A sweet homecoming!

About a month ago John and I went to the base to pick up a friend coming home from a deployment. His wife was still out of town (he was meeting her in a couple of days) so we wanted to go get him and take him out for breakfast. I brought my camera with me to capture photos of lots of our friends arriving home after being overseas for 4 months.

Right at the end I looked out and there was the cutest couple running towards each other in the cutest most dramatic way. I HAD to take some photos. So I snapped a few, and some turned out really good. Afterwards  I went up to this woman, who I did not know, and I asked her for her email address. I explained that my husband worked with her hunny, and while I had never met them before, I had captured a few special moments and I would love to send her the photos.

So I emailed the photos along!

A couple of weeks later Marie emailed me asking permission to use the photos in a news article that was being written about them. She had sent the photos to a family member and that member sent it to their local newspaper. I of course said YES and the article can be found HERE.

Aren’t they adorable! I am so thankful I could be a part of their special day!!! And how stunning is Marie?!?!?

Google Reader

Hey friends, I need some help! Can you please comment on this post and let me know if my blog is coming up in Google reader. I made some setting changes and since I have not seen this blog come on MY google reader.. im just wondering if it is working for others....

thanks so much, friends!

NC State Fair part 2

Like I said in a previous post, we spent some time at the NC State Fair last weekend. Owen had a wonderful time riding on rides with Mom and Dad. Can I also say how much I love that we had to wear jackets this day.. I just LOVE fall weather! 

 One of Owen's favorite rides was helicopters. He of course rode this with Daddy! :) 

Our little boy had high aspirations for his future to be a pilot :) Helicopters or airplanes, he does not care! 

Owen also loved riding on a pony. Daddy of course was right beside him, as he trotted around. A few minutes into riding Owen decided he did not want to be on the mini horse anymore and spent the rest of the "ride" watching.

A cute theme at the fair was school busses, which is right up Owens alley. This mini bus would talk to you and respond to what you were saying. It was really cool for Owen to hear the bus saying "hi Owen"!!!

He also enjoyed touring a real  bus and getting to sit in the seats and to pretend like he was the driver! 

I had to include this pic, just because! haha. Welcome to the south! 

Owen and John got to spend lots of fun time together waiting in lines. He was more than content to be with Daddy all day long! 

Of course, the other favorite of the day was the train ride. Owen is in love with trains and loved being the driver for a while! 

I do not think that we will go to the state fair in NC again, but I am glad we took Owen this time. I was not a fan of how overpriced the event was. I feel like it made it not attainable for the normal family. But it was a fun once in a while thing :) 

2011 Goals- Part III

Wow, we are on to part 3 of this goals post!

11. To exercise at least 3 times a week. I NEVER exercise. I really need to start doing the 30 day shred and walking each week. I know it would give me so much more energy and make my days much better! I am not wanting to lose weight, just to tone up and get my heart pumping.

12. To spend more time on my marriage. I know I often take John for granted. I HATE THIS. I am so incredibly blessed with the most amazing husband a woman could ask for. He is my rock and my best friend. I need to show him daily how much i truly love him. I need to spend more time hugging and kissing him, more time prasing him and telling him how much i appreciate him, more time in prayer with him and for him, and to spend more time doing things with him that we both enjoy.

13. To be a better meal planner, couponner, and shopper. This is self explanatory.

14. To get Owen potty trained by Christmas. He is good about going on the potty when I ask him to, but he does not tell me when he needs to go. I need to be more diligent with his training and figure out the best way to motivate him.

15. To pray more and to thank God for all of my blessings. There is great power in prayer and I do not take advantage of the amazing things the Lord has to offer me. I need to rely on him more and not try to control situations myself.

I know I have so many other things that I want to work on, but 15 is a lot to ask for in the next couple of months! I pray that I stay motivated to do these things and to better myself.

2011 Goals- Part II

continued from the last post!

6. To be better about emails and clear out my inbox at least every 2 days. I LOVE having a clean outlook inbox, but it rarely happens. I get so behind sometimes. Also my important emails are often lost amongst the tons of junk I receive. I also need to unsubscribe from this junk each time i get one. Hopefully soon I will not get as much email which will in turn help me keep my inbox cleared out!

7. To post on this blog at least 3 times a week. I absolutely love blogging and I have really fallen off the post bandwagon. I have tons and tons of pictures I want to post and I have not gotten around to it. I love using this blog as a way to keep memories about our life. I love going back and remembering Owens stats, how we handled moves, things that were important to me at a certain time.

8. To post on my new design/craft/cooking blog at least 3 times a week. I opened up a new blog to chronicle my interest in crafty things. I really want to get serious about posting on that blog- which can be found at www.aymesinspired.blogspot.com.It is just starting up and it will take me a bit to get it looking just how I want it, but I am super excited.

9. To be a better friend. This is such a broad statement, but so important to me. I am surrounded by the most amazing friends that a girl could ever ask for. I need to put more time into my friendships, plan more events with friends, and to try and bless my friends just as much as they bless me!

10. To continue to get more organized. I have been really good lately at making lists and sticking to it. I also have been great at keeping a calendar. For christmas I have asked for a new franklin planner- the best of all the planners! I am in love! I feel so much better about myself and my days when I accomplish the lists that I make.

Wow, and I have more still! Goals are addicting!

2011 Goals, Part 1

I think it is about time for me to revisit some goals I made for 2011 and to make some new ones! In the last few weeks I have really been working on bettering myself emotionally, physically, spiritually, and just all around in general! Here are my current goals, in no particular order!

1. To wear earrings daily. I know, this seems really random. But I have had 2 holes in each ear for over 20 years now and I have probably actually worn earrings a total of 1 year of that time. I always love seeing cute earrings but I just never put them on myself.

2. To accessorize more. I have been anti necklaces since Owen was born. When he was a baby he would pull and yank on my necklaces so I just stopped wearing them at all. However, I have so many cute ones and I want to use them to accessorize more. I also have some really cute rings, belts, etc.

3. To do my hair and makeup at least 3 times a week. Baby steps.  I have fallen into the mommy rut of climbing out of bed, caring for the child, and neglecting my appearance. Well NO MORE! I need to make a huge effort to look nice. Along with this I need to change out of my PJ's daily. Sometimes I just think it is easier and more comfortable to stay in leggings and a tank top. However I always feel so much better about myself when I get some cute clothes on!!!!

4. To get on a better sleep schedule. I often seem to get either WAY too much sleep, or significantly not enough sleep. Case in point- it is currently 120am and I am still working on stuff. Last week though I was going to bed by 830 (I had a bad cold) and getting almost 11 hours of sleep. I need to make a commitment to get into bed between 10-11 each night.

5. To be present. So many times I feel like I am doing too many things at once, neglecting to be present in the moment I am in. I need to be more present with Owen- playing on the floor with him, teaching him, and not worrying about anything else. I also need to be more present when interacting with John. I often have so many things floating through my head, questions i remember i need to ask him, or things I need to do in order to truly live in the moment with the love of my life! 

I have so many other goals that I will post shortly. Baby Steps Amy. Baby Steps!

This weekend we attended the NC State Fair! I have always been a fan of state fairs, but I must say the NC one was a bit disappointing. It was mostly fried foods (like deep fried oreo’s, deep fried pickles, deep fried kool-aid???). There were not as many exhibits as we had hoped for, but it was great spending time together as a family. We get such little time to do this, so we cherish every moment!

I am an amusement park lover. I grew up about 15 minutes from Busch Gardens in VA and spent many many weekends there with my friends and family. I love love love roller coasters or anything remotely scary like that. So when we went to the state fair I decided Owen and I should definitely do some fun rides together. The first ride we happened upon was the “battering ram” or pirate ship- which ever you want to call it. I decided to ride it with Owen while John took pictures.

I swear Owen was having fun. He was laughing and smiling. But when the boat would get to the highest point and it would give that little bottoms up feeling in your belly he did not seem to have as much fun. Unfortunately all of the pictures we got reflected these “not so fun” moments.

Terror. Sheer terror on his face. Looks like a parenting fail, but I swear he was having fun!!!
And just to prove he DID love rides at the fair, here are a couple of him riding on a 4-wheeler by himself! I love his smug expression!!

More photos coming soon! :)

Oh how our world has changed!

I remember YEARS ago my Nanny (my great-grand mother) told me that if things change as much in the next 50 years as they have changed in the previous 50 years, she was scared for our world. That always stuck in my head for some reason!

Today Owen’s preschool class had a field trip to a pumpkin patch. there was a sing along, a hay ride, pumpkin picking, animal petting, and a puppet show. About 1/2 way there I realized I had forgotten my camera at home. I was so bummed I ended up running into Walgrees to get a cheap disposable camera.
Here comes where our world has changed.
Every time I took a picture of Owen he asked me if he could view it on the back of the camera. He is so used to the digital “instant gratification” photo. He just could not understand why he could not see the picture right way.
So this has me wondering, when Owen is a dad, how will photos be taken? Gosh, i remember when a polorid pic was a big deal. Then the Advantech cameras.
Children these days are so spoiled.
And since I now sounds like a grandma, that is all i will say! :)

photo credit