Goodbye April

Sharing a few photos leftover from the month of April.

They are all from Snap, the blogging conference I attended in Salt Lake City.

1. plane ride to SLC  2. attending a class (can you spot my head?)  3. plan for Day 3  4. nightly dinner in the barn  5. Another class  6. only photo from the grounds at Thanksgiving Point (where conference was held, about 30 min. south of SLC)  7. neon dance party

I haven't shared much about my adventure. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the experience. Had a great time, but so out of my comfort zone with trying to network and get to know new people.

I didn't do very well with that part. As far as the number of people that would remember me. But I did meet a couple of women that I really enjoyed getting to know better and hopefully will continue to interact with online.

I also was so, so, so overwhelmed with the information in the classes. There is so much that I need to work on. But some of it didn't feel like me, like it wasn't what I want for my blog. So, I'm taking time to shift through the notes and ideas and decide what direction I want to go in.

As always, thanks so much to everyone who shows up here and takes a moment to share in my adventures!

Currently

Eating:  Meeting my dad for lunch in 40 min and hoping to have a yummy grilled cheese sandwich from Wildflower Bread Co.

Drinking:  Same old, same old. Iced white chocolate mocha coffee.

Wearing:  Grey pants, black tee, granny sandals. I'm all about the comfort factor.

Starting:  To get excited for summer break. No early mornings. Relaxed, lazy days. Yes!

Feeling:  Tired. Still worn out from Snap and a few late nights since I got back. Goal is to hit the pillow early tonight.

Reading:  Just finished The Wild. Loved it! Might buy a new book today. Maybe Perks of Being a Wallflower. I was blown away by the movie, so I'm thinking the book would be Awesome!

Watching: Game of Thrones, recording Mad Men, folded laundry today with House Hunters International in Taiwan. Love HGTV!

Weather:  81 right now (noon), but high will be 91 with 61 as the low. Partly cloudy. Hello pool season!

Needing:  Absolutely nothing. Feeling like my cup is very full right now. Happy to be home with my family!

Thinking: About having the next 2 days off with the hubby. Crazy excited. Thinking about going to the gym together, lunch, Costco, a movie or two. Would love to buy a grill and make steaks outside, but probably not going to talk him into that one.

Dreaming: About a house cleaner. I was cleaning the master bedroom today and wondering if I could scrape together enough money from my coupon savings to pay for cleaning help once or twice a month. That would be heavenly.

Loving: Life right now. Being away those 5 days made me really miss my tribe. I'm happy to be home and have a few more days off before I return to work on Friday.

View From My Bed

 

View from my hotel bed as I close my eyes for sleep and when I open then 8 hours later.

I slept with the curtains open each night so I could look out at the city lights. I was on the 5th floor so privacy was not a concern. And then my first view each morning was the stunning sight of the mountains covered in snow.

I'm home now with lots of thought about Snap swirling in my head. Deciding what is right for me. Deciding what direction I want to head in.

And, of course, lots of photos to edit and share.

But for now, I'm happy to be home with my family. My people who know me best and love me and get me.

Happy Monday to you!

Snow

 

Driving back to hotel after a full day @ Snap.  Snow covered mountains and a sunset.

Photos taken by me. As I was driving. There may have been some slight swerving going on. Not that the highway patrol car behind me noticed though. Yikes! Don't tell my insurance company!

Have a happy Saturday!

Currently

Eating:  Carribean food for lunch. It's a place right down the street, but we haven't tried it yet. I'm leaning towards jerk chicken, not oxtail or curry goat. Not ready for that adventure just yet.

Drinking:  what else? A venti iced coffee with skim milk and 5 pumps of white mocha. I did just switch back from the classic white chocolate mocha latte.

Wearing:  Pj's. Just woke up and wishing I could stay in them all day, but the plumber will be here soon (water leak in backyard yesterday) and I have to hit the grocery stores.

Starting:  back to coupon shopping. I decided to quit a few weeks ago, since I just go to Costco every week. But then that Sunday I went out and bought 3 newspapers again. And I hit 3 stores last night before the sales ended. Yay me! It's a lot of work, but a huge savings.

Feeling:  moody. Happy right now, but I'm sure to switch to cranky with little notice. Poor Mark, he is home with me today.

Reading: Game of Thrones, book 3. I had to borrow a copy, since the one I purchased was dragged outside by the devil dogs last week. And they ate pages 90-160. I was on page 96 at the time. Good thing I love those 2 dogs as much as I do!

Watching:  Walking Dead, Girls, and Justified when there is time, which is maybe 2 hours in any given week. We are a busy family! Hoping to see The Host on Friday.

Weather: 86 today, with slight clouds and 57 tonight. Also known as heavenly.

Needing:  to buy some cute shoes to wear with my skirts at Snap. And some sunglasses to help with all that sunshine we're getting these days.

Thinking:  about this round pendant lamp at West Elm. Saw it in San Diego and fell hard in love, but it was too bulky to fit in the car. Want to drive to the Scottsdale location and buy. Just need to talk Mark into getting it sooner rather than later....

Dreaming:  about summer break. Sleeping in. No homework. No schedules. No driving kids back and forth to school. Lazy summer days. Nine weeks to go.

Loving:  life this week. Not sure why I feel so relaxed, but it's nice. I've been just as busy as normal, but the days don't feel like they are flying by at the speed of  light.

Have a happy day!

Reuse...Reduce...Recycle

I mentioned a few days ago that I'm headed to the Snap blogging conference.  Well, I've been following Snap's blog and it appears that super, over the top, cute business cards are a must. And while I have business cards, they are not the slightest bit cute.

I blame the husband for that. He thought I should earn money from my business before I invest in cute  expensive cards. Darn that man can be overly practical!

So, I've been meaning to buy new cards for the conference, but feeling bad for the 500 sitting in the box on my bookcase. It's not their fault that they are super cute. I mean, I'm the one that ordered them to be printed, right?

Then I came up with the idea to reuse them. I'm painting the blank backside, then adding a magnet to the front. I'm still playing with different paint/marker colors and magnet shapes/placement. So, it's a work in progress at this point.

But I'm having fun. And I'm pretty happy with them so far (if only paint did not warp paper). And I'm feeling good about not tossing out the perfectly OK cards. And, so far, I have not spent a penny on the makeovers. I happen to have PLENTY of supplies on hand.

So, any thoughts? Cute? Stupid? Color suggestions? I need some feedback to take the pressure off the hubby (who thinks everything looks fine). Fine? One does not say fine in these types of situations!

I'm going for super, over the top, cute!