Growing up...

On July 27, 1993 my very first neice was born. Though I was only 13 at the time, I felt elated! I wish I had some pictures of Ashley's younger years. Unfortunatley she grew up mostly in Oregon, where I didn't get to take many picutres.  However the last few years she has done quite a bit of growing up! Including graduating from high school this last summer and now getting married. She is such a sweet person, and has probably had to grow up faster than most. But she has handled herself with grace and integrity and I hope she will be very happy in her new life with such a nice young man!

She was sooo beautiful!

The wedding was very nice, and put together so well. I think you can always tell when things haven't been organized very good. Ashley did a phenomenal job!

Okay, I'm a little patial to this one!

Ashley and her little brother Kyle. She has always been the best sister to him. He is so lucky to have her!

The last of "Flat Hailey"

So for the 3rd and final day of flat Hailey, we decided to make a meal just for her! And what could you make but MINI pizzas???

Complete with Mini pepperoni!

And for dessert...

Chocolate Chip cookies that Hunter and Hailey made together!

It was a fun few days with mini hailey, but I'm glad to see her go on another adventure.  She will be taking a trip to New Mexico to see Blue Grandma. I'm sure she will have plenty of things to do there. She might even make something fun! We can't wait to see what memories she can make with Grandma.

To go along with the last post of Hailey's "flat" person, here are a couple more pictures of her day 2.

Hailey had just got out of the shower, but her flat hailey was getting ready with her.

She spent the day at school with her.

Then they came home and put together Valentine's for school. They turned out really cute!

Here is the finished product, minus a small piece candy that will go on the blank red square.

Playing catch up...

So since I got back into posting, I realize I have a lot to catch up on. I started downloading all my pictures and organizing them into folders. Of course there are probably way too many so I will start with a few of the most recent.

Hailey has a school project which includes a "Flat Hailey". It's supposed to be a replicate of her. She has to take it with her everywhere for 3 days. So we tried thinking of a few fun things to do.

First she took her to her basketball game.

Then we went to Sam's club and got dog food.

Then we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

And finally we got frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf.

All in all, we had a pretty fun day!

Happy Feelings

Last winter while I was laid off, I really got faithful at working out. This year, not so much. I have found that my mood is directly related to my financial status. I know it sounds stupid, and I'm not poor by any means. But if I am crunching my money, or pulling in the reigns, I feel too lousy to work out. I know that exercise helps my mood. So I decided to get back into it! One of my most favorite things to do is Pilates. It makes me feel strong and alive, and for one reason or another I don't feel like it's a dreaded thing to do. Running...I hate running. It is so boring to me! Forcing myself to get on the eliptical or the treadmill, just is not what I want to do. I don't feel like it challenges my body the way it should. Now I know I need to get some cardio in there, and I am going to try and work on it. But I just cannot express my love for Pilates in a way to make you understand. So I'll leave it at that. Not to mention, I got to reconnect with one of my favorite people!!! It was an all around happy dayand made me feel happy!

Family time

A couple weeks ago we were able to go spend some time at our friends cabin in Island Park. The kids had a great time sledding in the snow since our neck of the woods seems unable to get any. It was a great time! I'm always so amazed at how quiet the woods can be. While we were there our friend took some pictures of our family. We definitley weren't looking our best but it was nice to capture the moment. We played some games, watched movies and enjoyed talking til 1 a.m. with our friend. And we definitley hope to do it again soon!

He took quite a few, but we always have to get a crazy one in there too!  That's just how we are.



Missing...

Do you ever have a time when you are looking back on memories and realize there are things missing in the present?  Although there are many good friends I have now, I feel there a few that I have drifted away from, and really miss. One person in particular. I secretly keep up on her blog and try to think about something I have done to offend. There are a few reasons I can think of. But after much thought I realize there is nothing more I can do that I haven't already done. I have apologized and come to the conclusion that this person must just not like who I am. But I cannot change for one person. I can only be who I think is right for me. So I will continue to follow this person and hope that one day she will like me for me and not dislike me for something that someone else has done. Happy thoughts...