Nelle's Notes

Yep... you heard that right. My brother, Colby, is going to be a senior this year. I can not believe how fast time flies sometimes. Wow! But you know... each day just keeps getting better. Yeah, you have rough spots to smooth out, but it only makes you a better and stronger person. I really enjoyed photographing my brother. He just knows how to smile with his eyes and he is so natural in front of the camera. Here are a few more of my favorites...

Yes folks, I really like lists. I love to write things down and then cross them off from a piece of paper. It could be a sticky note, or a yellow legal pad, or right in my planner. But I love to make lists. Here is a list I am working on right now...

List Of Things To Do Before Going Back To School:
Make copies of insurance card
Pack stuff
Go to bank
Finalize worship set for Sunday
Clean out the rest of closet
Order new Toms
Go to the Springs with family

You see... I love to accomplish things on my lists. I found this great blog, where this blogger finds old lists and makes art out of them! Check it out here!

I went to the grocery store today with my mom. It was definitely crazy. Sometimes I think about how it was in the 50s and 60s. It seemed so simple. I mean the ladies dressed up to be out for the day getting groceries, chatting with their friends along the way...

Live simply. Seems like such a short minimal phrase, but often times those two little words get thrown into the closet. What are some ways that you can live simple? How do you take each moment of the day and make the most of it?

It seems hard to believe that summer is fastly approaching its final days. I think the past few days the sun has made temperatures outside over 100. Now that's warm! I'm going into my final week at home this summer and just to stay that puts a sour taste in my mouth. Can't I just go back to school in a month? Now don't get me wrong, I am excited to learn new things and start preparing for my final year of college, but the long summer days feel so much better in the comfort of my own home.

Here are a few things I have to cross of my list of "Things to Do before Returning to College":
- Get my original painting from Venice, Italy framed
- Take in one more day in the Springs with my family
- Prepare for solid worship set for church next week
- Lay on my bed and have an Anthropologie moment (dimmed desk light, fan blowing cool air on my face, 1920s vintage quilt surrounding me, with soft music playing in the background... maybe Joshua Radin)
- Take Tucker on walks in the early evening when the temperature outside is bearable

I guess when the time comes for me to go to school I will be ready. It is like what someone told me today... It is like crossing a barrier... once you get over it, you are fine; it is just the crossing over that needs the motivation and drive.

Car rides can be a lot of fun, but I think I may have had my fair share of them in the past week.

Let's review.
Bus ride to North Platte
Bus ride back to Lakin
Car ride to Topeka
Car ride to Auburn
Car ride back to Topeka
Car ride to Nebraska City
Car ride to Sioux Falls
Car ride down to Tulsa
Car ride to Bartlesville then to Sioux Falls
Car ride to Red Oak
Final destination and car ride to Lakin

I think I covered my fair share of roads, but you know what? I loved it all (well maybe not all of it...). I did love seeing wonderful people like my best friend and people with friends and family from all over the state of Kansas. It has definitely been an adventure and I am so thankful it has wrapped up!

There are few things that beat a happy puppy. Tucker, my dog (family dog), and I decided to head to the Kearny County fair and experience the Barnyard Olympics. Yes folks, you read that right... the Barnyard Olympics. Although there were many kids running around enjoying the atmosphere of the fair, Tucker did not enjoy when the little kids would come up to him. He was scared of them!

There are few things that beat a happy puppy.
1. Being with my family in a cool air conditioned hotel room
2. A tasteful dinner at the Olive Garden
3. My mason jar full to the brim with Sweet Tea
4. Spending a week with my best friend
5. A quiet atmosphere