horray! We got it

We are so excited! We got the duplex and are moving on August 17 (packin the truck here)- unloading it there on the 18th. I can't wait to get settled and have it all come together.

We are working on packin up now-- which I love to do. I just hope it's not so hot to move-- it's been crazy hot here and I hate it. I would never do well living in FL or Texas.

Anyway-- I don' t have any other exciting news other than the fact that we are moving and everything is really coming together. Thanks for everyone's prayers.

ck

Blessings!!!

So many blessings right now it's awesome. I knew it would all work out- just didnt' know how. Ryan is all registered for classes and we were able to get a month to month payment plan so we don't have to pay the whole semester 12 credits while we are paying to move and everything else.
I still don't have a job- but know that God will put that together in the same way he has pulled the rest together.

Still lookin for a place to live-- found a GREAT duplex yesterday with a finished basement for my scrappin/ photo space. :) Really excited about that! We go back to see it again tomorrow and turn in our application (Ryan hasn't seen it yet). The land lords are awesome and seem to really know what they are doing and be considerate and clean. Big plus since so many places I looked at were a dive.

Started packin-- gotta go hop in the shower.
What blessings have you been experiencing lately? I would love to know...
ck

no clever title

Today I am torn between loving change (always have and always look forward to any kind of change) but right now I am getting frustrated with the timing and logistics of things. I am hoping that as soon as I check the mail I will have info to register for Ry's classes (Thanks to Erin we know that he can get into them). Then we have to find a place to live. Got some good leads-- just have to secure them. The townhouse I posted about was a dive. We are looking at renting a house or duplex-- a little homier. I just can't wait for the change to happen... I'm not very patient when it comes to this kind of thing.

We did get great news yesterday... Ryan's boss, Doug, contacted one of his old bosses from when he was a pharmasist at Rite aid and found out that he is now the Pharmacy District manager for Grand Rapids. THis is awesome and should make the transition much easier from Ryans job perspective. On the other hand-- I am hoping to get some sort of lead on something when I go to GR on Thursday.

Details-- love em and hate em.

ck

making progress and building excitment

This is just a little amiture shot-done by me... but what I dream of is really being able to capture life & love through photography. I was first made aware of this amazing woman a week ago after expressing to a friend that I would really love to get into photography. This woman does a combination of what I have done (impacting lives) and regular photo (which I believe is also impacting lives and helping create memories). But this woman is not like any other photographer I have ever known-- in addition to photography in her studio she volunteers to photograph dying babies. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. She photographs babies in children with thier families. Most recently she photographed a mom who was dying with her 2 boys, the mom wanted to be sure her boys had some great memories captured of her. Please check out her website and let me know what you think. Footprints photographyOk-- now here is the latest scoop-- sorry for being a few days behind. :) Ryan and I are leaving early tomorrow morning to head out and look at some apartments out in Grand Rapids. There is one place that we are super excited about - it's bigger than our place 1,100 sq ft and full basement (it's a townhome) and I am soo excited to go and really see it. I had friends who lived there in college cause it's cheap... like $150 less than we pay now. If we get this place I get to have a studio/photo room/ office to scrap out of!! Woooo whooo!!

I am just so pumped with the possibilities right now it's awesome! I can't wait to see what else is in store for us. There is a hang up with Ryan's classes (ok it's a huge hang up) like he can't get into them-- but we are working through that. That is what we are contingent upon now. But where his classes he needs here are would mean he can only work 2 weekdays a week (he works 5 now) and the comute would be killer. With me not having a job here that would be a big stumbling block... but we are hopeful that all things will work out in GR with the transfer and that in 3 weeks we will be on our way to a new place! Can't wait.

And well since I want to (it is my blog and all) I am going to post a fun new pic of some sidewalk fun we had with E last weekend.

Tired and overwhelmed!

So It's been a crazy weekend....
Between working through this seminar (The Change Cycle) with my dad & watching the girls I no longer feel like I have any time for life. I don't know where all my time goes- But I am so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start.

Here is a glimpse of my to do list
Clean living room (it's now in a fort condition from ellie)
Put away dishes and run dishwasher
Finish vacuming
work on resume (yet again-ugh)
look for jobs (this seems to consume much time)
return some stuff
finish laundry
call people to meet with in Grand Rapids
make a list of apts to look at (*yep that's my big news-- we're moving)

See there is nothing huge on there but it seems to take all my time- I don't know why- but it does. So I am off here and onto conduct my life!

ck

Blog Theft

Sooo- I don't have much to say yet today-- but I was just reading through other blogs. Thanks RebekahBoo I stol this off her blog. Thought it was fun!

Biblical Songs
Noah: "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
Adam and Eve: "Strangers in Paradise"
Lazarus: "The Second Time Around"
Esther: "I Feel Pretty"
Job: "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues"
Moses: "The Wanderer"
Jezebel: "The Lady is a Tramp"
Samson: "Hair"
Salome: "I Could Have Danced All Night"
Daniel: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Joshua: "Good Vibrations"
Peter: "I'm Sorry"
Esau: "Born To Be Wild"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: "Great Balls of Fire!"
The Three Kings: "When You Wish Upon a Star"
Jonah: "Got a Whale of a Tale"
Elijah: "Up, Up, and Away"
Methuselah: "Stayin' Alive"
Nebuchadnezzar: "Crazy"

Have a great day peeps!
ck

Stale Blogger

Ok-- Sorry peeps. I get so frustrated when people don't update their blog-- but I am not so good at it. I think I keep waiting for something exciting and miraculous to happen in my life so I can post. Yea-- that's not so much happening.

However- some exciting things are in the works. Not gonna spill the beans yet- but something good is coming I can feel it!

Hmm- other than that not much is new-- getting more and more into photography. Shot this pic of K the other day when I was watching them. Oh and yea-- E has not quite understood Aunt and Uncle yet. The other day I picked her up from daycare and she was like uncle christy! And telling everyone I was her uncle christy. Then we were talking about uncle ryan and treavor (who she calls uncle treasure) and this is our conversation
she says "are you an uncle"
"no, I'm your aunt Christy- like the bug"
"oh, ok" (HUGE SMILE) "I love you aunt christy"

ugh- she makes me melt sometimes. Then yesterday when I picked her up from daycare she says "aunt Christy". I was hoping she would catch on, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. :)

That's all the fun stories I have for now. I will update you later. We have Ellie this weekend (I am sure I will have many stories after that).

I will post before Sunday I promise!
Have a great day!

Gramps' Wisdom

This is my "gramps". He is so full of wisdom and I just wanted to share this picture with all of you. I am so blessed to have all of my grandparents around and while they live far away I was able to spend some time with "mimi & gramps" over memorial day weekend. Recently I have been messing with photoshop learning new tricks (like the brushed rough edge?)

It's more than a pic to me though--- it captures the essence of what my memory of Gramps is. Relaxed- wise- and sharing life experiences with family. This man is incredible- I wish I had half the wisdom he has- he graduated from HS at 16 and went on to fight in WW2, get married then to college at a young age as well. He worked as a chemist for Monsanto for years-- he invented, inovated, and developed products that people use everyday. He fought for our country, started a family that has contributed great joy to those around them and he takes great pride and joy in making sure that all his children, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren have a glimpse of the joy and perspective he has gained in life.

I could listen to him talk for hours and this picture just makes me smile. I hope that when I am old I can look back and say that I have lived even half the life he has. Thanks gramps for being a joy, a source of love and inspiration and most of all for sharing your life wisdom with the rest of us! I am honored to call you my gramps and share life with you around today!

Equal Opportunity Aunt

Yep that's me-equal opportunity-- If I put pics of one cutie up gotta do the other one too! These are just some shots of us hangin out for Dad's B-day! While K is cute she isn't at that stage where she says the most adorible things-- for example. . .
On the way to my parents my bro and sis in law ask E if she is ready to go to Grammy & Pop's for Pop's Birthday? E stops-- opens her eyes big and puts her hands up (kind of like that I don't know pose) and says-- "Pop's doesn't have a birthday hat!!" So they venture to Bush's to see if they have birthday hats-- my brother goes to pick them up and she says "but the man says they don't have any" (all sad of course). So they come in to my parents and ask for some wrapping paper-- about 10 min later after some time with my brother stiring up some mystery for the rest of us-- she says-- "here pops it's your birthday hat!!" The funny part is that it fit him perfect & was about 4.5 feet tall. Perfect!

Here are some pics. Equal op for K& of course the bday hat!