A forever friendship

Ok, fine. I think I'll come out of hiding. There's a no better time than now, right? (That's what I'm telling myself as I sit here in peace and quiet; something I never get. I pray I get this again so I can start writing again!)

And why have I been hiding, you ask? Well, most of you know my story. And I've not really been hiding. Just occupied. I got sick, then pregnant, then had a complicated delivery and then when Finn was about 10 months old we packed our bags and moved far away to . . .Omaha, Nebraska. So. Life has been crazy. Lots of ups and downs but overall, it's been one exciting adventure. My life is never dull. (I'm saying that with a smile, I promise!)

Since being here in Omaha I have found my life to be even busier than before. Well, in the mother-sense. Not so much the photographer-sense. I haven't hardly picked up my camera for any "jobs" since last summer. It's been a somewhat-difficult thing to get used to, but honestly, it's been nice. What's been keeping me so busy is the exploration of Omaha, finding new doctors, getting the kids acclimated and getting myself acclimated, plus the biggest reason, Finn, who is now 18 months, and quite the busy little guy. (That's probably an understatement.) The weeks have just flown by. Plus we've made a few trips back to Illinois, I spent 9 days in Mexico and we just got back from Walt Disney World. Like I said, my life is never dull!

Our moving . . .yeah, that's something I'll have to write more about later. If you know me, you know it's something you probably never dreamed I would do in a million years. I didn't think so either. But it has happened (God's plan!) and it has been a really great adventure. More on that another day because yeah, you're right, it's big stuff for our family.

Right now I have to remind you about one of my best friends, Alexis. She is living as an expat in Japan right now and has for a couple years now (in which I can't hardly believe it's been that long). And as you know, Japan was just hit by a category 9 earthquake followed by a tsunami within the hour which took thousands upon thousands of human lives, not to mention homes, places of work, farms . . .livelihoods. Thank God Alexis lives in Kobe south and west of Tokyo. But everything has still "hit" her and her family. So please, please think about her and their family as they journey through this very very scary time. And please continue to keep the entire country of Japan in your prayers. It's the one and only thing that is going to get these people through such a horrible time in their lives.

I told Alexis a few weeks ago that when I did start back up my blog, I already knew in my mind what it was going to be about. I didn't tell her it was going to be about her. And this was before the catastrophes took place.

See, life is never dull for Alexis, either. But when you think about it, it's never dull for any of us. Life is a journey, life is a book, life is preparation to take us to the next place . . .a place of perfection . . .something we all dream about. And that journey and preparation is different (yet so much the same) for each of us. (Ok, that was a side thought, but a thought that already resides in my head a lot as I question my own life and why I go through the things I do.)

Alexis has been a part of my own personal journey for the past 10 years. My original post was gong to be about that. A "Happy 10-year Friendship Anniversary to us!" blog post to a best friend who has literally gotten me through the worst and best times in my life. Now it's a "Happy 10-year Friendship Anniversary to us!" plus a "Stay safe, I'm praying for you and I love you so much" post.

I also have to throw in a picture (now why would I post a picture?! HA!). I thought of Alexis a few weeks ago when Neil brought home a new wine for me to try. He knew I'd like the label and when I saw the label, I almost didn't drink it so I could share it with Alexis when I next saw her because it was so cute and so perfect for her and I. But then the selfish part of me said "nah, just drink it, she'd rather you drink it and enjoy now and then you can just buy it again when you see her next". So I did. I drank it and I thought of you, Alexis, with every single delicious sip!


So back to Alexis and our friendship; many of you know our history, but some do not.

We met online 10 years ago in a pregnancy-support board. Shortly after, she and her family moved to Decatur, Illinois (where I lived at the time) from the Chicago-area after the birth of their 3rd child, Allison. Not long after their move to my town, they lost sweet Allison at 3-1/2 months old to complications with congenital heart defects. I knew from that day on that my friendship with Alexis would change me forever. There was a reason for God bringing her into my life and now I know many of those reasons. She was there with me as I learned I finally had a viable pregnancy. She got to see Noah's heart beating with me. (We celebrated!) We then shared our new pregnancies together. And the moments, memories and celebrations continued for 8 more years. I am SO incredibly thankful for this special friendship we have.
She has been a stable rock for me. Our friendship is one that will last forever . . . past life, but literally forever.

So, that said (in the shortest way I think I have ever said it!), thank you, Alexis, for your friendship, and Happy Anniversary! Looking so very forward to the next 10 years.

You can learn more about my wonderful, colorful, funny, entertaining friend at her blog (she's been much better than me at keeping up with her blogging). She has a big following so go check it out when you have time. She's an amazing writer and just by reading her stories, I can guarantee that she's immediately become your friend, too :)

Happy Birthday, Heather!

I get so excited for my friends when good things happen to them. They are my friends so of course I think they deserve nothing better than the best. Here's the other exciting news.

Most of you either know Heather or know of her because I talk about her so much. She is one of my friends whom I have known for like 26 years. She has been through a lot in her lifetime . . . I won't go into it, but she's been through things in her short lifetime that none of us would even want to fathom. She's a trooper and I respect her and her strength more than almost anyone I know. She's also one of my truest, dearest friends. I call her one of my very best friends. And today, today is her birthday. And I wish her the best birthday ever. Unfortunately zoo things called (she is the head zoo keeper at our zoo) but tomorrow she is having some pampering which she is so deserving of.

Not that her birthday isn't exciting, but I have some news that is even more exciting than cake and candles. Last weekend Heather, her fiance, Lee, and Lee's son went with us to a local water park. We had a blast. (Our boys are the same age.) While there they talked about a house that they really loved. They wanted us to see it. Of course we were more than happy to (and secretly really wanted to see it anyway!).

Here's a picture from the water park -- I love this of them. Cole is on the right. One of Noah's friends whom he likes to get in trouble with. Gotta love boys!

Back up a bit. Heather and Lee are getting married in September. They're living in an apartment right now and really really want a house. Neither have ever lived in a house since they've been "on their own". So this step was a big huge one just to begin the "looking" process. And their goal was to find something before the wedding date.

So we went with them to see the house, and to make a long story short, we loved it (you know, they don't do anything without Val's approval! tee-hee!) and they loved it all over again but even more, and so right then and there they put an offer on it. The guy took it and in just a few weeks they CLOSE on their new house! Talk about a fabulous birthday present. This is going to be quite an exciting year for Heather and Lee. And no one deserves that more than they do.


Happy Birthday, dear wonderful forever-loving friend. I love you!

And Baby Makes Three . . . Plus Pooch!

I know it's been a while. So busy. So busy. Who isn't, though? Lots of excitement, one of them being . . . . .

Drumroll . . . .



My dear friend, Johanna, IS PREGNANT!!!!

Okay, okay, so I've known about it for a while . . . she actually told me in secrecy in May and I didn't tell a soul. Not a soul. Her husband's family and my husband's family are inter-related and you know how things travel though the air :c) She just wanted to be definitely sure that things were okay with the baby. She knows what I went through and what her friend, Mika, has went through and how you just can't take a + sign on a pregnancy test for granted. And she hasn't. She's amazingly held in her excitment for a while now.

Jo and Jason . . .two people who are so deserving of a little precious miracle. I, for one, and ELATED for them. And you will be, too, when you read her new blog. She's been blogging since she found out and it's just the cutest little blog EVER. Once you read one entry, you will be hooked. She's so cute in her blog and this cuteness is so her. That is how she is, cute, sweet, funny . . . I'm so honored that she is one of my closest friends. She's a pretty amazing woman and will be one heck of a mother. :c)

Now wish her some congrats here or at her blog. She'll be tickled pink if you did (I think it's a girl!).

A quickie. . .

My dearest, Erin, and her sweet hubby, Jer, are here, and it's so so great. It's their 2nd (and last *sob*) night here before heading to Pennsylvania tomorrow. I'm doing everything in my power to try and keep them here or at least convince them to come back through Illinois on their way home. I don't think it's working, but I'll keep trying until they (and Penny) leave. It's been the best time ever. I love her (Jer, too) like she's been a best friend always. Thankfully we have the rest of our lives to be those kind of friends :c)

Saturday in Chicago (recap of the day)

As I proof zillions of pictures, I must take a break to share some of my favorites.

Saturday in Chicago, Johanna met me at the apartment at 8:30 a.m. We took a taxi to Millennium Park where we met our first family at 9:00. It went awesome despite the no clouds and very hard morning light. It's hard to complain about beautiful weather, but for perfect-o photos, you really need some overcast. Ah well, at least we had the sunny warm day. It all went perfectly regardless because that's where the sun filter came in that Jo got to hold. (After an incident, the "demon filter", as we ended up calling it.)

At 10:30 the 2nd family arrived. At 12:30 our 3rd family arrived with lunch for us. (Thank you again, Katie and David!) We sat and had a picnic with them and then I shot 'em at 1:00. At 3:00 was my final family. When Johanna and I were finished, my hubby and kids, along with Johanna's hubby, Jason, came out to meet us at Millennium Park. If you have never been to Millennium Park and you have a chance to go to Chicago, you must go there. It's just a really phenomenal place no matter what season.

After walking all over the shoreline of Chicago, Grant Park and Millennium Park for 8 hours, Johanna and I were pretty tuckered out. We thought playing in the fountains at the park would be a great ending to our day. (We both worked so very hard. She was the best assistant in the world and we had just a really wonderful time working together. Oh and we were red. Very red. We totally forgot that we'd be in harsh sun all day long, therefore, we forgot the sunscreen. Our bodies reaped our mistake!)

Jason, Neil and the kids arrived. The kids with their swimsuits on, and the big boys just looking their always cute selves. The kids (Noah and Maia) weren't hesitant at all to join in all the fun. They did and it was just the cutest thing for this mommy to see. Here's some pictures from our evening.

Thank you again, dear Johanna. Love you!

Here's the beautiful view we saw part of the day:

Our cutie boys:


Jason and Johanna still dry in this picture. You can see the whole series from dry to soggy wet at my flickr site. They're cute pictures that you must see :)


And after:




The kids try out the water, and as you can see on their faces, loved it.

We never have family pictures. Jo shot it, and I love it, despite the fact that I think Maia has to pee :c)


I love this one, too. Jo also shot it. Way to go, girlfriend!

This is also a favorite because of the kids' expressions and their reflections in the water. This one merits being printed! (Jo again!)


After playing in the water, we went with Jas and Jo to their house in Lincoln Square area (still the city of Chicago . . . just a "neighborhood" that is super cute and trendy). Then we walked to dinner at The Daily (in Lincoln Square)


and had the opp to shoot some cute pictures there and eat some rockin' food. I love my Jo:



Our feet which were dressed alike (unplanned). I don't even hesitate to take shots like this with Jo because we are identical in how we think so taking odd pictures like this one comes au naturale to us.


As does this one:

Yes, it's a tot to go along with my ketchup :c) Only you all would understand :c)

The kids were SO hungry because by the time we ate it was like 8:00 or something. Noah was so patient. SO patient. I love how (most of the time) this virtue sticks with him.
I love his freckle. His little signature birth mark :c)

And to end . . . Maia and a tomato. I think I've mentioned before that this is her favorite food. She'd eat it at every single meal if I had them on hand all of the time. Watch out if you have one on your plate because you'll have no choice but to give it to her.


Many more posts to come about Chicago (as I get through proofing all the sessions) along with my wedding over the weekend. Which, thankfully ended up GREAT! The weather was perfect and I haven't had such a great time at a reception in a LONG time.

Oh, and I have some exciting news to share tomorrow. Stay tuned! :c)

Today I . . .

. . . said goodbye to Jen and Addison. We had such a great time together. Like always, it was so soooo hard to say goodbye. Who knows when we'll see each other again. Great friends are hard to find. I miss them already.

. . . have a terrible sinus headache.

. . . slept 2 hours after they left due to this terrible headache.

. . . finally became a Twitter-er. Check out my sidebar. Do you twitter?

Southern Belles & Prairieland Girls

It was my dear friend, Jen's, little girls 2nd birthday last week. And I missed being a part of that celebration. Addison Jayne is 6 months to the day younger than Maia. I so wish I could have been there with her as Jen threw Addy her 2nd birthday party. I miss them both so much and Maia misses the friend she's not really ever gotten to know (or wait, I guess it's mommy who is sad because she's never really gotten to know her). But being she was hundreds of miles away down yonder in Hattiesburg, MS, well, it was kinda hard to make that trek. I cried when I saw the pictures on Jen's blog of Addison's birthday. It is so hard to see your friends move away. It's so hard to see their children grow up so fast. So hard. I miss them direly. Jen is one of those true friends who no matter the time or distance, will always be that same amazing wonderful friend. And that is a blessing.

Wanna hear some spectacular news?! No more tears welled up in my eyes! FRIDAY I GET TO SING ADDISON HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN PERSON. Addy and Jen are coming HOME!!!!!!!!!! Friday Jen and Addy are making their way here and they're staying all night with us! You know why this is more than very exciting? Because I remember when I had to say goodbye to Jen and I asked when she'd be back and she said "I'll probably never be back here, Val."

Saturday we're spending our day uptown here. Maia gets to play with Addy (Addy was just a couple months old when they moved) and Jen and I get to play catch up. It's going to be the best 24 hours in a long long time. But, only 24 hours. Wahh. I have to make the most of it.

So much to do, so little time. So why am I online? Because writing about it helps me get my bearings straight. It's like talking out loud to a friend. I need to clean clean clean and make some food . . . a cake maybe for Addy? I thought I'd have some fresh fruit and muffins for them . . . but I don't know if we're doing dinner out or not, so I'm not sure whether to plan for any big meals. Hmmmm . . . I went and bought some new pillows for the girls sleep on. They'll be staying in Noah's room in his bed. (We'll move Noah downstairs.) There won't be any big room transformations like what my amazing fabulous designer friend did for her guest, but at least I have a real bed for them and not a couch or mattress on the floor (*wink, Erin*). Oh, I just remembered, I do need to go out and get some tequila. Margaritas are Jen's fave. I'm sure we'll need one or two of those. ;c)

Anyway, obviously I need to get my derriere in gear. I have a brand new newborn shoot tonight which I am so excited about, so I need to concentrate on preparing for that the rest of the morning. So then I will only have about a day to prepare for my dear friend's arrival. Wish me luck. I want to give them a great impression of Illinois again so maybe they'll . . . move back??? Hopefully I can come up with something better than fresh crawfish and the ocean breeze. :c)

Trail Mix - and tons and tons of Trix

Neil was gone this week traveling to Atlanta, and anytime he is gone, I really don't get much accomplished, hence why I haven't posted. I've also been spending a ton of time in the car driving back and forth to town where my chiropractor is. I'm not sure how much longer I can do that because I'm spending an extra $100 a month just on gas, not to mention the actual cost of my visits. I love my doc and I love seeing Beth 2-3 times a week, but but but . . . I don't know. It's just a ton of driving.

But I'm not posting to complain but to post some happy trail mix bits about my past week. It's definitely been a good week. Let's start with last weekend . . .

It was warm. Very warm. The nicest day we had seen so far this year. (Today it snowed!) We bought a new outdoor table to go with the outdoor chairs we had purchased last year, so we set all that out while Noah "raked" the yard, as you can see here,

and the little miss was on the lookout for bugs. She's so into bugs right now!

Frankie really enjoyed the weekend, too. And aren't her pearly whites beautiful?! We had her teeth cleaned professionally a few weeks ago for the first time ever and they look so good and I know she feels sooooo much better. See how perty?

I think I have mentioned before that my parents are looking to sell their house and buy a new one. Well, they've been getting their house ready for about a year now. Suddenly a (perfect) house just came along and mom went alone to check it out. She loved it. So the kids and I went with her to see it again the first of the week. I loved it, too. The kids adored it. It seemed too perfect for them but there was a lot of "buts" and "ifs" involved. However, dad agreed to see it near the end of the week and THAT NIGHT he just threw out an offer and the people TOOK IT! Today they signed some papers and in less than 2 weeks, they can move in! I'm sooooo happy and excited for them!! I just can't explain how happy I am for them. The deserve it so so much. Congrats mom and dad!

On the way to see the new house that day I drove into this. While it didn't amount to anything bad, it sure was a pretty picture I couldn't keep from taking.
If you didn't know what Illinois looked like, well, there you have it!

Thursday the kids and I made brownies for daddy's return home. Brownies are his favorite and the kids (and myself) love licking the bowls!

Friday night we drove up to Peoria, IL to visit two pairs of great friends of ours, Kristin & Chris and Andrea & Rusty. To make a long long story short, Andrea, Rusty and their family are moving sometime soon to El Paso, TX. We don't want them to go, but well, what can we do but be super happy for them because it's a really good move for their family. So we went up to visit them just in case their move is soon and we don't see them again for a long while (*sob*). We had homemade yummy pizza, salad, dessert and wine :c) Kristin, Rusty, Neil and I went to grade school through high school together and then Rusty, Neil and I went on to college together. Rusty and Andrea started dating and she and I became super great friends. Then Rus and Andrea moved to P-town and she and Kristin got to be good friends. Anyway, it's all so very cool. It's been an incredible blessing having Andrea in my life. I can't imagine her not in it. And then Kristin, well, I think it says a lot that after what seems like a gizillion years, we're still the best of friends. So here we are, Kristin, Andrea and I.
Kristin has a boy, Jackson, who just turned a year and has another baby on the way. Andrea has a girl, Audrie, who is 3 and Anderson who is 6 months. And you all know who belongs to me! We had such a great time Friday night.

Then Saturday evening I set up my backdrop and lights for my shoot with Corie on Sunday. Well, the kids wanted to help with that. Maia put on her ballerina tutu and the kids actually wanted me to take some pictures. They didn't have to twist my arm or anything either!

So the shoot with Corie and Keith went so fabulously perfect. I've had the pleasure of taking pictures of both of them many a times, so this was just another very fun time for me with a couple of my favorite two people, plus this time, one more (!) because of the bun in her oven! :c) We had such a fun maternity session because of Keith making us constantly laugh. I've only had a couple minutes to peek at the pictures and then allow you have a peek, too. Isn't Corie beautiful!?

The ice cream pose is one of my favorite ideas ever! I wish I could patent it . . . hehe. I love how it turned out but if I were to do it again, I'd put her in a color because the white on white really fades into each other but I still really love the concept and how it turned out.

Thanks, Cor, for such a great day and for coming back up from St. Louis for ME!!

Once my lights and backdrops were put up, I helped hubby unload the groceries which he and the kids got while I did the shoot with C & K. Noah wanted the "Trix" opened, so I opened them for him. A few minutes later I hear "oh-oh" and a huge spill. I turn around and see this. It absolutely could be worse. It was a great week, spilled trix and all :c)

WW ~ "You make my life so much fun . . . "

. . . we're going to be friends forever . . .
{click on pic to see 'em larger}

First wedding of 2008!

There is nothing more wonderful for a wedding photographer than a bride and groom and entire wedding party who are on time, ready and cooperative. Of course it helps to be friends with the bride, but I didn't know any of the others prior to yesterday. They were a piece of cake, and how nice that was to start off 2008! Heather and I agreed that we've never had such a good day with formals and they had a wedding party of 24!! (Holy cow!)

Unfortunately, even though it was above freezing outside, we still were not able to shoot any outdoor shots except for one or two (assuming they even came out -- the lighting was really overcast and dark even at 3:00) because it was hazy and raining all day long. But you kind of expect that going into a wedding in January in Illinois.

We started the day at 10:00 and walked back in my door last night at midnight. It was a 12-hour day for Heather and I, and I am really feeling it today! My legs, arms and feet really ache. That's kinda what you get when you wear heels, so I think I probably asked for sore feet, but on the positive side of soreness, I love having a 10-lb camera to lug around all day long because it really gives me nice work out resulting in toneage :c) (Is toneage/tonage even a word?)

Katheryne, the bride, works with my husband. She's went on 7-hour car trips having plenty of heart-to-hearts with him (heart-to-hearts?! Neil?? Yeah right!). Of course, Neil knows most of the people in her "group" at ADM and so I knew a big handful of them.

My good friend, Heidi, is also a friend of Katheryne, so she and Jase were there. Katheryne sat Heather and I at one of the the "ADM" tables, so that was really nice getting to not just shoot a wedding but enjoy the reception with good friends and drinky-drinks. It's usually Heather and I sitting at a table alone or with people who don't speak 2 words to us. (Which actually can be nice because it means we get to converse with each other all night and we don't have to make small-talk with people we'll never see again!)

The reception was tight . . . 400 guests! . . . but it was one of the best receptions I've ever been a part of. The people were genuinely happy and excited for Katheryne and Aaron. Their love just radiates for one another and so does the love that their friends and family have for them. The party was STILL going on strong when we left at 11:30, but we were exhausted and had to leave. It was a really fantastic wedding and it makes me really excited for the dozen I have this year.

Here's a few pictures from last night . . .

Heidi and Jase look over pictures on their cam
(How totally retro does Heidi look?! Stunning, I know!)

The cute couple, Heidi and Jase
(he rarely ever smiles for the camera showing teeth -- it's usually look-at-me-I-was-on-Big-Brother head shots -- which he would totally agree w/ me on! :c) but Val tends to have magical power with people and got the whites to show :c) hehe)

Heather and Heidi take on the dance floor!

Me and Heids

And, last but not least, the beautiful couple, Katheryne and Aaron
during their 1st dance.

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to my very best friend in the entire world . . . the daddy to my children. You are the sunshine in my life, and I know, in our children's lives as well. Happy 31st birthday.

Love,
me





p.s. I'm going to miss my water birth this morning, but I'm really excited to say I will still get to photograph tonight this new life coming into the world today . Erin and I are going to go see him/her this evening(she doesn't know what she is having, although I dreamed it will be her 3rd boy) and Neil will then share a birthday with a new little friend of ours :c)

I am getting a signal!!!!

I turn on my computer this evening to listen to my itunes and low and behold I see that I am getting one tiny bar of wireless signal!! I. AM. BEYOND. EXCITED. This really makes my day. (We aren't suppose to be connected till Monday. I think I'm getting this off of someone else - so thank you whoever you might be! Woo-hooo!)

So yes, here I am! I have missed the internet so darn much . . . I have missed you so darn much!

I'm sitting in the new house alone, for the first time ever. And I love it. O'ma (Neil's mom) took my kiddos this afternoon to spend the night with her the entire weekend. She is an angel!

Neil is at the "old" house (although technically they are both still ours until Monday, plus let's not forget the land we also own --- wow, all this ownership is quite scary!!) working on some minor repairs. We close on that house Monday afternoon.

Tomorrow is the big move, so I'm suppose to be getting the "new" house all ready for move-in. My heart is racing. I'm anxious, nervous, excited, but all in a good way. It also might be the Excedrin I took, I dunno?! But my heart is racing as I think of this weekend and how the end of the old house is near and the beginning of new beginnings is literally right around the corner. (Wow, that is a lot to comprehend for me as a mother and as a business owner.)

So, you'd never believe all that has been accomplished this week. I am so so very proud of myself, but I also have to give huge gigantic thanks to my friends and family. We could not have done this without them.

We painted about 2000 sq foot of walls (in 3 days). Maybe not 2000 sq ft, but pretty darn close. We painted the kitchen, the living room, the hallways, the entry/foyer, the kids' bathroom, Maia's room, Noah's room, our bedroom, and the downstairs bathroom. We did not get my office done or the master bath. The master bath can wait since we have no furniture to move in there. I would honestly love to be able to paint the office tonight. I'm not holding my breath on that one, though. I'm wearing out so quickly now.

I can't wait to tell you ( and show you!) the rooms and the colors we painted. Can you say guacamole for one room?! Yes sir'ee and I LOVE it.

All the help we have had has been amazing and outpouring. Neil could not take any time off this week during the week. So I was left at home every day with the kids with the hope of painting . . . somehow. I got nothing done really on Monday except for painting the kitchen and cleaning out the kitchen cabinets (let me tell you, the previous owners were not anal about cleaning!). But the rest of the week . . . wow. I seriously am without words.

O'ma kept the kids one day. My very dear friend, Leann, came over 3 days (and she has 4 young kids and still made time for me!). My dear boyfriends (I mean, girlfriends), Jeff and Brian came over for 2 whole days (I never knew those boys could get out of bed that early but they did it for me). Heather came over one afternoon and worked her derriere off in the kids' bathroom -- and drank 'ritas with mom and I. My mom came over when she could a couple evenings to paint and help with the kids. Joe (Leann's hubby) came over one evening, and then so did our friends Dan and Danielle that same evening and knocked out a lot of walls in a short amount of time.

I seriously am so so proud and so so thankful for these people. When Brian and Jeff left after day 2, I cried. May just be my wacked-out emotions right now (probably more like a combination of everything put together?) but I am just astonished at how hard those boys work and all for us. (Awwwwwww!) Man I am thankful and feel so so blessed! Thank you, dear Lord, for giving me these people.

Looks like we are having a lot of help for the big move also. Tomorrow the plan is for 7 hard-working men to help load the semi. And depending on whether we actually move in Saturday evening or Sunday morning, we have another 6 or 7 to help then, too. I am just so overwhelmingly excited and thankful and just really really happy. I'm not so happy about tomorrow's move and having to pack up my office and move all my files because I've never had to move a business before and the thought is scary and freakinng me out. I think that's one thing really making me anxious. (No, I know it is.) And I also am dreading the having-to-clean part once everything is out. But, we'll get it done. Mom and I will probably work hard on that one tomorrow afternoon.

Our new house. I LOVE it. It's 30 years old but is like brand-new to me! With new paint and the new hardwood floors and the new kitchen, it just feels and looks so brand spankin' new. A new house with great landscaping and a big established yard . . . I love it. Who could possibly ask for more or have that with a brand new house in a new subdivision? Not many.I just feel so at home.

Monday afternoon I called my sis, Chel, just to talk. I think we talked 45 minutes. I needed to tell someone . . . someone who I know understands the feeling. . . . just how happy, relieved and at home I feel here. I just love it. And I can't wait to show you in pictures more of it in the coming weeks. I'm making you wait! Bad bad Val, I know, but there just isn't time. I shouldn't even be on here now.

So, I know this is getting so darn long, and I'm sorry. Yet again . . . you are reading this because you love me, which means you probably know me, and with knowing me comes with having to read the long strung-out blog posts I make. HA! (Thank you for that.)

I need to sign off and get back to cleaning and getting the house ready for our furniture. It's gonna be a long long long day. I'll just add more baggage and soreness to my already dark bags under my eyes and tired achy body. (*smile*)

I can't go without thanking all those fabulous people who have helped us out thus far. And I want to especially thank Jeff, Brian and Leann. It was such great fun painting with you while singing along to Christian Rock, drinking pot after pot of coffee, planning our next vacation getaways, and just getting to know each other better (as if there was more to know?!). There's nothing better than these kinds of moments.

I also have to thank Erin, for making my day yesterday when I received a phone call from her to see how things were going. That phone call came at just the right time. It was so fun hearing your voice. You are as sweet as I imagined, yet more.

See ya all when moved in! Think of us tomorrow. And then Sunday, could you please come over and rub my feet. Pretty please??

My weekend . . . in pictures.

So I know we are already to Hump Day, so also almost to the next weekend. But let's just pretend for a minute that I'm on top of things and that this is Monday, k? Just humor me :c) I'm not even doing WW today. But wait, it's not Wednesday, it's Monday! (wink) So that means I am on top of things. Way to go, Val!

Last weekend . . . a great weekend . . . and one of my less stressed and hurried weekends in a long time, and I know in a long time to come as well! So I thought I'd post pictures since I kinda photo-journalized my days anyhow.

Erin had asked what books I bought while at B&N last week. Here they are. One is country, which if you know me, I don't scream "country", however I have a strong love of vintage style, and this book had quite a bit of it, hence, why I bought it! The other one is totally me. In-style, but in a less expensive type of way!

Saturday morning my mom and I did Race for the Cure. We walked in honor of my Grandma Libby, mom's mother. I had done the Race before, mom had not. She was so glad she had that opportunity. We had over 4100 in our race here in town. It was empowering, yet so very emotional. Here we are in pictures after the race. I forgot my camera, so these were taken when we got back to my house. And the one picture on the top right is our bag of yummies. I love freebies!

Then I drove to Springfield to meet up with Jen. Jen use to live on my block. We became the best of friends. I know God put her on my street for such a short amount of time so that we would meet and be friends forever. She and her family now live in Hattiesburg, MS. I haven't seen her in almost 1 year. And I've missed her. A lot. This is me on my way to visit Jen. I had NO KIDS IN THE CAR (Amen to that!) and I got to listen to my music (Regina Spektor) and I got to think quietly in peace. It was heavenly.

Here is Jenny-Jen and myself! We had to get coffee (why of course!) and we also hit the stores (um, hello, duh!). Jen had to get a dress for a wedding she was going to that evening. This picture here is of one she bought. She bought two and she called me later saying this was the one she wore (it was my fave!). And, as you can see, I had such fun with the 3-way mirrors! It was so great seeing her. Time was way way way too short, though. We're planning on getting together again late summer or early fall.

Then I hurried home to freshen up for dinner with Mandy & Heather. When I walked into my house, I saw this. I guess this pile of newspapers kept the kids occupied while Neil packed some boxes. Whatever it takes, I guess? I was just glad I could turn around and leave again!

Dinner was great. I know both Mandy and Heather from grade school . . . kindergarten through our senior year of high school, actually! Wow, that is a lot of years. Mandy is now in Cincinnati, and she came "home" for the weekend. So we all got together for Mexican food and 'ritas and had an absolutely wonderful girly-girl time! So up above are some fun pics of my girl, Heather. And the one on the bottom right is a picture I took of a picture on her camera of her at her zoo taking care of her Cheetahs. Yep, those are hers!

Halfway through our 4-1/2 hours at the restaurant, we called my best boy friends, Jeff and Brian, to see if they'd join us. Of course they did! We had such a great time, too. Jeff and Mandy got into some heated - yet friendly - arguments over evolution and Christianity. Jeff, a Christian, tried his best to give his argument and she tried her best to give hers on evolution. Mandy is going for her doctrine and her study is in evolution. It's really really hard to get her to understand how we believe that God is the creator of all things and that once we die, we will forever live again. But, then I understand that it's hard for her to believe it when she has had such in-depth study of evolution, and have been taught by professors who are not Christians. I cannot judge her or what she believes, and I won't. Jeff didn't either. He just tried to help her believe. (That's what we are suppose to do.) I love Mandy so much. I just pray she will one day change from Agnostic/Atheist to becoming a Christian. I pray very hard for this, actually. My heart aches that she feels she is going to hell and laughs about it. I so badly want to change that. But I know it's out of my hands.

On a lighter note, we had lots of margaritas. Lots. We had a wonderful time and I look forward to more to come. We're trying to talk Mandy to moving back home! (Hint, hint if you read this, Mandeline!)

Then Sunday we got to get back into our very-soon-to-be house to try and decide on colors for the house. In the kitchen we were trying to match up light yellows to paint over the mustard-y color. And then I found some master bathroom decor which I just stumbled upon (the best kind of buys!) which were way on clearance at Bergner's and are the perfect match to the color we are painting the master bedroom! I love good buys and pretty things!

Happy 4th of July to my readers! Friday we close on the new house! I am so so so excited! Offer still stands for the weekend painting fun! My mom is making Italian Beef and I'm bringing other food and of course, drinks! We may even be without kids thanks to O'ma! Let's kick some wall-painting booty! :c)

Oh, and I got my computer back with a new hard drive. I have yet to turn the darn thing on. The thought stresses me out.