A sad day is coming. Sigh...

Erin is moving away...

And I am sad...

'Nuff said....

Ok-so really - Erin's fiance', Eric, got a job in Ohio. And since that would be a helluva commute - they are moving away. Like 3 hours away. Which in the scheme of things really isn't too bad -but I'm her favorite aunt. And she's my favorite niece. (That's just what we always say to each other. And this is funny because I'm her only aunt & she's my only niece. Trust me, it's funny...) The only bright side? They're gonna live near some awesome shopping locations & she's already told me I could come up one weekend & stay & shop!

Sorry, Eric - can't get rid of me that easy.

They came over this evening with the girls to say goodbye. Sigh...

B-rad had lotsa stuff on his end table for Payton to choke on - er, I mean - chew on... See how he has his iPhone away from her in his protective grasp? Oh yeah-I forgot to tell ya'll he got an iPhone. It came in when I was in Texas. Forgive me... It took Madelyn a bit to get warmed up enough to get off her daddy's lap.

I only had out the point & click (Oh, the humanity!), so I would get Madelyn to look at me, push the button & 5 minutes later it would take a pic.
Double trouble!

Me & my favorite girls in the whole world!

Ok-here's the deal. It's not like I see Erin everyday or anything. But what I CAN do is call her & say, "Hey-I'm gonna be near your house - can I stop by & visit?!"

Hmph, no more of that.

We'll be seeing her at the bridal shower I'm planning for her at the end of August. I texted her today about some details of the shower & told her to "just email it to me when you're done...since you're moving a thousand miles away!" Sigh....

I also threatened her within an inch of her life that she better keep that blog of hers updated! She said she would, but I warned her if she doesn't, I will put 'hate' comments on her last post every day. And she knows I'm just crazy enough to do it! Of course, I will give her a couple of days to get moved in & settled. I'm not an animal!

After that - it's on like Donkey Kong.

Happy helper

A few months ago, my friend, Katrina, asked me to help her take pictures at a wedding. She does photography, but hasn't done many weddings. Her friends brother was getting married so it seemed like the perfect time to get some practice under her belt! She asked me waaaaay before I got my fancy schmancy camera. She told me she just wanted me to help her set up the shots & keep track on a list. She even told me to bring my point & click to take pics of candid moments that perhaps she would miss. But I figure taking a point & click to a wedding to actually help take pics is like takin' a knife to a gun fight. So when I got my fancy schmancy camera I told her I was s-e-t!

Saturday night was the wedding & reception. And I took 384 pics. I know, that seems like a lot. But when you have a fancy schmancy camera, it's not an exact science. Some are out of focus, too dark, whatever. So my friends have told me to "take more than you need. For every 1 that's good - you'll have 9 that aren't." Now-I don't really like those odds, but I can't hate the player. I have to hate the game...

Katrina took my card & transferred the pics to her computer. She also happens to live at the end of our field, so I ran by her house last night to pick it back up. She told me that she left the pics on the card for me so I could blog about it...be still my heart. I also told her to tell me how I did. Be honest - I can take it. And she had pretty good comments. She told me a few things that I could improve on. Like I always say - I'm ALL about constructive criticism.

So I thought I'd share some of the high-lights & low-lights - the hits & the misses if you will...

She gave me an "A" for the pics of the bridesmaids bouquets.

I also got an "A" for the pics of the bride getting ready in the mirror. Hit!
Boo-yow, another hit!

Ruh-roh! M-I-S-S! Look in the mirror reflection!

Not too awful bad...

I also like candid shots. Like this one with the bride's mom & her grandson. See, while Katrina was doing the heavy lifting - I was doing this!

She also gave me high praise for my cake photos. However, uh, uhm, I took this one with the letter backwards. I was behind the cake. M-I-S-S!

Ya'll know how I'm obsessed with the foreground clear & background blurry.

This is one of my favs - but that silly initial is backward again!

Here I am! Katrina emailed me this pic 'for the blog'. I love when people appreciate the art of blogging!
I got a decent shot of them smashing cake in each others face. However, I had issues with my camera not wanting to take a pic when I pressed the shutter. Apparently I had setting issues... hmph, who knew?! Plus Katrina says the brides super white dress & the lighting doesn't help. Yea, that was the problem. Surely it wasn't me...

I tell ya, though - I was super nervous for Katrina. I had no responsibilities whatsoever, but I was a nervous wreck. I think I worried enough for both of us. What pressure! Possibly THE most important day in a girls life (guys don't care...) & you are strapped with the task of capturing it for all prosperity? Thanks, but no thanks.

Katrina says she's gonna call me when all the few hundred prints come in to be put into an album. I told her I was changing my phone number...& moving...

Oh yea Cutest blog on the block.com? I've got options!

B-rad noticed a 'warning' at the top of the blog that my background was going to disappear tomorrow? Uhm, exsqueeze me?!

I've always gotten my backgrounds from thecutestblogontheblock.com & I tried to access their website today to find out what was up. Surprise, surprise-their site is down.

Well now, I just can't have my dog & pony show have no cutsie tootsie background! Oh, the humanity!

So I got on Google & googled 'free blogspot backgrounds'. God Bless the internet! The one that had the most backgrounds I liked was http://hotbliggityblog.com/backgrounds.php (Plus I like the name - hot bliggity blog!)

I urge you, my loyal stalkers, that use cutest blog on the block (man, type that 10 times fast! Sheesh!) to view your blog. You have the same WARNING label. Maybe you can find a cute one somewhere else?

C'mon cutest blog on the block - it's the year 2010! You ain't the only game in town!

My whirlwind trip to Texas

I left last Wednesday morning to fly to Fort Worth, TX for Premier's 25th National Rally! We flew into Dallas Love Field & I was uber disappointed that there were no "JFK" references. I am a major JFK buff & I told my sister jeweler, Rose, "Be on the lookout for anything that references JFK was here! I want to get a picture!" And she looked at me like I had spoken a foreign language. I said, "Uhm, JFK flew into this airport before he was killed in Dallas (matter of fact, he flew out of it too after his death)...." Hmph, some people!

Anywho, you're gonna hear a lot about Rose. My Premier mom, Brenda, was unable to attend this year due to the death of her mother in law. We had planned on rooming together so we had a problem. Luckily, Rose was in a room of 5 so she agreed to come stay in my room with the other 2 girls. I'm SO lucky I had her there because she had been to Rally before & knew what to expect & where to go & all that fun stuff. By the end of the 4 days, I was referring to her as my 'step-mom'. I was able to email pics to Brenda via my Blackberry so she was still in touch with us. But Rose did decide she was going to have to send Brenda a bill for taking care of me. I also told her to ask for pain & suffering....'cuz I'm a lotta trouble!

There's a few things you need to know about Rally before I go any further:

#1-the days are LONG. Up early in the morning & done late at night. We attend meetings at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Imagine Freedom Hall & the convention center rolled into one... only 3 times bigger. The convention center provides us lunch & supper & the food was crap-py!

#2-We had to stay in a hotel 7 miles from the arena. Premier provided us shuttle buses to take us back & forth, but it was first come, first serve. There were over 9000 jewelry ladies there. You can imagine the lines.

#3-long days & long nights mean little sleep. Ya'll know how I get when I don't get enough sleep! (When Rose & I would get snippy about other people (not with each other - we're awesomesauce!), I would say, "Tired & cranky, Rose...we're tired & cranky..."

#4-My hair & Texas do not mix. I thought my hair curled here? Oh no no no, Texas isn't as humid, but it's on the surface of the freakin' sun 'cuz it is H-O-T! I decided to give up on my hair & wear it back every.single.day. And it still curled up! Ugh!

#5-all 4 days were jam-packed with meetings, vendor exhibits, etc. so there was NO time to sightsee. Here's what I saw of Texas: the airport, the ride from the airport to the hotel, the ride on the shuttle from the hotel to the arena. That's it.

There were 8 of us that stayed at the same hotel. We got a pic in the lobby before we went to the arena Wed. night. 2 of the girls hadn't arrived yet. Yes, we're all dressed the same. The theme of the Executive director's section we sat in for Wed night was "Tickled Pink". We all wore black pants, white tops & these scarves. We were twinkies...that's just how we roll...

First stop is jeweler check in. You go & get your packet with a notebook, meeting schedule, shuttle routes, etc. PLUS, you get awesome swag so we all had to sit down & check it out! Perhaps my favorite part?! The BAG!! It is PURPLE metallic AND it's reversible. 2 bags in one? Be still my heart?! Inside is black & white zebra print. I kept mine on the purple side...duh!To celebrate 25 years in business, Premier had a free concert for us! Point of Grace is an all-chick contemporary Christian band. And they were SOOOO good!
Just a cute pic of me! Thursday is perhaps THE most exciting day because that's when the NEW JEWELRY is announced!!!! There are 155 pieces in the new line! After they make the announcement, they have a 'new jewelry playground' area where you can go & play with the jewelry. Try it on, etc. Here I am Thursday night trying on a new bracelet. Check out the hair! Group shot!

Ok-see these people? The 2 on the left are Andy & Joan Horner. They are the couple that co-founded Premier 25 years ago. On the right is their son, Tim Horner. He is now the President of Premier. Look at him closely. Remember his every feature...
'Cuz guess who was walking around Thurs. night after ditching the new jewelry playground because is was a freakin' sauna in there & ran right into Mr. President? Oh, yeah, that's me! I walked up to him & spoke & he was very kind. We spoke for probably a minute or 2. (Kim-I KNOW you can appreciate the coolness of this!)
So I was all excited about getting a pic with Mr. Horner. And none of my sister jewelers were around to brag too. I continued to walk through the exhibits. Premier Designs started their own manufacturing company that makes many of the pieces. I was walking around their exhibit & as I walked around the display case- BAM! There was Andy Horner. OMG, I could've had a heart attack right then & there! I got another jewelry lady to take our pic. We also spoke, but not as long. He's in higher demand than his son! (KIM-how cool is this?!)
After I met back up with my jeweler buddies - ya'll KNOW I was bragging & showing the pics. Then they told me, "Oh, well Joan & Jessica (she's their granddaughter & works at the home office developing the new jewelry!) were in there too." Hmph....I didn't see them! But did my buddies get their pics with them?! Nope! Too bad, so sad...

Saturday is Patriotic Day. Everyone decks out in Red, White & Blue! This is our whole group in front of the Andy & Joan statue!
They have a Patriotic program & any jeweler or family member that serves in the armed forces goes out on stage while they play their, uh, uhm, theme song? I don't know what you call it? But the army's got one, the air force, etc? Fight song? Like in high school?! Anyways, it was VERY cool & VERY touching! They had fireworks go off at the end.Andy always give his, "Lest We Forget" speech. He was born in Ireland & came to Canada in the 50's. He & Joan became U S Citizens by choice & he reminds us what a great country we live in!
We took some individual pics of the down-lines by the statue. Alas, I was mother-less (sniff, sniff) so my Grandma took a pic with me. I told her we should've left a space & photo shopped Brenda in!
So I told you how the food was crappy?! Well, by Saturday night we were all starving so we walked through downtown to find a place to eat. All the street lights had these signs on them. I thought that was cool!
We went to a barbecue place & I got a big 'ole greasy cheeseburger & fries! And it was delicious! You can see how much Rose & I enjoyed 'real' food!
As we were walking, one of my other jeweler buds said, "Hey Jaime-you need to have your pic taken with the banana!" Huh?! I'm always game, so I said, "OK-point me that way!" So this dude worked for Java Juice & he was really funny! I walked up to him & said, "Hey-where I come from-we don't have bananas on the street! Can we take a pic?!" He would talk to all the people in the cars that came up to the intersection. A couple of motorcycles pulled up & he was imitating them & I told him, "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

So there you have it. Of course, you know I got sick towards the end of the trip. And I think being exhausted from 4 non-stop days didn't help matters. I have slept an extra 10 hours since I've been home. 3 when I got home Sunday, 3 when I left work Monday because I was sick to my stomach & 4 after my doctor's appointment Tuesday.

I learned a lot, though & that's important! I am really excited about all the new jewelry because it.is.awesome! There are several pieces that are very fashion forward & I have seen the same types of designs on famous people! You know it's good if famous people wear it, right?!

Wondering where I went?

OK-so I've been sick...that's why you haven't heard from me. Sniff, sniff... If you're my friend on facebook, you probably know all this - but if you're not- shame on ya!

Down in Texas, my head started draining (yuck) & obviously it went to my stomach which made me nauseous (double yuck). The plane ride home was NOT FUN as when we landed I thought I was gonna vomit. I just figured I was hungry & all that crap on my stomach wasn't helping.

I got home Sunday afternoon & took a long winters nap. I got up, blogged/bragged about my bracelet & then the sickness got worse.

I went to work Monday with a major headache & still some nausea. I even had mom make me a grilled cheese for lunch because I felt so bad. Afer lunch, my head was pounding & I started sipping on Sprite to help with the nausea. However, the more sick I felt, the more I gulped that Sprite. Then, suddenly, it hit me. I've gotta vomit. OMG! I'm at my desk!!! So I ran up front to tell my boss I had to go home, I was sick! I drove home with my hand over my mouth. (Like THAT was gonna help?!)

I ran in the house, & just laid on the bed because the room was spinning. I feel asleep for 3 hours. I had texted B-rad to bring me some Sprite on his way home. However, he didn't get home until 9:00! I sipped a couple glasses of Sprite & went to bed.

Tuesday I got up & got ready for work. I had a splitting headache above my eye & I just felt funny. My ears ached inside & I still felt dizzy. I'm a B-I-G baby when I'm sick so I decided to call the doctor. They could see me at 10:45 so I told my boss I might not be back. He told me, "Don't worry about coming back. It's fine." Green light for me to go home & rest! Yay!

The doctor says I have a sinus infection & gave me an antibiotic & I had to sign my life away for some Mucinex D as well. It's a-maz-ing how much better I felt after 1 dose of antibiotic. I got home around noon & went to bed. I woke up & it was 4:00!

I finally felt well enough to do a load of laundry last night & even made supper. I haven't unpacked from my trip yet. Baby steps... I figure it's not going anywhere - I can do it later.

I will work on sharing my stories from Texas as soon as I can. I know you're all on pins & needles!

I'm back in black (or purple)

So I'm back from my 4 day whirlwind trip to Ft. Worth, Texas for Premier Designs 25th Rally celebration.

I have lotsa pics & stories to share...but they will have to come later...

I will give you a little itty bitty piece of the trip right now. We all remember how there was a special gift we could earn for Joan's birthday, right? (How could you ever forget? I went on on & on & on about it!)
When we got to the arena & checked in to get our packet of info, my gift was inside:

It also had a note from Joan in the black velvet bag thanking me.And I.LOVE.THIS.BRACELET! It looks like the troll or pandora bracelets that are really popular right now. It's got gold & silver so it will go with everything. And just like the Pandora bracelets, there are elements of it that have meaning. It has Premier's founding beliefs on 3 different stones. The toggle bar & circle clasp each have something written on them. There are also other little charms that have meaning. Perhaps one of the things that made me want it so badly is that is has a tiny little 'diamond' ring that has Joan's birthstone...which is green emerald for May. My birthstone is also emerald...

Rose & I were the only ones out of our group that earned the bracelet. This is us just after we got in our packets! You know we both had to wear them everyday to show them off!

In other news that I'm sure you're just dying to know about...

They gave away cash & gift certificates. Did I win any cash & gift certificates? No.

They introduced 155 brand new pieces of jewelry for the fall/winter line. They gave away several half & full lines plus they had seperate drawings for ensembles. Did I win a half line, full line or ensemble? Nope.

They gave away a car every night. Did I win a car any of those four nights? Nu uh.

I am exhausted, not feeling well & still need to unpack. I haven't stalked anyone for over 4 days & I just feel totally left out of your lives. I feel like Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future" when he's playing the guitar at the dance & he starts to disappear from existence.

Please-do not tell me how jealous you are of my bracelet or how gorgeous you think it is. I hate when people do that....

Partyin' at Chuck E.'s...

Our great niece, Madelyn, turns 2 tomorrow! Erin had a party for her at Chuck E. Cheese last night. I just love Cole in his glasses! (Oh, & B-rad too...)
Left to right. Tina (Erin's step-mom &), Payton, Vicky (Lora's mom ), Darrell (Lora's brother), Lora (my sis-in-law,duhhh...) & Cole.
Brady was playing with my fancy schmancy camera. I'm always ready to flash a smile, B-rad? Not so much.

Madelyn & her pawpaw (my bro-in-law, Brian...)

Brian & Stanley (my father-in-law). They were watching video of the helicopter on Brian's phone. Stanley looks mad, but actually he couldn't hear/understand what B-rad had just said... he's getting older, ya know?! (Today is his 60th birthday...)

Madelyn does NOT like people dressed as animals. Chuck E. came out for the birthday party next to hers & she wanted no part of it. She's pointing, but trust me, she's not saying, "Take me to Chuck E!"

Everytime Brady would turn around to look at me, she would flip her head around to keep her eye on Chuck E. So Brady improvised so I could get a pic... Happy Birthday to Madelyn!

She really wasn't into blowing out her candle. See her peeking at me?!

Madelyn & her grammy (Lora).

Brad's mom got in BIG trouble for feeding Payton cake & coke! She got away with it until the end of the evening when Tina mentioned it & Daddy just happened to be sitting there! Busted!

OK-insert gift opening here. I didn't get any pics for a reason. After they cut the cake I asked Erin if it would be a bit before she opened presents & she said yes. I asked if it'd be ok if we ran to the AT&T store before it closed to order B-rad a, uhm, er, iPhone... We got there half an hour before they closed, but it was still packed & we had to wait an hour. Some people at the party were getting anxious for her to open her gifts. Erin texted me so I said, "go ahead without us, we're still waiting. I'm sorry..."

Erin was nice enough to hold Madelyn's gift from us until we got back. Thanks, Erin! We got her a water table. Erin had seen other kids on other blogs play with them & she thought Madelyn would like it!

After the party, we had to go over to B-rad's grandparents to take them some medicine. We showed them the pictures of the helicopter spraying the field & then they showed us some pics from last year when Grandpa Mac went to Montana to see one of B-rad's cousins.

Grandma Mac has a hallway lined with pics of all their 5 kids & their countless grandchildren & great grandchildren. I always enjoy looking at the pics from way back.

This one is Brian & Brad. Brian is 6 years older than Brad.

Grandpa & Grandma & Brad & Brian.

B-rad's in the middle. Wasn't he cute?! Alicia-see Sam on the right?!

Thanks for having us to Madelyn's party, Erin! Please take pics of Madelyn playing with her water table when you move away so I can see her playing with it. Sigh...