Lately

In the past few weeks I have:

Had a birthday - Happy Birthday to Me!  I am now a qualified 24 year old.  I was doing an exercise video and that night told Jaren that I'm getting old (sarcastically, because it get's a rise out of him) and that I feel 24. Before I could explain my thought process he laughed and laughed.  He is 28 and turning 29 in a few months.  I only meant that I did that video 3 years ago and was flying all over the place like it was no big deal.  And now I'm not really flying as much.

Made my own birthday cake!  It turned out good... but not super duper fantastic amazing.  I want to try to do a 7 layer chocolate fudge like I eat at restaurants someday.  If only I can find the recipe.

Jaren brought me home some beautiful flowers.  I love flowers.  And chocolates and a gift card to Gap.  Which I am going to happily spend in a few weeks when we (Naomi and I) go to the beach in Oregon.

Had to baby-proof everything at crawling level  since Naomi learned to switch it in drive.  She only knew how to reverse for a few weeks and it was really starting to frustrate her.  We are all much happier in this house now.

And she ate one of my birthday cards.  I tried to tell her she would have her own in a few months but she wouldn't listen.

Started re-reading the Harry Potter series since part 1 of the 7th book is coming to theaters on Jaren's birthday.  He told me no Harry Potter themed birthday parties...  but I'm still considering doing it anyway.  I am currently working on book 4.

Had a few 100 mph wind storms that would blow through about the same time every day anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.  That happened around 4 or 5 days in a row.  Our power went out three of the times and one of them the internet and phone lines went out too.  Just down the road a power pole was blown down.  And for the next 5-6 days I didn't have the internet.

Got behind and am almost caught up on clients pictures.  Because of the internet issue.  I'm silly and don't look at the pictures on the online viewing gallery (which are numbered differently than the ones on my computer) and compare them to the ones on my comp and pull them all into a separate folder to be edited.  Because then when the wind tries to blow my house down (and it succeeded at knocking down some really big branches from my giant tree in the backyard, one of which came VERY close to the house) and the internet goes down I will still be able to get all the editing done.  So... I had to wait for the internet to get back up and then kicked it into high gear.

Have been re-doing my photography website.  I think I'm pretty happy with it right now, although I might change the size of my slide show as it takes up the entire screen.  Although, I'm horribly discouraged with the amount of traffic.  I don't know how to get people to go there.  I need to get it up on more search engines.  How do I pick and choose what people will type and what will bring it up?  Like, Target, has anyone noticed that no matter WHAT you type up target comes up like it has everything anyone could ever want?  But really.. it doesn't.  I really want to come up when someone types in, "Rexburg, Idaho Photographer"  Because that's what all the college kids who want engagements and whatever else will type. 

I've been spending some time with my sister, Lindsey.  And ever since she has gotten married she is a totally different person.  We don't fight anymore like we used to and we laugh and laugh and really LIKE being around each other.  It's quite refreshing.  I really don't want her to move.  Ever.

Jaren started grain harvest today.  So that means that the once hour long lunches I used to get with him are gone for the next 2 months.  And the coming home at 7ish is gone as well.  Bye sweetie pie.... see you in October.

Thanks for the birthday flowers, sweetie pie pants.

Naomi is 10 huge, long, gigantic months old now.  I can't believe that in 2 months she will be a whole YEAR old.  Time really flies.  Just seems like a year ago I was in Lake Tahoe trying to hold in my tears as my tummy had some sharp pains while riding in a fast boat in the front.  It was bouncing and bouncing and so was I.  And so was my tummy and I moved to the back and tried to hard to feel her move.  It took her a good 30 minutes or so to come back from being jiggled silly.  And I wore my frilly black swimsuit at the lake and was giant and took Unisom every night and went to bed at like 10 and everyone else went to bed at 1 or 2.  I was a party pooper.  But I was always pooped!

It seems that most everyone I know has a big party for their kids first birthday party.  AND it has a theme.  So... I can't figure out what to theme Naomi's party in two months.  She likes balls.... and cords.....  and this lion toy that "Rawwrs" at her and plays music.  I could have some lions on cords chasing balls?  No...  that could be catastrophic.  I'll figure it out.

Oh, and I went floating down a river on Saturday with my church's youth group since I'm a leader in the girl's group (Young Women).  I've not really been outside for long periods of time since I was training back in June.  But I'm so pasty and I didn't want to be anymore... so I put 6 year old tanning lotion on and am now the same color as a pale cherry tomato.  I couldn't reach my back and was in a hurry so my back is probably the color of a fully ripened cherry tomato. I want so badly for Jaren to have sympathy for me, but whenever I say, "I hurt..." he says, "Should have put on sunscreen, huh?"   "Like I told you, huh?"  Blah Blah Blah... he may have said as I was running out the door, "Did you put sunscreen on?!"  I may or may not have said, "I put on tanning lotion!"  and he may possibly have pointed out, "Your going to burn!"  I didn't anticipate a THREE hour long super slow moving ride in a tiny tube.  Well... lesson learned.

Lindsey and I went out and took some bridals of her out in the wheat before they cut it.  The sun went down WAY too fast and so we are going to do it again this week.  But here is a picture that I am so so so excited about because I thought it up all by myself while trying to fall asleep the night before.  And it turned out better than I imagined.

I can't decide which I like better: color or blank and white.  I love them both oh so much.