Things Not to Do While Driving 75 mph on the Expressway...

1.  Don't fall asleep even though your husband has.

2.  Don't fall asleep even though the road is dead straight, and there is nothing along side the road, not even a solitary tree.

3.  Don't try to watch a movie, even though your little girls are watching one in the backseat.

4.  Don't talk on your cell phone.

5.  Don't hit a deer, even a small female mule deer, or your car might look like this!

Sadness!  By the way, I was not doing any of the other things listed above, and no person was injured.  I'm sure the deer was a different story.

We were on our way home from our visit to Yellowstone.  We had eaten dinner about one hour before this happened, but I was not sleepy.  It was nine o'clock and had just gotten dark.  Hubby was sleeping because he was sick, so I had the privilege of driving this boring stretch of Wyoming interstate.  I did see the deer perched along side of the road looking like she might just wait for me to pass.  Unfortunately, she decided to spring forward.  I did have enough time to hit my brakes and slow down, but it didn't really seem to help much.

After the collision, I wasn't really sure what to do.  I kept driving, but at a slower speed.  I asked Hubby what to do, and he said just to keep an eye on my gauges and drive to the next exit.  It was completely dark and we wouldn't be able to see much if we did stop, plus, what if we couldn't get the car running again?!  Thankfully the next exit was only a few miles away.  I think a piece or two of the car (or deer? uggh) may have fallen off on those few miles, and there was a lot of noise and whistling.

Once we got to the exit, we realized that the passenger side door would not open.  We got out to survey the damage and I was quite shocked.  The gas station attendant called state patrol and gave us some garbage bags and duct tape.  Since the nearest state trooper was about an hour's drive away, we asked if we could just meet him there rather than wait.  He agreed, so Hubby cut a few pieces off the car, taped up a few other bits, and we were back on the road.  We were not sure that the state trooper was going to allow us to drive the remaining four or five hours home considering the state of our vehicle, but we thought that we really might need the accident report for our insurance to cover the damage.  The trooper did let us go, and he assured me that I had done the right thing in just hitting my brakes, worse accidents happen when people try to swerve and avoid hitting a deer.

So, praise the Lord that we were all safe!  Thanks to our insurance, my car looks good again.  I still don't recommend hitting a deer though.  The insurance deductible took a good chunk of our summer budget, and going without a car while it is in the shop can be challenging too.

Sister-in-Law

This is my sister-in-law.  (I will call her Fifi.)  She is a Senior in High School this year, but I have known her since she was three years old.  It has been fun to watch her grow and mature over the years that Hubby and I have been married.

I remember helping Fifi to learn her colors the first time we met.  She was a very energetic, fun, and happy child.  Now she is a lovely and intelligent young lady.  She is a very good Auntie to our two children.   The last time Fifi visited with us, she volunteered to play with our girls so that Hubby and I could go out on a date.  She volunteered herself as babysitter more than once, and Hubby and I were so appreciative.  She even brought along an activity to enjoy with our girls.  Our girls felt so special that their Auntie had planned this fun project for them. Graciously, Fifi also helps us out around our house when she comes to visit.  Last summer she was my painting partner.  This summer, unfortunately, she was my weeding partner.  I had to spend hours out in the yard pulling weeds, and Fifi was there much of the time helping me.  She never once complained!

Even though Fifi is my sister-in-law, I have grown to love her like my own sister over the years.  We have a lot in common.  We both enjoy scrapbooking, and other papercrafting, as well as photography, and other girly things like flowers.  Whenever she comes to visit, we shop at all the local craft stores.  I always use her visit as an excuse to go to Archiver's and do some scrapbooking with her.

As a Senior in High School, much of Fifi's future is unknown and uncertain.  While somewhat scary, it's also exciting to think ahead to the future and imagine what God has planned for her life.  I look forward to watching God's work unfold in her life over the next few years.

1st Baby Photos

We now have two ultrasound photos of our baby.  We actually have three, but I will not be posting the photo revealing her gender!  The photos are not great, but they do provide a glimpse of our precious baby girl.  She appears to be developing perfectly.  It's hard to believe that even at 21 weeks, she weighs less than one pound, but looks like a perfectly miniature human being!  We praise the Lord for His blessings!  The first photo was taken at 12 weeks, and the second one was taken at 21 weeks.

Seth & Amie

Another one of Hubby's former students was married in July and I had the privilege of photographing their special day.  They were married at the Briarhurst Manor.  It is a beautiful location for an outdoor wedding!  I was so honored to be a part of their big day.  Here are a few of my favorite images.

June 2008

Rosebud learned to ride her bike without training wheels way back in June!  I have not posted about many events from the summer, but I do plan to catch up at least a little bit. The girls don't have much opportunity to ride their bikes since we are paranoid about letting them ride in the street.  We decided to give them some practice by taking them to the junior high school tennis courts.  The school has four courts together in one fenced enclosure.  It works out great for our family.  The girls ride their bikes and Hubby and I play tennis.  The best part is that Pixie has a little basket on her bike and loves to ride around and gather the balls for us!

Due to my large supply of scrapbooking supplies, which I love, my husband suggested that I explore digital scrapbooking.  Apparently digital supplies take up A LOT less space than paper supplies!  I have done a bit of research and experiments with digital scrapbooking, and I just do not love it.  I think it would help if I actually knew how to do it.  Anyway, here is one of my experiments.  If any of you have any suggestions of how I can learn to scrapbook on my computer....please let me know.