Alone. Peace. Solitude.

Before Nola came into my life, I used to have scheduled alone time at the beach. I would go at the beginning of spring and beginning of fall. To me, those are the most beautiful beach days. I would sit on the beach with my camera and journal and watch the sun rise, walk along the boardwalk during the day, and return to the beach to watch the sun set in the evenings. I tried to maintain silence as much as possible. The spring and fall beach is perfect because few people are on the shore and nature is as perfect as it was made to be. Chandler and I will be married at the beginning of spring. It's no coincidence.

I was going through my old journal and found something I'd written a few years ago during a fall trip.

Sitting on the beach. Alone.
Watching the sun set.
Beauty.
Tranquility.
Peace.
Time stops.
My world stands still.
I am alone.
The wind blows my hair.
Is it God?
One lone boat still at sea.
Birds fly above.
Fish jump.
Three dolphins swim.
The sky is purple.
Orange.
Pink.
Blue.
Clouds disappear.
Crashing waves become silent.
The tide is low.
Slowly down, the sun falls.
Where is the moon?
Will camera catch the peace that surrounds such beauty?
Can it capture the serenity?
Create warmth on cool sand?

Reflection.
Looking over the ocean.
Comfort.

Chandler was here!

Things have been so busy that I haven't even blogged about Chan man. He came down for Labor Day holiday and stayed almost a week before heading back to Boston. We had quite the agenda... get his ring, register, pictures, beach save-the-date sand thing, Brownie Bakery... and then there were the other things...

Chan needed new jeans. Which led to new pants... and a new shirt....

We didn't get to half of the things on our list due to reasons which will not be discussed because I'm learning not to hold a grudge. :) So after all the shopping and attempted registering, we needed FOOD. We were sitting at Cubbies and Chan says, "Oh look, I'm famous." Huh? Ok, yeah Chan, you're a big star. "No really, look behind you." Yep... he's famous. First on the left, middle row. That's my Chan. I think sophomore year of high school. We knew there were more reasons to love Cubbies! :) (Thank you chicken-cheese-steak-and-fries.)

After lunch it was deemed necessary that we attempt to check out bedroom furniture - the only real furniture that we need. I have a somewhat ghetto king-sized bed right now that we use when he's here, otherwise it's double. Two people + Bells + Luka + Finley + future-scared-in-the-middle-of-the-night-children leads us to: king sized bed. Hence, we shopped!

The BEST news of all - while he was here, he got a call from Roland the Realtor who said he'd gotten an offer on his house. He talked with dad-who-is-all-knowing, who approved of the contract and...

He ACCEPTED the offer!!! Inspection was last week, Chan-the-fix-it played with some electrical happenings, a real-life electrician will come inspect again, then closing will be October 28th! Can I get a' AMEN!? This was HUGE news. He's losing a lot of money (we knew that would happen, there was no way around it), but he's finally going to be RID of this place. We are ecstatic! There's a little more but since this is blog world, I'll wait til is all said and done. I think we'd be safe since his name has never been on here, but just in case... :)

YAY for now! This is so big!!!

Please help.

Without going into detail, I'm asking for your suggestions, expertise...

Girls, what do your husbands/boyfriends/partners do to make you feel:

...special
...important
...loved


????

Where I've been...

I just realized it's been over a week (ok, two weeks...) since I posted. Ah! See, I was behind this truck and well, somewhere in between the fresh corn and bright red apples, I decided to follow him and got lost.

...actually, Chandler had an interview in VA on Friday so he got into town at 1:45am Friday and we got up at 4am to drive to VA for the interview. It went well! We're hoping to hear something in the next few weeks. Prayers please!


We had a good time for the whirlwind trip. Did a lot of nothing... but we did pick out his wedding band so that is some good progress! Pictures to follow... we ordered two rings as we couldn't decide on one so we'll pick when we see them "in person." I'm just excited to start taking pictures of the bands together! Slightly bummed that he picked titanium, but only for aesthetic purposes of photos so I'll get over it. It's what he decided he liked best so I went with it. We went in looking for white gold or palladium and ended up ordering two titaniums. Not completely sure we'll end up with either but most likely we will. Hmm... actually. Maybe tomorrow I'll call and see if they might order us a regular palladium so we can see it. Not a bad idea.

"Say cheese... or kibble!"

A couple months ago Nola, Titan, and Roxy had a photo shoot with Brittany Wright. She's a local photog working on a book that features rescue dogs and she's been collecting stories and photos of dogs in our area. She was SO awesome and we got some great shots of the pups. Nola was super nervous and had her freak-out face on most of the time but towards the end of the afternoon she started to settle. If helped that B-dub brought a bag of kibble treats. I caught sly Belly with her head in the bag a few too many times!!!

Best picture of Roxy.... ever.

Belly's nervous smile, but a smile no less!

Brittany (we call her B-dub to differentiate between the Britts since they spell their names the same way and have the same last name initial) is still in need of rescue dogs for her book project. If you're local -- check out her site, she has a blog too!

If you're not local but are interested in having your dog featured in her book, still contact her! We think she's pretty awesome and D and I have already booked her for engagement pics.... we're hoping she'll be able to shoot the wedding next year too!

Oh! Be sure to ask her about her dog Scarlett, she might sing a song for you! (Tony! Toni! Tone! 'nuff said.)

Also be sure to check out MyleStone Gallery that she and her sister run -- they have some incredibly neat finds that are mostly local and/or handmade. I bought a bracelet and a soy candle when I was last there and feel the need to stop back by and check out the new stuff!

[Almost] Wordless Wednesday... Diamonds

I'm not actually participating in the WW blog carnival, but I am in love with this picture and am just a tiny bit obsessed with taking pictures of my new favorite piece of jewelry. I can't promise there won't be more.

While we're on topic, let's have a poll. Before I got this ring, I decided that when I did get it, I wouldn't take it off unless I was doing something super gross, or something that could harm the stones or metal. That being said, because I am a hydration fanatic, I use a lot of lotion. I realize that rings hate lotion so I've been using a brush to clean it after the rub down. I suppose I'll probably clean it every week or so just because I do keep it on all of the time.

Tell me... do you take your rings off? How often do you clean them at home (if you clean them at home)?

I know a lot of people take their rings off at night or when they shower. What makes you take your rings off? I'm curious.

(So much for the wordless post....)

...It's Tuesday...

Some things...

-Tshirt project is going rocky... I went by today to spread some sparkle news and check in on arrival and they'd not been ordered because I changed the quantity and they forgot what the new number was. Boo. Delay on that for another week. (I will talk to my partner in crime and see if we can reveal the design though!)

-D's interview was cancelled on Thursday b/c one of the interviewers can't make it. He was planning to have a phone interview. When they let him know about the cancellation they said "oh, maybe now you can come in person." Bleh. Ok. So he's flying down to VA on Sunday, has an afternoon interview the following day the will fly back up to Boston Monday evening. What a tiring trip. Poor Chandler.

-My sister is coming to spend the night on Saturday and my friend S from work is going to let us use his awesome camera to take some puppy pics. Can't wait to for that!!! Speaking of... I have cool puppy pics to share, gotta check with our photog to see how to go about doing that. BW-T, if you're reading this, check your email! :)

-Got bunches more fabric in yesterday. I love fabric days! They are all so pretty!!!

-I've finally set up my Etsy shop! Will wait to post the link b/c there's one test picture up right now.... I'm hoping B can help me get some bags made this weekend so I'll have more to post in the shop. (Shop or shoppe?)

I leave you with more from Gerry Straub...

Christ’s Friends
If you are poor or needy,
if you are despised by all,
if you are a sinner,
then Christ considers you to be his friend
and he welcomes you to his banquet table.

If you are looking for Jesus,
you’ll find Him in the midst of those
who are being crucified, rejected, alienated and oppressed.
He is in the dark corners of your neighborhood,
waiting for you to help Him.

Unless we stand shoulder to shoulder
with the poorest of the poor,
we will not find the crucified Christ,
nor experience the richness of His resurrection.

How it happened...

D's flight was cancelled and he arrived a day late (no surprise there...). When he finally got here it was almost lunch time on Friday and the weather was beautiful! He suggested going to the beach, but I mentioned that we were doing that on Saturday... he went on and on about the weather and how great it was while I whined about how the day was half over and we wouldn't have long to hang out down there.... ultimately, I decided to toss the rules out and go. It took another hour to get everyone ready....

The plan was to walk to the pier then go get the towels and just enjoy the beach when most everyone else left around dinner time. Nola had other plans... there were SO many umbrellas, of which, she's [not surprisingly] terrified... and it was high tide, so that left very little sand to walk on... we decided to just get our stuff and stay put rather than walking.

We dug a few holes, chatted, shook off the towel, dug some more holes, shook off the towel...

...as we were watching the waves roll in we saw two tiny ghost crabs running around in front of us. When the water would get close, one would run inside his hole while the other one just crawled around trying to get away from it. D said something about how they needed their shells. I told him those crabs didn't have shells. He kept going on and on (and on and on) about how they needed shells... and I finally snapped that those weren't the type of crabs that had shells (!!!). Then he opened his hand to reveal a few shells he'd picked up and asked which one I thought they should have. Before I could further argue, he flipped one of shells and asked what I thought about it... underneath it, still in his hand, was my ring... Yada, yada, yada... goo, goo... I said yes!

I didn't really think this post through, but since so many people have asked for details, I thought I'd go ahead and post... We have quite a few ideas already ("we" meaning ME!) so I'm sure there will be lots more details to come!

I said yes!

...

I hate Boston weather.

Really. I hate it. Hate, hate, hate. It's too cold. It's too rainy. The subway might as well be hair homicide. It's just bad. Do we remember December??? He finally made it... AFTER Christmas. It was such a nightmare. And yet, it happens AGAIN. :( So sad. It's JULY for pete's sake. Boston weather can bite me. It's been SO long... I was SO excited. By the time he gets here tomorrow (pending whatever delay will inevitably occur), half of the day will be gone and it'll be Saturday by the time we get any quality with one another. Dare I mention he flys back to the dreaded city on Sunday afternoon... Boo. Boo on Boston. I used to like it there. Well that is OVER. I am SO over Boston. Crappy weather. We had such a fun day planned tomorrow. BLAH. I going to go and cry now.

Bags, bags, bags....

I'm done until Sunday! Two of these are sold and a few are going to MyleStone Gallery -- will make another batch on Sunday. It's almost time to order some new fabrics. Next week is the goal for that! Britt will be coming to spend the night with Titan and Roxy next weekend, so she might have to suffer through a bag party. Although, that could have its benefits for her! ;)
(Girl, I don't have to work on that Saturday!)

D has an interview in VA!!! This is great news! Not as close as we were hoping but it is fantastic and we're excited!

I still need to post pics from the picnic!

Long time, no post...

... busy, busy, busy!

-Counting down until D comes next week! Short trip again, Thurs-Sun, but I'll take it! :)
-Sewing, sewing, sewing! 7 more bags in process and 38 different fabrics on the way!
-HopeAid news really is coming soon! MORE stuff to note too!
-Puppy photo shoot with very cool local photog, more about this soon!

Gerry Straub's blogged this today... enjoy!

Love Made Visible
Suffering, along with failure, is universal,
an inescapable fact of human life.
But compassion, silence and hope
gives us a way through the suffering.
The healing of the world
begins within us…
and yet can never end with us.

The best way to love God
is to relieve the pain and suffering of others.
When we relieve the pain and suffering of others,
we make God’s love visible.
Compassion without works of mercy
was inconceivable to Jesus.

To D

Dear love, you asked what I would like for my birthday. I've made my decision. Please find the options below, however be advised that Nola will need final approval.

(ANY of these ones!)



This is Nala... she's actually in NC and would like a home... look at that sweet face! "Hi Dave, pick me!"
Honey is in NC too... and needs a home...

Or we could always look for a boy dog to help you chase the wild pigs. I know you were excited to go and hunt them down at the pond. Either way, this is what I've decided I need for my birthday. It's in two days, by the way. I'll see if I can find a boy dog for your consideration. Nola would be okay with a brother too.

Hmm...

I've had some thoughts on things to write about... but I'm unmotivated. That's not really a word, but I like it. It makes sense.


A few random things...


-Compassion recently added its 1,000,000th sponsored child! Wow. I'm honored to be part of such an organization. I've been sponsoring children through Compassion since 1994. Watch this video, One Child.


-The Future Hope Project is really catching on! We've gotten quite a few packages from wonderfully kind people from all over the US! When we told David, HAI's country director, he asked if we could also include mosquito nets, so we're going to start a separate campaign for that. The ever amazing Abbie has designed some killer tshirts that I simply cannot wait to add to the blog side bar! I LOVE the shirts and can't wait to sport one! You need one too!


-Lots of people at work are having babies. Or just had babies. There's a lot of baby talk. That's fine. I like babies. Almost everyone who knows me, knows I want to adopt. Recently, my boss asked me why I wanted to do that. This really deserves its own blog post, but I'm not ready to write it. I am ready, but I don't feel like it's my place, more honestly. I feel like a lot of people who ARE adopting would judge the fact that I'm writing it when I'm not "in process" of adopting. Anyway... the short answer to my boss' question though, is why not adopt. It's a no brainer for me. And to be completely honest, I often wonder why more people don't adopt. But again, another post.

-My sister came over on Saturday to help me go through my closet, to say it was a disaster is an understatement. I could have NEVER gotten it done without her. Seriously. (Thanks girl!!!) We had SO much fun! She even surprised me with a really cool birthday scrapbook (I LOVE my birthday!) and cake at mom's later that afternoon. The closet was tabled time and time again during the course of the day... how did I NOT mention yet that she was attacked by a dog?! She was going to evaluate a great dane for his chances of getting into rescue and he bit her hand pretty bad. She went to the Dr and is on antibiotics, pain meds, etc... Oh... been there, done that. I felt really bad for her. That was a traumatic thing for us... Anyway, so she ended up spending the night and we had a BLAST! We all camped in the front bedroom b/c the bed is really big and we ALL fit... us + Titan, Roxy and Nola!

-D is coming back to town for July 4th. I wish he could just stay :( Maybe next time!!! I'll take what I can get until then. Any guesses on when he'll get a job down here? We could make a betting pool, that could get interesting...

-I think that's it for random bits of information. Maybe later I'll get around to posting some pictures of the summer so far....

Catching up...photoblog style (Part II)

Memorial Day cookout... and cheesy pictures!

Nola's new collar from Oliver's Collars! We love Oliver... and his collars... and his mom... because they're just THAT awesome!!! Nola thinks she's pretty stylish in the zebra print. I doubt you can see from the picture, but it's got pink thread and is SO cute!

Penith Kick

Happy Friday!

(PS, today is the day! ... and yes, I'm counting down the hours!)

2 DAYS!!!

TWO MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!

Still counting down...

Nine more days!

Countdown!

13 days til D comes!!!

Caveman Food

Does it bother anyone else that Caveman's lunch consisted of california rolls, a brownie, and coffee? What is with this guy?! I date him?!