They're HERE!!!

I am out of my mind excited to see my brother, Meg and baby Emma! They landed in the US this morning and are driving to NY as I type! I am just so happy that I get a solid 10 days with them, and can't wait to hug them up tonight (it's about an 8 hour drive here from DE). I feel like its Christmas!!! With them being here I can put away the massive anxiety attacks I've been having about my job, the self-loathing for not being a size 8, the random worry that crops up when I'm not looking about things that will never happen, and just ENJOY being with my family.

We're having a party for Emma's first birthday on Saturday, hopefully the weather will cooperate with us, but either way it'll be a great day.

I'm feeling especially creative today, so I may take some time to scrap. I was hoping the latest photos I ordered from http://www.scrapbookpictures.com/ would arrive, but God knows I have enough to keep me busy for the next decade! Mad spent some time here the other day while I was working (she's the best at muting the TV when my phone rings, or when I pick up the phone to make a call), and before we went to her house, I snapped a few pics. I adore this girl. I can't even put it into words...(btw, I didn't tell her to pose, she's just a natural born poser...or ham, I'm not sure which! :))

I'll be placing a big photo order soon, I figure mid-July. That way I can order all of the pics from when Bill and Meg and Em are here, plus a bunch of these (and the beautiful Jack photos from yesterday as well as some from B's visit). I take some pictures and want to order them right away, but it makes more sense to do it monthly I think. I've been playing with my camera and PhotoShop lately. I love the portrait setting on my camera (usually a flower symbol on your camera). It keeps your subject in focus and blurs everything else out. I've been using 3 tools mainly in PhotoShop. First I lighten the shadows, then I bump up the saturation and then I warm up the temperature. There are a few layers I like too (none of these have it), one of which is the 'sun soaked' (I think) photo. It gives everything a sort of yellowy-orangey-greeny look. Like it was taken in the 70s.

If you don't hear from me, have a wonderful, safe, firework-y 4th of July. And if you see a soldier, tell him thanks. (Thanks Bill - you're my hero!)

p.s. That's Madeline, she was a teeny 6 months old there!

p.p.s. That picture made me cry. I remember how proud I was (am) of my brother, and what a man he'd become in that time since boot camp. *sob*