Category: Photography

Hi there! The hubs is my #1 fan and supporter here at my bloggy blog…he has always encouraged me to blog away and never complains about all that time I spend in the craft cave. For some time, we've been talking about having him be a guest blogger to talk about his favorite place (Yosemite) and share his favorite pasttime (hiking). So…without further ado…my first guest blog! Have a great week!

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying the last bit of the weekend. I am fortunate to be the first guest blogger ever here at A Blog Called Wanda! For those that do not know me, I am Wanda's husband Mark, aka "DH." Some of my interests are nature, hiking (especially in Yosemite), collecting Silver Age Marvel Comics, making videos/slideshows….and I share Wanda's passion for Photography. Today I am going to share some Yosemite hiking photos and a video…I hope you enjoy them!

First up, here's a collage I made in Picasa of some of my favorite photos of the Valley floor.

 
 

These next three photos were taken on the Mist Trail along the Merced River on the way to Vernal Fall. It's called Vernal Fall (not Falls) because it only falls one time…straight down. Yosemite Falls, on the other hand, has three separate drops, so it's called Falls. Just a little trivia. Back in the 1800's the Mist Trail had wooden ladders to go all the way up. Now the steps are carved from the granite. Wanda has done this hike with me before. It's on the way to Half Dome.

 

This is the amazing view as you round the corner and see the first full view of the Fall. The trail is on the right side and you can see why it's called the MIST trail. There is a famous photo of John Muir taken on this exact spot.

 

The View looking down on the Fall. Can you see the people looking over the edge? 

 

One year my friend Randy and I hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls in the SNOW. Here is a sign we passed on the way down. The hike is about 4 miles from the Valley floor. I'm not a small guy and I kept falling through the snow. This trip will not be repeated in the snow. We made it to the top though!  

 

Here is a view of Yosemite Falls I took from Glacier Point. Glacier Point is at about 3200 feet up from the Valley floor. I have hiked up the Four Mile Trail which brings you to this amazing view. If you look closely, you can see the switchbacks in the trail on the left side of the Falls.

 

Half Dome is the most challenging hike in the park…and you can see why when you look at these cables. The cables come at the end of an 8 mile hike! There's only one way to the top! For added fun, go on Youtube and search for Half Dome Cable videos. Before I hiked Half Dome I had heard that it would change my life. After I hiked Half Dome, I found that to be true. It's a milestone for me.

 

Here is a photo of me at the TOP looking out over the edge of Half Dome! I'm not the Gilligan dude in the red shirt. I'm the guy in the blue shirt! This is over 4000 feet above the Valley floor. I love this picture. This gave me the priviledge of going to the Yosemite store and buying the shirt that says "I made it to the Top" and I wear it proudly.

 

Winter in Yosemite is a whole different place. No crowds. Different vistas and everything covered in snow and ice. Here is a cool shot of some frozen leaves, and below that another collage, this time of Winter scenes. 

 

 

 
 

The famous Tunnel View! It's named after the tunnel right before it that was carved out of the granite in 1933. This view never gets old. The waterfall you see is Bridal Veil Fall. You can see Half Dome in the middle and El Capitan to the left. El Capitan is the largest piece of granite in the world. People come from all over the world to climb it.  

 

I wanted to share one of my short videos too. This is the first video on Wanda's blog. Let's see if it works like it's supposed to!

 

 

Every blog post needs a picture of BUDDY! Here is my shot of him lounging on the back of Wanda's chair in the family room.  Looking quite debonair.


Thank you so much for letting me bust in on all the stamping and crafting activities and share with you. Wanda will be back soon with more cards. Have a great week. Mark.  

Hello everyone! Are you having a lazy-around-the-house kind of Sunday or a run-errands-til-you're-crazy kind of Sunday? We are having the lazy variety… Some laundry is in the dryer and I'm in the craft room mostly cleaning, but hopefully creating soon. I've had a nice weekend so far and thought I would just share some pictures with you today.

Yesterday one of my gal pals hosted us at her house for a girl day. It was fabulous! Relaxing and silly and just a plain old good time! We started out by having a make your own pizza bar. Isn't that the most fab idea ever? We started with Boboli pizza breads and then piled on the goodies. You know I love to take pictures of food - so I couldn't resist. And, trust me, it was just as good as it looks! 🙂

 

 

Here's mine before it went into the oven….LOTS of veggies!  

 

And when it came out…

 

Are you hungry yet? I could eat this every single day I think…

 

 

 
 

After pizza we did a little bit of easy stamping and chatting…made some cheery Spring cards with this nice color palette and some favorite Amuse stamps. 

 

 

 

After stamping we had desserts and played Scrabble (otherwise known as the game I lose every time) and had some champagne! Perfection if you ask me! I really must get better at Scrabble. I think I am improving from playing Words with Friends on my iphone. I have some friends who are killers! (You know who you are)!  

 

 

 
 

The next set of pictures are from today in my front yard. This morning we had a full on thunder storm…which is extremeley rare here in Northern California. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard thunder that loud around our house. The lights flickered a bit and then it blew through in about an hour. As soon as it stopped raining I grabbed my camera to capture the just-after-the-storm light. It did not disappoint.

 

The hydrangeas are growing like crazy. I think there are probably about 200 blooms on two plants! The blooms are all in various stages. Some are completely green, some are all blue…and most of them are in between.  

 

See what I mean about that glorious light!? I did not photoshop the color on these at all! When the sky is cloudy there are no shadows and no glare…just soft even light…mmmmm.

 

 

 

 

 

This is our front flower bed with all the pretty impatiens the DH planted last weekend. By then end of the Summer they will fill the entire bed and be about a foot tall!  

 

I think maybe the thunder scared Mr. Buddy! He is in his cat camo tent with those giant eyes looking at me…am I okay??  

 

Thanks for popping by today! Have a blessed day.  

 

Hi there! I’m back from my trip to Miami! Got home super super late Friday night (I guess technically early Saturday morning). That is a long trip and both of my flights home were delayed. It feels good to be home with my DH, my kitty and my stamp room! I had a fantastic trip to Florida. I was there for work and so we worked our normal 9 hour work days. After work, however, I managed to see some sights and enjoy the amazing weather. Since I was there two weeks, I also had a weekend to enjoy,  and I drove all the way down to Key West. It wasn’t humid and was about 80 degrees each day. I’m not normally a warm weather person, but it sure felt good. I took almost 400 pictures! It was really hard to choose some to share on the bloggy blog. I hope you have fun looking at the pix! Have a fantastic week! The pictures are from Miami, Key West and Miami Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now…If you made it this far…thanks! Haha. Back in the day I would have been that annoying, crazy Auntie who showed up at your house with five carousels of slides from her vacation…and made you watch them all on a sheet tacked to the wall! I love to share pictures! Smile. 

Just a note before my post: I am going to be in Miami for a couple of weeks for work. I am wondering if anyone has suggestions for me as to places to go, stamp/craft stores, restaurants, whatever?? Please leave me a comment if you would be so kind!  I have planned some blog posts while I’m gone, and when I get back I hope I have cool pictures to share!

Spring has definitely arrived here in my part of the world! My allergies are in full effect but I consider that a minor nuisance compared with all the beauty that surrounds us this time of year. The hills are turning green, the trees are making new leaves, the cherry blossoms are spectacular and, here in Sacramento, it’s Camellia time. I took a gander out in my front yard yesterday morning and then grabbed my camera so I could share with you. I know a lot of you are still in the throes of Winter…so I hope this makes you warm inside. Have a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These fresh green buds mean that my prized Nikko Blue Hydrangeas made it through another cold Winter. These are my favorite plants in the yard. I can’t wait to see their happy pom pom faces!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
From our home to yours…Happy Spring and have a blessed day!

 

Hi everyone! Today is the start of a super busy week here on the bloggy blog! I have a post today, Wednesday will be my latest iCopic Blog creation and then Thursday is another Blog Hop for Taylored Expressions! Good times! There is still time to join in on the Taylored Expressions "Going Green" blog hop! Click on the link and check it out!

Today I'm sharing cards I made a week or so ago for the Papertrey Ink facebook contest. I'm so excited that they started doing contests where customers can send in our cards and share with everyone else. There is some hecka talent out there and I've really enjoyed looking at the items posted. The contest series is called Make it Monday and they put a new technique on facebook every Monday…you then have all week to enter for a chance to win some PTI swag.

This first Make it Monday had the technique of taking lots of related word stamps and stamping them in a pattern, combining fonts and styles. It was really fun. I ended up sending in three entries. I didn't get a chance to blog them back then so I'm doing it now. Hope you like them and hope you will try this new way of using your stamps! All supplies, in all three cards are from Papertrey Ink.

Each of those phrases is a different stamp! All combined into a great image! I used a sweet tag and these gorgeous colors…oh my…

 

 

 

 

This one was my favorite of the three. I really love all those phrases and I loved combining them all with the cute house stamp. I stamped everything first and then used my oval nesties to cut out the center panel. Those butterflies and ribbon in chartreuse…love that. This is going to be a housewarming card for my bestie who just moved into her dream house. Can't wait to give it to her tomorrow!

 

 
 See you soon!

 

Hi friends! F-R-I-D-A-Y! Thanks for stopping by today to see me. Well, you know how I love to take pictures of stuff!? Today's post is a photo essay of my Valentine loot from my sweet DH. He is too good to me and always has been a romantic at heart. This year for Valentine's Day he bought me the most gorgeous red roses and some WAY yummy sweets from Sucre in New Orleans. What a treat! It was so hard to stop and take pictures of everything before devouring it! I really just wanted to rip the box open and go for it! I had fun getting all artsy with the colors and textures and had a real full-on photo shoot right here in the craft room. 

UPDATE! The DH sent the company a link to my blog post and they wrote back with an amazing proposition! Sucre has very graciously offered a FREE GIVEAWAY to one of you! Please leave a comment below, any time before midnight PST on Saturday. I will randomly pick a comment/winner and Sucre will directly mail you some goodies! Sa-weet! Be sure to leave me your email address so I can get in touch with you. I will let you know on Sunday if you're the lucky winner!

Even the boxes are so pretty and inviting… 

 

 

These are dark chocolates with a pinch of sea salt on top…They were in the aqua box…
 

 

 

 

 

These are French Macarons. O.M.G. Truly. Seriously. O.M.G. Some of the flavors are pistachio, orange, lemon, almond, and strawberry…The pink strawberry ones are covered in sparkly stuff. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I could have taken about 100 more pictures of these Macarons. I love the graphic nature of them on the glass and the colors are so inviting. I had fun working with the reflections.

These are the healthiest roses – hearty and strong and the most vivid shade of deep red. Just how Valentine's Day roses should look. They are still going pretty in the vase five days later. I picked out the best one to shoot some pictures.

 

Do something creative every day! Have a wonderful weekend! 
 
 
 

Happy New Year to everyone! Time for some reflection, and then, a look ahead. It was one year ago exactly that I started this blog. I had no idea what I was doing or where it was going. I only knew that I wanted to blog and share and be part of the online crafty community. I could not have imagined what has happened in the last year here. The experience has been so rewarding and fun, and most of all, positive!

In the past year, I have written 195 blog posts, received 889 comments from readers, and had 30,324 "hits" here at A Blog Called Wanda!

I have met the most wonderful, creative, and kind women in the past year. Perfect strangers who took the time to say something nice. Some of you have ended up being friends who are now part of my day to day life. We share so much in common even though we are all around the country and the world. That is the most meaningful experience of all. I feel really lucky to have met you.

I think that putting my creations out there for all to see has made me become a better stamper. A more intentional stamper…trying to get out of my comfort zone. It's a risk to put your creations out to be judged! But, nothing risked, nothing gained…and I have gained a lot by doing so! Some fantastic opportunities have come my way to be a guest designer or a Design Team Member…and I've won a few contests along the way too. More fun than I could have dreamt.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you! I feel very fortunate that you all take some time out of your day to visit me and see what I'm up to. It makes a huge difference in my life. Thank you! I love blog comments, so please say hi if you're here!

Three weeks ago was the DH's birthday and his wish was to get up early and go on a photo shoot up and around the pretty Gold Country of Northern California near our home. I have to tell ya, I didn't want to get up at 5am on my day off, but the payoff was well worth it! The light that day was spectacular. It had rained the day before and there was a thick layer of gloomy fog burning off. Made for the best pictures I feel I've taken in a long time.

I decided to save them for New Year's because as a group they gave me a "fresh start" sort of feeling. A feeling of quiet and peace and new beginnings. It's hard to explain, but maybe after you look at them you will feel that too. They just seemed right to start the new year. I hope that 2011 brings many blessings to you and your families this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHEERS TO MAKING 2011 OUR BEST YEAR YET!  

Tonight I'm sharing with you one of our favorite holiday time traditions…Coffee and Christmas Lights! For years now, every winter, we go out scouting for the best holiday light displays! It's so much fun and I look forward to it all year. We try to go as many different nights as possible. The evening always starts with a trip to Starbucks for a Peppermint Mocha! (of course, right?) Then we pile in the sleigh, I mean truck, and head out. The DH drives all the time so I can look and relax. It's wonderful time together. We are so lucky that there are several places in Sac-town that go all out for Christmas lights. Last night's destination was downtown… They even put a map in our local paper! So, sit back and put your feet up…and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

THIS is where it all begins….mmmmmm….

 

 

Our beautiful State Capitol building and tree…. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 We have a little tiny ice rink right in the middle of downtown….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is one of my favorite places to go….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And again….mmmm….

 
 And to all a GOOD NIGHT!

 

Christmas craziness is in full swing now! I have had fun activities and parties and get togethers three days this week already! (Yay!) Combine all that with shopping, wrapping, stamping, addressing, and shopping, and shopping…and a girl just needs a break! Today I am posting some Winter snow pictures I took last week and I'm taking a moment to breathe…a la Oprah Magazine's Breathing Space! Ahhhhhhh. A brief respite from the crazies…

Respite: a reprieve: a (temporary) relief from discomfort; a pause from doing something (as work); suspension: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something; a pause for relaxation. Yes, that is exactly the word I was looking for! Have a great weekend everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
  

  

Hi peeps! I am super excited to share today – our fun weekend in Los Angeles! I hope you’re not all tired of hearing about it already. It was a big deal to us and I feel like I keep talking about it. I promise, after today, no more yammering about the Scream Awards! But, today, I have pictures! That makes it more interesting…right? We had a really fun weekend together attending the 2010 Spike TV Scream Awards at the Greek Theatre! We drove down and back in 36 hours, whew. It was worth it though. For the back story – check out this post on my blog from June. The Scream Awards are for Sci-Fi, Horror, and Comic Movies and TV shows…think Lost, Twilight, Spiderman, etc…It is like a big party and not too stuffy and serious. Everyone is dressed up crazy and having a good time. 

We were so lucky to have been invited to attend the awards and were given the VIP treatment. SO grateful to the people who arranged this all for us. I don’t want to name names, but they know who they are! We had a blast and appreciate everything that was done for us. We drove down Saturday morning – it takes about 6-7 hours from our house. Checked into our hotel, had some lunch and then got all dressed up. I put on tons of makeup and glittery nail polish and we headed out to the Greek. Got there early and got our VIP passes and tickets…and after-party tickets!!! (Can I get a woo woo?). Our tickets got us into an area where we had drinks and appetizers and we were able to watch the “Black Carpet” and see the stars arrive and pass through all the photographers!! While standing here having a drink, we look over and there is Joey Buttafucco standing right there! That was weird!

 

 

 

It was a foggy, damp, dark night…perfect for the Scream Awards…and the event is outside. The set was amazing! Like a cool city with a giant full moon off to one side. It was interesting to see behind the scenes – the equipment, the giant cameras on their booms, the set up for the next shots, etc. They put on a fun and classy event. We had good seats and could see everything. Some of the highlights for us (old folks) were – Bill Murray, in full Ghostbusters gear, Rainn Wilson, Anthony Hopkins, cast from Lost (we loved that show), James Cameron, Michael J. Fox, and Halle Berry! Too many other people to think of them all! We also got to see a bunch of world premiere movie trailers!

 

 

 

   

 

Kelly Osborne!

 

My pix are a somewhat blurry since it was so dark. I think you can tell who everyone is though. After the show was done taping we drove back to our hotel to freshen up (at 11pm!) and then we took a cab over to the after-party location! It was a club in Hollywood and we were again treated like VIP’s. Drinks, food, dancing, DJ’s, etc. It was everything you would think it would be. We stayed for a few hours and then cabbed it on back to the hotel…where it took me ten minutes to remove my eye makeup…and fell into bed!
  

 

 

 

  

 

Overall, what a fantastic experience!! Sunday morning we woke up and scouted out some breakfast (thanks Yelp!) and hit the road towards home. It was nice to spend the time with the DH talking and laughing and having a shared experience. I must say he looked mighty fine all dressed up! We never do that anymore and I loved it. The story of how all this came to pass is just awesome. It started off as a good deed (Mark bought the statue and the money went to charity), and ended with a good reward. Thank you again to M and C for everything!

The show was broadcast last night on television and we watched it and had the best time re-living the night all over again! Did you see it? Have a fab day today everybody!

Howdy! Monday already? Yup. At least it's over! hahaha. As I've mentioned before, this old gal is NOT a morning person and getting up at 5:00 every morning for work is just uncivilized! Mondays are the hardest…but I made it. It's all easier from here. Another busy week too… I have been doing College Fair nights at local high schools on behalf of my University (Go Bears!) and it is really fun, but exhausting. Wednesday night is the last one.

Today I want to share some of the pictures I took last weekend in San Francisco when we went on our little anniversary rendezvous. Believe it or not, I did edit substantially. Also, you will note my fascination/obsession with the pretty red Chinese lanterns.  I hope you enjoy the pictures, and that you have a wonderful week ahead of you.

First stop in the morning was the beatiful Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park. I wanted to take my pictures while it was still foggy. One of the tricks to getting pretty, bright, even color is to shoot your pictures when it is not super bright and sunny outside. This seems contrary to what you might think but it works! No shadows and not harsh spots. The only down side to this is that the sky will look white. Not good for roaming landscapes and photos with a lot of sky.

 
 

 

 

 

 

I opened my shutter for about 1/8 of a second in this one to make the water appear soft and flowing. However, it was super windy, so the leaves are moving too. I kind of like the effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next few shots are just random things in Golden Gate Park. We walked around a while after our tour of the Japanese Gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

I was trying to take a picture of this weird, cool plant…but there was this little yellow birdie in there too!

 

Famous Coit Tower and Bay Bridge view from the top of Lombard Street.

 

Another famous shot of the cable car and Alcatraz…looking down Hyde Street from Lombard.

 

City Hall enshrouded in fog in the afternoon. See what I mean about the white sky? I still like the serene image of this great building.

 

 

Chinatown! Good luck cats – I have a thing for Good Luck cats and I collect them, and Good Luck cat rubber stamps too! I bought a really pretty gold one on our trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coolest fabric store on the planet! Britex on Geary. I bought the most beautiful raw silk in a perfect shade of periwinkle to make my wedding outfit here…There is an entire floor of ribbon, buttons and findings! Heaven.

 

 

 

 

 
Hope you enjoyed our little tour of San Francisco today! I will be back soon and I do believe I have some kinda big bloggy news to come shortly. I will share soon, I promise. Mwah.

Happy Sunday! Today we are doing much needed chores around the house and getting ready for another week of work. Why do weekends go by so quickly? Just the way it is I guess. The boys are watching football and I have some pictures to share today. Yesterday we went to our local mall in Roseville. I love to go to Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn when they change the stores over for each season. The decorating is so inspiring and creative. Seriously, I could just live at the Pottery Barn store. I’ll just get my clothes and things and make myself right at home!! You don’t think they would mind, do you? Maybe they would…

 

 

 

 

I bought one of these pretty mercury glass pumpkins…and that’s all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is it 100 degrees outside today when I’m ready to wear sweaters and drink hot cider and build a fire? I hope you had a great weekend and have a great week ahead!!

Wow!  I have something really fun to share with you today! The hubs and I decided last night to do something crazy and go to the Reno Great Balloon Races today! We had to wake up at 2:00 this morning and get ready to go. Then we drove two hours to the Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno, Nevada…find a place to park, walk a mile…all in the pitch darkness! The event kicks off at 5:00am! Even Starbucks wasn't open yet!

The whole event is free. There is no charge for parking or admission. There were thousands of people there and lots of families. It was a spectacular sight and a very nice time for us together. I love car time with the hubs to talk and connect. Afterwards, we drove down the hill, found some coffee and some amazing breakfast at a little place in Truckee. We did all that and we were back home at noon! You know, sometimes you just have to do those last minute crazy things to keep life interesting. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures and I hope you all had a great weekend!

 

 

 

Here it is…Thursday… Or as I like to call it…Friday Eve! One more day to the work week and then it's time for a little rest and relaxation. It's been quite a week. Tonight it took me over an hour and a half to get home from work. A total of 28 miles. Ugh. I think I might be traumatized by this. We'll see.  

Last night we signed the loan documents for our home refinance…which is a complete blessing! I am so grateful to all the peeps who helped in the process. Part of our loan doc signing was electronic! Can you believe that? Well, our poor notary (very nice lady) wasn't 100% sure of the situation so it took two hours! Anyhoo…very happy that is done and very relieved to have a lower house payment! It's a good thing.

Not too much time for stamping this week…I made the card for Taylor's challenge and that's it. I thought I would use today to post some silly and/or fun pictures that have been hanging out in my camera just waiting for the right post!

I hope to get in some stamping time this weekend…and maybe a movie too. I really want to see "Inception." I hope you have a wonderful weekend and hope you like the pictures. Take care!

 

What? How much? No way I weigh that much! Really?

 

This was just plain weird. We were out at the little strip mall getting a coffee…when this happened. It was the day before Easter…but I don't think that's a good enough excuse! Wh-aaat?

 

Got any good gossip?

 

Hi Mom! Extreme close up!

 

A pretty scene at the Crate and Barrel at the mall…

 

Our pretty little impatiens in the front yard early in the season!

 

So you all know that I'm always saying…you have to bring your camera everywhere you go! You never know where beauty will be found and ya need to be ready. Here in Northern California we have this great grocery store chain called Nugget Market. The stores are gorgeous and the food is always fresh and beautiful. When I went there last week to buy the items for the mango salsa…I busted out the camera and took some pictures. I really liked how they came out so I wanted to share them with you. I'm warning you, though, you're going to be hungry after you see these…

 

 

 

Okay, kids, you’re about to hear a weird story of how our weekend just began! I have to give you some background information first…

My husband is a comic book guy. That is one of his passions (the others being hiking and of course me) and he has been collecting comics since he was a kid. For those of you who get this, he is a Marvel guy. In 2007 the movie “Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer” came out in the theaters. Naturally, we went to see it and it was fabulous! Well…back to the story. When the movie left town, the theater by our house was left with the lobby props. One of those being a life size Silver Surfer statue with a city behind him! Mark contacted the manager and turns out they auction that stuff off for charity! Mark bought it! So…he has been living at our house for three years. As you can see, he takes up a lot of room and has taken over Mark’s office. It is super cool!

Well, times are hard and we are both state workers and kinda broke. Hubs has been selling some of his things on ebay to make extra money. One of the things he put on ebay was the Silver Surfer. It has been listed for a couple of months, but no bites.

Tonight Mark gets an email from someone saying they want the Silver Surfer and they need it tomorrow morning! They want to come up from LA and get it…NOW. Huh? What? That’s weird. Come to find out the Director (!) of the Spike TV Guy’s Choice Awards needs it on his set to begin filming the award show at 6am. Click here for a link to the show. It will air June 20th. So, he instantly paypal-ed the money and now it is being disassembled…Mark and his brother are going to drive it as far as Stockton to meet up with the staff so they don’t have to drive the entire way!

 
Okay – weirdest story ever???? This is a great start to the weekend for us and proves that the LORD really does work in the most mysterious of ways. HE will provide and you never know how! Today is our 17 year anniversary as a couple! I would say this is an excellent anniversary present!

Have a great weekend everyone. Hopefully I will get in some stamping time tomorrow to post a card.

Does anyone else remember this old song?: Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free. Tis a gift to come down to where we ought to be. It has a nice sing songy rhythm and a sweet lilt. I was going through the pictures on my camera from the past two weeks and I was struck by how many of them are of a simple image of Spring. They were a good reminder  to me to be present in the moment and take note of what is around me. I thought I would share some of the pictures with you today – since I don't have a card made right at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

I started this post with a quote from a lovely old Shaker song from the 1840's. I will end the post with a quote from one of the wisest men of MY generation:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."   Ferris Bueller