celebrating

4 years together. 

Today is our wedding anniversary.
4 years ago today we exchanged vows and rings in front of our family and close friends and became Husband and Wife.
4 years ago today I became Shaina Longstreet.
4 years ago today we celebrated and danced and held hands and kissed.
4 years ago today you took me into your arms and welcomed me into your heart forever.
I will never forget that day.

Chris, I love you to life.

the blog post just to say...

I am currently so busy living life that I haven't had time to blog life.
And honestly, I'm liking my summer this way.

My days have been full of changing sets at the theater, the soft but persistent click of my camera's shutter, lots of walking and talking, Russian and ASL, synchronized breathing and smiling with my whole body.  There have been sad days (a funeral attended) and really rough days (my work computer crashing!) and happy days (having awesome experiences out in service) and days full of life.  There is deep love, and renewed friendships, overnight guests and a cleaning lady.  There is decorating and making our house a home.  There are sunflower seeds and throwback Pepsi and Magnum ice cream bars.  There are plans and love and life.

And I am happy.  So, so happy.  
Which feels like something new, or maybe just something relearned...

I am collecting things along the way this summer and I'm thinking of making one of these projects.  (love)  If I do I'll share it here, maybe during or after, whichever works.  And starting on the 22nd, which is our anniversary (4 years!) Chris and I are starting a 365 project to chronicle our 5th year of marriage.  I don't have a plan yet for sharing the pictures, so we'll see how that goes too.  But we are really excited about it!

So that's where I am.
I just wanted to check in I guess...
Happy Summer!

Get to know me: ABC's

I saw this on a few blogs I follow and thought I'd take a chance today and play along.

A. Age: 24... turning 25 in August
B. Bed Size: Queen.  Our bed is part of a gorgeous set that is a family heirloom from Chris' family.  And the mattress is memory foam.  *swoon*
C. Chore that you hate: I don't really "hate" things, but I dislike cleaning the bathroom.  And now we have 2! lol. 
D. Dogs: Chris and I got Spencer (our white boxer puppy) a year ago last month.  Unfortunately, with all the things that happened with the old house we were in and the landlord there, we had to give him back.  I miss that cute face!  Its probably for the best, though, cuz we really are barely home right now.  That wouldn't be fair to a dog...
E. Essential start to your day: Calling Chris.  He gets up at 3:30 am every weekday for work, so when I wake up a few hours later, the first thing I do is call him.  Sometimes we visit for half an hour on the phone, and then I'm running late, but its the best part of my day. 
F. Favorite Color: It changes all the time....right now I love purple, grey and yellow (although that's not a secret at all! :P ) 
G. Gold or Silver: Silver.  Gold looks funny with my skin tone.  
H. Height: 5'7"
I. Instruments you play: I can play a little piano, but my favorite "instrument" is my voice.  I love to sing! 
J. Job Title: Hmmm... I guess for the job I get regular income from, I would say I'm a Manager of a Payday Loan and Check Cashing store. 
K. Kids: Not so much....
L. Live: We just bought our first home in Ephrata, WA, right in the middle of the state. 
M. Mother's Name: Shelley Christina (we share middle names...its 5 generation middle name.  pretty special!) 
N. Nicknames: Shai, Shadylane, 
O. Overnight hospital stays: In 2004 when I was in my car accident I was overnight in the hospital in Penticton BC.  It was rough...there was a period of time when my mum was next to me and had to keep reminding me to breathe.  I fractured my pelvis in 3 places and had a long time of recovery.  I will always have pain from my injuries (and arthritis will get bad) but it could have been so much worse!
P. Pet peeve: Indecision. 
Q. Quote from a movie: "Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today.  Wove, twue wove."
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: I am the oldest of 7.  
T. Time you wake up: Service days I'm up at 7.  Days I work I'm up at 8 usually.  
U. Underwear: That's a "secret" ;) 
V. Vegetable you hate: I think I like all of them...  
W. What makes you run late: Forgetting little things at home and having to go back again. 
X. X-Rays you've had: My pelvis...a few times when I had my accident and again when I fell on the ice a couple winters ago. 
Y. Yummy food that you make: I am really good at salad!  :P 
Z. Zoo Animal: Elephants!  My favorite. :D 

blog designing

I have had the honor of working on a brand new blog design for the lovely Laura and wanted to share the finished product.  She got the amazing news that she will be part of the brand new Design Team for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out starting next month, and felt it was a great time to create an online home that was just right for her.

I was so excited for her, and eager to get started.  First we walked through the steps of figuring out exactly what she was wanting from her blog.  She wanted  a place to share her projects, stories from her life and causes she feels strongly about.  She sent me links to her favorite blogs and and told me what she loved about them and we discussed ways to implement features and designs in a unique way just for her.  Then I worked creating a mood board with the thoughts I had and elements I'd sourced that I thought she would like.  And once we hammered out a few details, like fonts, colors and page specifics, I created and then launched her brand new blog:  Progress, Not Perfection.

I love the organic elements with unexpected colors, and the little bio in the sidebar.  I sure love how it turned out, and I think Laura likes it too. :)

This was my very first time working in Typepad.  I was so fortunate that Laura took a chance on me and let me use her blog a bit as a guinea pig project.  I learned a ton about the Typepad dashboard and did a bunch of coding for the design elements.  It was an adventure learning something new, and I really appreciate the opportunity that Laura gave me.

Anyone else out there eager for a new design??  I would love to work with you to create an online home just perfect for you.  Click HERE for more information.  I hope to hear from you soon!  And now I do Typepad blogs too!

hello

Hello new month...
Hello very first mortgage payment...
Hello fresh projects...
Hello decorating our home...
Hello sunshine and summer...
Hello 4th wedding anniversary month...
Hello flip flops and shaving my legs...
Hello saving money for our vacation...
Hello happiness...

Hello June.... I've been waiting for you.