What Did You Do This Summer?

My husband and I decided to go up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for my birthday weekend this summer.  It was pretty great.  We met my family and got to spend a few days on their boat.  Here are a few photos of our vacation.

My sisters were tubing and this is right before the sister on our right flipped right out!

Mike chilling on the boat.

Someone's beautiful landscaping - WOW

There were many sailboats towards the evening

Sailboats on the water - so fun to photograph!

The sunset before heading back to dock for dinner.

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my summer.  I'll post more tomorrow!

Siblings

I've finally gotten my 14 year-old sister's school photograph for this year.  She's in 8th grade & is smart, funny, kind and beautiful!  She's also kind of hormonal but we love her!!!  She enjoys movies and reading and has invited herself over for an extended sleepover this summer.

Kate - Spring 2011

I've had my 12 year-old sister's photo since the fall.  She's in 6th grade and loves music.  She sang "Baby" by Justin Bieber at karaoke and sang it really well!  She's got such a great voice & can play piano & guitar & even plays percussion at school.  She's also funny and pretty and has such a unique style. 

Rebecca - Fall 2010

Beyond the two of them, I have quite a few other siblings.

My step-brother Jeff & I don't talk much but have been getting along very well for years.  He just got a new job at a fire department & is very excited about his opportunity.

Of course, this is where you're expecting a photo of him & I cannot for the life of me find any photos...  Wait!  Here's one!!

Jeff 2007

Amy is 23 and has been with her boyfriend for a few years now.  She works hard and plays hard and helps the family a LOT.  We don't always get along (including right now) but I love her and always will.

Amy & Ben 2010 or 2011

Dani is my step-sister and is 21 years old. She & her boyfriend have also been together for quite a few years and have been living together for at least the last year & a half or so (probably longer). She is extremely unique and gifted and while she struggles with her complicated past, is working very hard to make a great future for herself. She is a nanny and is working on running her own business and may be attending school sometime soon.

Dani & Alex 2011

Daniel just turned 21 (see yesterday's post on my personal blog) and has a full-time job and a part-time job and is trying to finish school. He loves playing video games and hanging out doing nothing. With so many differences, I'm surprised when I find myself thinking about how alike we are.

Daniel 2010

Emily is a beautiful, funny, bright, fantastic young woman.  She's 19 and working her way through community college right now.  She's very mature and has a very promising future.

Emily 2009

I've already talked about Kate & Rebecca who are the next in the age sequence.  They live with my mother and are both doing VERY well in school!

Rebecca, Emily & Kate 2010

I also have a few siblings that I don't see much (well, at all, really) that live with my father.  Even though I don't spend time with them, I love them and am working with my father & step-mother to mend the past and have a future relationship for all of us.  Amanda, Shannon and James are much younger than my other siblings and when I see them it brings a smile to my face. It's really cool to see how much you can love your siblings even when you don't even know them.

Amanda, Emily, James & Shannon 2010

I hope you enjoyed this post! Share it with your friends and family and remember to tell your siblings that even when you're angry, you still love them. I need to do that too.

Sending Love Your Way

Wednesday was kind of a downer of a day.  A customer called in to work and was upset about the emails that he received and was very cruel.  He was yelling at me for nothing and even though it was completly ridiculous it still bothered me.  He was very upset with me about something that I had no control over and we didn't even do anything wrong.  It kind of put a damper on my day even though I knew it was silly to let him bother me.

It's days like these that make it difficult for me to find something positive and I did struggle to write this one.  While thinking about the good thing to post about, I began thinking about the past.  I thought about how I called my husband right after dealing with this terrible customer and how great it was to speak to him.  He can be such a loving, supportive man.  I remember the day we got married...

Mike nervous before the ceremony.

I remember the love that we had for each other...  I remember the dedication that I felt to him on that day.  The vows that we said, the ones that I spent months putting together to describe the way we feel about each other, really moved through my heart.  I loved him so much.  I was SO nervous!

Me getting ready before the ceremony.

I remember our family being there to share our day.

Me with my sisters.

Us with our parents.

Us with my step aunt & her husband.

Us with Mike's aunts.



Us with my step-grandmother.



Mike with his grandparents.


So I think about this day in the past and I remember...  Then I realize that I love my husband more than I ever did.  He and I have grown so much closer together through the ups and downs of only four years of marriage that I cannot fathom how much more we'll grow in the next 40 years.  Thinking about our future together and the love that we share makes me happier than words can describe.

Sending some love your way...  Have a wonderful day. :)

The Men in my Life

Today, I'd like to take some time & show you the men in my life.

My loving husband, Michael.  We've been married for more than 4 years and knew within a month that we wanted to be together forever.  We moved in together after being in a relationship for just a few months and have experienced a lot of uphill battles together.  There has been a lot of growing up that we've done together.

Mike helps me with the daily chores.

I love it when he's happy with life.  He enjoys playing video games and drinking beer but always loves to watch movies with me.

Enjoying a Miller!

He even helps cook dinner sometime!  :)

We love Shells & Cheese with broccoli - YUM!

The other man in my life is my pup!  Chewy is a 3 year old basset hound mix.  We're pretty sure he's mixed with a german shepherd.




He's always so curious!

I love the men in my life.  They bring me stress but also a lot of joy & love.

I hope that you are able to experience the amazing amount of love in the little things the guys in your life.  One of my friends was just reminded of the greatness in the little things that her husband does for her.  The following was her Facebook status recently and is reprinted with her permission.

"Has the best husband ever... he is picking up subway for me and I forgot to write olives down but he remembered. It is the little things that matter"

Enjoy!!

What Does Family Mean to You?

Good morning!  I hope you had a great weekend.  I know that I did.  My husband & I had spent Saturday together and had a wonderful day.  It was beautiful outside and we took the opportunity to get out of the house.  I worked at my part-time job on Sunday and came home absolutely exhausted.  My husband heated up some frozen pizza and we watched "Grown Ups".  It got me thinking about how important family is.

My husband's grandmother with his father.

My husband hasn't had a lot of contact with his father's side of the family since his father passed in 1996.  Two years ago, his grandmother passed away and he was unable to attend the services.  I have a few regrets about the circumstances surrounding the situation and wish that I could go back and change a couple things.

My husband's father (on the left) & uncle in North Carolina.

After my husband's grandmother passed, we were able to obtain some old photographs of the family.  His sister was able to come back from the services with stories, photos and love from the family he hasn't seen in quite a while.  They were able to catch up and have been closer ever since.  It's so great that he has her in his life and that they are able to lean on each other.  

My mother & me.

As far as support goes, my mother is the best person I know.  She's a wonderful woman and has been a major beacon of love and support for me & my husband for many years.  I'm not sure what I would do without her.

How do you feel about family?  I realize that family life can be difficult but sometimes family isn't necessarily the "blood" relatives, it's the people who love you.  Who are the most important people in your life? 

Remember, you can share this with your family & friends.  I will talk to you tomorrow!