Happy Birthday Melly Belly!

Hey Little Sis,

You are 10 years old today! And you are at camp. You are the only one of us who has the ability to be at camp for your birthday, so I hope it is a good one! I miss you!

Love,

Dani

OAR Shattered

Teasers - Sheena and Jared!

Finally! Sheena and Jared's wedding was a blast! The bride was so laid back from the start making the rest of the day all laid back as well. Everything seemed to fall in place perfectly.
We started with the best breakfast ever....donuts at Sagittarius Salon where the girls got their hair and makeup done. This little girl turned into a princess when she put on her pretty dress.



She may have had a bit of a crush on this cutie...




The gals got ready in the pastor's office...where they might have taken a couple of shots and....oh wait....what happens behind closed doors should be hush hush huh?




The ceremony was short, simple and to the point. Just the way I like it. Afterwards, the group cooperated for some outdoor photos despite the heat. I was proud of them.




The reception wasn't far and was a blast.






It was kid friendly too...



This lucky little guy has no idea what he has gotten into catching that thing...



I love that this guy really looks like he is madly in love with this girl. :-)


She is a beauty too.




This is my friend Jenn. She is the reason why I got to photograph this wedding in the first place. At the last wedding I was at she cried and cried when giving her toast. I love this photo because it looks like she is on the verge of tears and everyone around her is smiling because they think she might burst into tears too...hehe.




I like this expression, it totally says "I didn't do it."




Whimsical...




Sheena and Jared, thanks so much for letting me photograph your beautiful wedding day! I hope your journey is filled with love, and laughter!

And she may have officially lost it.... I still love her though.

Frank and I ventured home to celebrate my little sister’s birthday recently. Birthday’s are pretty same old same old at my house: we arrive, we chat and eat some fruit/veggies, have soda (it’s the only time it is ever in the house), eat dinner, open presents, eat cake, make plans to see each other again, hugs, departure. Just like clock work.

As Melanie gets older my mom is making great improvements on the house. The floor plan from the kitchen to the breakfast nook to the living room is completely open and it is beautiful. She has replaced crappy old furnishings with nice cherry wood cabinets and coffee tables and other décor that makes the house look so much more grown up then when I lived in it. I always wanted to live in a house like that and envied friends that did. I lived in a house with a toddler to child who always had toys all over the place and had taken over every room of the house.

Also in attempts to better themselves and our planet, my parents have made huge strides to go “green.” (Side note: this is funny to me because my mom just traded in her Prius for a Mini Coop.) Sheldon has always been huge on recycling; even to the extent of going through the trash when the bag was ready to be taken out and removing any items that we kids may have thrown in there “accidentally.” My mom has ceased using plastic bags and instead uses those recyclable ones the grocery store makes you buy. I admit I do this too and I like to think that I am environmentally friendly as well but seriously this particular day was the day that jumped the shark.

Sitting at dinner, my mom discloses that she has gotten a new freezer for the basement. Now, initially, this doesn’t sound so bad, we have a biggish sized family and between my brothers when they are home and the little sis, they go through a lot of food, no doubt about that, plus, lots of people have an extra freezer. My mom then explains that she bought the freezer from Heartland Home Foods. What’s that you ask? Heartland Home Foods describes themselves this way: “Heartland Home Foods makes mealtime’s great times - while helping you simplify your schedule and promote your family's good health. From gourmet meats to delicious vegetables, decadent desserts and leading-brand groceries, Heartland delivers foods bursting with flavor. Cook up some excitement - treat your family to Heartland today!”

I still didn’t quite get it after my mom was explaining this to me. Then she came out with it: she has a freezer downstairs in our basement stocked with enough meat to feed our family of 7 for the next 6 months. And it's not just stocked with your regular old store bought meat but home raised, free range meat. Meat that came from cows that roamed free and were happy go lucky, chickens and turkeys that were not in any type of coups, but got to wander about the farm on a daily basis. I laughed at this notion. Who gives a rat’s butt if the chicken on my plate got to run around and play all day? It is still on my plate…and it depresses me a bit more then if it was just in a coup. My mom insists that it is the best chicken she has tasted. Uhhh… Whatever…

The gravity of this whole situation didn’t hit me until I actually walked downstairs and opened the door to the freezer. Oh my God. Whatever you are picturing a freezer full of meat looking like, multiply is by at least 40. Not only was there meat, but there were enough frozen vegetables and seafood for 6 months as well. Not to mention a couple desserts tucked in there as well.

I was in shock and had no idea what to say. But I did turn around and see Frank with his jaw wide open. I could see the wheels turning in his head as my mom explained how the company comes to your home and does a presentation for you about their program and then a day later will deliver you a freezer full of meat. Frank couldn’t stop smiling and he decided this would be one of the first things he got when we moved into a home of our own.



(By the way, this photo doesn't even do it justice, it is a deep, deep freezer.)

Haiku

Why I hate Xbox
Frank plays rock band all day long
But I still love him

And he did it....finally!!!

This past weekend we had a graduation party for our friend Mike. Frank and I went to high school with Mike and we threw him a party because he finally graduated from College Park and stated that he couldn't start looking for a job until he had a good graduation party. That's where Frank and I come in. We offered to throw him this party as long as he showed us official proof that he did in fact graduate.

Anyway, it was a good party. Mike came over the night before to eat crabs....and the loser brought his own mallet. What a weirdo.......




After crabs, Frank, Katherine, Mike and I played some intense rounds of Rock Band and drank a bit too much before passing out in our respective spots.

The next day was fun. We had a cookout with a few friends in the area before our apartment building. We even bought water guns...that not everyone knew about. Way fun. All these pics were before the "tennis" ball game at the baseball field that ended in getting drenched with water balloons. Fun night.


Chef Frank....


Hi Amanda! Don't worry my heart doesn't hurt that you didn't come back after work to bring us pretzels con queso...maybe I'll just make you owe me that. :-)




Yeah, Jenn, that is hot.



Hey Cool Shades!



And my bro came too!

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

This is my favorite song so far this summer....Enjoy. Photos coming soon. :-)

The day I obviously lost my mind.

I recently decided I wanted to do something nice for my Frankiepoops. Now, I would like to point out that when I usually want to do something nice for Frankie, I will do something simple like I will offer to pay for our food when we go out to eat, make the bed even though he was the last one to get out of it, leave him little post its all around the house when I know I won’t see him for a few days, or surprise him at work with a Misto Shake from Rita’s. Well, this topped all that.

I actually told him that I wanted to buy him an Xbox 360. I don’t know what came over me. I felt nauseous immediately after I realized what I had just said but there was no going back now, through the phone I could hear the 42 muscles in his face make a smile and then the words “Are you serious?” Ugh, definitely no going back, I had reached the point of no return.

A couple days later, lying in bed one morning…or probably afternoon as I have been working a lot of overnights, Frank asked what I wanted to do that day. And there again, like word vomit, I said, “I was thinking that we could go get your Xbox360 today.” Immediately, Frank is out of the bed, in the shower and within minutes could have been ready to go. Luckily, he noticed that I was being a bit sluggish and didn’t rush me too much. Instead he made the bed and eventually we headed out the door to make this extreme purchase.

I had cut a deal with Frank, and yeah, he does get the better half of the deal, but all in all I don’t give a crap about Xbox360. Why the hell do they even call it an Xbox 360? What in the world can be so great about this stupid gadget? Oh no, wait, did I offend someone, is it not called a gadget? No, no, you’re right it is a system. A game system. Anyway. I told Frank that in exchange for me purchasing him this crazy gift, he will purchase me one game to play on it and Wii Fit (which yes, I know, it is sold out everywhere and I will never get it). I picked Deadliest Catch for my Xbox game and while I haven’t played it yet, I am so excited to go on the missions to catch crabs and find the best fishing spots and even rescue another boat. I even get to pick the boat I am the captain of: Go Cornelia Marie!!!

So, it’s all over now. My nausea has subsided and I am getting over the initial hatred of the stupid thing. I even am coming around to like Rock Band…but only in small doses.

Catherine Feeney - Mr. Blue

I decided recently that I was going to start posting music on here. Most of you know I have quite an eclectic taste. I have fallen in love with this gal... check her out!

Talking Under Water

My current job sets me up with a pretty beast schedule. I only work three long 12 hour shifts a week. Granted, they toss me around from days to nights and nights to days so often that I generally have no idea what day of the week it is, but that’s okay because did I mention I only work 3 days a week? For that I am thankful.

My favorite thing to do in the summer with these days off, so far at least, is to go to the pool. I didn’t discover how much I enjoyed the pool at my apartment complex until the end of the summer last year. So, this year, I have been taking full advantage of it.

It occurred to me recently that I am getting a lot older. Yeah, I know, duh, no brainer. But the pool is really helping me to see that a lot more clearly. The sometimes nice thing about my apartment complex is that there are always tons of kids, which always makes it feel safer, at least to me, unless of course they are darting out in front of your car on their skate boards or riding their bikes out into the middle of the rode without helmets. But that point aside, the great majority of these kids spend their summers at the pool and so does all their pool gear: goggles, flippers, swimming boards, pool balls, floaties, among other odds and ends, that I find absolutely ridiculous.

I was recently intrigued by these two, bright blonde headed, girls, that couldn’t have been more than 6 years old who were playing in the shallow end of the pool. The girls were playing a game I used to play when I was little, since floaties, flippers and other water equipment was not as popular as they are now. The girls were playing a game where they would go under the water and say something and then come up above water and guess what the other girl was saying. They were full of endless smiles and giggles. And I couldn’t help but think about what I wouldn’t give to go back to the days when I was smiling like this in the pool and playing these silly games.

Now, instead, I worry about what the lifeguard thinks, how stupid I must look wading in the water all by my lonesome. I remember how when I was younger I could have cared less about how cold the water was and would have just jumped in regardless. I liked the pool so much, I probably would have jumped in if it was raining or cold out. Now, instead, I walk down the steps in the shallow end and take about 15 minutes to decide whether or not it is even worth it to proceed any further seeing as the water is frickin’ freezing. I don’t do handstands or pretend that I am a mermaid anymore, or try to scare the lifeguards and innocent bystanders into thinking I have drowned with the “dead man’s float.” Crowd favorite, that one.

I guess what I am trying to say is that while I am happy with where my life is and how far I have come at my age, I’m not sure I am ready to let go of the fun little things in life. There is no reason why I should give a crap about what the lifeguard is thinking or about getting my hair wet in the water. I notice more and more, especially being around kids at the pool, that I am actually a grown up now. And sometimes I think it is a little scary.

So, I remind myself when my head gets crazy like this, to think of the words of the lifeguard when little kids are running around the pool: “Slow down!”

My Dumb Cat

As most of you know, unless you have stumbled upon this blog by chance, Frank and I adopted a cat in December named Sushi. She was such a doll, well behaved and so easy to take care of that we decided we wanted to up the challenge and get another one. (We are practicing for parenting, so why not?). About two months later, we went back to the same shelter, and I, I being the key word, fell in love with Barley. Barley is a month younger then Sushi but double her size. He is big and orange with white paws just like Sushi (she’s gray with white paws) and sheds all the time.

When we first got him, he would walk on our heads and sit on our pillows to get our attention in the morning, and when I say morning what I really mean is 3:30am. Now we have progressed to jumping up on the dresser and knocking things off or attack our feet which are usually stone still because we know he is going to do it.

Sushi and Barley really love each other. They cuddle and lick/groom each other and even fight. Just like normal, human couples. Barley, even being the bigger of the two, still let’s her pummel him when they are fighting and sometimes will just sit there and take it. He’s a sweetie that way. He even curls up on your chest and purrs like a freight train. He fetches too. All in all he is a pretty awesome cat. Frank still hates him because he wakes him up too early, but he’s mine and I say he is awesome. So, there.

Recently Barley’s eyes have been red and runny. I took him to the vet because I had grown worried about it. He was acting more and more sleepy and blinked one eye way more then the other. I honestly thought the vet was going to tell me I was crazy that I was being an over concerned parent and that Sushi probably just scratched his eye. But nope, I get to the vet, she looks at his eyes intensely and she tells me that my dear cat is a slut, no just kidding, but he does have herpes and chlamydia in his eyes, a common problem in cats apparently. She didn't like my joke about how they should probably stop sleeping around. I have to put gel ointment in his eyes for 10 days and have to give him a really cold cc of Interferon for the next 6 months. All of which is a pain in the you know what and costing a boat load too. But I love my Barley cat, so I will do it for him. That whore.