Time flies {Lancaster}

    Hey, remember that time we moved to Lancaster for one of Jeff's clinical rotations? That time has come and gone so quickly. We are in our last week as LA dwellers. While our goodbye week is blended with the busyness of Christmas celebrations, I can't help but look back on our time here. I've read a lot, learned a lot, but haven't shared any of it with you!
    First, I have loved cooking here and doing the whole wife has supper ready when husband comes home from work thing! In Charleston we'd cook maybe 4 times a week, but it was usually quick meals with the help of my grill master. Here, I'd cook most nights of the week. I enjoyed the new adventure of meal planning and for cooking for more than just 2 people. We've liked having family over to join us around the table. Sometimes that was the only time Jeff could see them because of his work schedule. So here's some things I LOVE: crockpot, a freezer stocked with deer meat, Google, Aldi grocery store, and actually mashing potatoes.

    Reading over the past 3 months has been very beneficial to me. Whether is a photography how-to blog, a popular trilogy, or a psychology book. . . I've actually made time to SIT DOWN and read. I hope to share more about these books.
How Full Is Your Bucket- Tom Rath and Donald Clifton
Strengths Finder 2.0- Tom Rath
Hunger Games- ??
She Reads Truth- Bible study on You Version
Well now that I look at that short list it may not look like I've read a lot. . . But I usually don't read at all, so it's good by my standards. I've still got a Joyce Meyer book waiting for me.

    3 miles in 30 minutes or under has been my thing for Lancaster running. I don't like to go too far from the house so I stick to 3 miles. I usually get greeted by one yappy weenie dog, 2 ankle biters, and the 3 barkers down the road. Only one house along my route has their dogs fenced in so it's usually an eventful run. I've learned to avoid the route with the territorial pit bull. I'm looking forward to running more in Greenville with family/friends and reaching some new distance goals. Cooper River Bridge Run in 2013. . . I THINK SO!
    We've enjoyed visiting around our family's different churches. Elevation Church has also been an amazing place to visit. Lord help us find a God loving and serving church family in Greenville or wherever we end up.

Brothers!

Some more things we've enjoyed in LA: Sunnie able to run free(ish), Evenings out with Papa, Granny and the crew, Antioch Pumpkin Patch, birthdays and holidays, MapMyRun iPhone app, living with the ever insightful Chris, antenna tv here got more channels than in Charleston, and the list goes on :)

This is our usual spot.  Sunnie by my side as I edit away!

   More excitment coming for us: Celebrate Christmas in LA, Christmas Eve night move to Greenville, Christmas in Greer, Dec 28 visit Hartsville, Dec 29 shoot wedding in Bishopville, Dec 30 early am fly out west for a ski trip, Bring in New Year, Return to SC Jan 3, Jan 4-6 SummerShine reunion, Jan 7 Jeff starts clinical rotation in Greer!  We'll need a nap for sure.
   PS. I finished editing last Saturday's wedding.  I'm giddy with excitement and can't wait to access upload capable internet so I can share these pictures with you!!  Check my facebook at www.facebook.com/photobyjenny for a good look and my website www.PhotographyAndDesignByJenny.com.  Shameless plug.

November 28: I'm thankful for...

This post has been a long time coming.  Five years to be exact.  I've felt compelled to write about Dad, but have mostly put it off.  On his birthday or every November 28, I chicken out and don't write anything.

November 28, 2007

Five Years
It's crazy to think what's happened in the last five years.  Dad passed away at the end of my first semester at North Greenville University.  Since then, I did Summershine for three years, welcomed a niece and nephew into the family, graduated from college, married Jeff Williams, moved away, and built my photography business...and these are only the major life changers!

So much love

Thankful for my story
God's given me a story so that I can reach out to people.  When I see a facebook update about someone loosing their father or someone going through cancer, I try to comment and share encouragement.  Obviously, their wasn't an earthly victory over cancer, but I can at least relate to the hospital visits, chemo, and hospice.
Sometimes I'll include his story in my testimony.  It's extremely powerful to talk about a man who was diagnosed with stage 4 advanced cancer, given only 2 weeks to live, sitting in his bed quoting Romans 8:28 to his wife and six children after delivering his diagnoses.  Dad's positive attitude set the stage for our grieving, for our recovery.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 ESV

Dad & James coaching at BR

Good Grief
Obviously, I wish I had my Dad here, but I'll let you in on a little secret.  Dad lived his life with a purpose, a Christ centered purpose.  I know he would much rather be in Heaven than living life on earth.  So where do we go from there?  To my family.  We've grown closer through this experience, we cherish each other more, and we are at each others' side when one needs a hand.  We have a strong bond that is hard to explain.  I do believe our experience with Dad's sickness, the 2007 football season, and grieving his death has pulled us closer to each other in a way we couldn't have anticipated.  We've been able to help each other and proceed with life.  We all know that Dad wouldn't put up with whining, self pity, or complaining.  I think his former football players could tell you how that would go.
I've learned that it's healthy to share about my experience.  I love telling Jeff stories about the quirky things Dad would do.  His sneezes, his daily habits, his words of wisdom.  Sometimes I wish I could sit down at the table with Mom and Dad.  He'd be scribbling football plays on a napkin and I'd be spilling a dramatic story to mom.  Mom and I'd finish talking and debating on what to do about the situation.  Then Dad would put his pen down, look up, and within one simple sentence he'd set things straight and tell me what to do.
During dad's sickness and death, there was no shortage of support.  I remember receiving a gas gift card because someone thought about me driving from NGU to the hospital each day.  The Blue Ridge community, former football players, Mt Lebanon Baptist Church, friends, family, and North Greenville University really showed their sincere love and support!

No Pedestal Here
Dad was pretty awesome, but I want you to know these words are NOT to glorify him.  His life was spent seeking to glorify God, not himself.  Of course Dad wasn't perfect.  These words are to encourage you to embrace the people around you.  Don't waste a second questioning your relationship with Christ.  Take pictures, cell phone or camera, I don't care what with, but really take pictures. Live your life with a purpose, seek God for that purpose.

Here's a video of a former player's visit to Dad while in the hospital.  He explains things well.

blur blur blur

Photography
What does photography have to do with Dad? Well I was in the football stands and taking pictures of him on the sidelines every Friday night.  The setting was dark, lots of motion...this means lots of blur.  I remember crying over some of the pictures because they came out blurry.  It was then that I knew I needed a camera that would allow me to control the settings and produce the images I had in mind.  So there ya go, I got my first DSLR December 1, 2007.  Since then I've learned and learned, made mistakes, learned some more.  As I approach each session or wedding, my motivation for getting all family members and special people in different combinations is fueled by the collection of pictures I have of Dad.  I'm so thankful I have pictures.  You can never have too many, once someone is gone, you wish you had more.



So here's today's "I'm thankful for..." post
Day 28:  I'm thankful for the 18 years I had with my Daddy.  I'm also thankful for the last five years...A lot has happened since he passed away.  I've missed him through each step. 11.28.2007

Now for a few Farnham memories.  These pictures are priceless to me.  I can't believe these times were that long ago!  It feels like yesterday.

Dad's first year at Blue Ridge, notice the bruise on his forehead from head butting a player at practice

Daddy Vince(Grand father) always took family pictures at our holiday celebrations. 2001

Super Hero Day

Hunting Thanksgiving 2006

Relay For Life Pageant April 2007

One of our many visits to Clemson

Lots of support, November 2007

Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole

When Jeff and I first got married, I told him, "If I ever cook something you don't like, or that's not good, TELL ME so I don't cook it again, or I can fix what's wrong."  You know that Brad Paisley song that talks about asking for seconds to keep her from tearing up.  Well, I'd rather hear the bad news right then, than cook a meal for the next 30 years and Jeff have to eat it!  Once again, communication is everything.
The Chicken Rice-A-Roni Cassarole passed that "Can I cook it again? Test." Chris(Bro-in-law) ate two plates of it. . . I think we'll be seeing this lovely again!
When I decided to fix this I called mom.  This is a farnham family favorite.  She didn't have the recipe off the top of her head, so I did what any great wifey would do. . . I googled it.  Here's what I got from PlainChicken.com adapted from TastyKitchen.com.

1 box Chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

3-4 cups cooked, chipped chicken

1 6oz can French fried onions

Preheat to 350 F.

 Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions.  Cook chicken.  Add soup, sour cream and chicken to rice.  Stir to combine.  Spray 9x13 dish.  Spread rice mixture into dish.  Top with fried onions(YUM).  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

I had a different size dish, so I adjusted my bake time.  Smaller dish = thicker food = bake longer.

Now you've got 30 minutes to clean up, make sweet tea and, set out salad stuff. . . or take a nap.

I was supposed to photograph a wedding today...

Today I was supposed to photograph a wedding, but I’m not going. I’m not going because it’s a fake.

A month ago I had a groom found me on Wedding Wire and asked me to photograph his wedding on October 20. It was such short notice to book a wedding, I felt sorry for the guy. I slipped into emergency/priority mode and juggled some things around in my schedule to make myself available for their Greenville wedding. This client wasn’t the nicest in the world, but I was willing to overlook his pushiness and rudeness to help him out. He didn’t even send the right amount of money to me. He said his "financial manager" wrote the check for my services AND the band’s services. Too bad my groom was living in London at the time and his financial manager had just left for vacation. I was the only one who could solve the problem. His band wouldn’t even book the date until they had their money. SO I did what any business woman would do, I took care of my client. I took care of him to the point that I deposited his counterfeit check(I didn't know it at was fake) and wired his band the $2,500 they needed to reserve the wedding date. I only realized that this was a scam when it was too late…

How he got me:

1. I had asked many people, including my teller, “when does my check actually clear the bank?” everyone said it’ll clear by the next day. When the check cleared I was confident my client was honest with me so I proceeded with sending his band the money.

WRONG: The funds are available the next day, but that doesn’t mean the check has gone back to the original bank. It took a whole week for the check to show up as a returned item(FAKE) This means I sent the band $2,500 of my own money.

2. He was pushy and rude and always rushing me. I had text messages coming in at 3am in the morning and emails asking me “can I trust you with my money?” Of course you can trust me with your money! I’m an honest person and I would never do anything to compromise my business.

His doubt in me made me want to prove myself as soon as I could. His pushiness made me want to get this situation finalized at any cost, it even made me overlook the warning signs. He was so pushy because he has a very specific timeline of when he can get his money. If my check showed up counterfeit before I sent the money, he’d be at a loss.

3. He had his band contacting me an excessive amount, giving me unreasonable deadlines to get their money to them.

Turns out his band was a fake, it was him all along.

4. Did I mention I was packing up and moving my whole home the day all of this happened. As I was handling this situation, Jeff and I were getting the moving truck and loading all the boxes. I was stressed enough as it was. Once again I did what I needed to do to finalize the situation so I could pack up my home!

5. I was just flat out unaware that this type of scam could happen. It all seemed so real and I hadn’t heard any stories like this before.

Please don’t let this happen to you or people you know. Help them know the warning signs of FRAUD.

1. Someone contacting you over the internet

2. Sending you more money than is required

3. Anything dealing with Western Union or a money transfer. Stop right there.

4. Watch for these signs: rude, pushy, foreign, a quick deadline, “can I trust you?”

5. This person is a stranger, no matter what other details they tell you

6. They resist meeting you or have only called from a blocked number

7. They tend to target young adults and older people

I’ve spoken to many police officers, my Suntrust bank tellers, and Western Union. They were all aware of this fraud stuff. “It happens every day,” they told me. That’s quite disheartening and they said there’s nothing I can do about it now. The police department wouldn’t even take all the evidence I had(emails, phone numbers, etc.) to investigate the case. So really . . . what can I do now? I can provide you with the tools to be aware and avoid being a victim of fraud.

I’ve learned a lot from this situation. Look back at my last blog “The Situation,” I wrote this two days before I was officially scammed. To read more about what I’ve learned go HERE.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Please share this blog or info with your friends and family. Help them know the warning signs. If you know a photographer or wedding vendor, help them become aware of this new trend. Many police officers I talked to were surprised at all the detail that was involved in this scam. They had never heard about this happening to a photographer. Unfortunately, we are a new target for them.

What I've learned...victim of fraud

If you haven't read the post that preceeds this one, place read it here.  Things will make a lot more sense!
I’ve been going through Proverbs each day of October.  Trying to seek wisdom and grow in Knowledge.  The Holy Spirit can use our knowledge and wisdom to speak to us and guide us.  I was very excited about this quest and I knew many great things would come from it.  I didn’t know the lessons I would learn would be so hard and costly, but I understand that God’s reasoning is far more spectacular than mine.

After the scam happened, I felt harassed, helpless, and used.  This person had taken the money I had worked so hard to bring in to support my family.  This equaled the profit of 2-3 weddings for me, and with Jeff as a student THAT’S A LOT FOR US!  The scam officially happened on October 6…which means I should have read Proverbs 6.  Unfortunately due to moving, unpacking, and my emotional disappointment, I didn’t catch up to Proverbs 6 until a day later.

Proverbs 6:1-5 and 12-15 (HCSB)

"My son if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger, you have been trapped by the words of your lips-ensnared by the words of your mouth.  Do this, then, my son, and free yourself. . . Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a fowler's trap."

" A worthless person, a wicked man, who goes around speaking dishonestly, who winks his eyes, signals with his feet, and gestures with his fingers, who plots evil with perversity in his heart-he stirs up trouble constantly.  Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly-beyond recovery."

Even though the only thing I can do now is raise awareness about scams, God comforted me.  My prayer for this man is that he has a Damascus Road experience and completely turns from his sinful lifestyle and fully invests his life in Christ.  He messed with a loved daughter of the most high God, so we’ll see what happens.  To God be the glory.

I also learned that I can’t rely on Police or bank tellers to do their job.  I spent a whole day on the phone and in different offices trying to get someone to take action, but they just sent me to the next office.

We’ve got to be aware of what is going on in the world around us.  As disheartening as it is to hear about violence, fraud, and the latest crime trends, we must protect ourselves and know the warning signs.  I got taken, because I was naive about the situation, I had never heard about this type of thing happening to a photographer.  I thought I was being cautious about the check clearing, but I never knew about the available funds not really being available until the check clears the other bank.

God’s timing is the best.  If this scam would have happened any other time we would have had to dig into School Loans to pay rent and buy groceries.  I had just finished up wedding season so, there were actual funds to steal!  We were also moving from a place we had to pay rent into a home where there’s no rent.

The Situation

Here's a late night understanding that happened in the car while trying to run an errand to help a situation that is just plain weird and complicated.

Me:  "God this situation is beyond me and what I can handle."
Holy Spirit: "That's the point.  Give it to me."

It took a second for me to grasp this, but then a calming, sweet peace washed over me.  God is going to do what He needs to do with this situation.  In the end, God will get the glory and in the very end I will get to spend eternity with Him, so whatever works.  I'm going to do my best with the tools God has equipped me with. 

On another note, are you reading Proverbs??  I can't wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the month...and life.

31 in 31

"My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight, and ask for undersatnding.
Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
For the LORD grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He grants treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
He gaurds the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.
Then you will understand what is right, just, fair,
and you will find the right way to go.
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy."
 Proverbs 2:1-10

Originally I had planned to type just the first few verses, but couldn't find a stopping place.  Proverbs is so jam packed with knowledge and wisdom.  As Christians we should thirst for wisdom because that brings us closer to God and allows us to follow his paths.
Here's the game plan.  October has 31 days and Proverbs has 31 chapters.  See, God made it so simple for us.  One chapter a day :)  If you chose to read, don't just read it to be done.  Read it to soak up the knowledge and wisdom.  Look at the comparisons of what a wise man does to what a fool does.  Ask God to give you wisdom each time you pick up His word.

ps. I know it's October 2. . . you better get started : )

DIY Old Table Redo

I've been meaning to post this for a while now!  Catch up time :)
Here's a lovely table that I found while cleaning out a family member's home.  I loved how it was originally, but I knew there'd be a few apartments in our future. . . all probably with white walls.  So I decided to go with a bold, statement color.  I'm so happy with this decision.

To begin, I laid out cardboard to keep my workplace clean.  then washed off the mold. YUCK.  I didn't sand anything because I wanted to preserve natural texture.  This was also a great excuse to get results quicker instead of spending time sanding all these curves.

I added a coat or two of the teal paint.  I got the paint from Lowes.  They have the cute little pint size samples.  It's just enough for a small job like this.
I love my Hobby Lobby Knob.  I bought 4 or 5 and tried them all on, then returned the ones I didn't like.

 

This is now my desk and will continue being my desk as we move around.  The giant desk we had for me is way too big to be changing houses every time we go somewhere different.

Spinach and Pasta Salad

Quick and easy salad!  I usually have all of this stuff in the fridge, ready to go!  Spinach, Penne noodles, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Sunflower seeds, and Italian dressing.  I'm sure some tomatoes would me good too.  yummers. 

Life Right Now

This is my life.  I love it.  It might look a bit messy, but we keep it real!  This is the heart warming view from my desk downstairs.  I have an office upstairs, but I like working downstairs amongst all the action so I've stayed put.  Most evenings are spent with Jeff doing homework and Sunnie tearing up a toy. 

A few minutes ago, I decided to move the living room around.  We've got 3 weeks left with furniture in the house so I figured I'd go for it.  All I wanted was for Sunnie to be able to see out the window and watch the squirrels and birds.  This arrangement isn't all that functional, but hey it's just three weeks.  I'm boxing up all books, magazines, and decorations that have collected over the year and a half.  I had called Walmart and arranged to pick up boxes to pack stuff in.  After 4 phone calls they said to be there this morning before 6:30.  We woke up at 5:40am and headed to Walmart. . . only to find out they had already crushed the boxes up.  Thanks.  Anywho, here's the new set up.

iPhone shot...don't judge.

 SEE Sun dog LOVES her new view!!!

PS.  We do clean the house.  I promise.  The first picture is just an example of real life fun.

Charleston Restaurant Week: Our Experience

Tasty. Scrumptious. Indulgent.
Need I say more?  Restaurant Week is a big hit in Charleston.  Over 120 restaurants participated.  The goal is to get people to come in because of the deal and you offer your 3 of your best appetizers, entrees, and desserts.  The deals are 3 for $20, $30, $40.
Five Loaves Cafe
 Jeff ordered the 3 for $20 - Grilled marinated vegetables with balsamic reduction, Almond crusted salmon with roasted potatoes, asparagus and a lemon caper butter cream, and the Key Lime Cheescake.  I went off the beaten path and ordered the Tri-colored Tortellini.  This combined my two favorites: cheese and pasta covered in a creamy sauce.
All the food was absolutely delicious.  It was even better because we shared dinner time with Davy, Carmen, and Vincent.

Coast Bar & Grill
Our friends recommended Coast to us, so we took advantage of a gift certificate and the week's deals.  Jeff ordered the 3 for $30 - Seafood Gumbo, Surf and Turf-wood grilled sirloin and jalapeno bacon wrapped shrimp.  We stuck with Key Lime Pie for our dessert.  I enjoyed their Grilled Spicy Adobo Shrimp.  This had bacon cheese grits, grilled veggies, and pineapple chile salsa.  It was really great the first time around and we looked forward to it for a leftover dinner the next night!

My Date!

Sirloin

Shrimp stuff

Key Lime Pie!!

Unicorn

I've been a little stressed lately, see the zit on my forehead that resembles a unicorn horn for evidence.  With 4 weddings in 5 weeks, multiple sessions a week, post processing all of those, and working my second job(thanks Dave Ramsey) I've been feeling the heat.  While the career/job-life is a little intense right now, I can confidently say that God has placed me in each of these situations for his own wonderful purposes.
Today I worked the candy shop, took Sunnie to Sonic, emailed, finished editing Friday's wedding, phone called, had a photo session, edited that photo session...and wrote a blog.  Unicorn horn zit or not, I'm doing what I love.
In the mean time Jeff is the most supportive husband. ever.  This afternoon he came home with his arms full of groceries(that I should have gotten 4 days ago).  Jeff is my helpmate: practically, emotionally, spiritually.  He even assisted me with Jamie Lee & Tommy's wedding on Friday, look at the shot below, he took it, skills!!

Gross

While Jeff and I were riding in the truck together a radio conversation caught my attention.  The DJ was about to announce the number one thing that GROSSES guys out about their spouse/girlfriend.  Of course I'm was oh so curious about my grossest tendency.  When I asked Jeff what I do that grosses him out  **I was very specific to only ask for one answer and not a whole list**
It took a minute or so for him to think of something, but I wasn't surprised with his answer.  I won't tell you what it was, but I will tell you I fixed it as soon as we got home and will try to have better habits.  He returned the question to me and I contemplated my options, then delivered my answer.  It was a very good conversation for us to have.  Both GROSS things were easily fixable, it just calls for us to be a little more attentive.  Before we went to bed, I noticed that his grossest tendency was also fixed.
Yaaay communication!!!
Earlier this week I was reading in our "Quiet Time For Couples" devotion and a sentence stuck out to me.
"Married life is a continuing process of seeking to be a benefit to your partner"
This was a great reminder for me.  Since reading this, I've been waking up thinking, "how can I benefit Jeff".  Ok so the first thing I think when I wake up is, "SNOOZE", then "why do you have to get up so early", but I eventually get to the "how can I benefit him" thought.  Or when I get to the evening time, "have I benefited him today?"  This holds me accountable and helps me evaluate how I use my time and energy.  A major benefit we can have is communicating.  Don't play games with your spouse, be clear with your words, thoughts, feelings and give them ample opportunity to do the same. . .even about gross stuff.

I made this for a Shutterfly magnet, then my coupon expired...sad day.  Photo by Jana Candler

Flooded

Downtown Charleston is a scary place to be when it rains.  With only a few roads off the peninsula and the rain flooding some of them.  People get a little nervous.  I'm definitely one of those people. Today after work, all I wanted to do was get home safely, without my car stalling in high water, pray that Sunnie "goes potty" quickly, THEN not leave the house all day.  I might even fix a cup of hot chocolate!

Check out this picture from today...(Charleston City Paper)

Liebster

This was a lovely surprise!  I've been nominated by Sarah Gilliam over at Morning Glory and Hallelujah for the Liebster Award!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It’s a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a nice way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers!

When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)

So here are 11 random facts about myself!

1.  I'm an active sleeper.  talking, walking, redecorating.  I've been known to take frames off the walls in our bedroom.  Jeff isn't a fan of this habit, especially when he has to be up at 6am, but he loves me anyway.

2.  I work at a candy shop, tempting, I KNOW.  My favorite candies from our thousands of candies are: Haribo Grapefruit gummies, Haribo Pink Grapefruit gummies, Haribo Fruit Salad, Anything covered in yogurt, Milk Chocolate covered Praline covered in powdered sugar, Chewy Sprees, Gummy filled whales, Soda Pop Shoppe Jelly Belly, and Sour belts.  You can surprise me with these anytime.

3.  I like to try new things at restaurants.  Sometimes I'm rewarded for my attempts of finding something new, sometimes it's a slap in the face.  Like this one time at a restaurant downtown(which will remain nameless) I ordered something I could not pronounce, thinking "we're in Charleston, at this famous restaurant, nothing can go wrong."  Then my plate was delivered...raw meat.  raw.  From now on I run my decisions by Jeff.  He is nice to say "I do NOT think that's a good idea" or "that sounds good."

4.  I. analyze. everything.  yet I all misread directions.

5.  As much as I love DIY crafts and decorating my home, I cut myself off from all clearance corners, goodwills, and crafts for the home, back in October.  We'll be packing up life here and keeping it in boxes until next summer(or later) so I've tried to practiced DISCIPLINE.

6.  Today I will paint my toenails "On a trip" and fingernails "Sugar Coat."

7.  Jeff and I have already dreamed up our kids' names...now we just need to be sure to have 2 boys and 2 girls. ha!

8.   I'm a sucker for routine, I have a precise system for most every action.  Yet I can be spontaneous and yearn to burst out of structure.  I'm an extroverted introvert. . . I'm a CI in the DISC personality test.  This means my life is an inner battle. all the time.

9.  I frequently thank God that I am no longer in school.  Everytime I think about someone studying or going to class, I get a surge or gratitude that I am no longer in that stage of my life.  I enjoyed school, but I enjoy life much more without the busy work and assignments.

10.  I'm the 5th of 6 children, the middle of the youngest 3, so technically I'm a middle child.

11.  Keeping touch has never been a natural thing for me.  I'm quite horrible at it.

Here are Sarah's 11 questions for me!

1.What did you dream of being when you were a child? 

An artist and a physical therapist/athletic trainer.  Jeff is studying to be a Physical Therapist so I'll do the artist thing.

2.  If you could change one thing about your high school experience, what would it be and why?

I wouldn't have taken so many classes senior year.  I should have been more of an extrovert(see #8 above)  oops that's 2 things.

3.  What wardrobe item did you desperatly cling to at some point in your life, but are horrified by in retrospect?

In 6th grade I tied a black sweater around my waist EVERY DAY.  I wore it so much that I strung it through my belt loops.  I was so horrified of the possibility that female stuff would happen and I wouldn't be able to cover it up.  

4.  If you could train for an medal in any olympic sport, which would it be?

Gymnastics, I'm fascinated by their abilities.  I'm also the right height for it :)

5.  If you died today, who would give the eulogy at your funeral and what hilarious story would they share about you?  Is that one too morbid?

No this isn't too morbid.  I like it.  uhm. . . I'm not sure.  The first person who came to mind was Ashley King.  I think because she would be most merciful to me, and only say the nice things.  Of course there's Jeff, Mom, sisters, church leaders.  Ashley what story would you tell???

6.  Knowing what you know now, what is one piece of advice that you would have given yourself 5 or even 10 years ago?

Pray more.  Don't hesitate in life, get out there and go for it!

7.  Describe your dream vacation.  

I don't know where we'd go, but I know who'd be there.  My family.  We'd eat a big breakfast in the morning.  Then the girls would split up and hang out all day(shop, tan, swim, talk).  The guys would go off and do guy stuff(fish, surf, not talk).  Then we'd come back and prepare a big dinner and eat it.  then eat dessert.  All while enjoying conversation, nature, and having no worries at all.  Then we'd take a boat ride or walk on the beach.  I'd take pictures of all this happening, and the pictures would edit themselves automatically.  That's a vacation.

8.  Name a few elements that are must-haves in your dream home.

Windows.  I want walls of windows so I have the perfect lighting to photograph candid moments of life!

Curtains.  When night time comes I need attractive, artsy curtains to cover all these windows so no creepers look in. 

Porch.  screened in, glassed in, or open air- an outside oasis for family gatherings and morning Bible study.

9.  Are you/were you rooting for Peeta or Gale to end up with Katniss?

Was this something on the Bachelor?

10.  What super power would you choose to have?

Does "taking the perfect picture every time" qualify as a super power.  If not, I'd like to fly at super human speeds.

11.  Describe yourself as a paint color.  Give me a name (a simple green won't do) and tell me why it fits you.

"Tinkering Teal"  I've always got my hands in multiple projects(tinkering) and I can be lively and bold, or calm and relaxed(teal)

Now I need to nominate my fellow bloggers!  There's only 6, apparently I don't get around much.

1.  Our Journey Together

2.  Jacob and Lauren Goetze

3.  Cathleen With a C

4. Fighting Superwoman

5. Peanut Butter and Gumballs 
6. Life Expressed Digitally

Bloggers, here are your eleven questions to answer:

1.  If you knew you would not fail, what is the first thing you would do?

2.  (Borrowed this question from Sarah)  Describe yourself as a paint color.  Give a name and tell why it fits you.

3.  What were you most scared of when you were a child?

4.  What is your favorite quote right now?

5.  If your mom called you right now and said she's cooking dinner and wants you to plan the menu what would you choose?

6.  If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

7.  Describe your favorite hobby. . . why is it your favorite?

8.  (Borrowed from Sarah, she had fun questions)  What elements are must-haves in your dream home?

9.  This dinner that your mom is fixing...who would you invite?

10.  If you had a day off with absolutely no obligations or limits, how would you spend it?

11.  Who do you look up to the most, and why?

Football

I'm feeling a wee bit homesick today.  It's the start of the 2012 high school football season.  James is coaching at Pendleton High School, where he also teaches :)  As I look over his schedule for the season, I realized that I'll only be able to attend 2 games of his regular season.  My fingers are crossed for some playoff action.  Between weddings and moving to Lancaster, our weekends are packed.  Actually it's 2 weddings in Greenville that get me up there for the 2 games.
Anyways, football season always brings back memories of our last season with Dad.  We all relive the process in some way or another.  It had wonderful highs and very deep lows.  God certainly carried us through each part.  Thanks for listening, I just had to get the words out so I can return to being a somewhat functional human being.

Football season is a family affair - BR vs TR 2007

Moving

It's official.  We're moving.  Ok, it's been official since we knew Jeff didn't need to do all of his clinicals in the Charleston area.  Tonight we actually decided on a date to rent a giant U-Haul to pile our home into.  Here's the plan for the rest of Jeff's schooling.
Present - October 12: Enjoy the rest of Charleston
October 13: Hola Lancaster
December: Holidays...we'll be traveling, I don't know where we'll actually live
January - February: Greenville, Greenville, Greenvillllllllle
March - April: Jeff in Dallas, Jenny in Greenville
May 17:  Jeff Graduates!!
That's as far as I can go for now...
Daddy Vince always asks, where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Right now I'm looking at next June and can't even figure it out.
I learned a lot about how(not) to transition in my first move of a lifetime to Charleston just last year.  My hopes are to be a much better transitioner(new word) this time around.  Considering there's no time to waste, I must dive in and enjoy every second.  Jeff and I are excited about this next year, and eager to see where God places us.
On a lighter note, we are expanding our watersport hobbies.  This is one that we can do on a river, pond, lake, ocean.  Chances are, wherever we end up, we'll be able to paddle board.  Oh the opportunities!

Paddle Boarding on Shem Creek

excuse the watermark, I was stuck in PDJ exporting mode

Peacock Wedding Theme - DIY

I realize that I never uploaded my wedding pictures to facebook.  It's silly, considering everything else I do is in a facebook album.  What had happened was...there were so many pictures to choose from, I could only narrow down to 300.  AND my lovely photographer(Jana Candler) had uploaded some while Jeff and I were honeymooning. So I didn't bother, I just focused on being a married woman.  Well now that we're a little further down the road(1 year, 3 months) I need to share some details.  There have been quite a few people who have asked about our peacock decorations, so I think a blog is the simplest way to share.  They were all DIY except for the bouquets, which were done by a wholesale flower shop - yaaay budget saver!

1.  First and foremost you must have a groom that you are hopelessly in love with.  That makes the day complete before it even begins.  Then you can start the planning.

2. Must have hot, coordinating shoes.  See above.

3. COLOR is important.  This is what shows up in your pictures!  Must I remind you that pictures/video/husband are the only things you'll have left when the day is over?  I went a little on the different side when it came to my flowers to stick with the teal scheme.  Blue Bomb Orchids, green hydrangeas, purple somethings, and fuchsia somethings.  Originally, I wouldn't have chosen the fuchsia, but the combination needed some help.  Peacock feather were dispersed among the flowers.

4. Must employ big brother to move antique couch from house to peach orchard.

4 1/2.  Bridesmaids dresses from Belk = $40 each.  Groomsmen suits from JC Penney = $99 each.  Groomsmen Ties from Burlington Brands = $6 each.

5. A personal touch- I added a locket(Hobby Lobby-jewelry section) that held my Dad's picture.  It was helpful to have that during the day.

6. Groomsmen Boutonnieres- I trimmed the peacock feather to an appropriate size, to keep from making them distracting instead of complementing.  The pearl and silver beads at the base were held on by a silver pin that you can find in any earring/jewelry making store.  Then used floral tape to hold everything together.  They were a little difficult to make, but I had them done 5 months before the wedding.

7. Personalized Guest Book- This was created on Shutterfly.  I made the cover and peacock pages in a separate program(Adobe Photoshop) and uploaded them as a regular picture, set as the background.  Since the wedding, Jeff and I have enjoyed reading our guests' notes.

8. Programs- This peacock feather was stamped on each program.  Stamp & Ink from Hobby Lobby.  The text was designed on Adobe Illustrator.  I also used a "thank you" stamp and the same feather to make all of our thank you stationary.  It took some time, but I enjoyed them being unique.  Basket from Goodwill.

Now to the reception fun.  These lovely ladies did the hard work!  They dealt with the Asparagus Fern...who knew it was prickly??
9. Centerpieces- Tall narrow glass(borrowed).  This brought height to the room and didn't block table conversation.  The glass was filled with fish tank rocks(mom used these in the garden later).  5 peacock feathers and 4 or 5 peacock swords were placed in each glass, then the asparagus fern to droop down.  Oh and some tan squiggly twigs I got at Goodwill.

 Final Product!

10. Legacy "table"-  I've seen legacy tables done before and I always wonder...who are those people?  I labeled mine and told their relation to Jeff & I.  It was helpful, I think.  These frames and the tree twig/glass vase are now used in my home :)  double dipping.

11. Tree- the twigs were bought from hobby lobby and Hobo's Consignment shop.  I printed out collages of us from Picasso and cut the pictures of Jeff & I, then taped them to coordinating card stock.  Tied with 50% off ribbon from Hobby Lobby.  Peacock feathers were dispersed throughout the arrangement and on the table.

12.  All in all, see number 1, because what actually matters is who signs that marriage license.  It's for better or worse, and I'm not talking about decorations here, I'm talking about LIFE.