waa

dear amy c,

your opponent vicky's mean &
i am in mourning.

[but: you look/are fabulous.]

heart,
angie

my life

this week has been dedicated to finding a renter.

*phones been ringin' off the hizzity-hook.
*been havin' some peeps come & take a look-see.
*busy updating my craigslisty every-so-oft.
*preparing to peace out of gilbert.

we aren't really in a hurry.
[but i'm sure ready to find our little housey a soul mate.]

***

{happy tuesday!}

kinda gross, really funny: myron edition.

i know i haven't blogged in a while.

but when my options are blog or hang out with this entertaining man full-time...i choose him.

[post-shaving,haircut, &
shower, that is.]

{TGIF!}

gettin' the [moving] ball rolling!

[well] it’s officially official.

our sweet lil housey is [finally] up for rent!

{we’re doin’ this thing!}

got it all up & posted on good ol’ craigslist & everything.

i am packin’ my bags, cleaning like crazy & livin’ in the secret that we’ll find the perf tenant in no time!

[if you’re in the mood: spread the word

to those whom may be interested.]

{'preciate it.}

*peace out gilbert.

*hello new home.

[wherever you are.]

{happiest monday!}

dogs best friend.

me & mr. miyagi don't always see eye to eye.

but today/tonight: we {do} have one thing in common.

we miss our favorite redhead.

come home to us myron:
i need a hug & agi needs someone to scratch his ears.

[happy-i finally painted my toes-sunday.]

to: granny & gramps

{pardon me while i kinda brag for a sec.}

***

i just need to let it be known in blogdom, how much i love & appreciate these two individuals.

aka my parentals.
{and to chloe: granny & gramps}

***

let's start with mark:
my dad is a spiritual rock and an amazing father.
he is a hard worker & has the up most integrity.
he teaches me by example.
he texts me just to say hi & check in.
he gives me fathers blessings when needed.
he inspires the {heck} out of me: see here.
he loves my mom deeply & it's [totally] obvious.
he sends my entire family updated awesome spiritual e-uplift weekly.
he serves, and protects, and supports, and provides for his family.
he is good to my husband & goes shooting with him.
he's a hip blogger, facebooker, and social media communicator.
he loves the lord.
he is kind hearted, slow to anger & fun to be around.
he takes me & chloe out to dinner.
he would do anything for his peeps.
he helps me so much, especially when myron is workin'.
he plays house, reads books, pretends, and just chills with my chloe.
{and more...}

and for claudia:
my mom is an angel. [it's true.]
she is: w/out a doubt, my best girlfriend.
she is {no exaggeration} the most selfless individual ever invented.
her middle name is lee, but it should be lifesaver.
she calms me down, bails me out, and loves me unconditionally.
she makes me food, lifts me up, mops my floor, and runs me errands.
she babysits for me while i work & stuff. {aka a ton.}
she listens to me talk [sometimes for hours].
she often says: "what can i do to bless your life today?"
she cuts ribbon, lays out cardstock, and endures my complaining until 2am+.
she helps me to feel better about myself.
she goes by clodhopper to all that admire her...because she's cool.
she is [freaking] hilarious and oh-so entertaining.
she has the cutest clothes, haircut, and glasses.
she is down-to-earth & compassionate.
she is beyond-thoughtful in word & deed.
{and more...}

***

i sure dunno {what the heck} i did to deserve these two, fer real.

but i definitely do thank the lord for 'em every stinkin' day.

***
thank you mark & granhopper,
for being a.may.zing.
i love you {prolly} more than you'll ever know.

[happy saturday!]

q & [hopefully] a

me & the girls have a few life, organization, television, and cleaning-related questions.

feel free to hook us sisters up with some answer[s], if you feel so inclined.

here we go: ahem,

1. what are the rules on shredding documents? like, is it completely unnecessary for me to have srp & cox cable statements from 2003 in a box chillin' in my closet? i think it is: but i don't know what to hang onto & what to throw out. obviously: keep important house papers & stuff...but can i destroy all my bank statements & random monthly bills...if i can just get it all online in .2?

2. is it normal to already have cankles at 20.6 weeks along?
[retaining water=my favorite pastime.]

3. why do disney movies have previews? i mean: let's get real. we {always} skip them...and it {always} takes three annoying minutes. [patience might not be my virtue.]

4. anyone know of a super-rockin' hardcore cleaning agent [besides bleach, kaboom, comet] that will clean my plasticy-white-shower & have it look a-mazing/sparkling NEW? i'm open to products that pregnant women aren't allowed to use...{honey-do?}

5. is it startling to know that christmas is in 47 days, 9 hours & 21 minutes-ish? and while we're on christmas: who has a fabulous carmel corn recipe? i'm thinkin' about doing that for my neighbor treats....if i have neighbors, wherever i am.

6. did you watch the office last week & this week? [of course, hilarious.] but, is there a holly-shaped hole in your heart? {because there is in mine.}

7. anyone wanna pay for some gum-grafting surgery for me?
[quote: approximately a million dollars a tooth.]

8. is this post negative?
['cause i promise: i'm not bitter.]
having a really good day, actually!

***

thanks in advance for any input or suggestions! (:

love,
angie, chloe & olivia

learning from the past

a couple of days ago i was thumbing through my angieinpink-archives trying to find a missing photo for a project i was working on.

i re-visited this post.

and this post.

and this post.

and this post.

and this post.

[among others.]

it was kinda tender to look back & remember my days.

they were [really] really happy & fulfilled ones.

{and still are.}

but something physical also struck me as i was revisting [a few] of those web-blogs.

in addition to all the warm & fuzzies of just genuinely loving my sweet little family,

my shoulders became kinda/out-of-control tense.

[read: angie being stressed out = painfully tense shoulders.]

i remembered how seriously stressed out i was on those particular days/months.

so many things on my plate; so little time.

too many people to please; too many self-induced “obligations.”

not enough hours in the day =’ed no sleep for me.

trying my very darndest to stay motivated, faithful & on task.

feeling like i [always] fell short.

i put [way] too much pressure on myself to be “perfect,” or whatever.

***

and now, many months & mini-breakdowns later, i have made a really happy realization:

while [i fully recognize] i am still one of the most off-the-charts high-strung individuals in north america…

i {believe} i am making a little progress.

i think i’m learning little-by-little:

to let go.

and sometimes that means my child’s hair & breakfast options look like this:

and sometimes that means my toes are slightly/embarrassingly white trash:

and sometimes that means my house isn’t on craigslist yet, because we are [still] painting our guts out:

and sometimes that means i’m a week late with important work duties/deadlines despite my VERY best intentions:

and sometimes that means my poor gmail-inbox/friends/family getting ignored:

and sometimes that means i take a “personal day” every-so-oft & play with my girlfriends chloe & DVR all day long:

and sometimes that means being a day [or days] late & a dollar short, even though i [really really really] didn’t want to be:

and lottsa times it just means i hafta cry a little, throw it up to the lord & hope he’ll make it right.

***

i guess i’m just discovering day-by-day [and am still hard-core learning] that having an enriched life doesn’t necessarily mean having full-n-amazing journaled scrapbooks, absolutely-no dirty laundry, an updated blog, saying yes to every job-opportunity, going to eighteen different targets to make sure you have the best matchy-option, creating every project idea that i see & admire, preparing 5 course menus & meals for my peeps daily [pwa-hahahaha], doing what “i think” will please every stinkin’ person ever invented, [etc, etc, etc.]

i think we all hafta kinda find a balance that is comfortable & do-able for our own capabilities, bodies, circumstances, families & nerve-capacities. [and mine’s nothin’ close to the things mentioned in the latter paragraph….no matter how hard i try.]

***

do i still want a semi-clean house at all times?

yes.

do i desperately strive to magnify my calling as wife & mother?

uh-huh.

do i really wish i was less of a flake?

absolutely.

and lets get real: do i need to slap some frappin’ paint on my toenails?

for the love: most definitely.

but i am perpetually learning [and it’s going to be a long process] that all the extra-curricular crap doesn’t really matter.

***

my BEST days are the days that look like this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

life is short.

[and sore shoulders are highly overrated.]

daddy: the preferred parent

one of my greatest joys in life is my little girl & my man being best friends.

but if i hear "go away mommy" one more time...
{i think i might cry.}

the end.
happy wednesday!

as political as i get

today i voted.

[and it felt good.]

i voted for the people & propositions that i feel {best} represent what i believe in.

i am a conservative.

i believe in small government.

i believe in spreading opportunity.

i believe that people [myself included] need to earn their piece of the american pie.

i believe in the importance of succeeding in iraq.

i believe in the second amendment; i am against gun control.

i believe in protecting marriage between a man & a woman.

i believe life begins at conception; i am pro life.

i believe we need to go back to what our founding fathers envisioned for this country {life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness} & not move forward & change into a socialistic society.

in conclusion:

i wasn’t thrilled with my options today.

but I will say this:

whoever wins the white house

may god bless & help him,

fer reals.

{happy seeing the light @ the end of this seemingly endless-election- season-tunnel!!}

i wear yellow for em

on saturday afternoon, one of my long-time girlfriends, emily,
lost her young husband to his second battle with cancer.

she has two little kiddos. she has amazing faith & strength.
my heart seriously just bleeds for her.

we all want to help.
and my other girlfriend, michelle, had an excellent & generous idea.

you see: michelle has created this book.
it's a book about scrapbooking.

it's called lifted.
it teaches you how to "scrap-lift" ideas from other layouts, and make those ideas your own.

the book is full of fun layouts, great information, & lots o' creative inspiration.
[there's some of my layouts in there as well...]

the coolest part=
michelle is donating all profits o' lifted for the ENTIRE month of november to our EMILY and her cute little family.

each book is $19.95.
shipping for one book is $4.80.
shipping for two or more is $9.80.

***

i invite everyone who is able @ this time...
to buy a book [or five]...

together we can bless emily's life during this hard time.
[i know she'll feel the love.]

thank you michelle.
and thanks to all of you.

heart,
angie

ps: *please feel free to copy & paste the sweet little "i wear yellow for em" button to your blogspot.
*if you want the file sent to you, email michelle @ michelle@papertherapy.com.
*visit her blog @ www.michellemeisenbach.blogspot.com.
*& pray for em. we love her.


oh! and pps: happy monday!

these things i know for sure

typically, on the first sunday of each month, my church holds something called fast & testimony meeting.

it is a time where members of the congregation are invited to come up to the pulpit & bear a verbal witness of their feelings regarding the gospel of jesus christ.

i love feeling inspired & strengthened by other peoples faith & testimonies.
the spirit is strong, real, and powerful.

***

only once every two [slash twenty] years, do i actually get up & share my own thoughts.
and that's usually due to one of the following reasons:

a. my hardcore/irrational fear of public speaking/standing/breathing.
b. my child's obsession with misbehaving during the first hour of church.
c. i don't feel like crying an inevitable river.
d. all of the above.

***

today we didn't have fast & testimony meeting because there was a special conference held.

and i found myself missing it.

if we would have had it, i do believe, [even though it's against all laws of normal-angie-nature] i might have stood up in all my bloated-pregnant-glory, went to the front of the chapel & expressed the feelings of my very full heart, my angie-convictions:
the things i know for sure.

***

my testimony is simple.

we are all children of a kind, loving heavenly father who knows us better than we know ourselves.
he wants what's best for us.
he wants us to have true, lasting happiness.

because he loves us so much, he created a perfect plan for us.
this plan was designed so we could reach a fullness of joy.
{part} of that plan was for us to come to earth, gain a body & experience mortality.
i believe that we chose to come to earth, totally knowing we'd be h-core tested here, and spend our time seeking for god's light to direct us from birth.

heavenly father sent his only begotten son, jesus christ to save us from the bands of death and give us hope for eternal progression. i believe that jesus christ is our creator, our savior & redeemer, our friend & will one day be our judge. he loves us so much that he suffered & died for our grief, pain, disappointments, loneliness, depressions, and sins. i believe he rose again & lives. because of him we have the opportunity to learn, grow, become, experience, try, fail, repent, and one day live in glory with god again.

sometimes it's not easy for me to see beyond this mortal realm. i look at all that is goin' down in the world today....all the heartache, political turmoil, violence, and uncertainty. i feel overwhelmed by the trials that close-close friends & fam of mine are going through. i am saddened that life is just so dang hard sometimes. people disappoint & hurt each other. tragedies happen to super-good people. depression is a very real thing. circumstances are often complicated. money is freaking annoying. and things just don't always seem fair.

but in quiet & still day-to-day moments...i have spiritual clarity. i remember that we all have a purpose here. i remember that the way is not easy, but it is simple. i remember the sweet peace the gospel brings.

and i am reminded of very small, but equally profound, personal instances in which god has testified to me through the power of the holy ghost, the very source of all my happiness:

*that we are all children of god.
* that jesus is the christ.
&
*and that there is, in fact, reason to rejoice.

*these things i know for sure.

{happy november!}

i don't really like october, or halloween...

...but ballerinas named chloe are {quickly} changing my mind.

hope everyone had a safe-n-happy halloween!