Evening by the Creek 8-31-14

We went down by the creek in Norfork tonight to cool off. We took the pups with us of course. 

Porch Swingin' 8-30-14

Just hanging around on this lazy Saturday. I love reading on my front porch swing on a nice day!

From a Distance 8-29-14

I was eating lunch at the park today when I saw this father and his little boy playing on the playground. I just thought it was too cute not to take a picture. I feel like this is kind of creepy taking pictures of people without their knowing but....it was a really cute moment that I just couldn't pass up.

Dinner and Putt Putt 8-27-14

Dad and I went out on our daughter/dad date tonight. We went out to eat at Chili's and then went for a game of putt putt golf. Fun times!

Happy Birthday Husband! 8-26-14

Dustin and I went out for a birthday dinner tonight at one of our favorite places, Arena Sports Grill. 

Lunch Time 8-25-14

I have started making salads in mason jars for lunch. It is super easy, convenient and yummy!

They Love Him 8-24-14

We all know Dustin is the best guy ever. My family loves him SOOOO very much. My mom made her famous homemade pizza for him and he got some adorable drawings from the kids. He really is a special guy, so glad we all got to celebrate him tonight!

Full Saturday 8-23-14

Woke up to sweet faces all around me today. This is one of them that was on my right, my youngest niece. We had such a great time together last night and this morning.

This bag was sitting on the floor and of course Blue had to claim it as his....

Dustin, his brother, and his dad, all have birthdays in the same month, so Debbie, his mom had a birthday party for all of them art once. She had a Hawaiian luau with a "Pig Roast". She had the guys all put on coconut bras and grass skirts. :-)

Debbie was very clever in her decorating!
The crock pot with the BBQ pork in it was made to look like a pig!
She also made some super yummy lettuce wraps!

This is my husband in full garb! :-)

Welcome to the Tea Party 8-22-14

Well today, was my last day at That Print Shop. I was a bit excited, and everyone else was sad and freaking out a bit, but it was nice to feel loved....

After work tonight I went over to my sister's house and all of us, including my mom had a slumber party complete with the tea party. Natalie set up a massaging station and Renee did hair...it was such a memorable night!

Goodbye Cookies 8-21-14

Rhonda Porter, my bosses mom, made me cookies on my second to last day at That Print Shop. She is one of the sweetest women I have ever met! So grateful to have met her, and not just because of the yummy cookies she makes. :-)

Three Favorites 8-20-14

Wine, Ice Cream, and Yoga Pants......do I really need to say anything else ladies? 

Water 8-19-14

So I didn't have a picture for the day by the time I was getting

my nightly water so this is what we got....

Seeds and Sunsets 8-18-14

On our nightly walk with the pups, we saw this fun little seed ball and this beautiful sunset.

Family Time 8-17-14

We all met over at mom and dad's house tonight for dinner, games and family time. I snuck to the back room where my dad and my nephew were. They were singing a made up song and playing. It was super sweet. :-)

Sister's Birthday Celebration 8-16-14

We had a birthday breakfast for my sister today. Mom made her famous cinnamon rolls and we had other breakfast yummies over at the park by the lake. We then went down to the lake for a family swim after we ate. It was a memorable morning filled with family, love and a laughter.

Happy Birthday, Beautiful sister!

Selfie with the nieces!

My nephew riding the waves with his papa.

My nephew just relaxing on the lake,
while his mimi makes sure he doesn't drift out too far.

The Dog Shuffle 8-15-14

So this is what our hallway looks like on any given night. So if you have to get up and go down the hall in the middle of the night, you must do the "Dog Shuffle" which is shuffling your feet along the floor, instead of walking normally, in order to avoid stepping right on or tripping on a black dog in the dark.

Lookin' Good for 52 8-14-14

It was our friend Sarah's birthday tonight. We had them over for dinner, I made some yummy zuchini patties. I didn't get her a cake though, because I knew the guys where trying to be good about not eating sweets on the weekday, but we wanted dessert after dinner anyway. So I found some leftover cake from the other night and we stuck a candle in that....

she looks fantastic for being 52 doesn't she? ;-) 

Whoosh 8-13-14

Went over to my sisters house tonight to hang out with her and the kids. We took a walk around the neighborhood and the girls rode their bikes. I can't believe how grown up they are!

Flowers at the Park 8-12-14

Went on a walk at the park with my pups and husband. We found these pretty flowers there. 

My Furry Lunch Date 8-11-14

On my lunch break today I went with the Human Society to the Hiram Shaddox Geriatric Center. We took three dogs and a kitten to visit the folks there. This was the sweet girl I got to hang on to, isn't she precious!? The older folks loved the animals and the animals had a great time too. I loved getting to hear stories from the sweet people there, you just never know what they are going to tell you, such a great feeling to make them smile. :-)

Strawberry Rose 8-10-14

My husband has many talents....here he is at our friend's house cutting a strawberry

to look like a rose.

Morning Magic 8-9-14

Dustin and I went on an early morning date. We went up to the lookout in Norfork, with caffeinated hot beverages in hand, to watch the sun rise. The fog drifting up off the water below along with the changing colors of the rising sun gave the whole scene a magical flair. It was beautiful and my camera hardly caught the splendor.

Two Dates in One Day 8-8-14

I had a lunch date with my sweet momma today. We went to the wonderful new Mexican Restaurant, Casa Montana. We had lots to talk about and the food was delish, as always.

I also went on a date to the Back Forty with my husband, were we watched karaoke, and had some good food.  We are both to shy to actually get up there, but we love watching and cheering on the people who are. This lady was especially hilarious. The wrong song came on at first, the one that says something about "boots with the fur", and she totally jammed to that one anyway until the karaoke man found the right song. 

Glasses 8-7-14

Today I went in to speak with the office manager at Sneed Eye Clinic to get a better feel for the position I was being offered. Looks like I will be seeing a lot more of these....and helping others pick out the best pair for them.

Pretty Little Melons 8-6-14

Look at these beautiful little melons that have come from our garden! They aren't super sweet, but they have a nice cool taste and texture after a nice chill in the fridge.

Chickpea Burgers 8-5-14

Tonight our friends came over and I made chickpea burgers. They were super yummy and I am definitely going to have to make them again! There wasn't watermelon in them, but we did have that for dessert. :-)

Summer Evening By the Creek 8-4-14

I took the dogs down to the stream by the Fish Hatchery in Norfork tonight. This is one of my very favorite places close by. I love the sound of the babbling creek and typically it isn't teaming with people at this time in the evening. It is a fantastic place to take pictures too and tonight I got several that I love.

I love how the light was shining from the
top like it could lead to anywhere.

Me in my favorite place wearing my
favorite shoes that happen
to be my favorite color. :-)

Isn't she perfect!?

Scattered Wishes....

Wonderfully Written 8-3-14

Another wonderful day out in the hammock reading the wonderful book from

the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon.

First Time 8-2-14

I took my sister on her first canoe trip today! We did a 5 hour float down the Buffalo River. The weather was perfect and we had tons of fun just being together. We had an adorable little red canoe and the water was up to an excellent floating level. My sis loved her first canoe trip and I thoroughly enjoyed giving her that experience.

We were halfway through our trip when we came across this man, the river man as I have come to refer to him as. He was super friendly and he told us that he had already been on the river for a week. He would be on the river for another week I gathered from where he said he was headed to. He told us about buffalo gnat storms. He told us that he waited out the rain for a couple days under a tarp reading a book. As he floated past us he dipped his water bottle into the river and then brought the bottle right up to his lips, without a moments hesitation. An urge to go all journalist on him was nagging at my mind. I wanted to know what he ate while on the river, what books he reads, what his back story was and everything in between. But I got shy and let it go. What I did get from him though, was the gift of inspiration, a small spark thrown into the kindling of my soul. 

I'm A Fan 8-1-14

We have been to just about every local concert Coyote Union has had since New Years Eve. They have so much talent and an awesome sound!