Friday was Curington’s Walk a Thon. Music was blaring; food was being served; kids and parents were everywhere! In all, Ben walked 25 laps. And Evan and I walked probably 8-10 of those laps with him. Lots of fun! (Thanks to Granmom Loretta and Papa Bobby for the $20 pledge.)
Saturday, we got up and headed to Port A (after an oil change and a trip to the store).
We stayed somewhere new. The Sandcastle Condominiums were great. We got a one-bedroom with a big kitchen… and a beach and pool view! We loved our balcony!
That afternoon, the boys got to spend a while in the pool and then headed back to the condo to make pizza while I got to enjoy the beach with clients. Very fun portrait session.
Sunday, we went straight to the sand to build sandcastles and spent the rest of the morning jumping waves and swimming. Then (because the storms rolled in), we did the tourist thing and drove into town to take funny pictures, shop at the gift stores, and stop off at the candy company. After, we drove into Rockport to have dinner at Charlotte Plummer’s, enjoyed watching the dolphins as we rode the ferry, and had fun walking the jetties.
Today we made it back to the beach one more time so Ben could use his new boogie board. And then we made the long drive home.
So now we’re back to reality, back to the normal everyday callings. Plus, Nathan started packing us up, getting us ready to move into our new apartment on Wednesday. It’s gonna be a busy week!
We sold the house! The appraisal and inspections are done. Looks like it’s really going to go through. So we’re busy lining up movers, an apartment, another storage unit, and appointments to move forward with our home plans. Yay!!!
At the last Scouts meeting, Ben received tthree pins (swimming, biking, and the summertime activity award). So proud of his accomplishments!
I did school portraits at two different schools. And one of them was Evan’s Mother’s Day Out. He did great. Stayed with his class, listened to his teacher, waved to me. And was ready to sit and smile when it was his turn.
Yesterday morning Emily, Beth, and I tried out our first 5k. Emily and I jogged the whole time. We all made it across the finish line under 42 minutes. (my time was 39:08) It was very exciting. So glad we did it. And the icing on the cake? Ben, Evan, and Sammi were there to cheer us on to the finish line!
Last night, Lewis, Emily, Beth, Nathan, and I enjoyed the Cibolo Nature Center gala. With all the best restaurants in town present, we had a wonderful time sampling foods and visiting.
And today we took the boys to Chuck E Cheese for Robert’s 6th birthday party. The boys played games non-stop. Ben got to see some of his oldest friends (he’s known Robert and Mary since they were all babies). And Nathan and I got to visit with some of our oldest friends (friends we’ve known since we were little).
These past two weeks we’ve had big accomplishments and so much fun. Now, back to work. We have a marketing director to find for Shutter-Happy. We need to prepare to pack up and move this house. And I have six clients’ orders and two school orders waiting on me! yikes!
Maybe it’s not such a daunting idea. I’m getting 7,000 to 10,000 steps every day. I’ve been able to jog around the neighborhood (not just the treadmill). And we’re doing a practice 5k tomorrow. I can do this!
Training until October 15th:
Day 25- September 1- No exercise (very busy day)- 6,597 overall steps
Day 26- September 2- Week One, Day One of C25K (with Nathan!)- 10,510 overall steps
Day 27- September 3- Week One, Day Two of C25K (with Nathan!)- 7,477 overall steps
Day 28- September 4- Week One, Day Three of C25K (with Nathan!) plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 11,088 overall steps
Day 29- September 5- Week Two, Day One of C25K (with Nathan) plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 11,019 overall steps- 172 pounds
Day 30- September 6- Week Four, Day One of C25K plus 20 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 12,630 overall steps
Day 31- September 7- Week Two, Day Two of C25K (with Nathan) plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,299 overall steps
Day 32- September 8- No exercise (feeling awful)- 4,134 overall steps
Day 33- September 9- Week Two, Day Three of C25K (with Nathan) plus a short jog around our block- 10,210 overall steps
Day 34- September 10- Week Four, Day Two of C25K plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.5mph- 11,078 overall steps
Day 35- September 11- Week Four, Day Three of C25K plus 30 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,459 overall steps
Day 36- September 12- Week Five, Day One of C25K plus just 10 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,152 overall steps- 171 pounds
Day 37- September 13- Jogged 15 minutes on the treadmill at 4.5mph plus 15 minutes at 3.0mph- 10,558 overall steps
Day 38- September 14- Week Five, Day Two of C25K plus 15 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,594 overall steps
Day 39- September 15- No excercise (Nathan was out of town)- 6,177 overall steps
Day 40- September 16- Week Five, Day Three of C25K plus 15 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0mph- 11,728 overall steps
Day 41- September 17- Jogged for 30 minutes at 4.5mph and walked for 15 minutes at 3.0mph on the treadmill- 10.921 overall steps
Day 42- September 18- Week Three, Day One of C25K (with Nathan)- 6,587 overall steps
Day 43- September 19- Treadmill at 4.0mph for 30 minutes and 3.0mph for 30 minutes- 10,216 overall steps- 171 pounds
Day 44- September 20- Week Six, Day One of C25K plus 15 minutes at 3.0mph on the treadmill- 11,843 overall steps
Day 45- September 21- 45 minutes jogging on the treadmill at 4.5mph plus 15 minutes walking at 3.0mph- 11,059 overall steps
Day 46- September 22- Week Six, Day Two of C25K- 11,175 overall steps
Day 47- September 23- Week Three, Day Two of C25K (with Nathan)- 10,213 overall steps
Day 48- September 24- Week Three, Day Three of C25K (with Nathan)- 11,043 overall steps
Day 49- September 25- Week Six, Day Three of C25K plus 15 minutes at 3.0mph on the treadmill- 10,186 overall steps
Day 50- September 26- 35 minute jog at 4.5mph plus 25 minute walk at 3.0mph on treadmill- 11,654 overall steps- 171 pounds
Day 51- September 27- No exercise (very busy day)- 7,238 overall steps
Day 52- September 28- Walked all over Boerne for 1.5 hours- 15,428 overall steps
Day 53- September 29- No exercise (Nathan out of town)- 8,015 overall steps
Day 54- September 30- Week Seven, Day One of C25K plus 15 minutes walking- 10,460 overall steps
After the boys both took “apple” cake pops to their teachers during their first weeks of school, we decided we would try our hands at making our own. And the boys chose to make lego guys! So I baked a mandarin orange cake, crumbled it, added sweetened condensed milk, and shaped lego heads onto sticks. After sitting in the fridge overnight, we added marshmallow halves to the guys and dipped them in yellow candy coating. Voila! CUTE (and edible) lego guys!
Then Nathan got to surprise Ben with tickets to the UT/BYU game in Austin. Sweet! So, after a morning of fun and exploration at the Cibolo Nature Center, they packed up and headed to the game. Although Nathan complained about UT playing poorly, Ben loved that it was a close and exciting game.
Our next project was a portrait display in our local Snowflake Donuts. We spent a morning in the shop discussing our ideas and taking measurements (as we enjoyed their delicious goodies). And then we picked up a big box of donuts to start our “sweets” portrait sessions. Beth’s, Emily’s, and our kids had a blast. And I swear, Evan was born to be a donut model.
Then the boys got to spend a weekend at Garner with Nathan, Granmom, and Papa. Lots of baseball, riding on scooters, bike riding, eating, and swimming. It sounds like the boys had a great time.
And while they were away, Emily, Beth, and I hosted our 1st annual Ladies’ Night at Shutter-Happy! What an evening… Beth baked the most delicious pineapple cupcakes, fudgy brownies, chocolate truffles, and cookies. We had a dozen vendors set up with their merchandise (ready for Christmas shoppers). About 50 ladies attended the event. We sold gift cards to the studio. We gave away amazing gifts in our goody bags and awesome prizes in our door prize drawing. It was so much fun! (exhausting to plan and host, but fun) We’re excited to start planning next year’s party!
(Thanks so much to all the businesses who were present Saturday night, all businesses who donated door prizes or goody bag give-aways, and all ladies who attended the event!)
Me? Prepare to run a 5K? Okay, not competitively… just to finish. Deep breath… treadmill ready… Couch to 5K program and Pandora downloaded on my phone… Go!
Training until October 15th:
Day 1- August 8- 3.4mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 10,368 overall steps- 170 pounds
Day 2- August 9- 3.4mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 11,467 overall steps
Day 3- August 10- 3.0mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 10,034 overall steps
Day 4- August 11- 3.0mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 10,071 overall steps
Day 5- August 12- walked the block with Evan- 7,082 overall steps
Day 6- August 13- 3.0mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 12,250 overall steps
Day 7- August 14- 3.0mph on the treadmill for 1 hour- 8,169 overall steps
Day 8- August 15- Week One, Day One of C25K plus 3.5mph on the treadmill for 30 minutes- 11,250 overall steps- 172 pounds
Day 9- August 16- walked Fiesta Texas- 7,035 overall steps
Day 10- August 17- Week One, Day Two of C25K- 10,524 overall steps
Day 11- August 18- Week One, Day Three of C25K- 10,084 overall steps
Day 12- August 19- No excercise (hospital day)- 4,789 overall steps
Day 13- August 20- Week Two, Day One of C25K- 10,018 overall steps
Day 14- August 21- Week Two, Day Two of C25K- 8,415 overall steps
Day 15- August 22- Week Two, Day Three of C25K- 10,491 overall steps; 171 pounds
Day 16- August 23- Week Two, Day Three of C25K- 11,118 overall steps
Day 17- August 24- Week Three, Day One of C25K- 8,216 overall steps
Day 18- August 25- Week Three, Day Two of C25K, TWICE!!!- 10,489 overall steps
Day 19- August 26- Week Three, Day Three of C25K, TWICE!- 10,235 overall steps
Day 20- August 27- Week Four, Day One of C25K plus an extra 35 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,514 overall steps
Day 21- August 28- 3.0mph on the treadmill for 1 hour plus lots of walking and stairs at Fiesta Texas waterpark- 11,605 overall steps
Day 22- August 29- Week Four, Day One of C25K plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 10,546 overall steps- 169 pounds
Day 23- August 30- Week Four, Day Two of C25K plus 30 minutes on treadmill at 3.0mph- 11,112 overall steps
Day 24- August 31- Jogged the circle of the neighborhood plus 25 minutes on treadmill at 3.5mph- 10,255 overall steps
Ben’s last week of summer was fun and exciting, full of activities. But Evan, since he was recovering from his surgery, we kept things low-key.
We spent most of the week at home, making sure he got his antibiotics and pain meds. I ventured out with him a couple of days to go to the studio or run errands.
But we really ventured out on Sunday! We packed up all our swim stuff and headed to Fiesta Texas with friends Marli, Robert, Lillian, and Joseph.
We floated the lazy river, swam in the pools, went down water slides… had a great time! It was the perfect thing to do, as the temperatures were some of the hottest of the summer.
Then, yesterday Evan had his Meet the Teacher night. We got to visit with the other kids in his class, get to know his teacher, and try out his new classroom. (He loved the new room so much, we had to drag him out crying)
And today was the first day of school! He couldn’t wait to go! We ate and got ready in a hurry. He had a fabulous day. And again, I had to drag him out crying.
And me? SO grateful for Mother’s Day Out! I was able to get through one client’s order and tackle my inbox. Love it! So glad that boys are back in school.
Day One- I took the boys up to Northrup Park for a few hours. Up at the pavilion, we had a picnic lunch, Evan roller skated, and then they raced around on their scooter and big wheel. Then we headed down to the playground to play.
Day Two- After taking Evan to his ent appointment and to have pre-surgical bloodwork done, we met Nathan up at Fiesta Texas for waterpark fun. We spent all afternoon enjoying the two kiddie pools. And I got Ben and Evan to ride one of the waterslides with me! Whee!
Day Three- Just boring, old errands.
Day Four- I took the boys to the lake for a picnic and swimming. Thanks to the water guns we took with us, we spent hours there… and there was lots of laughter! Then, we headed to Curington’s Meet the Teacher night to find out who Ben’s teacher is going to be this year and to dinner out.
Day Five- Ben got to spend the day and night at Granmom’s while Nathan, Evan, and I headed to the hospital for Evan’s tonsillectomy. After several stressful hours, we were back home… and Evan was awake and back to his normal, cute self. A new train, a bouquet of balloons, and popsicles made his day!
Day Six- The Scouts had their annual bbq lunch, so Nathan and Ben headed to the church to help serve hundreds of plates.
Day Seven- Nathan and Ben headed out to Splashtown for Ben’s last day of summer. They spent several hours there, enjoying the wave pool, lazy river, and lots of waterslides. Sounds like they had a great time! And while they were gone, Evan and I caught up on chores, played, watched movies, and made cupcakes.
And today, Ben was excited to be up and getting ready for the first day of school. He can’t wait to work with his new teacher, learn, and see all his friends again!
We got rain! One day. Very short shower. But it was enough to go out and enjoy it. And it had been so long since we had seen rain, the boys couldn’t wait to go ride their bikes in it and go puddle-jumping.
Ben got to attend one more summer camp… at the Cibolo Nature Center. He spent the week going on nature hikes, making casts of footprints, swimming in the creek, learning songs, doing crafts, playing games, and making new friends. He loved it!
The boys went to Lillian’s 3rd birthday party. A swimming event at their house, everyone stayed cool and had a great time. (and Evan enjoyed hiding out in the playroom playing with their trains the entire time)
Emily and I attended the Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center’s Ladies’ Luncheon. A room full of hundreds of Boerne women and wonderful food! We had a great time.
Nathan took the boys to Connor’s 3rd birthday party. And it sounds like they had a blast at the park.
We spent a day at the lake. We paddled the canoe around for quite a while, ate lunch on the water, and did a bunch of swimming and water gun-spraying.
I dropped Ben off at the Boerne Cooking Cottage for a one-day summer camp. It was all chocolates! He said they made several delicious items that they ate during the morning. And he brought home a few things to share with us too.
We made it to the last German concert of the summer.
The boys spent a fews day at my parents’. Sounds like they had a great time hanging out and playing. But they mostly spent time in water (in their pool and at Splashtown). At Splashtown, Ben and Angie spent lots of time in the big kids’ section and going down the body slides. And Granmom and Evan spent their day in the little kids’ area or tubing around the lazy river. They loved it. And they’re ready to go back… or try Schlitterbahn.
With the boys away, Nathan and I got to go out to a nice dinner at the Grey Moss Inn. The food was incredible! And it was sure nice not to have the kids to entertain and shush.
Last weekend, we spent an afternoon at the Malibu Castle. The boys rode the go-karts (even Evan was now tall enough to ride as a passenger), we played putt-putt golf, and we tried out their bumper boats for the first time (and everyone got soaked!).
And I took the boys to Emerald Rainbow Play Center yesterday. So much fun! We spent some time at the train table, jumped in the bounce houses, played mini-bowling, and slid down the huge inflatable slide. And Ben tried the rock climbing wall.
Very busy wrapping up summer! Can’t wait to see what this next week holds…
We were featured in a segment on San Antonio Living on the 4th of July! We offered a great deal with Groupigg… and I was interviewed by CyberBob, to discuss the studio and let everyone know about our special.
Second big deal….
The winners were announced for the Best of the Best again… and we’re one of the top photographers for the seventh year in a row! Silver! So thankful to our clients who keep voting for us and supporting us, but still challenged to get gold next year.
My parents kept the boys last weekend. So Nathan and I got to spend a day out and about. We had a Dream Dinners session in Austin in the morning. We snuck on over to Toys R Us to buy the boys a tee-ball set. And we enjoyed a lunch at the Nutty Brown Cafe on the way home.
Emily and I spent Monday together. Lunch at California Pizza Kitchen was delicious. And an all-day photography and marketing seminar was inspiring. Ready to step it up at the studio!
Tuesday, Ben had an extra permanent tooth pulled. It was considered minor surgery, so it was a big deal. He got a lot of attention and pampering and all the jell-o he could eat… And the tooth fairy gave him $5!
We spent an evening at the creek, enjoying the evening and feeding the ducks.
We had a grea time at the zoo with friends Robert and Lillian. We spent some time looking at animals and walking through the butterfly house. But the best was splashing at the beach area and kicking back with the fish in the aquarium. And, of course, before we left, we all rode the train.
Yesterday was an outing to Fredericksburg. We started at the Wildseed Farms, where we walked the fields, roamed the shops, and bought several pounds of wildflower seeds. Then we had a yummy dinner at Alamo Springs Cafe (some of the best burgers in Texas!). And then we watched the bats emerge from the old train tunnel.
Busy! Exhausting! And with Evan out of school and the boys staying up an hour later, I am losing just over a dozen hours a week to work. It’s no wonder I’m so tired… and behind on everything.
Ben completed four days of Cub Scout camp. He had a blast, getting to shoot bb guns, bowl, swim, do crafts, hike, use slingshots, and try his hand at archery. And what was he really good at? During the last day’s competitions, he won 2nd place overall for bb guns!
Then the boys packed up and left for the Anderson cabin in the Davis Mountains. They had a great week with Nathan, Granmom, and Papa, relaxing, hiking, playing games, and eating Granmom’s wonderful food. While they were gone, I got to work, finish up some fix-it projects, and make a dent in my movie list.
And then, this weekend, we packed in a ton of fun things here at “home”….
Friday, I took the boys to Fiesta Texas. We rode almost every ride Evan was tall enough for, including the kiddie roller coaster and the log ride! Then we picked up Nathan for Kuhl Yogurt. Yum!
Saturday, we all headed out to the movies. The boys really enjoyed Cars 2. Lunch at Red Robin was great! And after a quick trip to Costco for groceries, the boys set up a lemonade stand in the front yard. Thanks to our amazing neighbors, Ben made lots of money in sales and tips!
Yesterday, we took the boys and Angie to the circus (Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus was in town). It was a couple of exciting and entertaining hours of acrobatics, dancing, tight rope walking, motorcycle stunts, trapeze aerobatics, and more. Ben was captivated. So much fun!
And this morning we headed out to Comfort for their 4th of July parade. Lots of candy caught and fun had despite the heat!
As smoothly as Ben’s session went, as good as Ben behaved… Evan was that bad! Two hours, several clothing changes, begging, bribing, yelling, and two lollipops later, I had some great images. What a CUTE little boy! (and when looking at these, you never would have known he was such a toot)
Larry and Debbie hosted the first meal and get-together at their house. We spent Saturday at a park where we fished, played a game of kickball, hung out at the playground, and partipated in the family olympics. Ben and Evan loved being with their cousins and grandparents… and we were happy to leave them with Granmom and Papa for a week.
Adventure #2 (Camp Granmom)
Nathan and I- errands, cleaning, editing, ordering, fix-it projects, phone calls, chores, work. And one really fun evening at the Boerne Cooking Cottage for a cooking class.
Ben and Evan- swimming, playing, and having fun with Larry and Debbie. They got to visit Larry at work and have a couple of dinners out. They went to a Rangers game (where Evan fell in love with the game and now plays baseball every day). They went to a drive-through zoo and got to feed ostriches, zebras, reindeer, and other exotics right from the car. And they got to go to the children’s museum. Looks like they did lots of amazing and fun things there!
Adventure #3 (Vacation Bible School week)
It sounds like Ben had a wonderful time learning about God, going to art and music, and being with friends. It fills my heart to hear him singing the songs he learned this week.
Adventure #4 (Berges Fest!)
Day One- We participated in the parade with a Hawaiian-themed float for Shutter-Happy. We painted surfboards, hung beach decor, and got everyone into tropical-wear. We threw candy and gave out chapsticks. Lots of fun! And after we treated everyone to lunch and a few of us got naps, we headed out to the festivities. Ben played in the Globulez water balls and he participated in the watermelon eating contest!
Day Two- Ben entered the li’l tractor races (and probably got 2nd place), we watched the dachshund races, and we visited the Happy Tails booth. There, the boys got to pet a boa, a bearded dragon, an african porcupine, and a lemur. So cool!
Adventure #5 (Incredible Pizza)
Mandy and I took Mary, Ben, and Evan to Incredible Pizza for a fun afternoon of bumper cars, games, putt-putt golf, go-carts, skee ball, bowling, and buffet! The kids had a great time… and came home with a few neat prizes they won with their tickets.
Thinking back to Father’s Day 2002… I snuck into the bathroom of our small apartment and took two pregnancy tests, both giving positive results. And I got to surprise Nathan with the news of our first pregnancy!
Now we have 8-year-old Ben and 3-year-old Evan. And we’re nothing short of blessed.
First thing this morning we surprised Nathan with a homemade taquito breakfast and gifts (a couple of funny DAD t-shirts for his more relaxed days, a couple of handsome ties in case he ever gets the whim to dress up, and a beautiful framed canvas portrait of the boys for his desk at work).
Then we got to work on making a homemade cheesecake, got in a few Berges Fest activities, ate a delicious steak dinner, and played in the backyard.
Good day! (hope Nathan enjoyed it)
Happy Father’s Day, Nathan… and to my dad, Bobby! Hope you both had wonderful days today! The boys and I love you!
A client inspired me to take on the task of a big family portrait for us.
She had booked and planned the appointment with Emily, told all her family and her in-laws where to be and when, and she made sure everyone was in coordinating colors. They were a delight to work with; their clothing was perfect. And thanks to all the attention to details, we created beautiful portraits and they put in wonderful orders.
So, this past Sunday, since we had everyone in town for Evan’s birthday party, I got everyone into warm reds, oranges, and golds, and we headed to the studio. One standing pose and one sitting pose later, we had two great images! Hot and tired, we didn’t continue on with individual family portraits, but I’m thrilled with what we got.
Thanks, everyone!
We’re going to design our new playroom around these images, creating a warm, happy place for us to hang out as a family.
Friday was Curington’s Walk a Thon. Music was blaring; food was being served; kids and parents were everywhere! In all, Ben walked 25 laps. And Evan and I walked probably 8-10 of those laps with him. Lots of fun! (Thanks to Granmom Loretta and Papa Bobby 
for the $20 pledge.)
That afternoon, the boys got to spend a while in the pool and then headed back to the condo to make pizza while I got to enjoy the beach with clients. Very fun portrait session.
Sunday, we went straight to the sand to build sandcastles and spent the rest of the morning jumping waves and swimming. Then (because the storms rolled in), we did the tourist thing and drove into town to take funny pictures, shop at the gift stores, and stop off at the candy company. After, we drove into Rockport to have dinner at Charlotte Plummer’s, enjoyed watching the dolphins as we rode the ferry, and had fun walking the jetties.
Ben, Evan, and Sammi were there to cheer us on to the finish line! 
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