Exciting News!!!!!!

My handsome brother...

asked this beautiful girl...to marry him!
She said, "Yes!"

Their life together will never be boring!

A look of love!

May the Lord bless and guide you as you serve him on your journey together, Jason and Alyssa!

Yes, we know, it has been ages since we've updated the blog! It's not that we haven't done anything interesting - on the contrary, we've just been so busy with everything!

Faith, Alyssa and I have been working for my brother's company, Mirror Landscapes, this year. He's had us weeding, spreading mulch and trimming bushes. The extra income is nice, but some of these days of working have been HOT!

Recently, after one sweltering afternoon's labor, we decided to cool off with a water fight.

We didn't bother with water balloons; our water jugs suited us just fine!

Faith is poised to strike...

Oops, water in the eyes!

Ah, it was so refreshing!

Fe and I decided to have a face-off. Back-to-back, count, take 10 steps and throw the water....That was what I told her anyway...I know, I'm devious!

She barely made it past, "One...two..." And I whirled around and dumped my jug on her! Heeheeheee... (that's my wicked little chuckle)

Of course she chased after me yelling, "No fair! Cheater!"

When Jason arrived we decided he needed to participate in the fun - whether he wanted to or not!

We had him sit in a chair while we ever...so...slowly...poured ice cold water over his head!

I love his facial expressions in these pictures!

"Ahhh!! That's...COLD!!"

What a fun way to cool off on a sweltering summer day. :)

Art 4 Art's Sake

This spring I participated in a fundraising event for our local art gallery, The Next Picture Show.

Over 40 area artists donated their time and talent for this event. During the day the artists worked on a painting; in the evening the public was invited to come and watch the artwork be completed. Each painting was then auctioned off with the proceeds going the The Next Picture Show, which is a non-profit gallery.

I spent most of my day in front of my own painting trying to complete it in time, but I also enjoyed walking around watching the other artists work. There were so many unique styles... Hard at work...

I started painting at noon and finished by 6:00. Our delicious lunch and dinner were catered for us, but around 3:00 Faith brought me...sustenance! Lindt Excellence - "Intense Orange". Mmm...rich, dark chocolate, slivers of almonds and a wonderful hint of orange!
There were so many talented artists that participated in this fundraiser. The evening's auction was quite successful!

Most pieces were done in acrylics, but there were a few watercolors, colored pencil, pastel, and pencil drawings.

This is actually a scene from Dixon's Main Street...

I wasn't sure if I could complete a painting in one day and be happy with it, but it was a really good challenge for me!

I took a few pictures of my work as it progressed step-by-step...

As the day wore on, I was so focused on what I was doing I didn't stop to take any more pictures!

...And the completed painting!

I really enjoyed working on the sunset and the putting lots of color into the water.

I was definitely worn out at the end of the day, but it was a fun experience. I'm already looking forward to joining in on next year's Art 4 Art's Sake!

Kidnapping

Faith and I decided to kidnap the B. girls before Ava left for a trip to Saudi Arabia. We made it our mission to spoil them and do amusing things to make them smile and laugh. We met at a mall and after doing a little bit of shopping, it was time for a mint brownie break back at the car. Ava loves mint, and I love chocolate, so we figured we couldn't go too wrong with that kind of a treat!

With a day like we had planned, I thought it was appropriate to wear this shirt. It says it all.

And, yes, I really wore these out in public! While we were walking through the mall, I pulled the glasses out of my purse and put them on. You should have seen Ava and Helena's faces! Priceless...

To their credit, the girls still walked with me. I actually got quite a few smiles from different people and even a compliment on how good the glasses looked on me. :)
I know these are for kids, but I'm still a kid at heart.

Helena in a Bob the Builder tractor. Isn't she cute!?!
Ava's mode of transportation to the Middle East?

We found it a bit difficult to fit, but it was fun!

A middle-aged couple walking by smiled at us, and the man even commented that he wanted to join in the fun.

We had always wanted to try one of those photo booths at a mall, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it. After all, it definitely fit with the agenda to smile and laugh! It was a little hard to fit all four of us in there and keep all of our faces in front of the camera. Some of the participants are not much on making faces, but they did a pretty good job! ;)

Ava's face in the second pic is great, and Helena made me crack up when she gasped, "I can't breathe!" Thus, my face in the last one. We have the pictures in our room now, and they make us smile every time we see them!

Next we sat them down on one of the mall benches and gave them each a back rub. Then it was on to Laser Tag! We were too busy there to take any pictures, but take my word for it, we had fun!

Last stop - Olive Garden!

I was so proud of my more reserved sister! She actually put this hat on and walked through the very crowded restaurant to the table where the rest of us were sitting! She did it to make our friends smile, and I think it worked.

We had a very enjoyable day together!

Be a bit silly - check

Smile and laugh at the above - check

Give the girls a bit of spoiling - check

Smile at the above - check

Enjoy our treasured friends - check!

Smile at the above and enjoy their smiles in return - check!

Mission Accomplished!!!!!