Easter Weekend

Jesus carrying the cross

Today I just wanted to take the time to pause and reflect on Easter and Good Friday.  I am so thankful for what Jesus has done.  He died to give us life and I love him for it. 

Here is a quote I found and I thought I'd share:

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.  ~Robert Flatt

It is going to be so nice to have this weekend to spend with my family.  My husband is home from a three week stint of work and my daughter and her husband are coming to stay for the weekend.  That is very special because I don't get to see my older kids very often as they live in another city and life gets busy with school, work etc.  It is impossible to get all my kids together for special occasions as there are so many shift workers in my family.  We have learned to adapt. 

I hope you and your loved ones have a very blessed Easter and have someone special to spend this special time with.  

Titanic - The Artifact Exhibition

On Saturday, April 23, we went to see Titanic - The Artifact Exhibition at the Telus World Of Science in Calgary.  

We bought our tickets online:

Online Ticket

Shannon, my daughter, always loved "The Titanic" movie and all the trivia when she was eleven years old and was so excited to go see this exhibit.

It was very cool.  When we got to the exhibit, they take a photo of your group that you have the option to purchase at the end of the exhibit.  I think it turned out really well. 

Rob, Shannon, Me, Clayton and Rick

next, they gave their own "tickets" of actual persons that would have been on that sailing of the Titanic.  

Rick's Ticket

My Ticket

Clayton's Ticket

This is where we had to guess if we survived or perished.  At the end of the exhibit, there is a huge sign with all the ship's passengers and we were to check to see if we survived or died.   Rick, Clay and I all perished, which was a little sad.

Overall it was very interesting.   So far 5500 artifacts have been recovered from the sinking of the Titanic.  It was also amazing that even some of the wine that they were drinking still is corked in the bottles after the ship being sunk in 12,500 ft. of water for 75 years!  

The exhibit has been to many cities worldwide and will be in Calgary until June 27, 2011.

Celebrate Each Other's Successes

 This really spoke to me today as I have noticed and also have experienced that some people (and you know who you are) cannot be happy for other people in their successes and accomplishments.  It is so sad because I do believe we should be happy for one another and there is enough success in this world for everyone to share. 
The scrapbooking world is no exception and this week I have been incredibly hurt by someone I know in the scrapbooking world.  On my Brave Girls Facebook page today this is what I read: 

 Dear Soulful Girl,

From the time that we are very young, we are confronted with the challenge of knowing how to deal with very good things happening to OTHER people, but not necessarily to us, at least not those exact things, and rarely at that exact time.

Jealousy is a vicious beast that can steal our own joy away, and we are best to put a stop to it just as soon as we become aware of those kinds of feelings welling up in our hearts.

You see, what we often do is compare our 'worst' parts to everyone else's 'best' parts in life, creating a situation that has no good ending. Comparing hardly ever has a good ending, as a matter of fact.

A great tip for a happy life is to always be happy at others' good fortune, young-looking genetics, or big breaks in life. Avoid comparing your situations, houses, husbands, diamonds, jeans size with anyone else's. Jealousy goes away when we practice gratitude for the blessings in our own life, and when we celebrate the blessings in other's lives. There are not many acts of love greater than being genuinely happy for another's good fortune when our own luck is down.

Be happy. Just decide. You are just right, and you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

xoxo

Photography Is The Eye's Extension To The Soul

I love photography.  It really didn't become a passion of mine until I started to scrapbook my family about eight years ago.  Scrapbooking and photography really go hand in hand because in order to document and create memories in a scrapbook, it really helps to know how to take some awesome photos to put into those scrapbooks.






On Mother's Day 2007, my husband gave me a DSLR camera.  It was very intimidating to me and I really found it awkward and heavy but over the next few years I have taken thousands of photos and tried to learn the ins and outs of my camera.  Over the last four years, the passion has continued to grow.  In September, 2010,  I enrolled in an online photography course.  I have a year to complete the course to obtain my diploma. As I slowly work through the course, I have come  to  the  realization that I am not a people photographer, but I love photographing landscapes, architecture, animals, wildlife, flowers, and food.  I love nature so much and my definition of a perfect day is to drive to the mountains with my husband and photograph mountains, waterfalls, streams, trees, a herd of elk,  or a beautiful wildflower in a meadow.  It is where I feel the most peace and serenity.

Spring is my favorite season and as I am dusting off those lenses and setting up the tripod, it is calling me.  It is telling me to go find all the beauty that God has given us.  I saw a quote this week on some photography website and it says:

 "One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you'd be stricken blind" - Dorthea Lange

Life is precious, life is short.  Enjoy the journey and live every day by taking a photograph.  Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by.

I Love These Little Words Of Wisdom

   
Dear Terrific Girl,

It's so important to seek out the beauty that life has to offer, or life can get quite unappealing.

It's so important to look for the good instead of the bad, and to see all of the wonderful little things all around you rather than letting yourself feel annoyed by other little things that really aren't important.

Try to find peace, and then remember that feeling and seek out whatever it takes to get back to that feeling when you seem off track or uneasy. When life feels dark, just step into the light. One step at a time. And before you know it, the darkness is gone.

Every day there are a million choices competing for your time, your brain space, and your commitment.

Go where the peace is. Go where the beauty is. Go where the good stuff is. Most of it is just a choice. Use the gift of choice wisely!

You know this stuff. Just remember to remember it!

Enjoy your day,
xoxo

Altered Bucket

Today I decided to alter a tin bucket that my son got some Easter goodies in from his Nana and Papa.  He shared the goodies with me (and now I am feeling guilty) and now there is a bucket that we could put to some good use.  I thought it would be great to put some bright colors of ribbon and some buttons.  This will be nice to put on my desk with my colored pencils and some other scrapbooking tools:

Bucket

Bucket handle

Have a scrap happy day and thanks for stopping by.