Photo 365 #302

June 5, 2015June 3, 20152 Comments

Selfie queen, I am not. When it comes to using my phone’s front-facing camera, the results are iffy at best. But occasionally the boys demand to be in a picture with me.

: Smile, Thumper!

: Hold still, missy! Everybody smile!

This was one such incident. Naturally, in trying to make sure I got Thumper before he had a chance to touch the screen and mess up the shot, I cut off my face. Miss Tadpole, however, managed a pretty excellent photo bomb, and a minute later, Bubbles joined her.

I love it when they get excited about things. 🙂

What do your kids get excited about?

Photo Friday: Wait, what?

May 29, 20156 Comments

It’s Friday again? Already? But I just went back to work from a long weekend yesterday…How is it Friday again so soon? WHAT HAPPENED TO MAY?!?!?!?!

On a related note, what happened to the last thirteen years? I mean, really – how is it that it’s now been 20 years since the ’90s?

Yes, I’m feeling a bit old this week.

Since the thirteenth anniversary of my high school graduation was this past Tuesday, this week’s throwback photo is one of many from that bittersweet day and features some of my closest friends from high school. One has since disappeared off the face of the earth, but I think I saw her a few years ago as I stopped at a local convenience store on my way to work one morning, and she didn’t look any different (though I’m pretty sure she didn’t see me, or I’d have been late to work that day).

Oh, Gretchen, how we miss you!

Anyway…

The Photo Friday throwback continues!

May 8, 2015May 7, 2015Leave a comment

IMG_20150507_0001 Today’s photo features me as a teenager. Well, I’m in there somewhere – see that little speck of purple? That’d be me. 🙂

Way back when, my friends and I had lots of fun shooting roll after roll of film on my little point-and-shoot camera. I have so many great photos from my teen years! What I love about this one is the color – just look at all those greens!

Don’t forget to stop by Charnele’s blog and see what she’s got for today.

What did you enjoy doing with your friends in your younger years?

Photo Friday throwback: Wedding!

April 24, 2015April 24, 20157 Comments

DSCN1153 So since I recounted the story of my first date with Seymour and the story of our engagement the last two weeks, I thought I’d recount the tale of our wedding today. That was when I discovered that I’d already recounted it once before, and in a much more entertaining fashion than I could possibly come up with today, thanks to being brain-dead after staying up way too late last night (thanks, insomnia).

To read what I wrote about our wedding for the 2012 October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge, go here. 🙂

I also discovered, from the same blog challenge, a post wherein I recounted the story of our first date. I skimmed the post, and I actually liked the older post even better than the one I shared two weeks ago. See? This is the sort of thing I mean when I say I can’t remember squat.

Anyway, this week’s throwback photo is a favorite from our wedding reception. That’s the best man holding the flower girl while being attacked by the ring bearer. Lots of great pictures from that night; lots of great memories.

Have a great weekend, everybody, and don’t forget to stop by Charnele’s blog and see what she’s thinking about this fabulous Friday!

Review time!

April 21, 2015April 20, 20157 Comments

Over the weekend, I read the latest from Mark R. Hunter, Slightly Off the Mark: The Unpublished Columns. With columns on everything from politics to the weather (one of my own favorite topics), this book was chock full o’ laughs. I was crying with laughter within minutes of opening this book, and I elicited strange looks from my family as I continued reading.

At 190 pages, it was a quick read, and I finished it within a day. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately, and this was just what I needed to cheer me up. So if you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it.

Go on. You know you want to. 🙂

Mark R. Hunter is an author, firefighter, humorist, dad, and self-proclaimed home maintenance failure from northeast Indiana. His weekly humor column “Slightly off the Mark” appeared in three newspapers for over twenty years, which is coincidentally the age of his first grey hair, before being unceremoniously cut short in 2014. This volume collects his previously unpublished and “leftover”columns.

Photo Friday besties edition, round 3

March 27, 2015March 27, 20155 Comments

This week’s throwback is from my senior year of high school. I find it hard to believe that this picture is thirteen years old, but the date stamp in the bottom corner doesn’t lie.

Or does it? 😛

You couldn’t beat the Rollerdrome for a good time.

This girl, y’all. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten. Whatever life throws at us, we get through it together. She’s the kind of friend you don’t find often, and ours is the kind of friendship that you hold onto with both hands and don’t let go of.

So here’s to another twenty-six years of being best friends. And may our kids have the kind of relationship that our moms had and that we have, because that would just be awesome. 🙂

How long have you been friends with your best pal? Do you have any lifelong friends?

Don’t forget to check out Charnele’s throwback post!

Photo Friday: Besties

March 13, 2015March 20, 20153 Comments

This picture isn’t quite as old as some of the others I’ve been posting, but after reading this comment on my scouting throwback post, I decided a post with Miss A. was in order. 🙂

besties

This one is from the summer of 2008, when Miss A. came back for a visit. I don’t remember why, just that we had a great time seeing each other, as we always do. It doesn’t matter how far apart we are, we’ll always be the best of friends. 🙂

Don’t forget to check out Charnele’s Photo Friday post! 🙂

Photo Friday: The good ol’ days

March 6, 2015March 6, 20157 Comments

Today we revisit the summer of 2003, when I worked for the Reinbeck Courier with my bestest bud and was expecting a bubbly arrival:

raindance

Here we are, dancing in the street as the first rain we’d had in a good month or so fell freely from the sky. It was a beautiful day, and unbeknownst to us (at the time), our boss was watching from the window, camera in hand. This picture ran on the front page. We laughed.

Man, I had a good time that summer. It’s hard to beat doing a job you love with awesome people.

And nothing beats a good rain dance. 🙂

Don’t forget to check out Charnele’s throwback post! 🙂

Have you ever danced in the rain (literally, as above, or figuratively)?

Photo 365 #198

February 21, 20152 Comments

I’m not sure whose expression is funnier here, Thumper’s or Bubbles’:

candycoma

Okay, Bubbles takes the cake. But Thumper takes the candy. 🙂

He won a huge pot of candy at the first fish fry of Lent last night. Apparently he correctly guessed how many pieces were in the container. He was so excited when they gave him the whole thing! He shared quite nicely, but I hate to think how much of this he ate before we left.

Fish fries are definitely my favorite part of Lent. The counter full of chocolate goodies? That was difficult. Luckily there were plenty of people to talk to and keep me away from all the deliciousness. 🙂

Photo Friday scouting throwback

February 20, 2015February 20, 20157 Comments

I was a proud Girl Scout when I was little, and so were pretty much all my friends. We had great leaders and lots of fun.

scouts

This is a picture from a field trip to the local TV station. I remember this trip being a lot more fun than the one we took for school some years later, but the best part about this picture is that Jenni and I are still friends, even after all these years. 🙂

Don’t forget to check out Charnele’s throwback post, and have a great weekend!