Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

i stopped the challenge - i'll do all 30 days - just might take me 60. i don't do messed up things. i hated this one. i thought about it for several days. so that's right - 30 day photo challenge by a photographer. no picture. take that.

Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

This is like a six way tie. My mom. My dad. My grandmother. My husband. Myself (yep). And this girl - my bestie - Melissa.



We met in the 7th grade. Talked 7th grade girl talk. Figured out we had the same birthday - she's older, taller and more beautiful. We became instant friends. It's never changed. She's consistent. She's loyal. She's honest. She's caring. She's kind. She tells it like it is. I bitch to her about kid crap, she listens. i'm a better person because she's in my life. period.

Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh

I took family pictures. For Amy on the left & Nicole on the right. Both have been very dear friends of mine for a very long time. So afterwards I asked Adam to take some pictures of us. Just for fun. Because sometimes I think like everyone is dying soon (not my best quality) and how I want to capture every moment. There was a dead bird on the beach. I pushed Amy (lightly) and told her to watch out for it. I mean - about 10 feet away from it. She screamed. I laughed. Nicole didn't know what to do :). Made for some great pictures. I have some of the greatest friends on earth.

Day 7 - My most prized possession

So the obvious for some would be your wedding ring. I love mine. No doubt. This ring, however - does it for me on prized possession.

Here's the story.

Look closely. See the tiny little yellow gold band in between the two white gold w/ scattered diamonds. That was my grandmothers (my mom's side) original wedding band. My grandparents had 12 children. My grandmother was a saint. So saint like that she died on 9/11/2005 and on her death certificate the time of death is one of these three times - 8:46, 9:03, 9:59. not kidding. (i cant remember anymore which one it is).

When my grandmother died - I was cleaning out my grandfathers dresser drawers (he had died a few years before) and I found an old jewelery box with nothing inside - but when i went to close it - i heard something. Under some torn material I found a boyscout pin that said "be prepared" & this ring. It was in the shape of an oval. My grandmother wore it until it about fell off. I asked my mom if I could have it and she said yes.

Adam's uncle is a jeweler (a very good one i might add) and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with it - I came up with this idea.



Now - if you look closely at the inside - you'll see little round circles. There are four of them. Two on the top inside, two on the bottom inside. Two emeralds, one garnet & one peridox. They are the birthstones of my four grandparents & a constant reminder of where I came from.

I love to wear this ring - sometimes when I just want a ring & not a diamond on my wedding ring finger, sometimes when I feel like I need an extra marriage boost from my grandmother (she did make it all with one man - and 12 kids - bless her heart) and sometimes when I'm just missing my grandparents. I still have one grandmother left - and I'm so happy that she got to see it.

This ring makes me happy. Always.

Day 6 - A person you'd like to trade places with for one day.

of course i can't choose just one person. i would choose the two people i spend the most amount of time with. i'd love to be inside Adam's brain. he's so crazy smart & i'd love to really understand the way he thinks. i'd also like to know how he really feels about our struggles to have our own family.




this precious little boy. i'd love to know exactly what he wants when he cries, why doing certain things with him (like playing trains for hours and hours and reading about them for hours and hours) makes him so gosh darn happy. i'd love to know what life is like for a 19 month old. it sure looks like fun doesn't it?



These two boys, light up my world every single day. Most importantly I love the relationship that they have. B loves Adam so much and Adam feels the same way. Ad was one of the first words he spoke at our house. I love their relationship so much. It goes to show - sometimes nurture vs nature - nurture wins.
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Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory

"A" picture of my favorite memory would be impossible for me. Sure was my wedding a wonderful memory, yes, but all the days before, the moments after & the memories that will come - well, they make me who I am.

This picture is a tree at the end of my grandmothers driveway. In the field is the winter wheat my father planted. This picture makes my heart glow. My grandfather would come home from work or after he retired - we would sit outside on the east deck and enjoy fat freddies, icy cold coke, apple slices, & cheese before dinner. We'd play kings in the corner, enjoy each others company & the beauty of the country air.




Every summer my brother & his family come to stay at our house for a few days & we enjoy Bay Beach and just hanging out. I love when they come. My mom always joins us too. 7 extra people in the house makes for some unexpected laughs & wonderful memories. We decided on this night to have a parade & dance around the house - Adam came down dressed like this. The boys just about fell down dying of laughter.




Winters in Wisconsin are what you make of it. Last winter we got awesome packing snow and headed down to the woods for a day of snowman making. My sister in law was pregnant with my niece & we even made a pregnant snowman. What a great day.




Christmas. It's magical at my parents house. Enough said.




Me. My grandfather. The first love of my life. At the end of this month it will be 15 years since he died. I still can't believe it. Not a day goes by that I don't think of this man. He was kind. He was caring. He was humble. He was honest. He was giving. He was private. He worked hard. He was incredible. I will always love him.

#4 - Favorite Show

I'm not sure if it's my favorite show - but I really do enjoy & look forward to it. The sex, the money, the scandals, the saving lives. I just love the drama. Truth be told - I love to run on the treadmill. I know, weird - but I do - while watching Grey's & PP back to back. It's good for at least 8 miles.

Day Three

3. A Picture of My Night.



This picture makes me smile. Adam grew up & still likes to by choice, watch a lot of tv. I on the other hand grew up playing outside and most of the movie classics, I have never seen. It's easy to get into your comfy place on the couch after dinner and watch TV until bed. I don't feel like much bonding happens. We've recently started playing cribbage again & I just love the one on one time with him.

Picture 2

2. A picture of the person that you've been closest to for the longest.



this is a picture of my mom and I from our trip to Mexico this October. Tomorrow she's leaving for three weeks to go to Paris, Iceland & Provence with her brother & his family. Lucky duck. She's such an awesome women!!

30 Days of Pictures

This idea is from facebook but to be honest - I'm really lacking on any blogging ideas - so I'm stealing it. 30 days, 30 pictures, 30 random post. Enough said.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.




1. You won't ever have a question as to what I'm thinking. I'll tell you. I can't help it. In fact, it's filtered - you don't want to know my real thoughts.

2. I can't stand being the passenger in a car when I'm driving with someone who I haven't driven with before. I usually end up sick.

3. I run because I have to run. If I don't run all aspects of my life fall apart. (trust me, I've tried to quit running, it's no good)

4. I'm think it's the most inconsiderate & rude thing ever when people tell Adam and I that we're "just a couple." no, "we're a family, damn it."

5. The greatest lesson my mother taught me was to be extra special to kids with special needs. She also taught me to never make fun of a kid because of a way that they smelled or looked - it just meant they had a harder life than I did. She couldn't have been more right. She lead by example.

6. The greatest lesson my father taught me was to be kind to the elderly & to your neighbors. He leads by example in doing this every single day of his life. I'm beyond grateful.

7. My husband is the smartest man I know (even if he doesn't agree with me politically).

8. Sometimes my brothers tell me they are lucky to have me, truth is I'd be lost without them.

9. My family hasn't been in this amazing of a place in a long long time & the only one to thank is God.

10. I'm convinced that by the end of the summer I'm going to be able to do a pull-up.

11. I drink more water in an average day than anyone I have ever met which also means that I pee that much more. I think it's a nervous thing.

12. Dazey Chic is my favorite artist on Etsy. Her work, makes my heart sing.

13. I love taking pictures.

14. I have the best job.

15. Someday Adam & I plan to renew our vows - the day we got married - we had no idea life would throw us all of these curveballs - no one does.