Spjutes Family

This super cute family is in my ward! and their baby is ADORABLE! He wasn’t so in to the whole getting his picture taken. But he warmed up and it was a lot of fun! Thank you rain for staying away!!!

 

O’Malleys

I had an amazing photo session yesterday with the O’Malley family! It was such a fun photo session. Dustin and Kaitlyn were so comfortable in front of the camera and knew what they wanted! Little H was totally awesome! He could have cared less that he was getting his photo taken. He was more interested in taking in the sights! I don’t blame him Old Town Tustin is really beautiful!!!

 

My weekends are starting to fill up with photo sessions, and I couldn’t be more excited!!!!

Happy day!!!!

 

My prayers have been answered. All I have wanted to do this last week is go home to my family and see this awesome man! and thanks to amazing doctors and technology and family support my grandpa is doing SO much better! For the time being! I get to go home in April with my husband and dog and hang out with my Grandparents! I couldn’t be happier! I am so happy that he is feeling better! I am praying everyday that things keep getting better and I get to spend more time with an amazing man!!!!!

I have been thinking a lot this week about my grandpa and the awesome man he is! and every time I think of him, I always start thinking about funny things, or just memories of him that have made an impact on my life.

Picture this. My whole family on my moms side, my mom and her 4 siblings with their spouses and children camping. I loved these camping trips! They are some of my favorite home videos to watch! well one morning about 6 of us girl cousins were going to the bathroom to brush our teeth. My cousin Joni walked in and saw that there were some very large bats hanging out in the bathroom. Of course we couldn’t brush our teeth with them in there. So we ran and got our grandpa! He came to the recue with a broom and lots of courage! (to us) Us girls all stood outside the bathroom while Grandpa got rid of the nasty bats. Of course they came flying out of the bathroom, and almost hit my cousin Joni in the face. Grandpa was definitely our hero that day. What girl wants to be in the same room with a bat. Not us.

My grandpa is a PRO puzzler! If that made any sense! He can put together a puzzle in NO time! I think every christmas he got a new puzzle and had it put together a lot faster than I ever could! Im hoping he’s up to doing a puzzle when I get home!

I can’t wait to get up to Washington to hang out with my grandma and grandpa. Hopefully grandpa will feel up to it, but I am hoping to take a lot of family pictures while we are there.

I don’t exactly know how to start this post, but it needs to be written.

I grew up with the best possible grandparents ever! I have only ever known one set of my grandparents, and they were so amazing. My grandpa is the most handsome man ever! (sorry babe). He is tall dark and handsome. I mean tall! I always remember being amazing at how tall grandmpa Marsh was when I was little. and how strong he always seemed. My grandpa was a fire fighter for years in Spokane Washington, and I couldn’t have been more proud to tell me friends that. I think that must be why I have such a respect for those who serve others every day, those that run into the burning buildings while everyone else runs away and those who protect our freedom.

My grandpa had the best sense of humor, even though he might not have known it. We have a family tradition of playing catch phrase whenever we get together with my moms siblings. It was my grandpa’s turn and he was trying so hard for us to get his word. he kept explaning, its a whole row of trucks. and he just kept saying it. when time was up he told us it was a pick up line. we died laughing. We had to tell him that it was a way to flirt with a girl or guy. But to him a pick up line was a row of trucks picking up lumber. It was so cute.

My grandpa is a true gentleman and loves my grandmother so much. I can always see it every time I am around them. and he loves everyone of his children and grand children.

He can make the most amazing things with his own hands. He has built amazing bird houses, helped build many real houses, and made many amazing pop can airplanes and helicopters.

My grandpa is an amazing man. He raised 5 amazing children and instilled in us grand kids many amazing lessons. I hope to never forget any of these things.

Time is getting short with him on this earth and its one of the hardest things I have tried to grasp. It seems too soon. We don’t know when it will  happen but we are gearing up for the worst and our families are coming together. But through out this  I can’t help but think about the plan of salvation and the knowledge that I have that this life is not the end. That someday I will see my grandpa again and see him healthy and strong. Life continues even if it is hard without the ones we love, but this life is NOT the end. It will be hard for a long time when my grandpa passes. It will not be easy. But it will go on.

2011

I know I should take more time and update this more often. But by the time I get back from work all I want to do is relax with hubby and puppy and watch TV. Well of course I have to cook dinner, clean up dinner and kind of keep the house in order. and when Saturdays roll around we are always doing stuff. The past couple of Saturdays have been filled with FUN trips to Disneyland or the Doggy Park. Or doing mini photo sessions.

So finally I am not doing ANYTHING today so, I guess this is the perfect time to update what we have been up to the last 3 months.

Christmas was awesome. Besides the LONG drive home. Diesel was amazing in the car and LOVED being able to see his grandparents, who ALL spoiled him like crazy. (yes our dog is our child right now) We spend a lot of time with both sides of the family and had a blast. I love that Derics mom and my parents live so close by and they all like each other. So we get to have get togethers TOGETHER! if that made any sense. Its nice being able to have Paul and Kerry ( my in-laws) over at my parents house. Diesel loves it I think more than any of us. New years eve had to be the best day of all though. My brother, brother in law and Deric planned one of the funniest nights of my life! My whole family played minute to win it games. Oh my goodness so much fun. This is just one of the games we played that night. Deric must have been practicing or something, he was a little too good!

January- It was nice getting back to the warm weather of California and missing all the crazy insane weather they had here during Christmas. We didn’t do a whole lot, we did get our tax return, which was spent rather quickly. We got season passes to Disneyland, which has been SO nice. I can’t believe it took us this long. We also got a new NICE computer to help me with my photography business. Too bad it doesn’t have internet connection yet. Deric got the guitar hero expansion for the wii so he can rock out on the drums now as well as the guitar. and i got steam cleaner for the carpets. well its more like Diesel got a steam cleaner for the carpets because the darn dog pee’s all over them but I have to use it since his legs are too short. :)

February- I think almost every weekend we were at Disneyland or doing something crazy fun. We did get to check something off our bucket list. We drove the PCH from Corona del Mar to Dana Point, and then a couple days later we drove the PCH from Corona Del Mar to Santa Monica. So I think that works. and we also went to the Santa Monica Pier.  All in all the Santa Monica pier wasn’t that amazing, but I also wasn’t in the best mood. Right after we parked and I was getting stuff organized in my camera bag, my camera and my phone fell out of my camera bag and onto me heel. yeah my camera totally took a HUGE chunk of skin off my heel and it was bleeding EVERYWHERE. It was nasty and hurt like the dickens. We rode the Ferris wheel, which was beautiful and walked the pier a little. Took some fabulous pictures and walked to the most expensive mall I have ever been too. Not my cup of tea. I couldn’t afford anything in that mall. It was insane. So we made an early day of Santa Monica and headed to down town Disney to watch the fireworks show. When we were there on Thursday and Friday the weather was so nasty they had canceled the fireworks. Oh yeah my in-laws were in town for all of this. totally spaced to say that.

March- nothing super amazing so far. But I did just spend a lot to get the Jeep up and going like she should be. Not super happy about that, but you got to do what you got to do right? 1 oil change turned into like 4 other things needing to be fixed. can’t wait for the day when we can buy a brand new car with a nice little warranty on it! some day. A girl can dream right?

I don’t think any of these pictures will be in order, so sorry but enjoy, its my best way of catching up with this crazy fast year. August will be here before I know it and we will be back in Washington.

 

 

Bucket List

Since we are moving this summer, I have decided that we need to have a bucket list of things to see while we still live here. and yes we have lived here 2 years and barely done anything.

1.) Visit Catalina
2.) Drive the PCH from Dana Point to Santa Monica
3.) Visit the Santa Monica Pier and ride ALL the rides
4.) Dana Point Whale Watching Tour
5.) Take Diesel to the Huntington Dog Beach
6.) Go Camping on the Beach
7.) Go to Disneyland 4 times a month (we are getting our season pass this weekend)
8.) Go to the grand canyons
9) Take Deric to Vegas
10.) Eat at restaurants we haven't been to yet

If you would like to help us achieve these goals, just let me know! I am sure we will be adding and of course updates on all of our goals!!! I will do my best to photograph everything we do!
We are getting a new computer tonight, so my Christmas post should soon be up!!!

2011

I know I really should update a lot, But life is crazy. I have been sick since we got home and all I really want to do is keep my house clean (my new years resolution) and go to bed after I get home from work.
My OLD laptop is running out of space so I have not been able to upload all the amazing photos I took in Spokane. Which is a HUGE bummer because I just uploaded my awesome new Photoshop Elements 9 that my amazing husband bought me for my birthday. But dang I can not figure that thing out for the life of me. It is going to take a lot of practice to get it right. But I could not be happier! It is going to help with my photography a lot!
On another note. We are not moving to Memphis just yet. After re-reading through the G.I. Bill and looking at out of state tuition, we have decided that it is best for us to move back to Washington to take advantage of the instate tuition,which the G.I. BILL covers. and we both can hopefully easily get jobs there. Even though it wasn't exactly what we had planned or wanted to do, it is the best decision for us right now. Four years in Spokane.
After Deric is done getting his B.A. we will apply to any and all top pharmacy schools in the nation and go where he can get the best education!
So watch out Spokane! We are coming home this summer!!!