PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/22/11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, DAD! 70 years old...wow! We had a fun breakfast at Gunther Toody's to celebrate dad and Elli (turning 4...that's another wow!) and then a party with all 17 of us on Saturday the 23rd. What a way to celebrate an incredible person, man, dad and gRandaddy...so proud to be his daughter...aka "you're a sweetheart." Here's to many more celebrations and happy times.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/13/11

The party is over for Zach turning 12...after having the Bertelsen's over for cake and ice cream, it is officially time for the celebrations to end and to just enjoy being a very cool 12 year old. So nice to sit under our almost finished covered patio and we were really lucky to avoid torrential rain that started up again as they were leaving. The monsoon season is in full force right now with crazy rain, thunder and lightening for the past 5 afternoons. I actually think the weather is a lot like when we were kids.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/9/11

Enjoyed spending Zach's 12th birthday at "the cabin" in Elk Creek. With Gram Gram and Grandaddy with us to celebrate, it was a great day. Zach opened presents at home in the morning and then planned the menu for us which included friend chicken and mashed potatos that I picked up at King Soopers on our way up, for lunch and then steak/wild rice/salad and of course, carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting for dinner. He got to shoot his airsoft gun and bb gun throughout the day and wanted to make sure to watch Game Show Network lots since we don't have it at home. Chris, Zach and I spent the night while Todd and my parents headed down in the evening and NIck did also after having a terrible headache earlier in the day. We topped off the evening with playing Pictionary (Chris won) and watching GSN and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/6/11

What a perfect, fun gift from Tami and her family for my birthday. Today, I enjoyed coffee from my new "I Love Lucy" mug and I also have a travel mug and bag commemorating one of my all time favorite tv shows and personalities...Lucille Ball. Tami found this idea while at Universal STudios and had planned to pick the gifts up, but then decided that ordering them to be delivered at home would be much easier...she found out that it wasn't the case, but found a way to ensure I would get this special memory and I will love it always. Lucille Ball "Lucy" is one of my all time favorite personalities and one I listed as "someone living or dead that you would want to invite for dinner" when I was a senior in highschool. I would still want to talk to her today.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THEY DAY 7/3/11

Today we had Granny over for a pre-4th bbq to celebrate Zach's upcoming bday and for her to see Christopher's photographs from his Europe trip. It was fun to hear Chris describe some of the photos and details about them as well as the stories along the way. Also, we had coconut cream pie as Zach's dessert choice to start birthday celebrations. A very nice evening.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/1/11

I know I'm guaranteed a few shots with the boys on my birthday because they can't say "no"...so that is what I did and had fun doing this with them as they freaked out as cars drove by. (especially Nick ;) ). Love having these moments documented every once in a while.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/30/11

THIRTY TWO YEARS AGO... wow! It does not seem that long ago. I could replay this 11th birthday in my mind like it was "yesterday". Breakfast on the front deck, being in Ruidoso spending my special day, making Caesar salad on the lower patio and then having steak and green beans and of course, this cake that was decorated for me and the photo taken on the back deck prior to dinner. That was a good day...as so many of my birthdays have been. They have been filled with family, friends and celebrations that I hold deep within my heart and remember almost every single birthday in quite a lot of detail. So so thankful for the love of family and having the life I have had...for 43 YEARS! 43 YEARS OLD...I can hardly even believe that.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/30/11

32 YEARS AGO...since this photo was taken on the back deck in Ruidoso. I remember this day vividly

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/29/11

Celebrating moms and my birthdays this morning with Grammama and Harvey over at their new "home". So nice that Tami could join us also. For my entire life, Grammama has been there for every birthday and celebration so I'm glad we could continue that this year also. For years, we would go shopping at Loehmann's for my birthday present and then I would come back to their house to share it with Grandad Dell. For our birthdays, we would usually have dinner in their backyard to celebrate me and my mom...fun, special, treasured memories.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/12/11

Happy 89th Birthday to Grammama...enjoyed spending time with her, Harvey and my parents this morning at her new "home" at Sunrise.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMI!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little sister, Tami. 41 years ago, she entered this world and I still have vivid memories of her as a baby. May this year be very good and happy for her. I love you, Tam!

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 4/11/11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY DEAR NICHOLAS TODD SCHMITT...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! I can hardly believe Nick is 17 today. It honestly seems like a blink of an eye and time flew. What a very cool person Nick is.

He loves to play the guitar, laugh with his brothers and friends, adores his two dogs, thinks his parents are usually okay except his mom nags waaaaayyyy too much, plays a game called Dark Orbit, takes his ITouch to school every single day, texts his mom during the day from school, knows that his grandparents are so important to his life, has a favorite Aunt Tami and aunts and uncles that love him very much as well as cousins who think it's cool to have such an old cousin and a mom who loves and adores him very much (but that is a given). Thanks for 17 amazing years and I look forward to all the years to come...you have an amazing future full of milestone moments and I will support you and love you every step of the way.