Letters.

The following are letters for my wonderful, amazing, awesome nieces and nephews that I will be seeing in less than two weeks:

Dear Ayden. 

You sure are getting up there in age these days, before you know it, we'll be cheersing one another over an ice cold beer...just kidding, if I remember correctly, you will never be drinking. Good choice.

I was really hoping you could show me some of your pitching skills I've been hearing about...maybe you can even strike me out.

Dear Abby.

I'm thinking we should have another movie night/sleepover...silly poses for the camera included - Ayden and Emery are invited too.

Also, would you like to go shopping together? You can help me find a dress for my friend's wedding rehearsal. I trust that you'll give it to me straight if something does not look good on me.

Dear Amelia. 

I hear that you are a bit of an artist and can do art for hours...how do you feel about us doing a couple arts and crafts projects together while I'm home?

And if you're up for it, I'd be willing to take another knack at having an outdoor sleepover together...your cabin, maybe?

Dear Oliver.
I'm ready to take you on in hockey, basketball, baseball, and football.
I'm sure you have some awesome new skills to show me.

Oh, and that new puppy of yours...can I please have her?

Dear Emery. 

I know how you like your nails painted.  So, I was thinking we could paint each other's nails while I'm home...you in?

I'll even play barbies and babies with you...

Dear Ruby.

Your only request for our time together is for Dusty and I to play toys with you.
So, you know what?
We are going to play toys with you and it is going to be the best time you've ever had :)

P.S. Sometimes, your naughtiness makes me giggle...ssshhhhh, don't tell anyone.

Dear Palmer. 

Please be ready to show me your skills in that stander of yours...I'm amazed already solely from photos and video.  I can't wait to actually see you in action :)

And I would really like it if you would flash me a LOT of those sweet smiles you do...and if you can handle it, snuggle time?

Dear Charlie. 

Whatever you do, DO NOT get any bigger until I arrive home on July 4th.  I want to see you in all your puppy gloriousness. 

Also, could you be any cuter?!

Ayden, Abby, Amelia, Oliver, Emery, Ruby, Palmer, and Charlie, please let me know your thoughts in the comments...each and every one of you :)

Hugs and Kisses,

Auntie Kass

Loving lately...

A few things I'm loving lately:

1. evening walks with Dusty

2. the smell of sunscreen
-and fresh cut grass
-bugspray too

3. family movie nights

4. nail polish...totally out of character for me

5. spontaneity

6. fruit punch in a wine glass with ice cubes - it's fun, try it

7. my mornings - exercise, alone time, and blog reading

8.  flowers blooming on our hibiscus plants

9. crockpot meals

+ our most recent crockpot dinner:

shredded chicken tacos

-6 chicken breasts (we did frozen)

-1 package of taco seasoning

-1 jar of 18 oz salsa

• cook on high for 6 hours
• shred chicken
• enjoy :)

10. bike rides - morning and evening - basically, whenever it's not sweltering hot outside

11. talking with someone I've never met for miles on a bike trail.
the closest he's been to North Dakota? escorting Ms. North Dakota in Washington D.C. in 1966 :)

what are you loving lately?
please share...I would love to know

Hot Air Balloon Ride

You guys, I did it.  I went up in a hot air balloon.

I've always wanted to, but thought when the time came that it would be very possible for me to get too nervous and not actually go through with it.

I was nervous, but I did it.

And I'm so happy I did - in between my nervous bouts, the ride was peaceful and gorgeous.

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, I can explain how this opportunity arose...

Foley has a hot air balloon festival each year and the company Dusty works for does advertising for them.

Luckily I was at his office the day it was asked who wanted to shoot footage of the event...I heard hot air balloon ride, looked at Dusty with my pleading eyes, and it was done.

Dusty and I would be covering the event...awesome.

Our day at the festival began with perusing arts and crafts vendors, listening to music, and then watching the 'world famous' frisbee dogs.

I'm a sucker for dogs doing tricks.

After the show, it was time for my ride.

We only had one voucher to go up in the balloon and Dusty didn't have a desire to go...it was my lucky day :)

Waiting for everyone to blow their balloons up was giving me a little too much time to think about things...

but once we were up, things were pretty smooth sailing.

Smooth sailing if you don't count the radio malfunction, nearly having the bottom of the basket touch the water, and then passing the huge, open field intended for us to land on, and landing in someone's backyard instead.

The above photo is of the other balloons landing in the big, open field while we are still sailing farther along in our balloon...I was not nervous at all.

Once arriving back at the festival, the sun had set and the pilots were putting on a bit of a show...

 

And lastly, a short video put together of what Dusty and I shot...

Friday Five - Vol. 4

1. Remember that wedding we were supposed to go to last weekend?

Well, we may have been a little irresponsible and skipped it.

And instead, we may have stopped and picked up a small crock pot, meatballs, wieners, snacks, and orange soda so that we could veg out in the hotel all night.

Now, don't get me wrong, I was really looking forward to the wedding, but it sure was fun to feel like we were having our own little getaway...and I love me some hotel time.

2.  Abby Singer.

Abby Singer will be staying with us for the summer (possibly longer)...her mommy moved into a place where dogs aren't allowed, so she will be gracing us with her presence for awhile.

My feelings on this are still up in the air.

I love Abby Singer very much, but she can still get on my nerves like no other.

3.  Gray and I made these together...

He thought it was really fun, but then when it came to using them in his drink?

He tried it one time and never again.

4.  Word on the street is that Gray has never lost while playing the Memory game...the street being Gray's mouth.

Dusty was ready to test it...which involved the making of a Memory game since we somehow do not own one.

The verdict?

The word on the street is not always true.

He could beat his daddy, but not me. 

 Am I supposed to let little ones win?

I don't know...maybe, but it's just so haaarrrdddd.

When you know exactly where the match is, it's near impossible to not pick it up...anyone else feel this way?

5.  We have a little game going that involves hiding the scale.

The scale is evil, so we put it out of sight.

Gray's most recent hiding spot:

The microwave.

Ready to dig into photography.

I'm ready to learn photography...for real this time.

I have purchased two tutorials to help me with this process.

1.

and

2.

I have completed the first tutorial and am amazed at what I was able to learn in such a short amount of time.

I have been shooting automatic since I received my camera 1.5 years ago.

But now, it's official - I shoot in manual :)

I control all of the settings each time I take a photo and I've realized how much more rewarding it is when I get a good picture.

It's no longer the camera doing all of the work, it's me too.

My next step is learning how to really edit my photos...exciting!

After finishing up the first tutorial, I took a few photos outside for practice.

Now that I know how to work the settings, I need to practice ALL the time. 

It's the only way I'm going to get better.

 Abby Singer was not liking her photo shoot.

 About two minutes after I sat down to take her photos, she stood up, walked around me, and sat down directly behind me.

Nice hint Abby Singer, nice hint.

Luckily for her, Dusty came home and was willing to be my new subject.

This photography thing is fun...especially now that I'm actually learning how to do it :)

Video - Gray's Pool Tricks 2012

My iPhone's video capabilities had not been tested yet...

The other day at the pool seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I've also been wanting to learn how to edit video, so by making this video here, I have learned quite a bit already.

Now, this video is nothing special...at all - I left lots of room for improvement.

The cuts are purposely rough and I didn't spend much time on it, I just wanted to quickly come up with a finished product.

Okay, without further ado...

Mr. Gray Update

I thought it would be nice to do an update on Gray.

Not only for Dusty, Gray and I's own memories, but also so all of you can get to know Gray a little bit better :)

A few of Gray's favorite things:

Spelling - especially with his foam letters.

He's always surprising us with all of the words he knows how to spell. 

If he's not sure how to spell a word?  He sounds it out and uses the 'rules' he's learned when spelling.

Math - out of everything to play with the other night, he chose math flashcards, and we did them for quite a long time.

I love that he likes math, and spelling, and reading.

Reading - this boy loves to read and has loved it since he was two years old.

Coloring - I may have something to do with this one.

I suggest coloring a lot - it's so much fun.

We have colored together for over two hours before...his attention span seems to be expanding - coloring sessions used to last five minutes, but not anymore!

Planets/Solar System...his new obsession.

Let's be honest here, he knows much more about them than I do.
He quizzes us about the dwarf planets, the sizes, temperatures, distances from the sun, climates, terrain on each of the planets, etc.
He gets to pick which books he wants us to read to him at night and lately, every.single.time it is an educational book about planets, the solar system, the moon, stars, etc.

During quiet time the other day, Gray created his own solar system.
The sizes of the items he chose correlate to the actual size of the planet.  For example, Jupiter is the largest planet, which is why he chose the volleyball (the largest item) to represent Jupiter.
Genius I tell ya :)

Walks - he always agrees to go on a walk if you ask him.
PJ walks are always fun...

Although after about five minutes, he's ready to call it good and head back home.

A few other favorites:
Color = white
Drink = ice water
Food = pizza
Clothing = pj's, he would wear them 24/7 if he could
Toys = trains

I hope you enjoyed your Gray update!

Dickhead.

Dusty's new film = Dickhead.

Things are in the works as we speak to make this film happen...exciting things are happening!

The crew is coming along and actors are being cast.

I'm thrilled to be a part of this entire process - it's going to be quite the experience and I am more than ready for it :)

Here are the tagline and synopsis to give you an idea of what Dickhead is about:

Tagline:

Two wrongs don’t make a right and Dick & Mary are a whole bucket of wrong.

Synopsis: 

Dick is a self-appointed border patrolman and all around son-of-a-bitch living in the wide-open spaces of Southwest Texas with his wife Mary and her mousy sex addicted sister.  Desperate to find a way out of her loveless marriage, Mary has been secretly and methodically poisoning Dick's food.  Meanwhile, Dick begins to have some success in his campaign for a "true and pure America." With the help of an eccentric cowboy called The Horseman, he captures a Mexican trying to cross the border.  Against all odds, a friendship blossoms between Dick and the Mexican that remind Dick of the better angle of his nature that he had thought was all but lost.  Made aware of his imminent demise, Dick, in a frenzied race for a cure, experiences a true change of heart.  As he and Mary start to fall for each other all over again, they find themselves in a sobering situation: will they be able to make amends before it's too late?

I can't wait to fill y'all in as things progress!

*Photos taken by Ted Speaker (producer) while they were on location scouting in Texas.

Hotwire Secret Hotels

On Saturday, we have a wedding to attend in Mobile.

I'm actually really looking forward to it - it will be my first southern wedding.
I hear they are loads of fun.

Mobile is a little over an hour away, so we decided to stay the night in a hotel.

After searching for hotels near where the wedding is held, they all came up over $100.

I did not want to spend that much. 

I was going to use Travelocity Top Secret Hotels, which we have used in the past, but they only do the top secret thing for bigger cities.

Then, I discovered that Hotwire has it too, but for some of the smaller cities as well.

Hotwire even lets you put in a landmark (wedding location for us) you would like to be close to and they search for hotels within a 5 mile radius of it. 
Before booking, you will know the star rating of the hotel, amenities, the approximate distance from the landmark you entered, the satisfaction rate for the hotel from other customers...you definitely know enough to feel good about your decision.

And if you really took the time and did a little research, you can basically figure out what hotel you'll be getting, but that kind of takes the fun out of it :)

It's actually pretty exciting to put in your credit card information, lock in the deal, and then  find out where you will be staying.

Now, for our savings on one night at a hotel in downtown Mobile: $60/50%

Isn't that awesome?!

Moral of the story: book your overnight stays using top secret hotels when you can - you will be amazed at the deal you'll get :)

Jewelry Maker.

Grandma Millie (Dusty's mom) spoils us with gifts.

The Fed Ex truck has visited us more this past year than it has ever visited me in my entire life.

Let me tell you...that is fun stuff when the doorbell rings, you see the package, and you have NO  idea what is in it.

Anticipation is a wonderful thing.

One of Grandma Millie's presents was an adorable jewelry making kit for Gray.

I saw the word 'kit' and thought we would be using string, beads, making knots, struggling a bit, etc.

Instead, all we had to do was snap the beads together...it was glorious.

Gray was loving it...so much so, that he wanted to keep making more and more pieces of jewelry.

Before bedtime, he managed to create: 

• necklace for mommy
• necklace for Gray
• bracelet for me
• bracelet for daddy
• bracelet for Gray

Here he is modeling one of his necklaces:

Gray smiles when he sees Dusty and I wearing our bracelets...he is pretty darn proud of his creations :)

Beach, Trains, Lifeguards, & Rainbow Umbrellas

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to the beach.

Believe it or not, one of the items packed was our real camera.

I'm trying to get over the convenience of using my iPhone for every single picture I take.

It sure did feel good to use our camera...it was as if something came alive again inside of me...cheesy, I know.

I felt so happy while snapping away at the beach.

I'm hoping this feeling is here to stay :)

Trains were Gray's only request for toys to bring.

He told me that they look really good in the sand :)

These trains can entertain him for hours.

The spot we chose to set up camp conveniently had a large hole already dug in the sand.
Gray likes a good hole he can sit in, so this meant less work for Daddy in the digging area.

Holes can be used for running and jumping into as well...always fun.

After taking some photos of Gray, I did a little exploring and found this:

Not really my type...young, buff, blonde, tan?  Nope, not my type.

Although I wouldn't mind going for a ride in his beach patrol truck...

On another note, colorful beach umbrellas make me happy.

I'm pretty sure I comment each time we arrive at the beach and I see a sea of rainbow colored umbrellas...
A mistake was made by us and our umbrella is plain green, it's definitely lacking in color and excitement...maybe this is why I get so excited when I see others awesomeness all over the beach.

I hope y'all had a good weekend!