Just a little something

A few weeks ago I announced that I was taking a class for Illustrator and Indesign both of which are Adobe products. These classes were for work however with the recent announcement that my sister is pregnant and a very close friend is getting married I thought I would take advantage of my new skills and offer up a service to create invitations!

I have had alot of fun purely experimenting and learning the software through trial and error. With my new found love for all things creative I had gone a little wild and created these for a friends wedding

Of course these are still a work in progress - Im thinking to myself not too bad Layman!

I went on to create a couple of designs for my wild and crazy sister. She is pregnant and just a few weeks away from finding out the sex of her baby. She has an edge to her and isn't afraid to think and live outside the box- hence the non "baby" factor to these invites.

None the less I have had a wonderful time merely playing around in these programs. Looking forward to more ideas and creations as I move forward.

Who knows maybe this is my calling?

Healthy Smiles!

Well I finally did it! About a month ago I jumped on the invisalign bandwagon and am taking steps to the teeth I've always wanted! Growing up poor you dont always get what you want but rather what you NEED so braces were definately not in the equation.

The program is quite simple- every two weeks I upgrade to a new tray. The tray slightly changes which puts pressure on your teeth.  The trays are to be worn at all times however the most movement is done within the first few hours of a new tray.

I tend to take mine out during meetings because they do tend to make me sound funny : )

In all- i am very pleased with my experience so far

Training and more Training

In about a week I'll be taking training for both Adobe Illustrator and Indesign.
Of course these are for work however I am hoping that the training will aide me in personal endeavors altering photographs, creating collages, and being more crafty.

I love crafts and creativity just havent had time to do either!

Family Picture Time!

We have been so busy in life lately that there are so many posts to catch up on!

About a week ago we had an amazing photographer take our family photos. She is acutally from Louisville, KY however was in town visiting family and sent out an SOS to photograph families in our area to build up portrait portfolio. I jumped at the chance to get a true feel of our family dynamic through candid photos rather than in a tiny studio doing the "prom pose" with my husband - yet again....

Her website is here:

	http://www.angelaschewephotography.com

Here are a few pictures from our session

Wordless Wednesday

Some things are just worth reading twice

Daddies dont let girls grow up to be tramps!

Excerpt:

" I saw someone at the airport the other day who really caught my eye.
Her beautiful, long blond hair was braided back a la Bo Derek in the movie "10" (or for the younger set, Christina Aguilera during her "Xtina" phase). Her lips were pink and shiny from the gloss, and her earrings dangled playfully from her lobes.

You can tell she had been vacationing somewhere warm, because you could see her deep tan around her midriff thanks to the halter top and the tight sweatpants that rested just a little low on her waist. The icing on the cake? The word "Juicy" was written on her backside.

Yeah, that 8-year-old girl was something to see alright. ... I hope her parents are proud. Their daughter was the sexiest girl in the terminal, and she's not even in middle school yet."

Book Brigade

New book I am currently reading

Wordless Wednesday

GUS IS HOME!

YAY!
Gus has returned home after a week long vacation in sunny Florida.
Once I have pictures from my mother (*ahem) I will post!

OUT OF OFFICE

I WILL BE AT THE 115TH CASTING CONGRESS IN SCHAUMBURG, IL, THIS WEEK.
PLEASE STOP BY OUR BOOTH (#406/408!) AND SAY HELLO

My kicks are so fly

My baby has an infatuation with shoes.....


He bought these for his spring break road trip my mamaw and papaw to....................................

Sensible Shoes

So we all know I am not the best in any heel height over FLAT: )
I was browsing the web for those perfect office shoes I can tote around in before I need to go to a board meeting or out of office meeting and I came across these little numbers....


I want these just for giggles- are they not screaming- blue haired lady in the bingo hall with her roller back pack full of depends and extra smokes.... sign me up bc I want a pair

But for the office I'll settle for these:

same but patent black and they have a little bling on the buckle.

March Summary

Ashley's Bachlorette Part-ay!

March came in like a lion and left like a #WINNER!
8 ladies headed off to Vegas to celebrate the soon to be matromonial bliss of Ashley with a grown folks party in Vegas. The lights, the weather, and snap happy nudie pic passer outers were defintely an experience.
I had a great time meeting new faces and certainly seeing new places.

A survival kit for vegas includes one thing- back up shoes.... my feet, toes, and in general whole pedial area took a beating for dancing and wolaing 14 million miles in my dancing shoes- always always bring a backup!

And as you know- what happens there stays there but here's a snapshot into our amazing weekend.

Book Brigade

Just finished James Patterson's "PRIVATE"....

What a great and EASY read. All the girls in Vegas were reading it and i grabbed at the airport shop for a read for my plane ride home. I couldn't put it down! The next day I totally ignored my school work and fell into a deep space of thought at work as the only thing I could think about was the ending of the book....

I finished it in 2 days and can't wait for the follow-up.

May be my new series

February Summary

February brought in a wave of change and panic.

I'm busting along in studies and a speed bump landed before me.

I must explain a back story first....
CTE is an education degree in which you must certify your real world working experience before you are eligible to teach. You can only be accepted into the program if you know what in the world you are talking about. It again is genius- a teacher who lived, breathed, sweated, and screamed in an environment they are teaching about. Not some fatty with a limp who teaches math and has never ever applied or used it in a real world context.

Again- have I mentioned how CTE is going to be the be norm? ok back to the story....

Well I was preliminarily accepted into the program and allowed to take courses as I had illustrated my experiences within corporate America however there are rules and stipulations - jargon and legalities above my pay grade that had to be looked at to determine the best course of my studies.

So a month into the program I'm told Business, Management, and Marketing will the be the subjects or core area I am allowed to teach in however I need to display a bit more Marketing experience before they sign off on my teaching license.

WHAT?!?! I have to go find a marketing job now- how in the hell and where in H- E double hockeysticks am I going to find one in this economy.

After pulling a few strings with professors and calling on some contacts I landed a wonderful and exciting opportunity with the new ball and chain for the next chapter of my life, B&L Information systems
Welcome to my new project

I am the new Marketing Director/Coordinator for the company. I am super excited and extremely nervous about the endeavor as I will be the solo Marketing person for a company looking to expand and grow in a niche market. So I've got my work cut out for me!

January Summary

January was filled with some steps and strides towards making goals happen!

I was accepted into Western Michigan University's Masters Program for Education.
I am now a WMU Bronco!

The Degree I am pursuing is Career and Technical Education with a focus in Business, Management, Marketing, and IT.

Career and technical education complements the traditional high school curriculum by offering students the chance to explore career options while still in school.  From health sciences and technology to agriculture and manufacturing, CTE classes help apply what you learn in the classroom to "real life" and begin building employable skills based on work force objectives.

It's one of those make sense programs, As I say. How often in school did we take classes and mutter to our friends - why in the hell do I need to take this class. Well here's the answer.

In basic form, CTE takes subjetcs and applys them to real world application. Point blank- thats what it is and thats the objective. What I love about this program is the fact that REAL companies and businesses drive the standards for teaching practices. As the workforce changes so do the objectives of the type of teaching you do. Its absolutely genious.

Many schools are jumping on board and starting CTE type classes- more as objectives in the highschool level. They are more prevelant in colleges but I predict a surge of popularity and in the near future, CTE education will be the NORM not the exception or "Add to".

Welcome Back to the world!

My oh My oh My...

It has been entirely way to long since i have been on here- No not due to laziness but due to many wonderful "happenstances"  over the last several months of life. I can't wait to share with you- post by post- about all the wonderful and exciting things that have happened to my family...
Buckle up and stay tuned as we are going on a ride!

Amber's 2011 Goal's

It's back to school for me!
I head back officially Jan 10th to pursue my Master's in Career and Technical Education. Sounds fancy but ultimately what it means is I can teach grades 7th through college in the subject of my undergrad. There are certain degrees which can fall under the Career and Tech Edu Teachers Certification, mine happens to be in Business Management, Marketing, and IT.

There are a series of 6 classes I have to take and pass with a B+ or better in order to eligible for student teaching. If all goes right I can intern teach this fall. If not, then hey its the next semester which will be this time in 2012.

The other big catch is passing the teachers certification in my subject. Ive been told it is one of the toughest because the learning curve and subject matter is different for each grade level. Math is Math- and it graduates in skill level as you go along. This business is the same thing- its how the subject is taught and understood in each level- basic learning styles which will be difficult to discern on the national test.

If and when, I gain my certification I am eligible to teach other subjects which is great! I can obtain a minor in any subject and then take the teachers certification for it. I have the potential of being very marketable to any school (highschool or college). On top of my coaching- which is ultimately the decision for why I went back to school. I want to transition to coaching full time- the best way to do that is getting into the school systems as a teacher. In the college level- I could coach and teach part time. In the highschool level, I would have the perfect schedule to be able to coach after school and travel. So let's- finger's crossed- be on the ball this year.

Other goals are to just say no! haha
I tend to put to much on my plate which keeps me away from home. With school now on my plate< i promised myself only one sport this year for coaching. So Softball won over cheerleading. CRAZY ?!?!? right. But softball will only last a few short months where as cheerleading tends to go year round. Lee and I also play on a softball team so to think I can balance full time work, full time graduate school, studying for this horrendous teacher's certification, being a mom, a wife, and coach and to try to put more on top of that- YEAH STINKING RIGHT!

So lesson is- Just say no. Right now is not the correct time to say yes to something - unless of course it involves traveling the world on someone else's dime - then Im game. : )

I want to go more educational activities with Gus. I just can't believe that he's turning 4 this year. He'll be off to school this fall and Bam- all grown up dating some girl who I know Ill hate and graduating highschool.
Hopefully prepare him for ABC's and all sorts of stuff.

He knows his numbers through 15, colors, shapes, directions, and some other things but the boy will not recite nor show interest in the Abc's.

Lee's 2011 Goal List

Only 4 more classes to go and he's a college graudate.
It has been a long long long winding road with several changed majors , life events, and well let's be honest mini breaks because working adults just cant balance all of life's little stresses on top of going to school. Lee is almost there- the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter and the confetti is being loaded into the cannons as we speak.

I am super proud of Lee- for anyone who knows him like I do, the man hates school. If school were a movie on tape filled with comedic one liners, possible boob shot here and there, and an interactive spy game where he could shoot the enemy- then man we would have a Harvard scholar on our hands. Its hard for him to fosuc when society tells him he has to go to school. But none the less we are rounding the corner and we're almost there.

Other plans , I'm sure is to get the Jeep up and running to show off to his motor headed friends and take on a weekend Family trip.
This stretch of winter into spring is one of the longest and most depressing for Lee so Im sure there will be lots of mini vacay's to the lovely state of Ohio to visit friends for an overnighter or take Gus on some extravanganza so they both won't self implode from boredom.

Happy New Year Family and Friends

Well after a hiatus in late 2010, it's back to blogging central.
There are so many plans and goals for 2011 for our little family and I am excited to share them all with you.