Pictures from my trip (photography) Part 2

Who my dad was

 My dad was a very interesting guy 

He was super smart
Knew crazy off beat facts
Was a carpenter
a fireman
a paramedic
Was an amazing dad
Loved to spend time with me
Could create the most efficient campsite in the world
Was an athlete
Played Racquetball
Ran marathons
was a triathlete
was a good driver
was patient
was kind
helped people
drank beer
loved woman
built dollhouses
explained everything to death or until he put me to sleep
Didn't believe in explaining to children why they were being punished
very passive
made me go jogging with him when I hated it :)
was loving
when mom was gone he would create these masterpieces for dinner. He would chop fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses and decorate a platter for us
he would tell us to tell our mom he TALKED to us lol
my friends loved my dad
was protective of me
adopted me even though he is my biological dad

I MISS YOU DAD
xoxox

Facts about me..

I thought I would write a little note to inspire myself. Sometimes I feel a little down, not knowing which direction I am suppose to be going in. I know that my life is taking a drastic turn, with the impending divorce, last year losing our family home, kids getting older, becoming the sole provider for my family, starting my graphic design work back up and possibly signing up for an online university in the fall. Wow.. I am out of breath now haha..
With being a self proclaimed Jane of all trades, master of nothing I thought I needed to encourage myself in the things that make me unique and special. The things God placed in my life. Glory be to God
Here are some interesting facts about me...
* I am the X Generation, whatever the heck that is??
* I was suppose to be given up for adoption when I was born. Nobody knew my mom was pregnant with me. It was a secret shhh.. My real, biological dad had to adopt me when my parents decided not to give me up.
* I have one younger brother, whom I tortured as a child, but loves me dearly today.
* My mom left home when I was seventeen, then my mom came back and my dad left. They then divorced.
* I worked as a babysitter at 13 and 14, full time in the summer as a nanny of sorts. At 15 and 16 I worked at McDonald's. After that I volunteered at a daycare,  then worked at a video store, a gas station, a survey research company, fashion bug, TJ Maxx, A Jewish fundraising organization, a commercial cleaner, a mansion cleaner,  Administrator at a daycare in the inner city, Lead teacher at a daycare, In home care, owned my own businesses; Concierge, 2 different in home daycares, Commerical sign company, Moving business, Liberty tax and lastly and bestly MOM:)
*I take the cap off the pepper when I pour it so I don't have to shake and shake and shake.
* I have a weird fetish with alleys. I drive up and down, looking at peoples yards hoping to get a glimpse into their kitchens, hoping to see a special family moment
* I dumpster dive
* When I was 13, I took a trip to New York City, got separated from my group, got lost in Macy's Department store, walked into the junior section to check out the cool clothes and had a wall display of jeans fall on top of me
* Purchased a swiss watch in NYC. (the brand)
* I once sent a guy friend to a boyfriends house pretending he was my boyfriend, and threatened him with harm, so the boyfriend would leave me alone. It did not work. Immediately when the friend left the boyfriend said are we still going to prom? UGH
* Took tennis lessons, trombone lessons, participated in track and field.
* I eat cottage cheese on toast every morning (90%) of the time
* I taught myself graphic design. Not really an expert or anything but I can do some coding and HTML as well as design.
* I love "just dance"
* I lost 100lbs the past 2 years. Think I gained a few back but I am still on track
* I love lifting weights
* I am fascinated with people and their behavior which allows me to fall insanely in love with any job where I get to work with the public
* I majored in psychology at UWM. I also took theater
* Made varsity softball team my freshman year in high school
* Got married at 25
* I had my first baby at 29
* I always crave peanut butter
* I wanted to be a solid gold dancer when I was a kid
* Between the ages of 13 and 16 I participated in Sagbraw every year with my dad. It was a bicycle tour sponsored by the Milwaukee Sentinel. The tour ran for 7 days each year in the heat of summer; end of August. The tour group we chose rode from the tip of  Wisconsin (Washington island) to Greenfield park. We would ride between 80 and 100 miles per day. Extreme weather was always the theme each year. It felt as though the entire tour was up hill. Some of the best times of my life.
* Love to cook, hate to bake
* I can make myself cry, no duh, it must be the actor in me
* I was Lutheran growing up, became a new age guru in college and gave my life to Christ around age 20.
* My favorite actress of all times is .........Lucille Ball. People tell me she wasn't a very nice person. You know what? I don't care.. She makes me laugh out loud
* Some favorite all time shows are The brady bunch, Cosby, Leave it to beaver, Threes Company, Friends, Raymond, sesame street,
* My whole life I have pretty much loved helping others. My mom tells me story's of me walking up to homeless people in Chicago, on family trips, and handing over my allowance to them. Not because they scared me but because I wanted to help them
* I'm probably too gullible.
* If I could pick one place to stand for the rest of my life it would be by the water (Lake, river, pond ocean.. Doesn't matter to me :0)~~)
* I drive people crazy with my uber obsession with taking pictures. Umm, sooo lol:)
* A clean house makes me feel happy
* Coffee relaxes me.. Yesss I know?? It is a stimulant..It's all in the mind
* I love tea because it helps me feel like I am in England with the queen. I don't care for scones
* Tulips are my favorite flower
* I miss my grandma who died.
* I have an uncle whose is a retired general in the army

That's all for now
Hope you got to know me a little better
Know that your are special and unique.. Made in the image of God

Psalm 139:13 (Good News),

“You (God) created every part of me. You put me

together in my mother’s womb

Job 10:8,

“Your hands shaped me and made me.” Circle “shaped.”

xoxo

Inspired to Study

My Age: 42
Ring Ring: Hello
Mom: Hi honey I just got a look at your blog. Ooo I love it honey
Me: Thanks mom aww mom your so sweet
Mom: I just gave your blog address to 20 people here at work.
Me: Wow mom thank you. You are so sweet.
Mom: Im who?
Me: HUH?
Mom: who takes care of you?
Me: My mommy hehe.. and my heavenly daddy
Mom: Who?
Me: Daddy
Mom: yea honey that's right
Mom: Honey
Me: Yes mom
Mom: you ...you...honey...you.. Really need to work on your pronunciation. You run on and on and on with your sentence. Honey you need to breathe.
Me: Ok mom thanks
Mom: Love you. Bye
Me: Love you, Bye

I love my mom
xox
Kristin

Inspired to Vote today

Scott Walker Recall Election
With this historical recall election at hand I am just wrapping up my morning routine of stretching, praying, barking at the children to get ready and sipping the morning java.
I am going to vote conservative because yes I am a self proclaimed ultra conservative. One thing that boggles me though, and this is not to judge, but Christians that are not conservative and pretty much stand for anything like for abortion and gay marriage? Christians.. Wouldn't that be someone who follows Christ. Christ was made flesh and is the Word dwelt among us. It makes no sense to me that if you would stand for things that oppose Christ you would be allowed to call yourself Christian. It's like saying I own Walmart because I shop there a lot? I'm getting out to vote and I hope you do too. It's a privilege.

Who Am I

Hi and thanks for stopping by. I have finally leaped into the amazing world of blogging. I am beyond excited. Mostly I am excited to share with you, on a daily basis, what the Lord uses to intentionally inspire me and to keep on keeping on..
My name is Kristin and I a single mommy of 2 great kids.I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and an auto immune disease called Lichen sclerosus about 2 years ago. I was diagnosed after being bed ridden for nearly two years with something that no doctor or specialist was able to diagnose. I was fed steroids like a lab rat. Today I am on my way to health and healing. I am down nearly 100lbs and the Lord has completely turned my lifestyle around.
My daughter is the oldest and she, of course is amazing, talented beyond words and brilliant, she is kind and loyal to a fault. She is extremely stubborn and she has stored facts and information in here brain that I have never heard of and honestly she can be quite anal. My son is the baby and is full of spirit and passion. He has challenged me on so many levels it’s not even funny. He has driven me to the brink of insanity. In the same breath he has been a light in my darkest hours. He is funny and compassionate, kind and thoughtful, fiery and rebellious, but when the day is said and done I am blessed beyond measure.
We just recently moved into the middle of a cornfield in Wisconsin. There are cows at the end of our drive. We lost our family home due to foreclosure in 2011, like so many of us today. We were in desperate need of a place to stay so we purchased a 1995 mobile home for $750.00 that needed to be gutted down to the siding. Check out my videos on that.They are very entertaining to watch and will probably make you feel like your life is awesome haha..
I have a long story that is filled with laughter and tears, triumph and tragedy. I am hoping that you will enjoy learning about where the Lord has brought me. I am praying that it will inspire you and give you Hope. One thing is that I am learning to be ME through this journey the Lord has me on. For years I believed I needed to wear a different mask for different occasions. I saw this not too long ago when I was really struggling with anger and unforgivness. One night I walked in a party and went from being completely depressed and miserable to being transformed into this enchanting ray of sunshine.Meanwhile on the inside I was spewing darts at all the people that had hurt me at this party. I walked out and had an epiphany of sorts, more like a revelation from the Lord. I saw for the first time how I was able to transform myself into something that was completely unreal and not who I was. Frankly it disgusted me. For the first time in my life I saw that I was not grateful for who God created. I was trying so desperately hard to be a person I thought people wanted me to be rather than who God wanted me to be. The woman God created. I was struck down with a conviction that I had never known and from that point I prayed Dear God cause me to start walking in truth, in the truth of who I am, who You created. If I have issues, I have issues, so what, we all have issues. And let the games begin…….