sNagGleToOtH

Please excuse my lack of blogging while I get my life in order ;)

I can't wait to get some new clients on the bloggy! But, until then, I have yet another personal post if ya don't mind :) Of my sweet Ashton! It's interesting that after we watched "The Toothfairy," while Omi was visiting and helping in my new home, my son coincidentally states that he had a loose tooth...hmmm...did he wiggle it loose by force?

At first, that's what I thought, but this morning my little boy was so excited to announce that his tooth "fell out." I looked into his mouth and saw the empty space...my next discovery concluded that Ashton in fact did NOT yank his tooth out on his own....there in his pink gums, were little white buds protruding...I flashed back to when he was a baby and felt my nose sting and eyes water. I can't believe how fast he's growing!

Oh, and you know you're a photog when your kid says,

"Hey Mom? Can you take a picture of me and blog it??" Hahaha!

{We'Re hErE!!!!}

loading and packing last minute stuff, 38 hours NON-stop drivin', and a few days of rest has allowed me to write YA'LL and say..I MADE IT! I made it safely to San Antonio with two 26ft trucks (one pulling a trailer with our monster truck on it) and the Jeep with ALL the critters. Now, we're waiting to close on our new home :) More details to follow...aka movie maybe???

cOuNtInG {down}

...the days until I can sink my teeth into one of these...

PrOpS {to a photog peep}

I've decided that it's high time for me to stop hoardin' all these awesome photographers to myself that I find through the wonderful world wide web. It's time to share the love! When I find out that someone has honored me with a link back to my blog...it seriously makes me smile...like HUGE. The "you can't see Ali's eyes anymore because her cheeks are hidin' them" huge. Sooooo...I figure, not only would it be great to feature some photogs that I think are rockin' it in their areas, for eye candies sake...but to also ask some questions that may help us photographers. Fun eh??? So I've never done this before...please bear with me as I get better with the questions and whatnot...

So, if you're a photographer and you stop by my blog...

caution: no one's safe ;) You could be then next on Ali's love list :)

Without further adieu, my first photog friend, Brittney, is from none other than...yup... Texas! She's hitched, she's a graphic design guru and she has a super cute puppy named Toby! I asked some questions and this is what she had to say ENJOY! :)

If you could be any little Debbie pastry, what would it be?

I would be a star crunch :) yum!

What crazy things have you had to do for a kids session?

Ha, I actually just did this the other day! When I want kids to look at the camera, I ask them what their favorite animal is. The other day the little boy said "dinosaur!!!" ha... So I told him that a dinosaur lived in my camera... He said "nu uh!" so I told him he needed to look really really close to see him. So that got him to look, then I said "give him a smile cause he's smiling at you!!!" man did he and his brother and sister start smiling... Then they totallly went with it and started saying all kinds of things were in my camera :)

What got ya into this adventure of photography?

I actually took film photography in high school and was hooked. We developed our own film and prints in a darkroom. Too fun! I went away to college and pursued graphic design but I always loved photography and wanted to pursue it. I finally bought a camera and started doing our neighbor's senior portraits. It just went off from there. My graphic design knowledge has helped me so much in photography.

What would you say is your FAVE lens?

Definitely the 85mm 1.8... So pretty :)

You can visit her blog and see what's happenin' in Brittney world!!! :)

JoLeNa {sweet friend}

After talking about friends in my last post, I just couldn't resist not honoring this person in my life...honestly I went back and forth because I didn't want to hurt anyone who has been so wonderful and a part of my life...you know the scenerio:

*you've helped at an event. whether it be for two hours or for two weeks. and you sacrificed so much to be generous with your time. to volunteer or contribute to this event. the event takes place. your sitting at one of the tables. in the back. you think "why didn't i get a table at the front? because I helped. and it's time for the "thank you's." the person behind the podium makes the cliche "i first want to thank ALL the people who helped out at this event because there are too many to name, thank you for your time...blah blah blah" whatever. you really want to know if YOUR gonna have your name called following. and then he/she speaks. names. you eagerly wait to see if yours is called. and with every name that is read. that isn't yours. a sharp pain stabs your heart. hurt. that maybe someone did not appreciate your efforts.*

Am I the only one who does that? Am I the only one that has a brief moment of bitterness that rises up in me and then has to get over it...to wake up and realize that the folks who's names WERE called, like lived off coffee and didn't sleep for 72 hours to make the event happen??

Anyhoo, I'm just tryin' to be "see through" with ya...and I have been known to be a bit sensitive..the darn artist in me...but I am almost positive that everyone else has it way more together than me.

So I have known Jolena for...well, since I moved to Great Falls. She was the second gal I met here. I had just gotten hitched to Dave and HAD to start learning to make GIRL friends. Because honestly, I didn't have any girl friends before I was married. No joke...they were all guys. I have always just got along better with dudes...and no I wasn't a boy crazy kinda gal...just liked things like playin' pool, paintballin' and riding 4-wheelers crazy through the tick infested GA woods. Things that most girls wouldn't do...so when I met a gal that loved to camp and fish but still beamed beautiful femininity...I was like...I want to be her friend. And I did. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. It's super sad that I'm leaving because it's been just recently that I have really been able to spend some time with her. Here's a few reasons I love Jolena:

I love how she helped me remember how fun scrapbooking is. I love that I can freely dote on Edward Cullen without being judged. I love that I can call her at 11pm and chat till 1 am because she's a night owl like me. I love that she brings out the girly in me! It doesn't matter how nasty my feet are, she won't let me leave her house and will give me a pedicure if my toes need pampering. I love her encouragement on parenting. She inspires me to be a better mother. I love our common tastes in candy. Hot tamales! I love that she gives of her time every week to visit the kids at the Juvenile Detention Center...to love on them and tell them how much God loves 'em. I love that she loves me so much, she will tell me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear. I love her heart for God.

Love you Jolena....you are so gorgeous and I'm so thankful for you!

Wowzers!!!

fRienDs & ToEs

...because I have no foes..get it? HAHAHA!

...anyhoo...FRIENDS...i will miss them...

I know I'm gonna still make my phone calls...I have always been pretty good at that. At least every other week, I like to give myself a date with coffee, the phone and whomever answers the ring - on my list of "folks I need to catch up with."

And thank the good Lord for Facebook!!! I know I'm not the best face-booker, but I have to admit that when I do make a mission of creepin' around on there...it's a flippin' affair. I guess I go in spurts with that...and that won't change...

...but to have access to seeing my friends, calling them up with a wild spontaneous hair to do something and getting to laugh with them IN PERSON...THAT is what I will miss.

So, I did say toes for a reason ;) I got my hair done a couple days ago after not going anywhere for E.V.E.R. and a year...Avery Simonsen of True Colors Salon did a FABULOUS job and I have to say that I am completely blown away by her awesome client service. I have never had a stylist call me 24 hours after I get my hair done to inquire how I like it...that was really cool! I also had my toes done. Has anyone else ever heard of glitter toes??? I never did, but I'm up to try anything and WOW! It's like bling for your feet!!! It's a gel and glitter process that's cured so the fun sparkle lasts for 4-6 weeks!!! Seriously, if you wanna do something fun and smile every time you look down at your toesies, you should try this! I hate my feet but LOVE my toes! This pic does NOT do the sparkle justice and so sorry that you have to look at my hobbit feet, but here's what they look like :)

SoLd!!!

Yeppers...we sold our house! I can honestly say that my sweet Lord has orchestrated EVERYTHING out in my favor...in one week:

4/15:

Got an offer on the house

Counter-offered

4/16:

Counter-offer accepted

My agents became dual agents (and it's been wonderful!)

4/17:

kind of remember that we needed a new loan for Texas

got pre-approved for a VA loan

4/18:

Accidentally found another house that was WAY better than the first Texas house I found

4/19:

Put an offer in on THAT house and was told not too get excited because...

it's a foreclosure and...

6 offers, including ours, were on the table after two days of it listing

ran out of printer ink

4/20:

deadline for offers on cool house at 4:30 Central

PROBLEM: realtor in Texas can't read contract because of my stupid lack of ink

TX realtor gets permission to submit offer next day

got new ink but forgot about having only 3 sheets of paper left....ARGH!

back to the store for paper

4/21:

WHEW! got the offer in :)

Had inspection for our house here

Inspection went FABULOUS!

I love our buyer!

4/22:

Dave works on minor repairs from inspection while I crack down on editing

Waiting patiently regarding our offer

they did say 72 hours...

4/23:

getting a little nervous about our offer

consider buying the crap house, flipping it, and making some moolah

but then again it is a crap house...my Aunt said there was literally crap...

to the brim of the toilet...

continuing to ask God to move on the hearts of men in my favor

commercial photoshoot

3 missed calls from my husband on my FRIENDS phone?

call husband back

OUR OFFER WAS ACCEPTED!!!

Praise ya Jesus!!!

We have until Monday to sign the papers they sent us...

until then the bank is still reviewing other offers

4/24:

Scanning in all the papers to my computer

VERY t.i.m.e. c.o.n.s.u.m.i.n.g.

How the heck do I make a pdf from multiple scanned images???

Dave gets the confirmation on his job transfer to Texas

4/25:

went around Great Falls to some of my favorite spots to take pictures...

For FUN

more packing ;)

4/26:

sent pdfs to realtor for the seller/bank to look at and sign

JUST got the word that the bank has signed the papers and...

NO MORE OFFERS are being accepted!!!

So, that is the craziness of my life this last week...but it was SO smooth at the same time! I absolutely am grateful for how awesome the buyer is. She SO appreciates my old home and it's character...that, to me, is priceless! And I am so excited about starting a new chapter of my life in San Antonio...to come into this new home and start making new memories there. This journey isn't over yet, but it's really cool to see how God has worked this all out so perfectly...

Here's my new - well, new to me...it's 24 years old - house...I've never stepped foot in it, but my Uncle said he would want to live there....that's good enough for me :)

We live on a cul-de-sac :)

This is the view right when ya walk in the front door:

My future office...

ps keep in mind my pictures of Great Falls...somethin' special goin' on that wall ;)

looking into the dining room and back there is the kitchen...notice the exposed hallway with chair rail on the top of the picture???...very vintagy AND I can't wait to get some Christmas garland on those stairs ;)

I'm graduating from a bedroom with no closet...to a MASTER bedroom with fireplace, little deck, closet and....

my very own bathroom!!!! I'm so excited!!!

nice sized back yard...Sam is only going to get a small corner to relieve himself on

I know this post is a little long...but I just couldn't withhold any details from ya...because I just had to tell ya how AWESOME everything is flowing and had to share my new home too :)

Happy Monday!!!