Friday Fun

One of my big goals this year is to get my photography running strong. I have been annoying my friends on Facebook (Photos by Jen McGee); blog posting (Photos by Jen McGee); getting ready to campaign and run a special.  So....if you know someone in northern Illinois and the Chicagoland area who wants or needs their photos done-please contact me. My email is: jenmcgee34@yahoo.com.  Thank you for spreading the word!
[Shameless plug over]

Now...here's a couple photography related humorous memes

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Grandpa

My grandpa passed away a few weeks ago. He went peacefully while he and grandma were wintering in Corpus Christi, TX. He was 90 and had been married to grandma for 67 years.

 

Their wedding day - September, 1947

 

 On their 60th anniversary - September, 2007

 

He was one of 7 children. He and grandma had 9 children of their own. (Who in turn have led to 32 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren [to date])

My grandpa was not a real cuddly kind of guy. He didn't get too excited over a baby. He was happy to give you "five" or sit and talk for a while. He loved to tell stories and had a memory that amazes me.

He battled cancer and won. He suffered with emphysema and heart ailments for several years. He made it through so many things that he shouldn't have.

I grew up on a farm almost a mile straight north of where they lived. We saw him - and grandma - almost daily. He didn't ask for my help very often, but I knew if he did - I better hustle and help. He was always quick to say 'thank you' for your help!

He instilled hard work and a good work ethic in his children. And because of that, in turn, that was instilled in me by my dad - and mom too! My grandpa farmed his whole life - even after he retired in 2011, he supervised and helped with what he could.

No farm auction was "too far" to go to. You never knew when something good might be there - even if it was a piece of gossip.

 

I feel very blessed that I knew him for my 40 years and my Mr. knew him for almost 20.

I feel blessed that both of my children got to have them in their lives, for 21 and 10 years.

 

The next two photos were taken in June, 2011 at Young Mr.'s high school graduation party.

 

His visitation was a true tribute to him. There were LOTS of people there (many waited almost 2 hours to pay their respects) - many of whom knew him personally. Some who came because they knew one of his children.

 

This was set up near his casket - his work jacket, hat and boots on a chair from their house. That was the point where I fell apart. It was a perfect tribute!

Photo credit to my brother, Phil

 

This is his vault cover that Grandma picked out. It is beautiful and again - so perfect!

 

My grandma with 8 of her children.

 

I didn't realize that my Mr. had taken this picture of grandma & I talking. If memory serves, we were discussing shopping and how neither of us really likes it.

 Grandma with our kids

Rest in peace, Grandpa! You will be missed.

It's that time of year again...

Just want to remind you that Wear Red for Women's Heart Health Day is coming up.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Put your red on (anything!), get your friends and co-workers involved. Please make a donation to the American Heart Association in your area and help fight heart disease.

Thank you!

Hi!

Sorry I have been MIA for a week.

We laid Grandpa to rest last week. We had family to visit with. Work is busy. And frankly, I have just been tired and blogging is one of the last things on my mind.

I am regrouping - trying to get caught up and get back on track.

I hope you have been well. I will get posting again!

Happy Tuesday.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a nice weekend.

We had dinner with some friends Saturday night - played with their kids. It was a nice evening.

The snow found us again last night - I think I shoveled a good 4 inches of snow this morning. Is it spring yet?

I did a weigh in yesterday and horror of horrors, I gained almost 5 pounds this past week. WHAT?!  So, I now have a further reason to work harder to get the extra weight off and exercise.

Today is the Mr's birthday. I won't say how old he is but wish him a restful day. We took him out for lunch yesterday and ran some errands.

I had kind of a rough night last night, thinking about memories involving my grandpa. I shared many of them with my Mr. and he laughed with me. He said he didn't realize how much we saw our grandparents growing up (almost daily) - which is completely foreign to him. I hold onto the good memories and will write them down for my children.

I wish you all a wonderful week.
HUGS!

Project 365

I am following along with the Capture Your 365 prompts.

 

 

Day 5 - Ensemble

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plan to keep up and will post some photos occasionally.

Finding Beauty Friday

First and foremost, thank you for your kind words and condolences. It has meant so much to me!

 

I am posting my Finding Beauty Friday. I will be linking up at 

This Darling Day

 

This is the view of the snowy park from our front window.

 

I wish you a wonderful weekend - stay warm!

A heavy heart

My grandpa passed away last evening.

He was 90. He and my grandma were married, I believe, 67 years. They have 9 children -and their spouses, 32 grandchildren - many with spouses and 18 great-grandchildren. He survived things that surprised us all. He farmed until he was 80, and even then would help in the fields or at least go out to supervise. He got together with the other farmers at the elevator for many years - and I know farmers....they were trading gossip and talking about who paid how much for what.

I know at his age, it should be expected, but it still hurts. I worry about my grandma, as she is in delicate health.

I am sad he's gone, but am thankful that I had 40 years to spend with him, and I am happy to know I have one more angel watching over me.

Accountability

I could make a WHOLE list of excuses, but that is just a cop out. So - here is my confession.

I will be the first to admit - I have REALLY let myself go since Thanksgiving.  I have been eating terribly; not exercising (other than walking around work); and not drinking as much water as I should be.

That being said (and the fact that my pants don't fit quite right now) - I am going to turn things around. (Or at least...that's my plan)  I would like to lose about 5 pounds and get myself back in shape.

I started drinking water this week. I drank 80 ounces on Monday and 144 ounces yesterday. So, I am raising my water glass to Wednesday. Cheers!

My cousin convinced me to sign up for MY FITNESS PAL. I can track what I eat, how much water I drink and my exercise. I am hoping I can get her to encourage me.  (If anyone would like to add me as a friend - I am, jmmcgee1)

The next step is finding a gym to join. I figure if I'm paying for a membership, I will be more likely to go.

Who is with me?

Winter!!!

Winter has found us in the Midwest!

The wind chill tomorrow is supposed to be -29F with the forecasted high temp of -3F.  Yes....-3F!!!!  Schools have been cancelled. It is going to be VERY hard to crawl out of bed in the morning and go to work, knowing the rest of my family will be snug at home.

Oh well!

Here's to warmer temps soon!

PS  Not on Facebook because I know too many teachers who are off tomorrow...jealousy here   ;-)

Stay warm, my friends!

Winter Reading Challenge update

SCL Winter Challenge
11/1/14-2/28/15

Semi Charmed Life

5 points: Freebie!  Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier   (Finished 11/21/14)
10 points: Read a book written by an author who has published at least 10 books.  The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes   (Finished 11/7/14)
10 points: Read a book of short stories.  Girls Night In   (Finished 12/11/14)
10 points: Read a book with a food in the title. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
15 points: Read the first book in a series that is new to you.   Deja Dead By Kathy Reichs  [Bones series]
15 points: Read a book that was originally written in a language that is not your native language.    All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (German to English)
15 points: Read a book written by a local author.  Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin (Chicago area author, 345 pages)    (Finished 12/18/14)
20 points: Read a "bookish book." The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (finished 11/5/14)
20 points: Read a book with a direction in the title.  Murder in the South of France by Susan Kiernan-Lewis (Kindle book, 326 pages)
25 points: Read a book from a genre you don't usually read. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (fantasy genre)   (Finished 12/5/14)
25 points: Read a book with a song lyric in the title. Under the Boardwalk by Carly Phillips and The Drifters
30 points: Read two books with a different meal in each title.  Progressive Dinner Deadly by Elizabeth Spann Craig (Kindle book-216 pages) & Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland

Nov points: 35
Dec points:  50

Total points: 85

Finding Beauty Friday

This week, I am going to link up with The Finding Beauty Link Up over at Aimee's blog:

This Darling Day 

 

The 411 on this link up:  It was created as a way to encourage people to see the beauty in every day life. To participate, simply link a post you've written within the last week that includes photos you've taken of something you find beautiful. Your posts does NOT have to be written specifically for this link up. You can any post from the the past week that includes photos you've taken. You can also link to photos on Instagram. Please link to individual photos and not to your profile. Any links to a blog's homepage will be deleted. Each week I will choose approximately three photos from the previous link up to feature in that week's post.

I am sharing a photo I took last weekend of Chicago at night. Call me a sucker, but I LOVE lights (be it city or Christmas lights) at night.

 

I hope you will link your Friday Beauty with Aimee's blog.

 

Have a great weekend!

2015 Goals

I decided not to set too many goals for this year.  But here they are (most are photography based):

*Read 60 books
*Scrapbook at least once a week
*Shoot 2 photo shoots each month
*Attend a photography seminar/class
*Enter 10 photography contests
*Complete a 365 project
*Blog 3 times a week

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015!