Seven years? Can it be true?

The hubby and I celebrated seven years of marriage this weekend. Part of me can’t believe it’s been that long, but most of me feels like it’s been so much longer! As I look back on the times that we’ve shared so far, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have found someone who loves me and wants such the best for me.

We’ve created two beautiful children who surprise us every day with their thoughts, ideas, talents and unconditional love. We’ve weathered storms that have threatened us and come through them with well-earned battle scars that remind us of how far we’ve come in our relationship. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves and each other as we’ve navigated the rocky roads of life. And most importantly, we’ve grown as individuals and as a couple. We are better than we were before, and that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?

I sure do love him and can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives together will bring.

 

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On a separate note, I know I’ve been showcasing more layouts than photos lately, which I’m not apologizing for (this is my blog, after all), but I just wanted to give a little explanation of why I’ve had so many lately. Since stepping down from being the Layout Artist Team Coordinator at Scrap Girls, I’ve had more time to dedicate to creating layouts just for me, of my own personal photos, with no requirements to fulfill. And it has been a breath of fresh air. I’ve been getting inspiration from lots of places, and hopefully putting my own spin on things that I come across. In truth, it’s just been heavenly. I feel lighter and more present. For the last few months there, I had just been tied to my computer for various duties I needed to fulfill, and now that I don’t have to be on the computer, I am enjoying it more and having more fun with it. It’s been really nice.

We love Kung Fu Panda

We took the kids to the second Kung Fu Panda movie when it opened this past May. It was so much fun, and they were so excited for it. I really liked the movie and the animation was absolutely incredible. That was almost as entertaining as the movie itself.

We liked it so much that we went back to see it again a couple of weeks later, that time just me and the boys. It made for a great date.

Of course, after that, we had no shortage of Kung Fu moves going on at our house, with the sounds of “Hi-YAH!” echoing down the stairs. E even turned a lot of his action figures into the Furious 5 in disguise. So the Batman from a Happy Meal was actually Tigress in disguise, and Elmo was Mantis in disguise, etc. It was quite entertaining to watch him play with them.

W had fun going around practicing his ‘moves’ and loved showing them off to anyone who would pay attention. Such ‘moves’ included kicking and punching the air wildly with a very determined looking face, coupled with that intimidating “Hi-YAH!”. It was quite fun.

I just love those boys of mine.

The Last Movie layout

I found the most adorable digital scrapbooking collection the other day and I just had to get it to scrap my Harry Potter obsession! It’s called A Wizarding World by Jady Day Studio. Here’s the layout I made last night about when the hubby and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 the day it came out. (We couldn’t swing the midnight showing, unfortunately, but we got Friday afternoon tickets with some friends and had a great time!)

I also used Brandy Murry’s Brush Set: Time Traveler – Clouds Biggie and Shalae Tippetts’ Joyous Collection Biggie.

I really like this layout. You can even see, in the far left photo, the Deathly Hallows T-shirt that I made myself especially for the occasion. After we came out of the movie, some random lady in line asked me where I bought my shirt. When I told her I had made it myself, she couldn’t believe it and said I should have made lots to sell outside! I can only imagine. I was glad that it seemed to look professional-esque. I’ll take it.

Kitchen Renovation Revealed

I know, it’s been too long since I promised to show our finished kitchen!
Well, let’s just remember what we started with, when we first moved in:

Yeah, it was just a little much.
I’m SO excited to finally have this new kitchen!

The counters are finished, the wall is not jacked up into pieces, and we have an awesome new sink as well!
So there you have it. I’m a happy girl. 

[ETA: The island looks like it's bowed, but that's just because it was two photos stitched together. The actual island is square. Thank to the hubby for pointing that out. :) ]

Bloggity Goodness

Journaling reads: “I started blogging to record our family’s life and have a place to share photos with relatives living far away. It has become a really fun and creative way to express myself as well as show our fun family adventures. I love reading other friends’ blogs as well and though I sometimes spend more time perusing them than I should, they make me feel like I am closer to faraway friends and family, which I love.”

Click on the image to see the credits.