Do you see this?!
I have not had anything that resembles a ponytail since we got married and Keith decided he liked short hair, so I chopped it all off. Now he says he prefers long hair – what gives?!
He says he likes change when it comes to my hair. I wonder what he’d do if I had a pink mohawk when he got home…
P.S. How cool is it that the end of my ponytail is magnified in my glasses?!
…no, not the Katy Perry song that is always stuck in my head due to the dance team (although some of my kids swear I look like Katy Perry), but it’s finally Friday night!!
It has been a long week here. My stomach issues seem to be on the mend (still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on), but then I was attacked by a head cold. Since my immune system was completely depleted, it really did a number on me!!
A big weekend ahead! Tonight is our first bible study for the year and we’re super excited :) Looking forward to getting to know some new people as well as deepening current friendships and growing together.
The bigger news, however, is that we’re attending the annual Air Force Ball tomorrow night at the Bellagio! Woot! We’re going with friends, which will make it even more fun and then staying at the Paris (since they got such a good deal for those of us attending the ball)!
I’ll be sure to post pictures :)
On another note, I saw this little boy at the grocery store the other day that really made an impression on me. I was walking past one of the meat cases as his mom was pushing him away from me. He craned his neck all the was around her (he had to be just over 1 years old) and smiled to say, “Hi!” to me. I couldn’t help but wonder when we stop going out of our way to smile and say hi to people we don’t know. I try to do that at every opportunity, but sometimes I’m too tired, lazy, selfish, etc. That’s my goal for the next week!
P.S. There are about to be some exciting things going on at The Dancing Frog – think mom and baby accessories for Christmas gifts and lots of special promotions!
Life has been so crazy that my blog has been neglected like a long forgotten friend! Miscellany Monday is always a good excuse to start writing again :)
a) Photography LEO
Once a month, the women’s of Keith’s residency (both wives and residents) get together to hang out (aka Ladies Evening Out). This week, we had the privilege of working with Amy Leavitt Photography and Cindergirl Photography, both of Las Vegas. We had a blast eating yummy snacks and learning to make the most of our cameras!
Lots of great tips to take home!
b) Pumpkin Hat
A friend commissioned a pumpkin hat for her infant and I think it turned out really well! I’m making all sorts of holiday and seasonal hats for infants to be listed with dolls and other handmade children’s toys at The Dancing Frog. Next I’ll be creating a Candy Corn Cap :)
Can't wait to see this on little Hannah B!
c) Jesus calling
I’ve been struggling with devotional time lately, but I have to share the book I’ve been using once again because it’s amazing! Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, is the most insightful, encouraging, scripture-based devotional I’ve ever read. It’s so good I got a copy for my Grandmother for Mother’s Day and my sister one for graduation. It turns out two of my uncles are reading it as well. It is encouraging to hear that so many people in my family are starting their day with God’s promises.
Available almost anywhere - go find it!!
d) Sickness
Still waiting on most of my test results. Meanwhile, I’ve acquired a sinus cold and am down for the count. I was completely exhausted after 2nd Period, so I’ve decided to take tomorrow off in order to rest up for the rest of the week.
This is brilliant. I will do this with my children one day. It also makes me thankful that nausea and vomitting are not part of my symptoms!
e) Etsy Updates
Being sick has kept me from keeping up with Dancing Willow Photography. I hope to get back to it soon!
If you haven't, please "like" the shop on Facebook and Etsy!
f) Air Force Ball
The Annual Las Vegas Air Force Ball is on Saturday! I am so excited since it means getting dressed up, having a once-in-a-lifetime experience going to a ball at the Bellagio, and enjoying time with our friends who we are going with.
Only 5 days to go!!
g) Serendipity Chic
Last, but certainly not least, is my new favorite Etsy shop! If you love fun little accessories, you’ve got to check out Serendipity Chic – it just opened this week by my good friend Ana (yes, from Ana’s Lifesense) and I’ve got my eye on quite a few of her pieces! Check her out and give her some business!
I have a feeling this one will end up in my wardrobe one of these days!
That’s all for now! Don’t forget that it’s a party – linking up to:
all images from google.com image search with the exception of the last two, which are from their respective shops/blogs.
Tonight is the last night in my bed for awhile. Am I excited about our impending trip, you ask?
Why yes, just a little bit.
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And don’t worry, we have covert ops watching the apartment to make sure the AC doesn’t break again!
Summer vacation means I can get my Etsy shops back in order!
My photography is now available for purchase at Dancing Willow Photography. Note cards will be available soon.
Please check out the Etsy page as well as Dancing Willow Photography on Facebook!!
Nothing like a cross-country trip to see family right after the end of school to give you a reason to ignore all social media :)
Even better is the excuse of my favorite sister graduating from high school (yea, she’s my only sister, but she’s still my favorite!). It was a gorgeous night and such a wonderful reason to celebrate!
The evening started with a portrait session
Nothing like a long procession of marroon regalia to get you in the graduation mood!
Hat's off! (wishing I'd had my flash on!)
She did it!
Proud parents, sister, and Grandma!
So glad I was able to be here!!!
Anywho – don’t expect to hear much from me any time soon; I am enjoying time off and don’t plan on spending much time keeping up on things!!
A few weeks ago I sent a few friends this picture:
All set up and ready to go!
I decided to go the professional route of hanging paper the same size as the frames instead of adding more holes to the wall. I appreciate all of those that reminded me that hanging newspaper on your wall for art isn’t cute :)
We bought a big frame for the middle, but realized we didn’t have a non-wedding picture. So last weekend, we headed to Red Rock with a friend and got lots of great pictures:
We ended up choosing the last picture and hung existing frames and pictures around the edges:
Another project finished!
I printed smaller versions of the other pictures from Red Rock to add width to the gallery. One more thing to cross off the list!
Phew! One semester down, one to go. I can’t believe it’s gone so quickly – lots to share here!
Keith is busy working with geriatric patients and took his boards at the beginning of January. We have enjoyed being able to spend more time together and were so excited to host family last week! It was a blast to explore new places and revisit old favorites :)
In other news, I (almost) finished curtains in the living room and have almost saved up for a fancy camera to boost my photography skills and Etsy options. The photography teacher at school is letting me borrow one of his cameras for the week since it’s the model I’m looking to buy – hoping to find some serious deal somewhere!
I also found this fantastic website to help track calories and exercise. There’s even an option to join with friends for accountability; best part is it’s totally FREE with an awesome iPhone app! Let me know if you want to sign up and we’ll help each other out!
Otherwise we’re trying not to exhaust ourselves at work and come up with creative ways to spend time together. Any and all suggestions are welcome!!
We’d appreciate if you would pray for us as there are many people in our respective families who are dealing with some pretty serious health issues. I am reminded of the time when we were those people and I know how much prayer can encourage discouraged hearts.
Until next time…
…and I still haven’t finished posting on our road trip!
I have kept plenty busy with crafting projects, house projects, and settling in to our North Las Vegas home. Keith has been working hard on the inpatient floor and starts his first day in the clinic on Monday! All of the interns have survived their first month :)
We went for our first hike together last weekend. It was so refreshing to find a waterfall, green plants, and a quiet spot in the mountains! I have been working hard to improve my photography skills as well:
Beautiful tree at the top of the mountain.
View at Mary Jane Falls.
I love these cactus flowers!
Letting loose on the mountain!
Since school is still one month away and I am working hard to enjoy the summer and not overwhelm myself with school planning, etc, I have opened my own Etsy shop! My shop (http://TheDancingFrog.etsy.com) has note cards with my photography, some home decorations, and little Dancing Frog dolls. I’m working on some bigger projects as well, but the little things are keeping me plenty busy! Check it out and let me know what you think :)
Other than that, we are enjoying being settled, making new friends, and catching up with old friends. In order to appease our withdrawl from the coast and ocean, we’re heading out to Southern California next weekend to soak up some sun (in less than one hundred degrees) and visit with friends.
We hope all is well with you and want you to know you’re always welcome to visit – thanks for keeping track of us!
Love, Becky & Keith
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[Read more at Our Life in Four Bags]
It seems that now that we’ve lived in Las Vegas almost 2 months I have completely lost all blogging skills. Here’s a quick update on life:
Last I wrote, I had just been hired as the Physics teacher at Sunrise Mountain High School – now I’ve got all of my textbooks and materials piled up in our living room, ready to be used for planning! Keith is just over halfway done with his first rotation on the Family Medicine Inpatient floor; it has been exciting to see him take on new responsibilities and continue to grow as a doctor!
A few weeks ago we took an opportunity to have a bit of a “staycation” down at the Stratosphere Casino – it was nice to be distracted from the boxes and other home projects and enjoy time together! Since we left for Vegas right after graduation and Keith started up right away, it was great to have some down time together.
Stratosphere hotel - just across the street from a super tacky wedding chapel :)
The view of the Strip from the top of the Stratosphere.
We finally switched our cars to be registered in Nevada, so I had to snap a quick shot of Elle’s last day with Bling’s plates! If you’re not sure why this might be a sad day, check out the Bling’s memorial.
The last remnant of the Bling...
Keith has been working six days a week, so we did not have an opportunity to celebrate any more than a quick dinner out. Instead of letting that stop me, I bought Keith a tent as a gift and had it set up to camp out in the living room. We had a blast playing cards (and some Wii) in the tent.
Our anniversary camping trip!
This past weekend I went on my first Vegas hiking trip with college roommate Margaret and her puppy Toby. It was his first hike, but he seemed to have a lot of fun since he slept the whole way home on the back seat. We even saw a little chow hound make it to the top (it was over a mile of straight up!). We went to the Cathedral Rock trail at Mt Charleston and the view was incredible. The trail itself was dirt and rocks surrounded by a lot of greenery; it made me nostalgic for hiking in New England!
View of the Las Vegas valley from the top of Cathedral Rock!
Toby after his very first hike! He did a great job!
Since then Keith and I have been catching up since we haven’t seen each other much lately – he’s been working late and I helped backstage at London Dance Academy’s recital. We’re looking forward to going hiking next weekend and are planning some weekend trips for August!
We hope all is well with everyone back East and everywhere in between and miss everyone a lot!
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[Read more at Our Life In Four Bags]
