Fall is here...Homecoming Parade 2012

The 2012 Morton High School Cross Country at the Homecoming parade.  Not much more to say about that!  I really think the faces tell the story.  These kids are driven and tough. They can finish what most of us would never start.  Walker has had another hard year with an injury to a quad muscle so he can't compete, but he goes to practice every day.  That makes him better than me.  I think I would give up - but that is what I love about this group...they never give up.  They cheer each other's victories and share the burdens of injury and missing the mark.  

I love this group not just for what they do - but for who they are. The happy faces, chatter between friends and evident camaraderie says it all. 

Savor the perfect fall day! My house is clean.  Youth Worship is prepared. Our 8th Grade baseball team is playing for a State Title today. My sons are together. I get to enjoy my husband.  All is well.  Enjoy the gifts of this day and the signs that Fall is here.

Summer slips away...

Summer is slipping away and although my scrapbooking has been a bit neglected- I have taken pictures to satisfy the part of me that needs to create.  These are my little neighborhood girls that feel like nieces.  We have watched them grow up and they are simply precious...not just beautiful...but fun to be with. I miss my nieces and nephews that live too far away.  I am thrilled to have Marina and Kallie two doors down.

What I love about a little girl?  Cartwheels, questions, chatter and energy to spare.  Marina came down wearing a dress like one of mine and made me feel so very special.  She loved playing with my scarf.  I could photograph her all day.  I love the bare feet, eyes that sparkle and sister moments.

Savor the sweetness in every day.

Valerie

Faith Journey...

I am not sure how this will show up...the page is build on WHITE...as I try to go for a clean and simple approach . It is Day 6 of the BPC Big Idea Festival and Cathy Z...a favorite of mine for many years...was the inspiration.  She loves fonts...words...simple and clean...and I love her style - even when I don't really emulate it in most of my layouts.  Today- I tried to "get real" and pay tribute to Cathy Z with some "White Space"...that actually happens to be white this time.  I hope it looks okay on the web.

I love it when the assignment of "Getting Real" intersects the rest of my day to make it easy to complete.  I started this layout before church and came home with Henry Blackaby's book- "Experiencing God".  I read the assignment for next weeks group and came down to finish my page.  All I can say is WOW- do they fit together for me like a puzzle piece. 

For me...God has always been more experience than intellect ( I guess I relate more to Pooh who is relationship oriented than to Owl who thinks about everything) ...because I have always been able to feel His presence more than I can explain His ways. I believe in the Trinity. I believe in the resurrection.  I can read, study and quote from the pages of His word - but it is in the moments that I step back and watch Him move in my little world...or look back and see that he did move to provide and protect...well, that is the stuff that gives me goosebumps.  Those are the moments that I find such peace in the valleys and joy on the mountain tops of life.  That is as "real" as it gets. 

This layout - about my last day at St. Jude and turning in the badge was a very real moment of trusting God for the care and provision of our family.  It was about trusting him to give me joy in serving in a different place where I may or may not be viewed as a professional.  It is finding peace in knowing I am where He has led me and resting in the peace that can only come from seeking to be in the center of His will. Real is ...as one commercial says..."my life- unscripted"! Unscripted maybe...but now without a plan...as Jeremiah 29:11 states. "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." - the Message

Savor the real...the good and the hard...for these are the things that He uses to define us and refine us.  

Shalom (Peace and God's blessing on your day)

Sisters-in-law...the chosen ones!

This is a really simple layout. I didn't want to take from the photo. I am so very blessed in the Sister-in-law department.  This layout focuses on my oldest brother-in-law's wife.  We married our guys about the same time and liked each other from the beginning.  We laugh at the things Monte and Randy do that are similar.  Monte is 14 years older and I swear I see my husband's future when I look at Monte. 

Jan and I just can almost read each other's thoughts within a few hours of being together.  We both love music, children's ministry, scrapbooking, card making and our men. There is never enough time to share, chat and play. On the rare occasion we have additional "Smith Sisters" with us - the fun is just multiplied.  The last time Lola, Jan and I were in the same place, we laughed until it hurt. (Does that count as exercise?)

On my side - my brother chose equally well.  How blessed I am.  I would love to have my "Sisters" all in one place some day...including the ones that have earned sister status after nearly a lifetime of friendship. Each one of them has added joy to my days.  Such a reunion may just have to wait until heaven...as we live so far apart. 

This page is from a couple of "The Daily Digi" packs.  I am getting faster and understanding layers better the more I use them. I am finding that going back and forth between digital and traditional scrapbooking is good for me. Both tell our stories..and that is what will be of interest to future generations. 

Hope you had a restful Labor Day. 

  

Who Do You Look Like?

I think it is pretty amazing how genes fall into place.  I remember, as a child, thinking a picture of Aunt Bonnie was me in a frame my Grandmother had on the wall.  As I grew- I realized it was my Aunt Bonnie...child number four and sister number three. 

I have been mistaken for her daughter and it got me right into the maternity ward when my cousin was having a baby. It was obvious to the staff that "her other daughter came by...she looks just like you".  We still laugh about it.

I don't have many pictures of Mom...she is hard to catch for some reason...but I love this one from the 2012 Guttendorf/Bess family reunion.  All three of us were there and this page idea was born.

Who do you resemble?  Chase is a mini-Randy and Walker has a great deal of Uncle Matt in him. Do you see your future in a relative? 

Have a great holiday weekend.
Valerie