This week in review...

I've been a little absent this past week...just dealing with life and the things it brings with it.  

Last week was pretty much a horrible week, 

but it's over

behind us

and hopefully gone forever...

All those years rocking babies and teaching the alphabet I had no thought whatsoever about the fact that one day those little pudgy-faced kids would grow up to be teenagers.  And for some reason {unbeknownst to me} I actually believed I was living through the most difficult years of parenting back then.  Thank goodness I was not able to see into the future!  I wouldn't change this stage of life with my kids for ANYthing...BUT...they are not always easy days.  

And some days I feel my singleness more than others...

Like last week....all seven of them.

"He tends his flock like a shepherd:

 He gathers the lambs in His arms

 and carries them close to His heart;

 He gently leads those that have young."

Isaiah 40:11

That's how I got through last week.  There were days I had no creativity to deal with the issue at hand...but somehow ideas and answers came to me...and we got through.  I knew we would...just prefer to be on the other side this week.

Ok.

Enough said.

It's a new week, it's all good...and this is what we've been up to in the last few days...

Sunday afternoon Emma and I traipsed along with McKenzie, one of the students from church as she had her Senior picture photo shoot with Photographer Amber Jacoby. 
 It was absolutely beautiful weather...perfect for an outdoor shoot.  

Amber doing what she does best...and my attempt to capture it on my phone..

My snapshots do not do Amber's photography ANY justice at all, you'll have to check out her website to see the good stuff

Amber is one of those special people in our lives.  I grew to love her years ago as she was growing up in our youth group...and now she's loving on Emma as a leader...it's a cool thing to see the cycle.

These pics of Emma are from her camera, not my phone...not that I needed to point that out! 

Emma was her "prop-girl" and got in a couple of shots herself.  We spent hours alongside a bridge on a back road and in the middle of an overgrown field. We had a great day following the girls around. And, even though I'm pretty biased, I think Amber takes some of the best Senior pictures in the County.  You can find her on Facebook too, and if you're in the market for some photos for your Senior, your baby, your family or your wedding give her a shout out.  Tell her you heard about her from me, I think she'll give you a huge discount. 

 {*Not really...sorry, a girl's got to make a living...but it sounded good, didn't it?}

 Tonight was the annual Halloween parade in Strasburg.  When we lived right in town the whole family would come, I'd make a pot of coffee and we'd sit outside for about 12 1/2 minutes to enjoy the parade.  But, because it was no longer outside my door, this is the first parade in about 20 years that I have missed.  The kids decided to drive over and meet some friends there...

It was chicken corn soup night.
Emma's friends joined us, and thought the soup was picture worthy....

 Oh, wait...maybe there was an ulterior motive to my getting the camera out...

I forget sometimes how much teenage girls like to have their pictures taken!

On the other hand, Nick couldn't care a less if I ever take a picture of him...but still, I tried to take just ONE good one to add to all of Emma's on here. 

 Which is why I ended up with THIS...

{Click Image}

Funny kid.

Speaking of funny...those girls up there...I just walked upstairs and found a dish with a lemon in it.  Apparently they wanted to see if they could make their hair blonder by rubbing lemon all over it!  Cheaper than hair-dye, but missing the key ingredient of SUN!

Also..it's Halloween weekend and you might think that we are past the trick or treat stage...sadly, it's about that time, but in my house we stretch it out as long as possible.  Tomorrow night, my kids will be the ones wearing "a skateboard"

 {Nick has decided it's not cool to dress up at 17,

 but riding a skateboard would be kind of like having a costume} 

 Emma will be dressed as a "Hockey player"

lucky for her there happens to be a lot of hockey gear around our house...

{...because I nixed the idea of going as Lady GAG GAG}

I'll end with two messages, just in case my family is reading

#1

ALEX, 

IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR YOUR VOICE...

CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!!!! 

#2

Family, I've decided that I'm going to pretend there's not another birthday around the corner.  

BUT, I still want a gooey piece of cake.

And, I can't think of a thing that I need...

so I'll just put this out there for you to think about....

BUT, I'll be happy with dinner with the whole family and a new tube of chapstick!

{Word-less Wednesday} Photoshoot...

{Amber Jacoby Photography}

stalkers...

So I'm sitting at Panera Bread with my partner in crime, Amber Jacoby.

 {by the way she is a FABULOUS photographer, and if you need portraits done you should definitely contact that girl HERE} 

Anyway, we have this big problem, and I think I'm finally willing to talk about it.  We're stalkers.  We meet here often.  Sometimes just to hang out and talk...sometimes because she needs to edit photos {and I look over her shoulder and cheer her on}...and SOMEtimes it doesn't matter why we meet here because we get totally distracted and before we know it we have started stalking some of the coolest blogs in cyberspace. 

Let me clarify...we have our own definition of "stalking"...and it does not sound like the Wikipedia definition that goes something like this:

"Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted, obsessive attention by individuals (and sometimes groups of people) to others. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation..."

{cause that would be creepy...}

Our definition of stalking goes more like this:

"Two women living vicariously off of other people's talents and gifts...hoping that some of it will rub off on them.  These particular stalking behaviors are totally controllable and can be stopped at anytime."

{ Really.  They can.  If you want to.}

Today we both had a list of things to accomplish on our own computers...we skimmed the top of those lists but got stuck here:

http://andreaburnsphotography.com/

and here:

http://tsjphotography.com/blog/

and here:

http://simplyhandmadebypaige.blogspot.com/

and here:

http://www.brookecourtney.com/

and maybe a few more places...

And nothing else on our lists got done. 

Nothing but alot of stalking...good, clean controllable stalking.

On the home front, we've been drinking alot of THIS...

I've bought more Walmart brand lemonade mix this summer than ever.  On any given day there are teenagers coming or going around here, and I think I finally found an inexpensive way to keep them all hydrated. {because although just plain water is free, it doesn't mean it's fun to drink...and this stuff is sugar-free. Bonus!}  By this time of year, I'm tired of all the fresh fruit in my fridge and have decided it goes down just as well in the lemonade. 

About the third day of having it sit in the fridge it starts to take on an entirely new color {reminiscent of specimen cups, as Alex recently pointed out on his last visit}....but the flavors all mix together and it's downright addicting.  {I'm sure Nutrition Specialists all over the world would have a thing or two to say about the amount of fake sugar we've consumed this summer, but whatever...it tastes DElish.}

Emma insisted she get in on the pictures.  But, I promise, the straw didn't really reach into the jar- no worries, if you stop by anytime soon you won't be drinking backwash.

Nothing else very interesting happening around here.  It's "Fair Week" in our township.  Not my personal favorite week, but my kids have always loved it.  The mixture of farm animals, mud and manure do very little to excite me, but I usually break down for one evening just for an excuse to have some good food. 

I believe tonight is the greased-kid race. {Not to be confused with the greased PIG race which it used to be called before PETA or someone decided it was "in-humane" to grease the pig...thereby nominating the kids to be greased instead.  Not sure why that doesn't sound funny to anyone else...}

Very tempting...but think I'll pass.

I'm back...

...but not fully.  I'm experiencing a little hangover this morning...the kind that doesn't go away with a handful of asprin or a cup of coffee.  The one in question is the kind that happens when you've spent a week away from home with 24 teenagers...in a bigger group of 6,500 teenagers...

{Photo courtesy of Amber Jacoby Photography}

...surrounded by strong speakers and leaders of worship music... 

{Photo courtesy of Amber Jacoby Photography}

It's the kind that makes you yearn for another Drink...but of the Heavenly kind. 

I think I'm addicted....
http://lancasterallianceyouth.blogspot.com/