Thinking about Hope...

April writing...

Saturday, June 28th, 2008 will always be a sad day for the Upton family. Stacy, Andrew and Andrea lost their little girl, Hope this past weekend during a terrible car accident. Hope was riding her bike and entered the road without looking first and was struck by a van. She was most likely killed almost instantly.

I can only imagine the anguish and pain that this family is experiencing and I can only pray that God would touch them in the weeks and months to come as they miss their little girl. I know God has his hand on all the situations in our lives, but sometimes it is hard to see the reason behind it all. Yet it seems that the family is clinging to God and showing tremendous Faith in him now.

She was too young to go, but she now plays in Heaven and one can only imagine the joy she will experience for eternity now.

I didn't know Hope very well personally. I have had times where we spoke, but I know that she had many friends at church and that she seemed to be quite a spunky little girl. I am sure losing a personality like hers from your life can seem to leave a void that will not soon be filled, so my thoughts and prayers go out to The Upton family. May God hold you in his hands as he holds your daughter and sister for eternity.

You can read more about the story here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.child30jun30,0,5335057.story

Monica's right...

April writing...

Polyvore DOES cure work boredom....

What do ya think?

I call this..."On the Town"




and I like to call myself...a dork. This IS fun though! :) Let's try another....
"A hint of Lime"

On the Harbor...

April writing...

I just wanted to share some of my favorite shots from my work's 50th Anniversary Dinner Cruise that took place last night. Here you go...for your viewing pleasure.

Hope you enjoyed them! Let me know! Leave us some LOVE!!!

SYTYCD Week #3 - UPDATED

April writing...

Week #3 - So here are the Dances of the night...in order starting from the WORST to the BEST!!
#8 - Comfort & Chris
#7 - Chelsea & Thayne
#6 - Jessica & Will
#5 - Kortni & Matt
#4 - Courtney & Gev
#3 - Katie & Josh
#2 - Kherrington & Josh

and my FAVORITE dance of the night was...(never thought I would say this...but)

#1 - Chelsie & Mark

OK and my WOW votes for the night are...Courtney and Gev! Even though they weren't at the very top of my list...I thought that this dance was HOT. And her dress!! Oh MY Lordy!

My VOTES to GO are....Chris & Chelsea (I am over them...and pretty over thier partners too but I can only pick two!)

_______________________________

I mean, tell me I rock!!! Cause I do. I was TOTALLY right! Adios Chelsea and Chris!! The only really awkward things is now Thayne and Comfort will be partnered up. Ewww. Till next time!!!

*oh and p.s. DID you see Hok and Dominic!!! Ahhh I LOVE DOM!!!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

April writing...

"I can't wait to make him a Daddy."

My Super Hero Power

April writing...

I have decided what my super hero power should be.

If I am walking through a store and I see a chick wearing a cute outfit. I have to squeeze my eyes closed tight...walk backwards three steps...then snap my fingers three times and the *POOF* the outfit is in MY size and in MY closet waiting for me when I get home. Every part of the outfit too (keeping it to the outward clothing only mind you, no unmentionables.) I get the top, the bottom, the shoes, the purse and the jewelry. All waiting for me...perfectly suited for me...no matter what.

Now, you may be thinking, April, how can this power help the world? Well I beg of you to consider the chubby girls of the world.

How much happier would they be if they didn't have to go through the arduous task of trying on clothes that time after time, that don't fit...don't look cute on them...or what have you. Instead they will have a closet full of clothes that look equally as cute on them as on the smaller chicks.

Also as the Super Hero I will be...I can also use my power to SHARE clothes with other gals. So I follow the same steps, only right before I snap my fingers three times I say the name of the person I am sending the clothes to three times. Then they will have the outfit waiting in thier closet.

Now there are a few clauses:

1. I will only be able to use this power 3 times a week, so I have to make them good choices. Otherwise when I try and use this super hero power and I am out of the power it does the complete opposite...only it doesn't so much give my outfit to that person...but it makes me completely naked. I am talking nekked...all gone...bye bye...no clothes. So I will need to use my power wisely.

2. I can only share this power with others 1 time a week. So this time too must be choosen wisely.

3. I have 30 days to wear each outfit 3 times or it will dissappear from my closet. Gone.

You see, I wouldn't want to see this power go to my head. I could go crazy with this you know...I need to give myself limitations.

:)

Amazing Glaze...how sweet the paint...

April writing...

Ok yes, I apologize for the lame post title. Whatev let's get over it now.

So last night I was invited by my dear friend TT (Terri) to Ladies Night at Amazing Glaze. It was so much fun! I got to meet Terri's friends Amanda and Natalie and myself, Terri, Brittany and Manda enjoyed ourselves so much.

At first for some there was the feeling of sheer terror in the air, just trying to pick out what item to PAINT! I jumped right in, because, in my normal fashion...I had planned ahead! I was ready with my design and raring to go!

Here is my blank canvas. It's a square plate about 8 inches long and tall. Very cute.

Here I am in the next step of my process. Painting the outer edge BLACK. To match all the frames in my living room. The center part is in a green puffy paint. So it will be a raised surface.

Here we are at step three...adding the swirlies in white puffy paint to the outer edge. It's coming together TO nicely!

and finally step 4, I added some matching green dots on the swirly area to bring it all together. By this point my hand was shaking. Trying make those areas match was TOUGH!!!

Here I am with my masterpiece. Now, just for your information. This will get dropped in a clear glaze and then fired. So my colors will come out really vibrant and dark. So even though there are places where the black now looks grey, that will all change!!!

Now, enjoy some pictures from the rest of the night!! :)

SYTYCD Week #2 UPDATED

April writing...

Week #2 - sorry for the delay in watching, I was a little preoccupied with Cory's birthday on Wednesday...here we go!

So here are the Dances of the night...in order starting from the WORST to the BEST!!
#9 - Susie & Marquis
#8 - Chris & Comfort
#7 - Chelsea & Thayne
#6 - Will & Jessica
#5 - Mark & Chelsie
#4 - Kortni & Matt
#3 - Courtney & Gev
#2 - Joshua & Katie

and my FAVORITE dance of the night was...

#1 - Twitch & Kherrington

OK and my WOW votes for the night are...Twitch & Kherrington! I adored this dance! And Mia Michaels is a flipping MORON. boo her.

My VOTES to GO are....Jessie & Marquis (I just wasn't wowed by them at all.)

_______________________________

So I got ONE out of TWO right for who got voted off. This week, we lost another full couple...Marquis and Susie. They did a lousy job, and I wasn't sure how she made it on the show anyways!!!

Oh...yes I am!

April writing...

Oh yes my friends. It is the Yuppy Puppy® Treat Machine. And it will be coming to a front door near my house SOON...(very near in fact....my own front door)! I can only imagine the fun that my pups will have with this Yummy contraption.

You see, they walk up to it, pull down on the bone shaped lever and out pops a treat. Now I know that from time to time I will have to put this little neat thing away out of thier site or they will be like two old depressed men sitting at the bar..."Hey bartendar...hit me again...hit me again...hit me again." Until they 'eat' themselves into a treat-drunken stuper. But oh well, for the times it will be out...it will I am sure be a source of entertainment. I will be sure to post a video soon!! (When I get it!)

A Birthday and the best big jumps ever

April writing...

Yesterday my dear sweet hubby turned 30 years old. (eeekkk!) He survived the day well and in good spirits. He enjoyed a round of golf in some wonderful weather and then we had tacos for dinner and his family came over for some Wii fun and games! Happy Birthday to you my sweets. I love you for the MAN you are becoming...and I don't think your old at all... :) Cause we are so young at heart!!

Myself and Malorie amused ourselves with the camera...as usual. Here are some of my favorites!
Then the pictures got a little silly:

Mal: Ba take pictures of me doing my jumps.

Me: Ok well start jumping and I'll take pictures.

Mal: Oh yes! (she balls her hand up in a fist pumping it fast in excitement)

Me: Are you ready now? GO!

Mal: These will be my bests ones!

She is the biggest HAM...seriously. She is great! :)

1...2...3 Side Jobs.

April writing...

So I am eager to share with you how my 1....2....3....3rd business is going! haha! (I am growing an entrepreneurial split personality!)

Well, first let me tell you (for those that don't know) about my other side jobs.

#1 - I have been an Independent Stampin' Up Consultant for about 3 years now. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Although lately finding customers has become harder. I know that economic times are hard, but I still have my faithful few Scrapbook and Card Maker friends that come to my monthly Club and enjoy purchasing the wonderful products from me. If you are interested, just let me know!!! I would love to show you the products and even get you as hooked as I am on scrapbooking and more!!

#2 - About a year and a half ago I started another side job - Heartscape Designs. It is custom Scrapbooking and Memory Preservation. So far I have had 4 clients and I love doing this, because it is scrapbooking and that is most definitely my hobby! I hope to pick up and start advertising this business more after the summer...when things in my schedule start to die down. However I am available now if you are interested! Just contact Heartscapedesigns@gmail.com for more information!

and finally my last side business...job...whatever.

#3 - eSlick Sells on eBay. Now come on...you gotta admit that's a creative name! haha! Ok I was way more amused than anyone else about the name for this third attempt at extra income! :) Anywho, this business is I think doing the best out of all three for the moment. Currently I have 2 active clients with another one on the way (thanks Terri!)...as well as anything I sell personally on eBay. It is a pretty good system that I am proud of and I am thoroughly organized. If you are interested in hearing more about this, just contact me today! I will send you my business info and we can go from there!

I am hoping to increase clients with these businesses and work hard at all three to get myself set up to still earn some extra income even after we have children!! I am quite proud of myself so far and I am eager to see where it all leads.

Big forearms, plants and photography oh my!

April writing...

Yowsaas it's boring today! I have a small pile of Specs that I should be typing, but hey I have time for that. For now I am researching potential birthday ideas for my dear Hubby (his birthday is tomorrow!) and I am also watching funny videos on Youtube.com. How very interesting on this Tuesday morning.

Well, now onto filling you in on what the heck I am talking about in today's blog title...let's start with big forearms. That's poor little Cory hugemongous forearm. He got stung by a wasp at my parents pool on Sunday afternoon. It was a large one too...as reflected on the size of his swole red and warm arm. Here are a few other shots to show just how swollen it is!

Ok so it doesn't show it that well...but the whole side of his forearm is swollen out. And of course in the center there you can see where he was stung. I felt so bad for him. *although if he hadn't been dancing around like a little girl when I was putting on his sunscreen it may not have been so bad...heehee!! LOVE YOU BABE!*

Moving on...

As shown here I told you last week about a new plant that I had bought, the climbing shell plant. Well it was slowly growing...that is until I came in on Monday morning. It had sprouted big time and already had one shoot climbing up the stacks I had in the pot. Time to get a trellis!! See it now, on Tuesday am!

Ok, ok I know. I am a bit of a dork...but you just wait...it's gonna be a gorgeous plant and your gonna want one of your own!! :)

Now onto photography...so I also told you last week about how I have been learning and reading about taking better pictures. Well I had a chance to do some practice shots while waiting to be seated for our dinner on saturday. So here are some of my favorite shots and the rules I used to take them!

The rule of: thirds

The rule of: Getting closeThe rule of: Framing your focal point

The rule of: Showing motion

That's all for now!!! I will continue learning! But I am pleased with these pictures!! :) Hope you enjoyed my somewhat random post today...maybe something excited will happen soon and I will really have something to blog about. Later!

To BLOG or not to BLOG....

April writing...

Some days, I'll be honest...I feel the urge to blog but I am empty. I search around reading random articles on the internet for ideas...I try and remember funny things that happen...and still, at times...there is nothingness.


So I sit here today...blank, but wanting badly to blog. So let's see what happens.


Not sure why...other than because they are so legend...wait for it...dary! But I really miss Britt and Jason! So if you guys are out there reading this...come home...I am bored. And I really want to start planning an AWESOME baby shower for you B!!!

*side note: It smells like poo in my office. It's pretty disgusting.*


So on Monday, Cory and I went to Andrew and Terri Peters house for dinner. (And Bennet, my boyfriend lives there too) We had an AWESOME Supper Tyhme dinner of Orange Chicken Piccatta, Mashed Potatos and Cauliflower and Brocolli. It was absolutely yummy!! *Thanks for having us over! It was a blast!!*

We then played on the Wii Fit...that...was...FUN. I mean some of the stuff is pretty hard...and I am SO totally wanting one now. I mean bump all the other Wii games (except for maybe the Sports package that comes with it) I am all about the Wii Fit. So I have been doing major searching for a good deal!!! The idea was maybe an Christmas present for Cory and I, but who knows it maybe earlier than that *wink wink*!


Oh and I am MAJOR excited about this...I ordered a super cool plant about three weeks ago and last week it finally came in the mail. (Again, I didn't know 10 years ago that I would be this excited about plant life and my garden...but I so am!) Anyways...it is called the "Climbing Shell Plant"I mean seriously...how pretty is that?!?! Well when it came in the mail it was all dischevled and broken, so I had to pot it in a planter and bring it to work to set in my window so it could get the best sunshine possible for the first few days or weeks, whatever it needed. Well this is it now...it is doing SO well. (sorry it's kinda dark...I took it with my camera phone!)

Have I ever told ya'll about how SLOW it is on Friday's here at work? We have a skeleton crew (out of 14 employees, there are usually only about 5-7 of us here.) Almost ALL of the architects are gone, unless they happen to be in for a project. So the majority of the phone calls go to someone's voicemail. This also means there is not much work to do for others, cause they aren't here to give it to me.

So fridays, usually end up being clean April's workspace day. Which isn't too much work, seeing as how I keep my workspace pretty darn clean. I usually catch up on filing for the week (cause I can walk away from the desk without the phone ringing too much) and then I usually take care of some of my own stuff...like paying bills online, BLOGGING, etc. (Not that I don't have the time to do that the rest of the week too, haha!) Today is no exception, unless you count the fact that it is even SLOWER cause our phones keep going out, so that means less phone calls, leading to less work for me. Bleeeeehhhh. But HEY at least it is Friday right?!

*Please note, whil trying to include a picture in reference to the word FRIDAY (searching on google images...I came up with the following* (not at all sure HOW they are connected OR what they are doing in some of the pics, but they are funny none the less.)

Ok my dear people...I have wasted enough of your time. HAHA. Enjoy your FRIDAY!

SYTYCD Week #1 *UPDATED*

April writing...

Not that the world cares what little ol' me thinks...but I know some of my girls do...so I will keep this running throughout the season.

I just finished week #1 of So You Think You Can Dance...it was slightly uneventful actually. Sorry to be a buzzkill but I really wanted to be WOWED by the first night out! The pairings were great I think. Not sure how they do that, but the couples turned out nicely!!

So here are my favorite Dances of the night...in order!!
#10 - Jessica & Will
#9 - Kourtni & Matt
#8 - Comfort & Chris
#7 - Rayven & Jaime
#6 - Courtney & Gev
#5 - Chelsea & Thayne
#4 - Susie & Marques
#3 - Chelsie & Mark
#2 - Twitch & Kherrington

and my FAVORITE dance of the night was...

#1 - Katee & Joshua

There you have it. We will have to tune in tomorrow night to see who gets voted off.
My WOW votes for the night are...Twitch & Kherrington (and they happen to be partners!!)
My VOTES to GO are....Mark & Rayven (I just wasn't wowed by them at all.)
_______________________________

So I got ONE out of TWO right for who got voted off. In the first week, we lost a full couple...Rayven and Jaime. Which didn't bother me too much seeing as how she "pants'ed" him during thier performance! LATER!

I'm pretty funny!

April writing...

No, I am not REALLY trying to toot my own horn, but I just did something funny...truly. It cracked me up the whole time I was doing it...so if I my humor is lost on my co-workers then it will be a truly sad day.

You see, one of our bathrooms, the one I frequent regularly has a trick handle. If you don't pull it up when you are finished flushing then you will have a running toilet, which leads to the next person going in having to WAIT to flush the toilet, cause there is not water to do so. Anywho...it gets quite annoying when you go in to use the restroom and you have to take care of this other 'stuff' first. Boo.

Well today it annoyed me for the last time...so I marched over to my computer and made the following sign to hang in the bathroom:

"...caught the toilet running again!!"

"Please remember to lift the handle...so other's don't have to wait to flush!"

haha!! See the toilet running? And yes, that picture WAS included on the sign!! Totally funny. *laughing out loud* oh man.

Pheewww ok moving on...so I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard a news story about what they are now calling the "Sandwich Generation" immediately my head started darting around trying to figure out who the in the world they were speaking of and why it was call the 'sandwich generation!' Well, apparently this generation is middle aged people, with both their children and their parents living under one roof. And they are responsible for taking care of all of them. This is the 'Sandwich Generation." This term was officially added to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary in July of 2006. According to research 1 out of every 8 American Adult is caring both raising a child and caring for their parents.

Interesting. Especially seeing how my family has kind of been experiencing this lately. You see, Mom and Dad still have Bekah (my youngest sister) living at home. She just turned 17. The past month my Grandpa a.k.a. Slater (Mom's Dad) has been living with them while my Aunt Zelma (who regularly cares for him) is out of the country. Aunt Sylvia has been in town helping as well since Mom still works full-time. So Mom is technically considered to be a part of the "Sandwich Generation" at least while he is here.

So in celebration of Sandwich Generation Month which is July1-31st in the United States (yes, it is actually registered with the National Special Events Registry) Here's a shout-out to MOM & DAD! (and Aunts Sylvia & Zelma) You are doing a great job! And even though Grandpa thinks it's funny to scale the walls of the pool deck just to watch us swim, and he fights about when he really has to go to the bathroom...there are still the 'Mighty Good' times and the laughter that he provides for all of us while he is here, even if he probably doesn't realize that!

Thanks for all you do, and I am sure one day I will be called on to return the favor of caring for YOU TWO...so I hope I do as well as you are doing...or at least put you in a good home, right Mom?!! haha :)

V A C A T I O N

April writing...

It's ALMOST here!

I am terribly excited!! Even more so now that all the plans are coming together...

We will be flying...

We will be staying at the Inn at...

*click to follow link to see the Inn*

We will be going to see a Dodger's Game...going to the San Diego Zoo...going to Hollywood...and of course...going to the BEACH. (Where the real waves are right babe??)

AHHH I am just so excited! This is going to be an AWESOME vacation!! I can't wait!

Taking better pictures

April writing...

So I have always had a mild fascination with photography and beautiful pictures...and as I get older it seems to have grown. Now I am looking into learning more about how to take better pictures. So I have been doing research and reading alot of articles on the topic and today I ran across one...and I decided to challenge myself to find pictures (thanks google.images) that go along with the "Photo-Rules." So here, take some time to learn what I have learned...

#1 - DO use COLOR. Sepia, Black and White, Vivid, Neutral...all of it. They make for interesting pictures.
#2 - DO have fun with perception shots. Like this one below. Perception shots are always a blast to take...they do take practice and patience though!

#3 - DO NOT clutter your background. Take the picture below, when you could have focused on the horse in the foreground, now the background horse is stealing some of the limelight and the viewers attention away from your focal point.

#4 - DO use reflections and shadows in your photo. Look for ways to showcase natures own snapshots. #5 - DO forget the flash. Every now and then use the natural light and shadows in a room to create beautiful pictures. Open the windows, stand in the sun, etc.
#6 - DO draw the viewers attention into the picture. Whether using angles or having the object in your picture look as if it is coming from outside of the picture to the center...it makes for a unique shot!
#7 - DO show motion...find a way to perfect the center focal point while still maintaining the balance of the movement all around them.
#8 - DO remember the rule of thirds. Think of your camera shot as being divided into thirds. Place your focal point not in the center, but in the left or right...the outer thirds of the camera shot. This will also add some focus to the surrounding landscape or background without taking away from the main focus. #9 - DO get close. You always have a focus in any picture, so if you can get close do it. Learn how to use your macro setting and create a full beautiful shot!

#10 - DO frame your focal point. For example take the picture below...If I wanted to take a picture of the mountains in the background, I would have normally zoomed in. Why not create contrast and frame with including the foreground in the shot! What a shot!

#11 - DO use angles...shot from below your focus or subject, or above, or to the side. It creates drama and a fun new way for the viewer to see the photo.

#12 - DO keep clean lines. Especially when taking horizon pictures. Keep your lines even with the eye as not to take away from the beauty of the shot.

These are all really great rules...and looking for images to define them visually wasn't very hard. I could totally do this!!! So it is my goal to take one of my OWN shots for each of these rules...and hopefully post them very soon!! Hope that you learned something like I did...and here's to BEAUTIFUL pictures!!!