In the Storm

30 Pages in 30 Days | 28

In July I created a July 2020 Stories album, a 4 x 8 Citrus Twist beautiful turquoise album and began documenting our memories. I added little stories like this one. We visited Leopold's downtown on Broughton after dinner downtown one evening and splurged for some of their famous ice cream. I was bummed they didn't have Ginger flavor which is out of this world, but they did have a quite good Southern Buttered Pecan that was tasty.

This is a simple front and back 4 x 6 printed insert outside of the page protectors. Super love this album as one of my all time favorites.

30 Pages in 30 Days | 18

I created this little insert for my July Stories album - what I read for Book Club - in July. Code Name: Helene was definitely one of my favorite books of the year and book club, although small that month, was great conversation. Everyone in attendance loved the book!

I purchased library cards and library card pockets for the express purpose of using them for pages like this, inserts into my albums or attached to larger pages. I love how this turned out. I may even create inserts for all of my book club reads from now on.

The journaling didn't align beautifully but I called it good. Well, acceptable and let it go. I added a few stamps that I have in my READ stash. My READ stash is just that: I have curated (READ: accumulated) quite a stash of physical as well as digital products that have to do with reading and books.

And, decorated the back of the insert, too.

a new adventure.

Such a delightful afternoon. I took a ton of photos and each one could tell its own story. On the Craft the Story Facebook group August is a month-long scrap challenge, two challenges each week. I have been keeping up with the challenges, easily, completing both within a day or two of the next challenge (s) being posted.

For this challenge we were tasked with telling 3 stories on one layout. I was able to easily tell 3 stories using the photograph as my background (paper), I 'numbered' the stories using digital chipboard plus a repetitive brush. One more embellishment from Ali Edwards' travel collection from 2019 completes the page, which I adore how it turned out.

Story #1. 

When Jeff and I visited Mark and Martha at their beach house, we were surprised the 656 foot container ship carrying over 4000 cars that capsized and caught fire off Saint Simon's Island was only three-quarters of a mile from the coast and their beach house. They are now beginning the daunting task of removing and salvaging the ship.

Story #2.

Recently, Jeff and I have been so intrigued by birds and bird patterns. We even purchased a bird feeder for the backyard to attract more birds. In part for us, and in part hoping Athena will spend time at the sliding door meowing at the birds that fly to and fro. Thus,we were delighted by the squadrons, or fleets, of pelicans that flew back and forth overhead on our visit on the beach at St. Simon’s Island in July 2020.

Story #3.

I captured this photo from the ocean front porch of our friend's beach house. The rocks provide a barrier from the rising tides. Splattered on the barnacled rocks and beach head are conch shells, galore. As Jeff and I ambled along the beach, before Mark and Martha showed up, we enjoyed taking in all the unique, man-made and natural rock formations.

July Stories 10.

 

It has been almost three years since Jeff and I were in the throes of marital heartache and all the ugliness and pain and disgust that was just tearing me to pieces. Since then, after all the sin came out in the open and was revealed, and after seeking counseling, we began fighting for our marriage instead of each other. We, both, decided to lay ourselves down and fight for us. Oh, but first I had to muster up so much bravery, because I could have easily buckled under the hurt. Bravery that only came when I laid my anger, my hurt, my unforgiveness, my disgust, the unfairness, discontent, and any other raging feeling at the feet of Jesus because He alone could take all that was bad and turn it around for good.

This was not a one time process, however, but again and again over these few years I (we) have had to lay myself down and all the hurt that wells up, sometimes uncontrollably, and put on bravery once again. Three years I ago I would have never believed we would still be married. And I would never have dreamed that we not only would still be married but our marriage would be thriving instead of failing. It has been so dang hard.

Today, we champion each other. We champion our marriage. We are seeking God first - together - and all those things God promised are being added. The pain isn’t gone. The hurt isn’t gone. The consequences of sin are not gone but I have found the Way to healing. I am thankful, truly, even after being hurt so bad, that Jeff decided to fight for me and for us. I used to think I didn’t need to feel secure, that it wasn’t one a need, however, I have learned that I need to feel secure in our marriage, in Jeff’s love and I can honestly say, these days, I do. Are their moments of uncertainty? You betcha’! But, just as quick as I can say Please, Lord...I find rest and security. Are we perfect yet? Heavens, no! But, we are putting one foot in front of the other, both lock step together.

Our big wins are praying together everyday, reading the Bible together, and reading a spiritual formation book aloud together. I am not stewing on doubts but confronting the beast. Jeff is not getting mad when I do. We are both paying a price, in different ways, but on the tail end of three years, the light isn’t simply peaking through the clouds. It is bursting through. A measure of bravery, resolute and unswerving in healing our marriage.

July Stories 2020 | 9

Continuing to work on my July Stories 2020 album with a Currently page where I use -ing words to tell my story of what is happen -ing right now. This is actually a digital page plus a hybrid page because I printed out that journal card on the left and attached it to my page using washi tape. Underneath the journal card looks like this:

My photos are actually inside the page protectors and I simply attached the card to the outside of the page protector. Easy peasy. And, fun!

July Stories 2020 | 8

I already shared, previously, that Jeff and I went to Saint Simmons Island one Sunday afternoon to meet up with friends at their beach house. I captured part of our afternoon when it was just Jeff and I while we waited for our friends to arrive. This page documents their beach house and - our friends.

I actually created this page for a scrap challenge happening in August on the Craft the Story Facebook group that I am a member. It is a closed group to scrapbookers, but the challenge is open to anyone who is part of that group. This is, of course, a digital page. One of the challenges was to use triangles in the scrapbooking layout. So I used the triangles on the left to direct the eye to the pictures on the right. All the digital products are from various travel kits from Ali Edwards - mostly the 2019 kit. I love how this turned out!

My Taste buds are Happy

When I traveled to Eugene, Oregon for Story Camp with Ali Edwards in September 2019 I was so blessed to have connected with so many amazing, like-minded, gorgeous-in-their-soul women. As an introvert, though, there were occasions that I went off by myself, sometimes at lunch or when I was seeking out breakfast. By myself because I had to have that alone time to refresh and regenerate for those wicked good times with my people. When I was with others I was all in and I realized I need that too. I wasn’t ever with the same group of ladies all the time; everyone latched on as their personal time and need met. One such time for me was joining 7 other ladies - ladies I’d connected with over the course of the long weekend in one way or another - and piling into vehicles and going to this out-of-the-way (or that’s what it seemed like to me) Italian restaurant, Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria. Besides the delightful company - these ladies are fabulous - the handmade pasta was to die for. I ordered, probably the simplest item on the menu, the handmade fettuccine aglio e olio, a garlic-infused fettuccine with extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper. My taste buds were happy for days! I dreamed about that pasta. And, almost a year later I was still thinking about that pasta - and craving it. While we have a few good Italian restaurants in Savannah, they, unfortunately, serve nothing like that fettuccine aglio e olio I had in Eugene, Oregon. I did the next best thing. I set out to re-create those flavors for myself. I didn’t make handmade pasta (that’s for another time I think) but I used DeCecco, recommended by Ina Garten and using her basic recipe for spaghetti aglio e olio I made it my own! Because I was feeding my guys, too, I added crispy bacon to finish this full-bodied, flavorful pasta dish.

31 Sunrises. A compilation.

I created a separate 4 x 8 album for my 31 Sunrises project in July. But, I also created a July Stories 4 x 8 album to hold our - wait for it - July stories. Because my 31 Sunrises was a big part of our July stories I decided to create a compilation of all those beautiful sunrises I captured to include in my July Stories album. You've seen all the pages I included in my 31 Sunrises album, but today I am sharing those pages I created to include in July's stories.

To begin I created a vellum cover sheet using an Ali Edwards digital brush, July Looks Like This, which I thought was perfect for my compilation of sunrises. I colored the brush a deep orange, reflective of the sun's colors so often seen during those sunrises this month. When you come to this page in my album, you are given a hint, a see-through hint of what's to come and I adore how this turned out.

Then, you begin turning that vellum page and you get a peek at the 31 Sunrises. I'm not a photographer. But, God set these skies each morning and sometimes they were jaw-dropping gorgeous and I experienced a well of emotions, and other times peace reigned.

And, there she is. 31 Sunrises in July 2020. Perfect. Perfect timing. After months of quarantine and uncertainty and yuk I needed something good in my life that I could call my own. However, something I will never forget about this project I thought would be my own. Jeff made it his, too! That.That made it even more special.

 

July Stories 2020 | 7

Jeff has a few like-minded friends he has gotten to know over the past several years. They serve together at church. They build things together. And, they shoot together. It is open-air shooting at a range, multiple targets and distances and any form of weapon is welcome. One of the guys has a club membership and is allowed to invite friends, so one Sunday morning in July, Jeff, John, and Jarrod, joined several of the guys to go to the range for some pistol shooting, shotgun practice, and rifle action. John and Jarrod are the youngest, of course, of the group but when it comes to weapons they can play all day, with the big boys. While their heart was shooting their .22 commemorative rifles they were gifted by Jeff and I for making Eagle Scout, every weapon they picked up to shoot, or was handed to try, they whooped up on target as if they regularly shoot. Shooting is one of the things the Bower’s boys, all three of my boys, do well. Jeff took my carry pistol - the punk - and my .410 shotgun that Jeff purchased for me for home defense. Of course, he took his personal pistols, too. While Jeff learned to shoot, mostly, from the military, the boys learned to shoot in Boy Scouts, of all places. Shooting, although we don’t get to do it as much as we’d like, is family time. This was a rare time, of late, that all three of them were off at the same time and they took the opportunity, played hard, and loved every minute of it!

Of course, these are digital pages, and for this 2-page, 8.5 x 11 I used a Cathy Zielske template that I recently picked up at her new online store for all things digital. Cathy is a clean and simple scrapbooker so her templates align well with that design philosophy. I cannot go wrong. I adore the white space on the left side page.

The idea for the way I spaced those tags came from Ali Edwards ROAM story class and I love the design. A couple stamps from the Story kit PLAY and it is so pleasing to my eye.

Because I am documenting our July Stories 2020 in a mini album, I translated the entire page into 2 - 4 x 8 pages, as well, and I'm pretty please with how they turned out, too.

July Stories 2020 | 6

The Chatham County Aquatic Center finally opened back up to limited swim times and limited lanes, plus we have to schedule our lane times. The scheduling of lane time is a big positive for me. I means I can't bow out of swimming that day. It means no one will be cutting me off in my lane. It means taking my time (they are 1.5 hour blocks of swim time) and not worrying about being asked to switch lanes because - whatever. They are taking everyone's temperature and masks are required until you get in the pool. The locker room is only available to, basically, use the restroom - no showers. We have to come and go in our swim suits. But, I swam!

Finally, after at least a year and a half, I swam. 

My goal, because I was being realistic with myself...it has been a year and a half since I swam...I set at 500 yards, 10 laps.

The first 250 yards were brutal. Seriously, brutal. My atrophied muscles were screaming bloody murder and I didn't think I could go any further. Just when I was about to quit, the next lap smoothed out. And, then the next.

When I pulled myself out of the pool after an hour of swimming - not straight through but, I'm okay with that - I had swam 16 laps.

Instead of 10 laps.

800 yards.

That's a win - WIN!