Boatload of photos

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've tried to post only to get distracted by something else. Life is crazy as always but I usually manage a post every 5 or 6 days. I've been trying...unsuccessfully! So here it goes... A post... and TONS of pictures to add to it as well....

Our business

I don't typically share too much about this aspect of our lives but I do work in our office (within our home, how convenient for me) and so it does take up a portion of my day. The economy is affecting us but not nearly as much as the onset of the Winter season. Nobody is thinking about grass or patios when they just want to cozy up next to the fireplace. We feel very grateful for the work that we do have but it makes us realize that we are in a scary place with the economy like it is. You just never know what is waiting around the corner (or in our case... NOT waiting). So... I found out that timing really IS everything and as luck would have it... I have an opportunity to step into an established business and start running it within 2 months. NOW> when I tell you what it is, you may laugh. Really. I laughed! It is a house cleaning business. Yea. Me... clean! But seriously. It is a friend of mine who I used to help out occasionally in the winter time (when things were slower for us and she wanted to get done a little quicker to attend to other things). I called her yesterday hoping that she could use my help again this winter and found out that they sold their house to move to Raleigh (2hours away) so that her husband could be closer to his job. She won't be leaving the area for about a month. So, I dreaded asking but I had to know. The answer to my question "Do you have someone who taking over your clients?" was "NO".  Timing REALLY is everything. I asked if she would be willing to train me to take over her clients and if they liked what I did, I could take them on permanetly after she left. She was all for it! Just like that. I fell into my own business. What is really nice is that THIS is Jason's area of expertise. If business is really slow... he can help me (these were his words, not mine.. seriously). While this isn't a quick fix solution to the problems of cash flow, it really is a huge sense of relief to know that I will contribute in a small way, monetarily.

The adventures of Madison and I

LOST! and not the TV show (although.. I am itching for it to be back... another post another time)... no.. that's what my middle name should be. Seriously it's becoming a bit of a joke. Ridiculous in fact that I venture out into the highways of this great nation and I manage to get lost EVERYTIME. I don't mean... once here once there. No! EVERYTIME! Come on... the irony of it is that I had JUST commented that I found my way back from downtown Charlotte and was headed on the right road only minutes later to get off course again. Rand McNally has a curse on me. This I am very sure of. You may be wondering... why was I in Charlotte (and WHY on earth don't I have GPS.... I'm working on it folks.... if I get my way.. the upgraded phone that I'm looking at will be GPS right at my fingertips... another story again!). FOR SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE the tour!!! So my little detour took 45min's. Not that big of a deal if you are traveling home during the day. Not... at 12:30 at night on a trip that takes 3.5-4 hours. yea. We got home at 5am.

But I did manage to get a FEW decent pic's of our favorite dancers until my camera battery died (can you HEAR Homer Simpson in your head "DOH"). Here's what I did get and we will have more to share another time from a friends camera.

 

Madison brought her friend Hayley

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were some of our favorite dances but the ones we had REALLY looked foreward to seeing happened after my battery died. Forever, Bleeding Love, No Air. Then we stayed after for autographs and Madison got a photo with almost everyone from the top 10. We missed Will (didn't come out, didn't feel well) and Chelsea (it was getting too late by the time she started making her way around to us). So, when I get those emailed to me, I will post.

It really was an awesome night and in the end (after a horrible ride home in pitch black roads, rain and overly exhausted) it really was worth it to go and see this amazing show. I'll never forget it and I know Madison won't either.

Senior Pics

So the reason that my battery died halfway through the show was because the day before I had taken Jacob's senior pics. I didn't (obviously) remember to charge my battery the night before (won't make that mistake again). So I took over 300 photos and picked out 100 that I LOVED. I've only edited 18 so far. NOW... I have done several versions of each pose (black and whites, color popping, vignettes, etc.) so I have a variety to chose from but it is taking quite a long time to do the edits so I will share a few that I have done and then eventually will load them all to an album slider to place on my tool bar. Here's Jacob, 17.

 

 

  

  

  

That's all I can post for now. Apparently Typepad doesn't WANT me to post a boatload of photos in ONE post. More later.

Other things 

Hockey starts this weekend. 3 games and one at the butt crack of dawn Sunday morning (6am.... come on people... that means we have to be there at 5:30, which means we get up at 5:00... FAH RIGGIN>>> WHAT!) and Madison is in a school play which has 3 performances this weekend along with an actor's workshop. Somebody kill me now!

So, one last thing on the scrapbooking front...

Scrapbook related

I have been in a creative slump lately. I am grateful for my manufacturer design teams because without the required deadlines, I may not have the motivation to scrap. I haven't created anything lately but I have some projects in the works that I will share soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to check out Luxe Designs new giveaway on their blog.. I mean... you just post and get entered into a drawing.. doesn't get much easier than that.

I promise to try to post sooner...I will have a ton of other pictures to share as well!

Comments

[angie/craftyscrapr]

wow, you have been super busy!...great update!..with Madison's talent she will be up there on that stage one day doing some fabulous moves!...the senior pics of your son are great!...my dd just came home w/ a paper for high school parent/student info session in a couple weeks...OMG, come on, she will be in the 9th grade next year?!?!?...

and, charlotte, not me in a million yrs!..even though you got lost sounds like you did great w/out having a GPS....

[Pearl Maple]

Congrats on the lucky connection. It is very much on your theme of making the best from the lemons isnt' it?

Fingers crossed I will have a little of that luck soon too. Being out of work is scary at the best of times but this time of year is all the harder.

Visiting your blog is always an interesting spot in my week as you have so many fun things going on here.