Big News!

For all of you who have been complaining about my phone for the past year... you can STOP! I finally broke down and got a new one. And good news!... it only ended up costing $49.99. All this time I thought I was going to spend a small fortune. Little did I know it would be less than 50 bucks. So here I am parting with the old one (which had a cracked front, frozen caller ID screen and sent out random text messages to people in my contact list without my doing... it even paged Jeff last week!) And then here is the new one, complete with Navigation, Gas Finder, Movie and Event Search... you name it, I can do it! Just call me if you are ever lost!

Congrats, Kate and Brian!

Kate and Brian got engaged on Saturday. Jeff and I are so excited for them! They are a great couple who compliment each other wonderfully. Can't wait for the wedding!

Dana and Darren's Big Day!

Dana and Darren's wedding was BEAUTIFUL. The ceremony was amazing, the reception was a blast, the location was perfect and the obvious love between the two of them tied it all together. Congrats, Dana and Darren!

Pre-wedding Beach Day

The day before Dana and Darren's wedding, Jeff and I were able to spend a little time relaxing on the beach. The picture with all white around us is a total mystery. We asked a lady to take a picture of us standing on the beach and this is what came from it. Kinda weird... The weather was beautiful, perfect for Jeff to swim and me to lay on the sand!

In Loving Memory

My Grandma, Marge Garrison, passed away on Saturday, August 16th. Although she will be missed beyond words, her passing made me reflect on so many aspects of my own life that I value, many of which can be attributed to her. Above all, I value my family and the values with which I have been raised. I often thank my own parents for their hard work and dedication to setting an example of how to live life as loving, compassionate, accepting people. I now realize these core values can be traced back generation after generation, leading to a family whose bond is unbreakable and whose love for each other overflows into everything they do. My grandma taught me to be confident in who I am and to be accepting of people of all races, religious backgrounds, social classes and sexual orientations. She taught me to stand up for what I believe in and to be proud of my accomplishments. Most importantly, she taught me to give love unconditionally to the people who are most important to me. She taught all of this by example; the best way to teach and also to learn. She loved her family, friends and all those she came in contact with in a way that could be felt just by being in the same room with her. I can only hope that I will be able to look back on my life with as much success in fulfilling those core values as she did. I love you, Grandma. Thank you for teaching me so much more than I could ever have asked for.