starting to wonder

how we're going to get it all home? I think I'll be hunting down a big brown truck tomorrow. The pic doesn't do the pile justice.
V has her pile all neat and organized...don't know how she'll get hers home either.
Tricias! Tomorrow is graduation. We're ready to relax. Being with four in a room means lack of sleep! We are enjoying each others company and managed a nap today-minus Mandy but she's the youngest! I'm five pages shy of completing my album and I love it. Can't stop looking at it. Will share when I get home. Have a great weekend. 

Gotta love new friends. Julie and Shannon and I are all taking the same track here. Thanks for the Kamikazee Shannon!
Croppin Commandos pre-performance!
We didn't hear the crickets this year and we moved up a slot-second! I must say the first group birthed a Becky Higgins and Ali Edwards on stage so how could we compete with that? We also had no practice session-we had a blast and had people doing the CKU-A arms. It was a great song and I will never listen to YMCA the same again! Tomorrow is all day classes! 

more craziness!

 

craziness!

Us in line at 9 this morning. Had an awesome breakfast. Slept okay and now ready to get the day started! This year there are 100 more people here and it is packed!
Today is just make n takes. You sit at each table and make a 6x6 page for your CKU album or something else if you want. This is only half of the room. It is craziness!!
Tricia has been like Ruth today...leaving a trail of dust so Mandy and I have been hanging out with each other for these. HSs' was awesome of course and what's sad is standing next to her in a photo you really can't tell she's pregnant! In a few hours we'll be singin'! We are ordering some Chicago pizza and going to practice one more time and our dormates that drove brought liquor...that should loosen us right up! SHOT! Mel and Chris the same dorms from last year are here again this year. It's crazy, chaotic, numbing, and we are loving it! So tonight-at least past 10-I should have some new pics of our singing. 

Scrapper, there's no need...

to feel down! We are in CHI town! Love it. Had a scary flight, scary taxi, and great night of shopping and hanging with the girls. It's 10 and we are whooped!
Our dorm mates! Just got done practicing our song! It's awesome. Saw Tim Holtz in hotel lobby. All is good. We perform tomorrow night. Excited excited.
Britt-My Aunt Marilyn emailed me tonight and said Shane's photo is on the front of the Daily Press down there with the band he flew. Check it out! I will post more tomorrow. Craziness is about to get crazier! Check out the album cover response below-Chris loaded a photo in the comments section about the big pink boxes...TY Chris!

My album cover contest entry:

What do you think? I was going to do something totally different but then realized I wanted something I'm going to use. This album will be for all my Mexico pictures. I am going to do mostly pink and turquiose pages. I used some Heide Swapp masks and love them. I also used her paint for the first time and I love it. I don't think I'll buy anymore of the other kind. It was a definite change in quality for the better. Anyhow, I want that BIG PINK BOX! Think I got a shot? 

all packed and ready to go!

I can't believe I'm done. I'm ready. I'm all packed. Every little tool, adhesive, paper, picture, is all in a suitcase awaiting it's trip to Chicago! Tomorrow I'll be able to just chill, pick up Shane's mom, and just rest before I head north. Last year I had less than twelve hours to go and tags weren't done, suitcase wasn't packed, pages weren't made, supplies were still on shelf. I feel so good right now. I bought this black hat at Hobby Lobby to fill with goodies from the state of Texas for a state swap-even a bottle of a Texas Cabernet Sauvignon. I don't know what state I'm getting but I will pick a state where I have never been. Maybe Oregon, Oklahoma, or South Dakota or something. Something off the beaten path of my life. Tricia, Mandy, Vanessa and I all have coordinated flights and come Wednesday around
2 we will all be giving hugs and giggle with excitement at being in Chicago. We will take a moment for,"wouldn't it be nice if Mel, Chris, and Ruth were here?" Next year I hope to be introducing you guys to a new bunch of scrappers and we will pause to say,"too bad Tricia is not here but her son is almost a year and keeping her busy!" Maybe she'll make it!
Back to the hat. It's too dang cute on Dev and I had to get some photos. I'm thinking of keeping it for her...is that terrible? Have a great Monday evening. Can't meet the friends for bowling. It
looks like the rain is staying away long enough for her softball practice.  

new shoes!

Love 'em! I normally don't buy shoes with a heel because my husband is on the short side but I was with a few women who were offering nothing but encouragement on getting them! We are such enablers of each other! Scrap enablers, shoe enablers, scrap enablers! Not much to report on the weekend. Did lunch with the girls and got to see my friends boobs-they are new-they are nice. Did some shoe shopping. Did some scrapbooking. Went and saw the movie The Inside Man with a friend...excellent! I wanted to be Jodie Foster's character-tough! Loved it. Talked to my good friend Aricka tonight. We were stationed together in Hawaii and Virginia. We're starting to look for an airline ticket for her to come down...can't wait! Another diver will be in Waco (he's Britts third favorite guy) in April so should be like old times for us! Fun stuff planned. Sometimes I miss the dive field. I don't think I'll ever feel about aviation the way I feel about divers. They are in a class by themselves. They are a rare breed of people. Miss them but oh so glad I'm not in that lifestyle anymore! I know we will always consider ourselves divers and that aviation is just a job. I can't believe I leave on Wednesday for Chicago. I've done some packing but not much! I've got my swap stuff together so that's important. I have to go make copies for the contests and need to figure out my wardrobe for while I'm there! Devin started softball and man the girls on her team are good. She's the youngest player and the only girl in middle school. One girl is being scouted by colleges and she's only in tenth grade-she has her own pitching coach! Dev practiced at right outfield and did quite good. One time she stopped a ground ball with her shin but she kept it together and sucked it up. Watching made me want to play something for an adult team. I don't know what but I could see myself doing something. I can't do basketball I know that. I suck. I think I will be taking my camera and computer to Chicago so I can keep everyone updated on our progress out there. I just hope I don't have to hear another cricket fart. 

Challenge #2

Okay here it is...weekend challenge! Last challenge was to post your first scrapbook page-thank you to those who posted! This month's challenge kind of follows AE's A Week in the Life except we are going to do a month! The month of March-what did you do....bloggers want to know! We will start of easy for you new scrappers-Britt, Tracy, Beth-and not demand use of certain product or pictures. Mandy and Tricia (blog lurkers) feel free to join in! We want to see what you've got! How about first poster gets to pick next weekends topic? Have a great Saturday!
I almost forgot-this layout kind of follows CZ's track for CKU-A except I did it in 12x12 size.

drake's school photo this year-all junkitz paper-love it! 

journaling reads.... 

some finished layouts

So this is going to be my Chatterbox entry at CKU. You must make a page on why you scrapbook or something like it and complete a three hundred word essay. What is your honest opinion. I changed it some from yesterday and I hope that you can read my journaling!
Devin and her day horseback riding. I'm not happy with my title page but it is what it is. Off to do some more!
 

my freezer is full!

How awesome is this? I signed up for a Dream Dinners experience. I love to cook but while Shane is gone I absolutely can't stand it for I am throwing away lots of food. For 200 dollars I have 22 meals in my freezer ready to be cooked. I was at the business for about two hours today. Most meals I split into two containers because each meal serves 4-6. Some come with sides some don't. Other women making their meals were raving about the taste of the food, I cannot wait to start cooking. I have already signed up for next month, which they have a new menu each month so all new food next time!
Brittany here is one page I made today with Chatterbox paper. I'm not quite done with it. I still have to do my journaling and add a little something somewhere-oh yeah title. This is a page I will be entering for a Chatterbox contest at CKU...the topic is why you scrapbook and you must use mostly Chatterbox product! I'll have more later! Thanks for holding me accountable. I post the final later too! Chris and Mel you said how much you love some Chatter-let's see 'em! 

blocking my creativity?

Has this been the cause? Well I don't have an old photo but I was reading the last issue of CK and the Cropper Hopper paper storage was turned on it's side. I saw it and realized I've been doing it wrong! This has been causing me not to scrapbook maybe? I'll blame anything but myself. But, yes there is a but, I see how turning it on it's side is easier if the paper is on a shelf, which mine is! So now I can easily get paper in and out and I can actually see it! Whereas before I was pulling out the container and finding it hard to put my paper back-I'd have to bend the paper to fit it in cos pulling the entire thing out was too much of a pain. Ah. I feel so much better. Like a weight has been lifted. I love it!!

On another note. I hung that clock you see. It took me two trys but I got it. I hung it with regular screws and it was too heavy and fell out. Then I remembered Beth's new love of wall anchors or something like it and I headed to Lowes, got wall anchors, screwed them in, and voila! My little antiquey type room is coming together!

Lastly, I signed up to be a soldier's angel. It's a volunteer type thing. You sign up to sponsor a soldier. It's not someone you know-they randomly assign. What you do is send two cards a month and one package a month. It's simple. My soldier is a PFC in the Marine Corps. I would love to be sending stuff to Shane all the time but you've seen his room-he doesn't need anything nor will he have room to take home the stuff I've sent so I will give to someone else. I'm excited about it. Now-what to send? If anyone wants the web address I will send it to you-not all the soldiers are living as nicely as my husband! Have a great Hump Day everybody...one more week CKU...one more week CKU....one more week CKU!

cool stuff

Shane sent this to the kids. I think Devin took hers to school so I can only show you Drakes. That is his name in Iraqi...neat huh.











I got this card. In it is something I think is true.
It says, "nothing else matters as long as we're together" and then Shane added, "so true". It is true isn't it. In life all that matters is being with the ones you love whether it's family or friends.














I bought these at Hobbly Lobby. They are antique
looking metal signs. They were all half off! So I got four for about sixteen dollars.
In other news, I was nominated for volunteer of the month for my husband's battalion. I feel as though I have done nothing to deserve it. I call Tricia and tell her. She says, "this always happens. It shocks you when you are recognized for your generosity and kindness and to me I'm not shocked at all." Do you, speaking to women, find that you are harshest on yourself. Like I guess I am deserving of it! Why would I think I don't deserve something. I need to get over that this year. I know there are others out there who are the same way. What makes us believe we don't deserve stuff. I mean shouldn't I know better by now...I'm a scrapbooker for goodness sake!! 

old photos

Found this photo and thought I would share. It's Shane getting suited up in an old fashioned dive suit. Can't remember what they are called. The guy in front is now retired but was Shane's 1SGT. The guy back right is now a Navy Diver and the one to the left looks like Billy Vaughan who just got picked up for E7! This was a long time ago. I even think it's old Capt. Coffee in the backround but I'm not positive.

This photo is going under "D" for diving.