Remembering.

I don't think I've ever posted this layout here, but today... my precious niece, London Michele, would have been FOURTEEN years old! :)

So in memory of her, I wanted to post it along with the journaling:

Well, here it is, London. The last photo. Un-cropped, with all of its imperfections. If I would have known these were going to be the last photos taken of you, things would have been different. I would not have used this camera. And I would have taken more than four photos of you that day.

You wouldn’t be sitting on my bed. You wouldn’t have a silly dinosaur up by your head. I would have sat back a little so the photos would be more in focus. If I would have known these were going to be the last photos of you, I would have made sure they were perfect.

I didn’t know we’d lose you just a few weeks later. I wish I would have held you closer. I wish I would have kissed you over and over and over. I wish I would have taken more photos of us together… just me and you, my first niece.

I would have told you I loved you… not ten times a day, but every second I was with you. I would have asked, just for one night, if you could sleep in my room. I would have cuddled you every chance I got. I would have hugged you and never let go.

If I only would have known! But, Baby, I didn’t know. God was the only one who knew.

Yes, I would have done many things differently. But, London, there’s one thing I wouldn’t change, not for all the photos in the world.

I’m still so proud that I got to be the one… the one to take the last photo.

*******
We lost her to SIDS, January 26, 1995. I found the negatives for these photos last year, and I've really been wanting to scrap them and journal. I wrote poems and little stuff like that back in 1995 (I was in 8th grade), but I haven't *really* journaled about her till now. Felt good. Really good. Love scrapping as therapy. :)

Happy Birthday, London! We miss you and love you! :)

Dancing.

I've been coaching gymnastics for eleven years, and I've never been to a gymnastics convention. *sigh* I've been to a couple coaching clinics, but never a convention. And why? Well, either my gyms couldn't afford it, or I couldn't afford it. But by golly, I've always wanted to go!

So when I first started working for Capital Gymnastics, they let me know they wanted me to attend the GAT (Gymnastics Association of Texas) convention. SWEET! I was beyond excited. And 19 hours of pure convention bliss later, I'm happy as a scrapbooker with a box of paper on her doorstep.

I actually ended up helping *teach* a spotting clinic to novice coaches! Yay! I was accidentally placed in this class as a student, so my boss thought since I was there... might as well make myself useful. YES! Eleven years of spotting and getting punched, kicked, elbowed, landed on, stepped on, fallen on, bitten, whacked, peed on, vommited on, loved on, and hugged... a lot... has finally paid off! WOOHOO! So that was super fun. And my "volunteer" gymnasts were *so* cute! Loved them to pieces. (How much am I loving the name Violet? Too cute!)

So I took a few classes on tumbling and vaulting techniques. A class on how to deal with difficult children (tee hee... and this class was PACKED). And my favorite class of the weekend? Musical Warm-ups for Preschoolers.

It's very ironic that this was my favorite class, due to the following reasons:

1. I don't teach preschool.
2. I don't plan on teaching preschool.
3. The only time I do teach preschool is when I'm subbing for a college student who needs to study for a final.
4. And musical warm-ups? Let me tell you... *not* my favorite part about coaching gymnastics to preschoolers.

But the man who taught this class? Hysterical. He's a slightly overweight, middle-aged man, who LOVES to dance. I'm talking... *loves*. And I don't know about you, but when I watch a 48-year-old man doing the "Soulja Boy" and dancing to the Buckwheat Boyz, I laugh so hard I pee my pants.

This was the fullest class I attended, and now I know why! He taught about ten songs (with dances) that he, himself made up. He mixed his own CD of his favorite preschool songs, and he has all his dances typed out on PowerPoint. This man is the KING of preschool musical warm-ups.

The only thing I'm bumming hard about? Not having a video camera. Because long after I left the convention, I was still laughing hysterically at the sight of him dancing to Ice Cream N Cake. The little cheerleaders on YouTube do *not* do that song justice. Just picture that man doing the dance with ten times the energy (and more dance moves). Hilarious.

And don't tell anybody, but when I got home from the convention on Saturday, I played the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song and got up and did the dance he taught us. And I was laughing *so* hard, I was crying. Love it.

After the convention, I was talking with my boss's mother (who is the owner of Capital Gymnastics and the director of GAT and the convention), and she was telling me that she needed to get us new preschool music. Well, *I* told her to work her "Director of GAT magic" and have Randy send us his CD and list of dances.

So guess what *I'll* have next week?! That's right, Baby! The most coveted preschool warm-up music of the century! You're so jealous. I know you are.

Finding.

Warning: These posts are starting to sound like I actually *like* to shop. Eek! I better make the next few posts about other things. :) And let's get this straight... I don't *like* to shop! I just like to have new things sometimes. :) There is *so* a difference!

So I needed to make an emergency trip to Gap to get these panties. Okay, it wasn't *truly* an emergency, but I *did* need new panties. Found some really cute ones!

And I had to walk through Dillard's to get to Gap. And there were these super-adorable red shoes... but I kept walking.

I read an article in Real Simple a few years ago, and it said that every woman needs a good pair of red flats. So from then on, I've been on the lookout! (And that's not the only reason! I don't let Real Simple dictate the stuff I buy [usually], but red shoes never go out of style, they can be dressed up or down, and they can liven up any outfit. So there.)

I even found this one pair of totally cute, red ballerina flats... at TJ Maxx. They were cheap, so I bought them. I wore them once. They hurt SO bad! So much for those! I'll pawn them off on some un-knowing ebayer, who doesn't mind shoes that inside, have miniature little people with knives.

My search for red shoes continued, but it's not like I was actively looking because well... a.) I hate shopping. And b.) I don't really *need* shoes. Oh! And c.) I hate shopping.

So I left Gap with a bag full of hipster panties, and I headed back through Dillard's...

What's the harm in trying on the cute, red shoes? Evil Reyanna whispered in my ear.

No! I don't really have the money right now to get new shoes! And I don't *need* new shoes! Good Reyanna answered back.

But do you need new *red* shoes? Evil Reyanna reasoned.

Yes! Why, yes, I do! Good Reyanna gleamed.

And Evil Reyanna and Good Reyanna rode off into the sunset... wearing pretty, totally comfortable, new, red shoes. :)

Framing.

Today I decided to take a trip to The Domain. The Domain is an outdoor mall / luxury apartment complex / office building place. VERY upscale. As in, when I go there, I dress nicely and pretend I have enough money to afford to buy stuff there. When in actuality, I just go there for the Clearance sections in all the stores.

Pity there is no Clearance section at Tiffany & Co. ;)

Since I was there, I decided to stop in at Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic because let's face it... all girls love to look at the over-priced girlyness in the form of calm and serene, floral wonderment that is Shabby Chic. :) One throw pillow for $225? Umm... no thanks. But it's pretty. :) I'll just sit here and admire, thanks.

I *did* manage to nab this super adorable grey/white/pink frame though (click on the photo to see it better)! It holds a 3x3 photo, which, I agree, is smaller than small, but check out this price! Okay... so it was on Clearance for $14.99. Down from... wait for it... SIXTY dollars!!! LOL. I had to grab it. Apparently it was marked down 75% off because of its "damage" (read: small scratches that add to its "shabby" appeal. I'm shocked and amazed that didn't double its value. Then again, perhaps it had a larger-outer-silver layer that fell off?). You know... it just goes to show you how much something is *really* worth and how certain people just pay WAY too much for things. *sigh* Certainly not I. Not I, my friends.

Also while in Shabby Chic (I spent quite amount of time in there), I saw these super-awesome prints (11x17-ish) that are replicas from the 1939 British Ministry. The saying is so delightfully British, isn't it?!

They are framed in frames with a touch of gold (enter impressed oohing and ahhhing here). I had *just* seen these for the first time last night (Etsy), and I really liked them! And this I find surprising because I usually don't like anything with crowns. They are *so* growing on me. There was no way I was paying for one of those prints though (especially at Shabby Chic). Plus, they didn't have the color I wanted. :) So I went home and made my own...

Cute silver frame: $1.99 at thrift store
Bazzill white cardstock: $0.50
Time re-creating it in PhotoShop: 5-10 minutes
Side-swiping having to pay $295 for a larger version that will be cumbersome later: Priceless.

They are both sitting pretty in my new scrap space (to be shown later). Mmmm... love me a bargain.

Keep calm and carry on. :)

Meeting.

This year, I've been on TWO road trips. And they were over 2,000 miles EACH. Yeah, it was craziness! The first one was done with just Ruby in tow. The second, I had Ruby *and* Amber (not as fun... LOL).

But I loved taking the road trips because I was able to meet with my cool online friends! My friend Kitty lives in Ohio, and she was super awesome enough to drive to Columbus to see me. :) We had so much fun chatting and having lunch at Panera. It was all rainy and yucky outside, but we still managed to get a picture. I think she and Ruby look great, but me? Eh... I look like I've been in the car for a few days. LOL. Uh-huh. Moving on...

And on the 2nd trip, I was able to meet Amber! Amber drove an hour to see me outside Nashville, and we met at a park. It was so awesome hanging out and having a picnic. I was totally stoked to meet her!

Meeting both of them were fantastic because they're just SO sweet! Love them! :) Both these ladies were part of my Kids at Heart swap at Scrapbook.com. Even though we swapped a long time ago, we still have our forum going because we've just become such great friends! :) Now I just have two more of the Kids at Heart ladies to meet (I've met the other four). But Vikki and Angela, I WILL be meeting you... you can't hide! :D

Birthdaying

Yes, I do realize that... technically... "birthdaying" is not a word, and my obsession with gerunds takes an unexpected turn, but hey, it's my party, and I can make up words if I want to!

Twenty-seven years ago today, July 30th, this little cutie was born. I just wish my hair was as blonde now as it was back then! :-p (And how cool was my dad for being a professional photographer in the 80s, when it wasn't as cool as it is now... how thankful am I?!?!)

It would have been more appropriate to post a birthday post at the *beginning* of the day, as opposed to the end, but I had a BUSY day, so 11:00pm will have to do.

Started my new job today. And for those of you who have never heard of it... run, don't walk to The Container Store right now. :) BEST.COMPANY.EVER. I mean, of course I loved it when I heard that all they sell is organizational and storage supplies (with a scrapbooking section to boot!), but then I found out that they're in the Top 20 Best Companies To Work For (in Fortune Magazine)... EIGHT years running!

I think I've had the best first day ever. Okay, first day at Disney was pretty awesome too, but wow... The Container Store really does go above and beyond in every aspect of operating their business... from training to hiring to how they treat employees... to their can't-be-beat customer service. I'm in love. Seriously. In love with this company.

The 40% discount doesn't help either! ;)

So yes, I started today, and then I went out to a fabulous dinner at Carrabba's (with my new friend Laura). Yummy soup and Chicken Marsala. Yum again! Then my friend Laura and I came home and made chocolate cupcakes. We took them out of the oven early and had them with vanilla ice cream, as part of the batter ran out... oooh, heavenly.

AND... Jeremy got me a month membership to a rock climbing gym here! So the DAY my foot is better (still limping...), I am heading over there! Yahoo!

Ohmigosh, SUCH a good day. I needed a good day to. And I'm glad it was today. Because this may sound conceited, but this is my favorite day of the year! LOVE my birthday. I wish it lasted longer. ;-)

Also, happy birthday to Jeremy, who is also 27 today! :) Our first birthday apart in seven years, but we survived. :-p

Here's to Year #28 that is on its way! Twenty-eight just happens to be my favorite number, so I am STOKED about that! LOL. But slow down, Reyanna... enjoy being 27. That's *almost* 30, you know! ;-) There I go again...

Parenting.

My parents were so wonderful to have me for FIVE weeks in March/April. That's a long time to have anyone. ;-)

It was great though. I *finally* got to visit their bakery, The Floured Apron (and meet their die-hard fans... seriously... who knew there were sticky bun groupies?!), and it was wonderful!

I think this is one of the only photos of myself as an adult... with both my parents (and Ruby, who apparently was acting shy), so now it's one of my favorite pictures ever! (Not because Ruby was acting shy, but you know, because I was with my parents.)

My mom is in her signature "flowered apron" (Floured Apron, flowered apron... get it?) and chef hat. Okay, technically, she's not wearing flowers in this photo. She's wearing vegetables. But all her other aprons... they have flowers. Why someone thought it was a good idea to put avocados on fabric... is beyond me. How would you even come up with the idea to put avocados on fabric? It's a mystery to me, but alas, she thinks it's cute. :-p

And my dad and I are twins. How cool are we, sporting our matching Rolling Stones tees I bought us? We're cooler than cool, no?!

You may think by looking at my mom that she doesn't have hair under that chef hat. And you would be correct. When she opened the bakery (she wears a chef hat 80 hours per week), she decided bald would be the way to go. Shaved it all off.

Tee hee. Did you believe me? A 55-year-old female, bakery owner shaving her head because she doesn't want hat-hair? Umm... yeah, that would be my mom. But see... me, being the fabulous daughter that I am (along with her husband, that is), told her that it was *not* a good idea to shave her head. So she didn't. :-D She does, though, have VERY short hair under there... that *still* sticks straight up when she takes off that hat. *sigh* Poor mom.

Though, she's so well known in that town, I'm sure people don't even care that her hair looks like Biff from Back to the Future. And when I'm out with her, and she's smiling that friendly smile, I can't help but think, "In her head... is she really just looking around and saying, 'Hey, what're you looking at, Butthead?!'" (Just kidding, Mom. Seriously, she's way too nice to have anything in common with Biff Tannen... you know, besides the hair thing.)

Anywho, I was stoked to get a photo of the three of us in the bakery. And I left it un-cropped, so you could see the wicked cute decor! ;-)

Catching.

Lots of catching going on. Catching up. Catching sicknesses. Catching my breath. *sigh* I've been wanting to post for so long. Funny how "life" gets in the way of recording my life on a blog. Tee hee. Oh well. So I'll post in spurts. Spurts of what's been going on. :)

Shortly before I went to Colorado (in March), I went to a super-fun scrapbooking class taught by my wonderful and talented friend, Kelly. It was great because we finally got to meet in person! Huzzah!

Since she lives in Kentucky, and I in Rhode Island, we both thought that was pretty darn cool! ;) We had so much fun laughing and chatting and scrapping. And she finally encouraged me to buckle down and finish my parents' engagement album (that I had been working on for almost a year!)... and I managed to glue down like three pages while I was at the crop with her. Woohoo. Thanks again a million and one, Kelly!

One post that I've been meaning to do: Done!

More to come! Hoorah! :D

Beginning.

In 2005, my sister (Shaina) said to me, "You have a scrapbooking group in your town, and you *don't* scrap?! What's wrong with you?!" And I pretty much started scrapping that week. I mean I did "scrapbooking" when I was 12... Scotch taping photos and memorabilia to white paper with no page protectors in a post-bound scrapbook. I loved it!

But it wasn't until eleven years later that I really got into it. I honestly never saw myself as creative. I suppose because I was *always* comparing myself to Shaina. And she is the *epitome* of creative. To this day, I think her creativity and talent level are really something I can never dream to come close to. But that's okay... because I'm me. And I have my own "way."

When I first started scrapping, I was SO overwhelmed. There's just so much STUFF! And I didn't think to research *everything* before I started. I should have. I didn't join scrapbook.com (my scrappy home) until a few months after I started scrapping, and I realized, "Crap! I bought a whole bunch of stuff I don't need!"

So I thought I'd blog for all the beginners. And if I need this again, I can just copy and paste into a message board or email some place. :)

My best advice is to know what you want before you go to a scrapbook store because you will be overwhelmed. LOL. At least I was! Like... look at paper collections and things in the gallery at Scrapbook.com and the Superstore. And buy a scrapbook idea book. I wish that was the first thing I did. I would have saved SO much money! LOL.

Basics:

-idea book (I have SO many because I LOVE them. I still want more! LOL. I suppose you find whatever is right for you, but as the first one, I think I'd go with Clean and Simple Scrapbooking or Clean and Simple: The Sequel by Cathy Zielske. These touch on a little of everything in scrapbooking.

Other favorites of mine are: Real.Life.Scrapbooking by Rebecca Cooper and The Big Picture by Stacy Julian. If you don't go with The Big Picture to start out with, definitely make it your 2nd purchase. It goes into detail on how to manage your albums... which is definitely what people struggle with when just starting out. :)

-12" trimmer (I like ProvoCraft Zision... awesome and only $10! If you want to spend a *bit* more, go for the Cutterpede. You can cut in different designs with multiple attachments too!)

-adhesive (an acid-free glue stick is fine, but if you make a mistake, it's usually down there for good! LOL. If you don't want something like that... choose a tape runner like 3L EZ Dots or 3L EZ Runner Scrapbook Adhesive and just use it on corners, so it lasts longer). Those are permanent, but usually if you realize you made a mistake, you can get those to come up within the first hour you use them. I usually use the dots for paper and the runner for photos. :)

-photo splits/corners (these are to stick down photos. you just put one at each corner... Scotch makes good ones! You can even cut them in half so they last longer. I use the 3L EZ Runner on photos as well because they're just SO fast! :)

- patterned paper collection (collections are SO much easier to work with because all the patterns and colors coordinate with one another... this is great for me as it takes out the guess work!) Basic Grey, American Crafts, Scenic Route, and Tinkering Ink are my favorites!

-cardstock (the industry fave is definitely Bazzill Basics, but now more companies are inching in on the market, and they have so much to offer! Prism and World Win are fabulous! And Die Cuts With a View is pretty popular as well.

I do use Bazzill myself, but now I find myself preferring the "orange peel" texture to the ever-so-popular "canvas texture." Now that I have 600 sheets of the canvas texture, I'm going to have to do A LOT of scrapping before I switch completely to orange peel! LOL. Canvas is okay for printing journaling form your computer, but I prefer to handwrite mine these days, and the orange peel just works better for that, in my opinion. Bazzill does have the most colors out there in the canvas texture though.)

Anyway, just starting out, I'd say either go to ebay and get a lot of different colors, or go to scrapbook.com and order a pack that has a few different colors. If you buy them in small amounts, you can try out different companies and textures. Try your local scrapbook store for that. :)

-scissors/craft knife (EK Success Cutter Bees are AWESOME!)

-acid-free/archival-safe pens (ZIGs are awesome!)

-find a local scrapbook store (aka "LSS" -- go to Yahoo Yellow Pages and type in your address. Then in the search box, simply type "scrapbook" (you don't have to put quotes around it), and you'll find the closest ones to you. If none show up, visit Creating Keepsakes. They have an online store listing.)

Tips:

-If you're thinking you want this album to look pretty in 20 years, make sure you use acid-free stuff. Most regular envelopes and post-it notes and things like that aren't acid-free so they will ruin pictures or fade with time. Actually, I stuck a post-it over one of my photos when I was in junior high, and just a few years later, it turned the photo BRIGHT yellow! Ugh.

-You can get acid-free post-it like things (or journaling stickers) and other embellishments at a scrapbook store. And they are super cute!

-Also, most Sharpie pens are NOT acid free. And I learned this the hard way... that you do NOT want these in your books. They bleed BIG time and fade over time. Regular pens won't do it either. But ZIG s. They're the best! They're waterproof too!

-Oh! A big mistake I made when just starting out were buying "little things." Like 3D stickers I thought were cute (and never used), other stickers, brads, eyelets, vellum, quotes, stamps, ribbon, etc. I mean, I used some of those in the future, but I wished I would have decided my *style* first before I bought stuff I *thought* I liked. I seriously would have saved myself hundreds of dollars.

-Don't buy "nifty" tools you *think* you'll need. Like eyelet setters (I seriously bought one of these before I learned how to use it, and when I got home, my *husband* read a tutorial online and HE showed me how to use it), fancy shape cutters, die cut machines, embossing stuff, etc. Figure out exactly what you need and why (very important), and that will save you money. :)

-White, black and brown alphabets (chipboard, stickers, foam, rub-ons, etc) match with EVERY layout. Stick with those first, and you won't be sorry. Heidi Swapp or American Crafts make really cute ones! I'd start with ones that already have adhesive. Trying different alphas helps you find out what you like best.

-Have fun!

Scrapbooking.

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

In honor of NSBD, I thought I'd offer a scrapbook tip... or two. Or perhaps I'll make this into a bi-weekly segment. :D It sure will stretch my creative imagination... not to mention, get the creative juices flowing! :)

Today's tip: Keep an old favorite issue of a scrapbook magazine (or any magazine, for that matter) or a favorite scrapbook idea book under the passenger seat of your car. This way if you're ever at a restaurant/parking lot/doctor's appt/oil change/etc., you can just pull it out and have some good reading! I mean, places like that either have slim pickings or none at all.

My pick is Scrapbook Play. Love having this with me. Has so many great ideas and great layouts too!

Golfing.

I have taken up golfing. Okay, not my first choice, but he vetoed everything I wanted to do (nothing new there). :( You know... something that's *not* considered the 2nd most expensive hobby next to horse-back riding. Liking swimming. Or jogging. Or rock climbing even!

Never thought I'd say this... but I really like golf... not to mention the wicked cute golf caps and plaid pants/skirts/skorts/shorts. Yes, I've only been four times, but I've liked it just about all four times. Well, we went to the driving range three times (just to see if I could actually *hit* the ball... alas, I can... finally something where my upper body strength and flexibility come in handy), then we decided to hit the course yesterday.

Not bad. Though I'm getting me some lessons and some more practice before I go back there! Here are the lowlights and highlights of our golf outing yesterday. Always want the bad news, first, right?

Lowlights:
1. I got yelled at, at the first hole. As the disgruntled employee drove his cart in our direction, I seriously thought he was driving all the way down the fairway to tell me, "Ma'am, you can't play here! You're not good enough!" LOL. Thank God I was wrong. He was actually coming to tell me that I looked really hot in my golf pants...

Tee hee. Just kidding! Gotcha, didn't I? No, what he really told me was that it's against the rules not to have my own set of clubs (in my own bag, I'm assuming). I put my clubs (all two of them) into my friend's bag, so they thought we were trying to get away with the two of us playing, while only paying for one of us to play.

(Note to readers: We *did* pay for two golfers. We're not criminals! Sheesh!) I almost broke down in tears because I hate (read: hate with a passion-could bawl my eyes out and start a scene-hate) getting in trouble. As I was on the brink of tears, my friend politely told the man (the *curt* man) that I hadn't purchased a bag yet, and we'd be playing "best ball," as to not hold up the players behind us. He mumbled and grumbled something about going to "check if it's okay," and he never returned.

First thing we did after playing golf? Uh-huh. We bought me a bag! (A super cute one too! And truth be told... the real reason I hadn't bought a bag yet was that I couldn't find one cute enough. Hey, if you played golf, you would want to look cute too. You know you would.)

2. It was so windy, my hat kept blowing off. (Don't worry! My super-cute bucket hat was saved!)

3. I saw a man (wearing plaid shorts) pee... in plain sight, just steps off the fairway (the area between the tee box and the hole). Sure he was semi-hidden from *his* party, but he was in plain sight of *our* party. Discreet, Buddy, very discreet.

4. I forgot how to swing a golf club. I'm pretty sure this is the equivalent of a scrapbooker getting to her first crop and forgetting how to use scissors... or adhesive, perhaps. I mean, you can use your adhesive in your scrap space when you're by yourself, but get you to a crop, and you have a momentary memory lapse... like placing photo splits on the picture part of the photo instead of the back, placing the photo picture-side-up on the layout, and then thinking to yourself, "Why the heck is this not sticking?!" Uh... duh.

So yeah, that was lame. I was so frustrated with myself. I finally figured it out on the 7th hole or so. Sheesh! I'm so lame! But now I know that I have the tendency to lose my mind when I get to a golf course. But hey, what do you expect? I was yelled at, my hat blew off, and I watched a man pee in a tree and then shake his manhood. You'd be frazzled too.

Highlights:
1. My ball did not go in the water! (You have to hit the ball over a body of water [read: deep swamp] TWO times!)

2. My ball did not go in the sand!

3. I had an *amazing* 15-foot put at the 7th hole. It may have been 20 feet even! I'm guesstimating here, as I wasn't carrying a tape measure in my pocket. Next time. ;)

4. I finished the game with the ball I started with (which is more than I can say for my friend... hee hee hee).

5. I golfed approximately a 65 (36 is par for 9 holes). We didn't write down our scores, but I tried to keep track in my head... give or take a few strokes (I didn't give much effort to remembering my exact number). I'm going to say this is good for my first time. And those of you who don't play golf, I'm going to tell you... this is *really* good for my first time. You don't know the fairway from the green, so I could tell you I had a 250-yard drive on the first hole, and you would have no idea what I'm even talking about. :) (Note to people who actually golf: I can not drive a ball 250 yards... yet. I think I'm just over 150 with my 3-Wood.)

6. I broke a tee with my club! Okay, so I don't know (yet) if this is a *good* thing. But it seemed cool at the time. The way I look at it... you have to hit a ball pretty darn hard to break a piece of wood in half. And being the scrapbooker that I am, I kept that piece of wood. (I also saved my ball... only to find out my friend unknowingly hit it into the ocean when we got home. Oh well.)

7. I used the cleanest Port-A-Potty I've EVER seen! I'm sure this is because instead of *using* the Port-A-Potty, men piss just off the fairway.

And there you have it. The highlights and lowlights of my first golfing experience. All in all, we had fun, and I got to break in my new golf shoes! Scrapbook layout to follow.

*Photo of me (well, my hand holding a club) is by the uber-talented Jeremy (www.remyanna.com).

Surfing.

I didn't even turn on my computer yesterday. SO proud of myself!

And to celebrate not being on the computer yesterday, I'm spending ALL day on the computer today... just surfing... ahhh love it. Tee hee. Seriously, though, I *do* hope to get some dishes done.

So what did I do yesterday instead of spending time on the computer, you ask?!

Well, I reveled (doubled over in pain is more like it) in the fact that I'm a girl, and I hate that fact that we have to go through a "not fun" few days in the month... and boys don't! I hate that! Sheesh! :p

Let's see... what else did I do yesterday? OH! Okay, so I was gone for five weeks, right?! And that meant that TWO issues of Real Simple magazine were delivered while I was gone. So I read BOTH issues from cover to cover... AND I took a nap. Productive, no? :D

And may I just say that this year's April issue was FABULOUS! Seriously, if you weren't able to get it, go to ebay or something. It's a MUST have for every household...

"Faster, easier ways to wash (almost) anything"

"Care labels decoded!" (no, that circle with a dot on the care label is NOT a breast, it's a washing machine! who knew?!)

"Foolproof stain removal."

"Too much stuff? Six ways to clear the clutter."

Not to mention... some SUPER cute dresses (anyone have a spare $495 they want to give me for this uber cute sun-dress? anyone? oh wait, that's May's issue, well, regardless, CUTE dresses), inspiring ads and photos (I like to think of as scrapbook sketches), neato facts about stuff that happened in the month of April, and ways to get a better night's sleep. Who wouldn't want this issue? Seriously, fabulous for mothers and non-mothers alike, I will be laminating this issue. :)

OH! And I must say I'm very happy with American Idol's Top 5! These five have been my favorites since the beginning, and I'll be sad to see them go from now on. I really hope that no matter the outcome, we hear from all five of them in the future. :)

And just because I didn't have a photo last time, and Emilie says every blog entry should have a photo, I added a card I recently made for my MIL. :)

Thanking.

I just wanted to thank everybody who left me a comment or sent me an email while I was going through my tough time. It was SO much better with friends here for me. Thank you SO much! I could never ask for better friends! :)

Cooking.

I love to cook. Love, love it. Okay, I'm a daughter of a chef... two chefs, in fact. My parents have the best bakery in Colorado! I haven't officially *been* to all the bakeries in Colorado, and actually, I have Celiac Disease (wheat/barley/rye intolerance), so I couldn't even technically *eat* at all the bakeries in Colorado, but let me assure you... it is *the* best in Colorado.

Heck no, I'm not biased!

I LOVED to help my mom in the kitchen. Well, I remember loving to help her make cookies (any kind really because she made so many different ones) and popcorn (stove-top) and milkshakes. That really doesn't make my mom sound like much of a chef... more of a junk-food junkie. She is, but she's also a chef. Promise. :)

My sister picked up cooking quite easily. So when we got a bit older... you know around age 10 when we were supposed to be making our own snacks and sometimes meals, I just had her do it. She seemed to enjoy it. What little sister doesn't want to make sauteed chicken breasts and loaded nachos for her older sister? None that I know. :)

And when I went off to college, I wasn't much for cooking. I LOVED the cafeteria. I loved that three times a day, they expected me. They didn't care if I cleared my plate (but I always did), and they didn't care if I didn't like it (which was rare). And true as it may be that they didn't want us bringing plates full of cake to our dorm rooms... ahem... carried in my swim bag... ahem, I did it anyway.

My resident advisor (who was also a student manager in the cafeteria) walked by my room one night and saw a big plate (obviously stolen from the cafeteria... and just to let you know... I'm NOT a hoodlum, I DID bring those plates back the next day... or week. Well, at least I brought them back! Okay, usually once there was a huge pile of them and my roommate got annoyed, but still, I brought them back! So there! And now I'm sure you've forgotten what this sentence was *orginally* about... my RA saw a big plate...) of tastiness sitting on top of my microwave, and she shouts in my room, "REYANNA! Stop stealing brownies from the cafeteria!" I smiled and shouted back, "Okay, Tess! Sorry! I won't steal brownies from the caf!" And then I said under my breath... "And that is because I always steal caaaa-aaake!" Tee hee. Chocolate cake I'm sure looks like brownies to passer-byers. Oh well. :-p

Ahem. Anywho, I was fine and dandy eating from the cafeteria and ordering pizzas from the nearby Pizza Butt... err Hut. Until! Until I found out about my Celiac Disease. All of a sudden... POOF! I was on my own. I had to make... *gasp* ... my own meals! At first... I won't lie... things were disgusting! That is partly due to the fact that "back in the day," gluten-free foods were DIS-GUS-TING! It's so much better now. :) But the other part was due to the fact that I didn't... *another gasp*... know how to cook! How was it that I, at age 17, had escaped the house of the chefs, clueless about cooking?! Ahem... if you were reading earlier... that's because I made my sister do all my cooking that my parents weren't doing. Tee hee.

So yeah, long story short (oh, who am I kidding? This is already a novel, the "long story short" boat has now sailed), I learned to cook, and my husband was very happy and well-fed. Probably why he put up with me for so long. ;-) Teasing. :-p
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And I LOVE to cook now. I found this super tasty Mexican casserole dish at Gluten-Free Girl, and I adapted it to be easier for me. :-) What's better than fast and easy cooking?! Umm... nothing. :D

Thanks to Emilie Ahern for posting a Mexican recipe on her blog this week. Got me craving Mexican and prompted me to share this with you! :-) And just a note... I don't measure things. I just make it... it's that easy, and you can't screw it up! :D

Reyanna's Mexican Pie

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees (or so)

Can of beans (refried, pinto, black, whatever)
Meat (1/2 pound probably... chicken or beef or whatever you like... I suppose you could even do a pound if you like it very meaty... whatever)
1 cup cooked rice (I cook the Minute Brown stuff because it's fast and... you guessed it... easy!)
1/2 can salsa (whatever kind, whatever size... it's like a cup or something)
1 jalapeno or other pepper (stick this in the oven on 350-450 [whatever] to roast it first, then de-seed it, dice and throw it in)
1 Avocado
2 cups (or so) cheese (I did a jack and cheddar mixture, but again... whatever)
15 corn tortillas (or so)

In saucepan, mix salsa, beans, meat and rice. Low-Medium is fine. Heat thoroughly. Throw in pepper and stir. Season with anything you like (to taste), but I just left mine... the salsa and pepper are fine. Taste it and see if you like it, if it doesn't have enough flavor, throw in some more salsa... or minced garlic or garlic salt or sea salt or kosher salt or a flavored salt mixture like Jane's, which is my favorite. I heart salt.

Get glass or Pyrex dish (circle or square 8 or 9") and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Layer 3 corn tortillas (Or however many cover the bottom), then some salsa/beans/meat mixture, then cheese and avocado, then 3 corn tortillas again, then mixture, cheese, avocado, etc. Keep doing this until you get to the top of your pan. Top with tortillas and cheese. Stick it in the oven until cheese is browned and bubbly. Like 25-40 minutes. :)

So easy. I know these are probably the weirdest steps ever, but I'm serious... you can't screw this up. It's so yummy! Spoon on to plates and use sour cream and fresh cilantro to top it! SO GOOD! Feeds four. Enjoy. :)

p.s. You can also freeze leftovers (or an extra pan of it if you don't want to bake it at the moment) and thaw them and bake them again if you want! :)

p.p.s. Click picture above for some zoomed-innedness (I just made up a word!) that is the cheesy, bubbly, super tastiness of Reyanna's Mexican Pie. :)

p.p.p.s. Please watch for "zoomed-innedness" ... coming to a dictionary near you.

Surviving.

Pollyanna is one of my favorite movies. Actually, it's been one of my favorite movies for well over twenty years. I could always relate to her. She was the eternal optimist, and she wanted everyone to view life in a positive way. And at the end of the movie? She falls off a roof and paralyzes both her legs.

Now, I didn't fall of a roof. But I was in a horrendous car accident that left me with both legs broken and bed-ridden for several months. I was five years old, and I had never once met someone who lost the use of both their legs... no matter how long the time period.

So Pollyanna was special to me. I knew what she was going through, and I felt she knew what I was going through. And when I got out of the hospital, I think I watched that movie just about every day.

I haven't seen the movie in several years. And last night, as I was bawling my eyes out to a close friend, he reminded me of this favorite movie. He reminded me of the "Glad Game." And for those of you haven't seen Pollyanna (oh, you poor souls), The Glad Game is a game Pollyanna always played when she wanted to see the best in a situation. She always wanted something to feel glad about.

And I love my friend for reminding me how much I love that game. When Pollyanna became paralyzed, she no longer wanted to play the game. It is so easy to become wrapped up in self-pity when life throws you a curve ball.

I didn't ever think *I'd* be thrown *this* curve ball. And though it is healthy to grieve and cry over the person who no longer wants to be married to me; it's also healthy to stand up and say, "Hey, I have so many things to be glad about!"

So in the grand tradition of Pollyanna-lovers everywhere, my Glad Game begins. :)

-My puppy Ruby is here with me and loves me unconditionally.

-I'm good at taking showers.

-I get to see my parents every day.

-I have the most supportive friends and family (who love and care about me) a girl could ever ask for.

-I just got a pretty sweet gig writing articles for the super, wonderful scrapbook company, Memory Works.

-Merrells are the most comfortable shoes on the planet, and I get to wear them every day.

-My REI fleece pants are super cozy.

-No matter where I go in my hometown, there is always someone to offer a hug.

-My mom makes gluten-free items at her bakery.

-I am five minutes from the Rec Center. (And it has a pool! Yay!)

-Even my online friends love and care about me... more than I ever knew. (Thank you!)

-I have an iPod Touch, and it truly is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

-I love that I have all my favorite songs on one playlist.

-Scrapbooking is good therapy.

-I get to coach gymnastics at my "home" gym again. :D

-It's snowing right now.

-I have a very beautiful handbag (Amy Butler fabric)!

-I feel like the world is open to me. I can go anywhere or do anything.

Perhaps, I'll add more, but this was super fun. Do you want to play the Glad Game too?