After the Hiatus

This blog, once a steady stream of words and photos, seems to have become less the trickle that I intended, and more a stagnant pool of nothingness.  Oops.

I have no one else to blame; I started to have a life outside of the Internet world, and while I did my best to maintain virtual social aspects with my reality of work, school, and dog walks, I just couldn't do it.  I kept telling myself that summer would see a change, but it never did...instead, I delved deeper into a chaotic life, and soon this site was forgotten altogether, although not because I didn't feel a desire to keep it going.  Instead, I just wasn't sure where to start back up, or how to play catch up on what life has brought me since whenever I last posted.  I can't even remember what it was about.  Now, after a few words from husband, mother, and a couple others, I've decided to do my best to recreate this online personality because truthfully, I miss it.  I miss my blogger friends, I miss sharing my stories without the stutter that sometimes appears in real life, I miss using big words that I don't really know how to pronounce even though I understand what they mean.  So.  Here I am; please hang with me as I retrace my steps over the past few months to explain how husband came home from deployment, I hosted two Belarusian women for three weeks, I lost a job, I got a pretty new lens and camera, I traveled the world, and who knows what else.

If you happened to see the past couple posts, you know that I still do some photography sessions.  I managed to book a wedding over the summer, which was just as overwhelming as I thought it would be, and the same day that occurred I welcomed two 11 year old girls from Belarus into our home.  I had offered to host them because that last month before husbands come back from deployment are the absolute worst.  They drag, they limp, they craaaaawl by; so I found a way to keep myself occupied.  I'll share a photo or two from the wedding (which I hope was not my last, even though I hated the pressure of it) as well as the girls.

Ah, Katya and Nika.  They were very sweet, intelligent young ladies that left crumbs in the bedroom and shoes in the entryway.  I suddenly went from living alone with two dogs to having kids...something I am not familiar with at all.  They enjoyed Skpying with their families as much as possible, Pringles, walking the dogs, and having photo shoots in the thunder storms.  The entire time they were here, we managed to have the most beautiful summer Germany has seen in decades!  It was a huge stroke of luck.  I'm really not sure what else I could say about them, other than they changed a little something inside of me.  I felt like I, an extremely selfish and self-centered person, actually gave back.  They cried when they left and asked me to come visit, which I don't plan to do, but I know for sure that I will host again next summer.  If you have any particular questions, feel free to email me: I'd love to share about the program and help as many kids in need have a better chance at a healthy life as well.

Here are the pics; tomorrow, I'll share how DH came home to me just in time to see the girls off, our whirlwind trip to Budapest, Brussels, and Brugge, and why I won't be going back to school.