Snow angels

At this point in the season, I'm hoping we've seen the last of the snow, especially since Spring will officially be here in 8 days!!  (Mother Nature, you'd better get with the program).  The snow did, however, make for some pretty scenery on this day when Lindsey and I took Jorga out to romp in it. My girls...they're so cute.

Over the river and through the woods

We spent part of our family Christmas day tromping through my grandparents' woods.  It was so peaceful and beautiful.  Well, I'll let the photos do the talking...

October self-portrait - I am...an animal lover

My girl Jorga is such a great companion.  She runs, jumps, and wiggles all over when I come home, and follows me from room to room.  She happily hops into the car to go with me, regardless of where we're going.  Such a sweetie...
I can't leave out a mention of my cat, Alfred - he's a sweetie too...most of the time.  And my horse, Mani.  Love them all!
Okay, I know it looks like I'm choking poor Jorga here but I'm really not.  Just had to hold her head up because she kept wanting to roll over for a belly rub, which made her drop out of the frame.  Yep, it took quite a few takes for this shot.

August self-portrait – I am… a Sseko Design fan

OK, the title is a little lame and the photo shouldn’t really count as a self-portrait, but these ARE my feet.  And this IS something I’m excited about right now. 

My introduction to Sseko Designs Sseko Designs came from Mary Marantz of Justin & Mary – you can read her blog post here if you want: Justin & Mary - Every sandal has a story.

Through Sseko Designs, Liz (the founder) is empowering women in Africa by providing a means for them to pursue their dreams and overcome poverty.  I’m just so impressed by people who are so passionate about helping others less fortunate that they devote their lives to doing just that.  On top of that awesomeness, these sandals that they make are just the bee’s knees!  So if I feel a tug to support a really great cause and I can do that by buying something I really want to buy anyway, how great is that?!

The least I can do is spread the word and give you the chance to be a part of this awesome mission & fashion movement rolled into 1.  You have to check out the sandals at the website above – you’ll thank me!  I ordered 1 pair of soles and 2 different sets of straps.  They have a million ways to tie them (okay maybe not a million, but a lot) with how-to videos, and they’re just adorable. 

My 2 favorite styles so far...

June self-portrait - I am...a servant

“We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

 

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ by serving on a mission team to Nicaragua.  Our mission had multiple goals, including dispensing used eyeglasses, installing water purification filters in homes, teaching health & hygiene, installing “skylights” in homes, and of course, being ambassadors for God.  I was able to help a little bit in all those areas except the skylight installation.

 
The trip was not without it’s challenges.  We were ambushed our first day in Nicaragua and my camera was stolen from me.  For this reason, the only photos I have to share here are those taken with someone else’s camera.  On the evening of the 2^nd day we received very sad news of the death of a good friend at home.  There were also circumstances that caused us to change our plans on very short notice nearly every day in the mission field.  But the team remained determined to do what we were there to do and the people we served were so very kind and appreciative.  One day during an activity called “community mapping” (part of the health & hygiene training) the women of the community were given an opportunity to say what they liked about their community and what they wish could be different.  Nearly all of them said they liked everything about it and didn’t wish for it to be different.  That really warmed my heart – they don’t have much in the way of material possessions but they’re happy and satisfied.

If you’d like to see photos and read more about our daily adventures on the trip, check out our mission blog at  http://most1214.blogspot.com/.

March self-portrait: I am... a sister

Best friends, confidants, crisis managers, sounding boards, care-takers, and sometimes partners in crime. All these terms describe what my sisters and I are to each other. Incidentally, my sister Sara didn’t make the photo, but all of the above applies.

I have a memory of a night when Kris and I went to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at the movie theatre (I know, I’m really dating myself with that, but lemme tell ya, back in the day seeing Robert Redford and Paul Newman on the big screen?!? Mmmm mmm). Pretty sure Kris was just old enough to drive (legally that is), so we were feeling like big stuff to be able to go by ourselves. And because Butch and Sundance made it look cool to rob banks and trains and persuade a pretty girl to go with them on their adventures, we left the movie inspired to do something wild and crazy. So what did we do??? We stuck our heads out the windows and howled at the moon!! Then we drove on the wrong side of the road!!! For probably 20 or 30 whole yards!!! Such rebels we were.

Pure Chocolate

"Man cannot live on chocolate alone…but women can!" That was our motto last weekend at “Pure Chocolate” – a women’s event held at Redeemer Lutheran Church. If that quote held true, I believe we could have survived for weeks on the goodies that were available! Oh my goodness, I have never seen so much chocolate in one place!

Besides enjoying all the chocolate, it was an occasion to celebrate the special relationships we have with the women in our lives, and to thank God for all the blessings we receive through them.

The event was put together fantastically by my good friend, Cindy Sewell, and her very talented team of helpers. Because it was all decorated and laid out so beautifully, photographing it was a real "TREAT"!

I hope you enjoy the goodness, but I need to warn you: it’s possible you could gain a few pounds just by looking at the pictures!

Cindy and her team put SO much time and effort into making the day special.

  

Yes, this was my plate - don't judge.  I had to get a variety of goodies for the sake of the photograph.  And then, well you know, my mom always taught me to clean my plate. 

Jane was responsible for most of the adorable paper crafted decorations and other pretty things.

Ashley did a super job with the children’s message. And get a load of that little girl’s hairdo! I wanted to get a close-up shot, but she was bashful. So cute.

Our special guest of honor - the lovely Katie Stam, Miss America 2009 – was an inspirational speaker and a beautiful singer!

Thank you again, Cindy & team, for all your hard work!  It was a very fun afternoon.

Connecticut coast tour

The awesome "Walk Through a Wedding" workshop ended on Sunday evening and people gradually began heading for home.  A few left Sunday evening to catch the train, a couple headed back by car, several were catching early flights Monday morning.  Well, I had scheduled my return flight on Tues morning so I could spend Monday doing some sightseeing, but when Monday morning came around I was sitting in my hotel room feeling a little intimidated by the idea of renting a car and navigating this little self-guided tour on my own.  But I printed a couple Google maps in the hotel lobby and headed out...and I'm SO glad I did.  My first stop was in downtown New Haven on the campus of Yale University.  It was a beautiful sunny day (tho chilly) and it was such a cool feeling to walk amidst those very large, very OLD buildings.  It's a hard feeling to explain - just felt like I was taken back in time and was in the midst of history.  I REALLY loved it!
I hope these photos allow you to share in that feeling a little bit.  There was so much intricate architecture...fences, archways, doorways, gates...it was just all very cool.

If I were doing a photo shoot on Yale's campus, this is where I'd start.  The light was so warm and swirly in this walkway.  I really kinda wanted to stay there for a long time.

 This girl with the red coat walked out at the perfect time.  I think it makes this image much more interesting.

Then I headed to the Lighthouse Point where there is this cute carousel house...

...and a very tall lighthouse that looked so beautiful against the deep blue sky.

 From there I went to Mystic, arriving at the harbor as the sun was starting to set...very pretty.

I finished my evening with a visit at the home of my cousin, Phillip and his wife, Donna.  It's unfortunate that it was getting dark and I didn't take any photos, because I wish you could have seen the flock of turkeys (is a group of turkeys called a flock?) that waddled up their front yard looking for food.  Donna makes sure none of the animals - wild or domestic - go hungry in the winter. :)  I also wish I could show you the adorable little individual heart-shaped cherry pies that Donna made for our dessert.  Thank you, Phillip & Donna, for having me for dinner and for the wonderful visit.  It was great to see you both.