Tomorrow...

Tomorrow marks six year of being married to my wonderful hubby!!! Can you believe it?? (Well you probably can!!!! I am just not so sure I can!!! LOL)

In some ways it has been a LONG six years.... Three deployments to Iraq.... several Christmas's, Birthdays, anniversaries spent apart.... A few really really really rough times when deployments ended and we had to actually live together again!

But then in some ways it feel just like yesterday that we ran away and eloped!!! Yep - can you believe that!!! We were engaged a total of 19 days!!! I remember trying to plan a wedding and I got really stressed.... see we met at a 30's something group at our church. There was over 100 people in that group. Our Church had over 4000 members..... Who do you invite? Who do you not?

I wanted an outdoors wedding - the stress of chairs, a sound system, what if it rains..... Waaaaa!!!! So I asked Andrew - what is this about??? Really??? What is this about - it is about me, you, God! That's it - nothing more, nothing less.... just ME, YOU, and GOD!

So I started looking at wedding chapels online and I found this awesome place in TN... a week later Andrew emailed me and said sit down... "I called the Chapel - we can get married this WEEKEND!!!!" (This happened on a Thursday) So we went that night, I found a dress, we got wedding bands - I went into work the next morning and asked if I could have the rest of the day off and the following Monday and Tue... and the rest is history!!!

Happy Anniversary Hubby!!! I am so blessed to have you as my husband and I am proud to say that it is still just about - me, you and God!!! I can't wait to spend the "rest" of my life with you!!!


Until Next Time!

Cya~
Lori

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Good Morning!!!

It is a great day.... is it not?!?!?! First of all I want to thank ALL of you that sent wonderful uplifting comments and email about yesterdays blog!! Thank you - sincerely from the bottom of my heart!!! You are the reason why I do this blogging thing!!!

I knew when I started blogging that I was opening myself up to criticism, friendship, ups and downs..... but when you get so many positive comments and emails as I did yesterday - it totally out weighs the negatives!!! So once again - thank you soooo very much - I am so blessed to have such awesome readers!!!

Now on to better things....

I promised you a product review today.... and I am afraid that isn't going to happen!!! I am having a few little quirks with my "product" and I am not sure if it is an issue with the product or user error... (My guess is user error!!! LOL) So I have a call into the company and I am waiting for the return call! Hopefully I will get this figured out and be able to give you my review in the next few days....

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(Disclaimer - if you are against hunting - please do not read any futher!!!)

I have had several "inquires" about what I got for Christmas and my Birthday this year - especially since I was whining that they are not here yet.... Bahahaha...

Well - for Christmas this year hubby and I bought each other custom Hunting Bows... Yep it may shock you - but I am a country girl at heart!! I was brought up in a very small country town - there was only 97 people in my Sr class in High School!!! I kid you not!!! Add to the fact I was an only child... well I got to be daddy's little tomboy and momma's little girl!!!

As a matter of fact - here is a little hither two fact.... I was the first girl in the state of GA to pass the hunters safety course!!!

So back to my story.... (and you will understand why I am upset about my Christmas gift not being here...).... As you know - hubby has been gone to the sand box more than he has been home in the past six years... so when he came home this time he finally learned how to work the Direct TV. Low and behold he discovered "The Outdoor Channel".

One day while he was watching a hunting show - up on the screen popped Miranda Lambert (she is a country singer who I just love love love!!!). She was on a Bow Hunting trip - and she ended up killing a huge 12 point buck!!! I turned to hubby and said "That was freaking awesome - I could do that!!!" I mean anyone can kill a deer with a gun - but it takes talent to hunt with a bow!!! Well let me tell you - I have never seen my hubby get sooooo excited!!! He was like are you serious? Do you really mean it?? To which I was shocked - HELLO - I was raised in the woods hunting with my dad!!!!

That one TV show began a world wind of adventure - and later that week we found ourselves at the local Archery Store.... and we both ended up ordering hunting bows made for our specific measurements..... That was TWO MONTHS ago - today!!!!

Hubby's bow came in - and mine still has not!!! And there is only seven days of hunting season left..... So that means I will not get to hunt this season as I don't have my bow!!!! (Now see why I was a little upset!!!)

So here is a photo of my Christmas gift - I hope to see it soon so I can at least get in some range time..... (The CEO of the company is now aware that I still have not gotten my bow so I am hoping it might get here soon!!!)

Hubby and I are both excited that this is something that we can both do together..... so this new adventure in our lives inspired me to make a collection of hunting titles. All together there are 9 of them..... the first three are already up in the store... I hope to have the rest up by the end of the weekend.

Here are photos of the first three (they are already available at Paperthreads):

Thanks for taking the time to check them out.... (Oh and for the record - we do eat what we kill - we don't just kill for fun!!!)

Until Next Time!

Cya ~
Lori

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Isn't it amazing....

DISCLAIMER - I probably should warn you that today's blog is not all happy happy - So please be advised - if you are looking for happy happy you might NOT want to read the following!

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You know - I had great reservations when I started this blog.... What would I say? What could I possible share? Why would anyone even want to read what I had to write? But I did it (thanks from the huge huge push from my friend Chris).... and it has become very therapeutic in a way.

I am totally SHOCKED that I have over 200 readers a day coming to my site to see what I had to say! I LOVE the fact that so many people are so nice and caring. I think it is amazing that I have people who are willing to give me their thoughts and insights on my files. It is a huge help that when I have designers block - there are so many people that are willing to help me with idea's for future files. It is unbelievable the friends I have made from my blog, the people I have been able to help learn how to use their cutter. I love that I have even helped people purchase their first cutter! As a matter of fact - not only do I LOVE these things - I am VERY VERY VERY thankful for them!!!

Now don't get me wrong - keeping a blog has it down moments as well!!! For example it is a huge time theft. It really does take a large amount of my time each day to sit here and type up an entry - and then if it is a day where I am offering a free download - well that takes a ton more time as I have to upload each file, create the terms of each file and then post the links here so my readers can get them. And then if I don't post for whatever reason - my in box fills up with comments of "Where are you? Are you OK? Is anything wrong?" (And that isn't a bad thing, it is just what happens!!)

Then you add to the fact that some readers feel like they "KNOW" me... let me rest assured this blog does NOT reflect my whole life. I am very careful about what I post on here and what I do not. Being a military wife I am very well aware of OPSEC and I follow it daily - not only to protect my husband but to protect my own safety.

So when I get a comment in the comment sections like this (from an Anonymous poster):

"You have a beautiful home, you have a partner to share your life with - and share a sunrise, great view or even to hug you when you are down... get a life kid, some people don't even know where their next crust of bread will come from - and you complain that your birthday and christmas presents haven't turned up yet! You suck today little miss prissy - you are losing sight of your faith"

I think it is pretty sad that you judge me! It is even sadder that you feel the need to call me school yard names!! You don't know me. You don't know what I am dealing with on a minute by minute, hour by hour or day by day! Do you have to deal daily with the knowledge that one of your parents is terminally ill? Do YOU live everyday worried about the health of your family members? Or better yet - have you ever got up frantic in the middle of the night because you forgot to leave the front porch light on and heaven forbid the US ARMY needs to find your house to tell you your husband was killed in combat? Have you ever been scared to turn into your subdivision because you are scared that they may already be waiting in your driveway? Have you sat by side your best friend while they lowered the coffin of her husband in the ground because the US Army DID come knocking on HER door?

This is MY space - I share what I want to share when I want to share it.... if you are so insulted by my thoughts, feelings, or the things I share - go somewhere else! If you are soooo concerned with those who don't know where they are going to get their next meal from - maybe you should be volunteering your time helping them instead of reading someone else blog and criticizing and calling them names. No one ever said you HAD to read my blog!!

(WHEEW! Sorry - I really just needed to get that off my chest!!!)

NOW - for everyone else that does read my blog (and hopefully you are still reading) - THANK YOU!!!! Really I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your support, thank you for your wonderful comments! I want you to know that I really do try very very very hard not to be a Debbie Downer (DD)! I have been to blogs that when I read them they just bring me down. They make me sad or they depress me. And I never want to intentionally do that to my readers. But I do want to make this blog as real as I can... I have had comments in the past about how I am always so funny, so cheerful so happy - don't I ever have a bad day? And the answer is yes! Yes I do!!! And yesterday was one of them.

I am choosing to take this comment from the ever so brave ANONYMOUS poster and say - you have the right to say what you want to say - to feel and think what you want to feel! (Make sure you thank a Service Member for that!)

As for me.... I am going to FOCUS on the good in the world - the nice comments and the wonderful friends I have made due to this blog!!!!

Until Next Time!

Cya~
Lori

P.S - In the future I am going to try to "FOCUS" on making this blog a useful, helpful, friendly, cheerful. Hence, I encourage you to please make comments (I LOVE READING YOUR COMMENTS), but if they are not nice or friendly - or if you feel a need to be negative or call me or others names - unless you leave YOUR name the comment will not be published. Thanks!

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Frustrated....

Today I am in a icky mood and I am just frustrated!!!! Yep believe it or not - I get that way too!!! (I know this is going to be a shocker for some of you!!!)

It all started off because I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights - and I have been having nightmares which I NEVER dream period most of the time - much less have nightmares.

Then add to the fact - hubby will be heading out on yet another business trip soon, oh and did I mention that my Christmas present and my birthday present STILL have not arrived!!!! Grrrrrr!!!!!

Add to all of that I have to spend the next few days working on gathering and organizing our taxes for both the corporation and our personal stuff (I freaking HATE tax time!!!!).... life is just yucky!!!

So there you have it... life is just frustrating at this point!!!!

Sorry to be a DD (Debbie Downer) - hopefully things will look better tomorrow!!! The sun will come out tomorrow - you can bet your bottom dollar..... (maybe singing will help!!!).

Until Next Time!

Cya~
Lori

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I got....

SOOOO many great gifts for the holiday's!!! Between Christmas, my birthday and now our anniversary coming up... but I thought I would share one of my gifts with you today!!!!

One of the things I asked for for Christmas was a small "pink" digital camera that I could carry in my purse!!! Now you need to understand that I have an AWESOME bomb-diggity Canon Xti Rebel with an even more AWESOME Tamron lens... but if I am not going somewhere where I know for a fact I will be needing a camera - I hate to carry that thing around with me. First of all it was way freaking expensive!!! Second of all it is kind of bulky. And thirdly - I hate to have it being stored in my car where someone could steal it, the temperature changes could effect it - or heaven forbid it be bouncing around in the trunk and get broke!!!

Hubby couldn't understand WHY I wanted - much less needed a small camera to carry around with me... but thank goodness for parents!!!! Whoooo Hoooo!!! My parents heard my plea, they listened to reason and lucky for me my mom is a EXCELLENT photographer and is able to relate! Hence I got the Pink Nikon Coolpix as a gift from them!! (Thanks again Mom and Dad!!!)

This thing is small!!! About the size of a credit card - but just a little bit thicker. Takes your regular AA batteries!!! It is 5 M with a 3x optical zoom!!! Can you say sweeetttttt!!!! Now as most of you know, I took a little mini vacation with hubby this past week. Well - Hubby had to work but I was vacationing!!! LOL And while we were gone I was able to capture some cool photos thanks to the fact I had that little camera in my purse!!!

I thought I would share a few with you today....

See if I didn't have a way cool camera in my purse - I would have never been able to catch this photo of the frozen fountain!! Can you say brrrrr????

Now this photo you will be seeing again... I think I am going to use it for my upcoming challenge!!!

Got to Love Love Love an Army base... they always have way cool stuff sitting around!!!

Can you say "HELLO!! Where are your manners!!!!" Bahahaha... this is hubby caught in the act of enjoying a bowl of yummy Koren soup!!! (Can you believe the owners actually know him on a first name basis!!! Sheeessshhhh!!!!)

So the moral to the story: If you don't already have a small digital camera tucked away in your purse - it is TOTALLY worth the investment!!!! (Hey the camera was less than a $100 bucks - but the photos are worth a lifetime!!)

Until Next Time!

Cya~
Lori

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