Scrapbook Divas

It's the end of July and time once again for the summer Camp Crop-A-Lot. Since I just began driving a couple of days ago, I didn't really feel comfortable driving to Baton Rouge by myself, so Ron was kind enough to drive me down to Cheneyville to see Dan and meet Valine. I was really glad I'd decided to do that since the weather was so bad on the way down.

The theme this year was Scrapbook Divas and of course that calls for lots of pink, cupcakes and more than one tiara.

It is always great to see all my scrapping buddies. While I get to see Valine several times a year, Camp Crop-A-Lot is the only time I get to see Catha, Vanessa and Pam and I always enjoy being with them and catching up with their lives. Of course, we always have fun taking pictures in the photo booth!

I wasn't sure how much I would be able to get done one-handed, but as it turns out, I did pretty well. Valine and I took a class and I even was able to complete my Yosemite travel journal. (the original idea was to do it on the road, but since that wasn't possible, I printed out my journaling and attached the memorabilia this weekend) Hopefully, I can show a few pictures of it a little later.

While my right hand was not much good for cutting and writing, I did find that it didn't interfere with one thing---my yearly daiquiri! haha Whew, this glass was giant!!!

Insta-Friday

Happy Friday!! Yesterday I drove (well, actually I rode while my friends drove) down to Baton Rouge for Camp Crop-A-Lot with Valine and my other scrapping friends. I'm not sure how much I'll actually accomplish at the retreat this year, but I know that I'll have fun! This is the only time I get to see a couple of these ladies and it's time to catch up on each other's lives!

A quick re-cap of this past week----

Last weekend I dog-sat for my friend's dog, Coco. While initially excited to have him here, Emmi soon became rather possessive of me and of her space in my chair.

Of course, Coco can jump up and down on furniture without any help from me, a skill that Emmi still lacks. He quickly made himself at home with Emmi's toys, Emmi's bed and Emmi's food. But, since Emmi was dozing next to me in my chair, Coco found an equally comfy spot over on the couch. Ahh, if only I could sleep this soundly!

We celebrated Dollie's birthday at the office by decorating her desk as a surprise.

Yosemite, Part 2

It's Sunday again and since I can't take new photos easily, I thought I'd post a few more from our trip to Yosemite. Many of these photos are pulled from Jana and Callie's cameras since my photography came to an abrupt halt after I broke my wrist. But, surrounded with family and a wonderful National Park, I was determined to enjoy as much of it as I could. (plus, staying busy helped keep my mind off of my arm).

After the holiday crowds had dissipated a tiny bit, we headed to the valley to explore. Our first stop was Bridalveil Falls. It was beautiful, and very wet! Sally covered my cast with a plastic bag before I walked up, thank goodness, because the mist was really heavy. I got more than one strange look from other tourists, too.

(not a pretty picture, but this is what you look like when you combine pain meds with a waterfall)

After that, we parked near the meadow behind Yosemite Chapel and and enjoyed our picnic lunches while sitting on a fence. As we ate, several critters stopped by to visit. A curious squirrel , (isn't he cute??)

A woodpecker,

A red-winged Blackbird,

And my favorite, the Stellar Jay.

The meadow was filled with Queen Anne's lace and milkweed.

Across the street, was the amazing Yosemite Falls! There were so many people in this area that it felt a bit Disneyland-ish, but the Falls was still awesome.

Insta-Friday

The weeks are flying by! That always seems to happen once July arrives, despite the fact that I try to make the summer last as long as possible. The past couple of weeks have dragged and sped by at the same time--how can that be??

Tuesday, I went back to the doctor. They removed my brace to discover that while bruised and sore, things are looking pretty good. At my first PT visit, I was evaluated and fitted for a brace.

Emmi has gotten really used to me being home all the time. She still gets so excited when visitors come, but she's soon begging me to pick her up again.

This is the prescription for torture!! (You know it's not going to be good when the therapist tells you "Nothing about this is going to be easy or feel good." Great!

A girl's gotta' have a reward from time to time, right? Jordan's parents sent me a cupcake that was much appreciated after my first therapy session----perfect companion for low-fat baked chips!

I'm linking up to Life Rearranged.

Picture-Heavy Vacation Highlights

Despite the spill I took while on vacation, we really did have a good time. Everywhere we went, everywhere we looked, there were jaw-dropping views. When we arrived in San Francisco, we took a few hours to squeeze in a little sight-seeing. I maneuvered the streets in our rented SUV with Jordan as my navigator.

Dan was thrilled to get a glimpse of Alcatrez at our very first stop!

We climbed up to Lombard Street.

I want to live in this blue house--look at the flowers!

We ate lunch down at Ghiradelli Square

and walked along the Fisherman's Wharf area.

We even managed a very chilly walk across the Golden Gate Bridge!

After that, we headed towards Yosemite!

The first day in Yosemite, our whole group drove to the south of the park, in hopes of avoiding some of the holiday crowds. We tackled our first hike to the Mariposa Grove near Wawona.

It was an easy 2.5 mile hike, but with the steep climb

and Jordan's bum knee, he decided to sit out the long version with Dan.

I'd never seen sequoia trees before---they truly are amazing!

After a picnic lunch alongside the river,

Jana, Rob, Callie, Jordan and I decided to drive up to Glacier Point before returning to the house for supper. We stopped first at Washburn Point and got our first glimpse of Half Dome.

Glacier Point was a bit further down the road, but the view there was also amazing. Standing there with the mountains before us and the valley below left everyone a bit speechless---there really are no words to describe the beauty and lushness and power surrounding us.

Insta-Friday

It's Friday again and I have a few pictures to share with you. After my accident in Yosemite, my ability to use my camera was severely limited, so I finally resorted to using my phone---this could be done with my left hand. Here are a few of my favorites: This first one was actually taken when we first arrived in San Francisco--when both arms were still working. Cool building, don't you think??

Later in the week, Don, Sally and I encountered this young mule deer as we were backtracking through a meadow (just a couple of wrong turns).

We had several really nice picnics in Yosemite. What is it about eating a picnic that makes everything taste better?

My favorite insta-picture is this one from the bridge at Vernal Falls. See the rainbow? So pretty!

Last, but not least, here is the latest of the 4 different casts I've sported in the last week or so. I appreciate its support but definitely won't miss it when it's gone.

I'm linking up with Life Re-Arranged.