Terri Bradford. Life Notes.

It worked! Snow day finally!

After my ranting yesterday the school finally called it an official snow day for today! Trevor thought he may actually have the day off as well, but no such luck. 

 

Here's a photo of Bay just after he got out of school yesterday... under a huge pine tree covered with snow! It just kept snowing throughout the evening... and it started back up again a few minutes ago.

SO, for Sharyn who commented yesterday, "WHY am I coming to Denver?": Because it is absolutely gorgeous here. The days we have snow it actually melts pretty fast, and there is rarely a day without the sun shining. There is so much to do here... especially IN the snow. ;) Promise.

Off to get some work done and figure out how we'll spend the day. I don't think I am going to drive anywhere, but maybe we'll go out and enjoy the white stuff while it lasts!

What happened to snow days anyway?!

Seems to me that when you are expecting over 24 hours of snow that means that kids should have a SNOW DAY. It is just crazy that the school districts rarely USE a snow day... after all it IS Colorado!

Sure, if you base the decision of when to call it an official snow day strictly on the snow conditions at the start of the day it just causes problems. Honestly, I love snow... I am just not a fan of driving in it with other crazy people (I am a CO native). 

Bet you can guess what my 365 photo was today: a bad intersection where I always seem to slide or get stuck. Thanks to my iPhone it is so easy to grab a quick shot... again, this wasn't even that bad this morning, but it has really been snowing hard since I dropped Bailey off at school and is now a winter wonderland outside!

 

I was already in the mood for the holiday season to start before the snow... now I am itching to get Christmas shopping, crafting, baking, and my snowman collection out. Yikes. We already have broken out the hot chocolate and soup, and Trevor baked some homemade Chex mix last weekend.  :)

It will be a busy weekend with Bay's band concert followed by a middle school Halloween dance, several regular kit club updates (since the 1st falls this weekend), and a Halloween party/trick-or-treating with friends Saturday night. The best part of it all? Photo opportunities galore! Gotta love that.

It's that time of year...

I especially love this time of year because we take a traditional trip to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins to carve for Halloween. The past 5 years or so we have been going to Rock Creek pumpkin patch in Broomfield, CO. The mountains are a gorgeous backdrop to the acres of orange pumpkins. Just driving through Broomfield on Hwy. 287 brings back a huge rush of memories (especially from my childhood and teenage years.)

 

It was a bit sad to see so many pumpkins "unusable" due to the early freeze this year. We usually cut one right off the vine, but this year we grabbed them from a wooden crate that they picked before the freeze. It was a windy, cold, sun-shining typical Colorado Fall day. I was able to get a few shots of the guys goofing around... and was so happy Trevor yanked the camera from me and got a few of me and Bay (a rare thing!)

 

 

Yeah, I know you are thinking, "His eyes are closed?!" Why I love this shot: Life is so imperfect. We got a "good" shot (it is in the 365 photo album to the left here on the blog if you want to see it.) However, I have some plans to scrapbook this one - about being a mother and the ongoing balance it takes. I see peace and unconditional love in this shot. I see us being real. I see the wind blowing my hair and the age creeping up under my eyes. And I am finally ok with that. I find it funny that I continually see so much of Trevor in Bailey as he gets older, but when I look at this picture you can sure tell he is my kid. With the other shot of us you can tell next year he may be taller than I am. Seeing him grow has been so bittersweet to me...

Off to get these printed to add to my 365 project. <3

Where did the time go?!

As most of you know who read my blog... I have been taking a photo a day (or at least 7 photos/week) for a project 365 album. It has been a huge eye-opener to see my daily life unfold in this type of scrapbook. I am noticing the details a bit more and appreciating them.

One of my favorites from this last week was this photo I shot randomly after seeing both my son Bailey (12) and I wearing similar Converse shoes. When I lined our shoes up together his foot was the same size as mine (although he has such narrow feet!) Where did the time go?! It is SO apparent that he is growing so fast... even my mom keeps commenting on him getting taller every time she sees him. She mentioned that his face is getting more "manly" with a cleft chin appearing more and more... and a more defined jawline. Scares the heck out of me, and at the same time I am loving each and every stage he goes through. Bittersweet having a child.

 

Hey, and it is official. Here in Colorado we had our first real snow... not a lot of it, but sooo pretty. Fluffy, pure white, and perfect. 

I have been pondering (for about a good year) moving to Arizona. I have been stalking their weather on my iphone, checking out different towns and high schools for Bay *gasp*, etc. I wanted to go to ASU after high school (but God had other plans for me!) and now am totally itching to pack up everything we own and hit the road. Seriously. I absolutely love Colorado, and it will always be home, but am needing a big change. It is SOOO hard to uproot and leave, but I have found some awesome schools for Bay and I am looking for signs to confirm... waiting...

 

Military thoughts... and connecting through cards & letters

I am definitely a person who can't live without their connected Web world & techie stuff... iPhone, computers, social networking, etc. This year I have had to send out more cards and physical letters since two of my nephews joined the military (since they are "unplugged" at times and that is the primary communication while training.) Makes you appreciate the timeliness of the instant message, text, Facebook/Twitter updates, and email communication more than ever, but also makes you realize there is nothing that replaces that written letter from someone you love.

I do cherish the letters that Trevor and I wrote (daily!) to each other while he was in boot camp and training in the Army when we first were dating and married. There is something to be said about that physical piece of paper, handwriting and postmarks. I love postmarks. We have a HUGE box full of love letters that I absolutely adore having after all of these years together.

I honestly haven't bought a card in years... I just create them as I need them. The one person who has always appreciated getting my cards is my nephew Jake... who happens to be in boot camp (Marines) in California right now. I got his address finally and created a card for him yesterday... It is the first letter I am sending him, so I am anxious to hear back. I snapped a quick iPhone photo before I dropped it in the mail this morning (it will be my 365 photo for today as w

ell - I edited it as best as I could with Photoshop and added that smaller image of the envelope). I enclosed a book of stamps so he has those handy when he has time to write.

**Supplies: Kraft card and envelopes (Hot Hues), Journaling page/patterned paper, alphabet stickers - cork and felt (Making Memories), Star stickers and rectangle (Jenni Bowlin Studios), Rub-ons (Basic Grey)

My son Bailey was in the Broomfield parade this weekend with his class... His Geography teacher, Mrs. Pearson, invited the kids to march with her (representing the Broomfield Library) and they earned extra credit for participating. It was a western "theme" all decked out with kid stick horses & hats... probably way to young for the "tween" crowd of kids, but they all took it with stride and had fun. I am glad they get to still be kids once in awhile! :) 

(Mrs. Pearson rocks and Bailey is so lucky to have such an awesome teacher in his life.)

Mrs. Pearson is also involved with the new Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum where the kids visited after the parade. Bailey will have an opportunity to help out in preservation, etc. at the museum in an after school History Club this year. Trevor and I always try to teach the importance of the military both in our country and how it has shaped our family to Bay. It was cool to see the donated items there... such history and deep appreciation of how many men and women all share the same bond of serving their country.

Snapped a few shots of Trevor showing off some of the gear he used while in the Army and at the front of the museum... 

I am SO proud of my family of Vets: Trevor, my Grandpa Tom, my Uncle Tom & Uncle Joe, Bill & Kenny (Trevor's dad & grandpa), and now Zach and Jake are serving their country. I will never take their service for granted. 

Here I am... one year older and am documenting the next year in photos.

Why not?! I was so intrigued by the Project 365 concept that I decided to document the next year this way..

Basically this entails taking a photo a day for one year. For me that also means a bit of journaling about each photo and combining it into a project binder/scrapbook. I was lucky enough to find the CK Becky Higgins 365 project Kit of the Month (from another scrapper who received several by mistake in that whole CK KOTM order fiasco). I just got mine in April and decided that MAY is a great time to start. That is the beauty of your life... there is no "right" day to start a project or documenting your everyday life. It just happens my birthday is May 17th, so I felt like what a great way to see my year unfold in photos.

I added a Project 365 album here on my blog so you can browse what actually makes up my everyday life and see the progression with me on my highlighted photos. I encourage all of you (scrapbookers or not!) to take on this type of challenge/project. It has really opened my eyes to how fast a week goes, how fast my son keeps changing, and compliments carrying over my "Little Things that Make Me Happy" philosophy that I started on my blog not too long ago. 

Yep, it is a bit of work to remember to take the photos, etc. in the beginning, but I am an avid photographer anyhow, and with the help of my iPhone there is NO excuse not to get the one shot I need... I carry it everywhere, and it is so fun to see the candidness that the iPhone allows me to get. Honestly it is about capturing the moment for me, not so much the perfection of the photo - although I am stickler for quality it makes it hard to just let go of that in my process so far. I am overall impressed with the quality of my iPhone photos that I have gotten processed and try not to play with them in Photoshop too much. It is really a challenge to take the photos in landscape format, so sometimes I have to roll with what I have and edit it later.

So, here's to another year of my thirties - I forecast this year will be less stressful, more grateful, and hopefully a new beginning in how I look at myself through 365 days of photos. 

{finish}

So, after not being able to publish a few times on the road with this app, I didn't take anymore photos today, except this last one after getting home. All we did was go to Target (and Michaels - it is right next to T's so I always go in and look!) Nothing special at either one to share. ;)

It was a nice day to get out and drive... We should have went up to the mountains! Maybe tomorrow...

I am officially stepping OUT of the office and going to scrap for a bit. It was fun to take a couple shots with the iphone but I am not impressed with the camera on it. It is still a fun thing to have if you NEED that shot and don't have your SLR with you, but the shutter lag and focus leaves much to be desired. I have yet to even try to print anything off of it, but I bet I could use the index prints for a fun layout if nothing else.

Here's my last shot for the day today...

Stop {1}

We had to stop at Johnson's Corner for breakfast... Trevor's favorite. Had to get one of their world famous cinnamon rolls!

  

 

Found a cool designer mug... Trevor held it for me as I tried to get a decent shot with my iphone - it says: "Proud to be a 100% qualified, imaginative, deadline meeting, all natural, creative Designer"... Truck stop gift store finds, LOL! ;) I would have bought it but already have too many coffee mugs I don't use already!

See you at the next stop...

 

 

 

 

Road trip Saturday { start }

We are off on a road trip this morning... Thought it would be fun to document on my blog (now that I have the iPhone app for my blog)... SO, I will be taking some photos from my phone all day and having fun with it.

Stay tuned.. We are heading up to Ft Collins, CO. Hope you are starting a good weekend!

Trying out...

the new typepad iPhone app... Taco Bell anyone?!