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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Shutterfly Contest

I love me some Shutterfly! I get our Christmas Cards from there and order prints through out the year. They are always great quality and super fast with shipping. They have so many options to choose from for prints and cards.

Right now Shutterfly has a photo contest going on!

Here is the info:

Long Live Summer – Facebook Photo Contest details - 7/9 – 8/12 Multi-week summer themed photo sweepstakes with instant win prizes. http://bit.ly/sweepS

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever. All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week. Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

PHOTO THEMES
• Week 1(7/9): Americana
• Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors
• Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun
• Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities
• Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES
• Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!
• Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)
• Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.
• Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot
Shutterfly Sweepstakes - Official Rules

Good Luck!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Lake Jackson

Growing up in Florida has it's many perks!

If we weren't at the beach on the weekends we were at Lake Jackson.

I have so many memories of being at Lake Jackson, it's the first place I ever rode a waverunner, the first place my brother water skied, the first place I saw my Aunt Tammy ski and NOT get her hair wet (she's famously known for being able to ski and not get her hair wet LoL), and the first place I had a run in with a water moccasin (eeeeek...but not my last).

Lake Jackson is a 4,000 acre lake that is supposed to drain every 25 years. In the past 13 years it has drained 4 times. Water drains from the lake into the Floridan Aquifer through the sinkholes. These are usually partially or completely plugged with sediments, but collapse when groundwater levels drop, allowing lake water to funnel into the aquifer, which can virtually completely drain the lake. This has just happened again and this time we got out on the lake bed to see the sink hole.

It was quite a sight to be walking in the MIDDLE of what is usually a lake one on which we have boated on all of my life.

My husband and I were blown away by how incredible the sink hole is. It was crazy to think that the entire lake drained down this one hole that was about the size of a refridgerator wide into the aquifer.

Here are some pictures that we took with our phones:























Ariel Gandy (1993-2012)



20 months ago I got a call from my mom saying that my cousin Ariel who was 16 at the time had been diagnosed with cancer.

The doctors then only gave her 3 months to live...


For the past 20 months Ariel has showed more grace and courage then I could ever hope to have.


She has fought harder than anyone I know. She is a hero to many, myself included.


This past Sunday, July 1, at 12:10 in the morning at the age of 18 and just a few weeks after she graduated high school with honors, she passed away.


May you rest in peace sweet girl!


I pray for my Uncle Franky daily knowing how much his baby girl meant to him!


Pray for a cure for ALL cancer please, it would have saved so many of my loved ones.


Here is a memorial that they put together for all of us to view at her funeral.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Slacker.

That's what I am...

Everytime I think to update this blog I am at work and can't do it.

I need to just start from here on out and not try to catch up and go back in time. I think that's what makes me discouraged.

Expect to see some new posts soon! :)