Loving this project, still. I had a really great week and the pictures prove it. Week eight, February 19th through 25th, started in New Jersey and ended in Albuquerque. It is amazing to me that I can wake up on one side of the country and go to bed on the other side of the country, in my own bed, just a few hours later.
Week eight began with the sewing machine being set up and a couple of UFO's finished. YES! The week also began with a family celebration, Amanda's 14th birthday. I cannot believe she is getting so big! The pictures I chose really represent my "happy" for the week. That bottom photo, king cake, on Fat Tuesday. I had three pieces of the cake, delicious, and still did not get the baby. What's with that?
Tuesday was the first workday of the week and Wednesday was the last work day of the week for me. Mark's siblings planned a reunion, of sorts, in Albuquerque to celebrate their step-mom's 90th birthday. A unique opportunity and I am so happy that we were able to attend. Barbara loved the fact that the "siblings" came together to celebrate her!
The four siblings and their spouses all stayed at the same hotel and we were all placed in rooms directly across the parking lot from each other. It was togetherness at its best!
Thursday started at Einstein Bagel where they now serve thin everything bagels, yum! Then there was lunch together with the siblings and a great hike with Pete and Vicki along the Rio Grande. Dinner Thursday was at the Range, my favorite place, again with everyone including Pat and Mitzi who live in Albuquerque. Catching up and chatting away. It felt like home.
Friday, a drive out to Madrid and lunch at the Mine Shaft saloon. John Travolta dined at this establishment while filming Wild Hogs, I think they may have even filled a part of the movie here. That is probably its only claim to fame! Dinner on Friday, another family affair, at Montebello where Barbara lives. They set up a separate dining room for us and it was a good thing as we got a bit loud. Barbara loved introducing all of us to her friends. She glowed with pride as she led us to our private dining room. It was so very nice to see her so happy!
Saturday, another day that was filled to the brim. Vicki and I headed out early to quilt shop hop, although we actually only hit one quilt shop. Two hours later we had done enough damage and had run out of time! An open house for the birthday girl was the event of the afternoon. The evening ended with a delicious family dinner prepared by Pat and Mitzi. We delivered Barbara home close to 10:30, amazed that she was still anxious to talk. I really believe that she did not want the visit to end, and I cannot blame her! 
Week eight has come and gone. I had a difficult time selecting photos for this week's spread and I believe that I need to become a bit more organized in my process. This week really needed an insert to hold more photos and memorabilia, but I could not put my hands on my other page protectors readily. I think my job for this weekend will be to organize my scrapbooking stuff a bit more so that I do not spend most of my time trying to track stuff down!
The process itself, actually completing the week's spread is relatively quick. I print my photos at home which makes everything so much easier! I also do not try to overthink the process. I would probably like to show a bit more creativity in the spreads, but right now, my process does not allow for that and I am okay with that!
So many others are so creative and I sometimes feel inadequate. But, the reality is this, I just love my pages the way they end up. They suit my purpose and help me to keep track of this crazy life we are living. Project Life also allows for moments of gratitude as I reflect on each week that passes by, that to me, is what counts!
But, having said that, there are some people that do a really terrific job of this. I caught Jenny Myerson's Week Eight post here. Read her story here. It is truly inspiring.
I also caught Sarah's guest post over at The Mom Creative, here. What a phenominally creative spread she created this week. In addition to Sarah's post over at The Mom Creative, you will find a host of links to other Project Lifers' blogs. Over at One Happy Mama, while here pages are not yet complete, she has a place where others can link their posts and I saw more than a few interesting spreads there also. Finally, I am a follower of Ali Edwards and I loved seeing her spread this week.
The most important part of this process for me is just doing it. Taking the time to remember and relish the moments of our lives is priceless. I just love it!
In case you are interested, Project Life is a product created by Becky Higgins and you can find out more about it by heading to her website.
