I have been using the same Franklin Planner since 1996.  It's green leather and my Dad and Christy got it for me for Christmas my Junior Year of College.  I love it.  Every year I hike in to the Franklin Covey store and buy myself the new "filler" pages where I organize everything about my…

I love this holiday…and this year was no exception.  I love celebrating our country.  I love the colors.  I love the feeling and the food.  And I love a parade!!  So we went to downtown McKinney to see the "hometown" parade.  It was nothing fancy, but it was fun.  And Samuel was enthralled!    …

My friend, Shelley, who is an amazing photographer, told me once that while at a photographer's retreat she heard some photographers using the term M.W.A.C. as a snub.  Moms With A Camera.  That's what I am – and proud of it.  Mom. With. A. Camera. Let's face it – anyone, and I do mean ANYONE,…

This was our first week of quintessential summer…sleeping in (7 or 8 am), going to the library (12 books), eating lunch at Del's Frozen lemonade (hot dogs and frozen lemonade – yum), staying up late, playing outside (in 100 degree temps), seeing movies, playing at the pool (although it was temporarily halted because of fecal…

Since I finally (FINALLY!) got around to making my family a decent, nutritious, oven-baked dinner tonight (honey mustard chicken, brown rice, steamed broccoli and carrots) AND since I can finally (FINALLY!) see my kitchen counters for the first time this MONTH (it's the last day of June, people, and I'm not kidding), I will NOW…

Despite it being 100+ degrees every single day last week, me, Derek and the big boys had a pretty good time at Cub Scout Twilight Camp.  It's held in the evenings, 4:30 – 8:30, every day for a week.  And our pack made up two walking dens, which means we had a lot of cute…

The big boys just completed an 8-day course of swimming with teenage-instructor Mackenzie.  And what luck to find that our favorite little girls were the only other participants in our session!  Caleb and Lexi swam together, and then Jacob and Megan (the only girl that Jacob can stand to be around).  And I got to visit…

We had a wonderful time in Austin last weekend celebrating my Dad for Father's Day.  We drove down on Thursday night.  On Friday, we walked, parked and swam.  On Saturday, my Dad and Christy rented a pontoon boat for us to cruise around Lake Travis.  What a blast!  We played in the sand, swam, talked wedding…

Don't get me started on the Jon and Kate saga.  Selfishness.  "Everything we do is for our kids."  Don't. even. get. me. started. And then there's the SC governor.  Oh. my.  We have really smart people in office.  That's all I'm gonna say about that. Sidenote:  A couple of weeks ago, I was coming home…

This is a VERY long post…intended much more as a history for me, than as a novel for you.  No need to read the whole thing…just look at the pictures! 🙂 It's been over a week since coming home from Camp and I am pleased to say that the memories and joy that I felt…