Business Success!

I have the Lord to thank for all his blessings. I recently started my own business and have had great success thus far. I have not been busy every day but the business has steadily been coming in. My next client will be a wedding right after the 1st of the year. I am so enjoying my business and love that it is my own hours. I never dreamed it would do so well so soon. God is always so good and I praise him for this success. I will be in an office space sometime between the first of the year and the start of February hopefully. I pray business will continue to do well if not better once in the office space. Hope this find you all doing well and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving day was rather relaxing! We slept in, Robert made french toast, then we started to get ready. I gave all the kids a bath and then Audrey and I painted our nails a matching color. Once we were all ready we drove into Anchorage for our Thanksgiving meal. We went to a restaurant called Simon and Seaforts that is located right on the bay(it is called the Knik Arm). It was beautiful. The one pic we got you can't see the bay since it was already getting dark. They had the inside decorated for Christmas and looked gorgeous! Then we drove home and decorated the house ourselves. After that it was time for our Christmas pics! All in all it was a wonderful day but it went to quickly. I hope and pray you all had as wonderful a day too!

My first client!

Here are just a few of the poses I did with my first client last night. We had so much fun and they turned out nicely. I am really excited since I have my 2nd sitting tonight! I absolutely love doing engagement pictures! I am so happy to be able to make money doing something I am so passionate about. It seems like I could get really busy pretty quick. There have been a lot of positive responses to those who have been informed to take a look at my website! I really feel the Lord has led me into this and that he is and will continue to bless. I want to thank all of you who have been so encouraging with my new venture. You all have been a tremendous support and encouragement. I love all of you!!!

New Additions to our Family

I have wanted a Shih tzu dog for quite sometime. This weekend we came across 2 of them that were free on cragislist. Our intent was to get one of them. When I called they had informed me that they were already gone. They had left that morning. I was so disappointed about it. Later I received a phone call from the owner of the dogs saying the person who picked them up were bringing them back and wanted to know if I wanted them. I wasn't wanting 2 dogs at first but the owner wanted them to stay together since they had been together since birth. So needless to say we now have 2 dogs named Cookie and Muffin. The larger one is Muffin. They came with a kennel and bowls and the pink vests. They love the kids and the kids love them. I was worried how they would do last night so I put them in their kennel and they slept fine all night long. Today they both received baths and a good combing. Cookie loves a bath but Muffin prefers to not have one but doesn't fight it. Muffin loves the kennel and has been sleeping in it off and on all day. Cookie has been my shadow and seems to be making Muffin jealous. All I have to do is say "Where's my babies" and they both come bounding towards me and shoving each other wanting to be rubbed. They seem quite comfortable here and we are enjoying them.

My new business

Many of you have already seen my business website but for those who have not here is the link. http://www.lastingimpressionsbyangela.com/Lasting_Impressions_by_Angela/Home.html
I am really excited about it all. My business cards should be done by Tuesday and hopefully but next Monday I will be up and running full force. (as long as the clients come my way!
This is something that I really enjoy and have a wonderful passion for. I am praying for God to lead with this new venture!

First Snowfall

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The Dreaded Strep!

Unfortunately Gregory has had strep for a week and a half and is now on his 2ND dose of Zithromax. Both times the doses were diagnosed wrong for him. He wasn't taking enough for a boy his weight. I got sick and went to my family doctor and he is the one that figured that much out for us. I refuse to go back to the pediatrician. We are all now using my family doctor. He is great. I now have strep as well! YUCK! This stuff really knocks you down! Gregory and I spent the whole day in bed.(besides going to the Dr) I am sure we will do the same tomorrow. Please pray for us all to get healthy and stay healthy. Robert especially needs to stay well as he is in charge of a huge project that has to be finished really soon at work! Your prayers are greatly appreciated and I hope and pray you all are staying healthy yourself. The sickness started rather early for us this year. I just hoping this means we are getting it out of the way early! Thanks again for your prayers.

Hatchers Pass in the fall

Fall is in the air!

Sunday after getting ready for church I realized that Audrey and I matched. Since fall is here I decided our yard would be a great backdrop for pictures of us together. It was fun. Audrey always enjoys picture taking. This morning we woke up to find the mountains had been dumped with snow. There was literally no snow on some of them just last night but this morning they were covered heavily at least a fourth of the way down. It is amazing to watch the transition into fall/winter. Hope you all are doing well!

Eric's 8th Birthday!

Wow, what a celebration Eric had for his 8th b-day! His birthday was last Sunday. With it being a Sunday we waited til the following Friday for his party. So Sunday we gave him his Cubs jersey and went out to eat after church. On Monday he took cookies to school and then Friday was the party. His party was the Chicago Cubs theme. He came up with the idea to invite a bunch of boys and play a baseball game. Everyone was excited about this game until it rained us out. Needless to say having 10 boys that are from 6-11 years old in our home was quite the excitement. Poor Audrey and Alena were the only 2 girls. So we came up with some balloon games to play, had cake, opened presents, and smashed the pinata. Everyone had a really great time. Although it was 2 of the longest hours of my life. Boys will be boys! It is hard to believe he is now 8 years old.

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family roots - Family history sites

Hard to believe today was the first day of school!!!

Wow! Where did the summer go? Here in Alaska it felt as though summer never came. We had a great summer though. Having my family and Robert's family come to visit kept us busy. We loved every minute of the family's visit. Starting a new school year brings a more normal schedule for us all. The kids claimed they were not ready for school but when it came to wake them up it was a different story. They jumped up out of bed and started to get ready. Smiles spread across their face as we started to head out. The pictures prove it. Thursday I have surgery to remove my gall bladder. This is not what we planned on doing during our first week of school but oh well. It is good the kids are in school though.
The leaves are beginning to fall here. (sigh) Thankfully it takes a bit for the leaves to fall. It allows me the opportunity to brace myself for the winter. My boys have their daddy's humor. Last week they asked me, "Wouldn't it be cool if it snowed on the first day of school?" I told them "NO! I would cry if it did." They just laughed and laughed. Thank goodness their wish did not come true. Hope you all had as wonderful a summer as we did.

I need everyone's help!

I am trying to get myself set up for a photography business. I have come up with some names and slogans but I need your input. I need to know which of the following is your favorite. I am not opposed to other suggestions either. Any and all ideas will be considered. I appreciate your help with this. I love you all!

Magical Moments Photography by Angela
“Captured in a Flash!”

Lasting Impressions by Angela
“Results you can see for a lifetime”

Generations Photography by Angela
“Captured memories for generation to generation”

Happy 5th Birthday Audrey!

Audrey turned five this past Sunday but we actually had her party on Thursday evening. She had picked out a poodle themed party and it turned into a great party. Meemaw Dean heard she was doing a poodle themed party and made Audrey and Alena(her cousin) poodle skirts which turned out very cute! It is hard to believe my baby girl is now 5! Time sure is flying by so quickly. The party was definitely a girly party with all the pink and black. Happy Birthday my Sweet pea! We love you!

The boys have finished their soccer season UNDEFEATED!!! They had their tournament and placed 1st! We are so proud of both the boys. They played four games. They won 3 of them and tied the other one. The team they tied with had not beaten them before. They tied with them last time. The scores were as follows.
1st game was 4 to 1 (Eric scored 3)
2nd game was 3 to 0 (Eric scored 2 and Greg scored 1)
3rd game was 2 to 2 (Gregory was goalie and did superb!)
4th game was 5 to 1 (Eric scored 1 and Greg was goalie and was awesome again!)
They played really well and pushed hard for these wins! Papa and Meemaw Dean really enjoyed watching them as well. In fact, Papa got screaming and yelling quite a bit like mommy and daddy did. Later I mentioned my throat was scratchy from cheering so much. Eric responded, "Yeah and Papa's throat needs a really big rest for sure!" We all laughed so hard. Papa assured him that was really nothing comparitively speaking. We really do like the character and determination they are learning in the sport. Did I mention we are really proud of these 2 boys???

4th of July girls!

On the 4th of July Alena came and spent the night with us. The 2 girls wanted me to do their hair and they both dressed in patriotic outfits. Then they asked me to take their pictures. They loved it and I enjoyed it as well. I should have posted these sooner but with VBS I didn't have the time. I will post pics from our VBS soon, hopefully.

A new member of God's Family

Last night my eyes were filled tears of joy. Robert and I were able to lead our middle son, Gregory, to the Lord. He has been asking us about it for quite sometime now. There have been many times when Gregory has asked us to get saved. So we have told him to remind us when we get home and we would talk with him. He has never reminded us so we didn't push it. Yesterday was the same thing. He was asking to get saved so I told him to remind us later. Well, we put the kids in bed and then we heard someone in bed crying. So Robert went to see who it was. It was Gregory. We asked him why he was crying and he said because he wanted to get saved. He was scared that Jesus would blow the trumpet and he wouldn't go to heaven. So we sat on our bed and lead him to the Lord. We didn't have to go through too much with him. He was soooooo ready. We praise the Lord for this wonderful moment! Now we pray for Audrey's salvation. She is the last of our 3 children to be saved.

Camping this last weekend

We went camping this last weekend again from Thursday to Saturday. Unfortunately we did not catch any fish but we still had a wonderful time. It rained off and on but we managed to keep dry. We had a really nice camp sight right beside the creek. We were able to hear the sound of the rushing water. It was rather relaxing, until the kids wanted to play by the water. We all adjusted rather nicely though. Many great memories were made. The kids humored me and let me take their pictures.

Mowing the Yard

Eric has wanted to learn how to mow the yard this year. Robert and I thought it was time for him to learn so here he is mowing. He only does the parts that are straight for now. We have a lot of trees in the front and he hasn't learned how to maneuver around them yet. He really enjoys doing any type of yard work. He loved planting the flowers from start to finish. He even began to suggest what I should plant in front of the house. I hope he continues to enjoy the yard work. I am getting excited about all the help too. Gregory wanted to help with it as well so we let him do a few rows. He had a hard time staying straight so mom helped a little. For the most part he did a great job. My boys are growing up so quickly!

Soccer update

Eric and Gregory are both in the outdoor soccer season right now. So far they are undefeated after playing 3 games. They are doing so well. The excitement is beginning to build for the tournament on July 22nd. The tournament will be the closing of the summer soccer season. We are proud of both the boys. They really work hard on the field during practice and games. We will see how they end up after the tournament.

A Wonderful Visit

I just finished a wonderful visit with my parents this last week. We started by taking a cruise in the Prince William Sound. It was a 4 hour cruise that took us to many glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife. We saw goats, seals, otters, and a eagle. Along the drive to our cruise we saw many moose. We even saw a mama moose with a baby. The day of the cruise we woke up to a very gloomy sky. Once we arrived at our cruise the sun was shining and continued to shine for the rest of the day. The next day Robert, the boys, and dad drove to the Kenai for a day of fishing. Unfortunately they did not catch anything but once again it was a beautiful day. Robert went fishing a few days later and caught 2 king salmon that were about 30 pounds each. While the guys went fishing us girls went shopping and out to eat. I really enjoyed being able to spend father's day with my dad. My parents were also able to see the boys play soccer and watched them score their way to 2 victories in one night. Tonight they won their 3rd game as well. Soccer pics will follow later. The last day we went to a race track and had a little racing fun. It was hard to see them leave. It was a wonderful visit and many great memories have been made.