't watched this, go out and buy the first and second seasons and watch them when nothing else is on...then, start watching every Friday night. This show so takes me back to high school when we "cheered our asses off." (BTW, that's something my best friend, Kim, said while looking at old cheerleading pictures...she gets ribbed about saying this to this day! Hilarious!)

5. Last but certainly not least...MY KIDDOS and My HUBBY - I just can't even tell you how supportive my family has been (well, maybe not Blaze except he does now understand that we can't see Alvin and the Chipmunks every single day because mommy doesn't have a job and we don't have as much money) over the last few months. I know I talk an awful lot about not having a job but it has been a really rough few months...I think the ups and downs of it all is the hardest part. I think I have a job and then it falls through and this has happened four times now...and, it goes on for weeks at a time. Anyway, boo hoo hoo for Kenda - my point is this: Thank the good Lord for family and friends who really care. These guys below really do and I couldn't ask for anything more. Love you Hays, Kel and Blazer!

Okay Cyber Sisters (Jen, Stacy, Averi, Kristin, Kim, Britta, Kendra, Kerry, Jess, Kara, Jamie and Ally)...your turn. Post girls, post! And while you are at it, can someone please pick the topic for next week?

Tempted to Pull a Britney...

2008-02-14T08:57:00.005-06:00

Hays called me last night and asked me what I was doing (he is back in Lubbock working, by the way) and I told him I was looking at new hairstyles on the internet. The night before I had been really depressed because yet another job had fallen through so he panicked...He said, "Don't do anything drastic." I think he is afraid I need a change of some sort so bad, I am willing to chop off my hair. Well, those of you who know me, know I love my hair but it is time for a change. I look tired and "used up." Not sure if it's going to be a drastic change in length, color or style but something has got to give. I wear my hair in a bun every single day or even better, a big doo wop on top of my head. It's high time...so, that's what leads me to the next few pics. So, do you need a good laugh today??? Scroll down and believe me, you will laugh your arse off...

I found a website online that will let you upload a picture of yourself and try different hairstyles. It had to have been the worst 7.99 I have ever spent in my life. This is the cheasiest website I have ever seen. What's worse is I didn't have many pics of myself with my hair pulled back and this could possibly be the worst pic I have ever taken so that doesn't help. Aren't these hilarious? And aren't I just beautiful?

So, I need your help now...I want your vote. Please vote for a new hairstyle for Kenda - check out the pictures below and vote for one of the examples. I don't want crimson red hair or even platinum blonde...I am mainly talking about the actual cuts. But, if you choose number 7, please help me pick out a new color or something. Hell, maybe it's a facelift I need instead! HELP A SISTA OUT! My appt is tomorrow night so act soon...

Thanks for looking...now, go comment!! - Some of you blog stalkers who never comment need to speak up too! ; )

I'm LIVE!!

2008-02-08T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hey guys ~

As all of you know, I have been out of job for the last four months so I have had so much time to work on my photography. I haven't had too many sessions but I have been working hard in PhotoShop...I think it has made a huge difference in my pictures. I decided to get a website and start getting the "word" out there that I am available to take pictures...and not for free anymore!! LOL

This is the one time I ask for your comments...please feel free to give any comments or suggestions on my website as it is definitely a work in progress. I think it turned out good but will even get better with time. Be sure and check back often as I will continue to add shots as I take them.

Also, thanks to all of my "models!" I couldn't have constructed this website had you all not given me the approval to use your pictures. Be sure and hang out on the home page and watch the entire slideshow as my cousin, Jamie is on there a few times and she is so beautiful. While she was in town, we went out and found some sweet spots to take some pics of each other. The picture of me on the About Me page was taken by Jamie.

Don't forget to tell me what you think!!

Listed

2008-02-07T06:55:00.001-06:00

We listed our house last week with Century 21 because we weren't getting much exposure having it FSBO. So far, nada! Oh well, at least the internet ad looks good. Keep your fingers crossed we'll start getting some traffic soon! Unfortunately, it's such a bad time to sell a home. I'll keep you posted!

Sometimes We Just Need a Good Cry...

2008-01-29T11:54:00.000-06:00

If today is the day you need a good cry...go visit this blog. Scroll down until you get to the titled post "The Gift of Life." Start reading then and then scroll up and read in order. Don't forget to watch the videos (pretty long but worth it...do this when you have about 10 or 15 free minutes!),read all the descriptions and then really look at the wedding pictures. Amazing and touching story. Great testament to the human spirit. I am going to run, not walk to get my card!!

Let me know what you think!!

Blaze's Best Friend and a Busted Nose

2008-01-29T10:39:00.000-06:00

I have posted about the Solano's before several times already; however, I have yet to blog about Karstyn. He is Steve and Macey's eleven year old (almost 12) son. He is an amazing athlete, does good in school and just an all-around great kid. Blaze is NUTS about him...completely crazy about him. He calls him his bestest friend. Karstyn comes over sometimes and plays with Blaze. Yesterday, they rode scooters for a while. They rode two days ago, too and that's when he got his busted nose. He fell face forward and skinned his nose pretty bad. I had to get some pictures...another battle scar! We all know it wasn't his first and I am sure it definitely won't be his last. About this time last year, I posted about Kellyn's busted nose. What a mess!!

First Soccer Game for Blaze

2008-01-29T10:04:00.000-06:00

Blaze had his first two soccer games this past weekend...my battery died three or four shots into the first day; notice the mohawk on the first picture. He is going to kill me someday for posting that first picture. He has been slumping those shoulders so much lately...goofy kid.

Kellyn and her friends just finished up a hard fought battle minutes before Blaze's game.

He spent most of the first game looking up at me and blowing kisses..the second game, he looked up in the stands and gave everyone thumbs up. Little ham!!

He is the second to the smallest (he's actually the smallest in the picture) and the second to the youngest.

Poor guy, he was a horrible goalie. Did I just call my kid "horrible?" Seriously though, he just didn't get it. He didn't even move to get the ball. He even slapped at the air AFTER the ball went by and he dove on the ground five seconds too late to get a ball that rolled by. We laughed sooo hard.

Blazer was exhausted after the game...look at his face.

Our friend Steve Solano was at the game...he is really into soccer so he was coaching Blaze through the game. He really turned it on...he was going after every ball and he even scored. Steve gave him a dollar after the game for the goal he scored. Too cute!!

Personality Test

2008-01-25T08:37:00.000-06:00

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF)

You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.
You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals.
You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.
Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings.
You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.
Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships.
In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily.
At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career.
With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone.
As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style.
On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours. (I never made a New Year's Resolution...it's okay to start one as long as its still January, right? My new resolution is to start doing charity work...not sure what type but stay tuned.)

Click on the link below to take your personality test.

The Three Question Personality Test

Blazeman

2008-01-23T12:08:00.001-06:00

I promised I would post some pictures of Blaze since I have posted so many of Kellyn lately...here they are. He is making the funniest faces lately. Blaze definitely keeps us on our toes all of the time and laughing most of the time. ; )

Our Little Soccer Player

2008-01-23T11:04:00.000-06:00

You have to admit, he is just freakin' precious in his little Nike dri-fit shirt and his shin guards. Blazer started Soft Soccer last night, which is a gym-version of indoor soccer with a Nerf-type ball. There are no out of bounds and the little boys just run like mad. I haven't laughed that hard in such a long time. We have always thought Blaze is going to be extremely slow because he has always ran so, so, so not fast BUT last night he proved us wrong. He did run out of steam pretty quick because the boy sits and plays way too many video games but today is a new day and he officially started being an athlete. There is no slowing down for us from now on...we have Kel in indoor soccer and Blaze in soft soccer. In the spring, Kel will be participating in indoor and outdoor soccer while Blaze will start his first season of both also. WOW! Anyway, you should have seen some of the faces Blaze was making last night...he was so intense and sooooo animated. I will take my camera to his first game Saturday and try to capture some of those faces so I can show you. The following pictures will give you a glimpse of how animated he is actually becoming more and more everyday. He is a mess!! These pictures were taken before we left for practice.
(Kristin, I used natural light at night...NO FLASH!! I was so excited. The black and white pic was too orangey due to my white balance but as you can see by the others, I fixed that. Well, my walls are gold so I guess it still has a orange or goldish cast but at least I didn't use flash and yes, you can so tell a difference, I think.)

Shout Out to VANGIE!!

2008-01-22T16:06:00.000-06:00

Here's to my favorite "blog stalker!" Thanks for the call today, Vangie. Much appreciated. Stay in touch!! (Don't hate me...I couldn't resist! Miss ya!)

(For those of you who don't know her, Vangie and I graduated together from Slaton HS way back when. We lost touch for too many years but have now reconnected for good! I shared a picture of Vangie's little girl on my July 4th post. Check her out...she's the cutie with the very blonde hair.)

Thanks to My Model

2008-01-22T14:18:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately, I have way too much time on my hands right now. I love playing with PhotoShop so much I have dug up some old pictures and started messing around with them. I promise I have pictures of Blaze, too but Kellyn is way more cooperative. I will post some of Blaze real soon, I swear. These were taken right before Thanksgiving. Kellyn came along with me on a shoot so I took pictures of her while I was waiting on the family to finish getting ready. I think they turned out good; however, I am a little partial being she is my daughter. Got some great candid shots of Blaze making some super silly faces yesterday and I will post those next. Stay tuned...

One more...

2008-01-21T11:26:00.001-06:00

Just one more from the session with Kellyn...I love it because it's so her. She'll probably hate it though.

She is growing up soooo incredibly fast. I can't believe 9+ years have gone by so quickly. I always tell her she is going to hate me in a few years and she gets so mad. Kel says, "MOM! I won't hate you...you are my mom. How could I hate you?" She absolutely adores me right now and I know it won't stay that way for long. I just hope I can be the mother she looks up to always, even when she doesn't like me. Kellyn is so into the Jonas Brothers right now...it's cute to watch her and listen to the things she says about them. She has posters all over her walls of these boys and some of Hannah Montana. I hope the "Tween" years stick around for a long time because I am so not ready for the teen years. I love you, my beautiful angel!

The Winner Is...

2008-01-18T22:22:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Hays now thinks he can all of the sudden take great photographs. He took a couple of good ones today and now he's all proud and braggin' and stuff. I still think I have a leg up on him - you decide! All of these were taken today just playing around...it was freezing outside so props to my kiddos for being such troopers. The first two are Hays' work and the last three are mine. Maybe we could go into business together?!?

Christmas Party and Cookie Night

2008-01-15T07:07:00.000-06:00

I am so behind on my posting so I combined some of the Christmas stuff into one. I am going to try to get away from the slideshows whenever possible but this post was slideshow worthy...not too interesting to some of you and probably most of you but I still want to document it for myself.

The first set of slides is Kellyn's Christmas party and the second set is cookie decorating night. I am so not suzie-homemaker so this is a big deal for me to get together. The kids had a lot of fun and made some beautiful cookies! : )

Mosser Family

2008-01-14T12:12:00.000-06:00

Besides the 40 degree weather and some small kiddos, I am pretty happy with how these turned out. Yes, they could have been way better but again, I have never shot 12 people before and that in itself was a feat, not to mention the fact that it was Christmas Eve and CrAzY for everyone. These kids are beautiful and its so fun to watch this family interact. Now I know why I consider them my second family. Thank you Mossers for allowing me to take your family pictures. I had a great time.

Open House on Glenwood

2008-01-13T09:28:00.000-06:00

As some of you may or may not know, we have decided to put our house on the market. It's been three months since I lost my job and I don't really have any solid leads right now. Before the holidays, I had three good opportunities working and then they all went kaput. We really aren't sure what our plans are but we have to make some sort of move...gotta get a job or sell a home. So, we have a big open house today from 2 to 4. Don't worry - I will have the Cowboy game on and hopefully that will be a selling point as the flat screen stays with the house. Say a little prayer we get some serious lookers today. Will let you know how the open house goes. (By the way, I am going to change those horrible signs today...looks like a four year old made them. ugggh!)

Miss Brynlee

2008-01-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

Adam, Amy, Carter and Brynlee came up to see us one afternoon over the holiday break. I wanted some pictures of this chubby-cheeked little angel so we sat her near my window and started clicking away. She is a natural...Kellyn didn't hurt the situation either by making her smile and laugh. My goodness this child needs to be on the front of a magazine.

Learning Photoshop

2007-12-12T15:54:00.000-06:00

I am still struggling to learn Photoshop; man, is it difficult! I am pretty computer-literate too but being computer literate has nothing to do with this program. I need to get really good SOOC (straight out of the camera) so I don't have to take so much time editing but until I do, I have to rely on my computer skills. I think they are getting better - Here is before and after shot of Kayden York. The first is edited in Picasa and the second one is edited in PhotoShop. You be the judge:

Annual Christmas Party

2007-12-10T18:17:00.000-06:00

Jennifer and Eric always host an amazing Christmas party, and this year was no exception. The food was so tasty, the champagne was bubbly and the atmosphere was festive. As you can see from the pictures below, everyone had a ball. Thanks guys for yet another successful Christmas party.

Are You Ready??

2007-12-06T19:30:00.000-06:00

Most of the people who read this blog are going to Jen and Eric's for the annual Christmas party this Saturday. I can hardly wait. I dug up some of my favorite pics from years past...I have so many fun memories of these parties. Yes, do we get wild and crazy and do we usually look forward to letting loose and having a really good time? Absolutely! But, for me, I really look forward to seeing my friends and enjoying several laughs with them. Maybe even a few dances in the living room, too. Christmas is such a yummy time of year and it feels so good to get all dressed up and head over to the soon-to-be Fisher home. They are the greatest hosts in the world and I can't believe they continue to have these wild and crazy parties. I think every single year the day after the party, they both vow to never have another one. When I started this post, I was going to share a few memories but I decided I can't do that without throwing someone under the bus so just understand; this is a great party I wouldn't miss for the world!!

Ok, I have to share what happened in this picture. This was my first time to go out after Blaze was born. Well, let's just say I overindulged just a tad. Anyway, I dropped my digital camera and broke it. After I saw this picture, I cried and talked about how I had just broke a $500 camera. $500??? I haven't ever spent $500 on a camera. Very funny...wasn't so funny the next morning.

The York Girls

2007-12-06T10:42:00.000-06:00

We actually had one really pretty day this week...one day of absolutely no wind and amazingly enough, it was over 70 degrees. So, my plans were to take my kid's pictures out in a field by our home. I even went shopping for some shirts that would coordinate. Tiffeni York had been asking me to take her daughter's pictures for some time now but we just couldn't get our schedules together AND most importantly, we couldn't get Mother Nature to stop blowing her winds. So, I asked her to join us out in this field. Let's just say, Blaze was very unaccommodating and I am so glad the York girls were there or I probably would have given up photography forever. These girls are naturals. Karsyn is the oldest, who will be 9 soon and then there is Brent, I mean Kenna, who will turn 7 this year. And finally we have princess Kayden who is 5. They are so beautiful and each of their personalities couldn't be more different. Karsyn is the rough and tough one who still likes to be a little girl...she is awesome at sports and she can wakeboard like nobody's business. She and Kellyn are great friends, too. Karsyn can dish it out and she can take it...she's a little fireball. Then there is Kenna...I have never seen a little girl look exactly like her daddy as much as Kenna looks like Brent. This little girl is something else - she loves sports and is good at all of them. She smiles the entire time she runs up the field with the soccer ball going to score...she smiles!! Most kids have a look of determination trying to get that ball into the goal but not her, she smiles. Kenna doesn't sit still for a minute of the day and loves to go, go, go. She is a clown and she is adorable. Kenna runs crazy throughout the day but when it's bedtime, it's TIME FOR BED. She will fall asleep where ever she lands. And then we have Kayden. How sweet is this face!!! Blaze loves Kayden and calls her is girlfriend...he's no idiot. Kayden is as girly as a girl can get and loves ballet. Don't get me wrong, she loves her sports, too. In fact, she played on a boys soccer team and scored more than anyone on her team this past season. She is tiny and is as short as Blaze is and she is a year older; and you all know how short Blaze is. Kady is a sweetheart. I love all of these girls so much and these pictures will definitely show you a side of each of their personalities.

Thanksgiving '07

2007-12-05T15:00:00.000-06:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday was awesome. We ate so much food and got to see our entire family plus as an added bonus, I got to spend quite a bit of time with my friends. I think in all, we had four Thanksgiving meals...we had one with The Davies' at Kelly's house, one at my mom's and two at Toya's. I have never ate so much in my entire life but it was so good. Kim and Ava came down Friday afternoon so Ava and Blaze got to play a little. We also spent our last night in Slaton at Jessica's...it was a very long night. Fun night nonetheless. If Christmas is half as good as Thanksgiving was, we will be in good shape.

Terrell Family

2007-11-30T08:26:00.000-06:00

The week of Thanksgiving, I took some more pictures of some of our other friends here in Amarillo. We first met Monica through soccer as she is Kellyn's soccer coach. Kellyn and Abby and Thomas and Blaze are good friends. I took 300+ pics and not many turned out all that great so I still have a ton to learn but I think the following are pretty good:

Photo Session Before the Concert

2007-11-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

I couldn't pass up the chance to take some pictures of the girls in their cute outfits before the concert. They turned out okay but I am still learning so much about taking pictures, especially indoors. Uggghh! Kellyn and Emerson certainly worked the camera though.

Bigger than the Beatles?

2007-11-16T09:23:00.000-06:00

My friend, Macey asked me over two months ago if I would go with her and her daughter to Ft Worth should we get tickets to Hannah Montana...I told her "sure," thinking no way in heck would we get tickets. Well, I was wrong and I am so glad I was. It's not that I didn't want to take Kellyn somewhere fun, it's just I was being selfish and thinking the last thing I wanted to do is go watch some fourteen year old prance around on stage singing Disney songs. She put on a great show and proved me wrong. The Jonas Brothers opened (you know that silly song - "I've been to the year 3000..." Well, they were good, too.

We decided to fly because it was $49 each way and it didn't make sense to drive up there and back with today's gas prices. The girls were treated like princesses...we went to the mall where we met Hannah Montana's sister and mother. The girls got all made over at a little store called Libby Lu's. We stayed at a fabulous boutique hotel called Hotel Palomar where surprisingly enough, Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana was also staying. Long story short...her mom sat up a meet and greet before Miley got back on her tour bus the morning after her concert. The girls got autographs and their picture taken with her, which you will see in the slideshow.

Be sure and pay attention to the looks on the girls faces at the concert...they are priceless. Kellyn was so incredibly excited...she squealed and screamed the entire concert. We had a great time and it was really neat seeing Kellyn so happy.

Happy Belated Birthday Thatcher

2007-11-13T08:59:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, me missed Thatcher's first birthday party because Kellyn had soccer games and Hays is now the coach so we just couldn't miss. He turned 1 on the 4th! I finally got some pics of him this morning so I am posting a BIG HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO MY NEPHEW post since I haven't seen him since he was born practically. Miss you bud! We won't miss your next bday. Love you little man.

Meet the Martindales

2007-11-05T12:28:00.000-06:00

Saturday was my first official photography session. My subjects were The Martindale's from here in Amarillo. You may recognize Matt as he was the lead singer for Cooder Graw. He now has his own band and it's called The Matt Martindale Band. Molly, the oldest, plays soccer with Kellyn and I have become pretty good friends with her mom, Erin. The youngest is Emma...isn't she just adorable with those missing teeth. They had to be the easiest family to shoot...I didn't really have to even coach them. I know I have a long way to go but I am pretty happy with how these turned out.

Trick or Treat '07

2007-11-01T07:35:00.000-05:00

The Yorks had us over for pizza and appetizers on Halloween night. We then took our 12 kids trick or treating around the neighborhood. Of course the kids had a great time but it was pretty hard keeping up with all of them. Blaze was scared to death of the haunted house and any kid who had a creepy mask on. If you can't tell, Kellyn was a midnight fairy...whatever that means. She was pretty anyway!

Sectionals in Dallas

2007-10-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

My combo team went to Dallas to play in the sectionals tournament last weekend. We had a blast and gained a lot of experience while we were there. Ft Worth and Abilene beat us but we beat Austin...we lost in tie breakers to Abilene so we should have beat them but Ft Worth is the real deal. The whole team went to Cheesecake Factory that evening and then went to the Gaylord for some dancing. We had so much fun and I only hope I am on a winning team every year or two so I have a chance to go back and do that again. The bottom pic is of Jessica in action...she rocked!!

Halloween Party

2007-10-29T08:44:00.000-05:00

We went to a costume party on Saturday night and we were so original...an angel and a devil. Oh well, we had fun anyway. Hays actually had some other very creative ideas but we didn't have enough time to put them together. They didn't have a costume contest but had they had one KISS definitely would have won...If you can't tell, Gene Simmons is Brent York and the cat is Tiffeni. The other girls are friends of mine...they are mother's of kids on Kellyn's soccer team.

One Fell Off and Bonked His Head...

2007-10-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

Momma called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more Blazer's standing on a stool!" Okay, maybe it doesn't rhyme but that's what happened unfortunately. Thursday night around 9pm, Blaze and Hays were in the kitchen drawing on their ping pong paddles for whatever reason. Blaze was standing on a three foot utility stool and Hays turned away for just a second; that's when Blaze fell off backwards. The only thing that broke his fall was the hard kitchen tile and the back of his head. We were horrified as he looked at us with glossy eyes and leaned to the side while he tried to stand. Hays and I knew something wasn't right immediately. I called 911 and the ambulance was there within 10 minutes. Blaze never went out but he was about to...he couldn't keep his eyes open. After some serious vomitting, we found out about an hour later after a cat scan that Blaze had fractured his skull right at the base, plus he of course had a nasty concussion. The doctor said he had to have hit very hard to have fractured that area as it is the thickest part of your skull. (At least we gave him a good thick head in more ways than one.) They put him in Pedi ICU for 24 hours for observation as their biggest concern was swelling, bruising or bleeding of the brain. He did amazing...he was the bravest little boy in the whole wide world. We got out at 8pm Friday night and you could never tell anything was wrong since...he is completely normal and not even the slightest headache. We have said many thankful prayers since.

So Sad!!

2007-10-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

As some of you may or may not know, I am no longer employed with FoxHollow. Our company merged with another company and they let go of quite a few people. I, unfortunately, was a casualty due to a company trying to scale down. They decided to go from 4 West Tx reps down to 1. It was a really tough week for me but my favorite cath lab made me feel so much better by having a going away luncheon for me. They even called me today to tell me they miss me. These pics are from the party they threw me. The last two pictures of me are me with my beloved SilverHawk devices...sigh!!! : (

Blaze's Fourth Birthday

2007-10-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

We had Blaze's 4th Birthday celebration at Chuck E Cheese, his most favorite place in the whole wide world. There were 19 kiddos there and they all had so much fun. Blaze got tons of toys, which he absolutely did not need but he was excited about them nonetheless. I can't believe he is already 4 years old. Time flies way too fast.

My Hero

2007-10-18T09:04:00.000-05:00

I have fallen so behind on my posting...One of my CyberSisters chose "Who is Your Hero" topic! Well, I have a few but I am going to choose the one little guy who is my current hero because of everything he has gone through and is still going through.

Mr. Briley Keeton Wells!!

What an angel!! He is truly a gift sent from God. If you are keeping up with Jamie, then you probably know Briley is in Houston at Shriner's Hospital. He had his little legs operated on and from what I understand, he is doing fabulous. As Jamie said, he loves the Lord and he is the sweetest little boy ever. Bri loves everyone and everyone loves him. If you don't know him, you need to get to know him.

Awesome New Gadget

2007-10-18T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I had to turn in my Treo (my PDA phone issued by my company I used for the last two years) so I went shopping for a new phone. I have heard such great things about Blackberrys or "Crackberrys" as my good friend, Mary calls them. Perfect name for me as I am addicted to my cell phone, especially now with email and texting. This little guy is just too cool. I have XM satellite on it (which I won't keep because it's $9 bucks a month and I just don't think I would use it that often) and it has GPS Navigation and it has a 2.0mp camera WITH flash!! Too cool. I opted out of the iPhone because I just couldn't get the typing down. I am so used to being able to feel the buttons and I can usually even type without looking but the iPhone is so sensitive. Kristin, I know you love yours but I am going to wait for the next version or possibly even version number 3 now that I have this cool phone. Just thought I would share because I am so excited about it.

Oh yeah, and I got the red and black one to show my Red Raider support!! Go Raiders...Beat Mizzou!!

Kellyn's Big Birthday Bash

2007-10-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had a pageant party at the house for Kellyn's 9th birthday! We invited over 30 girls thinking only half would show...WRONG!! I had 27 girls at my house modeling swimsuits, party dresses and showing off their talent. I made sashes for each contestant ~ the sashes said the name of the streets they live on, so Kellyn's said, "Miss Glenwood." It was a huge success. There are a lot of pics to look through but I loaded them all on so all the mothers could see. Kellyn, of course, won Little Miss Amarillo. She said it was the best birthday ever...I just can't believe she is already 9. Look how old she looks in these pics!!

2007-10-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

Although it was a boring game in Raider Land, we still had a great time hanging out with everyone. It had been a whole year since we had been to a football game so we were pretty excited about it. After hanging out at the Alumni Pavillion most of the night, we went to The Spoon. Missed all of you who weren't able to make it...See you on the 13th at the A&M game. Go Raiders!!

The Windy City

2007-09-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

I went to Chicago two weeks ago for a meeting. I got to walk around for a few hours by myself before the meetings started. Man, do I wish I had my good camera...this place is amazing. Kristin, you need to go and take a rich bride ~ this would be a fantastic place to shoot. I want to go back to Chicago soon but this time go for pleasure...there is so much to do and see and so much shopping. Fun fun!!

After Much Skepticism...

2007-09-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

It's a Winner!! Watch it if you haven't already on ABC.com!!!!!!

Private Practice is awesome. I love Addison...even with her quirky lip maneuvers.

First Day of Third Grade

2007-09-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

It's still simply amazing to me that Kellyn can be old enough to be a third grader...old enough to change classes and old enough to take the TAKS test. That's crazy!! I can't believe how fast she is growing up. We are so proud of her...she is such a sweet and polite little girl. Kel does great in school and we love to watch her play soccer. She has her first game on Saturday morning. I love you, Kellyn Paige and I am so proud of you.

Blaze "Hawk"

2007-09-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

I tried to upload this video onto blogger itself but it took forever and never went through so I am going to copy Kim and use youtube. I used my digital camera to take this video of Blaze two nights ago. He is such the skateboarding dude these days. We hope he will get into sports someday but for now, he's awfully cute when he skates. He got a new helmet and skateboard yesterday and he is so proud. I love when he stops for the camera and says, "Cheese!" So cute.

New Topic

2007-09-09T09:19:00.001-05:00

My blogging group was supposed to start a new topic once school started but one of the members, Kristin got tagged by another blogger. From what I understand this means you must post several things people may not know about you. We decided to make this our topic for the week(I think we have done one similar to this before so this may be repetitive from previous posts)so here goes:

1) I am a "junk tv" junkie!! You name it, I watch it! Well, maybe that is being a little overdramatic but I do watch a lot of really uneducational stuff on television. I never miss a single episode of The Bachelor (and how hot is the new one!!), I always watch American Idol from the very first audition to the finale and I just love The Hills. It's just so ridiclous...I HATE SPENCER. I am sad Rock of Love is about to be over and I can only pray this new girl he chooses will be a man or something so he can do a new season next year. Maybe come New Year '08 I will make a resolution to watch one educational show a month. heee heee!!

2) I am addicted to beauty products. As you all know from a previous post, I am terrified of growing old and each new wrinkle I see just about puts me in my premature grave (ok, maybe I am being a little melodramatic)so I try out so many different kinds of lotions, moisturizers, wrinkle reducers and exfoliators. But not only do I love the anti-aging products but I also love lip glosses and make up. We have a new store here in Amarillo called Ulta and it's like a huge Sephora. I try to stay far away from there as possible because I could easily drop $500 bucks in there each visit and I am not kidding. I discovered two new brands of makeup while shopping there that I absolutely love...Too Faced and Urban Decay. In fact, I have always used L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara...always. Never have I found another mascara I like as well. Too Faced has the best mascara ever called Lash Injection. I also love Mac and I can't stay away from their counter if I am in Dillards. I have over 30 eyeshadows from Mac and only use about four of them regularly.

3) I love the fall!! I love everything about it. The crisp air, the gray clouds, the leaves changing, football season, soccer season, Halloween, Thanksgiving, sweaters and jackets...I just love it all. I noticed where it it going to be in the high 80's this weekend and next week and it bums me out because we had three cool days here and I was hoping fall was going to come in a little early.

4) I still dream of winning the lottery...and I don't even play. Now, that makes sense doesn't it? I like to plan what I will do with my money and who I will give my money to. Yesterday, I was figuring out how I would give my tithes to the Amarillo and Slaton churches. Crazy, I know!!
5) I am becoming sort of a wine enthusiast. I have never really liked wine at all and I still don't like whites or roses but I am really starting to develop a taste for reds. My favorite red is a Pinot Noir and I don't like anything too dry. I usually buy a different bottle each time I go to the grocery store so I can start trying different brands. My favorite wine right now is the pinot noir from David Bruce Winery.

6) I want to visit the Greek Isles someday...that's my dream vacation. Did you know the Greek Isles consists of over 6000 islands and only 227 are inhabited?

Tennis Tourney

2007-09-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

I have such great friends!! Jess and Amy came up to Amarillo to watch me play in a tennis tournament. I was so impressed they would load up all of their kids and drive through a tornado, a flood and a car accident just to see me play a little tennis...and Amy doesn't understand one thing about the game! (just kidding, Ames!) It was a short visit but it was fun even though they almost died on the trip up, Jessica busted her knees while holding Emily in front of a restaurant, our kids weren't fed at a parent's night out event for four hours and I forgot Fuzzy at the vet all night long. (poor guy!) In all seriousness, I really do appreciate them coming UP NORTH to support me and we always have a blast and manage to find drama along the way. Love you girls!! Oh yeah, and even though we still have two matches remaining, my team already won the tournament because we have won all four matches as a team and the other three teams have only won one so they can't catch us...yipppeeee! We are going to Dallas in October for sectionals!

Shout Out!!

2007-09-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

Just because...well, you know why!! I love you and miss you tons!!

The Candidate Game

2007-09-08T07:14:00.001-05:00

I have vowed to be more open-minded during the upcoming election...I have also vowed to myself to really know and understand the platforms this time around. I pretty much can flat out tell ya, I am a republican but sometimes, I can't tell you why...in my humble opinion, that's just pretty much wrong. So, I found this great quiz that allows you to compare your own views with the positions staked out by all of the US presidential candidates and then tells you which candidates match up with you the best. Here were my results, starting with the candidates who got positive scores:

Giuliani 28
Biden 26
Dodd 25
Clinton 25
Edwards 21
Obama 18
McCain 16
Romney 13
Richardson 9
Cox 6
Kucinich 5
Huckabee 4
Thompson 2
Brownback 1

And the candidates who scored no positive points with me were:
Hunter 0
Tancredo -4
Gravel -8
Paul -20

I still have so much to learn and now that I am a grown-up, it's probably time I get involved and understand all of these platforms and positions. But, I am very, very surprised Hilary Clinton is up so high on my list...thank goodness Giuliani scored higher than her, because I can promise you I won't vote for another Clinton to be in the White House. This quiz is really easy and quick to take...interesting, too as I was already leaning towards Giuliani. Close your eyes now if you have a weak stomach OR if you are easily offended by Hilary Rodham Clinton jokes!!! (Sorry Danny and Lynn...I still love ya'll!)

You Don't Have to be a Democrat...

2007-09-08T06:26:00.000-05:00

I have been paying pretty close attention to this whole global warming thing and let me tell ya, it's not looking good folks. You don't have to be a democrat or better yet, an Al Gore supporter to acknowlege what's going on around us. I couldn't sleep this morning so I am just surfing and found this amazing slideshow which shows beautiful pictures of Greenland. It also examines all of the melting that is going on...thought I would share. I don't really know how to get "green" but I am sure going to try my hardest to start making a concerted effort to do so.

Catching Up

2007-08-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

So, if you follow my blog you know I am a member of a group of girls who come up with weekly topics to post on our blogs. I think we are called Cyber Sisters...anyway, I went on a blogging hiatus back in April so I have to catch up all of the topics I missed out on while I was away. We all decided to take a break during the summer but now that school has started back, it's time again for the weekly posts. I didn't post five different topics during the spring and the first one I will catch up on is...

Five Favorite Books

And if you also know me pretty good, you know I am always on some sort of diet or health kick that only lasts like three days. Well, I am now on The Abs Diet and I have actually stuck to this now for over a week. The book is great and I am reading it now but what's even more helpful is the online program. Check it out if you are interested...you can try it out free for 10 days. The online program supplies a workout program and a menu for each day. It's a great way to follow your progress. Three pounds lost the first week. Not trying to lose a whole lot of weight; mainly just trying to tone up and get healthy. Mexican food daily is killing me...figuratively and could be literally someday!!

Oh man! I love Nicholas Sparks but this is my favorite of all time. The Notebook was great but this book was amazing. The movie wasn't all that great but if you haven't already read it, you gotta read this one if you are in to stuff like this. Very sappy but really really good.

And how good is James Patterson? And this did make a great movie. Kiss the Girls was also a good read.

My regional manager at my first pharmaceutical company had us read this book. It's a hard read and most of us griped about having to read it. Now, that I am a few years older and hopefully wiser, I am so grateful I read this. It's a book about accountability. I don't always follow the principles in this but I like to think I try real hard. If you like reading self-help books, this is a good one.

Most of you are going to laugh when you see this book on my favorites list. I can't help it...I love this book. I think about some of the stuff in it and it reminds me of those oh so innocent years. I can't believe they were 20 plus years ago. When Kellyn is old enough to read this, I think I will read it again and we can have a discussion about it. Ha! ha! Yeah right!

Five Biggest Pet Peeves

2007-08-28T07:31:00.000-05:00

Another topic I missed out on was pet peeves...I have so many but I will try to list some of the ones that typically get under my skin more than others.

1. Fever Blisters ~ Nothing puts me in a worse mood than a fever blister. They are especially irritating when I first find one but it never gets any better until the damned thing is completely gone. I don't even want to go out of the house when I have one. Not only do they hurt like hell, but they are ugly and I am so embarassed when I have one. What's even worse...these fellas always decide to rear their ugly head when I am going on a big trip!!! I got one the day after I got to Hawaii, the day before I left for Lake Tahoe and the second day of my big Vegas trip. Why me??

2. Waking up in the middle of the night and not going back to sleep for hours ~ This happens frequently to me. Just the other night, I ended up watching an episode of Days of our Lives, Flipping Out AND the entire movie, Red Eye. Hays says I should quit trying to watch TV and just fall asleep. It doesn't happen that easily for me...if I don't watch TV, I will try to solve all of life's problems in one lonely night. And all of those problems seem to be so much worse at that time of night, too so if I watch TV, I don't have to think about them. Thank goodness for Lunesta or I probably wouldn't sleep one entire night.

3. Paying Bills ~ Need I say more??

4. Paying at the pump and the receipt machine not working ~ This drives me crazy! The poor convenience store workers don't have a chance when this happens to me. I mean, what's the purpose in paying at the pump if you can't get right back in your vehicle and drive on?

5. Last Coke gone ~ I hate when I go for the last coke in the fridge and it's already been snagged!!

Scared to Death of...

2007-08-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

I also missed posting my five greatest fears...this one was very thought-provoking as there are many things I am scared of but I have to say these are the ones that really frighten me the most!!

I am so incredibly scared of flying. I chose this picture carefully because it's about this time in the flight where I am clammy and my heart is beating a hundred miles an hour...right before and during the takeoff. I am fine once the flight attendant has come on the speaker and says its okay to use your electronic devices but up until then, I am a wreck. There is something so not right with that huge aircraft lifting off the ground...I get the worst sensation. So, when you know I have a flight coming up, please say a little prayer for me. I know there will be a day I literally kick and scream to get off a plane because I just don't feel "right" about this one.

My next fear is intruders...especially the one's who come in when your home. I act like it's happened before; it hasn't but I am so terrified it will, we have an alarm and we set it every single night. I can't think of anything more horrifying than waking up to see someone standing over you...EEEEEKKKKK, I just got chills thinking about it. And I can't watch scary movies anymore because of this fear. Chilling!!

So, this next fear is probably pretty common but I am so scared of falling off something high. In fact, next to taking off in an airplane, my next worst fear could be falling from the sky in an airplane. Anyway, back to the subject...I am not really afraid of heights as long as I am confined inside a building and I know I cannot be pushed out of a window but when I think about falling off the top of something, I can hardly stomach the thought. Like those commercials where you see someone on the tip of a very tall mountain and they are like inches from the edge...no, thank you!!! You won't ever catch me on something like that. Oh, ask Beth Windham how scared I am of falling off something...the first time I went up the mountain to ski at Ruidoso, I cried and clawed the entire time...literally.

Okay, so this is some random old woman on my blog. Well, I am really scared of growing old. I know that is so childish and so immature but I can't help it. I certainly don't want to die while I am young either but I just want to stay 36 forever...can I? While I am wheeling and dealing, how about going back a few years to say, 30 and then staying that age forever???

I am scared I won't be the best mother I can be to my two beautiful children; I am terrified for their safety and health and I am afraid of not seeing them grow up. I truly believe these are concerns of most moms. I am afraid they are growing up before my very eyes!!

Too Funny

2007-08-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

A funny post for your Friday...
Kellyn and Blaze went to a party last night and inside their treat bags were these crazy glasses. They also had candy and a gummy, sticky eyeball that glows in the dark. Kel took the "pupil" out of the eyeball and stuck it on her face like a witch's mole. Blaze followed suit so I took their picture. He kept getting so mad because his "mole" wouldn't stay on. (look at the second picture: notice no mole and look at the scowl on his face...thank goodness for a fast camera!) I also love how the towel and glasses are making Kellyn's ears stick out. Can we say plastic surgery to pin those things down? Ha! One more funny thing about this...check out the ketchup on Blaze's face. Hilarious!! Have a great weekend everyone.

Another Birthday Celebration

2007-08-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

Kari and Kelcee came up in mid-July to bring my two cousins from California, Judy and Joy. I surprised Kari with a small birthday party in honor of her big 40th! I don't know about you guys, but I certainly don't think my sister looks 40. She looks awesome and more beautiful than she has her whole life. Kari helps me not dread 40 near as much. We went out to dinner and then surprised her with 40 gifts and a cheesecake. Happy Birthday, Kari...I love you!!

Amy's Belated Birthday Party

2007-08-20T10:59:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh, I forgot how much fun I have when I go out with my group of Slaton friends. I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time. We all met out at Fox and the Hound and then we went to the Daiquiri Lounge. I don't care what anyone says, I still love the Kinky Wizards. This past weekend made me even more excited for Tech games because the evenings usually end up just like Friday night did. Fun times! Love the pics of Amy dancing! Happy Belated Birthday to Amy and Eric!!!

The Big Apple

2007-08-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Toya and I went to New York at the end of July. I had a business trip so she tagged along and we stayed an extra night, which eventually turned into two extra nights as we were stuck at DFW due to weather on our return flight. I really thought I would have taken many more pictures than this but this is all I got back home with. I think I got really disappointed in my tiny digital camera when I have gotten used to using my Rebel. I am glad I didn't tote that along all over NY but when I look at these pics, I realize what kind of shots I could have gotten. Oh well, next time. New York is so incredible and we wished we could have stayed another day or two. There is so much to see and so much to do but you better take deep pockets!! Our drinks the last night were $19 at the Rainbow Room...that was probably my favorite experience of the trip. Eating on the 65th floor looking out at the Empire State Building. Incredible view. We went to Phantom of the Opera and I was so bored the first act, but I have to admit, the second act was amazing...I even cried. Did I mention Toya is the best traveler in the world???

Macey's Birthday Celebration

2007-08-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

I helped throw my good friend, Macey, a surprise 30th birthday party. (She's the one with the tiara on!) We went out to Tascosa Country Club and danced for hours. She was totally surprised and she had a great turn-out. All in all, it was a great night. Happy Birthday Macey...you are finally in your 30's at least!!

Fun in the Rain

2007-08-02T21:38:00.000-05:00

I just love these pictures of the kiddos. They seem so innocent and full of life. Gotta love a good summer rain!!

Greenbelt Lake

2007-07-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

Tiffeni York invited the Solano's and us to Greenbelt Lake this past weekend. Greenbelt is located right outside of Clarendon and is a pretty neat little lake. We had a great time and the kids could have stayed forever.

Prayers Please

2007-07-22T21:53:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!

A lot of uncertainity right now as I found out at 5pm today that our company was acquired by Ev3 Technologies. What does that mean for me? Not sure but trying to be positive and realistic. There are 4 reps in the West Tx area and we probably only need 2 at the most. Just my speculation, of course. The last few days have been hard for me but I know it is all in God's hands right now. I know all of you reading this will take a little time out of your day to say a little prayer for my family and me and all of the hundreds of people this will effect. I will continue to remain positive and work hard as this merger will take 4 to 6 months to finalize. Will keep you posted!! Read the link below if you are interested.

FoxHollow, Ev3 Announce $780M Merger - Forbes.com

Jazz Girl's Reunion '07

2007-07-18T08:46:00.000-05:00

I met my girls in Lake Brownwood this last weekend and we had a lot of fun. The house we stayed in was so great and the view from the deck (which you can see in some of these shots above) was incredible. A total of 7 out of the 13 made it this year but we still had a great time. In fact, five of us invaded the small town of Brownwood's nightlife scene and we think we were the only people there with teeth...just kidding. There were some really nice people there and they had a great bar. We even got invited to some after parties but decided against it since it was going to be at some trailer home out in the middle of nowhere. We rode on the boat all day on Saturday while some of us intertubed and skied. All I know is I am way too old to be doing that crap on the water at speeds of 35mph. Crazy...I think I needed a stretcher for about two days. Love my Jazz girls so much and I am always looking forward to the next reunion.

Love you Teresa!!

2007-07-07T12:31:00.000-05:00

We had just started the big firewords show at Arthur's when Teresa told me she hated fireworks and there she sat front and center. It wasn't 15 minutes later that Teresa and Lori Orr found themselves in what looked like and seemed like an eternity of horror. I know I sound pretty dramatic but this was a serious situation. One of the very large missles fell down and started shooting towards the crowd. Luckily Teresa's reflexes were quick and she was able to throw Jax to the side as she took a beating!! Teresa was hit in the mouth with one of the sparks and it caused her teeth to jam into the side of her cheek. She received 8 stitches at the UMC ER and also received treatment for the burns on her leg. I talked to her last night and she feels much better! Teresa didn't go through all of that in vain as we all learned some valuble lessons. If you look below, you will see how we let our young kids hold Roman Candles...that won't happen again. I am so glad you are feeling better, Tre and I am so thankful you and Jax are okay. Love you girl!

Fourth at Arthur's

2007-07-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

As usual, Arthur and Kathy had a great party. The food was excellent and the company was even better. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took that evening. Thanks for a great time, Kathy and Arthur!!

Pool Party on the Fourth

2007-07-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

We spent most of the late afternoon over at Jason and Lori Orr's home. They have a great pool and there were a lot of people over there. The kids had so much fun jumping off the diving board and sliding. (Shout out to Tonya...I know you are reading this!!)

Thanks Lori and Jason for having us over...we had a great time!

Fourth of July Kiddos

2007-07-07T11:46:00.001-05:00

My favorite pictures to take on the Fourth of all the cute kids who come all dressed up in their red, white and blue. We spent the day at the Slaton park hanging out with all of our Slaton friends. Made me miss living there!

Sprinkler Fun at Grammy's

2007-07-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

Children of the Corn

2007-07-07T11:20:00.000-05:00

(Wow! This is blogging made easy. If you don't have a free Picasa account, you need to get one. Makes blogging so much easier and takes up way less time. )

Dougie has a pretty good garden out behind his house so the kids were busy helping him pick corn. Averi, I told you I was going to title this blog that way!! The kids always have a great time at Grammy and Dougie's because there is so much to do...not to mention the fact they get everything they want when they visit.

The Many Faces of Thatcher

2007-07-07T11:14:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken at Grammy's house on the eve of the Fourth celebration. I cannot believe how big he is gotten. I know I am biased but isn't he just about the cutest little thing in the world, even though he does look like a Lewis??? Just kidding, guys! The Lewis' make some beautiful kids I must say. Love you Thatcher!!

Belated Birthday Celebration

2007-07-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Our good friends, Macey and Steve Solano had us over for dinner a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my birthday as we were in Tahoe during my actual birthday. Macey cooked an awesome meal and after a few glasses of wine and a couple of Colorado Bulldogs, we pretty much had a dance-off. We had a great time...Thanks Solanos!!

What a Feeling!

2007-06-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

Good news! Today was the last day of the quarter and I finally hit my quota!!! Yipppeee! It's been a long and tough battle to finally get my territory to where it needs to be but I finally did it. About a year ago, I was just weeks away from losing my job. Times were tough and the company was going through some restructuring. Several of my friends lost their jobs because they were also covering very small and difficult territories so I felt my "pink slip" was imminent. We had just moved to Amarillo only months before and I thought we were going to have to move back home...I believed we were going to have to sell our beautiful new home, uproot Kellyn and Blaze yet again and find yet another job. My big dream was coming to an end...or so I thought. I was told I needed to hit a certain number and at the time, it seemed unattainable even though it was even less than my quota but by the grace of God, I surpassed that number. Since then, I have struggled to continue the pace of sales I was at during that quarter...it was a little nerve wracking at times but I did it; I hit the number my company asked me to hit. I didn't have to beg, steal or borrow; it just happened. New docs, more patients to fix, referrals from other doctors, just growth! I love my job, I love my company and I am passionate about the device I sell...I am truly blessed. It's an exhilarating feeling to finally close the quarter having surpassed my quota...Happy Hour anyone?

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.

Logan Pearsall Smith

Austin Girl's Trip

2007-06-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

I sat off a week ago today to embark on yet another girl's trip. My mom said, "Your damned near 40 and still going on girl's trips?" My answer to her was, "So? Who said there was a cut-off and I AM FOUR LONG YEARS FROM FORTY AND DON'T LET ME HEAR THOSE WORDS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AGAIN!" Well, I didn't use those exact words but she did and that's all that matters. I am hell bent on proving that girl's trips aren't for the 20's, the 30's or even the 40's. (Sorry Mom but you will never win on this one...just look at these pictures and tell me one or two weekends a year is too many.) Anyway, six of us flew to Austin and met up with another 10 to 15 girls for a very, very fun weekend. I have no regrets, it was one of my most fun trips ever and I can't wait to meet my other group of girls at Lake Brownwood two weeks from today.

Still Contemplating

2007-06-29T08:28:00.000-05:00

What to do, what to do!! I so want to get online tonight at 8pm and order the highly anticipated iPhone. Ya'll know me, Ms. Gadget Guru herself!! How can I pass this up? Analysts (yes, I have been thoroughly researching this new phenomenon) are saying the iPhone will not live up to its hype. So, the real question is...get it now and satisfy my craving or wait until the next generation in October after they have ironed out all the glitches??? Help someone!

Lake Tahoe

2007-06-21T07:23:00.000-05:00

Hays and I went to Tahoe for our ten year anniversary and my birthday. We had a great time and it was an incredibly beautiful place. I think it would be fun to take a few couples and go up during ski season or when it's really hot. Great nightlife there plus its beautiful and there is gambling so why not?

This was the view from a very hip bar on the top floor of our hotel. We had just arrived and we both couldn't believe our eyes...or the total on the bar ticket! ha!

We took a wine tasting cruise the first night we got there...so fun! So beautiful and great food and wine. That was definitely the highlight of our trip.
Finally, Hays smiles! Look behind us...how could you not smile, right?