Maid of Honor 101 :)

So, if you've ever been a Maid of Honor, any help or advice would be greatly appreciated:P My sister is getting married in September and today I decided to look up the "duties of the maid of honor". I'm proud to say that I've finished half the list and even done a few extra things that aren't even on the list:) On the other hand I didn't realize how many things I would be in charge of on the actual wedding day. I'm like WOW, I hope I have time to brush my teeth and comb my hair. LOL...... Then on top of it I have to give a speech. YIkes! I'm definitely a cryer when it comes to talking about people that I hold dear to my heart, and my sister is one of the most important people in my life so this is going to be interesting. Just the thought of having to write out what she means to me makes me cry. Emily and Janey, you might have to finish my speech for me if I start squealing:) So get ready! I remember giving my toast at Janey and Mark's wedding and I seriously had to practice it two times. The first time I practiced my speech I couldn't finish. LOL, it was hilarious.

I'm so proud of you, my baby sister! You my dear are beautiful inside and out. You never seize to amaze me with just how wonderful you are. You're servant's heart, loyality, truthfulness, faithfulness, fun, loving, and giving personality are just a few reasons why I know Ray loves you so!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!

Here's a few images that I took of Ray and Mandy a few months back. Oh and I've also included the toast that I gave at Janey and Mark's wedding. Thanks Gary for being my biggest fan during the whole thing:P



Amy toasts at Janey's wedding! from GARY FONG on Vimeo.

More Cayamo:) JUST ENJOYING LIFE:)

Vacation for me is usually a couple of days of relaxation without my computer, but a full powered phone right by my side, or vise versa. It becomes a bad habit of always having one or the other. This vacation was completely different and it was soooooooo wonderful. It was a week with no phone or computer and 100% of full relaxation. Great conversations with one of my best friends 100 times a day:), meeting new people, great music, and time to just reflect. It was exactly what I needed. Don't get me wrong, I love my life in Santa Barbara, my business, computer, phone, etc. I feel completely blessed and thankful but sometimes you need a break from the fast paced life and the go, go, go, schedule that always seems to be jammed packed with things. It's wonderful to take a break and I highly recommend it! If you can't take a week trip that's fine, just make a point to take slow down and enjoy life during the week. If you don't, you'll find that life will pass you by. So slow down and take some time and spend it with the ones you love, go for a run, walk, or hike, get outside and take your camera with you just for fun, sit and just be still for a second, the options are endless and it doesn't have to cost you any money:)

I brought my camera and took some pictures to document the trip. Here are a few of the non-point and shoot images:)

I hope everyone has a relaxing and lovely weekend and remember that life is precious and you only live once, so make it count!

A Blessing in my life

SMILE WE'RE BACK:) I'll post about our trip soon but this post deserves a much higher priority:)

As I was headed home from one of the most relaxing/amazing vacations that I've had in a while, I had some time to reflect and think about just how beautiful life truly is. I've been truly blessed in so many ways, and one of the ways that I've been blessed is with an amazing father who I adore. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! From the very beginning my dad has set amazing examples of how to be a father, husband, godly man, business man, and how to love your neighbor as yourself. He's set an example of how one should set their priorities; God, Family, and then himself.

One of the first examples of just how amazing he is, is told through the encounter of how my mom and dad first met. It's one of the most amazing love stories, and to this day I still love hearing about it (the whole story deserves it own post so stay tuned). Life was extremely busy for him at that time, he was going through finals and finishing up chiropractic school, so finding the love of his life wasn't high priority on his list, or so he thought. When he first met my mom he told her that he wouldn't be able to call her for a couple of weeks due to finals. Being the amazing lady that my mom is, she totally understood. But it was love, and two days later he called, despite his hectic final schedule. And she's been the love of his life ever since:) To this day you can still see the love that they have for each other. I can even picture them down the road at the ripe old age of 80, holding hands and saying I love you:)

Then there was the time, when I was a little girl, I remember my dad working some crazy hours trying to build his Chiropractic business so he could support the family. He would work from 9 to 9 sometimes and even though he was so extremely tired when he walked through the door, he still mustered up the energy to swing me around the room and dance with me to one of my favorite movies, Alice and Wonderland (the non-cartoon version:). I still remember the exact words of how the song began and what my dad would say to me, "I take your hand and now we're dancing". To this day, dancing is one of my favorite things to do and I give the credit to my dad as being the one who introduced the love of dancing to me.

It's the memories of my dad spending every free moment he had with his family, pitching a tent in the front yard, sleeping on the tranpolene with us girls during the summer, playing softball, dancing, horse back riding, wrestling with us, working hard so that my mom could be a stay at home mom, reading the bible with us as a family, and the list goes on.

Dad I love you more then you will ever know. You have been my hero for 25 years and I thank God for you everyday. You are a gift from God, a blessing to the whole family, and my cup runneth over.

Love your baby girl:)