{14/52}: Cody's Graduation...finally!

What has seemed like an eternity to me has finally come to a close...I bet it felt like an eternity plus infinity to Cody, but none the less he did it--through hell and back he has completed the dental hygiene program and is only a few tests away from getting his license!!!!

I am so so proud of him for pushing through all the crap that came with the program, I can honestly say that if it was me I probably would have had a breakdown and quit after 2 quarters!! But, he didn't. He's a bigger person than I am in many ways and I'm happy to call him mine : )

I got to know a few of his classmates (all females in hygiene school? go figure : P) and I know that these girls will be life long friends of ours. They were a big part of why Cody has finished, not to say he wasn't capable of it without them, but their adoption of him as their "little brother" was probably the best thing to come from the last two years...aside from his future job : P

Only 3 more years and we will both be done with school for good!...I think. There's talk of him wanting to be a chemistry teacher part time at some point...we'll see.

We can only go up from here--very much looking forward to what our future together has in store!

Ended the day celebrating with some good friends on the Olympia waterfront : )

{13/52}: Little Miss Lucy

May 20, 2013

Lucy Elizabeth Lynn Callon,

Your uncle Cody and I are so excited to have a niece to love on now! We love your brothers dearly, but are excited for the color change! :)  You, like your brothers, are an absolutely beautiful little baby. You had us all a little worried at first, but we stayed positive and knew everything was going to be great in the end. That being said, no more drama from you until your at least 13 little miss! :) I am starting pharmacy school in a couple months and that means I won't get to see you nearly as often as I will want to. I love taking pictures of your brothers every chance I get and I definitely want to do the same with you, it just won't get to be as often for a few years. But hopefully your momma will come visit us in Portland every now and then, and FaceTime will be a must! 

Uncle and I can't wait to watch you grow up, and hopefully your future cousins won't be too much younger than you ;)

We love you very much miss Lucy!!

{12/52}: Leavenworth

This week I took my first trip to Leavenworth with my mom for our church's annual women's retreat. It was a great few days of laughter and fellowship with some great ladies, I think we all came away feeling refreshed and energized. It was fun to have a girls weekend with mom, and of course that would not be complete without good food and shopping :)

The weather wasn't as nice as we thought it was going to be, but it didn't rain on us while we were out and about so that's all that matters! This little Bavarian village has lots of little shops and a nice trail along the river, and of course awesome 360° views of the mountains. I'm going to be talking Cody into going there when there's snow on the ground!

Biggest mini golf course EVER. We got a putter, that's it! lol

I mean really, who chips with their putter?! Guess I need to work on those putting skills.... ; )

We had fun racing sundown and doing our best to stay out of the water! : P

Our hotel had an alphorn play each morning at breakfast--kinda cool!

Some photos from our morning walk by the river..

The view from a balcony at the hotel

All in all it was a good few days away :)

Next up on the list of exciting things happening around here: Baby Callon #3 arrives tomorrow!!!!!!!! SO stinkin excited to meet her and hear what the final verdict is on her name! Get ready little girl, auntie's camera is awaiting anxiously! : )

{7/52}: I'll get there!

My soon-to-be sister-in-law (okay, we've dropped the soon-to-be for a while, its just easier! lol) Keana kindly reminded me that I was on more like an every other week blog posting schedule...

Guilty as charged!

I do have several things I want to post about wedding projects we've been working on, but as I sat here debating about what I should post, I was like you know what? That means I haven't been sitting at my computer, and I've decided that's a beautiful thing sometimes. I'm attached to my phone at the hip as it is! I've been busy with things I don't necessarily want to be busy with, but working full time means I'm makin' that $$$! ...too bad most of it is going to savings for wedding/I want spending money in Portland : )  I've done another couple photo shoots, enjoyed the sunshine whose presence we were graciously blessed with over Easter weekend, and even gotten a little down and dirty refinishing some counter tops with Cody this past weekend. These arms need some working out before they are cut out for any more sanding!!! But, they are looking amazing, and I'm actually kinda sad that I'm going to be at work while Cody finishes it up. We are so impressed with this product that we are probably going to be doing our kitchen this week--it will at least be half saying adios to the 70's flare! : P

Before

After (minus the final clear coat)

Pretty neat so far, huh? : ) Next will be sanding down and painting their cabinets!

I am starting to get a little stressed about wedding stuff, but not in a bad way. It's more like the holy crap I need to start addressing envelopes and mailing out invitations kind of stressed. More than one person has brought up eloping in Vegas, and let me tell ya, some days I wish we would have run with it when Cody suggested it a year ago! ; )

It's going to be beautiful, and the first day of the rest of my life with an absolutely amazing man. Period. : )

{4/52}: Joy

My 2 cents of the day...

As I was backing up the pictures on my iPhone (I would cry if I ever lost any photos I've taken...), I came across this little gem that I had saved a while ago. When I saved it I said "Wow, that's so true!" ..and moved on with life.

Today, however, it kinda floored me.

I know what joy is, but I decided to look up the definition...not that there aren't several depending on where you look. So, according to Merriam-Webster:

Joy - the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the

prospect of possessing what one desires.

I am my own worst critic, and beyond guilty of letting comparison steal my joy, whether that be with the photos I take, the friends and acquaintances I have, or the place that I'm at with school. This does not mean that I am  not a happy person or that I am unhappy with life. I have so much to be thankful for, so much to be completely overjoyed about, and that I am.

I don't feel the need to go into detail, but a lesson I need to learn: to stop being so damn critical of myself.

I think we can all benefit from remembering this little quote. Striving to be your best doesn't always mean being the best, as cliche as that may sound. Love the ones you've got, enjoy the little things in life, be thankful  every day for what you've been given, and for the chance to do it all again tomorrow.