Giveaways... O how I love thee...

Oh how I love Giveaways... I have so many neat blogs that I have been following for quite some time... one of them is The Vintage Pearl's blog... and let me tell you - if anyone wants a neat gift to give - check out The Vintage Pearl (www.thevintagepearl.blogspot.com)!! Just lovely pieces... And unique - which is what this chickie loves- unique, funky, lovely, gorgeous, FUN pieces!!!

Well Erin at The Vintage Pearl has been doing some pretty unique giveaways... unfortunately I've NOT been lucky in winning them... but I digress... the most recent giveaway is from Shey B for camera straps... Well I found 1 I absolutely love... Check this out!!! I LOVE the colors!!

Maybe this time I will be lucky?? Hmmmm maybe this time I should do a giveaway for others?! My porcelain earrings perhaps!!

Now off to search for some more giveaways... ;)

Utah

We made it safely to UT and I took some neat photos from the plane... the landscape of our beautiful country is phenomenal... truly awe-inspiring! We went from the green, warm area of Florida, over dry barren landscapes, to these gorgeous valleys and fissures in our land! Patchwork fields, winding snake-like rivers and streams, to BOOM! these jagged mountains capped in white!!

I heard "Are we in Utah yet?", "Momma look at the mountains - THERE'S SNOW! We have to be in Utah now", "MOMMA there's big hillllllllllls!" I loved it! It was so exciting to see the change in the countryside and see the changes and excitement in the girls faces.

Ahhhhhhhhhh... it's nice to relax and just "be" here. It's funny - I didn't grow up here, I have never lived here but somehow - and maybe it's seeing a lot of my childhood memories in things around my parents home - I feel like I am "home" for the holidays. It is a rather neat, heart-warming feeling.

When the girls first arrived I could see the anticipation, their feelings were palpable as they raced around searching and exploring all the nooks and crannies of the house. They talked steadily about a secret room and even divised a "code word" for it so only those they entrusted with the code word would know which room they were talking about. The girls had fun re-visiting some of their favorite things in the house...tea sets, trains, and a special doll that Boo re-named "Annabelle". They played in the tiny amount of snow that was left in the backyard of Maia and Poppa's house. They also jumped in to leaves and had a grand time flopping around and throwing the leaves at eachother!

Little Ms Boo has followed Poppa around like a little puppy. She has been Poppa's helper and it is so neat to watch. They already been busy raking the front yard together, setting up with Ky the train village for the z-scale train model, and after a short nap they will set up a train that ms Boo and ms Kyky will be able to do on their own.

Even though the plane trip was difficult as far as pain goes... it was worth the trip in more ways than one!

time on my side with nothing to show for it

Well dang nab it... I cannot even update my own blog lately... very frustrating! I endeavor to really dive in to my thoughts and things I've been wanting to write about. So many thoughts, so many mixed feelings... so many things happening...

Am I who I really am? Am I still me? I know I am a bit skinnier (YAY), but with that I feel a bit like a shell of a person lately. Feel kinda ready to be Kymmie. I guess she has needed to recover and re-invent her physical status. I like to think that she's still there - only dormant - getting ready to make a full, happy, recovery, maybe even be more fresh, a better momma, a better wife, a better friend. A better me.

Do I hope too much? Do I ask too much? Have I slipped away? I'm here... just can't be exactly the way I want to be...yet.

I am me... I hope to be a better me.