Moving

Well, we survived the move!  Despite the rain coming down in sheets more often than not throughout the day, we managed to get almost everything into the new house in one day.  I did have to go back the last couple days to pick up odds and ends, as well as finish cleaning.  But as of last night, we are officially moved!  **Quick shout out to Tristan's wonderful parents and cousin for the help last weekend - Julian, we couldn't have done it without you!!**

I am in love with our new house.  It is older, but well-maintained.  It is spread out over three levels - and my three competing favorite features are the hot tub off the master bedroom, the overflowing storage space in the kitchen, and the large laundry room with lots of shelves and cabinets.  Unfortunately, we still have a ways to go before being settled (our basement and living room are stocked with boxes and random pieces of furniture still waiting to find a home).  But hopefully after another weekend our house will be all put away.

Sadly, I have been too busy to take any pictures this last week.  But they are coming, I promise!!

Thanks for hanging in there!

Beautiful

For those of you who know me, I may have mentioned a special project that I was really excited about.  I have been looking forward to today for quite a while now (okay . . . maybe only a couple of months, but still!).  Back in August, Julie at A Beautiful Day asked if I would contribute to a new project she wanted to implement on her blog.  She asked if I would be interested in writing a contributor post once a month.

Well - today is the day!  My first edition of In Focus Friday is live at A Beautiful Day.  Please go check it out.  Jules has been a real cheerleader for me lately and I am so grateful she has given me this opportunity.  She has a wonderful blog and the other contributors have also done a beautiful job.

This month, Katie @ Katie Stories posted a really great scrapbook layout, while Megan @ House of Martinez shared a step-by-step to making a super cute bead necklace.

Be sure to follow A Beautiful Day and watch for the monthly contributor posts, as well as Julie's wonderful posts of her own.


Now - onto MY post for the day.  As I've mentioned lately - tomorrow is moving day!  We are spending today finishing up packing and cleaning this house.  It sounds silly, but even though this house isn't anything special and we don't own it, it was still our first actual "house" together (we started out in an apartment).  So it will always hold a special place in my heart.  However, I'm pretty excited for our new house.  We got our keys last night and did the final walk-through.

Since I had a little bit of time beforehand, I did a short little "exploration" of our new town.  There's a nice little park down by the river that I was drawn to.

 

I may be a little absent for the next few days as we get settled, but I promise it won't be for long!  I might even surprise you in a couple of days!

Revamp

Today I want to step back from my photos for a quick break.  Awhile back, the beginning of last month I think, I updated some of the details on my blog.  This included a new title section, as well as matching new "gadget" headers.  I had been wanting to make some customizations for awhile, rather than using the basic Blogger options, but I didn't really know where to start (I'm not much good at html unless I am following a template).

As you can imagine, I was thrilled when I found Christine's series on "Blog Tips" at Projects Around the House.  Her posts include creating a custom background, designing a blog header, how to create a button and more!  She utilizes PicMonkey for editing (which I love!) and her steps are really easy to follow.

I also created a special button for a new project (stay tuned tomorrow for more info on that), and today am adding a button specifically for my page.

<a href="http://www.myminds-lens.blogspot.com" target=""_blank""><img src="http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd430/kaeleyamull/My%20Minds%20Lens/BlogButton.jpg"/></a>

<If anyone has any ideas why the text box is so small, I would love to hear some suggestions!!>  

It will be in the left sidebar for future reference.  Feel free to add it to your own blog if you are one of my lovely followers!!

Again - a special thanks to Christine for her helpful tutorials.

Watch tomorrow for a special announcement (as long as I am not buried beneath packing boxes!)...

Falling

...into love with fall!

Leaves on the ground

Sun in the sky

A chill in the air

Pumpkin pie

Okay . . . that may have been totally cheesy.  But sometimes, I just am cheesy.  That's okay.

Anyways, I know I have already mentioned this recently, but

I cannot believe that I have never really appreciated the autumn season.  It is 

absolutely beautiful!!

Yesterday I took advantage of a short workday and the beautiful weather.  It was a little chilly out,

but the sun was shining and that's all that matters to me.

 

These photos were all taken within about 30 minutes of my house.  Isn't it wonderful to find peace and serenity right outside your door?

Playdate

Yes, I am a little late posting this (again).  That's what happens when life hits you!  A couple of weeks ago I got to have a little playdate with my little sister.  The weather was still nice so we went down to the city park.

This little girl is a walking ray of sunshine.  At 4 years old, she has spent more weeks in hospitals and seen more doctors than your entire family will probably see in your lifetime.  But don't tell her that!  She is one of the strongest, most resilient people you will ever meet.

...and her laugh?  Infectious.

You might have noticed that Ang is missing her front teeth.  Like I said, she is a very special girl!  Most 4 year olds aren't losing teeth.  Due to a disorder she was born with, she has battled speech delays, difficulties using and controlling her arms and legs and most significantly, seizures.  Losing teeth a little early doesn't sound too serious when you look at the grand scheme of things.

Despite all the issues she has struggled with, Angie is still a normal 4 year old!  She is in preschool, she's a chatterbox, she plays with her dolls and runs all over the house. She's a great example that we do not have to let our problems hold us back from enjoying the lives we have.

Leaves

In the last week or so, fall has officially set in.  We went from nice warm afternoons to chilly, foggy mornings.  I know I have said this before, but one of my favorite parts of fall is the beautiful colors.  Today, I could feel the leaves outside beckoning me and my camera.

I would say we are pretty lucky to have these trees right outside our house.  I would love for others to share some of their fall photos!!  Just send me a link!

Hope

Hope.  It's the thing that keeps people going when their hearts are broken, when it feels like there is no good left in life, when they can't find the light at the end of the tunnel.  Hope brings light into what can be a very dark existence for many people.  It can be our lifeline.

This weekend I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful little girl.  She is a fighter and represents how far a little hope can go.

What a sweet little girl and only a week old!  I was excited to be able to do a "fall" theme and her little butterfly wings were adorable.

The next couple of weeks are going to be hectic as we get ready to move into a new house . . . I will try to post along the way, though!