Still Crazy....

about you after all these years!! It's hard to believe that we are celebrating our 29th Anniversary today! Thanks for loving me like you do! I love you honey! Happy Anniversary! xoxoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Christmas! I was so good at posting last month and now this month I seem to have fallen off the "posting wagon"! So I decided to post something quick here so I can get back on the horse so to speak. I've been working on my December Daily album....trying to come up with clever and meaningful ways to document our December. This photo is one of my Christmas mugs....when Jeremy was a little boy it was his favorite because it had a train on it. So since he isn't home this Christmas I wanted to document this memory. I've also been playing with my camera....I actually took this photo in aperature mode...I also played with it over at http://www.picnik.com/ and gave it some neat effects...so I am learning. I am trying to look find the little things that make our holiday special...little things like this mug.

One More Grateful Post....

before the month ends.....I can't honestly finish out this month of being grateful without posting a few photos from today. Pictured below is my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Sandi and Gary. Gary, has been working at Disneyland....today he took us there for a day of holiday fun. I am grateful for family and the fact that Gary shared his "work" with us. The place was beautifully decorated and was a wonderful place to kick off the holiday season. I am really in a festive mood now. Thanks Gary for sharing the Disney holiday spirit with us.

a family photo with Santa

under the "A" in California in front of CA Adventure and beautiful pointsettias inside Disneyland

Sleeping Beauty's Castle looked breath taking drenched in beautiful wintery icicle lights.

Family, Friends and Food

What a fun day this has been. I am so grateful for family, friends and great food.

For a Good Cause

I came across this thread over at A Million Memories I decided I wanted to help get the word out so I am posting a link here...Michelle over at AMM is such a sweet girl and I am grateful to her for her wonderful scrappy site and for her generous heart...she is an inspiration to me. Thanks Michelle. http://www.amillionmemories.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=30916&p=1

My Friend

Today I am grateful for my sweet wonderful friend and hair stylist Stephanie Wilde. She started cutting my hair 16 months ago. I have known Steph since she was an infant, we have been friends with her family forever...so when I was looking for someone new to cut my hair, her Mom suggested I try her out. I was looking for a new style but didn't know what.....Stephanie figured it out for me and my hair has been getting better and better with every hair cut. Thanks Steph, for making me feel so great about my hair. I truly am grateful for your expertise and talent! If anyone reading this is close to Huntington Beach, CA and wants to contact Stephanie for an appointment she works at Salon Amibance 714-846-5900

Catching Up

Ok....I fell behind yesterday so I am posting two photos today. Today I am grateful for Jason and his wonderful sense of humor and the fact that we spent sometime running errands today. We went into Lowes and right by the front door were all of these Musical Christmas Toys....we had so much fun playing them....they made me laugh.....some of them were scary but others were really funny. I couldn't help but get out my phone and take a picture of this little guy. If I knew where we could put him where Riley wouldn't eat him or bark at him he might have come home with us....Thanks Jase for spending time with your Mom and making me smile. I am so grateful for YOU!

The Weather

Today I am grateful for the beautiful weather we have here in Orange County...while many places in the country are dealing with ice and snow and cold It's been delightfully warm here. Gotta love SoCal!

Primary

Today I am grateful that I was asked to help out in Primary today. For those of you who aren't familar with this term it is the children's "Sunday School" so to speak of the LDS church. For two and a half years I was the Primary President....I loved my church job....and I loved the kids. It was hard for me when they released me and found another job for me to do. Today I had the opportunity to go back and help out......and I loved every minute of it. The kids are so sweet and it just made me grateful not only to be helping in there today but for the two and a half years I spent working in the Primary with these wonderful children.

Fall Leaves

As I drove to work today I was pondering what I wanted to post about....what was I grateful for today? It is getting more difficult to come up with things...I don't want to keep posting about the usual things that one thinks of when one says they are grateful...about that time I drove by a shopping center with some trees with beautiful fall leaves on them...now I know for those of you who live where you have four seasons this may not seem like much but living in Southern California we don't have a lot of trees with leaves that turn color and they don't turn color until now, mid November. The trees I saw this morning were on fire with color...they were simply beautiful. Unfortunately I didn't have time to take a photo, nor did I have my camera with me. Then I remembered a simular tree, one that stood outside my father-in-laws hospital room, two years ago, shortly before he passed away. It was too was on fire with color. So today I am grateful for beautiful fall leaves....and my dear sweet father-in-law.....we miss you Daddy.

Our Sweet Riley

As I think back over this past year one of the things I am really grateful for is the fact that after Riley ran way, last March....we FOUND him! When he left it was just heartbreaking....we were all so sad...but what joy we felt when he returned. It was a huge testimony builder to all of us of the power of prayer. Everyone was praying for his safe return. I am so grateful our prayers were answered and Riley came home after 3 and a half days. So today, 8 months after he left I am grateful he is part of our family. He loves us unconditionally and is simply the best puppy ever! (most of the time anyway)

Finally!

I finally did it....I couldn't take it anymore.....I finally cleaned up the linen closet...4 shelves clean 1 more to go! Today I am grateful for an almost clean linen closet.

Online Friends

This last week with our internet being down for a couple of days it occured to me just how much I rely on the internet....I felt lost for 2 days without the internet. I don't know if my family understands that I call these wonderful women my friends and yet I have never met them. We chat online regularily, we share scrapbook pages, we know about each others kids...if only we weren't spread quite so far across the country we might actually get to meet in real life....today I am thankful for all of my online friends. Today's photo is a layout I scrapped a while back about my online buddies!

Why I Live Where I do

I think I am missing a day in my gratitude posting and after my walk today down at the beach I decided to post twice today. It's absolutely beautiful outside today....perfect weather in my book...the sun is shining, it's about 70 degrees, and oh yeah....it's NOVEMBER! I went to visit a friend of mine down by the beach....I couldn't pass up the chance to go for a walk so I grabbed my camera before I left the house and here's my favorite....well one of them anyway. I played with it in Picnik.com and made it kind of edgy and fun. Today besides being grateful for my husband's family.....I am also very grateful to live just 5 miles from the beach and have beautiful days like today that I can enjoy!

Gotta Love these Guys!

Almost 29 years ago I married into the best family ever! Cliff is one of 6 kids and I came from a family of just my sister and me! Needless to say that first Christmas we spent together as a family was a bit overwhelming for me. I was desperately trying to find quiet places to hide at my mother-in-laws house. Now of course I miss it when we don't get together with his family....I love all the craziness and the chaos....tho I must admit I have been known to still try and find that quiet place to hide...lol Today's photo is of just part of Cliff's Sister Sandi's family....just part of the Morgan Clan that I am grateful for. You guys are the BEST! Of course there are other family members that I am grateful for so stay tuned...For more family photos in the days ahead.

20 Years Ago Today

I can remember it like it was yesterday....we had been waiting for it for 10 long months...going through the process and anxiously awaiting for our court date for your adoption to become final. Twenty years ago today I legally became your Mother....and what a blessing it has been. Thanks for making me a Mother......I am so grateful for you!

More Gratitude

For those of you who might not know this is my younger son Jason. He is my ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, he can make me laugh faster than anyone else I know. He loves me more than he can say and the feeling is mutual. Today I am grateful that I have this amazing young man in my life. Life just would not be the same without him. You are the BEST Jason Roy....I love you!

One More for Today

Since my internet was down for two days I am behind in my gratitude blog entries so I decided I would post a quick on tonight.....then I will be caught up.

I have been married to this wonderful man for the past 28 years...I am so grateful he is part of my life.....even tho we make each other crazy on a regular basis....he is still my rock and the one I turn to when I need to support. I am so grateful for his love. Love you honey!

Up and Running

I posted this challenge and had really intended to keep up with it and then our internet went down....I lost two days so I for obvious reasons you understand why I posted the photo for today that I did.....I am grateful for modern technology and the fact that our internet is up and running again. Ididn't realize just how much I missed my online friends when I couldn't talk to them. Gotta love the internet!

Attitude of Gratitude

Here it is already the 11th of November and I decided I would try and take a picture a day of something I am grateful for and post it here. Not sure if I will make a scrapbook out of it or not but at least it will help me focus on the things I am grateful for. I posted on facebook this morning that I am grateful for birds that sing in November. I was walking Riley and I heard this little bird singing up on the wire...it made me stop and think....if I hadn't walked Riley....I would never have heard that sweet little birds song....so glad for Riley too. I don't ordinarily think of birds singing in November...it was nice to have the peace and quiet of the morning to hear his song. Ok so I don't have a picture for this but I do have this cute little bird photo that I took last spring..he was sitting outside my kitchen window.

The Perks of the Job

I am often asked if my job working at the door at Costco is boring....I can honestly say that for the most part it isn't. I get paid to "people watch" and that can be oh so entertaining. The fact that I am a "people person" certainly helps. Sure it can get to be mundane and repetitive but I can safely say it is almost always "entertaining" There are a couple of perks of working at the door......I have run into people I haven't seen in 20 years...and I see friends from church all the time...we Latter day saints are Big Costco shoppers :-) and probably the best part is that our door faces to the west so I get to see AMAZING sunsets. If I was home at sunset I would totally miss the beauty of God's handiwork. So while the job itself may not be my dream.....the good Lord has given me the opportunity to find the silver lining in it all.

Outside My Window

I was inspired by an Ali Edwards post on her blog and decided to try it on mine and go for not one but two blog posts today! (gasp)

Outside my window....is another beautiful sunny SoCal day
I am thinking......... about my Missionary Son
I am thankful for.............oh so many wonderful things in my life ...my wonderful family...the wonderful SoCal weather........our sweet little dog Riley......my many wonderful friends...the list just goes on and on
From my Kitchen.......not too sure yet what I will fix for dinner...it’s a bit early yet ;-)
I am wearing......... my brown hooded tee shirt, jeans and flip flops
I’m creating......just finished creating 6 layouts, going to start working on my December Daily
I am going........to the chiropractor today....my sciatica is killing me lately
I am reading........my scriptures....I really need to make this a daily habit
I am hoping.........to start work on my December Daily this week
I am hearing...........the tree trimmers outside trimming our neighbors tree
Around the house........the house is full today...everyone is home, certainly not normal for a Monday
One of favorite things.....is getting email text messages from Elder Morgan...it’s almost like talking to him
A few plans for the week ahead.......working....scrapping.....maybe hitting the pumpkin patch with Jason to get some fun photos.....and hanging out with the family.

A Picture to Share.............

The Birthday Boy

We had a great time on Cliff's birthday. We both ended up with the day off so we were able to spend it together. He wanted to go to Lily Garden his favorite chinese restaurant for lunch...what yummy food we had. Then he decided he wanted "Stonefire Grill" carrot cake so we went and got some of that....it was a really nice relaxing and low key day. Since Uncle Gary is staying with us he came along for lunch too. It was great that we ALL had the day off. The girls at the chinese restaurant made him this cute little orange and fortune cookie cake and sang Happy Birthday to him in English AND Chinese...all in all it was a very fun day for all concerned.

6 Degrees of Separation.

The world truly is small. Who would have thought that while Jeremy was off serving his mission in Idaho that I would have the privledge of meeting two wonderful missionaries from Idaho. One was able to spend 2.5 months studying with Jeremy while he recovered from knee surgery and the other one just went home to the area in which Jeremy is now currently serving....It seems silly but it's so nice to feel that connection. Here is a layout I did about the three of them.

Time is flying by...This past week it was brought to my attention that Elder Morgan has been out on his mission for 16 months now. He will be home in less than 8 months!...that just doesn't seem possible....when he left 24 months sounded like an eternity....it has gone by so quickly...even for me as his mother is has zipped by. Tho I must admit the first three months were the most difficult....we have adjusted and now we are just looking forward to him returning.


We attended a wedding a couple of weeks ago...my sweet niece got married. We had a great time visiting with family and friends at the wedding here's one of my favorite shots of the bride and groom. They look so happy. I'm so glad we were able to attend.

Thats about it so far this month....stay tuned...

Where has September Gone?

I can't believe how fast this month has zipped by. We have had a few changes at our house but one thing never changes...my love for my family and the love I have for the art of scrapbooking. Jason and I went on a photo shoot and I got some fun photos of him, plus he had a birthday so that was a good excuse to go to "Sprinkles" for cupcakes. I scrapped the photo of my nephews kids with our neighbors cat...I love the way that one turned out. Jeremy sent home some really fun pictures this past week so I have done several layouts with them. I can't believe he has been gone for 15 months now....before I know it he will be home! So here in no particular order are some of the layouts I have done recently.

I Couldn't Pass This Up

Ok so Cathy Zielske posted on facebook about this little challenge over at todaysmama.com I'm a sucker for all things cricut so decided I would try this!

Post and answer the meme questions on your blog and then send us a link to your post via email with “Cricut Meme” in the subject line

Great Escape Meme
1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? It would have to be Hawaii! I just love it there.
2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car? Just about anything Keith Urban Days Go By comes to mind as I feel my life racing before my eyes.
3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? I would probably grab my amazing husband and wisk him away for an over night get away at the beach
4. What is your guilty pleasure? IN n OUT Burger
5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? Hong Kong
6. Last book that you couldn't put down? "Sisters Ink" by Rebecva Seitz
7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch?
8. What is your favorite local escape? anywhere it's quite and peaceful....love the ocean
9. How do you escape on a budget? I live in SoCal so I go walk on the beach
10. Best food you've ever had while on vacation. Lehi (pronounced Lee-hee)a fish local to the Kona coast it was amazing and I don't even like fish!!

Ok there you have it! Just a little bit about me.

What happened??

I blinked and I haven't blogged in over a month! I haven't scrapped much this past month either. Not sure I could even tell you what I did to keep so busy. Here it is Labor Day weekend...the summer is gone...WOW It certainly flew by!

The big news at our house is that Jason started at Golden West College last week. How did I get old enough to have my baby be in college? Wasn't he just born? Ok so he was born 17 years ago on the first of September....anyway.....I digress. So far he is loving college and I am so proud of him. The week before school started I took him over there and we had a little "photo shoot" on campus. I managed to get a couple of really nice pictures of him...this is my favorite.

We had our nephew, Erick come to visit this weekend with his wonderful wife Tami and their adorable children Sarah and Adam. They were here for a fun run 5K at Disneyland. It was great to visit with them and see the kids....they are getting so big. I only took a few photos, love this one ...they were standing at the door looking out at the neighbors cat.

Well I guess that's about it for now. I am looking forward to getting back into the fall routine.

Summer was great but after a while the routine of fall is nice to have once again. Here are a couple of layouts that I did manage to get done since I last posted. This one is of our niece's daughter at her first dance class. Loved the photos. Had a great time scrapping something girlie! ;-)

These are some silly pictures of us taken in a photo booth at a wedding reception we recently attended. They just make me laugh. Guess even after 28 years we can still be silly! Jeremy sent this photo home and I totally fell in love with it...he is just looking so darn grown up and totally handsome! He was doing some service digging the hole that he is standing in! Yikes!