My Mom's 50th!!!

SURPRISE!!!


I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but sometimes I love how clueless my mother can be about what is going on. I have been planning a surprise party for her for about 3 weeks now! I stole her phone to get numbers from all her girlfriends, hid myself in my closet to make all the calls, picked out some desserts that looked fabulous, and probably having been acting extra strange.


Anyways all this to say, it was wonderful, we all met at her favorite Mexican restaurant, and my dad brought her there to buy a "gift certificate", meanwhile one of the local ladies in the party strolled out "looking" for the restroom only in to bump into mom and invite her back to sit down for am minute! Needless to say her face as she realized how many people were there that had driven up to 5 hours just to be there for her birthday was priceless!! After dinner we went back to our house for dessert, then mom opened her gifts, while each lady read a fun memory or shared a picture, having do something with mom. Needless to say the party went off perfectly, and I now think we need to have people over all the time, so that I can bake all the time!


Oh, and I almost forgot one more present is arriving at 12:00 today, she is of course still completely clueless and thinks I am taking her out to lunch, when in reality I only need her to get ready, so that when one of her best friends she hasn't seen in a long time is arriving! Yea..!! I think tonight my mom will come to the conclusion that turning 50 isn't soo bad after all :)

~Tree time~

Every year we make a little family party of decorating our Christmas tree, and always have our traditional food. Little beef sausages in crescent rolls, cheese dip, sparkling grape juice, and snicker doodles. So I snapped a few pictures this year to show some of our favorite ornaments, yummy food, and wonderfully pretty tree!

Thanksgiving

My family went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving to celebrate with my moms family! Sadly my brother and I had to leave day of because we both had work friday. We still had an awesome time though!

Michelles

Took a roadtrip last weekend to see Michelle, and had a wonderful relaxed full of laughs weekend!



Who is who?? ;)

Hickory Hill Farm

Last Tuesday we went to see some friends of ours as the played music at this dairy farm. And if you payed 5 dollars you could take both of the hay rides, and get a pint of white or their famous chocolate milk. You also got a tour of how everything worked at a dairy farm and a little insight into the lifes of farmers. They get up at 2:30 in the morning to start milking those cows!!! WOW! It takes about 3 hours, so they are home for breakfast. Oh, if you would like to check out my friends they are called the ForgivenSix at http://c1.ezfolk.com/forgivensix/

Scarves

Hey ya'll, I just found the blog of a person I don't know.. But I love it, and she is doing this really cool scarf swap thing, to read more about it go to her blog here, well you have to copy and paste it, my link thing is not working right now http://www.kateandkylie.com/ !October 21st is the cut off date so hurry over there and post on in it if you want to be part of it

Yay! For Happiness!

Blue Magnolia- where it's usual to find the unusual

That is what their business card says, and that is the place you can now, as in soon, find my art work! This morning I went over and discussed prices with the owner and she will be hanging up soon after rearranging a few things. This is my first time being in a shop, so I am super excited! Blue Magnolia is located downtown Augusta, on 1124 Broad Street! If you glance over at my other blog, you will find some of the photography that will be sold there!
yay . yay . yay

I have just started reading Jim Elliots story, by his wife Elizabeth Elliot, and am already full of convictions on how I should be living for the Lord. I like to jump completely in when this happens and change everything in my life. Normally when I do this I succeed in failing, I like to do too much at once :) So this time I am trying to be more steadfast, and realize that true change comes with time, and only thru the Lord. May we all continue in His Word, and prayer.

she flipped her hair, and looked at me ;)

Definitely a really awesome afternoon spent! I got to work on my photography and chill with an amazing gal. Yes Kathleen I just called you a gal, for some reason that word is able to describe you in some small degree. Anyways I love you, and hope you have the most splendid time in Mexico! Be safe, and grow some more in the Lord, I am blessed to have you for a friend! You will be in my prayers

The past couple weeks have felt extremely busy, but when I look back at what I did, it really wasn't that much. I think I am just getting used to a different kind of schedule than I was used to in Germany.
Today is labor day, which means most people are off from work! I on the other hand had to go in at 10:30 and work till 12:30!? What! 2 hours, if I am going to work I at least want a good shift, but what can you do if your restaurant is so slow they start sending everybody home? People should start coming to Chili's "hint hint" so I can make more money :)
I went to Chik-fila today wearing my super cool soccer jersey, that I got from the captain of the team I watched over there! The mom I worked for was a physical therapist, and so I met a lot of athletes. But back to my point when you go to chik-fila wearing a sports shirt you get FREE food! Yes!!! How could I resist..
maybe later i shall add a picture of my too cool shirt :D

p.s. you get free food only today

I have made a new blog

One to just show photos that I am working on! It's a start :)


http://shannons-photos.blogspot.com/

spiders and frogs

I believe you are all aware that we are remodeling our house.. Well, my brother and I were throwing a bunch of wood into the big blue dumpster that has taken up a residency in our yard :) I was about to pick up a piece of wood when I noticed a black spider! On closer observation I noticed the lovely little red marking on its behind..! A black widow, how cool!! And yes deadly. Anyways I went dashing into the house to get a camera snapped a few shots and then allowed my brother the honor of squishing it. It oozed green just like in the movies my brother said!
A few days before the spider incident I discovered this adorable little green frog while helping my dad with something.. It was sitting on a white door which was leaning against our shed. God is amazing, he has created so many fascinating creatures for us to study..

the locket

Everyone always is asking me to open the locket and show them what picture I have in it. Strangers, friends, and family seem to have this great cursiouty about my locket. I sadly always give the same answer, "I don't have a picture in it", then they insist I open it and prove it. Starting last night though, I have changed that answer of mine too " why yes I have a picture in it, let me show you.. this is my boyfriend Niklas"

why? I don't know :)

taking up sewing

I have decided to learn to sew! I am very very and one more very excited!! Today I spent the day at Jo-Anns with the lady teaching me how. I picked out a pretty but simple dress pattern, and the materials I would need to complete it! Yea yea
here is a photo of the dress material it's sash, and on the back there will be one button, but what lovely buttons they are!

Lonely...

I am lonely, and felt like writing it down

I miss my boyfriend

The Lord though is amazing, and I feel Him
drawing me nearer.. I have been wanting to find a place to
display some art work, and then someone showed me a clipping
in the newspaper for this place called "God give Talent". I
went over to the store the other day to meet the lady and see
what the place is all about. She is the wonderful little Christian
lady, who has the nicest thrift store I have ever been in! Everything
is in perfect order, and she has tons of wall space, that she wants
to let artist use to try and sell pieces for a low price. Perfect for me!!
We ended up talking a long time, and before I left she grabbed my hands and said want to pray with you before you go, I have never had Christian I did not know, do that with me.. It was so encouraging!

Next thing on my list of things I want to do is learn how to sew,
well of course on of my friends knows someone who sews and would love
a student! I met up with her last week and had my first lesson :)

The thing I really needed right now was a job, and I did not know where to go, I kept feeling a tug to go try at the restaurant near Evans, Library, So I did ( didn't even know what restaurant it was). I got there discovered it was Chili's, and found out I needed to come back between two and four, but they were hiring for a hostess. Not what I really wanted I wanted to be a waitress! But I went back, and talked to a manager, she scheduled for a second interview the next day, and then hired me as a Server( chili's term for waitress) God gave me a job as a server, and I had been praying He would make me servant hearted. God is amazing! I have been training 5 days now there, and it is the hardest training I have done yet, I had to memorize the whole menu( and it is huge!!) Monday is my evaluation, to find out if I make the cut for a server at Chili's. Well this about sums up my past two weeks, and I think I am blogged out now:) here are a few of the pictures I am think about putting in the store God Given Talent.
Opinions please!!

the graveyard story

I was looking thru some old pictures day and found these one, of course I had to start laughing remembering this ridiculous night! It started off quite shall we say, innocent, me, Blaine, Brian, and Tyler had just finished eating at Sno Cap, and were thinking of what adventure we should go on next. (it is getting dark by the way) Me being the dumb person that I can be, suggested that we go to small graveyard nearby and take pictures or something.. In my car I had a blonde wig, a beanie hat with brown braids, and the camera!

beanie hat/wig culprit

Why did I have wigs in my car? I have No idea!! I sorta have this thing for wigs, but can't recall why I brought them with me this evening..
Anyways we took a few dumb pictures with them on, and then decided to play hide&seek! Great idea right, it is dark, slightly spooky( it is a graveyard after all) and we are all 20 years or older excluding my brother!

Brian culprit

Tyler gets designated to be the seeker, and the rest of us decide we shall hide together under a tree! We get under this massive tree, and then a huge spotlight hits us, with a voice coming out of nowhere! Come out where I can see you! OH my gosh!! A police car is there, with this lady beaming us down with the biggest flashlight I have ever seen, drilling out the questions, why are we here, what were we doing, where is our i.d., are there more of us? As she is drilling 3 more cop cars drive up, apparently the cops in this town were bored :) I think we all are feeling well rather nervous at this point.
Well, mam..umm we were playing hide&seek, and there are four of us. Police lady, hide&seek? right.... (she is thinking, what do they think i am a moron!?) Where is the fourth person?( Tyler is still out there and has no idea what is going on, this happened quickly) He is umm... *sigh* counting too a hundred. Police lady, right...
While they are checking our i.d.'s, two of the cops went out to find Tyler!

Tyler culprit

They asked us for our full names, me and Brian expecting Blaine to say, Blaine "blank" Holder, but no this is not his name, it is Phillip Blaine Holder. Of course me and Brian blurt out Phillip!? We didn't know that was your name, and probably made the cops wonder some more..

Blaine culprit

Anyways our i.d.'s did check out and I think the 2 cops guarding us were realizing that we were no threat and just some weird people. I think we all blushed when they asked us our ages. Finally the other two cops come back with Tyler, one of them had played tough cop with him and pushed him around a bit( i think Tyler was a little freaked out) and went thru the camera pictures, and discovered Blaine and Brian in wigs, they got weirdo look for that :)
They did clear us after Tyler came back and told us they received a call from the neighborhood that somebody had seen flashing lights in the graveyard and that it might be vandalizers(joyful camera flash). Then they left, laughing their heads off, and suggesting we don't go in graveyards at night.
I haven't since.

Me culprit

Tung Oiling (tongue oiling)

My built in bookshelf in my room! Last night my dad gave the super fun job of tung oiling! I only just found out it was spelled t-u-n-g, the whole time I have thought it was tongue.. Although what kind of oil you get from an animal tongue, I couldn't figure out :) Anyways these shelfs are beautiful, and I am excited to fill them up with books and little treasures! This picture that my mom says looks like "raw chicken" is the little tiny rag you get to use to oil the whole entire shelf! I think I have some new arm muscles now!

construction everywhere..

The journey of remodeling a house. While I was still in Germany for most of this project, I have gotten to enjoy not having a room, tung oiling, and painting my cloest! It is really neat watching a house being built around you, while tiring sometimes, and you wish all the banging and dust would go away, I love coming home and seeing a whole new section come alive! This first picture is of Gerald our contractor, he is a one man team! Awesome!! He likes to show up at 7:00am-7:30am and start sawing outside on something :) I have lost all need for an alarm clock! Can't wait to see the finished product, hopefully I will add some more pictures, but this is it for now, there are simply too many!

Brother

I made Tyler pose for me the other day, and this one is my favorite of the group!

pilates, zumba, and kickboxing

I never was a huge excerice person, but I really enjoy going to the Y and taking different classes! It makes my body feel better and I am learning so many things that could come in handy one day!

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