If I had a buck for every email I get that involves either a compliment or a question regarding the music on my playlist, I'd be rich by now. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my playlist is a hot topic amongst the emails I receive on a daily basis. Many times people will email me and tell me how much they love my choice in music and will tell me how much they love listening to my playlist while at work, cleaning house, etc. I'm always so flattered that my crazy and eclectic choice in music makes some peoples day easier to stomach. I know music is BIG for me and can really make or break a moment of mine. Music can take me to a place that nothing else can. Therefore, I'm always happy to share my favorite tunes with each of you here. Many don't realize that I work just as hard at my playlist as I do with blogging. Many times I will seek out certain songs to match the topic I've written about on my blog for that day. I will find those songs and place them at the top of my playlist so that they coincide with what you are reading. Blogging and music go hand in hand for me.
With all of that said, I MUST introduce you to a girl who has been gracing my car stereo, my ipod, my iphone, our house radio, and now my blog playlist. Her album dropped back in June but I'm just now learning of her. One of my sweet blog readers and friends (Hi Noelle!) used to be this girls nanny when she was younger. Noelle turned me on to her music and I've been hooked ever since. You could say that I'm a Jesse James addict now. Yes, her name is Jesse James. SHE ROCKS THE HOUSE. Not only is she as gorgeous as they come, but her style is right up my alley. Her music makes everything A-OK within my life no matter what the moment entails. Bottom line...Jesse is da' bomb! And if God ever allowed me to pick who I wanted to look like in life..."I'd pick Jesse!"
As I said, her CD is already out. They are beginning to play her music heavily on the radio stations and she is beginning to pop up everywhere. This girl will be all over the place before we know it. I promise you she is going somewhere - somewhere BIG. HUGE. GINORMOUS! I'd give anything just to rock out a tee and some sweat pants like she does.
Please go get Jesse's album. You won't regret it. For your listening pleasure, I've added 3 of my favorite Jesse tunes to the top of my playlist. Go rock out your moment with the songs "I look so good (without you) and Blue Jeans." I promise you that you will never be the same. ROCK ON JESSE GIRL!
xoxo, Angie
PS...Florida move update coming tomorrow. And yes, there will be pictures. :)
Last night was our first night in the new house. Brennen says he slept like a baby. :) So glad! I awoke this morning to the bright sunshine pelting thru the cracks on the sides of the blinds in our master bedroom. That is a switch...this time of year in Indy doesn't leave too much early morning light - let alone sunlight. I considered it a welcoming touch here in Naples, Florida. When I flipped the blinds, this was my view. Another HUGE difference from our dark wooded backyard lot in Indy.
The house is slowly but surely starting to come together. I am finally able to walk down the hall without tripping over boxes. I can see light at the end of the tunnel now. Kenidi has calmed down substantially and that is a great sign. It means that she is feeling at ease - more relaxed here now. I took Mom down 5th avenue last night and showed her all of the condos and apartments that are an option for her when she is ready to move into her own place. It was great to see the ambiance seeping from the streets of 3rd and 5th. That ambiance and atmosphere is what Naples is so known for. As I drove carefully down some of the brick pavered streets, I told Mom that THIS is why Naples has always been calling my name. It's the window shopping up and down what I consider a mini "rodeo drive." It's the dining. The white sand gulf beaches steps from the boutiques and restaurants. It's the cozy and quaint beach cottages that are so unique and eclectic - so outrageous - so Naples - so "dream worthy." Everything about Southwest Florida makes my heart skip a beat but it is Naples that officially takes my breath away. I feel very blessed to be waking up to this scenery full time now.
And yes...this morning was the first time I have picked my camera up in over a week. Big Papa has definitely been feeling a bit left out since arriving here in Florida. I finally have him out and ready to snap away. I've been going thru convulsions without him. I'm sooooooo ready to begin sharing the sites and sounds of Naples with each of you on a regular basis. In the meantime, I hope to be back to regular blogging in the coming days. I apologize for the lack of posts this past week. As you can imagine, blog updates have been the farthest thing from my mind during this move. Now that things are beginning to settle and fall into place though, we'll be back to our regular scheduled programming very soon - just coming to you from a new location. Wink wink! :)
I hope each of you are stuffing yourselves to the max right now. I know I will be soon. We've got two great cooks here for the day - Lou and my Mom. I plan to take full advantage of their mad skillz throughout the day today. Ha ha! Mom and I were too tired to even think about doing a full turkey style spread today. This move sucked every bit of energy out of us that we had. Therefore, we are doing a nice brunch this morning and then tonight Lou is going to whip up a grand Mexican fiesta for all of us. I'm not a fan of turkey and would much rather have chicken flautas and a heaping bowl of guacamole dip in front of me to devour. However, I am missing my Dad, Cathy, Grandma Dixie and Patti today though. This is the first year EVER that we are not there in Indiana to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. I am totally missing Cathy and Dixie's food today so it is best that I not dwell on it. We love you guys and miss you terribly. Then you have Brent's Moms cooking that ROCKS as well. I am craving some of her homemade noodles right about now. Gosh, I need to just quit with all the food. WHEW!
I hear that Indy is only going to be in the thirties today with rain. I told my aunt that I'd be thinking about her while I was sitting under a palm tree today in 80 degree weather. Ha ha! Honestly...I haven't even had much time to focus on the weather since arriving here. The move has captivated our attention as you can imagine. The furniture and boxes are in the house now - completely. The moving trucks have been returned and we are currently left with the aftermath. Mom and I managed to put a good dent in the boxes yesterday. I think there is only about 20 more boxes to unload and organize. I have major OCD issues so I'd rather get them all done and put away - one by one - and then rest. Mom was teasing me because she likes to open 10 boxes at once and then move amongst all ten when unpacking. I only open ONE box at a time...put the whole entire box away...then move to the next box. It's a process for me. If I get out of whack with it, I get overly stressed. I know...I know...I'm not right! Brent and Lou will be hanging all of our TV's today or tomorrow and Mom and I will be tackling the rest of the boxes at that point. From there, it is just a matter of hanging pictures, accessorizing, etc. We are just leasing the house we moved to - for a year or so - until we decide exactly what area of Naples we want to reside in permanently. The thought of moving again anytime soon makes me physically ill so gosh only knows when I'll be ready to attempt this in the future. I can't bare the thought.
Funny story...we were officially welcomed to the neighborhood last night with a citation on Brent's truck. He had it parked on the street past 7pm and apparently that is a no no. Never mind the fact that we were moving in and had a huge moving truck as well as my truck in the drive, etc. We couldn't believe it. My Mom goes..."Man, whatever happened to the days of people delivering brownies to your front door when you were new to the neighborhood?" Ha ha! We just couldn't get over it. The sticker across his windshield said that this was his only warning and that next time the vehicle would be towed. I guess they aren't messing around. We did manage to take our vehicles and get the labels placed on them for the laser at the entrance of the neighborhood yesterday. 75% of the neighborhoods here in Florida are gated. Therefore, you have to have bar codes placed on your windows in order to get in and out past the guard shacks. We found the time to get the cars bar coded and are now official. It's the little things that take all of the time to do. The little things that add up and cause your to do list to accumulate.
Oh and yes...we met with the new school this week. That went great. Brennen will start school Monday and Kenidi will be starting back on Tuesday or Wednesday. We loved all of the staff that were in the meeting and now we can't wait to meet Brennen and Kenidi's teachers next week. We here that Kenidi's teacher is awesome so we are very excited to get to know her. We have no idea who Brennen's teacher is yet but we'll find out Monday morning when we arrive. Aside from school appts., tours, etc., we've also had doctor appts. for prescriptions and physicals that the schools here needed in order to enroll them. Then, Mom has needed to go around and find a new bank, get a temporary p.o. box, and so on. Therefore, it's been quite busy - quite crazy - to say the least. Kenidi is doing a bit better as of yesterday. Once the boxes began to clear out and she saw some of her furniture from home, I believe she started to recognize things that she related to "home." The familiarity of simple things such as our great room couches just made her smile from ear to ear. We got her room put together as best we could last night and she loved hanging out in there while we were unpacking. On another funny note, she lost another tooth yesterday but we have no idea where. We are thinking she could have swallowed it without us knowing. Her dentist has assured me this happens all the time but I would have preferred her not. Unfortunately, she can't tell us when it is ready to come out - we just have to keep checking on it. At some point though, she must have bit into something and lost it on her own. She thought it was hysterical when we discovered it and made a big issue of it. :)
For now, we are off to enjoy Thanksgiving and all of its glory with our family. I'm sending huge hugs and big thanks to all of you out there who read this blog everyday, support my businesses, and who just treat our family as though it were your own. You guys mean more to us than we could ever possibly describe. I'm so blessed and thankful for each of your friendships. Much love and many blessings for 2010, Angie
OK...here is the deal. Mom and I have decided that due to the stress of the move, we are opening a new business. It's going to be called the Crazy Woman's saloon. We hope that each of you will either come and visit the both of us either there or in the looney bin. Ha ha! Neither of us drink but due to the aftermath of this move, we have decided that vodka and maybe even some vicadin (sp?) sound appealing right about now. :)
We are here. The weather is grand. It's a balmy 85 degrees and sunny. The palm trees are swaying and the sea salt aroma of the ocean is as prominent as ever. We are home. That sounds so weird to say. Home. A new normal. New beginnings - should we survive the stress of the move in general. :) Brent arrived about 14 hours behind us with the moving trucks. The guys had a tough time getting here. They were exhausted after the move and the packing in general. Therefore, to have to drive 18 hours on top of that to get here really took a toll on them. They arrived around 1am last night and have taken it easy today. The unloading of the trucks will start this evening once the sun cools down. This is going to be a several day ordeal. We are staying at the Bonita house for the next few nights until we are completely unpacked at the new place. For those of you close to us, we will have a new "family" email address. Comcast came today and set up our new phone number, email, and cable. There was some chaos there with the service techs but in the end, it worked out. We are in business. Once I get our new email address picked out, I'll let our close family and friends know what it is.
I've determined that Kenidi has gone AWOL. She is beyond hyper and is giving Mom and I a run for our money. I've never seen anything like it. My guess is that she is trying to understand and adapt to all of the stress and chaos right now. In turn, she is like a caged animal - literally. On top of that, she already took a plunge in the pool today at the new house. Thankfully, Mom was there with her and pulled her up and out by her shirt up and out of there. She came out drenched like a drowned rat. That child keeps me on my toes fo' sho'! She is running thru the new house like it is a play land because there isn't any furniture in there yet. Between her energy and Brennen's bossiness and whining, I feel like I'm living in a zoo. Mom and I just keep laughing to ourselves about it all - trying to keep the air light and find humor in the dazed and crazed. She and I drove down the road - both hands in the air - pretending to have a zen moment earlier in the car. The kids weren't finding it amusing as we tried to get Brennen and Kenidi to join in. The gentleman in the car next to us was quite sure we had lost both of our minds. I've decided I'm going to leave Kenidi with Mom at the Bonita house tonight while Brent, Lou, Brennen and myself begin the unloading process at the new house. I think I can get more accomplished that way without having to worry about what Kenidi is getting into while I'm not at her side every second. I know without a shadow of a doubt that her over abundance of energy is coming from the confusion and transition of it all.
The good news is that even though the realtor alerted me that there are probably small gators in the pond behind our new house, he says there are only 3 poisonous snakes in the area of FL we are in. OH JOY! You can imagine my excitement when he told me that info. Thankfully there haven't been any other snakes around the Bonita house since our arrival. I'm sure they heard I was back in town. You know how much they love my SUV tires. Ha ha!
For now, I am going to go and gear up for the damage I'm about to do to myself as we begin the unpacking process. My Mom just rubbed muscle rub all over my back for the pain I'm already in and I now feel like there is a small forest fire crawling up my back due to the medicine. WOWZA! Where is the beach when I need it? HA HA! Stay tuned...this week is going to be real interesting. I'm sure of it. I'm just so glad that I have all of you around to help me laugh while this process plays out. A HUGE thanks to each of my new friends on facebook who have friend requested me and for all of your comments and private emails in the past couple of days. You girls RAWWWKK! :)
Much love and continued sanity, Angie
PS...The 1st song playing on my blog right now is my new theme song as we begin our new life down here. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Truly one of my signature favs!
Well, we are alive. We made it only a few hours before stopping at a hotel late last night. (around midnight) My Mom got tired and was ready to cash it in after about four hours of driving. I don't blame her...we were all exhausted after the move yesterday and the couple of nights leading up to the move. We stopped at a hotel somewhere in Franklin, Tennessee where we ran across an overly friendly and very giving registration desk gal. (waving high to all of my Tennessee friends right now) :) The front desk girl gave me an AARP discount beings that we were coming in so late. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She did let me know that she knew I wasn't old enough for an AARP discount but she wanted to give it anyway. Now that is my kinda' girl. Maybe we should make her an AGD sista. Ha ha! Really though, she was just too sweet for words. You guys know how much I appreciate pleasant customer service in this world. It's hard to come by now days. (unfortunately) So...if your travels should ever take you to Franklin, Tennessee...make sure to stop at the Holiday Inn Express on Neha drive and ask for Megan. She was a real doll!
It's about 8:15am Indy/Florida time and we are now ready to get up and headddddd em' ouuutttt! I told Mom that I'd like to be on the road again by 9am. Let's see if I can align the troops and make that happen. HA! We are a bit outside of Nashville, TN now and still have about 13 hours ahead of us. It's going to be a long drive beings that we quit so early last night. Either way, I look forward to conversing with each of you along the way via facebook. I can't thank you all enough for keeping me awake last night by commenting on my status updates as I updated my facebook page each hour. Should you want to friend request me (if you haven't already), click HERE. You can then follow along with the us. :) I even got the great pleasure of rolling thru Louisville last night only to have someone come up beside me - window to window on the hightway - honking their horn like a crazy woman. When I finally looked over and realized what was going on, I saw that it was a dear friend of mines sister. It was Amy Babbs sister - Tracy Vance. Hi Tracy! I can't believe you passed me on the road girl. So funny! How crazy is that?! What were you doing in Louisville, KY??? Either way, it was good seeing ya gur-fren! :) For now, I'm off to blow dry my hair, grab some breakfast, and hit the road. The good news is...well aside from the fact that it is going to be 84 degrees in Naples today, is that the sun is shining - BRIGHTLY - and it's a gorgeous day outside. YAY!
If you are reading this, then we've most likely already hit the road and are in route to Naples. It's been a very long and stressful 48 hours leaving us wondering at times if we would ever get out of here. However, the trucks are packed and headed South. The key now is to slow my lead foot down enough to allow my Mother to keep up with me in her car as she follows behind us. Although I learned my driving habits from her and my grandfather who used to race cars at Kitley, I've recently noticed that my Mom has slowed down a bit as she has gotten older. :) Yes, I know...I need to slow it down too. I swear I'm just a target for police officers. Last night I had one pull side by side with me on the highway, give me a mean mugged stare, then flip his spotlight on me in my side window. No...he didn't pull me over but I think he just wanted to make his presence known. I wasn't speeding or anything. I looked at Brennen and was like..."What did I do?" We both started laughing. In the end, I'm glad he alerted me that he was there. He probably saved me a ticket. Ha ha! Anywho, here is to praying I can escape this 17 hour drive from the Midwest to gator country without getting pulled over. The beach is still there waiting for me no matter how fast I drive to get there. Wink wink! ;)
Stay tuned for more updates as I can give them. And again...if you are a facebook user, feel free to friend request me. I'm making hour by hour updates there regarding our progress.
Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this journey. If you are a crackbook addict, feel free to friend request me there on FACEBOOK. I'll be doing minute by minute updates on my page as we head out and make the drive from the Midwest into "gator country." :)
Kenidi being pushed around on the dolly by her Dad...
I love how she fits just perfectly inside the contour of it. So funny!
Also, I'm sure you can see that we are in the process of altering the blog a hair. I thought that I wanted to give it a new fresh makeover. You girls know how I love to change things up a bit from time to time - never keeping anything long enough for it to get stale. Same goes for my AGD logo. If you have a good eye, you'll notice that I changed up my logo design a bit. Well Crystal did it for me - I just told her what I wanted and she magically makes it happen. I had her remove the crown and the heart from my logo. I wanted only wings from here on out. Reason being, it is the wings that AGD is known for - not the heart - and not the crown. Not only that but I have had the logo just long enough for several people to copy the design. I'm not fond of the copying especially when one of them was supposed to be a good blog friend. Therefore, in an attempt to always stay ahead of the game and keep the AGD look but yet always keep it fresh and out of the box, I trashed the heart and the crown, and made it a bit more grown up. Less girlie and more cottage chic. Less zebra-ish or less of a black and fuchsia color scheme and opted for a more beachy look. A fresh and clean new vibe. Angie. I just wanted it to scream AGD & Angie. So...I'm thankful to have a look that isn't blending in with the over saturated amounts of wings, crowns, and hearts now. I love the look and think that Crystal and Amy ROCKED it like they always do. I hope that when you log onto this page now that you will instantly be propelled to the shoreline with us and that you will enjoy your time here as though it was a virtual vacation of sorts. I can't wait to share the Naples treasures with each of you.
This card was given to me by my dear friend Tamara. I met Tamara several years ago when Brennen became friends with her son in 2nd grade. We've enjoyed our time with them ever since. They are great to vacation with and we love their company no matter where we are. Tamara and Joe are considering buying a vacation home in the same neighborhood that our Bonita Springs house is in. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will so that they will have an excuse to come down and hang out with us all of the time. :) Either way, Tamara gave me this card after our dinner together the other night along with a bag full of "good-bye" gifts that I fell in love with. The card was my favorite though. The wordage on it couldn't be any more perfect. Just had to share...
And speaking of Brennen...a couple of you have asked how the kids are taking the move. Well, it's like this...Brennen is now 10 years old and in 5th grade. He adores his friends here and will miss them terribly. We've assured them that they are welcome at our home in Naples anytime they want to come down. Fortunately, the area where we live has lots of families who go on Spring Break to the Ft. Myers Beach area each year. Beings that we will only be about 40 minutes from Ft. Myers Beach, we are hoping to keep in touch with many of his friends just on Spring break alone not to mention the rest of the year too. Brennen is excited and nervous all at the same time regarding this move. I am the same. Thankfully he is a pretty outgoing kid and makes friends easily. I'm praying that lunch time and recess will be a breeze for him that first day/week. That is my only worry - those moments in general. Brent and I decided that if we were going to move, we needed to do it NOW. It was going to be easier to transplant Brennen there in Naples now - rather than waiting until junior high or high school. He will be at the elementary school for about 5 months before migrating over into the middle school next year with everyone else. The next 5 months will give him just enough time to meet some friends to "move over" into the middle school with. We didn't want to throw him into the junior high next year to fend for himself. We truly believe that getting in the elementary school for the next few months will be a plus for him as he transitions to the junior high next year.
And Kenidi...well...she is a whole other story. Although she doesn't quite understand what is going on, I realize the transition will be tough for her into this new school - mid year. It will be tough for me as well to have to watch her adjust. However, without going into a ton of detail here on the blog...I'd rather watch her transition into a new school in Naples than have her stay in her current school even one more day. I have not discussed her school much here lately out of fear of hurting some feelings or causing an uproar. However, after meetings with the principal of the school as well as repeated conversations with her current teacher, to say that Brent and I are disappointed would be an understatement. Kenidi has come home with multiple incident reports from the school nurse this year - sometimes weekly and even twice a week - due to injuries she is receiving while at school. Sometimes the injuries are explained by acknowledging another child hurt her within the class but then there are most times when no one seems to know what happened to her to cause the injuries. The aide doesn't know, the teacher doesn't know, etc. As you can imagine, sending your child - who can't talk and tell you about her day - to a school where she is coming home injured on a regular basis, really makes your job as a parent even that much more heart wrenching. The school is understaffed and has admitted that they are short on aides and now her teacher has even left for the year due to maternity leave. Kenidi is extremely scared - more like "petrified" of a particular aide in the classroom. When I take her to drop her off, she breaks down and goes into a mode I've never witnessed before when she thinks I'm about to leave her with this particular aide. The bus driver has noted it as did Kenidi's speech therapist at the school. They all confirmed what we were seeing. I don't believe this aide is harming Kenidi but there are other factors that I know cause her fear when it comes to this woman. We've repeatedly asked the school to work with helping Kenidi and this aide transition together but no one is listening. And the final straw came just a couple of weeks ago when I went to drop Kenidi off at school one morning. Her teacher never came outside to get her as scheduled - nor did the aide who was working that morning. When I called inside the school after all of the buses had come and gone and we were the only ones left, the front office staff sent out a school janitor to come and get my daughter from me at the back of the school and walk her to her class. Oh yes they did. Now...I know the janitor is definitely an up and up kind of guy. The principal assured me that he would have released his kids to this janitor anytime. However, I am NOT the principal. I'm a parent who is responsible for the well-fare of my children and I'll be darned if I'm going to release her to a school maintenance worker instead of her teacher - as planned. That janitors job is not to get my kid to class. That is my job and her teachers job! Nuff' said.
So...let me repeat myself again...I would rather watch Kenidi have to endure the adjustment of a new school mid-year rather than to have to watch her go thru one more day of torment at her current school. Clearly there are issues there. People are dropping the ball and they've admitted it. The children in that special needs class have gotten less than 50% since the first day of school began. I'd like to say that her teacher "checked out" in recent weeks when she got further along in her pregnancy. However, the truth is...she was never "checked in" from day one. As you can imagine, this is hurtful for us because we had her in the best school with the best teacher and the absolute BEST aides last year.
Unfortunately, the district let most of those people go and then shuffled everyone else around to different areas. So...it's tough when one school, one principal, one teacher, and four different aides spoiled us rotten regarding the care and love they showered our daughter with when she was in their care - only to go to the polar opposite when the district changed her school this year. Thankfully, I've been able to remain good friends with her teacher as well as an aide of hers last year. We love them dearly and miss them being in her life more than words can describe. I used to always hear about the horrible time that parents of special needs kids have with schools before I had Kenidi. However, I never realized the drama and its complexity until I had a special needs child of my own. As her only advocate in life, Brent and I will do whatever we feel necessary to keep this child safe and comfortable. And at this point in time, that means moving her to a new school.
Are we moving just because of her school, No. Not at all. Truth be told...this move to Naples has been in the works for 10 plus years. Deep down, even you guys knew I'd end up there someday. An opportunity presented itself to go now, so we are going - before I change my mind again. I swore I'd never leave my parents and move there. Now look, I'm leaving my Dad and Cathy behind as well as Brent's mom. It's a tough decision. In the end though, life's curve balls helped me make that decision. My goal is to get to Naples, dig in deep, and go gung-ho with my photography business there. I want to make a name for myself and build a business that can sustain itself for my family. Photography is a HUGE passion of mine and I feel that I can promote it there better than here in Indy. I can shoot year round there. As a natural light photographer, I only get 5 months or so here in Indy to shoot each year. And that is if Mother Nature doesn't cause me to have to cancel sessions due to weather issues. Naples is a tourist area. People flock there for family vacations and tons of them want family photos on the beach when in town. I want to embrace those wants and cater to the those families willing to let me photography them. I've been there and know how hard it is to find a beach photographer or any photographer for that matter when on vacation in a tropical area. Due to my own experiences when searching for a photographer, I plan to hopefully saturate the market there in Naples and Southwest Florida in general. We'll see where the good Lord takes this. I'm letting him lead the way. For all I know, he'll get me down there and away from photography doing something else totally different. I heard a saying the other day that said something to the effect that God laughs at our "10 year plans." I truly believe that. He totally has his own agenda and I'm confident that his agenda is always best. :) Less than 48 hours to go...
It's Tuesday night. In three short days it will be Friday. In three days, we will be packing our cars and the moving trucks. Cars and moving trucks bound for Naples, Florida. We will depart Indiana on Friday evening - driving half way, stopping to sleep for the night at a hotel mid-way, then picking up where we left off on Saturday morning. If all goes as planned, we shall be official "Floridians" as of Saturday night - around 9pm. We will leave the title of "Hoosier" behind but it will forever be embedded in my heart - just like the initials 'CG' are.
And for those who've asked...yes, my Mom is moving and becoming a "Floridian" right along with us. She is not moving in with us but she will be staying in our Bonita Springs house until she finds a place of her own. We on the other hand will be about 20 minutes south of there - in the heart of Naples. 4 minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from 5th avenue. Although moving from Indy will be tough, the geographic location where we will now reside sure will make it easier to stomach leaving the "Hoosier" state. Those flights back and forth to Naples over the past couple of months paid off. Our mission was accomplished. We found a place where our family of four will be comfortable and where the schools are rumored to be great. The schools were a big part of our research. Florida isn't really known for great public schools. Therefore, we spent many hours on the phone, speaking to other locals, and just investigating the schools in general. We based our new residence on the school(s) we wanted our kids in and were NOT about to move until all of the stars aligned and we found something within that few mile radius.
But back to my Mom...beings that I'm an only child and my Mom isn't married, she hasn't got a whole lot tying her to Indy right now. She has sisters here whom she will miss a lot and whom are already missing her at the mere thought of her departure. However, she has always said - for years - that if we should ever decide to pack up and move to Florida, she would be going too. And she is. I didn't even have to ask her. It was just an unspoken and automatic notion. I am thankful to have my Mom coming with us. She immediately said..."When do I need to start packing?" It will be great to have someone there that I know. It will be lovely that she is just down the street in Bonita in case we should need help with the kids. But the best part will be on those mornings when I put the kids on the bus and can call her up and say...get your beach bag ready...I'm picking you up and we are going to go lay by the seashore all day - catching the suns BEST rays. You see...my love for the sun came from my Mom. It was genetically instilled in me from the time of conception. My Mom is the type that back in the day...when I was little...used to climb a ladder to her roof and then lay on that 'said roof' all day long until she was fried beyond belief from the sun. She truly believed that the black shingled roof helped her tan easier and quicker. Not only did she tan on the roof, but she would use one of those aluminum foil looking reflector blankets to lay on. You guys remember those back in the day, right? Yeap, those are a few of the fondest memories of my Mom. Ha ha! So...my love for a good tan, the warm sunshine on my face, and the mere feel of the melanin rising to the top surface of my skin from the heat outside is a direct result of watching my Mom do what she did best during our Indiana summers when I was a kid. I remember taking a trip to the Bahamas with just my Mom and my aunt when I was in high school. We laid on the beach all day long - soaking in the sun - like it was the last day we'd ever see it. Yes, we are addicts. Yes, we will look 80 by the time I'm 40. But know this...Florida senior citizens are WAAYYYYY healthier than Indiana senior citizens. Why? It's because of all that vitamin D they get from the sun. I'm sure of it. We see 80 and 90 year old men and women out boating, walking the beach, perusing the shops, and dining at the ritzy restaurants in Naples just as though they were 30 again. They ROCK it out - living like they are dying - everyday in Florida. We always talk about how healthy they all look and what a gorgeous glow they all have. They keep a kick to their step unlike our older/elderly community here in Indiana. The Hoosiers of that age are old, frail, brittle, and fragile. Indiana winters cause falls which causes bad injuries in the elderly. It's no wonder why they age quicker and harder here.
There is a reason why we - as human beings - have a natural radar that goes or gravitates toward beaches when vacationing. God totally knew what he was doing when he made the shorelines and invented beach chairs.
It looks like this here in Indy today (photo shown above). Only it isn't green outside anymore like it was in this earlier Spring photo. It's now rainy, cold, and brown. Dead. Bland. Gray. Depressing.
It is moments like this when I wish I could get in my car and drive '4.5 miles' down the street to the sounds of this:
and this...
I'd like to throw a beach bag in the car and drive '4 minutes' down the street to the feel of this:
and this...
On days like the one here in Indy today, I find myself lost in cravings for the sight of Floridian colors like these:
and this...
and this...
and this...
It is on days like today when I realize how close Christmas is. When I realize that we haven't spent a Christmas in Indiana for the past 3 years. It is always spent here, like this:
This year will be no different. Well...maybe a bit "different."
This past Friday, I had brunch with my sewing employee, Karen. I found myself not wanting the brunch to end. When it did, the tears flowed. I was emotional. On Saturday night, we had dinner with our dear friends. (Tamara and Joe) As we left, it was emotional for me. On Sunday, I rolled thru my hometown of CG. As I rolled out of there, it was very tough in many ways. One way in particular. I was again emotional. Sunday afternoon, we drove to my Dads and had dinner with him and Cathy. (my step-mom) The whole day was surreal. Difficult. Gut wrenching. And yes...you guessed it...I was emotional. Very emotional. We played a good, fun, round of family football in his front yard. It took everything I had to fight back the tears as we laughed together like we always do. It took the strength of a small army to hold in my emotions as I watched Brennen and Kenidi tackling their Papa Tony and Grandma Cathy while letting out shrills of laughter as they all plummeted to the ground. When I pulled out of my Dad's drive way, I was "uncontrollably" emotional. Reality suddenly hit me. After several months of planning, the truth was here - loud and clear. My knees buckled as I went to hug my Dad goodbye. Emotional was no longer the word. Tonight...I will meet 9 of my best girlfriends in downtown Indy for dinner. Nine of the girls who know me best. Nine women who know my inner most secrets. Nine women who support me thru thick and thin. Nine women who not only did I graduate high school with, but whom I gave my heart and soul to a long time ago. I will have dinner with nine girls who are the epitome' of "good times." As one of my besties described the upcoming evening earlier today, she once again confirmed my reality and reminded me that she "was sure there would be tears." The window image with the rain on the outside of the glass at the top of this blog is a good example of the amount of tears I've cried in recent days. Good tears - happy tears - thankful for all of them tears - but very sad tears as well. It's a mixture of emotions. Scary yet exciting. Sad yet happy. Apprehensive yet eager.
Today is Monday. In four days, it will be Friday. After that, four days could easily be changed to '4 minutes or 4.5 miles.' Yes, Christmas will be just a tad bit "different" this year. And like the past few days, I'm sure I will once again be emotional. At times...overly emotional. In the end, life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. (~Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe)
Half of me is ready and prepared. The other half of me is trembling with separation anxiety like a small infant would endure as she is separated from the womb she once knew. Her world. Her life. Her loves. Today is Monday. In 4 days it will be Friday...
This was a shoot with Miss "B." Little Miss "B" was a doll to work with. LOVED HER! She was a natural in front of the camera.
Seeing these fields with the queen Anne's lace makes me summer already. Amazing how fast Summer and Fall have flown by.
I played around with some textures on a few of these. I'm not normally a texture kinda' girl but once in a while is fun...
This last shot was just a candid image of her jumping like a frog thru the grass. LOVED it too! So fun! Kids just make your heart melt, don't they?
For now, I am off to have brunch with my sewing gal and dear friend, Karen, today. Then, I have a doctor appt. scheduled at 1pm. I'm asking for prayers on that one. Can you guys send some positive thoughts my way for it? I'd greatly appreciate it. :) After all of that, I've offered to have 5 ten year old boys spend the night with Brennen tonight. It's a sleepover that is sure to keep me awake half the night. Ha ha! I adore all of his little friends though. They are GREAT kids with phenomenal families. He knows how to pick them and for that...I'm thankful. This weekend and the next seven days in general are sure to be NUTS. Come this time next Friday, we'll be...
If someone would have told me back in November of 2004 that AGD would become the name or label that it has become in the past 5 years, I never would have believed them. AGD was born from a need for me to find a hobby or something to keep me busy in an attempt to divert my attention thru all of the bad news "medically" regarding Kenidi. I bought a sewing machine after having "loathed" sewing while in home-ec class back in my high school days. Many people chuckled and found my new "love" comical. And truth be told...I chuckled and even cried on several occasions in the beginning. Learning the ropes to sewing, patterns, etc. was not easy. In fact, it was ridiculously hard. However, thanks to the world of eBay and the design groups I was a part of there - I met many friends - some now whom are my best of friends - that helped me get my footing and literally walked me thru how to sew. There were many times that I considered throwing in the towel during those early days with my machine. However, God apparently had a much larger plan. The sewing went to then beading jewelry and the beading of jewelry lead to needing good product shots that would sell my items online. Rather than pay someone to photograph my inventory for me, I decided I needed to pick my camera back up and get with the age of digital. I needed to hone back in on that passion of photography which I've carried since elementary school. I wanted to tap into that love for images that had carried me thru many a photography classes in high school and even the local college once I had graduated. My photography took a back seat when I had Brennen. Then the digital era happened. Film was obsolete. I literally had to start all over. So the sewing lead to the beading and the beading lead to the photography. Who knows where the photography will ultimately lead me in the end. In the meantime, AGD has become a familiar name amongst many across the country and abroad. And whether they are constant clients who buy my designs for their little divas or jewelry pieces for themselves and/or whether they are avid and loyal blog followers who wake up with their morning coffee in hand then link over to read my blog each day, they are what makes AGD - well AGD. Without each of you, this label would have never become what it has. As I prepare to announce some changes with AGD soon, I get emotional when I realize how very thankful I am for the past 5 years and the past "almost" 1000 blog posts concerning my life and AGD that have lead me to today. What looked like a way to detour my thoughts concerning Kenidi's health concerns initially...turned out to be one of the most therapeutic chapters of my life. The last 5 years of sewing, beading, blogging, and photography have shaped and molded me into a person I would have never become had it not been for Gods intended plan to lead me down this path with each of you. I truly believe that every person crosses paths with another for a reason. And although I might not "personally" know a lot of you who read this blog, I pray that the blogging or AGD in general has some how helped you in the many ways that all of you have helped me. In a nutshell, I now see that the purpose of AGD was never meant to be about the label or the sewing, the jewelry, etc. I believe whole-heartily that AGD came to be for the support, love, friendships, and loyalty that God knew I needed to carry me through a trying time. Now look...you guys have carried me thru "MANY" trying moments in my life. For those of you who I do know a bit better than just a loyal blog reader...thank you. Thank you for taking the time out to write me all those times and keep my family in your prayers. Thank you for just calling or emailing to say "Hi, hows it goin'?" from day to day. Thank you for becoming a constant within my life albeit via the Internet. God knew what he was doing when he placed each of you in my life. I'm convinced I wouldn't be here without you guys.
With that said, let me humbly announce my joy as well as my surprise when "Kanchi" magazine from Australia decided to place a snippet in their November edition about AGD. The Angelica Grace name has been featured many times in different publications within the United States but this is the first time that we are being featured in a publication outside of the U.S. Thank you to Kanchi and their staff for allowing the AGD name to grace their pages. Their words to describe AGD read something like this..."Offering stunning, funky, edgy, hip and girly ranges of unique designer wear for your little ones; this creative brand also does couture pieces that can only be described as; pure heaven." Thank you Kanchi magazine. And thank you AGD followers. I'm so blessed by all of you. xoxo, Angie
Brennen spent the night with his Grandma this past Friday night. He had a ball with his cousins. The three of them really look up to him because he is the oldest and the two girl cousins have been known to claim that they want to "marry" him. Ha ha! It cracks all of us up. They are all such a hoot together. We are so thankful for family who play an intricate and major role in Brennen's life. With that said, Daddy went to pick Brennen up from Grandma's on Saturday and when he did...Kenidi and I took to the streets for a little impromptu fall photo shoot. This child LOVED crunching thru the leaves in her boots. She would stomp just to hear the leaves being demolished underneath her feet. It was hysterical.
The leaves were all dead and dried up so they made for some great crunching noises. She loves textures so she kept grabbing them and feeling them as well. I kept praying that a big ol' worm or spider wasn't going to crawl out from underneath them onto her hands or head for that matter. Ha ha!
The light outside was that warm honey/golden shade again. It was a gorgeous day to say the least.
Her eyelashes kept jumping out at me during the session - like they always do when I'm photographing her. Her and Brennen both were blessed with beautiful eyelashes. We have no idea where they got them from...
I love how her hair has like three different shades or colors running throughout it. I'm guessing it is from being in and out of the sun so much. Women pay good money to have their hair highlighted and colored like that. Ha ha! Kenidi's just comes naturally. Who would have ever guessed that when she used to pull all of her hair out due to frustration while being non-verbal, that she would end up with hair like she has now. God is good! Oh...and there is that golden honey light again...and the eyelashes again too...
I know I've said it here before but I'm going to say it again. I can truly see the world in her eyes. She has so much love to give. She is truly the most affectionate child I've ever known.
I have no doubt that she is touching the lives of many and that she will continue to do so as she grows thru the years. We are so blessed by the fact that she has changed how we view the world. Thru her eyes, the world became a totally new and different place to us. For that we are very thankful. But mainly...I am just so very thankful to be able to call her "mine."
