Candid {love}

Today's Topic: A favorite photo of yourself and why.

I love this picture for so many reasons. Mostly, I love that it is candid - the photographer caught a moment between us at Patricia & Bryan's wedding and I think candid photos capture something that isn't always there in posed photography. We're happy, we're in love - and it shows.

Rag Quilt

A member of our P.E.O. Chapter just had a baby! Mom, Alisha, and I are all members of Chapter K - Vale, Oregon. Jennifer and Adam recently brought baby Beckett into the world and we wanted to do something special for their family! If my memory serves me correctly, big sister Adalyn nicknamed the baby bump "Moose" early in the pregnancy. It stuck!

We decided we wanted to make one of those rag quilts with the minky material on the back (so soft). Immediately, we went on the search for moose fabric. We found the perfect fit and got to work - meeting at JoAnn's to match fabric to the 'moose-themed' fabric we had purchased.

After a branding, I stayed over at Alisha's house and in a night and a morning, we had made a quilt! I was totally impressed because my sewing skills are nil. Alisha did all the cutting of the squares and all the sewing after getting a little advice and some tips from Aunt Bev. Peter was our runner and very helpful. I was the 'snipper' making all those little cuts in the fabric - William even helped me count the number of snips per square. Thank goodness Aunt Bev let us borrow her special scissors. I might still be 'snipping'! At one point during the evening (after midnight), we were piecing the quilt together and couldn't get the pattern to work out right - we knew it was time to go to bed!

Don't worry, we got it figured out the next morning. I think it turned out darling!

 

All wrapped up and ready to go!

If you are interested in a rag quilt - Aunt Bev has a few for sale in the Willowcreek Store and I am sure you can contact her through her Etsy Shop: Bev's Oregon Treasures or I can give you her information if you contact me directly. They make great baby gifts and can be customized to a variety of colors and themes! I know Bev had quilts ranging from country/cowboy to glittery purple and even a football quilt when I was in the WC Store last.

Alisha also made Jennifer a block set from her Etsy Shop: The Bench T. You can check out her Newborn/Infant/Toddler/Child Photo Prop block set on The Bench T. These are also amazing baby gifts!

Congrats to the Tolman Family!   :)

Happy List

Today's Topic: 10 Things That Make You Happy

I've done this before, more than once I think. Either way, I like this prompt. Here goes - ten things that make me happy. Not the only ten things that make me happy and in no particular order :) Just what I could think of today.

1. A freshly made bed with clean, pressed sheets. 
2. Office supplies - Sharpie Markers, Post-It Notes, etc.
3. Going on dates. Real dates.
4. Spending time with my girlfriends.
5. Crossing things off my list of 'to-dos'.
6. Receiving fun mail and hand-written thank you notes.
7. Flowers. Sent to me, sent to others, from the florist, hand-picked, still in the garden. 
8. Reading a really good book. 
9. Riding horses. 
10. Those days when Chad and I have nothing to do - and can do whatever we choose, even if that means we do nothing. 

Hope you are happy today and always! 

Public Apology

Today's Topic: Issue a Public Apology

To my friends, family, and anyone who runs an idea by me - ever.

I am sorry if I am not initially on board and supportive if you propose an idea, project, or plan to me. I am one of those people who has to really think through all pros and cons - weighing the positives and negatives of situations before making a big decision or change. I often play the 'devil's advocate' - even when people probably really don't want me to. I would rather explore all possibilities I can think of before doing something drastic to minimize the (potential) negative impact and maximize the positive outcomes! 

Trust me, I realize change can be and often times is good, but I just wish I had a crystal ball at times to see the outcomes before making a difficult choice.

Since I don't have that crystal ball, please accept my apology for any knee-jerk "no" reactions. After I mull it over for a while - I might just be on board!

Friends

Today's Topic: What do you miss?

People, places, events, feelings, moments, animals, things, we miss a lot of things. Or, at least I do. Not all the time. Not even all that often to be honest, but occasionally I will catch a glimpse, I'll overhear a conversation or a song, or even smell something that takes me back to a memory worth missing.

There are the obvious things to miss - people, for instance. I miss those in my family who have passed - Mama Hon, Papa Pete, Uncle Jimmy - just to name a few. I can't imagine what my life would be like if they were still around today, or even if they would have been alive for a while longer. I miss them dearly.

On a more regular basis though, I miss my friends. I have learned that it is much harder to make friends once you are out of school. As kids and teens, we are pushed together into classrooms, onto sports teams, in clubs, and camping trips, and sleepover birthday parties. You make friends. You spend so much time together at school and in extra-curricular activities, it is just natural to build relationships. And it's easy, not always, but the basics are there. After graduation, you all move onto new jobs, college, travel, or other experiences.

High School: Joy, Tiffany, & Patricia

High School: Annie & Tiffany

In college, we are pushed together into dormitories, classrooms, extra-curriculars, club retreats, and in my case - a sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. You are all in similar situations - away from home for the first time, maybe you know a few people, but realistically you are in a new place with new experiences and it is like 'instant-friends'. You live together, eat together, study together, party together - and you build life-long friendships.

College Dorm "Sketchy Six": Kaitlin, Kelly, Sarah, Tiffany, Megan, & Laurel

2005 KKG Pinning

And then you graduate and all move to new careers and new experiences. Keeping in touch isn't as easy as it used to be. Phone calls are few and far between - I keep up via Facebook and a few emails, gchats, and blog posts. Life moves on and when I used to hash out every detail of my day while sitting on the couch watching movies and doing homework - I now talk to these people rarely. When we do talk, it's like old times - pick up right where we left off like not a moment has passed.

But I miss it. I miss my friends.

Nyssa is great and all, but let's be real - Chad and are in our late twenties/early thirties with no kids and we aren't members of the more popular church around here. We have friends, but not friends like we had in college and high school. Aside from family (who couldn't get rid of us if they tried), those people are still our closest friends, even though we hardly ever see them (with a couple exceptions). I wish it were easier to make good friends as you get older - and maybe it is if you are pushed into the right circumstances like working together or having children the same age. It's kind of awkward trying to make new friends at this stage in my life. Is it just me?

I hope I don't sound like I am throwing myself a pity party, because I do have friends - and good friends at that who I talk to almost every day. I might be related to most of them, but that's alright! We're not hermits, we actually go out and do things, with other people even. Friends, you might say! However, it's like you go through withdrawals once you leave college because you have been surrounded by so many friends for so long and then all of a sudden - not.

So, that's what I miss - I miss my friends. I miss walking in the door of 821 East 15th in Eugene to have lunch with my Kappa sisters, I miss warm spring days on the sunporch, I miss drinking beer in the backyard at The American Dream, I miss walking to Autzen, being late for Panhellenic meetings, and spending hours deciding what to wear to some random function. I miss being a carefree college kid whose biggest concern is which black dress am I going to wear to the pinning tonight?

KKG Bid Day 2005

KKG Kore Family Tiffany & McKenzie sharing a beer at Taylors!

2007 PC2004 "Saddles & Spurs" Retreat

How about we get that PC04 reunion on the books?

Passionate

Today's Topic: Sell yourself in 10 words or less.

I am passionate about people and projects I believe in.

Broad description, but I think it works. 

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About a third of the way through May and I haven't been 100% committed to the Blog Everyday in May Challenge issued by Jenni at Story of My Life, but I still feel like I have been doing a pretty good job. I might be back-blogging some of the posts throughout the month as I have time and if you see one of the topics I haven't covered and would like me to write about it - let me know! Some of the topics are easier than others and some, I simply just skip because I can't think of anything at the time. I also have a life away from the computer - so, that makes blogging every single day kind of difficult. If you are getting annoyed by all the "Today's Topic" posts, my apologies, but it's only for a month and you don't have to read my blog if you don't want to! :) Though, I'd love it if you stuck around!

One Moment

Today's Topic: A Moment in Your Day

Watching the sunset on a gorgeous spring evening waiting for turkeys is not a bad way to spend time together. Just a moment in our day!