Born To Be a Lighthouse, Not a Weathervane

He Already Sees

2012-01-18T02:40:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T23:12:00.004-05:00

Due to several different work schedules and trips, Christmas this year was celebrated today!

We had such a wonderful time together and created more memories to cherish.

Thought I'd share a few....

(Parents Tree)

My tree, which looks a bit bland in daylight..

I have enjoyed coming home in the evening and turning the lights on for awhile. It brings such relaxation on a cold, winter evening. :)
The Family... with one in the making ;)

...And the designated Santa this year...

Hope all had a Merry Christmas this year...

Have a Happy New Year too!

Sisters

2011-12-24T12:01:00.003-05:00

Ya know when you randomly start flipping through folders... and reminisce? I came across this snapshot of us on Ange's birthday a couple years ago, just prior to her moving to Cinci... and thought about all the emotions...

"Man, I Love My Sisters!"

We stand with each other through thick and thin.

As much as we didnt have a choice in the matter for being family, Im so glad we have chosen to be GREAT friends.

Gaither Homecoming - God of the Mountain - live with Lynda Randle

2011-12-06T01:08:00.002-05:00

CDCF Baking

2011-11-22T23:15:00.006-05:00

Joy welcomed us all into her home tonight to make some...

..which were called " Chocolate/ Pumpkin Whoopie pies" by most.

These were just a few of the many that were made... and then sampled :)

*
*
My dearest friend, Liz
SOO glad God blessed me with her friendship!
*
Steve studying the recipe..while Ange takes a break for a smile!

*

*
You can finally say that you're a baker, Dan!

Impressive.. haha!

A very enjoyable evening with all... and just a start to spicing

up for the upcoming holidays with the group!

Thanks again Joy!

2011-11-22T23:06:00.001-05:00

Here's a sneak peek...

It's HAPPY BIRTHDAY time..

2011-11-13T16:51:00.002-05:00

I love Sunday afternoons, where I can play catch up.. I realize it's been some time now since I have updated this blog, and still have so much more to do... but in time, hopefully I can say I've caught up! Ryan commented today about how I take so many pictures, which I cant help! I mean, someone has to capture the moments no one wants to forget, whether they get posted or not!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM...

October 20th, 2011

You are such a bright spot in my life, and I cant thank you enough for all you mean to me.

Thank you for your love, support & encouragement over these many years.

*

*

Reese flower credits to Ryan, and the making of the cake itself, Ange!

Well done & delicious!

Styling with a hat from Ange!

The Roast..

2011-11-13T16:32:00.005-05:00

My First EVER Hotdog Roast with family and friends...

Steve invited Ben (from our CDCF group) to join!
Steve has this explanation at to why there is a little doll head in the left branch and a red heart in the right... Don't ask me.

I could hardly roast my hotdog... the heat was almost too much at the time.

Our faithful dog, Rumpie... knowing when he smells some good food!

2011-11-13T16:17:00.003-05:00

A few Christmas decorations...

I enjoy decorating for holdiays, but unlike so many that really go all out on decorations, I choose not to. At present, I dont have tons of storage room for such things and am just not a fan of clutter. The simple touches of life are what matter most to me:)

*
And there they sit..

Thanks to Ash and Ryan for purchasing some of these Gingerbread/peppermint decorations while in Oklahoma.. as its been slim picking to find unique items in the stores here!
**
Next week... the tree may make its appearance in my livingroom ;)
More pics to come, possibly.

2011-10-18T00:48:00.002-04:00

2011-10-02T00:56:00.008-04:00

Often, I find that I am captivated by children and wonder what they REALLY think about with their young minds, what makes them do silly things, say silly phrases..etc? Obviously, its all about their developmental stages and what they absorb within their enviroment. To them, this is their normal..and all that they know! Then I remind myself that I once was little, likely doing very similar, silly things too. I wonder what I thought about during MY "very young & what seemed like LONG days." What did people think of me when I did whatever I did? I find that I am almost embarrassed at times to REALLY think about it; my developmental stages of life... and immaturity, but remind myself that we ALL go through it. I'd like to think I was always mature for my age, regardless of how young..:)

Sometimes, just for the fun of it.. I WISH I could go back to those days.. and feel like Im living in a little body again, to really remember what it was like.. but, unfortunately I can't. Instead, it's all a distant fade....as time flies and the days not so long anymore. The moments/memories that I do remember, I cherish! I HOPE to share with my children ( when/if ever my time comes) some of these special times, and relive some of these moments, as they develop!

We were full of imagination/creativity, mischief, wanting to be loved & nurtured during this ever trying period of time. We were innocent in what life really had to offer... and most times, as we got older, found we thought we had all the answers. The rules set for us from a youthful perspective, just seemed so crazy and outlandish.. at times.
Childhood, is a beautiful stage, even though we may not always remember "exactly" what our little worlds were like... but there comes a time, in which this stage starts to change.. Some small changes, some big changes.. (our likes/dislikes, attitude, etc) and we realize we are taking on a new adventure about finding ourselves, who we are as individuals and what we might want to become. How was life going to unfold? Who would be those key people that would help you excel, that would have the biggest impact on your life..? All these and so many more questions that boggled the now, more developed mind.
*
Looking back over the many years... it's hard to believe just where I am today, how I found the path laid out for me. We were never promised a clear cut life.. where we always knew the next step.. but we were given many tools to help us along.
*
I have been priviledged to have so many special people who love/d and care/d unconditionally, who supported me in my happy times, and well my difficult times too. I am truly a blessed person to be where I am today and have ALL that I have.

Having a supportive family, "true" friends..(which, unfortunately not all can say they have,) being blessed with a job that you can enjoy most days :) Showing compassion for those less fortunate than yourself , Good health, etc. are all blessings I have found and lean hard on, as I carry on life. To love & be loved is a beautiful thing.. It makes all the difference in life!
*
I look forward to what life has to offer.

2011-09-20T01:45:00.003-04:00

September 17th, 2011
Relay for Life

Another beautiful walk around the oval... celebrating HOPE!

*
*

What was suppose to be a surprise..

2011-07-22T01:48:00.002-04:00

..Turned out not to be... 3 hours before the party. :(

but it was still a nice time anyways!

HAPPY 25th

Ash wanted sooo desperately to be here... and her request was to have a picture placed to represent her. I thought this was the perfect place for her to be.. right next to all the CANDY:)

*
An apron game with 22 items to represent her..

The firsts are always hard...

2011-07-22T00:57:00.005-04:00

Though we all celebrated in the joys of Ashley's new life, I wasnt completely prepared for what came afterwards.. ALL the FIRSTS! Sometimes, I dont think we realize how much we take for granted until everything is different and you have to get use to a new normal. I think of all the birthdays, other holidays, family gatherings, etc that we have had this year where Ash was unable to be present, and I know she so desperately had wanted to be, but couldnt! Its been a phase of life we hadnt ever known, until it happened.

I think about what makes her unique- her giggle, blonde moments/finally getting jokes hours after they were told and hearing her laughing in a room by herself, to finally hear her say, I just got it. :) Stealing candy, and then coming to me later saying.." I hope you didnt mind, but I ..." She will always be my youngest sister, and Im so grateful to have her a part of my life.

I now find that life stops when she calls! I look forward to her surprise/random calls in the middle of the night, catching up on all the details, and/or having web cam conversations. I have found that during these times our relationship has deepened and I truly cherish this!
*
Missing you a lot recently, Ash.. and can't wait until we can be together again!

Another year has come and gone...

2011-07-22T00:43:00.002-04:00

My 27th

This is from my dear sister Ash, as she is in Germany! Im sure she wished she could be here to help celebrate.:) Thank you so much Ash..as this was a nice suprise!
*
I do get excited about gifts.. ;)
My original nurse mate watch had about seen it's last days, and was so relieved/excited to have another one to replace it!

My birthday was celebrated over several different days due to conflicting schedules.. Went to dinner one night at Olive Garden, worked my actual birthday(which I hadnt told anyone at work that it WAS my birthday.. when the found out late that night, they brought cupcakes etc in to help celebrate the next day. Very sweet! Family gifts another day, and then finally on the following Sunday, my birthday cake!

I enjoyed celebrating numerous times :) To an extent, I felt extra special because of it.

LeMoyne 2011 Graduates..

2011-05-22T23:29:00.012-04:00

*Tis Graduation Season...and a time to be Proud of my Dear Sister*

It seems nearly impossible that 4 years have gone by so quickly... I remember her first years like it was yesterday with overnight trips made to visit, meeting her roomates in different buildings, shopping excursions, late nights, hiding under beds, etc. My little sister has grown up into a determined young (now married) woman who knows what she wants.

Today, Sunday May 22, 2011.. Ashley Mae Lucht, graduated with her Bachelors in Science and will further her education in the near future:) This makes her eldest sister very proud of her accomplishments.

Here are several, yes several.. pictures representing this day.

It was said that in 61 years of graduations, this was the first one outdoors due to some construction that was being done. We had an absolutely beautiful, hot day... with 897 2011 graduates!

(A little side note, these photos prior to being resized, looked so much clearer, so it bums me out that most look a bit blurry.)

At back right, you see a darkened portion which are bleachers...which were full at time of starting. The people just kept pouring in..

A special bouquet for a special sister..:)
These girls were some of Ashley's Suitemates/dorm mates all 4 years..

*

*

The famous clock..

CONGRADULATIONS ASHLEY!

Enjoying Nature..

2011-05-01T22:48:00.006-04:00

Beautiful weather motivates anyone to be outside.. and seeing ours seems to be so sporatic

recently, we took advantage of it while we could !

..and whooo does Ange have eyes for?

...silly, I know.

Fun!

Wanting to Feel Good About Yourself...?

2011-03-31T02:32:00.004-04:00

Then, "HELP OTHERS ...."

This world was never meant to see sights we see today! The poverty stricken world, domestic violence, physically challenged, suicidal, and the terminally ill, are just to name a few. Nearly everywhere you look, these and so many others can be spotted. These sights almost take ones breath away and grip your heart as you try to understand life from their perspective, but you can't!

It is not only in other countries that these sights are seen, but right here in America. I have seen people sleeping on the sidewalks, or under bridges in downtown Albany, others flagging down walkers or traffic for money to buy their next meal..and others yet that just portray a countenance that resembles the worst nightmare one could ever live through, being seen in these eyes. Hurt, saddness, guilt, stress etc are being carried on the shoulders of so many, and we wonder just how they "came" to be a part of this situation.

Each and every one carries their own set of struggles, and more times than not, complain far too much about what truly amounts to the "little things" in life. I have come to realize my own struggles are so vastly different and small compared to those that have little to nothing to hold on to.

You hear and see news footage all around representing the "sufferings" of this world and think, there is truly little hope in making a difference to change the world- the struggles and burdens are just too great, or I am just 1 person - "What can I do to help?"

I know that seeing these situations seem overwelming, and sometimes like a dream.. but it's true. Unfortunately, its true... and until you are priviledged, well.. not so priveledged, if you know what I mean, at capturing these sights through your very own eyes, will you ever feel for some of these people.

Through the sights I have seen, people I have interacted with personally or indirectly, my eyes and ears find a whole new awareness, and my heart leans towards wanting to help others.

I am not wealthy, nor do I have a struggle free life, but at the same time.. I am SOOO blessed.

I have so much to be thankful for, and realize that I take so much for granted. I have a comfortable life, a good job to support myself, plenty of food to be placed on the table, wonderful friends & family.. and the list could go on. I feel as though most of us "blessed" people focus on the materialistic things of our own lives to feel good about ourselves.. but I am finding that by helping others, giving to others even in what seems like such a small act to us, is such a BIG blessing to what may be so many. There are no limits to what 1 act of kindness, a smile or a helpful deed can do... It just takes someone to do it..

In the end, Im sure you will feel good about yourself too.

Life vs. Trees

2011-03-11T01:15:00.003-05:00

Life is like a tree.....and Im reminded of so many things because of it.

We each came from the dust or dirt of this earth to be unique, colorful and grow into what God intended us to be.

We require time & attention to blossom properly.

Life isnt always easy causing some kinks of distractions, disappointments, saddness, mourning, etc. We wonder what is around the next corner in life as we attempt to put our best foot forward.

Most of us yearn for sunny days which help boost our spirits, find a sense of refreshment, and brings motivation.

We come in different shapes and sizes which make this world unique.

And, we have the ultimate goal to reach upward to the one who created us.

An extended sneak peek...

2011-02-15T00:30:00.005-05:00

There are just too many pictures to post...

A bit dark..
A bit light..

Flashy & multi coloredOur limo ride to the restaurant..

Obviously, I didnt have my camera for these photos.. but thought Id share a couple snapshots

at the salon.

Ashley's hair

Mine..

I knew mine would take forever, but not long enough to be told by the head person that

she had to stop because she spent too long on my hair.

She was a bit weird..

Ange..

Melissa

...And, Brittney

This was only my 2nd time experiencing a salon.. both for weddings.

Quite interesting..
*

Possibly, more to come in the future..

A sneak peek...

2011-01-18T00:32:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Ryan & Ashley Lucht

January 15, 2011

My beautiful sister

*
*

What a beautiful wedding..

2011-01-13T00:34:00.002-05:00

A New Beginning...

It seems nearly impossible that in 3 short days, my sister will be starting a whole new chapter in life...taking a leap into Love...

I trust that this love story blossoms into a happily ever after...

We wish you the very best Ash :)

Bitter Sweet...

2010-12-26T00:35:00.003-05:00

*Christmas 2010*

As so many families prepare for this special day and everything it represents, looking forward to spending time with family and friends, our family did the same. This year, it was a bit different though. As much as we were looking forward to being together, our thoughts were... this will be the last Christmas where it's just OUR family as we've always known it to be.. for in just a few short weeks, another will be added to the family. Don't take me wrong, we will welcome him, it's just that life has reached that phase for our family where the youngest will be married. It still seems sooo weird at times, but all so true still !

We've attempted to take many, many pictures, while capturing moments that we will hold dearly in the years to come.

Ash and I were also scheduled to work this Christmas holiday and were both priviledged to get clearance from having to go in. This meant the world to me, as we were able to be present for the "Myers" side Christmas in the evening.

Love You both.. and thanks so much for all the hard work

that is put into making Christmas what it is for our family.

My dearest sisters.. and Rumple :)

Thanks for ALL the wonderful gifts this year, and for being 2 very special people in my life that I can call... "My Sisters."

And.. Rumple.. He always enjoys opening his gifts too..:)

Here's just a few snapshots of family with one of their gifts from me this year...

This year, Mom was in charge of hosting Christmas dinner for the Myers' clan:) and what a delicious meal that she prepared... I love Mom's home cooking and baking..

And then... some gift giving and games.

It truly was a Merry Christmas....:)

2010-12-22T00:36:00.002-05:00

CDCF Christmas Party 2010

This represents our 3rd Christmas party with the group.

Lots of food, fun times, and a Christmas movie, is usually in order, which we did. :)

We also added in a mini "Chinese Grab bag" of gift cards for whoever wanted to participate! We had 5 participants and gift cards from Starbucks, Sears/Kmart, Friendlys, Panera Bread and Golden Coralle were brought. I was actually impressed that we had no duplicates!!!

***

Preperations

2010-12-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

Christmas preperations ...

I hesitated putting this first shot up, as I know it's quite silly, but ya have to know I was extrememly excited to have bought my very own FIRST tree!!

I went with the mindset of looking for a 5-6 footer, and came home with a 7 1/2 footer :)

Since set up, I think its just the perfect size..

*
Every year, by anything Ive heard, my apartment complex donates toys for children to some sort of organization. This year it happens to be for the Children at Albany Medical Hospital. I thought it was a great idea myself, and jumped on the banwaggon:) I also bought for the City Mission locally as our CDCF group did last year. It's been a real pleasure to buy, even a few things that will hopefully help make someones Christmas a bit brighter, by eleviating the financial pressure for those that truly are unable to provide for their families. Mind you, I could go on a little speal about people that technically could afford things, but rely on others for stability... Anyways, I trust they can help make a difference.

This past Tuesday, I attended a Christmas party where we each were to bring an ornament to exchange, at the minimum of 10.00, through a Chinese Grab bag. These are the 2 VERY CUTE ornaments that I recieved in return. They are "Gingerbread " ornaments..

As we continue to prepare for the holidays... lets always remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas!

I Can't Believe it...

2010-11-17T01:00:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it!

My youngest sister is to be married in less than 2 months.

This past saturday we hosted a bridal shower for her at one of her closest friends' parents house with nearly 40 people in attendance. We had an enjoyable time with family and friends :)

SOO many snapshots to choose from..and SOO many good ones left out.

* The Bride-To -Be*

Mothers of the bride-to-be and groom-to-be!
Mom with her girls:)

Ashley's bridal party

Ash & the Martin sisters

Ash LOVES candy.. ALL sorts of candy.. so we decided to incooporate an assortment of candies into our favor boxes..M&Ms, gummy bears, starbursts, and sixlets. These are some of her favorites. With the favor boxes set behind... we allowed everyone to fill their own!

Some decorations that I did...

Cousins :)

Cousins..

these cuties will be the flower girls in the wedding!

More family..

Who can create a wedding dress out of toilet paper? We were split into teams.. and this is what each team created.. Rachel was Ashhley's winning choice!

All in all, a good time..

Thanks to each of you that came !!!

Progress & Debates

2010-11-09T18:21:00.008-05:00

I have been extremely excited to finally have some end tables and a coffee table

to call my own.. Looks may be a bit decieving, as this weighs a TON- each and every piece.

*
*
Bought these, but all the while doubted how they'd look with my decor.

I just cant figure out how to tweak it enough to look right.. so I've about decided to.........

....and take them back for my in store credit :( !

*
Hmm... look familiar...?

And, for curtains... Im confused as ever! I cant find "right " shades of colors.. or find there's too much of patterns in something with very similar colors. It's not just colors, but styles.. looking for the RIGHT style.

So, thats my glimpse Im sharing...:) Im sooo far from done, but every little bit counts.

2010-11-04T22:19:00.002-04:00

It's amazing how time passes...

I cannot believe its been nearly 5 months since I've moved out on my own. What a journey to experience! I've learned so much about independance, managing finances, coordinating meals, organizing amd maintaining a place to call home, as much as "there is NO place like home," decorating, hosting for groups of people, etc. I truly feel that I have grown as an individual.

This week, I have been blessed to have several days off from work, well unplanned days off, due to the decrease in census. I especially love when they are in a row.. as it was this week. I have had several projects Ive been wanting, attempting at times, to start or complete... and have been able to develop some of these during my time off. It truly has been a busy week, but well worth the time and effort.

I've thought about giving some "under construction" sneak peeks.. but have decided to keep my snap shots to myself for now, as its hard to present something that is sooo far from done. Now, now... dont get some big ideas that Im transforming my place into something major, because thats just not the case. Im just attempting to find the perfect accents for the perfect angle and spot! Im debating some added color to walls, furniature, etc. too!

...This is truly fun... but it all takes time.

2010-10-26T23:34:00.004-04:00

*Liberty Ridge Farm*

Every once in a while, our CDCF group will get together and go on an outing, and tonight was to a corn maze with other activities included. We invited people from outside the group to join, all carpooling from different locations and meeting there prior to 6pm. We were told if no one was there by 6, they would be closing for the night ( especially during the week hours... as fewer people seem to show ) There are 2 corn mazes, one of which on weekends is haunted, while the other one isnt. It seems that as much as the one wouldnt be haunted, you would hear enough screams etc echoing throughout the maze regardless. Luckily, I didnt have to deal with all that..

The corn maze was actually fairly large in size, and found that we got turned around MANY times.

*

Throughout the maze you would find numbers 1 - 10 ( even though we somehow skipped over several) and at that point were given a question to answer. Depending on what was answered, depended on which direction the paper told you to go... even still with the RIGHT answer... we seems to get turned around !

Here was part of my group... attempting to read the question to determine an answer.

We all had a great time..all 12 of us, I believe.

Cider donuts, drinks, and fellowship to follow.

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-10-20T23:53:00.003-04:00

Thank you for being the Mother that you are to your girls.. We all have different names for you - La Madre, Mother MooShoo, and Mamma Bugg, but just the same, we all love you and appreciate everything that you have ever done. Life would not be the same without your love.

Building cubes

2010-10-12T22:45:00.005-04:00

What we do to organize our scrapbook accessories...

I have been watching these "create your own" storage cubes for all my scrapbooking items for a LONG time now, but havent wanted to spend the money, especially when I didnt have room to fully create everything I was dreaming up :) Since moving, this has been one of the projects on my mental list to check off, seeing I had more space & just the fact that all my scrapbooking items are still boxed up and anytime I need something, I get to plow through them. I knew that by doing that one too many times would motivate me to do something about the boxes.

I made a trip to Michael's Craft Store for ANOTHER project I was working on.. and low and behold.. I see a SALE on these cubes. Several minutes of debating, and then found myself cashing in my basket for a cart to lug these in. The appearance of these boxes gives no hints to their weights, and this was what I was dreading the most... making 4 trips up and down 1 1/2 flights of stairs. Sales ignite my potential plans.. and I decided this would be a start my project.

*

*
I still wont have a dream room designated to scrapbooking and such, but I have some extra closet space, that when opened... will hopefully look nice and organized.

Relay For Life

2010-09-19T22:34:00.006-04:00

September 18th, 2010 represents another year in which I've had the priviledge to be a part of the "Relay for Life" in Lake Placid, NY. It has been my honor to represent family and friends who have fought the good fight and are here to represent that, and those that have unfortunately lost their battle. To one in particular, Uncle Earl... you were strong, and determined.. and were thought a lot about as my lap numbers increased, but I am reminded that God had another plan to take you home. You will never be forgotten and forever missed.

* The start of the Relay with all the survivors*

To honor Auntie..

*
*

I have several other photos, not near as many as previous years.. but just thought for right now, that Id post a few to represent the event.

This was a well worth attended day spent with family !

It was nice to see ALL of you.

A day off to enjoy some fun..

2010-09-14T22:49:00.007-04:00

Fall weather is about here, so Ange and I decided to take in a afternoon for a little hike, while the weather wasnt too brisk just yet. :)

Following the red trail...
*

*

Roots are the foundation of something very strong, and Ange represents this type of individual !

...And for lunch we tried a new place...Ive had their desserts, but not their meals..

This evening, our Bible study decided to have a little outing. Mind you, this would be the 3rd time attempting to mini golf this year... as they have conveniently closed after we arrived or prior to, in Scotia. We got word this week that Scotia wouldnt be open again for tonight's event, so we headed to Latham... to an indoor glow in the dark mini golf and then grabbed some ice cream afterwards. :)

*Team pictures here*

Dan, Ange, Joy and myself.

And.. Jon, Trish, Julie and Don

Thanks for some good times :)

A Warmed Heart

2010-09-12T00:04:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we wonder just what exactly people see in us...

We know what we want them to see, but is it what they actually see?

Life throws a LOT of curve balls, and we have to be on our toes each moment of the day in order to be in control of each situation. It's truly amazing how you can go about your day, like any other day...with minimal differences in what you do, but find that a particular day sheds more challenges, whether mentally, physically or spiritually. It baffles my mind how some moments can be anticipated to happen, while others appear out of the blue. Life is full of emotion... and you ask, what is emotion...? what does it feel like? What does happiness feel like, or hurtful statements? I dont believe there is one direct answer, as we all have been molded to feel emotion differently. Some poeple handle emotion well, while others not so much...

During the calm of life and even in the storm, I want people to see who I percieve myself to be!

I want to be that stonghold for someone to lean on, when life is wearing thin.

Within my nursing career, one observes much emotion within their patients. Sometimes, their very life dreams are shattered and taken from them within a moment, while others just temporily. Either way, life has to be attacked with a different approach. We ask ourselves, why has this happened to someone that had so much going for them, where is their support group, and what other challenges will they continue to have to face?

Nursing is all about filling in the gaps for those that feel like they have lost themselves... We help them fight the fight to reach goals, lend that hand when others cannot, and be that encouagement when they need just a bit more. We are their stronghold... and for that Im truly honored.

Today, was one of those days where I have struggled a bit. I woke up feeling a bit on the blue side and have wondered exactly what is it that people see in me?! I feel like I have a heart for others, willing to reach out when in need, compassionate, etc... and honestly, just have felt like I wanted to be needed and have an impact on someone's life!

Then, I went to work.... and my heart was warmed. This green gingham bag was laying in the medication room where I spend a lot of my time during my shift, with my name on it. I decided to open it then and found a thank you card with this box inside. Within the box, was a little Angel pin and stated within the card was "You are an Angel."

This reminds me just how much people really need someone especially during some lonesome, scary times when facing the unknown. They watch your every move, and see you for who you really are. You never know who is watching, and what they are percieving you to be...
unless they tell you. Even if you never know, hold your head up high..and be that stronghold for someone. You can make a world of difference in someone's life today.

Someone needs you !!

2010-08-27T17:07:00.002-04:00

***My Happy 80th Birthday Cake***

(A bit confused, read previous post)

Don't get me wrong, Im not oblivious to the fact that there are professional cake decoraters out there. Far from my intentions... as this is very basic compared to all those. Mind you, this excels anything I ever thought I was capable of doing.. silly, I know. My luck just isnt always the best when it comes to things like this - flipping layers of cake, and hoping you can get them semi straight, balanced, and centered.

I got to thinking after I had decided to take on this little surprise project, that I really dont know if Ive ever made a cake like this before, let alone a cake. My dear sister usually is the one to show her creativity when it comes to desserts... and I sit back and enjoy them.

(For those curious, this is my own "make it up as you go" mint oreo crumb center cake) :)

Life & Its New Perspectives..

2010-08-25T23:18:00.004-04:00

Life has an amazing way of changing our perspectives as we get older. "Independence" influences these changes, which can be very exciting, fun-filled, but can also shed some stress too. These past couple months have been an adventure that Ive been excited to participate in.

Ive been deveolping my tastes at decorating, finding some fun in shopping for potential ideas, flipping through catalogs, walking the store isles, searching online. Shopping isn't all about "ME" now, it's about how I can better make my place a home, and I thoroughly enjoy that!

I love organizing/planning for an evening of company and snacks. I find myself flipping through magazines for creative, new recipes that I can try. Being that I work evening shift, these events are few and far between, so it makes for more excitement in the plannning process when it actually does happen.

I've decided to make a cake for an individual in which I originally met back when I worked at the Mall. I had opportunities to meet many people, which helped pass time during my shift. These were the faithful evening walkers, who I looked forward to chatting with. Sounds silly, I know.. but I did. To this day, I see them in public, and they always stop and we share a bit of an update on where life has taken us.

During my apartment search, and having entered the building I am at now, I caught a glimpse of one of the "mall walkers" in the gym... and was a bit taken back. Within a short period of time, he made his way out of the gym to meet me. We chatted, and I went on... On "move in" day, I realize that this guy is my neighbor. Of all the apartments to live near :)

Anyways, I caught wind that his 80th birthday is in August and since then, has now been determined that I will make him a birthday cake. Birthdays at this stage in life can be lonely (only guessing), as his family life isnt the best right now. Im really excited to present him with a cake, likely the only cake he would have for his 80th on Saturday!

It's these things that help me to find joy in doing things for others.

Life isnt all about "YOU" or "ME", but to allow yourself to be used to be a blessing to others.

Bible Study Birthdays..

2010-07-25T21:46:00.005-04:00

The month of July holds 3 birthdays within our group, but seeing that we never celebrate ANYONEs birthday, I decided to "celebrate" all birthdays together with cupcakes & lit candles. My dear friend, Liz made some icecream cake which was absolutely delicious, and my sister made some chex party bars:)

Same pic, just Liz and I switched out to take the picture:)

*
Wonderful friends..

I was so excited to have this night turn out so smoothly, until

SOMEONE/the group pulled something over on me. I am usually the one to initiate the surprises, so this just wasnt right! From the group, I was given a nice picture frame, a Yankee candle named "Home Sweet Home," and a gift card to one of my FAVORITE stores, Bed Bath & Beyond. I was nearly speechless... due to the surprise. Thanks again to all for a good night.

Visitors

2010-07-16T01:42:00.005-04:00

A precious family stopped by on their way up north!

**
**

**

This visit happened to be a bit different for everyone though. As exciting & fun these moments were, there was someone very special that was missing! My Uncle Earl. He's gone to be with Jesus, where there is no pain or suffering anymore. As his dear family tries to carry on, Im sure he was looking down on everyone, and was there in spirit.

This precious photo below has gripped my heart, for his little girl knows who her Daddy is. She's been working on crawling/walking with assistance, and as I was watching her this afternoon, she managed to walk along the coffee table and grab her Daddy's picture to hold and look at.

I'm proud to call you family :)

Let's Play Catchup...

2010-07-12T01:21:00.003-04:00

Life has a way of reminding us to take some deep breaths & focus...

Many of us are a bit sensitive when it comes to birthdays and getting older, and this year just happened to be this way for me. Life was taking on a whole new meaning, and the idea of being "over the hump" of my 20's was a bit difficult to handle.

It was a wonderful time with family though, and in so many ways they helped smooth things over to better help me to cope!

That next week, started our Conference Zone camp for 10 days.

The services were very rich and just what was needed.

More memories created & filed into my life.

My dear sister had a birthday, which she also was in denial about getting older.
This year must be the year for such things...

An amazing friend came for a visit for a couple days and a wonderful time was had.

Fireworks... fun times.

.......And for those of you on the lookout for some peaks into my new life... here are a couple snap shots, to get you started :)

A Recipe To Share

2010-06-14T01:10:00.005-04:00

A portfolio piece I came across tonight, that had guidelines to follow from YEARS past. Apparently, I had created a recipe for "Famous Amos Specials" and thought I would share:

Ingredients:

1 pound bag of sweet sizzling smiles

8 ounces of honesty

5 sugar cubes of love mentality

2 teaspoons of hunny sickle trusty pop

1 sprinkle of grated quietness

4 teaspoons of patient character

Directions:

Get a medium sized bowl, heatable, and melt the sweet sizzling smiles. After melted, dump in the 8 ounces of honesty and stir in smoothly the trusty sickle pop until all t he bumps are out. Next, crush the sugar cubes of love mentality and put in a seperate bowl. In the first bowl, pour in the 4 teaspoons of patient character. Stir until it looks yummy. Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Lastly, after taking it out and before it cools, sprinkle on the sugar cubes from the second bowl along with the grated quietness. Your outcome should be something like Aimee : Loving, gentle, and a great listener. Serve until people get tired of you.

Treasures

2010-06-14T00:50:00.002-04:00

Each phase of life is a treasure to cherish. We try to not be clutterbugs, saving everything that comes our way, but there are just some things that can't be gotten rid of.

Cleaning out my closet, which was full of boxes and tubs for years, leads for reliving some cherished memories. It's amazing how much you can forget, until you come across items that rekindle the memory. It's amazing what you feel is important to keep, years past...and then becomes a difficult decision in the present, when trying to downsize.

Toys, collections of past interests, first Bibles, a box of letters from ALL your teen relationships with doodles and such, little dolls, embroidery supplies, etc. These, and so many more, have a place in my life, a place that will always be!

It's sad, when you think about all the time that has past, so quickly at that! A relative was mentioning just today at how long the days seem, but how short the years really are.

Cherish the memories, pick all the flowers you can on this road of life, and savor the moment.

2010-05-12T18:14:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

To My Mother who means the world to me.

Thank you for all your time and attention over the years which has helped me mature into the individual I have become. Thank you for your love and concern when things werent always the easiest, and when it would have been so much easier to just give up.

Life without you, Mom just wouldnt be the same, and for this, I want you to know that there isnt a day that goes by that you arent loved & thought of.

I have always enjoyed our many outings together, our laughs, and our tears at times. Each and every moment will be cherished for as long as life is.

Thanks for EVERYTHING over the years! As much as it isn't always acknowledged, it certainly doesnt go unnoticed!

With Love

Here are a few pictures of our little celebration of Mother's Day(well 2 days later).

We all are on the same weekend & at 3 different facilities, but Mom works day shifts. This led to not seeing her on Mother's day so, we all decided to wait until our day off to have her open her gifts. In the meantine, they were left for her to admire. :)

Mom was giving a little lecture as to how these arent good for her, even though they ARE one of her FAVORITE candies;)

Mom & I

Mom & Ange

Mom & Ashley

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-05-01T23:17:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!

*
My lil sister absolutely loves a REAL pinnapple, and states she has asked for several years to have one bought for her, so this year Mom did just that:) As soon as she saw what it was... she had a meltdown. This is just one of the "fun/random" gifts she got.

It's hard to believe my youngest sister is 21! Another milestone has been reached- (in reference to my previous post) ! REMINDER: It's not how quickly time passes thats what's most important, but what IS IMPORTANT is what we do with the time we have!

Thank you for the memories you have helped create in our family. As life continues on, strive for the very best that life has to offer. You can succeed!

Life & the passing of time...

2010-04-20T01:24:00.003-04:00

When I think about life and all that it entails, I am reminded of the passing of time - Early lessons learned, discipline from those who love us more than we know, which helps mold/give structure to our lives, developing likes and dislikes, having creative imaginations, increased responsibility and so much more. Life has a way of unfolding in ways we never dreamed of, based on decisions we make throughout life.

Early years bring much excitement to reach "certain" year milestones. We look forward to becoming a teenager, getting our permit/drivers license, graduating from highschool, picking a career and going to college to study it, getting married, etc. So many milestones we look forward to! Humanly, we are excited for the future and what life has to offer us, but as I look back... I also am reminded at how quickly it has passed. Are we so excited to reach these milestones, that we dont breathe in the flowers of today?

My life has brought me to a point where Im about to start another chapter, reach another milestone. I find that Im attempting to smell the "flowers of today" so much more than previous days, because these flowers will never grow just the same again in such a short while. This brings great emotion that is so hard to explain! So many emotions felts all at the same time so, because of change, it's very difficult for me. How can one be sad, somewhat nervous, sentimental to what you've always known, but at the same time... be excited to reach out in life, look for new possibilities, and watch yourself grow even more into who you were always meant to be? Again, life has a way of unfolding in ways we never dreamed of, and because of this.. Im excited to see what the future holds.

2010-03-16T23:37:00.004-04:00

*It's about time*

Glad to have my sister back home again! Over the years, we have grown close, having gone through some mountainous times, which have helped us become who we are today:) Through it all, we have truly gotten closer as sisters. :) So glad to have you back!

*
*
We can't choose our family, but we can choose our friends.
Thank you for your friendship that continues to grow!

*
Our CDCF group, meets on a regular basis..(twice a month), so tonight we decided to try something different. We all met at The 99 Restaurant for dinner together and had such a fun time:) Here are just a few snapshots of the evening... as some people that I WONT mention... hate the idea of the camera coming out. It's ok, some day you will thank me:)

2010-03-16T23:28:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

*
*

Give Anyways...

2010-02-20T23:03:00.006-05:00

I can be very moved by music, and never know the artists in which created it. That part of music has never stuck with me, or I havent cared to remember, so having been given a bunch of music from my sister, this song started playing...
*
Being that it's another Saturday night, at times my mind goes to Sunday morning responsibilities- helping out with the 3-5 year old class. I wonder who will be there, what cute things will come out of their mouths, and most importantly what they will take home with them from our class. Sometimes, we have just a handful of children, and other mornings we'd have more than we sometimes feel we can handle, especially when some misbehave!
*
Being an assistant, I dont have to prepare a lesson plan very frequently, but there are occassions in which I have. Sometimes, I wonder, truly wonder if they get anything out of our 45 min classes. God has been faithful to remind me/ show me at times, and very recent... just how much these precious children absorb! Children that will just sit there while the rest sing about the Bible and the characters that express the Bible, and then say "Do it again, do it again!" To hear later, they take those little songs home with them and sing these songs, brings such comfort to me.
*
Each one, created by God, to grow up and have a desire to have a personal relationship with him, starts in the early years. As much as we still wonder what our products will be, I am reminded that he is faithful! So, as I walk into the church doors and downstairs to my little class, I will give everything that I have, and when I don't feel I have a lot to give.. I will be reminded to give anyways!

Every penny (+) counts

2010-02-10T14:03:00.004-05:00

It amazes me those that throw away change like it has no worth ! I have to admit, there have been times when I found that change was more of a nusaince and took up "bulky" space in a wallet. For me, I don't like to carry it around for a great length of time. I'll pick the perfect combination of a couple quarters, nickels, dimes and a few pennies if needed to save from gaining LOADS of change from a transaction at the store, but other than that... I hate carrying change around. I've gotten to the place where I throw my change into a glass-like container, visible to the eye as more accumilates.

This past week, I decided seeing it was getting near the top, I would take time counting it all out. Never realized just how much time it would take to count change and place them in their designated wrappers to ship off to the bank. Fumbling around with the wrappers and my fingers for a bit, I finally seemed to get a system down which helped the process move along at a quicker pace.

In the end, if for nothing else... I've found that as quick as change accumilates, it's worth saving your pennies (+) for a rainy day!

$89.00 later

Dental Visits are NOT fun!

2010-01-18T22:57:00.003-05:00

My mom has always stressed taking proper care of our teeth growing up, and for that I am truly grateful for so many things I've been saved from having to go through up until now. Every 6 months, every year, we would faithfully go for our cleanings and be praised by the doctor at how all 3 of us girls' teeth were without cavities. This all came to an end in October or November... and since then I have been in that office more than I ever wanted to be in 2 months! From being told I had a cavity at my 6 month cleaning, to having it filled, to thinking I had an abcess in THE SAME tooth 1 month later, to having it confirmed and starting on antibiotics (which I reacted to), to being told I had to have a root canel - (now having gone through 2 phases already, having a wisdom tooth pulled because it was coming in sideways right next to the tooth Ive had all the issues with, to having to now go back and get stitches removed, and then yet another time for phase 3 to finish the root canel with a post and crown in a month. I am forever done with the dentist until my next 6 month, and this actually is scheduled for April.

All the while, this was and still is all new to me never knowing what to expect.

Ive concluded going to the dentist just isnt fun!

Happy New Years

2010-01-02T01:49:00.004-05:00

After much debating...(mainly due to the potential noreastern on it's way- which passed us by) I decided that this year I was heading north for the "Bickford" bash since it's been 5 years of poor work scheduling that I haven't attended. Thanks to Brad & Melissa for opening up their beautiful home to host the party. Unfortunately, I didnt make out too great with the work scheduling because I left early New Year's Day to be back to fulfill my holiday responsibilities and weekend rotation.

Either way, fun moments were had and more memories cherished!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Christmas

2009-12-27T23:52:00.003-05:00

Christmas was a bit different this year, in the sense that this Christmas was everyones' holiday to work & Ange wasn't going to be home. This has happened one previous year where we were unable to celebrate 12-25, but I have actually grown to like it better this way for some reason.

Christmas day, we headed over to Grandpa & Grandma's, where we had a delicious Christmas dinner and spent some time with family before leaving for work.

Now, this next week will be filled with some more family fun. Uncle Earl and his family will be staying with us.... and then heading north where we will all meet for New Years. Looking forward to being with more family, seeings it's been 5 years since I have attended the "Bickford" New Year's Bash- due to work scheduling.

Looking forward to a Good New Year Ahead !!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-12-23T00:38:00.002-05:00

The Act Of Celebrating...

A couple months back, when trying to decide what to do for my co-workers this year, I decided to do something different and make an assortment of cookies with candies. Today, on my day off... after some hustling around town, I came home and spent several hours with the oven and this being the end result. There were actually more cookies I had planned on making, but needless to say became a bit tired along the way. Enough was enough!! :)

And then placed them in a cute little tin for each employee...
*

CDCF was hosting the Christmas party tonight with plenty of delicious food, even if the pizza wasn't exactly how it was ordered :) Unfortunately, everyone wasn't in attendance this year, but we did have some guests from out of town stop by. Very nice to see you guys! Don't stay away :)

Thanks for such a nice time all. See you in 2010!!

2009-12-21T13:09:00.002-05:00

There's Peace When I Leave It In Your Hands

Life can throw many curveballs and is never guaranteed easy. Humanly, we try to do what we feel is best, but sometimes that just isn't enough! Recently, I have found this to be true.

I find myself quite frequently asking why, or how come, when, how long do I have to wait, where? So many unanswered questions, that humanly seem difficult to handle at times. It's during these times, I find myself going to God with a heavy heart, a heart that cries out. I know God hears and understands, for there have been several times he's PROVED himself true, just this week. The key is trusting him for his perfect timing & leaving it in his hands.

When we do this, there is Peace! Nothing is Impossible with God!

2009-12-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

The Christmas Season is upon us once again...

Christmas is a time to give!

God gave his son to be born in a manger so that He may be the Light of the World.This season, bright lights, colorful lights are seen all around us - Pretty, but temporary! Let's take hope in the true meaning of Christmas, and shine our lights for others to see!

This year, our CDCF group has decided to reach out to the City Mission in Schenectady. This next week, we will make contacts with several people that are hungry, struggling financially, and looking for answers! We have offered to help with their Christmas store where bundles of gifts were donated to help people in need. As a group, we also have a collection of gifts over the course of several weeks that will be donated in helping others. My heart goes out to so many people, people in need, people less fortunate than our own!

We, as a group will bring our lights to GIVE to others.

May we all do our best this Christmas season to Love, Give, and share the Joy of Christmas!

2009-11-08T00:47:00.002-05:00

Election Day...

November 3, 2009

Dad was up for re-election for his 3rd term as councilmen for our Princetown Town board this year. He's put in some very long hours campaigning door to door over the past several months, after his long work days, juggling family events, church, board meetings etc. So, when the scores came in that night for all that ran for election, dad won the most votes of the town people of all who ran for board positions, allowing him to serve another 4 years for our town board.

I recieved a text message from work stating the news and was overjoyed! When I think about Dad and his accomplishments for another term, I am ever so proud!!

CONGRADULATIONS DAD!

2009-11-08T00:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Mom :)

Just a bit behind times, but I thought I would go ahead and post some pictures anyways. With the siblings scattered to Syracuse and Cincinatti, our times we can actually all be together again are such happy times:) This occassion was for mom's 50th! Mom made it plain and clear months ago she DID NOT want a party, and continued to make it clear as time go closer just in case I had decided to go ahead with it. Mind you, I thought about it a couple times, but in the end wanted to abide by her wishes. Instead, I decided what was most important was to have the whole family together to celebrate. I decided to fly Ange home as a suprise, and boy did it turn out to be a suprise. Not only for mom but I was also able to pull it off with dad too! My plan right down to the very detail unfolded in such a way, I was estatic! :) So, that weekend prior to Mom's birthday, mom wanted to head to Glens Falls to attend the River Rats first away game for the evening. During this time, we also decided to have her birthday dinner in Glens Falls, seeing after Sunday, Ashley would have to return back to school, and we wouldnt all be together on her actual birthday. Mom was under the impression we were just going to grab some fast food prior to the game, but pulled into Outback, one of her favorite restaurants (and mine too) ;) We had such an enjoyable time that night and was sad to see it come to an end..

After Ashley left, Ange and I continued to gather gifts together, bake a cake and work long hours on a scrapbook that we had been working on for over a month. It was difficult at times communicating our ideas, shopping for pieces to themes that werent in certain stores of a given area, gathering the perfect pictures, making prints and pulling everything together for her special day. I love scapbooking, and also loved the idea of creating something mom would be able to cherish forever and in the end, was just so excited to watch her open the big red gift bag:)

It is amazing how you can be so stressed, feel under pressure and overwelmed.. at the fact that everything may not just come together in due time, but then in the end... just feel so amazed and relieved that it did. This is exactly what happened.

So, Ange was here visiting for over a week and we all had such happy times together. Miss having my siblings around, but know that when the family comes together again, we'll have some more happy times.

"Clap Clap"

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Flu Shots

2009-09-30T00:22:00.003-04:00

This season, the Medical field has become a public interest/concern to so many recently with the potential changes in store, and one issue/concern having come to the floor and mandated for NYS: "Flu Shots" All around, people have so many concerns about the "mandatory" part of getting a flu shot if working in/around patients. It's not the benifit of us employees that we are to recieve this, but to protect the people around us, PATIENTS.

Over the course of my short lifetime, I would get sick occassionly, but nothing like knowing I was likely guaranteed to get it 3-4 times a season/ year and have a bad case of it. This has never been me, so I never felt the need to get an annual flu shot and was perfectly content. This all has changed this season, as we all know and listen to conversations around us. It's mandatory if we want to keep our jobs in the healthcare. Kind of jokingly, but also kinda serious.. I was weighing the idea of actually getting the shot or getting out of healthcare totally. You think I'm crazy dont you, but I have to admit, it was a passing thought. I've heard such horror stories over the years of some reactions to recieving the flu shot, and the fact of actually having flu symptoms worse than you even knew before. OF course, this wasn't for everybody. People anticipate getting their flu shot faithfully every year, and stress out knowing there would be a shortage, being in jeopary of not recieving theirs. Yea, I was never worried there.

So this year, word was made known that we all had to recieve not only a flu shot, but a H1N1 vaccine by November 30th and was far from thrilled at the idea. Going into work yesterday, people were lining up to recieve theirs, and I had decided it wasnt for me that day.. and would push it off, until I absolutely had to. Staff from day shift had recieved theirs, and evening shift coming in, were going to get theirs too. I honestly became worried at the idea and was feeling oh so pressured to get in that dreadful line by my coworkers. I felt as if I could pass out, honestly. It's crazy, I know. I have no problems giving others injections when needed, and most times dont have issues going to the doctor myself for up-to-date vaccinations when needed, but this FLU SHOT had about done me in. I gave in, just hoping for the best. All in all, things seemed fine at first... until I started coughing that evening. A dry cough ended up to be a barky cough that went right down on my chest within a short period of time, and my throat felt as if it were tightening up. I was wheezing and having to sit upright moreso than normal to feel like I was gettng adequate o2. Within a half of an hour time, I completely lost my once strong voice, and was straining for even a squeek to be heard. The staff around me became very concerned and thought I should have it checked out. As much as I was starting to feel miserable, I fought the idea knowing that Id have to go to the ER for such a silly thing (in my eyes). Now, I hope I dont step on anyones toes here, but Ive never been one to go to the doctors for a sniffle or slight cold, and waste their time. I was talking with my mother the other day and said something about... being embarrassed to do such things. Going to the doctors needs to be for serious things, not petty little things. You hear of doctors asking what the ailment is, and poeple would say, well I have a hangnail that really has been bothering me and hurts. What can be done? It's just silly, in my eyes... but that is ONLY my opinion.

So in such a short amount if time.. my condition had worsened. The supervisor of where I work had talked with me earlier in the shift, prior to getting the shot, knowing I had no symptoms and felt fine, and then was made aware of my situation after the fact and was actually pretty worried and also pushed the issue of me being seen in that dreaded ER. In my head I thought.. NO No no..! It's all so stupid, but in the end I didnt win. The RN I was working with, insisted on taking me over.. and ended up staying right there in the room with me the WHOLE time. She was my voice, for I had none.. and suprisingly knew just as much about me as I did when it came to information that was needed for registration. She acted as if she knew me for my whole life... and was such a comfort knowing she cared! We left the ER at 2:30am and headed our seperate ways.

This morning, I woke up hardly able to move. It was not only my left arm where the shot was administered, but my whole body. I felt like I had been run over by a truck, my voice was still weak, but coming back. Sore throat, chest tightness etc. All flu symptoms that I hadnt felt previous to this injection. Honeslty, it was a miserable day to say the least. I'd try to get up and do some small things, but found myself back in bed.

My day off that I look forward to so much, was spent in bed. I missed my CDCF meeting tonight that I also look forward to going to every other week etc.

And, if I ever had the choice again to get the flu shot.. it would be an absolute NO. It may all have been coincidence of getting sick, without the symptoms seen yet, but even still I think I will always say it was a reaction, regardless of what anyone says. I've talked with others that had very similar symptoms that didnt follow "the book" of reactions after their shot too.
*

If I thought I was worried about the regular flu shot, I can't even find words to describe how I feel about this new H1N1 vaccine that no one knows a lot about. This time, I'll have to go kicking and screaming.. hahah. Not really, for that would be silly!!

2009 Relay for Life

2009-09-22T02:07:00.003-04:00

September 19th, 2009 was spent in Lake Placid around the Oval to support those that are fighting, have fought, and those that have lost their battles to such a dreadful illness called cancer. It was a bitter morning and evening, but a beautiful afternoon to enjoy. Family gathered in throughout the day in support of some of our own family battling cancer/ or have fought and are cancer free.

It's been 3 or 4 years now that I have been supporting this cause to fight cancer. We dont understand so many situations, and see so many suffering, but without this fight, without raising money... the possibility of finding a cure will never happen.

These are just a "dent" of the pictures I have taken during this Relay for Life...but I thought I would share them with you. Just a side note... some of the pictures that look cut off, are actually. I have the full pictures, but when using smilebox, it uses horizontal photos, and I personally like vertical ones:) So needless to say... it looks a bit tacky a times:)

Enjoy... and dont ever think it's a waste of time/ money to support such a cause!

We never know what the future holds.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Cincinnati :)

2009-09-06T22:20:00.003-04:00

Some smilebox presentations have been put together of some of the days spent in Cincinnati with my sister and her roommate, Meg:) Mind you, I've taken 317 pictures, and surely haven't been able to make a dent in those pictures through smilebox, but thought I would share a few of our adventures:)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Our days were filled from morning until midnight pretty much, and as busy as everything seemed to be, I was just as relaxed. It truly was a wonderful vacation and already miss being there.

Wallet Excitement

2009-08-27T23:21:00.005-04:00

The statement, " You go through _____ like it's water" fits me with wallets.

For whatever the reason, my wallets seem to bulge at the seams ( not necessarily due to loads of money either), but I find I have many cards- credit cards, licenses, other photo IDs, library cards, store discount cards, and SS card. Then there is scrap paper I've jotted home addresses of people I've obtained, and hadnt gotten around to putting in my blackberry or pocket PC, fortune cookie sayings etc etc. I think you get the drift. It's just one of those daily routines of struggling to snap my wallet, but dont get me wrong.. Im far from being a clutter box. I like things organized, as mom points out evey once in a while that all my cards need to be in order, and all my $ bills have to be facing the same direction and neat! It's a big pet peeve of mine otherwise. So, anyways... I find wallets getting cycled frequently.

Not to bore anyone with pictures of a few wallets I've posted, it just shows in the last little bit, I'm on my 3rd one!

Bulging for sure...:)
Then, last school year, my youngest sister made a trip to NYC and among the many sidewalk shops, she brought home 3 coach wrist wallets, which I grew to love. Easy access to get to money and cards, all in one wallet sleeve, but again once the bulging started, I found I was having difficulty zippering it shut. One day recently, I had been traveling and had to go through a toll booth, having stopped for something to eat etc, I attempted to open the wallet and found myself struggling to get it open. Yanking and pulling led to the zipper wrist strap snapping and the wallet still sealed shut. Instantly, I became overwelmed wondering how I was going to get home without having money to go through the toll booths, and then I decided to just rip open the zipper, which wasnt on it's track to begin with.. leaving me without another wallet.
*
Im always saddened when a gift from someone breaks, especially someone that is near and dear to me. I thought about how she would feel when she found out, after spending her own money to do something special for us, as she had been SOO excited to bring them home to begin with. Unfortunately, some good things have to be put to rest.
*

THEN, this evening, a dear friend of mine and I had a shopping outing. Mind you, I truly felt like I needed this time away, time to leisurely walk the mall, in and out of stores, taking in all the merchandise the stores had to promote. It seems like it's been forever since I have really taken the time to do that. We run to a store, here and there for much needed items, but to truly enjoy time shopping, has been few and far between for me recently. (A side note: Those of you who know me, know how long it takes to make a decision, especially when I'm intending to buy something. My poor sisters hate card shopping, etc with me because I could be there for hours looking at cards:) Anyways, we head into our first store of the night, and within 5 minutes found ourselves in the wallet/ purse section as I knew I was in desperate need of another one. Within moments, my eye caught a wallet I absolutely loved... (AND another side note, when I've neglected shopping time for Aimee for a long time, and then find something I absolutely love, most times, I dont care what the price is...I'm liable to buy it. Im not one to go out and spend hundred's of dollars on myself, dont get me wrong.. but something like a wallet can't be too awful much. So, I see a sale sign that says " Buy one and get one 50% off" but couldnt even find a price of the wallet itself. We walked over to a price scanner in the store and it rang up $30.00. It didnt take too much to convince me to buy it. I felt I needed to treat myself after such a stressful week, so didnt care! At time to cash out... the cashier took the wallet out of the box it came in, looking for a price tag and scanned the barcode found inside. To my suprise, it rang up $8.99. As some poeple may not agree with me, I quickly commented about the price I recieved from the store scanner- wanting to be honest about my sale. The cashier discussed this with another cashier, and I also explained my findings to her. She looked at him and said.. give it to her for that price. I was soo elated with joy, I could hardly contain myself.. As much as I absolutely loved my decision, regardless of the price, I was even more impressed paying less than 10.00. :)
My Buxton wallet made me feel like a little kid again:)

Here, there is room for 10 Cards, and 7 other options

for ID cards etc behind hard plastic.

And, in the end I was told that I was very impressive tonight to make a decision in such a short amount of time. Throughout the rest of my evening, I couldnt stop talking about it:)

2009-08-23T23:00:00.002-04:00

Cinci

2009-08-08T17:08:00.001-04:00

Cincinatti here I come..in just a few short weeks!

I've missed Ange since she's left.. and looking forward to seeing her soon.

Far behind..

2009-08-06T01:12:00.006-04:00

Reminiscing with some recent pictures.... I've been meaning to post some of the many that I took the last weekend before Ange left, but just getting around to it now. I dont know if it's just that I was having a hard time looking at these, and feeling emotional all over again of the moments we cherished or what.. even though a few short weeks have passed since this time, I still miss her so much... Looking forward to my trip to Cinci soon!

*

They never fail to be creative and fun when out to dinner! Just dont get on their bad sides, for Im not sure what they would do.
Sunday afternoon, after church we grabbed seveal snapshots of us sisters....which I will forever cherish.

Now, this pose was close to being the exact same pose 2 years ago, probably before she had left for GBS. She wanted another one just like it. In some variations of some others of this pose, she thought she was being cute by giving me antlers and sticking her tongue out..

I've always heard talk about this place... but never had been there and when I heard I was actually going to get an opportunity to go, I was estatic on the inside. It was such a beautiful day out and a wonderful time was had.

This was our lunch cruise boat..

Their landscape was absolutely beautiful...

It's been forever, I know...

2009-07-12T20:57:00.008-04:00

It seems like it's been forever since I last have updated, even though its only been about a month. =) So much has gone on, but will not share pictures nor give details on most things.

This June, I celebrated my 25th birthday and when I think about it all, I cant believe how much time has flown by so quickly. I have begun to realize just how precious time is and how important it is to make the most of it.

This was a gift from Auntie and Uncle that I absolutely fell in love with. It's a lighthouse candle warmer that I plan to get lots of use out of=)

I'm always looking to do things that I have either never done before or things that have not been done for several years. Plans were made to go the the Herkimer Diamond Mine for the day. My first experience was about 2nd or 3rd grade, which didnt turn out that great... sparing some details. Returning to this place, brought back some memories and also some new ones.. The place had changed a great deal with more deveolpments and much to offer. Much to my suprise.. the place was very populated with people eagerly pounding away to find their treasures. It was always interesting to look across the place and see people that had just come across something amazing. When times get discouraging and you arent finding a lot, seeing someone with success just reminds you that they are out there. It takes work and time... and in the end, even if you dont find anything real great, you know you've created another memory.

Most years growing up, we would peer out our back windows due to having such a good view of the Albany area to watch the yearly fireworks. All the while, I still had longed to see them for myself at launch off. My very first experience was a night during camp that Becky, Kevin, Leah, Tim and myself left for the evening years ago and enjoyed a wonderful presentation. Im sure I was in awww the whole time. =) Anyways, it wasnt until this year that I was able to go to Albany again, and this time was litterly under them. The place was crowded, so much that you could hardly move through people. Absolutely AWESOME! What a way to end a July 4th celebration.

I love theme parks.. especially their roller coasters and any new rides. Dad had been given coupons for the theme parks, some of which were buy one get one free, and others for $7.00 off per person. Leaving things up to me, I brought the buy one get one free ones, thinking this would be the best deal for the day... and about the time we pulled into park, I happened to pull out those coupons and read them, only to find out that the coupons were for the NJ park. We still attempted to use them.. without success though=) and at the last moment was given a $5.00 off coupon from the people in front of us. Anything off is better than nothing, but a buy one get one free coupon far exceeds $7.00 off. All in all, much fun was had. Several days later, I happened to look at the other coupons only to find that the $7.00 ones were actually for Great Escape.

And, for the final pictures for the night.. we have Ange's 23rd birthday.

Happy Birthday Ange!

Sibling shots...

Im really going to miss her....

Now, most of my gift hadnt been delivered yet, so in place of it.. I put together this to represent the gifts that were on their way. Ange and I have always rotated MY scrub tops and since she wont be able to do this anymore, she was in need of her own.. The picture shows 4 of them that should be in the mail for her. Without embarrassing her too much, she had a favorite scrub top of mine.. so I decided to wrap it up and give it to her. I placed a little note stating, " So you dont ever forget the many times I've shared, I though I'd give you one to forever keep." At this point, I knew just how much it meant as we ended up all being overcome in tears.

I am truly going to miss doing everything with Ange... but as life unfolds, we need to do what is felt best for ourselves.

Underneath the scrub tops are stickers of road signs to represent a GPS that she has been wanting for some time now.

2009-06-14T22:27:00.005-04:00

What a wonderful time we all had in celebration of either a boy or girl, niece or nephew, granddaughter or grandson, cousin. This shower was planned a bit different, as men were included for the party. One guy said, "I've never been to a shower before. I don't know what to do." Another one said, " I hear these parties get a bit intense." In the end, I believe all had a good time.

Here's some very random shots, without editing of any kind. Again, when using smilebox, your pictures automatically get cut off when fitting them into the space they provide. Enjoy!

Congrats to Brad & Melissa.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-06-14T22:27:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-05-30T19:58:00.003-04:00

Random photo shots...

2009-05-22T22:57:00.002-04:00

A little bit of family fun... It's so hard to do anything as a family anymore due to schedules, so unfortunately Ange was unable to be with us. I truly missed having her along.

The landscaping was gorgous with so many options for fun poses, but some people feel that taking pictures while playing, wastes/slows the process of the game. Yes, that might be true.. but I still love pictures. Holding a camera, the case and then also managing to swing was becoming an issue pretty quick too. Last but not least, I can't forget to mention that we had 2 seperate couples behind us, that seemed to be speedy in their plays so we were actually feeling a bit of pressure to keep moving. Here's a few to represent the evening.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-05-22T01:49:00.002-04:00

My work week.... and a whole holiday weekend to go!

Glad today is friday...

Hoping to take in some sun and get some things done!

Days off just can't come frequent enough.

2009-05-11T02:37:00.007-04:00

A Road Trip to Buffalo... where Jon, Leah and myself met up with "The soon to be Graduate" and headed to Niagra Falls for several hours. What a breathtaking view to capture. Last time I went to Niagra Falls, somehow I forgot my camera.. and decided this time, that wasn't going to happen... so decided to post some of the pictures taken a couple days ago!! =) If you go to JON & LEAH'S, you will see a few more.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Afterwards, we headed back to Buffalo for a very delicious dinner...

Now, mind you.. I have a slew of pictures, but when using this program... sometimes one is limited in how many you can use/and also, it will cut off part of the picture, which Im not overly fond of. All in all though...it helps put some extra flavor to the event. On the first page, I was unable to get a cap & gown photo...and then was also focused on the wrong individual waiting to cross the stage, leaving me to miss that whole part.=/ My cousin Jon has some good pictures of what I missed, so all in all... I'll at least get copies.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Randomness & Tires

2009-04-23T13:33:00.006-04:00

We rely on vehicles so much to get us around, but when something goes wrong...we're in a pickle. Recently, tires have been the issue with the vehicles we have. The beginning of last week, I believe, we come out to use my car and find my front driver tire litterly down to the rim. I couldn't believe it, seeing for three years that Ive had the car, I hadn't any trouble. 3 years is a decent amount of time, but that is besides the point. We get the compresser out from my trunk and as mom connects it to the lighter, the fuse to the radio, cd player and clock blows. Perfect, I thought - sarcastically. If it's not one thing, its another... I know mom felt horrible, but a little peace and quiet does anyone good sometimes. =) Tire gets pumped with another vehicle's help, and off to walmart it goes to have the valve stem replaced.

Thursday, Ange and I come out at 2330 from work (suprisingly on time, refering to me- that is) to find Ange's front driver tire now flat to the rim. I thought, you got to be kidding me- not again, this time with her vehicle. I just happened to have my AAA card with me, but the silly thing about it was.. I felt horrible calling at midnight to have someone come to help. I tried to convince Ange just to wait until morning before calling, when it'd be much brighter, people around versus an empty parking lot, and have mom just come pick us up... but she wouldnt go for that, so I actually made her call and pretend it was me. I know, Im horrible. =-/

Then, last Saturday, there was a get together up at Bowmans for the afternoon, and because it just happened to land on my weekend off, I decided to venture back on those windy roads with my GPS. Let me just say that if it werent for the GPS, I wouldnt have gotten there, Im sure. Trish said that it was about 3 roads etc.. and it seemed more like 25 roads the way GPS took me.

So, I pull up to the house, park and as I shut the door and walk back towards the rear driver tire, all I could hear was "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS", bent down low to see exactly where it was coming from, and sure enough, another tire's valve stem had gone bad. My trip back home was even more adventuresome. I, along with some others, had concluded that my tire should stay up enough to get home, so I set the GPS and headed off... About half way home, somehow my finger happened to touch the GPS and randomly change my destination. When I got to what was said the destination, I pulled off and was like, "um, WHAT???" Trying to reset it, was even more of a battle.. for it kept telling me to get back on the road to recalculate, and when I did, nothing would change. I pulled off probably 4-5 times in random spots, one being a random driveway for about 5 min.. until I heard all this honking/beeping behind me. As I looked, there were people waitng to get in THAT very driveway for who knows how long. Needless, to say.. I was lost with the GPS and without it too. All the while thinking.. this was not a time to have tire issues.

So, after some handy superglue and a rock keeping the valve stem in place for a time.. I finally went back to walmart and chose to have 4 brand new tires put on. Now, there better not be anymore tire issues for a LONG time.

*
So, after being cut today.. I had hoped to finally get a chance to stain my new closet doors, since I just recently, with the help of mom, moved all the boxes back into my room, where I couldnt in the slightest bit see them fitting. Mothers just have that organizational touch and pieced everthing in my closet nicely. THANK YOU MOM. Due to the cold, windy weather.. this project will once again be put on hold... til tomorrow (as it's my day off) and hoping that it brings nice warm weather.

And then, here's a little peak at something I bought recently. I love these!

If you can imagine shells at the base of the candles.. thats how they are now.
*
And as I was going through my SD card, I thought I mine as well post a few of these from one of our recent CDCF meetings.

Yes, Jon.. this is what you get when you dont cooperate with pictures.

Your wife didnt train you right...hahah!

Gottcha !

It was so nice to have Ange with us, as she can't be with us that

often due to work schedules.

Liz, we miss you too.. come back soon & bring the little one along.

My very first...

2009-04-04T22:40:00.002-04:00

As much as there are lighthouses all over the country, it wasn't until this week that I had an opportunity to see my VERY first lighthouse in real life=) Looking out across the water, I had wanted to just freeze that moment in life. What a gorgous day to take in such a time.

Truly special.

Friendly visits..

2009-03-27T23:17:00.002-04:00

This week has been a bit different, if only I could have actually planned for it this way. As of late, my place of employment has a low census and has for the past 3 weeks been cutting people. In 2 weeks, I have been cut 3 times versus my sister 5 times. Tuesday I was cut, and then they attempted to cut me for wednesday in which I refused the cut, and then they DID cut me for thursday. Today happens to be my day off, so all in all.... I haven't had to work all that much this week. With this being said, I was able to get together with a few friends of mine.

Tina, Im so glad we got caught up last weekend on the phone, and then were able to meet at Friendly's for lunch on thursday. It was nice having Jeff & Jordan along too for the visit. It's not all that often that we are able to meet up/ chat with our busy schedules it seems, but always know regardless of this, we will always share a friendship that will pick up just where it left off.

I had a very nice time... and looking forward to whenever next time may be.

Who's this little cutie with his sparkling blue eyes???

Liz & I

Since FINALLY getting over a wicked cold... I felt there was a need to visit another dear friend and meet little Linora.
I think I look like I have everything under control =)

SOOO happy for you, Liz ( & Mike).

Will be looking forward to holding her again soon hopefully.

One of God's most precious gifts...

A random... sister picture...

AND as for room pictures... it's all still in the making=)

Finally

2009-03-22T00:52:00.003-04:00

Since the delivery this morning at 9:20am... I have been spending hours weeding things out as I unpack, condensing and setting up my humble abode. It's been soo much fun having the opportunity to place things just the way you want them, just because everything is finally YOURS. My own styles can finally be seen.

I want my parents to know just how much I've appreciated the use of their furniture over the many years living here. It's been great to say the least, but I guess there always comes a time when you want furniture to call your own =)

I'll stop with this for now because there is yet so much that needs done....

This whole process has been truly exciting for me.. and moreso now that I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seems like a long time coming.....

It's a....

2009-03-18T23:25:00.002-04:00

Linora Catherine Stewart Mosier

Birth lb : 8 lbs 6 oz.

Length: 20 inches

Born @ 5:24pm

Congratulations Mike & Liz!

Pray for a SAFE arrival..

2009-03-18T10:27:00.003-04:00

Liz (Stewart) Mosier, for those of you who know her...has a due date for tomorrow March 19th. Last night, her water broke and is now in the hospital awaiting the delivery of her first daughter/son. This is a very exciting time for any parents to be, and I just pray that everything goes smooth and quick for her.

Will you help me pray?

For those of you in the Bible study, I will be in touch with you as far as the gift we will be getting for her.=)

Update

2009-03-09T22:46:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have been curious to know exactly what I've been up to, I thought I'd take a few minutes to share. First off, no... Im not moving at this time, just had moved out "temporarily" so that the carpet I had bought could be layed. This was done last friday after some hard work moving/packing everything up throughout the week. With this new carpet, I personally feel like my room has taken on a new look... and those that have been here, understand where I am coming from. Since friday, I set up my computer on the floor just to have access until I purchase my new desk, while my mattress from my old bed was laying in the center on the floor. Nothing much else was being allowed back in. When I think of a new facelift... everything has to be new, and Ive been determined to do just that.

So, phase II of my project has been to find a bedroom set to finally call my own. Since last week, I have done some online searching for styles in which I might like, which would hopefully help in making my final choice easier when I actually was searching throughout the stores itself. I had about 5 options of different styles that were of interest, but one of them stood out more. The thing of it was... I saved the photo, but had forgotten even where I had found it (what store) and thought, "Well, at least I can be keeping an eye out for something along these lines... and go from there." So, tonight I convinced Mom and Ash to go along as opinionators (because I need them, since making decisions is very difficult for me, once I narrow it down.) I need to know I have the support of something that I like, or else I seem to second guess my decision. I try to keep in mind though, as much as they may not be sold on something, what matters most is that I like it.

So, anyways... I've been to 3 different huge furniture stores to compare furniture, and the last one I went to, I found exactly what I had been looking for. Any of the other sets I had seen was being compared to this mental photo that I had on my computer back home.

It wasn't until I actually got home and pulled up that photo... that I realized how close in style it actually was. I had taken a snap shot while at the store, but everything was soo condensed.. so I decided to share the original photo I found online.

What makes it even more convincing that "this was meant to be" is... I had gone to the website of the store I had purchased my set from.... and no where could I find this photo from this store, meaning.. it's possible to of come from a completely different place, and I found one very similar somewhere else. This also was the very first bedroom set that the associate showed me, which instantly caught my attention.

Today, was tax free day, free delivery and setup, and 1 year of free financing.

Now, can you beat that?

So, here is the photo I had saved online... the arrangement is spread out to

get a better idea as to what it really looks like.

Sooo looking forward to next tuesday so that I can make some true headway with my room.. and get things back in order.

Packing

2009-03-04T00:31:00.001-05:00

Just a brief peek as to what Ive been doing recently. I am taking pictures at every phase, and will likely share more as they come...

Definitely will be glad when this process is over.

The lost has been found......

2009-02-27T13:42:00.002-05:00

Cameras....... as much as they are wonderful to capture memories, they also burn a little hole in pockets when they come up missing, and decide not to show up for over a year. =-/

Last year, the begining of January...Ange had a special friend come to visit for about a week, and plans had been made throughout this time. Wednesday January 2nd.. we had decided to venture out into downtown Albany and visit different attractions Albany holds. Cameras come in handy especially during these times. Actually anyone that knows me, knows I thoroughly enjoy taking pictures... random pictures, pictures that no one else would understand or see the need to take!

Sometimes, I sense cooperation for the first few, then frustration and aggrevation the more I take by others around me. Personally, I don't care.... I have a scrapbook eye, and if for nothing else, want to be able to look back on all the memories.

Over the years, I've had oodles and oodles of folders on my computer loaded with photos.. and some nights it's just relaxing to sit at the computer, sifting through them... each one reminding you of times past. I love it!

Anyways... as Im getting side tracked.. this SONY camera below, was my very first digital camera I bought in 2003 or 2004. From that point up until last January 2008, I used it frequently.. and has captured many memories. THEN.... the dreadful day came when I could not find it anywheres... I looked high and low, in places Id never expect it to be. Nothing. I couldnt understand what happened...I remember thinking.. I had it on wednesday- at the museum- where did I place it? I thought, surely I hadn't left it behind somewhere for someone else to pick up... I was baffled.

After looking for a couple months, with no success... I decided to buy another digital camera. I knew within a few days I would be heading out to Dayton / Cinci , OH for a week and needing a camera. 3 days prior to heading out to OH in April, my new Olympus Fe-340 came ( Imagine the picture below as a pretty blue- This actually is mom's- same model/different color) Estatic to have recieved it in time, I packed it away in my luggage to take on the trip. Upon arriving at a friend's house 3 nights later, I opened my luggage to find my camera MISSING. The case was there, but the camera was gone. I honestly was pretty upset/ felt sick at the loss of yet another camera. Went to the airline website to report missing items and filled out this form...waitng for a response. Nothing came. The next morning, I called the Customer assistance and was transfered to 3-5 different departments.. and no one seemed interested in helping. My parents were called, and encouraged me to discuss with a family friend airline manager the situation.. to see what could be done. In the end, I was told, because they do not offer insurance for such items... there wasnt a whole lot that could be done. HE was going to check into the matter and would get back to me... by friday. Needless to say, I never heard anything about the situation again..

No, I didn not follow through again... I was too upset to deal with it at that time.. and let it go.
Then a wonderful friend had leant another Sony camera for me to use. Sorry, no pictures of this camera. You know how it is when you use someone else's camera.. you're always afraid something will happen? Well, I decided to buy one more camera and that is this black Olympus Stylus 1010 below. Now, I just need to get that borrowed camera back to it's owner. Thank you so much for allowing me to use it for a time.

3 out of the 4 I've gone through in the past year...

And, because of this... I have collected all sorts of memory/ storage sizes, seeing that all 4 used different memory/batteries. If Im not mistaken, this isn't all that I have either.

So, now to the point of this post... this afternoon, I decided to work on my printer seeing I haven't used it since Ive gotten my new computer. I never installed the software etc so thought today would be the day to do so... as I took things off the top and then slid my printer away from the desk.... I peer over the top and see different items behind, one of them being a black case... with my ORIGINAL camera in it. Somehow, it had found a home behind my printer and made it's presence today. Shocked... after all this time, finding it... and then reminded of all cameras that have come thereafter.

The memory was taken out... and scanned for whatever pictures were taken a year ago. Once again, Im reminded of memories.

As much as the camera is definitely outdated... it's charging and will likely be used some more, if needed.

AAA

2009-02-21T23:33:00.002-05:00

AAA comes to our rescue...

Periodically, the thought has crossed my mind to sign up for AAA, but it wasnt until this morning that the thought was put into action! It's always nice to have that sense of security when on the road if something were to go wrong, especially with me, since we all know just how knowledgable I am with vehicles (haha). Anyways, my sister's car needed towing from Crossgates today, and within 10 minutes of time, help arrived. What awesome service!

AAA has won me over on the very first day=) Don't get me wrong now, I'm not looking for things to go wrong, but if it does, I'll know there is someone just a call away to help= AAA!!!

Through The Fire

2009-02-19T12:55:00.002-05:00

This is such an awesome song with so much truth... "Just hold on.. for our Lord will show up and he'll take you through the fire again." Regardless of what we may face each and everyday, God will always be to our rescue in his timing. He's such a GREAT and FAITHFUL God.

2009-02-17T21:24:00.006-05:00

I'm here...

I realized it's been awhile since I last posted... and thought I would take a few moments to update with a few pictures. It seems unbelievable that its been almost a month, but I guess we all take our turn every once in a while.. and some seem to a little bit more often ;)

Tonight we spent the evening over at my Grandparents for dinner at their new home. Ive been over there a couple different times as they've been unpacking, and it's always been nice seeing their progress of setting up home. It definitely is starting to look like home for them, and I can tell they are pretty excited.

Dinnner= Spaghetti, tossed salad, Italian & banana bread

Dessert= A vanilla cake with strawberry filling=)

Ange made the cake that has a long story behind it...

Let me just say, we almost didnt get to enjoy it.

Ange... It was delicious and you did a wonderful job!!!
Even if you couldn't enjoy it with us.. it was worth every bite!

......And my job usually ends up being to do the dishes..

but this time, it was going to be a bit easier. See, Grandma has never had a dishwasher,

so my family bought them one for Christmas and dad installed

it in their new home.Tonight was the first night that we

were going to try it out & I think she was impressed..=)

*

Now, this is for some extended family! Just a brief peak into what their house looks like.
I went through the house tonight with "an order" to take pictures of all the rooms so that family thats unable to visit right now, could see what everything looks like. I was also told to email all these pictures.. but we all know just how big picture files are, especially when you are sending 25-30 pictures. I've decided to put them on CD and send copies or(another thought) I might put them in a program and send a link over email to them. Within the next week or so, I will try sending everything off... so be watching for them!!!

Im impressed.. and feel they made a wonderful choice!
*
Now, here's a few pictures at the last River Rat's game we went to.
They won 4-3, I believe.

2009-01-21T00:40:00.002-05:00

NYS Inspections....

I probably shouldn't elude to the fact that most things about cars, I havent a clue about! There has always been a big push from my parents to check my oil and other fluids that may go into a car, but honestly..that isnt something that is forfront on my mind. I know, I know... if you run empty on certain fluids, you are in for BIG trouble!

I don't know if it's just a female thing or what, but as long as the car has gas, I figure it will go wherever I take it... I don't usually think about all the other "should be obvious important" things that help a car run smoothly. I know, Im bad/irresponsible - however you want to look at it. It's not done intentional, but it's just something that doesnt stick. Sometimes, I think I might be getting better at the whole deal, but then other times, Im just not sure.

I'm forever told Im inexperienced, and my guess is that I will ALWAYS be in someone's eyes.

I guess when someone has enough years on you, they feel as such.

ANYWAYS, last week.. I made a trip to Syracuse, during the snow storm of all things. It was brought to my attention that I was driving an uninspected car- which had been for about 2 months now. I was completely shocked at the news not having a clue that this was the case!! I've always seen 2 stickers to the lower left windshield, but only ever look at the largest of the 2, you know the one with BIG black numbers that stands out. To me, this read November 2009. I always thought I was safe until then. The problem being, that was the registration, not the inspection sticker. The inspection sticker(in RED) originally read Novemer 2008. The new stickers out are strictly blue or silver(silver being strictly January renewal dates, I think.)

Mind you, this wasn't in the slightest bit a bother to me my whole trip out there- BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW, and the instant, I found out.. I was petrified of getting pulled over on the way home or running into a ditch due to the lack of visibility with pounding snow & having a cop rescue me. The whole way home I stressed.. and then refused to take my car out when I needed to. From that moment on, I was checking everyone else's cars to see just how obvious their BLUE/silver inspection stickers were, and concluded that I would have been sunk if ever a cop passed me!

A call was made to our mechanics only to find out that they were booked for a WHOLE week. That's not what I needed to hear, because I needed my car! Anyways, I was determined not to use it until then regardless, so thanks to Ange for the use of hers. I was able to get where I needed to. It wasn't until today that my car was FINALLY inspected & able to be picked up.

To my suprise, the mechanic asked me a question....." Did you ever notice some rattling up front that seemed to aggrevate you any?" I was like, "why yes actually!" "Well, we replaced a tube that was causing the problem!" I was forever grateful for this.

Once home, I asked mom & dad if they had mentioned anything to the mechanic about my rattling noises, and to their knowledge, nothing had been said. I concluded that I had a very GOOD & thoughtful mechanic to fix that also.

Now relieved, here is proof that the car is up-to-date with an inspection=)

2009-01-20T02:19:00.003-05:00

Use what you have to Make a Difference!

I've been clearly reminded of the many blessings I have in life, that quite frankly I've taken for granted often. A while back, I wrote a post on "Extreme Makeover" and how my eyes have been truly opened to the world around us, those that are stuggling in all sorts of ways & how we all can be a part in making a difference in the lives of others.

Well, tonight after work, I decided to play catch up with some episodoes of Extreme Makeover, and once again was faced with tears rolling down my cheeks when I thought about how so many people face life living a struggle of finiancial debt, physical ailments of family members, which limits potentials we each could have to offer, having a roof over your head, but that it's so far from being called a house or even better, a home! Some of us can't even comprehend what others go through, others that give all THEIR time and energy to help others, like themselves or ones worse off- while everything to a naked eye continues to worsen or fall apart.

To look at someone, can say a lot, but even still there are others, who to look at them, you would never know they are battling some of the most difficult battles, fighting the hardest wars within themselves, whether its trying to find a purpose in life, knowing that someone very dear and close has been taken away, or weathering the storms of the seasons under a roof thats about to cave in.

Humanly, we all can only handle just so much of these difficult times. We need to find relief in some way or another. ABC, has such an awesome way at helping to take the burden off of struggling families so they can have a place that can be safe, warm and where they can be together with the ones that mean the most & love. They are good for giving people a chance of a NEW start in life; a new begining!

Take a look around....Many people are desperate, far more than we could ever imagine. When I think about it, I am reminded of what God has given me : A family, good friends, picture perfect health, support & love to share, a great job in which I can be of help to others, just so much that I am so grateful for. I think about times in which I feel my life has hit rock bottom, times in which I didn't know where to turn or what to do, and Im reminded that there is a purpose to everything! Without going through difficult times, one will never gain strength and become who they were made to be.

We all need to be reminded of the fact that:

Regardless of how little one may have or how difficult a time one is going through,

it's what we do with the resources/time that we have, that makes all the difference.

We can be a blessing to others in our darkest of times.

2009-01-10T01:10:00.002-05:00

What a fun evening of skiing together at....

Yes, these pictures are a bit blurry. We were dealing with night light & 3 low battery cameras/ cell phones.
*

Taking a little break at the middle of the mountain;)

Ok, so while we were on our break time back in the lodge, we had a group of immature guys that were aggrivating me at least. They kept begging us for our cheese rolls and marinarra sauces saying.. that we would never be able to eat them all, and that it would be nice if we shared. When they realized we werent in the sharing mood, they thought they should ask us for money so they could go get their own!

Yes, rice Krispies & I get along GREAT & when I saw one this big- I just had to buy it.

2009-01-01T14:58:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2008

I just thought I would post a few pictures to represent our family Christmas this year. Everything truly was wonderful, and wanted to thank mom (mainly, seeing she does all the buying) for all her hard work she puts into this Christmas season. It's definitely noticed and appreciated Mom. I Love You!

Thanks to the rest of my family for their thoughtfulness & giving. You all mean the world to me, and I just wanted you to know that.

*
*

*
Yes, this is a smart dog!

Now, I have plenty of pictures of the gifts I bought for everyone, but this one stood out a bit due to one particular reason. One of Ashley's gifts that I bought her was a Colombia Winter Coat. As she opened her gift and pulled it out of the box... guess what fell out of her pocket??

Yes, I couldn't believe it... someone apparently lost their ring in the pocket!

Not a good picture of the ring, but you get the point.

Well, I wont bore you with all my many other pictures.=)

2008-12-24T03:17:00.003-05:00

I goofed..

This picture should have been my last picture in the last post... as I was trying to go in order as everything happened. Because of this, I was not going to rewrite that whole post just to insert one more picture. ANYWAYS, after the Bible study Christmas party... I had at least 2 hours of wrapping Christmas gifts that needed to get done. I've been so busy getting to this point, making sure I had everything I needed and that everyone was pretty even as far as total pricing goes.

Anyways, I did spend about 2 hours wrapping gifts, and then got together all my coworkers gifts to have ready to take in to work, seeing some arent working Christmas day. Here, below is ALL my Christmas gifts that I bought for my family. Mom has always been big in color coordinating gifts either with wrapping paper or gift tags... her system has definitely rubbed off on me=)

Wrapping gets to be very tiring after awhile,

so Im very glad I have just about everything done.

Tonight while eating at the party, we had some discussions about everyone's traditions for Christmas day. What would a Christmas day be for you? Are you a early riser, just to rush down and tear into your gifts... before the day ever really gets started? I say this.. because several at the Bible study seem to run their Christmas as such. I seemed to be the most different...
Do you balance everyones total gift prices- Ex: Spending $15.00 or $100.00 on each person /or amount of gifts- Ex: If a person has 5 gifts, everyone has 5 gifts.. regardless of price.
Again, I say this... because I learned some at the Bible study go by # of gifts, rather than price.
It's all very interesting to say the least...

Here is my traditional Christmas day:
Growing up, it was always a BIG deal not to see whats under the tree before we all can go in together. I mean, if we had to use the restroom during the night... mom or dad had to be woken up to walk down with us as we were either blindfolded or shielded from looking. Once morning came, I mean 9 ish or so... mom and dad would come get us out of bed.. take us to the kitchen to eat breakfast together. All the while... we wished we could move this time along. When breakafast was over with and cleaned up, we got dressed and then all head into the living room to have the Bible reading of the Christmas story and then have prayer. This would be the first time we'd see the gifts that day. While little, even the devotions seemed to drag on and on... then FINALLY.. it was time for gifts. Stockings were always handed out first and opened together. Then, all of the gifts that I bought for the family would be handed out..while I Watched each of them open their gifts. Next, All ange's gifts handed out.. for her to watch open. Finally, Ashley's gifts she had bought for the family were handed out.. From that point on.. the rest were from mom and dad.. and a few snuck in from "Santa" ( as still is the case...) Everyone would be handed 1 gift- Mom and Dad to us/ Mom and Dad to each other.. then, all would open their 1 gift. We would continue as such, for say.. what seemed like 15 to 20 more rounds. Once all was complete, clean up time was at hand... then we usually would get ready to head over to my Grandparents for Christmas dinner.. and another family Christmas in the afternoon/evening.
To this day, or at least as of last year... Ash still doesnt like seeing the gifts until she absolutely has to... she still will turn her face to avoid a peripheral peek. It's cute.

Catch up time...

2008-12-24T01:55:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'd say it was about time for another post, seeing Im so quick to point out to others when I feel they need an update also;) So, here it is...

Recently, I had a few consecutive days off & filled my time with some of these wonderful activities. Mind you, last year... it was attempted on 3 different occasions to go skiing and due to wind storms/ ice storms or lack of snow period.. skiing was out of the question! So, this year...skiing became one of the first activities attempted, in hopes of going. YES, first try... the trip was made and down the slopes we went. I'll be the first one to admit, I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to this sport. In 4th grade we took lessons through school for a period of time, and then I hadn't gone until after high school. Since then, I've been shown the basics-learning how to stop, fish taling down a slope(whatever the actual terminology is, Im not sure) shifting weight, etc. Needless to say, I spent a great deal of time on the bunny hill before building enough courage to take a chairlift to the next level. What makes it even harder for me is the unknown. When you've never been to this mountain before... you wonder, what are the trails exactly like? What am I up against? Where are the drops? How sharp are the curves? Etc. Anyways, it was the perfect day weatherwise for an event as such. Can't say I always stayed on my feet. During ONE of the several times down, I felt like I was on my bottom/or my stomach more than my skis.. I landed in briar like weeds, leaving me feeling helpless for the moment. Another time, I must have flipped off the trail sliding down the bank, before catching myself. Anyways... I walked away without any broken bones, so all went well. They say, in order to get good at something, sometimes you have to fall to learn. That is, unless you call yourself perfect... but we wont go there.

Afterwards... it was dinner time=)

Of all the years Ive lived here in the Albany area... I had never been to the Capital Holiday lights in the park. Sure, Ive driven by... and thought it would have been something different to try, but never had. This year, I was determined to go... in a horse drawn carriage throughout the park. What beautiful sights... of lights.

The next day, winter truly hit here in NY... with 10-15inches of snow. Winter wonderland was seen all around us. Needless to say, that didnt stop one from going Christmas shopping for a bit=)

That evening.... Melodies of Christmas was at Proctor's. It was truly an exciting moment for me.

Festive colors seen all around with people dressed up, Christmas carols sung, etc. What a wonderful production. Being in the medical field, I felt honored to attend. All money raised through buying tickets was going to help Children with blood disorders/cancer at Albany Medical Children's Hospital. After working there for 2 years, it was a joy to know I was in some sort of way helping others through AMC.

BIBLE STUDY CHRISTMAS PARTY

When: 12/23/08

Everyone contributed food to share together. There was pizza, chips/dip/salsa, pizza bread, cheesecake, and drinks.

After dinner, we spent some time in God's word and then started wrapping presents.

If you recall in a previous post, I mentioned that our group has a mission to help others in need.

We originally were going to take on a whole family, but those plans fell through. So, this year.... we decided to take in one of my patients I had from work. Without going into great detail of this pt's situation... his once love for high speed motorcycle racing.. has turned into dashed hopes of ever riding again. A paraplegic he has become.. and its been a VERY difficult road these past several months. While he was my patient, we had some very in depth conversations of God. Tears would roll down his cheeks, as he questioned God.. We as a group have carried a burden for him.. and this is why we, as a group have tried reaching out to him this Christmas season.

We bought bath towels, a hand towel, $25.00 Cheesecake Factory GC, $15 FYE GC, bed sheets, and a Microsoft Arc mouse. The towels and bedsheets were some ideas he had mentioned he could use when he gets out of the hospital.

Last but not least, we presented Dan ( our Bible Study leader) a Christmas gift from us all. We bought this for his desk at school. ITs a combination of a digital clock/ calendar on lower left hand side, a picture, which we will insert of our group for uptop, the plaque that was engraved "C.D.C.F. 2008" which is our group name. The flip side, as seen below is a huge calculaor, which we thought would be a nice add on, seeing he is a math teacher.

All in All, we had a nice time...

Christmas is just around the corner now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE.

2008-12-17T12:02:00.001-05:00

Appreciate those precious moments that others may take for granted,

for we are blessed!

Decorations and Ice

2008-12-14T22:14:00.002-05:00

With Christmas quickly upon us, I had been getting pretty anxious to get in the Christmas spirit with decorations. Christmas isn't all about a tree, lights, other decorations, & gifts, but at the same time, things like this help one to feel festive. Our family hasnt ever been one to put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Sometimes, I wonder if the tree would be up long enough to enjoy it, so this year to my suprise, after coming home from work last Monday night, through the picture window there was our new tree for this year. I say "new" because... mom decided after 15 years last year, that it was time for a new tree! There has always been one debate held every year between mom and dad. Colored lights or white lights? Personal preference is white with bows, but hey... there is more than just me here! Mom loves white and dad prefers colored. Well, as you can tell by the tree.... Dad won this year.

Just a few decorations around the house...

Take a close look at the "odd" stocking. =) This is our "little man's"

VERY OWN.

Funny thing is, come Christmas day, mom takes the stockings down and places them on the couch due to their heaviness. Rumple, is able to find his very own.. and then sits there protencting it.

*

*

This past Thursday night, we, along with so many others were hit with a HUGE ice storm. This night , Ange and I were coming home from work late, and pretty much ran into a huge tree that had already managed to fall over across the road. We hadn't seen it until we were litterly right there.

Here's a few shots on our property.

AND then, I was very suprised to see this little bird next to one of our back windows. Can't say I see too many of these right around here!

2008-12-06T00:22:00.005-05:00

Hold ME While I Cry

Ever come across a song and find yourself playing it 25 times? Well, this was one of those songs for me.... so much that I bought the CD! Thought I would share, just in case this song would be meaningful during your low times.

Twas The Month Before Christmas

2008-12-04T00:46:00.002-05:00

I realize the importance that this poem holds, so since getting this in an email tonight, I

thought I would also post it here.

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*

Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

2008-11-29T23:49:00.002-05:00

6:3 WIN!

*
*

Food, Food & More Food

2008-11-29T23:32:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving Day =

Food, food, & more food

The day was spent in PA at the Myers' Residence with other family.

Sparing most details.. here are a few pictures.

Yes, this was MY plate.

With little room for dessert, we held off for several hours in hopes that our delicious meal would digest quickly so we could start round 2! Most sat around visiting, one person took a little nap, while some cousins watched a movie upstairs... THEN, everything was brought out again, while we made other things to add to the spead to eat....

= ONE FULL DAY OF FOOD =)

Give Thanks Unto God

2008-11-29T23:19:00.003-05:00

The Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Aunt Charolette, came up with this little craft for the children. Some of the children are young enough that even this simple activity is a challenge for them. We traced each of their hands on construtiction paper, then let them color/decorate over the trace marks before cutting their hands out in the shape of turkeys.

Written in the middle is " Give Thanks Unto God. "

Even with actual Sunday school coloring sheets every other week, the children ask Ms. Aimee to help trace their hands on their papers. It's something about the simple things in life.... with children =)

2008-11-27T01:01:00.000-05:00

2008-11-25T13:44:00.001-05:00

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.'

- Ronald Reagan

Is it Friday Yet?

2008-11-21T23:03:00.002-05:00

Anyone ever ask, "Is friday here yet?" If this week wasnt bad for anyone else, I'm glad. This week, especially at work, was extremely overwelming, full of stress, late nights, lack of sleep, etc.

I hate to complain... but I dont know how it could have been any worse. This was a week that I could NOT wait until friday.

It was thursday morning, 7:30ish when I came out to meet mom after she returned from her first job. I had been restless all night(thinking about work) and mom mentioned I looked horrible. It was then that I started venting.. and believe me I vented. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE. I stood there in the kitchen with tears running down my checks, shaking uncontrollably. Mom never fails to say.."Aimee, Momma told you there would be days like this." When I finally calmed down, mom told me to take a tylenol PM- yes at 7:30am and go back to bed. Needless to say, that day I didnt wake up until 1:15pm... just in time to grab lunch, a shower and head back in to work.

I've mentioned in previous posts that nursing is very rewarding at times, and it is... but rewards aren't always granted unless hard work and somtimes stress is involved.

Overall, even though I have my VERY bad days...I wouldn't trade nursing for anything! I just feel like it somedays... =)

So, today... Ange and I got around and headed out on the town... grabbing lunch (before Ange had to go back to work.) THEN... I started Christmas shopping. YES, I've officially started. It seems too crazy to think its almost December again. The cold weather is here and some of us have already seen snow. The multicolored lights are coming out with Christmas carols heard in the stores. Too bad it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but even still, I've started Christmas shopping.=)

Afterwards, I came home and did some much needed....
Things seemed to get put on the back burner and I couldnt let it get any worse. This in itself drives me nuts. Then... as soon as Dad came home from work... we headed to the

where they CREAMED the other team. Very intense, but well worth it.

2008-11-16T00:13:00.003-05:00

Tuesday night was another night of Bible Study....

We've had another faithful attendee (Trisha) that has started coming since my last Bible post, so I thought I would make an update. Her husband has come once, but since has had to work anytime we've met. The only one missing is me.. but that's ok because someone has to take the pictures. =)

I'm truly excited for what our little group has in store and the direction it is headed. We have been sharing a burden of outreach within our capital district, and our leader has officially come up with a name for our group.. "Capital District Christian Fellowship." This name incorporates a goal we all have over time to set an example throughout our Capital District by helping people less fortunate than ourselves. We're not necessarily planning on staying a small group either, but wanting to get others involved throughout the area.
*
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, some of us may be heading out extra early to deliver Thanksgiving dinners to those in need, setting their tables with a delicious, hot meal
so they may also celebrate Thanksgiving too. At Christmas time, we plan on taking in some families for Christmas, wrapping gifts together and distributing them to help brighten their day. These families/ young people that we choose, we also would like to become involved in their lives to ultimately help lead them to Christ when the time is right!
*
Help us pray that our group grows closer together while we share a burden to help others in need!

Here in America....In God We Still Trust

2008-11-15T23:29:00.001-05:00