Missing in action!!!

It has been a while since I blogged...I have missed it. Life has been pretty busy here getting ready for school to start, which happened on the 21st of August. I was also Duty Officer from August 28th until the 5th of September. It was a busy week compared to some I have had. Both kids have been sick and have missed two days of school each...of course while I was on call. So it has basically just been crazy!I was able to get about 5 additional cards done in August, all turned out pretty cool, but I so forgot to take pictures of them! UGH! One that I made with a Bella stamp really was the cutest!

I went to the Royal Gorge SWARM this last weekend and got nothing accomplished! Well almost next to nothing. I tried again to do the pictures from our San Francisco trip but again found it too hard. I want these pages to be perfect. I was able to journal about the Project and that did help tremendously. I think that I am going to be able to do some scrapping now. The emotion just had to come out.

Lastly, I have been having to do some extra comforting to Hunter. He is my sensitive child and he must have seen something that scared the beegeezies out of him because now he is asking all kinds of questions about dying, where we go, what is it like, what do we become, do we know it is happeneing, etc. I am a little caught off guard. I would have expected this at any point in the last two years as he lost two grandparents, a great-grandma and a great uncle, but now...I don't know why. I just pray he comes to terms with this soon. It is so sad to see him so worked up about it. I guess all kids go through this...I remember having done so myself.

TTFN!

Still on a roll!

I got some more scrapping done yesterday. I am on vacation right now, whoo hoo and it is really more of a staycation since I am not really going anywhere. Today is Shelby's birthday and as tempting as it was to stay home and scrap some more...I took the kids swimming. Tomorrow we are going to the Denver Zoo with Lesley and AmyW! I am so excited. So check back and you can see picts of the kids on the Oxen and Wagon that Grandpa John built!

When unter was a baby he was so busy...well heck he still is, but he would get into everything. I never had to use a playpen with Shelby but Hunter...he was another story. I thought this overlay was just too perfect for one of his playpen picts!


Hunter the bubble boy! He loves baths even still!


Shelby's 4 and 5 year old preschool picts!. I love this Karen Foster paper. I have decided that all the kids' school picts will be on this.


This is Hunter a few years back on the Bungee Sling at Gold Rush Days! He had such a blast on this!!!





TFL! and TTFN!

Busy scrappin' weekend!!!

I got some of my creative edge back! I was able to make 15 pages this weekend and 2 cards. These are by far not my most creative work, but I am glad to have accomplished so much.I am posting these as well as my cards I made last week for Rlyee, Shelby and Hunter's birthdays. I must thank Shawn for doing most of the housework so I could play too!

MY Altered ATG Gun, and my Birthday Notes!

I had such a wonderful birthday this year. Not because I got stuff but because my friends and family made me feel so loved! My Mom and Lesley gave me this ATG gun at our recent Royal Gorge SWARM which was held just a couple of days before my birthday! With the help of Donna, Susan and I think just about everyone else at the SWARM they got it painted for me!Yesterday I finally had enough guts to do the altering. The base is a wooden tissue box that is painted to match~this idea came from Pam! For my birthday I also got a really cool stamp from my Mom with my name on it so I can "sign" my work! My wonderful hubby and kiddos got me a beautiful necklace and Shelby made me a card they all signed. Amy gave me a bag of Skittles at the SWARM which is just too cool since I haven't been able to find them on my own, although Lesley sent me some. Now I don't feel like I have to ration them. At work my unit got me a really yummy, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cake (that is triple chocolate, just more fun to say it again and again!), and a fun card. And my NSSS Marianne called me from Pennsylvania! What a wonderful conversation we had. I just love it when we get to talk! I really was just overwhelmed with love this year and I am sure that I am leaving something or someone out, so to all...thank you!

Royal Gorge SWARM #3

Here is a taste for now!!!

Correctional Peace Officer's Foundation Project 2000 XIX

Shawn and I went to San Francisco to be part of the Correctional Peace Officer's Foundation Project 2000 XIX. This annual weekend is set aside each year to honor correctional professionals who have been killed or died while in the line of duty. This awesome organization also honors fallen correctional professionals (CP's) who have died while supporting our current wars. As if those aren't amazing enough CP's who are assulted or are experiencing various catastraphic events in their lives are also helped and honored. There are training symposiums, gatherings, meals, bonding and healing (hopefully). One thing for sure is this is a huge extended family...Shawn and I are proud and honored to say that our friend base if not our family base has grown...tremendously...while at Project we were asked to assist escorting the family of Sgt. Stephen Anderson from the Utah Department of Corrections. Millie Anderson, Steve's wife is the most amazing woman. She is graceful and sweet, friendly and funny. We so enjoyed her company as well as the company of her son Shawn and his wife Jackie and Millie's daughter Michelle and her husband Ted. Being with this family for Project made it much more special and powerful than I already knew it would be. I will likely come back and post additional comments from this weekend, but for now I will let this little bit and the pictures speak for themselves.

The testing is over...

I have now completed both phase 1 and phase 2 of the Captain's test I have been taking since April 30th and studying for much longer. I am pleased to announce that I have passed...although not at well as Iwould have hoped. I scored an 86 which places me 31st statewide. I have no idea where that places me at my complex as they only give statewide results not geographic. I only listed myself eligible for Buena Vista. I know the other person who passed from BV is ranked 17th but there might not be anyone between he and I so I could potentially get an interview since they do the top 3 geographically. That being said...there are not any positions in BV right now either so the list could whittle down some before we have an opening. There are some potentials but there has to be some movement first. I am just glad it is all over and the experience was cool. I love what I am doing right now, so I am good either way and there is always next year as this list will only be good for a year~and I have 18 left before I can retire...so I have lots of options! Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and sent good thoughts through this process.

I probably won't be getting any scrapping done until the SWARM June 20-23. I take over Duty Officer Thursday at noon so I will be on call 24/7 until I leave for San Francisco on the morning of the 12th. I actually am supposed to still be DO on the 12th but my partner is going to cover for me! Whoo hoo! Shawn and I will return very early in the morning on the 16th and I am taking that day off too. Then it's just 3 work days until the SWARM, so I likely will get nada, zero, ziltch done! Oh well, 4 days of scrapping coming up. I can't wait!

TTFN!