Tales of Summer Vacation. Florida Edition Part 2.

After a LONG, and in some cases painful, ride to Florida on the 3rd, the 4th was a welcome joy. We had grand plans for the 4th of July, although the weather did not get the memo. Seriously. I shook my fist at the sky in fury of the rain, but we still managed to have an awesome day.
First thing after breakfast, we took a walk down to the river dock to see some boats going out onto the ocean & to see what the water looked like.
On our walk, there was a lot of dancing and skipping, you know… normal girl stuff.

My Pop, Uncle Gary, & Cousin Ashley talked shop & boats, of course, you know… man stuff.

The girls had never been on a boat, so my Pop wanted to look at the water, see how busy it was, so he could decide if he would be able to take us out on the water for a bit. We used this boat talk time to take some photos :)

Pop decided that the water was fine for a short ride out to the Gulf. So we headed back to his house to prep the boat & get on bathing suits… no we weren’t going into the Gulf to go swimming, but my Pop is known to get everyone in the boat completely and utterly soaked when he drives.

Then suddenly the sky looked like it was going to drop buckets of water on us. My Pop was trying to get us back to shore before it really started storming. What is up with Florida weather?!?!? It was sunny & warm one minute and stormy & cold the next. All weekend. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Everyone else must have had the same feeling we did & they were heading back into shore too, especially the kayakers.

<<The girls had an absolute blast. My Pop’s speedy little fishing boat did the trick for them. They were screaming and squealing the whole time because, even though it was July, the water was ICE COLD. He took us out to the Gulf, as far as he could, because there was a lot of water traffic & the ocean was super choppy because of the incoming storm. Then he took us on a river tour. I’ve done this once before, when my cousin Ashley took Ryan and I out on his boat, way back in 2007. It was a beautiful day, despite the weather. <<<<<< Evidence of my Pop’s Speedy boat ride… ultimately windblown hair.

When we got back to Pop’s house & got clean & dry, we decided that we would all go to the grocery store together as a family, yep all 9 of us, so we could all pick out stuff we wanted at the cookout. Since there was no way we were having it on the 4th, we postponed until the 5th [although the weather still didn’t cooperate].
After driving the 40 miles to the grocery store, eating dinner, & driving the 40 miles back, we made it just in time for the fireworks show. My Pop LOVES the Steinhatchee Fourth of July Fireworks show. It lasted a full 40 minutes and it was supremely spectacular. In other words, I was impressed, it was much better than my hometown’s show.

First photo out of the camera. I’m a sucker for bokeh.

Some of my favorites from the show: The aftermath of an explosion looks like it’s own galaxy.

I'll be back with our last full day of vacation. I have to say it was my favorite day. :)

Tales of Summer Vacation. Florida Edition Part 1.

Last year, my dad moved to a small town just off the Florida panhandle. He had been going there on vacation since he was a kid. He has fond memories of being there with all of his brothers and sisters, his dad, and especially his mom. She died when he was 11 years old from a pulmonary embolism. So any memories he has of her are super special. He can still point out the house they used to rent & the places they would go eat, which is slim pickings around there. :) He loves to tell stories about him & his brother Raymond, who was killed a few years ago, by a drunk driver. Even though this town isn't my normal... meaning, there isn't any internet at his house & the only place that has free wifi is a small restaurant on the river, the drive to the grocery store is a killer 40 miles, & sometimes it smells like dirty fish, I have grown to love being there with my dad. I'm glad that one of these days I'll be able to tell the same type of stories he tells me, but this time they'll be about me & him. 

So last week my mom, mema, stephanie, sue, & I loaded up the car and headed to Florida for a visit and mini vacation. Well, it went pretty well, if you don't include all of the rainstorms we encountered. Seriously. I have never seen so much rain come out of the sky at once. 

Our adventure started at 5 am, when Sue & I woke up to get ready to leave from my house. Too bad my mom didn't show up until 6:30 am... I totally could have slept later.

Sue & I did end up taking a short nap waiting on Mom & Steph. But once they got there we were ready for breakfast & to be on the road. Seriously. We ended up at Martin's restaurant for breakfast. My favorite. Finally after we finished eating we were ready to leave GA & be in FL... too bad there isn't a time machine or teleportation device.

Here’s what we looked like at the beginning of the ride… (not the best photo, it came from my iPod with dreary light conditions :/ )

but this is what the back seat looked like most of the time...

I got to show the girls the gas station & intersection where the opening scene of the Walking Dead takes place... how cool is that? I live right down the road from it!
After hours of driving, encountering 2 wrecks on the interstate, & constantly seeing flashing lights because of the downpour, we made it to one of the best rest stops I've ever been to, & I've been to quite a few. This one is just outside of Columbus, GA. The attendants gave me & the girls Zombie Hunting Permits for the cars, :) Ryan was excited about that. There were displays about the history of Georgia & tons of maps & brochures to look at. I will definitely be making sure this is stop every time I go to visit my dad from now on. Proof of a clean rest stop restroom. lol.












We stopped for lunch at a Huddle House… not my first choice, in Pelham, GA. The only reason we stopped there is the girls were getting antsy in the car, asking for a bathroom, & Mema loves coffee.
We took our time ordering and eating. It was nice to be out of the car, but I was ready to be in  Florida. For real!



Once we finally got to Florida, we stopped in Perry to grab a few things we needed before heading down the 40 mile drive into nowhere. lol.
Luckily, there’s a Sonic in Perry, I really needed a sweet treat. I got a Cherry Slush, mom got an island breeze slush, mema got a vanilla shake, Steph got a chocolate shake, & Sue got a powerade slush… the whole treat thing was going over well, that is until Steph thought it would be a good idea to shake some of the shake out into her mouth… She ended up with a face full of chocolate milkshake, [a real Renee moment ;) ]
Now this is the point where the trip turns slightly south. The whole time we’ve been on the road we’ve encountered numerous rainstorms. Most of the them, just that rainstorms. They passed over pretty quickly. But the one we ran into next, well it was what my dad would call a gully washer.  We were in Keaton Beach… SO CLOSE to Steinhatchee, when the bottom fell out of the sky… quite literally, mind you.
This was one minute… looking down the canal at Keaton Beach.
And this was just a couple of minutes later, looking through a patch of trees into a field.
I promise. There was no editing done to these photos. Straight out of camera… I have never seen the weather change so quickly. It was almost scary. When we get so super close to Steinhatchee that I could feel my back & legs relaxing, ready to get out of the car & stretch, we came across a tree across the road. ALL THE WAY ACROSS. I just wanted to scream “COME ON!!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE A JOKE!” because, you see, we had already driven close to 35 miles of the 40ish miles to Steinhatchee from Perry, but in that moment, we had to turn the car around and backtrack, then go another 40ish miles on another route. By this time I was hungry & my dad had called to tell us he had a HUGE dinner made for us. I was ready to be out of the car & at the dinner table. lol.
So that is the first leg of our Florida Adventure. I’ll come back in a few days with the next part… 4th of July Steinhatchee Style. :)

Is it really June already???

I can't believe it. Summer is finally here & we've been looking forward to it for quite some time, but it seems like it has come at such a whirlwind speed. We are in full on family mode. Spending tons of time at home, cooking, crafting, playing, and just enjoying the time together. I don't get a lot of time with S&S during the school year, & even though we are driving each other crazy by the end of the summer, I relish the time we get to be together.

What I'm really here to share is a few projects from this month's Elle's Studio Inspiration Gallery. I can't believe this will be my last gallery share. So sad. I've had such an amazing experience being on this Design Team. Elle is so generous and such a wonderful person. If I could recommend anyone to try out for any design team... Elle's Studio would be one.

First off, I have a couple of weeks of project life to share with you. I'm really loving Project Life. My album from last year is one of my favorites and most cherished albums every.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have more project life spreads, layouts, & even cards to share later this week & next week.

It's March!! *Elle's Studio DT Gallery*

I can't believe we are already into March, it's almost Spring here in Georgia & I'm so excited about that. This cold weather is getting to me. I'm ready to be outside & soak up some sun without being blasted by freezing winds & seemingly constant rain. Seriously... why oh why are we plagued with downpours all winter, when its already so cold, but in the summer, there is hardly a drop of water that falls from the sky, but you can still count on the humidity. I don't get it. :)

Ok so I'm not here to bore you to death about the weather. I'm here to share my Elle's Studio March Design Team gallery. If you haven't been over to the site, you definitely need to. There are so many inspiring projects up, it's so awesome getting to be apart of such a talented group. 

So I made 3 layouts this month. All of which I love dearly. 

I used tons of Elle's Studio You & Me collection. Instead of traditional journaling, I decided to stamp a quote from one of my favorite songs of all time, Walk the Line by Johnny Cash. If you don't know me personally, you might be surprised to know that Johnny Cash is my favorite single recording artist of all time. Seriously. His music makes me think of my dad, who I love dearly. This song in particular is such a beautifully written love song. Ryan is my 1 and only & the words on this layout are truer than true. I would do anything I could for him. 

Here's some close up details:

The photobooth strip from our trip to the bowling alley is so indicative of who Ryan and I are as a couple. 

The photo on this layout makes me smile from ear to ear. Every year I take care of my 2 little cousins & to me they are like little sisters to me. I can't imagine my life without them. But that's not what this layout is about for me. This layout is about Ryan's relationship with them, he's so kind, compassionate, loving, caring, everything you could ever dream of in a male role model for 2 little girls. His relationship with them makes me realize that if we ever decide to become parents, he's going to be the best dad ever. Boy, do I love him. 

Here are the details:

This layout is a memory that I don't want Sue to ever forget. She & Ryan have a special relationship. They share a love for scary movies, zombies, & late nights. haha. Steph & I LOVE sleep, but these 2 can stay up so late. This was one of those moments, when I woke up & they were sitting together watching a movie late at night during the summer. I immediately had to snap a picture because I knew that it was going to be something that could be overlooked in the future. I hope she never forgets how awesome their relationship is. 

Here's a detail shot:

Layout Share

Okay, so like I promised, I'm here with a layout to share.

I've had a photo of my dad holding me on the day I was born for a long as I can remember. I've been wanting to get it scrapbooked, but I did't know how I wanted the story of it to go, especially since I only know stories of that day, & I don't actually remember it. Well, I finally figured out I would just let it live in perspective of today. So a few weeks ago, I turned 25. That's a big deal, a quarter of a century! So I got my dad to take another photo with me, & I made a page with the 2 photos together. I have to say, honestly this is my favorite page I have made to date. I didn't do any journaling or anything, I let the title tell the story. I'm a serious Dad's girl, so this page really means something to me.

I was getting kind of nervous about the page as I was starting. I didn't want to mess it up, so to speak. Then the 2 photo sizes and finishes kinda freaked me out. But my friend Erin set me straight. She was over at my house for a crop and she challenged me to use the photos as is. No editing. & I'm so glad she did. It gives me the perspective of not only the change in my dad and I but also in the era of photography. Polaroid vs. DSLR. I'm really glad I have these photos and memories to cherish. I know some aren't that fortunate. I love my Pop, with all of my heart & I can't wait to spend 25 more years with him!

It's that time. FINALLY.

This past week, (yesterday to be exact!) I turned in my final research paper. I have read 1000s of pages in both English & French, written 100s of notes, & 20 pages into a paper... I'm exhausted. I'm ready to take a break from school. I have literally 1 week & 9.5 hours before I will be graduating from university. It's been a long time coming. I've learned so much, not just about history, math, French, literature, but about myself, what I love, how I want to live my life, & where I want to be. I'm ready for next Saturday to come & pass. I'm sure it will be a whirlwind of an experience, but I want to absorb every moment.

I'll leave you with a photo of my giant stack of books that I literally turned back into the library yesterday evening, just before I turned in my final draft, after having them for a few months!

I will be back tomorrow with a new layout to share with you. 

MIA

I've been totally MIA from here for over a month! geez. I'm counting down the days until graduation... but more importantly I'm counting down the days until my HUGE research paper is due. I have just over a month to finish it. & that may sound like a lot but that means I need to be writing at least 1 page per day & editing it at the same time. I'm in a slight freak out mode.

Lately the only scrapping I've been doing is when I'm cropping with friends. So I haven't been making videos, sorry. I switched our guest room & my scrapbook room around, so my video set up is gone, I need to figure out a new way of doing it now. I may force myself to take photos of my scrapbook room & organization, it's nothing special though.

I do have a few layouts to share today. I went on a weekend cabin retreat with some of my friends and the weekend was memorable to say the least. I did get 2 layouts & a mini album finished... which was awesome for me. (I hardly accomplish anything around others haha, what can I say? I'm a talker)

Okay so here's the first layout:

I think this is my favorite photo of myself to date. It makes me want a haircut though. lol.

& the second layout:

 

I love this photo of Ryan. The title says it all. 

I don't have photos of the mini album to share yet, I'm working on figuring out the binding... it is TINY, so I have to find a way to bind it without ruining it, or the photos inside. 

Tomorrow, I'm going book hunting with my dad. We're trying to track down a book that is sure to help us in our genealogy quest. & Friday we're hoping to get over to the Archives in Atlanta before they close it... is the state still planning to do that? I hope not. But just in case, we're going there to copy anything that we can. Gotta get some advice from my genealogy pro friend... best to go in knowledgeable than to look like a schmuck. :) Saturday I'm having friends over, we're going to crop until the late hours of the night. I've still got to find out what foods to prepare... yikes. Better get on that!

I survived...

my first day back at University after a 3 month summer break. whew. & I could still speak French. I'm always terrified that if I don't practice for that long that I will lose it all. I don't want that! Also. I had the most amazing time the night before... Incubus + Atlanta + me & Ryan = one of the best nights of my life... again.

I do have some photos to share with you.

So the night started out kinda rough. We were late leaving, but since it was a Sunday there wasn't a ton of traffic so that was a plus. Then after we got there & got seated [on the lawn, mind you...] it started to rain. It wasn't some terrible downpour or anything, just the slightly annoying, slow drenching kind...
Luckily I remembered to pack our rain jackets... best investment ever, here in GA we get that nasty, cold, rain that will soak through your clothes quickly & leave you shivering afterwards [all winter long]

So the first band that played was MuteMath... they were cool, but honestly I was so distracted by being cold, the non-stop rain, & the already drunk people being escorted out of the venue, that I didn't really pay that much attention to them... my favorite being a pair of young women coming in already stumbling, pouring beer all over each other... quite the scene, & not a good one at that... more like a wreck you can't look away from. yikes.

So finally the rain starts to die down, just in time for Incubus to be on stage. [insert extremely happy face here]... They were amazing. & honestly much better than last year, BB was joking around, playfully singing INXS, & BK was really into it, he was all over the stage & I LOVED EVERY MINUTE. The best part, they were about to go off stage & BB asked if there was time for one more... HELLO??? OF COURSE!!! so M.E. brings out a lute & nearly DIE. They started playing my ALL TIME FAVORITE SONG!!! Aqueous Transmission. I think I had the biggest goofiest smile on my face the entire time. That's the first time I've heard that song live & it was amazing.

So here are some of my favorite moments/photos of the show...

Then after they were finished playing I had a brief moment of sadness because it has been reported that they are going to go on a hiatus for a bit... not as long as last time [5 years!!!] but BB wants to work on another solo album & the others have things they want to do too... sad. I guess If Not Now, When? will have to keep me going for now. 

I love you Incubus, I can't wait 5 years to see you again, so please don't make me wait that long & I will continue to love you forever. Sincerely, obsessed & in love.