Fun with Photo Shop

Finally taught myself how to do this on Photo Shop

Project Dirt

Here are the before and afters of project dirt...

In the very begining

The final product... for now!

I have been trying all night to find the pictures of the in between stages... that is where the dirt becomes a factor.

Summer

Summer is flying by! We have been sooooo incredibly busy this summer. Almost every weekend has been filled with a road trip or some other major activity. Chicago, Duluth, and D.C. It has really been awesome and unlike last summer gas prices are reasonable to make it all possible. This past week we were fortunate to share Troy and Kristin's day in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Wow, what an amazing week. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Mr.& Mrs. Perez! We got to spend it with 13 wonderful friends.

We did lots of relaxing, a little bit of adventure and some drinking... well it was all inclusive. I have never felt so pampered in my life.

More pictures from Mexico to follow - we only had 5 cameras going at all times ... Cheese!

May is the Day

Chrissy's visit home

Project Dirt

Project Bathroom

Project finish Bree's wedding invitation

Month 5.... I have learned this month not to take life for granted. I am here to be a good person and do the right. Can't say much of that has gone on lately. May has been a month of projects, EKG's, and cut backs at work.

On a happy note, I have had a very busy and fun month. Derek ran his 8th marathon in Pittsburgh. I give 2 thumbs up to Pittsburgh. Some places closed a bit too early, but the city was vibrant and clean. The spectators for the marathon were awesome. I was stunned to see soooo many people lined up. Usually they line up at the start and finish. People were everywhere. We had an awesome hotel room overlooking the rivers. Can't wait to go back. (Man... they love their Steeler's).

I have discovered that I can make beautiful compost. I love that being part of the cycle. Now all I have to do is sell my car. Ha. Sorry not in Michigan.

May brings BBQ's, flowers, Tiger's games, visits from great friends,and running. My running has been on the back burner. I don't know how to get motivated. Thoughts of bikinis and bridesmaid's dresses hardly get me out the door.

April in the D

Well, I certainly have become quite the blogger... or not. I am at work at the moment and I am unable to upload any pictures to share but its Good Friday - the phones are dead and my accounting system is frozen... could I find other things to do. YES! They just don't seem to be as much fun as this does. Not only do I get to sit here and twiddle my thumbs. I am lucky enough to work tonight as well.... till midnight! Love it.
I am really looking forward to a good weekend thou. I get to see all my high school friends tomorrow... well not all of them. Not only that but there will be a house full of babies... don't worry I have a bottle of wine with my name on it for when its over. I know my house is not quite baby/toddler friendly but I am still looking forward to it. The biggest problem is trying to find fun things for them to do. Do you think Target could sell just a normal coloring book, NO... they have "magic" water color friendzy. What happened to the old days a box of crayons (8 colors) and a plain old fashioned coloring book. You can tell I don't spend much time with anyone under the age of 20. So wish me good luck cause of course the house is a mess and the question of what am I going to cook is always a problem. I hope to have pictures to post by the end of this weekend.

Cheers!

2009!

The year 2009...

The holiday's went by fast just as always. However, I had lots of time to think over those cold 10 days off of work. What do I want of this year 2009? I laid low in 2008. No large projects, no big trips, hardly any running... basically no goals in sight.

So this year I have so many goals and changes I want to make. I will start with my resolutions...

( I have many)

1. Lose 10 pounds ( Thanks to my parents we got a membership to a local Rec Center)

2. Grow a veggie and eat it! I would love to grow a garden... a real one. The point of growing your own veggies is to save money at Joe's Produce (shameless plug). So not only do I need to be able to make the garden grow... but I need to eat what I grow in order to save $.

3. Sell at least one card or invitation. Just today I created an account on Etsy.com. A place to buy or sell hand made products. Cross my fingers someone will like me and my cards.

(Derek and I are going to try our hardest to pay off our debt soon. So any way I can start making extra money I am going to take the leap and go for it.) Which leads me to my 4th Resolution

4. Either find a new job or take classes to help me get a raise. As so many of you know - " I should be lucky I have a job" However, my job is getting me no where I want to be. The pay is low and any opportunity to grow with the company just means more stress and less time to get all the new work done with no rewards. So instead of talking about it I need to be proactive in making my life what I want it to be.

One of the blogs I was reading (aka stalking) something that stood out was "No new... make do".

That was perfect for me as I sit in a room filled with crafting materials, yet I am always buying more and more (especially paper) and yes, it does not help that I work at The Scrapbook Zone (shameless plug). But enough is enough. At the same time, I have so much I want to learn and expand with my creativity. I was spoiled and got Photoshop Elements for Christmas. I have so much to learn with this awesome program. Blogging is another thing I want to do more of.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!

This has truly been a great year. I feel blessed that both Derek and I have kept our jobs in this tumbling economy. With both of us at the bottom of the chain at our jobs, we are defiantly at arms reach of saying - sorry I am going to have to let you go. Both of us keep on trucking and take one day at a time and work our hardest to make it happen.

I feel absolutely spoiled this year. Derek surprised me with a pair of ugg slippers that I have had my eye on but knowing the name brand... I thought it was all a dream. I dont think I have taken them off in 5 days. My parents got us a membership to our local recreation center. With our busy schedules we have not gone to sign up yet but we are really looking forward to going. My In-Laws got me Photoshop Elements. I am thrilled. THis was another item that I really wanted but did not see myself getting for another few years.

Work surprised me with 10 days off instead of 5. The hard part will be 3 of the days will be unpaid. I will just have to watch my spending for a few weeks but honestly I am going to LOVE the time off. I have been making lists all morning long of all the things I want to get done. Other than shoveling... that seems to be a daily activity here in Michigan. The hard part is Derek will be working really hard for those days, so I know I will get a little bored.

Cheers!