Day 5 & 6 Photo Challenge

I'm not so good finding the time to post the images for the photo challenge.  I am getting the pictures taken though.

Something from a High Angle

Something from a Low Angle

Day 3 & 4 of the 30 day Photo Challange

Something Green and Clouds was the challenge today.  I took many, but decided to go with these.  I like the texture of the moss on the wood, but I like the toy on the book, too.  And I light the light blue sky and the light coming through the clouds.

I have to admit I could have tried a little harder and it would have been easier to pick a picture.  But I had a guy coming out to look at the boiler to see if he was interested in buying it.  So I had only a few minutes.  Maybe I won't make that collage, if I don't start taking better pictures!

Day 1 & 2 of the Photo Challange

I am smiling a little.  I just don't have an expressive face.  It's hard to take a self portrait with my camera!

I Rocked those stains!

Photo Challange

So I am taking the Photo Challenge that my dear friend Tammy found at pinterest.com.  Here are the challenges.


30 Day Photography Challenge

Day 1   Self Portrait
Day 2   What You Wore Today
Day 3   Clouds
Day 4   Something Green
Day 5   From A High Angle
Day 6   From A Low Angle
Day 7   Something That Makes You Smile
Day 8   A Bad Habit
Day 9   Someone You Love
Day 10 Childhood Memory
Day 11 Something Blue
Day 12 Sunset
Day 13 Yourself With 13 Things
Day 14 Eyes
Day 15 Silhouette
Day 16 Long Exposure
Day 17 Technology
Day 18 Your Shoes
Day 19 Something Orange
Day 20 Bokeh - It means blurred background.
Day 21 Faceless Self Portrait
Day 22 Hands
Day 23 Sunflare
Day 24 Animal
Day 25 Something Pink
Day 26 Close up
Day 27 From a distance
Day 28 Flowers
Day 29 Black and White
Day 30 Self Portrait

I am going to have to double up.  I want to have this done by the time we leave for Utah.  Which is in 24 days.  That will give me time to pack and get pictures taken of the area before we move.  Then I hope to put them all together to make a collage.

The humidity is killing me! And, one less tooth!

I just want to let anyone who might wonder why we are moving to Utah.  It's the humidity.  We have lived here in MA for 15 years and for 15 years I have prayed every summer to leave.  I hate the humidity.  I don't like the cold and snow.  Spring is too muddy and wet, and two weeks of fall just isn't enough for me.  So all of these other things that have facilitated our move are only happening because the humidity was killing me.  I have become allergic to latex and grapes because of the humidity.  And I can't drink apple juice anymore either, all because of the humidity.  My house is a mess right now, not because we have suitcases everywhere from camping, but from the humidity.

Also, I got a wisdom pulled today.  It happened so fast!  It was like a few seconds and bam!  It was out!  The last time I had a wisdom out it had taken a half hour of digging the broken tooth out of my gums!  I was so happy!  But unhappy because that was a lot of pain killer for such a short time!  I was numb from my jaw bone to my temple, from my ear to my nose!  And when I say nose, I mean my entire nose was numb, and my eye ball was numb, and my ear drum was numb!  I now know that I can still see, hear and smell when my senses are numb.  Not taste or touch though, isn't that funny?

Also, all our puppies are sold a long time ago.  They are almost fully grown and their families love them very much!  We won't be having any more puppies, however.

And just a warning for those out there who were wondering: (Found at the end of a news article)
Parents: be sure to add heroin to your list of "things not to give the kids," along with PCP,meth, nose-eating cocaine, and limb-eating crocodile. And every other illegal drug, really. 
Just go with ice cream.

Opportunity to Serve

The opportunity we have had to serve in Springfield has really helped my family!  At first, the younger three, were not at all interested in all the "work!"  But they have come around.  They definitely don't have the patience or strength to work for 3-4 hours like J and I do, but they do an awesome job every time!

I'm really grateful for the people who are letting us come into their yards and help out.  I have wanted to do something for our community since we moved in.  I have tried with the PTO and other school stuff, and it was just so unfulfilling!  The people were either not interested in receiving help or not interested in new idea's.  So I went to the library and they don't have a volunteer program for adults, just teens.  I also tried the YMCA, they are all paid positions.  Where the heck was I going to volunteer!  I did what I could with my photography, mostly teaching classes at church, because they were the only ones who seemed interested in my talent.

But now, after a tragedy, I have something I can do!  It's not my favorite thing to do, cleaning up trees, smashed garages, roofing tiles, gutters, glass, bird houses- one occupant I found didn't make it through, etc.  But I tell you what!  I have never been able to pick up such huge pieces of wood!  These logs are various sizes, but I find that I always have the energy to lift and carry them as far as I need to go.  And they aren't nearly as heavy as I think they should be.  I feel like there are Angels helping with the clean up.  Every time I lift a branch over my head to throw it on a pile that is 5ft high, or carry a log 30ft to the street, I know that I'm not doing it alone.  There is no way I am physically capable of doing that.

And the kids are really enjoying helping.  They love to play with the other children and compete to see who can carry more branches.  They love seeing the home owners smiling, grateful faces.  Even the dog behaved when we brought her.  Normally, she'd bark at new people, but the time we took her, she was quiet and sat on the lap of the homeowners son who is in a wheel chair, making that boy feel special.

A true family effort!

Alas, there is still more to do.  But we will enjoy it!  How could we not!?!

Auction

We have tried everything we can do, but we are stuck.  The house sells tomorrow.  Some unlucky person is going to buy this house and is going to have to deal with us living in it for a short time.  As well as all the problems with this monster.  I hope to move sooner than later, but it is what it is.  Part of me wants to cry and another part want to sing.

Jason spoke to a job recruiter and the recruiter mentioned that there are plenty of jobs available in Utah.  And that he suspects Jason should actually make MORE than what we do now!  It's shocked and hopeful, but I won't get my expectations up, that's when I seem to get cocky and the Lord humbles me soon after.

We are putting all our faith and trust in God.  He is the one that is going to make this work.  I am so afraid of moving out there!  I know all my Utah friends and family might not like this, but these are MY feelings!  And you have a right to be offended.  I'm sorry if you are though.  I HATE the idea of moving to Utah!  I want my kids to experience so many things, and not one of them is being saturated in "Mormon culture."  I know there are good people everywhere, I just hope my kids are able to find them.  I HATE having to trust other people's kids to behave!  I know my kids friends here are good kids, I know the parents are good.  But out there....unknown!  My fear is that 'they' might just putting on airs to pretend that 'they' are "good Mormons" and then I let me guard down and BAM! I found out I shouldn't have been so trusting!  Please, don't think I think I'm perfect, or even a "good Mormon", I try my best, and that's what matters.  So maybe I have no reason to worry.....

My fear is more based in the teenagers, not the adults.  Teenagers who party on Saturday night and in white shirts on Sunday morning.  What if my kids get into that crowd, the "No one will know", "It's not hurting anyone", "We all do it" crowd.  Do I trust my kids, not really.  Do I trust other people's kids, not on my life! I know kids are going to try things, do things, need to cut apron strings.  But out here, in MA, we have a moral/religious connection that helps bind us.  When everyone else has the same moral/religious inclinations, then I'm afraid it will be that much easier for the kids to let those binds loosen.

Maybe I worry too much.  But, I don't think so.  My goal is to maintain my strong family connections.  With in our immediate, but also with the extended family.  Whether we do so through vacations, phone calls, or Skype.  I think if I keep my family strong then we will do fine.  But I relax on family stuff, then they will suffer.