No More Waiting

Remember when...

...people took pictures while on vacation, brought their film home and took it to the processor then waited about a week to get their pictures/slides/film back and then invited people over to watch all about their great trip?

...people took pictures while on vacation, brought their film home and took it to the processor then waited two days to get their pictures back and then put them in books with sticky page protectors that could be carried around to show anyone they wanted to about their great trip?

...people took pictures while on vacation, brought their film home and took it to the processor then waited one hour to get their pictures back and then stood in the store showing everyone that walked by about their great trip?

...people took pictures while on vacation, quickly down loaded them on the nearest computer once they were at the hotel, then posted them on the web for everyone in the world to see?

My! How things have changed!

My cousins are on vacation, at Disney World no less, and I am getting to enjoy their trip almost in real time! Thanks to cell phones with text and picture capabilities, Traci and I have been enjoying a great game we came up with called "Where in Disney World are M and K?" It is actually a spin off of a game we developed, "Where in Abilene is MM?" We started playing when we both got our iPhones. I would take a picture of MM somewhere in Abilene, send the picture to Traci and she would guess where we were. We even took a picture from her front porch one day. This newer version is a bit more difficult since I have never been to WDW before, so she is taking some pretty wide shots to try and help me out.

Yesterday, after I forwarded her pictures to her parents and my mom, it got me to thinking about how we have always shared our memories through photographs. I only started with my memories, but I know there were some early processes that took longer than that. Because of digital photography, we don't have to wait any longer.

They just have a couple of days left on their trip, but I have enjoyed getting away with them this week. Now, I know my cousins, well Traci anyway. I know she has a memory stick or two full of other great memories that I haven't seen yet. So I am ready for them to get home, get them downloaded and emailed to me! And Trina, if you did manage to take any pictures, I will happily help you get them in a digital scrapbook!

Traci - I can't wait to play WIWDWIMM with you in January!!!

Did You See My New Widget?!

There, at the top of my page. How do you like that? It is mainly for my cousins and I. Our most fun day of the year is black Friday.

So, some of you are asking "Why an amusement park to represent shopping?" If you must ask, you must be one of the ones that sleep late on that day. Have you ever been to Six Flags on one of the busiest days of the year? You run into the park when they open the gates only to stand in line, sometimes for hours to ride a ride. When that ride is finished you run to the next ride just as fast as you can to wait in line yet again. That is what Black Friday is all about. You get up early to wait in line (usually outside in the cold) for the doors to open. When they open you and all your "friends" rush into the store, grab your bargains, rush to the check out to wait in yet another line. After you pay, again, you rush to the next store and the process starts all over again, just like an adult amusement park.

Yes, we do get out in the cold, rain, snow, heat, dust... whatever the weather brings, we stand in it!
Yes, we do laugh at all the sleepy, angry, tired of waiting people. Get over it, you know it is going to be a long day, have fun with it, get in the spirit of Christmas.
Yes, we know we do not have to face the crowd, but we like it!
Yes, we do use our cell phones to call each other if we found a good deal, got in a short line and are ready to be picked up.
Yes, we do allow others to go with us, but only if they promise to have a good time and not complain.
Yes, we do make fun of hateful, mean, rude people.
Yes, we have been known to split a bean burrito and a small soda because all we had between us was pocket change and barely enough to purchase said items.


So, Trina and Traci, get your walking/running shoes on and your Starbucks cards ready!

IT IS ALMOST TIME TO SHOP!

Not Much to Talk About

I just realized that it has been almost two weeks since my last post. That should tell you what is going on around here - not much. It has been steamy, hot, and lazy. It is too hot to do much outside so we have been lazing around the house, except for work and we did manage to make it to the movie this past weekend. "The Dark Night" is really good we thought, but we like that kind of film. We also rented some movies and stayed up way to late on Saturday night, but enjoyed just doing nothing.

We got a pleasant surprise this week, Mattie May got to come home a week early from her dad's house. We are so glad to have her home. I will be off the next two days so we are going to try to get this potty thing down. She is doing pretty good, but with just me and her home I think she will get it down.

I have had some time to play around on scrapblog.com. If you like photos and scrapbooking, you really need to check out this site. It is very easy to get started. I learned from just playing around and looking at scraps others have done. Two years ago, we made a trip to Las Vegas. since it has officially been two years, and because I really am ready to go back, I did a scrap on it. I hope you enjoy.



This is just a bit of what we did while we were there, because you know what they say - "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." We really had a good time. What you don't see in the scrap is Frank was able to play in a Texas Hold 'Em tournament (made it through 5 rounds!) and Trina and I did a lot of shopping and site seeing. If you ever plan a trip let me know. I think she and I found everything possible that was free. We even found a lot of fun in public transportation!

Now that Matti May is back, I plan on taking more pictures and having lots more to blog about! Frank and I have missed her so much and are ready to make up for some lost time!

I also would like to direct you to a new blog. My cousin Traci has decided to join the bloggy community. Why it has taken so long is beyond me. She is after all the techy one in the family! Click here to visit her and leave her a comment to welcome her. Tell her I sent you! Now if I can just get Katie to update her blog!!!

Happy Blogging and God Bless You All.

Happy Birthday Traci!

Today is Traci's birthday! Yeah Traci! What can I tell you about her that I have not already told you? She is a great Aunt to Katie and Mattie May and my sister that I always write about. I am always so proud to tell everyone that she is the principle at her shcool and she is working on her doctorate. I can't wait 'til she finishes so I can say we have a Doctor in the family! Happy Birthday Traci - I Love You!


Post Script - It is difficult to find pictures of Traci, because, like me, she is always behind the camera, not in front of it. Of the few pictures I have found, I am having trouble getting them scanned. I will keep trying though.

This is What I Thought

Last week I posted this picture -

and asked you to tell me the first thing that came to your mind.

Well I must say, Anne commented first and had the same thought I had. This is what I think my two cousins, Trina and Traci, and I will look like in the future (the very distant future!).

Even though Anne said it first, the others got it right too. But there is some confusion as to which woman is which cousin. Well I will just say, Trina has always worn blue, Traci has always been the middle and I love bright colors. But you could also say Trina has the thinest face, mine is the roundest and Traci is not the tallest of the three. It is so hard to tell because, dadgumit, we are all three just so darn cute! See this picture from our past and you be the judge.

This picture also proves Trina's point in her last comment, I did used to be a blonde!