A Complete Weekend

By Amy






My weekend was perfect. Full of both sides of family. I feel full and happy.

We leave for Alaska in five days. FIVE DAYS. So that means that this is the last blog for me until we get back. Then hopefully I will have some beautiful pictures to share! Although I think the pictures in this blog post are beautiful too. Every single one.

The Desert

by Ang

A good portion of New Mexico is considered the desert. Including where we live. But it doesn't always LOOK like the desert, because it's populated, there's houses and buildings and mountains...you get the picture.

However, this past weekend, we went to THE DESERT. My cousin and his wife (from Bethel) were here giving a talk in a small town about 3 hours south of here called Tularosa. Since they were so close, we decided to meet up with them.

Here is what our drive looked like:

A whole lot of desert. And not much else.

We seen a dirt devil on the way home. I've seen many of the 'mini' dirt devils here in the big city, but I've never seen one this big!

More of....nothing.

The scenery changed a little bit as we got closer to home. Mountains! (Look at all the dead bugs on our windsheild. Gross!)

It was a nice weekend. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask permission to post pictures of my family, so I won't do that here. We had a great time though. We ate lunch at this wonderful little restaurant in the middle of a pecan grove called 'The Nut House'. We ate, talked, and did plenty of laughing. My family is pretty great!

Losing It (part two)

By Amy





I have started this post about four times now. I'm not sure where to begin and I don't want you to think I'm being to dramatic or thinking to much about this. And I don't want you to worry about me because I am ok. REALLY. In a nutshell here are some random thoughts.

~ Just because you see that magic number on the scale, it doesn't turn you into a happy, strong, confident woman. And that can be very, very disappointing.

~If I had a friend who talked to me the way I talk to myself I would have a hard time not shoving her to the ground. And if my husband threw the same insults at me that I tell myself? I would leave.

~ Please don't think I'm fishing for compliments. They make me feel weird and awkward and I have to force myself to say thank you and not go into a whole conversation about what I don't like about myself.

~ I think about my sweet niece and all the girls that I love. I wonder when they will start picking at there bodies. It's starting younger these days and that makes me so sad. There are girls as young as nine that are on diets and worried about their bodies. How do you raise strong, confident daughters but not go overboard and have them turn out conceited or with a "I'm better then everyone else" attitude? And do they see the hypocrisy in your eyes when you beat yourself up about your weight/body but tell them that a number on a scale is just a number?

~ I am grateful. Really I am. I am healthy. I have a amazing family. Incredible job. Did you read my sisters last post? On June 6th we are meeting in the Seattle airport. And then flying to Sitka. And boarding my bosses yacht. I can't tell you how excited i am. Do you know how long it's been since I've seen her? A year. A YEAR. So I get a week with my sister. In Alaska. On a boat that is fully staffed. Yes please.

~ I went to a exhibit last week with 158 Pulitzer Prize photographs. I went by myself because I didn't know how I would react. I actually held it together quite well. And some of the pictures were horrific. The dying baby on the desert floor with a vulture only 6 feet away. Just waiting. Multiple assassinations. The plane exploding into the second twin tower. The one that made my eyes spill over was of a soldier. He was holding a card in his hand from his wife. Pressing it to his nose. Trying to get the scent of her, the smell of home. I have no idea why that was the one that put me over the edge. But the bottom line is that my issues are so petty compared with all the suffering that is going on in the world. I need to just get over myself and not spend so much time and energy trying to figure out why I'm not happy with myself. Enough already!

~ I promise my next post will be full of sunshine and rainbows. Just kidding! Well you never know. It might be. My moods have kind of been all over the place lately so I guess you never know what you are going to get with me. In the same day I can feel a deep dark sadness and hours later feel so happy my chest feels like it will burst open. Keeps you guessing right? Me too.

Summer: A Lot to Look Forward To

by Ang

It feels like summer, even though it's spring. I think the major reason is because I finished with my class. School's out! And that means summer....usually.

I am proud of myself for finishing with an A in my class. I am taking the summer off from classes. I'll start back up in September.

And it just looks and feels like summer. Our flowers are blooming:

I made sun tea today (if that's not a summer like thing to do, then I don't know what is):

And in less than a month, we are taking our first 'summer' vacation. We're going to Sitka, Alaska, where we get to spend an entire week with my family!!

Here are some pictures from a book which I bought the last time I was there: The pictures in the book don't do it justice obviously, but you get the main idea. It's beautiful. It's the 2nd most beautiful place I've ever been. It was first on the list, until we went to Hawaii, then it got bumped to number two. I can't wait!

There's so many other exciting things happening this summer too:

June: Alaska & possibly a shopping trip to Phoenix with my mother-in-law

July: District Convention

August: My sister and her family are coming to Albuquerque for a whole week and we are taking a side trip while they're here to the Grand Canyon.

I love summer!

Losing It (part one)

By Amy

I've lost a few pounds. Eighteen to be exact but who is counting? Haha! You know we all count. When people ask how I did it, I'm not sure what to say. I'm a Weight Watcher's member so I usually just tell them that. I did go in every week to weigh in. But I didn't count my points or journal my food intake.

I think I'm reluctant to tell people how I did it because it's not healthy. First I stopped eating breakfast. That is a huge no-no as we all know. Then I started cutting all my meals in half. Half a banana, half a granola bar, 3 chicken nuggets instead of 6. You get the idea. I ate very little. The problem is when your calorie intake is so low you have no energy to exercise. Or do much else for that matter. The weight came off but it left me with a flabby, loose skinned body.

So I started taking Ginger for a two mile walk everyday. When I couldn't do that I would run/walk on the treadmill. Some days I would do a video. I'm not going to bore you with my whole routine. I keep hearing that exercise can become addictive. That hasn't happened yet. I hate it. It's time consuming and it hurts.

If I didn't have music I couldn't do it. I have to have it pumping in my ears to distract me from what I'm doing. I've got U2 promising me a Beautiful Day. A little Flo Rida because the Club Can't Handle Me Right Now! haha! Some G&R's Paradise City, which makes me think of the beach, which makes me think of me in a swim suit, which makes me push harder. There's Rihanna crying and burning and me picturing Eminem with his face just out of reach so I can give him a good shove. And there is P!nk. Who tells me I'm perfect. Despite the voices in my head. Those voices are loud and annoying. More on that later....

1996 - 2011

by Ang

Goodbye, Sweet Nami. :(

I hate to brag but....

By Amy

I took my nieces Senior pictures a few weeks ago. They turned out fabulous. But not because of my photography skills.

She's a beautiful girl and just as pretty on the inside.

This is her pet bird Tweety. I forget if Tweety was a girl or a boy. He/she was a great sport!

This next one is my absolute favorite and after you see it you will probably wonder why. I just love the whole "feel" of the picture. It's kind of dreamy and I keep going back to it even if no one else gives it a second glance. I am getting this one on a print for sure.

I have a new found respect for real photographers. I was a nervous wreck. And trying to find a evening with the perfect light....we had to cancel three times! It was windy but we tried to work with that. The light was beautiful and I am so thankful for that. Lighting can make or break your pictures. Anyway I am so proud of her and am honored that I was asked to do this for her! It was a great time!

Santa Rosa

by Ang

This weekend we went to Santa Rosa. My husband has been taking scuba diving classes, and the final test for certification is in Santa Rosa, NM. There is a natural spring there that is a hot scuba diving spot. It's about an hour and a half east of Albuquerque. So, Friday after work, we were off!

Am I back in Nebraska?

It's pretty flat east of here.

Santa Rosa is a tiny town, so there's not much to do besides scuba dive! I came armed with loads to do though. I brought movies, my pictures, snacks, paperwork and more. In going through my pictures, I came across some of my favorites.

Me and my nephew Micah:

Me, my sister and my sister-in-law having some fun at the Mall of America:

My nephew (who is now 15!) in upstate New York:

My sweet aunt and my Grandma:

It was nice to reminisce and get my pictures in order. I got a lot done!

On the way home, it was snowing! But the skies cleared up as we got closer to ABQ:

So it was a fun, unusual weekend! My husband became a certified scuba diver on May 1st while it was snowing and 38 degrees!!!