Summer Catch Up!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything, especially pictures, so here goes nothing... I am going to attempt to catch up on all my lazy blogging by doing one ginormous entry! Enjoy! =) 

These are a few different flowering plants that I have growing in my yard. 

This is a super fun project that I did. I found the idea online some time ago, and I decided I needed some art in my living room... so I took this cheap, black, old coffee table of ours and I decided to use it as my canvas... so I painted it a solid blue color, then used a few different shades of orange, white, and green to paint the rims of some cans, and then stamped them on the board in random places and VIOLA! Then i took a paintbrush, dipped it in some paint and flicked paint across the board to give it a little speckle. =) 

This is how it looks above our entertainment center. (FYI, the walls need to be painted a new color soon because my new color scheme is blue, green, and orange)

These are some pillows that I made. I found this gorgeous blue and green fabric and had to put it in my living room! It is suppose to be outdoor material, originally intended for cushions for the bench out back but I loved it so much I used it in the living room instead. (p.s. I got a new tan slip cover for the couch, it looks a lot better with the pillow colors) 

This was a really fun photo-shoot that I did at the daycare center that I work at. It is a military installation daycare, and we were doing patriotic themed photo contest for the month of July and these were some of the ones I took. There were a TON more that were super cute, but I don't have permission to use the children's pictures online, so I posted these few that didn't have any children in them. =) 

Might I also add that some of the Photos that I took WON THE CONTEST!! Yeah that's right! They will be blown up, and framed and be put in the lobby/offices of the daycare center!!! 

These next bunch of pictures are the incredible views from on top of Telegraph Pass. These are from mid-late July, we went up the trail at about 8 am, and it was probably 90-110 degrees on our trip up and down. It is a SUPER steep hike! My face was beat red and your legs will feel like jello about half way up... or at least mine did! (note to self-start hitting the gym you are WAY OUT OF SHAPE) D and I did the hike with some friends of ours, Brandi and Jake. Jake and Dustin are both Marines, so they are obviously in good shape, and Brandi runs like 5 miles everyday and 14 on the weekends so she is in ridiculously good shape, and then there's me... I don't workout, I hardly ever run, I mostly sit on my couch and eat junk food... so I was dying on the trip up! BUT, the views from the top are incredible and definitely well worth the tough hike! These pictures honestly don't do it justice up there!

D looking at the mountains in the distance. 

So I thought this rock looked like a silly face! Do you see it?? 

D and Jake taking in the sights (while I rest and snap some photos) on our hike back down... which is like 10000x easier than the hike up!!! 

D was doing a little climbing/exploring above us. (We are looking into starting some rock climbing, which we are both really looking forward to doing soon!)

The towers atop of the mountain and those tiny specks of color in the middle are Dustin, Jake and Brandi resting on the little bench at the top. I ventured off a little bit to take some pics. 

This is a view of Yuma... and the desert that surrounds it. Sad... but I live here. (for now)

and now compare the lame view above to these views below... still very flat but look at the green!!!! I am so jealous of the people who live on the other side of the mountains! 

These are our babies, the picture is not only super cute because Gunner is resting his head on Marley but it's also a good shot of the collars I made for them. Gunner's is camo- like D's uniform and Marley's is made with some left over fabric from those pillows on the couch. (I told you I loved that fabric!) =) 

This is a beautiful picture of Marley! She has such gorgeous eyes! =) 

The hubs and I also spent a day at the shooting range in July or August. D got a new AR and wanted to go test it out... turns out it was too clean though and jammed after a couple shots... it was a bummer but we still had the pistols with (and i had my camera) so we still got to do a little shooting and have a little fun! =) 

I thought this was terrible that all the shell casings are just left all over the ground out here... but it turned into some interesting photos. 

This is our 40mm pistol. It had a little more power, and I didn't really like shooting it, and it's suppose to be "my" gun HA! 

D didn't miss a lot but this one got away from him, but look at how close it is to the target... later you'll see how terrible I did... (try not to laugh) =) 

Now this pistol was a little nicer. This is the 9. Smaller, but still just as effective.

And here I am with the 9... I got scared even with the kick of this...

Ok... here's the funny part. HAHAHAHA yeah I missed the target by like a mile compared to D. But he's a Marine so he is obviously going to be better than me. 

I thought this thing was cool... reminds me of a fair booth that you have to knock the little man down by shooting him. Unfortunately these were like 15 feet in the air so we did not get to shoot at him. 

Some more photos of shell casings. 

On our drive home from the range we passed this big rock pile, and I noticed this little guy hanging out in the shade. If you ask me, he looks like an alien. That was the first mountain goat we've seen. 

I just wanted you all to see this... amidst the desert of Yuma, there is a nice little river that runs through it. There lives the only green for miles! haha sad... but true. 

I just thought this was kind of a cool picture... the tree fell into the water, but the roots were still in the ground and the leaves were still growing. 

Well, thank you all for visiting my little ol' blog, thanks for catching up on our lives lately... hopefully I will have more crafts and DIY projects as well as pictures to post soon! 

~Kari from Minnesota Sunshine~

some more recent writings...

Beyond my understanding and beyond reason, you have captivated my heart and fulfilled many of my dreams.
I have been a faltering mess and sometimes a hopeless wreck, but your brown eyes see passed it and into the depth of my soul, and with a single look you can see my deepest secrets and fears, and with a warm embrace you can calm my life and make the world ok again.

-----------------------------------------

I have seen a bit of this home land. I haven't lived among the natives or ventured into the unknown, and my heart is aching for that rush of adventure for the feel of that wind through my hair. I hope for new scenery, for new living. I feel like my heart wants more than this simple, typical life. There are billions upon billions of steps that my feet want to take, so many places that my eyes want to see, so many experiences that my mind wants to try and understand. I feel like money and jobs and "the simple (typical) life" are holding me captive and restraining my feet from taking stride. I want to feel the wind as we cross the ocean, I want to feel the rain in Paris, I want to witness the leaves changing in New England, I want to smell the air in Italy and taste the wine straight from the vineyard. I want to be engulfed in the history all around Europe, I want to feel the breeze as I zipline through the Amazon rainforest, I want to feel the sand between my toes in the Sahara, taste coconut milk while sitting on the beach of some deserted island. I want to feel the freezing air on top of a mountain, and feel the pain of hiking to the top. I want to live in an exotic place where everyday is an adventure. I want to live a life worth writing about, do something so spectacular that I keep trying to top it with my new adventures. I want to live free from the chains that make up our "typical" society. We have been tricked into thinking that life is suppose to be simple and pleasing, and rich and relaxing, but my own experience is that I find more pleasure in the things that have taken hard work to reach, that were thought of as unobtainable but I found a way. Life should be an adventure, should be about conquering fears and triumphing over the work that you have done to get somewhere. I feel like such a hypocrite to even say these things, to even reveal these dreams of mine, because I am so lost and stuck in this "american dream" that I don't take pride in the life that I've lived, or the things that I have done. My life revolves around a television and computer, and reading and seeing the lives of those who have had adventure and have been through great struggles. My greatest struggle is that I can't break free of my own life to enjoy and accomplish the life that I dream of. I am so convinced that life is better everywhere but here. Maybe my struggle is with finding happiness in the life that I have, and not dreaming of so much more, but what is a life without high hopes and dreams. My life is satisfying, but is it enough, is this going to be how I live each day from here on out, or will there be adventure, and excitement. Will I find true happiness with my life, before it's too late? Maybe the adventure is in not knowing what tomorrow will bring, not knowing where my life will go, but the adventure is always being ready and open for the amazing times that lie ahead.

Sunday Morning...

February already, my my I have been a lazy blogger... Well as much as I wish I could say that my life has been so busy and eventful that I didn't have time to write, that would be a lie... so instead I will tell you that I have been working and spending quality time with my wonderful husband, and on special occasions my extended family and friends. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years have all come and gone, it is now 2011 and nearly Valentine's day. This month is also special to me because I will be another year older.

Right now I am sitting in a hotel room in Phoenix with my husband, my sister, and my sister's boyfriend. It is 9:00 in the morning and I am the only one awake, which is lucky for you because otherwise I may not have found the time today to write this lovely blog.

I am feeling very alive this morning, if that makes any sense. I am truly taking in all of the things that I am seeing and smelling, as though they are all new to me. It's funny that my sister just flew in from Minnesota, yet I feel like I flew in with her... as though all of this is new to me, that I never took an honest look at where I am. I feel like a traveler, like a tourist. On the drive to Phoenix I was really soaking in the sites. The mountains seemed somewhat familiar but as though they changed and became new to me once again. I took on the mindset of what she would be thinking, what she would be seeing and I tried to look through those ideas, those thoughts. It was an awakening for me, I wish that I could look around and soak in the sites and sounds like this wherever I go. I would see so much more and remember so much more if I acted as a tourist everywhere....

Well I know that this was short and maybe full of nonsense but husband's stomach is calling. I hope to write again soon.

Some of my older writings

It's another dark September night, and it's raining; lightly... but enough.
Enough that I can hear it hit the window pane.
The streets are lined with puddles now,
that reflect the glow of the street lights.
The grass moves slightly as the wind brushes over it.
The walls crackle every time the wind picks up.
For a moment my heart is lustful and searching for answers.
Answers to the emptiness that it often feels.
It's on these dark rainy nights that my heart aches for completion.
Something that will connect with it,
to keep it from fading into the darkness of these cold September nights.




I think I've lost that connection...
I'm a drifter.
I obviously can't stick with things...
I have problems with commitments,
and I think it's starting to effect me.
Almost every sport I've been in...
I quit...
I gave up.
Everytime I promise to keep doing something...
eventually I don't.
If I want to wake up early...
I'll tell myself the night before that no matter what, I was going to get up...
but when that alarm goes off,
I don't do it.
I give in to my sleep.
I hate that fact about me!
I can't save money..
I struggle to keep jobs...
I never wanted to get up and go to school...
and it's going to drag me down soon,
and I'm scared of that.
I don't want to fail!
I want to commit,
and stay with school and my career choices.
I'm sick of being a quitter!
The worst of all...
is my faith.
There are those times in my life,
where I'll be really close to God,
and I'll be this crazy, on-fire christian,
and then....
it stops and I don't worry about it anymore,
well... I'm tired of it all!
I want to be commited to God!
I need help to do it,
so I am praying that he'll give me strength!
Strength to keep my word...
and to save money,
and work hard,
and not give up...
Strength to wak up early, and eagerly,
and strength to pull my crap together and go to school...
and stay there...
and work hard,
and stick with my commitments,
and duties,
and responsibilities,
and when I want to do something....
strength to actually do it!





It's good to hear your voice
to hear you say that you missed me.
The words "I'm sorry"
never sounded so sincere.
It takes me back to the times
when holding your hand really meant something to me.
I wanted to be with you
but I was scared to have someone be important to me.
I didn't want to hurt you,
but I didn't want you to be close enough
to hurt me.
I've called you,
but you never returned the favor.
You didn't want to talk to me.
You were afraid to let me back in.
Now what do we do?
We've told our stories,
we've said our sorries,
but what's left?
Do we start over?
Or do we leave it as it is.
I care for you still
and I believe that you care for me in return.
But where does that lead?
What is to become of this?
Maybe tomorrow we will decide,
but tonight it's late,
so until then....
Goodnight
and.....
I've missed you.





A smile takes over,
when I hear that name.
I get a feeling inside,
when I think of your face.
Something inside me feels lighter.
It would be a lie to say
I don't think about you a lot.
Truthfully...
I feel happy when I think about you
and I love that feeling!
So I bascially told you today...
I'm not sure if you really knew what I was saying,
but I like to believe that you did.
After that...
the conversation picked up pace.
Questions were easier,
and more frequent,
and responses were coming quicker.
The mood lightened,
and the conversation flowed better...
or at least I like to think so.
To be honest,
I like to think that you like me
and that something will spark between you and me,
but in all honesty...
I have no idea what is going through your mind.
I want to know if you've thought about me...
or if you are tonight.
I have so many questions
that I would love to ask you...
but the words are more difficult to find.
Girls have a tendency to be confusing and frustrating,
and here is part of why that is.... (well for me at least)...
I don't want to be too forward
and I don't want to be blunt...
incase it comes to you as a shock
and maybe freaks you out a little...
so I try to hint at things
and be incognito about them...
I don't want you to know what I'm asking,
but then again I do.
The way I work is basically like that.
I'm not blunt at all,
I'm sneaky.
I pick my words and sentences carefully...
This fact about me applys to many situations...
and I know it's kind of dumb,
and a stupid way of saying what should be said,
but that pretty much explains me,
and how I function.

Oh, just to show you how often and randomly you cross my mind...
after all of my side tracking...
you popped right back into my mind,
along with the smile on my face,
and that cool feeling inside.

See what worries me is that I might come across too strong.
I'm afraid that if you knew all of this,
you would be like, "WOW!"
And I know I probably get too attached
and too hopeful...
but what else should happen?
Should I be hesitant about you,
and then just not be confident about anything...
then how would I ever get anywhere?
Well I am off to think more about that name and face,
and especially those eyes.






(This is just something I wrote... I have never been suicidal... I just had an inspirational moment that I felt like writing... and this is what came from it.)

Looking in on a realm of depression
I find myself hiding again
In an attempt not to breach a point of confession
my fears and desires are one in the same.
In a world of insanity is where my mind falls
every uneven thought pushes me closer
to a world where I cannot change.
My heart is racing and you aren't giving up.
I'm breathing and screaming
but it's all just too much
I'm ready to quit
to call it all off
to end everything
especially my thoughts.
They push and they pull
and I keep growing weak.
Soon it'll be
just another sad week
when classmates and friends
all join in the gym
to pay their respects
to another lost kin.
I'm slipping through this world
into another
hoping i'll soon get better.
When things aren't right
I stumble all over
and try to cover it up
but deep down inside,
it just piles and piles
until it all ends
with a shot!

Water for Elephants

I recently finished reading the book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen and I LOVED this book!!!! It's about a man's life and adventures with, the olden day, circuses that traveled by train. I loved the book, it was dramatic and made me ponder a lot of things all the same time! I definitely recommend it!One of the things that I thought about while/after reading this book is: I honestly think that I was supposed to be born 50-100 years ago!! What an incredible world it would be to see how this country got started, and to see how simple and extraordinary everything was! I told my husband yesterday that I wish we could go back to the time when life was about simple pleasures like reading a book or having actual conversations!!! I feel like we are overwhelmed with technology and that people don't really interact like they used to. Does that make me sound like an old woman or what?? Don't get me wrong, I love having the computer and being able to travel to other continents within a day, but I also wish that I could remember a time when I didn't watch tv or go online for months.... that is absolutely something that I cannot say... I don't think I have gone without tv, or internet for more than a few days.... and I feel like I don't have that connection with anyone... like people used to have.

If someone ever builds a time machine... I think I may take advantage of it and travel back 100 years or more, I'm not sure if I would ever come back!

Happily Ever After?? If you say so!

I have an obsession with Disney movies. That's not really a new discovery, it's a fact about myself. I guess I just never out-grew cartoons! =) I'm still very young and I am still trying to make my life into a fairy tale of sorts. I honestly think that fairy tales can be real if you make them real. Life should be lived as though you are living in the "Happily Ever After" portion of your story.

I know I probably rarely live my life that way, but I should, I should learn to respect and appreciate my husband more often... well, all the time actually. Sometimes I feel like I don't show him my love as often as I should, and sometimes I feel like I show him so much affection that he gets a little tired of the hugs and kisses, but I wear my heart on my sleeve. I tell him at any and every moment that I feel deeply in love with him, how much I care for him... (which is pretty often)!

I get frustrated when I hear about couples that end their relationships or marriages because they say they have "lost the spark" or that they just don't feel the romance there anymore... that is a load of bologna if you ask me! Yes I believe that the "spark" of a relationship is an intense feeling that you get when you are with someone that you love... and I don't think that it ever goes away, or suddenly gets lost.... It's a feeling that you create by being so overwhelmed with love and appreciation and desire and passion for someone. It's easy to find again, if you would just look past all the arguments over money and all the bickering and just look into that person's eyes and think about what you felt when you met them, and how in love you truly were, and if you just forgive and look at who they really are, you will fall back into love again... it's as easy as believing and loving no matter what.

Life is going to end at the happiest moment and just say, "and they lived Happily Ever After." That portion of your life should never just stop, you should relive that feeling and those emotions all the time and just open your heart and let the feelings sink in! Life can be a fairy tale, you just have to make it that way. Fairy tales don't just happen on their own.

I feel as though my life thus far has been an absolutely incredible adventure and just the beginning of a long life of happily ever afters!

All you need is Love

I feel like I haven't given my husband enough credit... Which is ridiculous because he is the most important person in my life.

I love him more than I think I let on.... He is the utmost amazing man I have ever met! He makes me smile, just by thinking about him. He has this embrace that he holds me with, and all I feel is utter joy! He is my home and my love in living, breathing form.

He is my world! He knows my moods and he knows how to comfort me, and when to comfort me. He knows how to push my buttons, and he does from time to time, but I know that at the end of every day, he is always going to be there beside me and that is what I love. He is like a dream, like no other, he is everything that I've ever wanted and honestly a lot more! He is my life, my family, he is my husband and I hope to spend the next 70+ years showing him my love and making him happy! That is all that I need, is his happiness and his love.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving man, and I cherish every minute of it!

Remember

I'm always hoping to be significant, whether it's in the world, or just in one person's life. I want to be able to make a difference and be remembered, but who really remembers? How many people have lost their lives and hoped to be remembered? How many really are? Who are they... I don't think I know of many.

Life is fragile, it's not a guarantee, it's fast and it's forgetable because everyone is only significant to themselves. I want to learn to make others significant; help them to achieve their remembrance.

Maybe that's what the moral of this story is... help to remember the others, make their lives important, so that they may realize how loved and cherished they were in their life and hopefully that'll be enouch to fulfill their desire.

Maybe it's a matter of remembering, rather than being remembered.

I hope that I can fulfill that for someone....

Wedding!

It has been five days since our wedding already!

Can you believe that? It was a beautiful wedding, even though we had some rain. It turned out amazing!

The day was incredible!! It felt like it was only Dustin and me during the ceremony. I love this man with my whole life and my entire being. He is everything that I have ever dreamed of! He looked so handsome! It blew me away!! I can't believe that he wanted to marry me, but I am so glad that he did!! =)

The day was fun! It took a lot of work!! I'm glad that I had my entire family there to help me out. They all deserve a huge thanks!

Something I wrote to my adoring husband

Within this noise I find my peace.

It comes with a touch of your skin and a clasp of your hand in mine.

My heart races and thumps through my chest and surfaces at my mouth as a smile.

I have a comfort that I've never known before and it only comes with your company.

Being with you has made me a stranger with all of the people I used to know, because I have grown accustom to our private life.

I have such satisfaction knowing that I have a home with you. Knowing that my world has transformed and that I belong to you.

My name changed along with my soul and my world will never be lonely again.

I have placed your heart within mine so that I will find death and despair with it's absence.

Without your love my blood would seize to flow throughout these veins and my skin would become pale and cold, until the pain subsides and nothing is left.

With your love clearly present, my heart beats on and warms my world and gives it color and brings forth new life.

I love you babe!

Love always and truly,
Your Wife!