Sarah 101

To celebrate my 101st blog post ever (yay, I've entered triple digits!), I decided to do a little class for you all. A "Sarah 101". This is gonna take awhile.

1. I love drinking with straws. I probably drink 2 - 3 times as much if I have a straw. My sister, on the other hand, guzzles liquids no matter what. That woman can put down 4 huge glasses before mine is half gone. I get closer to catching up with her if I have a straw though. Not that it's a competition...except for when it actually is a competition.
   
2. I never thought I'd say this, but I now like cement mixer trucks. It all has to do with my 3 y/o nephew, Marc-Andre. "Look Mom, a cement mixer truck!" It was his second favourite mode of transportation. His first was airplanes. He could spot them anywhere. He would point and it would take us about a minute before we could find it. But sure enough, there was an "aiwpwayne"
3. I hate spending money, especially on the boring stuff like shampoo and deodorant. But I don't really start freaking out until I spend over about $50 on anything.
4. I sneeze when I pluck my eyebrows. Is this normal for anyone else??
   
5. I curl my toes in at the sight of a bug, at the same time I'm shreaking "ewwwww" or "eeeeee" in a pitch only dogs can hear.
6. I am addicted to books. I own more than I could probably read in my lifetime, but can't stop collecting more. (Though I haven't actually purchased a book for myself in years. I get a ton of hand-me-downs from my grandmother and mom).
7. I hate things that fly around me: birds, butterflies, bees, ladybugs. If it flies, it scares me....but only when it's actually FLYING. If it's a ladybug that's crawling on me, fine. I like watching it. But once it starts flying, STAND BACK.
8. One of my secret desires is to someday shadow a National Geographic photographer in the field. (Is that really a secret?? I dunno)
9. I have another secret desire: to be an amazing cake decorator. Like, I-could-open-my-own-cake-shop good.
10. Do you agree that the base of my stapler at work looks like a sleepy face emoticon?? It's like it's mocking me because I have to stay awake the whole day. Stupid stapler.
11. Maybe I just need more sleep at night.
    
12. I like having my back to a wall so I can see who is coming towards me. Having my back vulnerable is not a pleasant thing.
13. I spent several hours rearranging my office at work for this very purpose. I'm sure it's completely ignoring all feng shui...but who cares.
    
14. I am mad at Pandora for going to a 40 hrs/mo restriction (even though I completely understand why). I used to listen to them all day, every weekday while at work...so about 40 hrs/wk.
    
15. I am currently boycotting them altogether.
    
16. I'm finding it really hard to work in an international organization when I haven't been outside the US in about 2.5 years. It's just about killing me.
17. Seriously, send me somewhere. ANYWHERE.
18. I saw 4 super-cute firemen in Kenmore on my drive home yesterday. My first thought was that I should start baking cookies for their department.
    
19. Okay okay, my FIRST thought was "Holy cow he's hot. Oh, and look at him. Oh, and him..." but you get the point.
    
20. I carry my huge, ugly camera bag as my purse most of the time because I want to have my camera nearby "just in case".
21. I have a sudden random urge to climb a tree. There's one just outside my window. hmmmmm
    
22. I apparently say "random" a lot; and so do my sisters. Our friends in Pittsburgh, the Steifels, used to mock us all the time about it. But that's okay, because they gave us plenty of material to retaliate with. :)
23. I was unreasonably excited to get my very own lab coat to wear while assisting on our dental vans. And with it, the dichotomous feeling of being so professional, yet so untrained. Hah!
    
24. I am scared to parallel park or back my car into a parking spot. I will drive around until I find a more suitable spot...or have a passenger park for me. (yes, that's happened on more than one occasion)
25. I just remembered the one downside to straws. I lost my straw into my drink and will now have to get my fingers wet to retrieve. boo
26. I MUCH prefer cake over pie. And crisp over cobbler.
27. I didn't want kids until I became an Aunt. Now, it's a strong maybe.
28. I've missed being crafty. I've just started on projects again after about a 2 year hiatus. It's a good thing my sister is pregnant and I can focus on a fun little baby project.
    
29. I LOVE getting to find out the gender when my sisters are pregnant. One thing this has taught me: There is no way I will be able to wait to find out the gender if I ever get pregnant.
    
30. I can rarely smell flowers. Can't really smell much, in general. When I can smell, I usually have an exceptionally difficult time distinguishing what it is that I'm smelling.
31. My iPhone makes me happy. Sometimes I wonder how I could possibly have gone without it for so long. (Thanks, again, Grams!)
32. I grew up collecting country spoons as traveling keepsakes. I have about 3 display cases worth of them, but only have one display case. *shrugs*
    
33. Also, I collect penguin figurines because my grandparents did. They have hundreds. Maybe one day I will too!
    
34. I don't understand why most guys don't smile for pictures...and then they state that they don't look good in photos. Well, DUH. If you smile and stop looking like a serious sour-face, and actually look happy, you might end up liking the photo. What's with that??
    
35. My sister and bro-in-law recently got me re-hooked on board games. :) I very rarely win, but always have fun. Anyone want to come over for a game night?
36. I just painted my toenails with a polish called "Finger Paints".
    
37. I'm a rebel like that. And in case you were curious, the colour is 'Art Appreciation Apricot'.
38. I have a really hard time making a decision between two good options. I hate excluding anything that I MIGHT want to do one day.
39. That's probably why I haven't gone back to school yet. Well, that and $$. I can't justify spending the tons of time and money if I'm not 100% sure.
40. I REALLY want to take a cruise to Antarctica someday (preferably on the National Geographic cruise)
41. Recently, I've re-discovered the joy of blowing bubbles.
42. I also enjoy making the first mark in a new tub of peanut butter.
    
43. It's almost as fun as making the first footprint in fresh snow.
    
44. I'm addicted to post-its....of any size. I can find a purpose for all of them. No, not a purpose but a reason why I NEED one of every size at work.
45. Seriously, I should buy stock in the company.
46. I get made fun of a lot for spelling a few words with the British spelling (ex. colour). I lived in England for 3, apparently formative, years. Deal with it.
    
47. I really, really miss singing in a praise team.
48. For some reason, I like the smell of a freshly popped can of tennis balls. Shockingly, I can actually smell it.
49. I started this blog off by counting backwards from 101, but decided part way that it would be easier in the long run to switch it to the numbered bullet list that does the formatting for me.
50. I'm lazy like that.
51. I lived in Japan long enough that I frequently read the word "sake" (pronounced 'seyk' - as in, for heaven's sake) as "sake" (pronounced 'sah-kee' - as in, the Japanese alcoholic beverage). "For the sake (sah-kee) of his family...." It doesn't quite work. :)
52. I have found a total of 101 geocaches thus far! Yes, I did stop at 101, just for this blog. hehe
53. I can't stand the taste of pills. I put the water in my mouth first, then drop the pills in and swallow. They go down easily and I don't taste anything. Works perfectly!
    
54. I seriously considered playing the 1, 2, skip-a-few, 100, 101 game on all of you. But now that I'm over half-way done, I'm committed.
55. I can pop my "voice box" out like you pop a knuckle. You can't see it, but you can feel it if you put your hand on my throat when I do it. Weird.
    
56. I'm finding that I'm a lot quirkier than I previously thought.
57. I have a dream to one day build my own wooden boat. I just think that would be so cool!
    
58. I'm really big on holiday traditions. Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving.... I love the annual traditions!
    
59. I have issues with the smell of whole wheat bread...especially toasted. It kinda makes me want to gag. Whole grain, multi-grain, white wheat, etc - on the other hand - are perfectly fine and quite tasty.
    
60. I sleep with music playing faintly in the background. It has to be loud enough that I can hear it and figure out what song is playing, but quiet enough that it doesn't become my focus.
61. I really really like crime shows, such as Bones, NCIS, Numbers, Criminal Minds, CSI (not Miami. Miami just stinks. I can't even watch their commercials)....they are pretty much the only thing I watch when I watch TV.
    
62. I much prefer baking than cooking.
63. I think this is taking a LOT longer than originally considered. *sigh*
    
64. Usually, I read multiple books at a time...obviously not at the same exact time....but you know what I mean. It's nice to have a novel, Christian inspiration, devotional, etc.
    
65. I take pride in having my home look pretty. But I also kind of hate that about myself, because I know that it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
    
66. I love peanut butter, Asian peanut sauce, peanut granola bars...but I really don't enjoy plain peanuts.
    
67. I actually have a tendency to choke on nuts (not the choking that needs the Heimlich, but enough to cough and need liquids). They just stick in my throat.
    
68. I have a habit, as of late, to clench my teeth. Not my whole set of teeth, cuz that would just be normal. And everyone knows (at least they will know after reading this particular blog) that I'm definitely not normal. No, I have noticed that I've been relaxing my jaw and pushing my lower front teeth into the back of my upper front teeth. What's with that?? I must be unconsciously stressed beyond belief.
    
69. I would be shocked if anyone were still reading this post.
70. I like the window seat on planes...not only because of the view (in fact, that's a lot lower on the list of why), but mainly because I can leeeeeeaaaaannn into the wall and get away from the person in the middle. With headphones and a book, and my lovely lean, I no longer feel like I'm crammed into a space that only Asians (and their lack of personal space needs) would be comfortable in.
    
71. I hate it when I wake up right before my alarm clock goes off. I'm sure that's pretty typical. But it happens a lot more frequently than it should. I always wake up thinking "oh shoot, did I oversleep?" Then I look at the clock, and I still have 15 or so minutes left. ARG
72. I wish we had a uniform for work. That way I wouldn't have to think about what to wear in the mornings.
    
73. I crave change. I also crave stability. Ironic, huh?
74. I don't like commercials and always switch stations when they come on.
    
75. I love, love, LOVE fresh peaches.
76. I've just started baking my own bread - I make the dough that stays in my fridge, and it can then be baked into bread, rolls, pizza crust, etc. My favourite thus far is the rolls. YUM It takes no time at all, makes a TON of dough, tastes amazing and fresh, and saves $$. Win-win all around! (thanks for the recipe Teresa!)
    
77. I really want to sell my current toaster oven to buy a new toaster oven that heats up to 450 degrees. Do those exist? My current one only goes up to 400. And the bread I just mentioned cooks on 450. It would be a HUGE help to not have to heat up my massive oven for one tiny little roll.
    
78. And I would love if you provided suggestions on awesome toaster ovens that do this. :)
79. I can't believe I even started this post. It is now seeming very narcissistic. But alas...
    
80. My favourite colours are: deep slate, cerulean blue, and orangey coral.
81. If I'm mad at you, don't touch me. That's just not a smart move.
82. I could probably fill this 101 with just a list of my nicknames.
83. Some of them are: Sours, Coffee Cup, Calgon, Frogprince, Duk Wuk Stu, Glip Glopper May May, Buffy.... I even wrote a "poem" of sorts about it in 10th grade. I couldn't think of anything else to write about. But hey, I got an A.
    
84. Once, when riding my bike on base in England, I ran smack into a parked truck. The back of it was over the sidewalk, but I was looking down so I didn't see it right in front of me. Yep, it hurt.
    
85. I've never broken a bone, but I bowed my right arm when I lived in New Mexico. I fell off my bike. One of the bones in my arm bent one way, the other bent the other way. And it was right before the start of summer....I hated not being able to swim.
    
86. Now I'm wondering why I ever rode a bike again.
    
87. I still sleep with the teddy bear that I got for Christmas when I was 5.
88. I was never very good at naming things. This teddy bear is named "Teddy". The first week I had it, it had a new name every day: snowball, vanilla ice cream, etc. I landed on Teddy.
    
89. But that's not THAT bad. I had a beta fish that I named Colorfully (this was before England, hence why it wasn't Colourfully. hehe). I also wanted to name our kitten Orange Juice...but my parents decided on Ginger.
    
90. I wish I was famous so I could go on Dancing with the Stars. I admit, I watch the show. And I like it. I'd want to be partnered up with Derek because he is definitely the best choreographer on the show. Plus he's goofy and not evil to his partners, like Max.
    
91. I used to set my alarm for allowing one extra minute of sleep (such as 6:01). But lately it's like 6:16 and I stay in bed until 6:26.
    
92. I have been wearing a lot of ponytails lately.
93. Currently I'm studying the book of James in my women's small group at church. I don't really know how 17 members equates a SMALL group. But whatev.
94. When I was little, I used to love swimming. I had two "tricks" that I always did in the base pool: 1) The Ballerina (aka The Rotisserie). I would go completely underwater, sideways, and spin round and round and round and round until I was so dizzy that I could barely figure out which way was up. 2) The Drowner. Simply, I would bob up and down in and out of the water all the way around the pool. The poor lifeguards always thought I was in trouble, and my sisters always got talked to about it....which only caused me grief. But it was FUN. So pssh
95. I eat half an English muffin (or homemade bread roll) with peanut butter every work morning on my drive in...with a glass of skim milk on the side. It's high in protein and it's easily transportable. For some reason, I have never gotten tired of it day after day.
96. I usually sleep on one of my sides.
97. I do NOT like performing solos. Duets are fine, even if it is obvious which voice is mine. But I just can't do a solo.
98. I get really annoyed when unrelated people call themselves Aunts/Uncles of my niece and nephews. Hello?!?! Don't downgrade MY legitimate role by saying that YOU are their aunt.
99. If you couldn't tell, I got desperate to come up with the rest of these.
    
100. Ergo, I would be REALLY shocked if anyone was still reading this.
101. Regardless: It is finished.

Thanks for joining me in this fun blog adventure over the years!

Experiments with bread

I've been experimenting with baking bread lately. It all started with my vacation to Hawaii. Teresa and Clayton bake their own, and it was super tasty....so I asked for the recipe. :)

I made the dough, which by the way makes a TON of dough.Then I made rolls. My first meal was a tasty roll and a fresh peach. YUM

This weekend, I went with another experiment....actually, two.

1) Beer bread - 2 ingredients: self-rising flour, beer
2) Orange bread - 3 ingredients: self-rising flour, orange soda, and pecans. (It was supposed to be a 2 ingredient bread, but I thought that adding the pecans sounded super tasty).

I like the orange one better. It's more moist. But the beer one is really tasty too!
What fun!

More decorated snowmen...

I forgot to update you on the monthly decorated snowmen! My bad. Here are the latest.

Here we are reliving our Field of Dreams Dinner and Auction.

And this is the 4th of July. Go U.S.A.!

We need more men in our office

I made an important decision today. It all started with a nice afternoon, a somewhat cozy computer chair at the office, a comfy wrap sweater and some hot peppermint tea. What a fabulous afternoon.

Until a HUGE FREAKY NASTY GINORMOUS spider decided to climb up beside me. RIGHT STINKIN' NEXT TO ME! Ugh!

I am quite impressed with myself though. I didn't scream! I did have a mouth full of hot peppermint tea. So it's a darn good thing that I didn't scream. But I did quickly jump up and back away.

I found out today that I'm thankful for rolling computer chairs. They move a lot faster.

This was the biggest and fastest spider I have seen in our office yet. Why it had to be in MY office, I have no idea. Why it had to "attack" when our one male co-worker wasn't in the office, I have no idea.

But it was pretty funny watching 5 girls jump around trying to figure out what we could use to kill/catch it. I wasn't about to try to step on it. It was way too fast! And, knowing me, it would have jumped and scrambled up my pant leg. YUCK. I get a shiver just thinking about it.

And I couldn't find anything flat enough and hard enough to work well to kill it.

And two of my co-workers (Nancy and Marnie) will not squish spiders...they keep them alive! Why????? All spiders must die!

But the only way I could get it out of my office was to allow Nancy to catch it and let it outside. I admit, I did go for the instant gratification in this case. So the spider was released....to come attack me again in the future.

And what I've decided from this little "adventure" is that we NEED men in our office....aka "Spider Slayers". If you want the job, let me know. I am accepting applications immediately.

When I grow up

Starting before you are born, people are questioning what you are going to do for a career. "Oh, he's a kicker. I bet he's going to be a soccer player!" "She's doing acrobatics in my stomach. I wonder if she'll be a gymnast!"

And it never gets any better. As soon as you can talk, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. The typical answers are careers like fire-fighter, cowboy and astronaut. When I was 5, my answer was, "Either a doctor or a grocery clerk". (I liked all the buttons on the cash register)

I'm now 25...and I still don't really have an answer for the question. But, I'm starting to think that my lack of an answer really is the perfect answer for me. See, I have the hardest time picking because, in my head, that means I have to let go of so many other things I still want to do. What I really want to be is the person who has experienced/done everything. I like being a jack-of-all-trades and having my hand in a bunch of different types of projects.

Here are some options that are highest on my list, in no particular order:

• photographer
• cake decorator/baker
• medical professional
• world traveler
• singer
• wife
• mom
• forensic examiner
• anti-trafficking advocate
• linguist
• short-term missionary
  

All of these choices sound AWESOME to me. How do I pick???

But who says I can't do all of those things? Granted, I can't really have one job that encompasses everything. (although, if you find one, PLEASE let me know where I can apply) But I'm just starting to realize that picking something for a career doesn't automatically negate all the other options. I can do a lot of these as hobbies. I can change careers down the road. I'm not locked in.

There is a certain freedom with that realization. I'm still definitely struggling with the choice of what my career should be right now. But, as long as I'm striving for God's will, He will show me. And I can rest easy knowing that a) He's got my back, b) that I'm not necessarily closing all doors by picking one to walk through, and c) I can learn from and enjoy every experience for what it is (not just a stepping stone).

*sigh of relief*

Now I just have to keep remembering that freedom, and let go of the internal pressure I put on myself. Not an easy task for someone who is known for having constant and intense internal pressure. Your prayers are welcome. :)

Medicine

I got a shipment of medical supplies in the mail at work yesterday. Actually, I'm assuming that they are technically a donation for the organization I work for (Medical Teams International). BUT...they were addressed to Sarah Cutter, with no mention of MTI (except for maybe that it came to the office address). Think I can keep them???

Normally I'm not at all tempted. But these aren't the typical donations (adult diapers, walkers, gauze...). No, this was a box of blood work supplies! Needles, test tubes, heparin containers... It SO made me want to practice taking blood....on myself, if no one else would volunteer.

Too bad I'm ethical and actually put them ALL in our donation room to go off to help people who actually NEED the supplies.

Stupid ethics.

But it did make me continue on a thought process that I've been thinking a LOT about lately: Should I pursue a career in the medical field?

And if you know me at all, you know that my brain has a tendency to take off on topics. So that one little box in the mail produced the following...all in about 5 seconds:

If I do go into medicine, what route should I choose: nursing, physician's assistant, dental assisting, dentist, med school, etc? How long would I have to be in school? Could I work while I went to school, or would I have to quit my job? If I have to quit, how will I support myself? And, when I get out of school, could I support myself on the salary anyways? Would it be equivalent or more than I'm currently making? Would I even want to be doing that job every day for the rest of my life? Does it even make sense to spend several years (and the subsequent tuition money) going back to school if I end up married and being a stay-at-home mom? Would I even want to be a stay-at-home mom, or would that drive me crazy? Would medicine provide the things I feel I'm lacking in my current job?

......

So what's been captivating your thoughts lately?

Writing

I've decided that I need to learn how to write again. I always thought I could do a pretty decent job at it. But lately I've been noticing that, when I do (which is very rare, as most of my posts are picture focused) it's all a matter-of-fact, get-the-job-done kind of style. Where's the story? Where's the whimsy? Where's the humour? Oh yeah, it's sucked up into everyone else's brains. What's in mine? A desire to get it done and move on.

I blame task-driven employment. (you always need someone else to blame) My days have become to-do lists. And, while I get a pathetically high amount of satisfaction from crossing things off said list, I don't take the time to make the tasks fun. I could. At least, I could try.

I got into work yesterday morning, bright and early and before anyone else had arrived. I had plans to be productive while on my own. But I ended up spending 3 hours cleaning. You know how you see something bothersome enough times that you just finally have to take action? That was me. The kitchen was disgusting. The copy room, disorganized. The shred pile, overflowing. I couldn't take it any longer. So I went to work. But, I spent the first half of it grumbling to myself.
**disclaimer - let me just say, these thoughts were just the rantings of a grumpy person, not fully justified or truthful statements**

"Why is it that I'M the ONLY one in the office who seems to know how to clean up??" "Why am I the only one in the office right now, anyways?? Don't other people get paid to COME IN for work too?" "What if I left it just one more day? Would someone else actually get so tired of it that THEY would take on the challenge instead of me? Probably not, because that's never happened before." You know how it can be.

It was just a bad attitude morning...until I realized I could make it a little more fun and get my brain in check. So I started looking for little ways to change it up a bit. I pulled out the label maker and started making labels for sections of the copy room that could have been easily figured out sans labels...but I like label makers, so for me, it was fun. :) (Kassia, I know you can relate!) I shredded paper while challenging myself to stay in a Japanese style squat (not an easy task while in 3 inch heels). I started singing and dancing around the kitchen while scrubbing down the counters. And when it was done, it was so NICE in the office that THAT made me happy too.

So what started as an annoying task turned into a somewhat fun one. My attitude was changed and the office looked MUCH better (and, if you know me, cleanliness and order in my surroundings makes me a happy camper).

Anyways, I say all that to say, I plan to try to make my blogs better. At the very least, I will work on giving more written glimpses into my life (sometimes with pictures, sometimes without...) I can't promise I will succeed. But I can TRY! Next time...cuz this one held no humour or whimsy. Oh well.

Trip to the Coast

Labor Day weekend, Jess and I made a last minute decision to head to the WA coast. Jess had read about some fun coastal towns, and we decided it was time for us to check them out. So we made a day trip out of it.

We started out in Wesport at the Maritime Museum. Found some interesting little facts about marine life. Did you know that a blue whale can get 100 ft long? That's the length of the building in the background. Let me just say, it freaked me out for ever going scuba diving. Good luck to the next person who tries to talk me into it.

And then, because I can't seem to stay away from boats if they are near me, we headed over to the docks. Boats are beautiful things.

hehe

I had to take the previous photo because I was feeling like a.....

:) I couldn't resist! These cracked me up! The best part is, one of the guys from another boat watched me take these pics. He had a funny little smirk on his face. Oh well...

I have a secret fascination with crab pots, crab boats, the idea of crabbing...I just love it all. So these made me happy.We then got back in the car and started driving to our next fun little town: Gray's Harbor. There we found this really awesome whale wood sculpture. There are four whales in total: the big mommy whale, the little whale I'm hugging, the little whale under her tail, and the other little whale under that. Mommy and three little babies. Cute!
It seemed like there was a town theme: Pirates. Everything was pirates. And for whatever reason, they had this random UFO. Please note two things:
1) The martian inside the UFO is a pirate martian. Who knows?
2) Yes, in fact, I do have two red spoons in my hair to look like I'm a martian too. :)
And finally, the beach.We saw a bajillion seagulls on this beach. Jess pulls up and asks, "Wanna run through those? haha" And I said, "Heck yes I do!" So we did.

Jess:Me:Both of us: Let me just say, my motto for that portion of the trip was, "You better not poop on me, stupid bird. Don't you dare poop on me." It worked though...even if only by an inch.

I love this kind of beach. Lots of fun exploration, crabbing, fishing, seagulls...it's very different than a beach in Florida. And for that, I'm grateful.Thanks for a fun Saturday, Jess!

Hawaii - Autumn's birthday

One of the main reasons why I went to Hawaii when I did was because Autumn was turning ONE! I've had the great joy of being with Marc-Andre and Luc for their first birthdays, so I just had to go for Autumn's first as well! It was so much fun!!

We started off the day doing a family present opening. It was so cute watching Autumn try to figure out how to unwrap the presents. She would get a little piece of paper off, and then just play with it...or try to eat it. :) She didn't quite grasp that she was supposed to take ALL the paper off because the present was underneath. And then, once she got one present opened, she was perfectly content to sit there and just play with it, even though there were many more to go. She's so cute!

Teresa and I wrapped the pool present from Great Grandma Mary. But we decided to wrap it with the white side of the paper on the outside so that we could draw all over it. We had fun getting creative while Autumn napped.

Then it was time for Autumn to open up my present. Just when she learned how to unwrap presents, I throw her a curve ball. I wrapped mine in a bag and tissue paper. I'm an Aunt that encourages continual learning. :)I bought her three cute little sundresses (one of which she can grow into) and a fun little pair of shoes. She was SO cute in them! She even wore this dress for her big birthday party. I was a very proud Aunt.
I just love, love, LOVE this little girl!!!

Then came her big party with a few families from their church. They did a great job decorating the house and cooking a fun Hawaiian luau / owl themed party.

Teresa and I researched a bunch of cake designs, and Trees tweaked a few and came up with a really awesome owl cake design. From start -

To finish -She did SUCH a good job!!!! It was definitely a hit at the party.She was a confused, and a little freaked out, by everyone staring and singing to her. :)

This photo, that I just think is adorable, was taken with my phone so I could upload it and send it to our family immediately. They had to be a part of the big day!

And I just love this one. Clayton is reading Autumn her birthday cards. He's such a good daddy.

Happy 1st Birthday, Autumn!!!