new year...new adventures

this Christmas we were at a loss for what to get my 12 year old. She is "too old" for toys but still "too young for tech stuff or clothes" and I struggle with material things...I am a BIG believer in MOMENTS and MEMORIES.

so. this year we decided her BIG gift was going to be a mom and daughter trip to the Big Apple... the city that never sleeps...yes New York City!! the flights were booked, the hotel was reserved the broadway shows were picked out, the only thing left to do was ride through Central Park in a horse drawn buggy....we had our jackets and even the snow boots packed. we were ready! our flight was in less than 10 hours....

and we got that email...

"your flight has been cancelled due to weather" NOT ONE flight was available into NYC or surrounding areas that day or the day after. her little heart was broken. the tears starting whaling up in her eyes the more it looked like her dream Christmas gift was going down the drain...

I panicked. so I called the airline and we found a flight to LA. within 8 hours of take off we were throwing the snow boots out and digging for our flip flops!

we landed at 11:30am went straight to get our rental car...a convertible of course (they upgraded us to a BMW) which was totally fun and now my daughter decided that is what she wants as her 16th birthday present...dream big baby girl, dream big!!

top down, we drove straight to the coast. our first stop was the Santa Monica Boardwalk where we rode the ferris wheel and of course...funnel cake!

that afternoon we went into LA and checked into The Line hotel for the night. The biggest struggle with this trip was A.) I am not that familiar with the area and "things to do" & B.) up until a few hours prior...we weren't even thinking LA so I had NO PLANS! we took the evening in the room and around the cute hotel, ordered room service and did just that... we made a plan!

that next morning we  got ready and headed out to grab coffee and a yummy breakfast off Abbot Kinney at The Butcher's Daughter and then took PCH1 to Malibu. found a beach and spent most of the day playing in the waves!

she had so much fun in the pacific she decided she wanted to go at it again... although the fogged had rolled in and I thought she'd be a little disappointed,  she casually said "mom I love the fog its kind of mysterious" that is when my heart burst and I KNEW she was a girl after my own heart! a few hours beach hopping and ice cream searching we then headed back and stoped to eat at Malibu Farms over looking the water and back to settle into our super fun and quirky hotel in Venice, The Kinney this time.

we went to the Third Street Promenade for a little people watching and dinner before we went to bed to get good rest (which is important with a 12 yr old...let me make sure I point that out ;) )

our third day in LA we wanted to stay in the city and see all the things... so we drove to Hollywood and did the star walk of fame the wax museum and then found the HOLLYWOOD sign! we checked into the next hotel...Mama Shelter and went to the rooftop to grab lunch and the view! that evening we went to the Little Damage ice cream shop for some BLACK ice cream and walked around The Last Book Store before heading back and packing up.

it truly was such a last minute trip I could have never anticipated it going as well as it did for us. we got sun and fog. we got the coast and the sites of LA... bust most of all...MEMORIES with my girl!

the master tour

I had posted on Instagram a few options for new bedding and got such an overwhelming response from you guys! I was looking for something simple but with texture, similar to my last one...but with white and 3 stinky dirty teen boys and a daughter who loves to lay in my bed to do homework...they don't last very long. I went to my few "go to sites" West Elm (which was where my previous bedding was from and I LOVED it), Anthropologie which is always a win win, Urban Outfitters,  Pottery Barn and a few others...

this one from Anthro won out however I can't link because I apparently bought the last one...anyways, I shared the final result on my IG story and my inbox was flooded with people asking to see more of my bedroom...so here we go!

This is my room...so lets talk about it for a second... I am sure you have seen a few of the houses we have flipped in the past. We truly have been blessed with some of the most amazing homes ever. I try hard when designing each home, to give myself time to really feel the home and let the house itself dictate the end design. When we moved "home" the market doesn't lend itself to many options... so we pretty much had to take what we could find and oddly enough this house is ending up to be one of my top favorites.

There are things I'd love to change, but again in this market it can only hold so much being invested into it knowing financially we wouldn't get a return on it... so the carpet stays...along with a few other things I am learning to have to work around. In here, my solution was to cover it the best I could with a textured rug and layering bedside rugs over that.

I am a lover of white walls... and using my decor to add the color. This home doesn't get great natural light either so even when this room was painted a soft mustard by the previous owner, it still was too dark for my liking. so paint was the first "fix" to make this room a little brighter!

and plants... plants make EVERY space feel more ALIVE! and please don't judge the dust and finger prints...clearly I didn't clean before I took these pictures!

The most unexpected MOST USED piece we have in our room was this mirror from Ikea...at any given time you can find at least one if not all FOUR of my kids checking themselves out in it! I just draped a strand of patio lights from Target oared it and apparently it just draws them in for a look and occasional pose! (or snapchat selfie...whatever!)

Also I have gotten a lot of questions about this buffalo painting... I saw the print on Pinterest and it was crazy expensive for the size I needed so I got out my paints and painted a canvas and framed him myself for literally a 1/10th of the cost...and so what his legs are a little off...we won't look at that part! ;)

Wall paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore

Headboard: West Elm in Cayenne

Bedding and colored throw: Anthropologie Throw... other bedding option was: THIS ONE

Black and White Throw: Dot and Bo ( a few years ago)  but THIS one I love too!

Throw pillows: Target

Light up Cinema Board: Urban Outfitters

Live your story ring dish: All the Wire

It will all work out print: People I've loved

Paper Rock print: Urban Outfitters

Letter board: Letterfolk

White ceramic floor planter: West Elm

and now we are horse people...

what a Christmas it was... so let me explain. one of my twins has been a "horse" person from day one. the kid ate drank and breathed horses. he would watch horses in the neighboring pasture, he wanted stuffed horses and stick horses and plastic horses and every kind of toy horse he could get his little baby hands on. when he ran, he galloped...and I am pretty sure he'd neigh a time or two...he was a HORSE. but, like anything a real live, big, eating, pooping, running, pasture going horse is a BIG responsibility. and as parents with 4 kids it wasn't in the cards for us to get him his own horse.  

until now.

and the very day that horse stepped hooves into the pasture...the twin brother was wide eyed. he wanted to ride, he wanted to saddle, he wanted to brush...all of a sudden...he wanted a horse too.

so. for Christmas Santa did good. he did real good. and there hasn't been a morning yet that I haven't woken up to see two little boys out riding and laughing and bonding as brothers on their horses.

and even our beloved Buster boy loves the new additions... he also may or may not be sleeping in the barn with his new buddies!

A Day in the Life... of a stay at home mom

Life's a dance.

"The longer I live the more I believe...You do have to give if you wanna receive. There's a time to listen, a time to talk....And you might have to crawl even after you walk. Had sure things blow up in my face, seen the longshot win the race. Been knocked down by the slammin' door. Picked myself up and came back for more".

Life throws you curves. Life is not always easy or fair... but it is ALWAYS worth fighting for. I have allowed life to get busy, to take my attention away from my children...my daughter more so than any. I have allowed adult situations to stand in the way of a very carefree and light hearted relationship... and I have seen my mistakes. I am a lover, but more than that... I am a FIGHTER! I will fight with all I have in me to make sure my children KNOW how much joy they bring me. How my heart can not beat without their laughter and hugs. Today is a new me... today I start "life's dance"...MY WAY

where have I been all summer

So remember the #riverhouseremodel (those of you who follow me on IG @spankimills) have been watching it all unfold... well here are a few BEFORE and AFTER of my crazy summer project!

Chic Retreat Seattle 2014

What an amazing week! Four full days of learning, laughing, bonding, and growing. I am so honored that I was asked to be a speaker among such amazing names in the industry! I got to hang out with Kelli France (owner of Chic Critique) and Leah Remillet (Go 4 Pro and Thrive) that I had already known for the past few years...but I also got to meet Heidi Hope, Brittney Kluse, Courtney Dailey, and Jean Smith for the FIRST time ever!! These women are AMAZING and I am still on a high from this trip! Soooo here is the IG run down from the 4 days... I will spare you all the details but here are a few...

1. Yes that is THE Pioneer Woman! I was THAT crazy fan at the airport

2. Then there was this man on the plane who had no idea what personal space was and had his elbow ON MY HIP for 4 hours!

3. As soon as I landed I got picked up by Tash (Ike & Tash Photography and Motion) because I met her at WPPI and she is now my forever friend. Like this lady has a piece of my heart. the end.

4. So the next day the retreat started...but first a stop at Biscuit Bitch for some real Seattle coffee.

5. The inspiration I got was CRAZY amazing!

6. whaaaa of course there was a stop at Free People Seattle.

7. and there is ALWAYS a reason for a fun iPhone session in a bar. yes there is.

8. Friendships made.

9. again another iPhone shoot... when the light is right, you shoot no matter what.

10. I am officially in LOVE with this city.

11. solo funny story. I was waiting on my cab to take me to the airport... I am doing what all tourist do...taking selfies in the streets of Seattle assuming no one I know will see me until I hear my name... YES Kelly was watching me rom her room! OMG I died!

12. you just can't get enough of that sign.

13. out of order but before I go out of town my hubby takes me on a special date night, just what I needed.

14. we were wiped out.

15. I can say my first trip to the PNW was AMAZING and now I must go back because I am addicted!

and now... for your viewing entertainment... this is what you get when you have 2 cell phones. One with a flashlight for OCF duh the other with a photo booth app and a group of photographer... the end. 

don't hate on our mad posing skills. maybe they can add to the next Chic Retreat a tiny little posing demo! ;)

Here is the video recap...

here we go again....

Here we go again on our own..Goin' down the only road we've ever known... Yep we are closing on this beauty mid-July (I know I am posting a little more premature than I typically like bc I KNOW the real estate game and its not ours until we have the KEYS). In a new town...one I didn't even know existed up until the day we saw the house. We fell in love. Obviously for its stunning views but the floor plan was made for us. It is almost HALF the size of our current house but I am ready to downsize. I just sold ALL of our furniture, no really...ALL of it. we still have a washer and dryer and our mattresses. like ALL! Once my husband is done doing the happy dance because he doesn't have to move all of it...it will sink in what I did and the realization of my having to replace it won't merit such fun dance moves! ;) The crazy cool think about this house is that it is ON the river...okay yes, a dried up river, but river none the less...once it rains smarty pants. THAT is the only reason we could afford such awesomeness. but hey I will take it and hope that the rain gods mistake my husbands "not moving furniture" dance for a rain dance and we will be swimming and boating in no time. We were really scared to show the kids for the first time because this terrain is SO DIFFERENT than what we are used to but they looooved it. So much exploring to do! Now you know what I will be doing ALL SUMMER LONG so if you feel like taking a trip to TX I will have a paintbrush waiting for you! ;)

SPANK.stagrams | weekend life

1. Stayed at my parents condo while we house hunted for the weekend.

2. Gosh when did my baby boy turn into a TEEN?

3. The kids love standing out on the patio watching the hustle and bustle from down below.

4. always. there is ALWAYS a photo op and I LOVE that my kids go along with it.

5. We got to hang out and go to dinner with my bestie in Austin and Paysli and Riley were turtle watching.

6. my baby... starting to look like a GIRL.

7. then we headed back to Montgomery to my parents house for one last swim in their pool before they sold their home.

8. MY Holly B...ok so she's not MINE...but I try to get as much of her as I can.

9. we stopped at a small town diner to eat and the desert menu won us over!

10. our first stop when we go to austin HAS to be at P Terrys budget stand.

11. my boys can't get enough water. fishing, swimming...they did it all.

12. OMG at that face!

13. well apparently I didn't have a 13. ha

14. we looked at a property that had its very own landing strip and hanger. Paysli loved playing she was an airplane.

15. more night time swimming.

16. and what is a weekend with no baseball..its not a weekend we know, that is for sure!

a little of who I am...

People see that we are moving...AGAIN. I am getting asked several questions... here it is...here is ME.... part of my "story" starts like this... We were 21 years old with a baby on the way. Both of us had to quit college to start our journey in the "adult" life we chose. We did all we knew to do with a baby on the way, we bought our first home... and we bought a home that was a "good deal".  We put a little blood, sweat and tears into that home. We painted (those of you who know me, know that painting and decorating is where my heart is) inside and out. Put new flooring down, changes a few light fixtures and got it all homely and perfectly us... Then we realized, if we listed it, we could pocket a pretty good little penny. So what the heck... we decided to list it and just see how it goes... long story short that was 15 years ago (and 16 houses and 7 tracks of land ago) and we are still at it. At first I fought it. It was unconventional and not the "norm". We were talked about and we heard the whispers from miles away. Why couldn't we just be happy with what we had? Why we were always trying to live above our means at such a young age? Why didn't we have 8-5 jobs with insurance like the rest of them? We heard it all. and yes... It made me question what we were doing...but deep down I loved it and it was ALL we knew to do to "make a living for our family". I was proud of us. We had the world stacked against us. No one said we'd "make it" at 21 and no college education. But we fought. We fought hard. Maybe we didn't do it the way everyone "expected" or saw as "right" but none the less...we DID IT. .It was just a way of life for US and honestly it has become something we really enjoy and I find myself craving the next remodel project.

Sometimes we buy old houses... sometimes they are foreclosures. Times we have built and others times we have just bought raw land and cleaned it up and sold it.. we never know what our next project may be.

We have been questioned. Made fun of. Put down for not having a "real job" but none the less, we haven't given up. We keep going. Keep living the life WE WANT and ENJOY. Whether it makes sense to anyone on the outside or not. This is what OUR family does. As our kids have gotten older we have decided NOT to continue if they chose they don't want to move...but they don't mind. They get excited to go look at old home and see the potential in what it can be.

so, yes, I move... actually I move a LOT. And it is okay. It is just what we love. I love to find a home someone has given up on and go in and give it the love it needs. With every home we purchase we never know if this will be the last or if in a year we will have a for sale sign in the front yard. We leave it up to God to lead us and if we love it, we stay...if we are ready for a new adventure (which most of the time we are) then we pack it all up and find the next one. We know that no matter what four walls surround us...it is the people inside that make it a HOME.  So do not get surprised if a year from now you see we are moving again. We just never really know...and honestly I love it like that. If you follow me long enough, you will get used to our crazy life and I ask you just embrace it with us! :) I will be posting our journey here so if you want to see the dilapidated piece of a craptastic house we are buying and watch as we give it love and try not to kill one another or strangle our kids in the process...check back often but HERE is the first of many post. We close the middle of June! if you are good at painting/construction/design/marriage counseling...contact me ;)

SPANK.stagrams | a weekend in my life

With FOUR kids life is ALWAYS crazy! It isn't very often we have a weekend where we have "off" from sports but this weekend we did. Between the kids all going to the county fair with friends we did get to have a little family time with our littles!

1. Waking up with coffee on the driveway while I watch my boys play basketball...and as usual Buster doesn't get far from my side.

2. Paysli and her friend at the fair... that looks like fun! ;)

3. Pacen and I waiting for our table so we can get some Crawfish.

4. Paysli was so sick...but kept going for more!

5. Finally, dinner and a drink!

6. All day. All night. these boys play ball all they can.

7. We took the entire family to the movies, and I looked back to see my oldest holding my youngest hand. melted my heart.

8. When did my Baylen get so big!

9. Again with the basketball at sunrise!

10. a teenage GROWING boy and 5 lbs of crawfish made his tummy happy!

11. The twiners were so into the movie...and the popcorn!

12. GOD'S NOT DEAD. A wonderful movie and if you haven't seen it GO NOW!

Spanki's FAMOUS Chicken tacos....that aren't really famous

Years ago a friend gave me a recipe for her simple chicken tacos...and my kids LOVED them. They are an easy weeknight favorite for us and over the years turned my kids have named them "Spanki's FAMOUS chicken tacos"...

which is funny because A)  they are not MY tacos. and B) they are NOT famous... BUT they ARE indeed chicken so I guess one out of three ain't bad right?

so here is what you need:

• 1 bag of chicken breast boiled in stock.
• 2 cans of Rotel (I used mild because my 8yr old thinks regular is too spicy...okay so I am blaming it on her...it is really me, I am a sissy)
• minced garlic
• ground cumin
• salt + pepper
• tortillias

Boil the chicken breast with either the chicken stock from a can or add a bouillon cube or 2 and S+P to liking.

I usually just shred my chicken with 2 forks, or you can dice it with a knife.

add in some of the stock, the rotel, about 2 spoons of minced garlic, S+P and lots and lots of the ground cumin (to taste)

bring it to a boil and I just let it go until it cooks down...

while the chicken is cooking I start the tortillas.

and there you have it... my kids add shredded cheese and that is it, but we add lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Make enough for leftovers because the second day they are even better!!

enjoy. In the comments below will you please share or link your "go to" easy weeknight favorite!

*disclaimer: I am in NO WAY a cook or food photographer so there you have it.

SPANK.stagrams | real life

Life has been a little bit of crazy. A mommy of four means I have little time to just sit and do nothing... so what have I been up to lately?

1. My twins have had 2 major school projects which as you know turns into a "mommy project" I am happy to repost I can officially pass the 6th grade again! ;) (I am kidding, this time they actually did the majority of the project themselves... it is hard for me not to pull out my hot glue gun and glitter and take over, but being BOYS they seem to have an issue with me putting pink glitter on their class work...maybe my daughter will appreciate it more)

2. Yet another Valentines Day has come and gone... the hubby took me on an out of town road trip date day (ok so really that was just a fancy way of saying we had something to do out of town and threw in a "date" lunch) so we left a little something on the table so when the kiddos got home from school they'd have a little treat...candy, stuffed animals and Starbucks Mochas with a little note telling them "You MOCHA us proud to be your parents) yes people, thats as CREATIVE as this once very creative momma gets these days.

3. Our Valentines day road trip selfie. (really you all know car light is the BEST sooooo.... it was more about looking good in the light than capturing the moment) ;)

4. Oh did I mention that our Valentines consisted of walking property? Soooo romantic... funny though, our first Feb 14th SIXTEEN years ago was spent doing the exact same thing!

5. This past month I did another full day 1:1 mentoring session and they are FULL days to say the least, but so much fun. I LOVE getting to hear each story, dream, and journey.

6. We had an amazing model, Carly.

7. Not sure, but when I teach I clearly channel Vanna White and make it look pretty good...wouldn't you say ;)

8. And....it is select ball season again. This is one half of my duo, Brylen but on the field he is known as Ya-ya (because I love the Sandlot and it is just as cute as he is)

9. If it isn't baseball, or volleyball, it is running my 14 yr old from track practice right over to his 7:7 football practice... is it time for a margarita yet?

10. THIS makes all the running, laundry and stinky socks worth it.

11. Oh annnnnd.... Pretty Paysli had her very first speaking part in her 2nd grade play, if you couldn't tell by the very awesome and oh so elaborate homemade costume, she was a ladybug! (don't hate on my sewing hot glue gunning skill)

12. Pacen, the other part of the twin duo in this house... also known as Pac-man on the baseball field. He just eats it up...haha get it "pac-man...eat it up) yah I think I need that margarita now, I am so much more funny when I have been drinking! ;)

enjoy a few images of Carly from our mentoring day!

SPANK.stagrams | WPPI 2014

I do not care how many times you go to WPPI in Vegas. Each year is so different from the last....not better (and hopefully not worse) but a DIFFERENT kind of FUN.  This year I went with Monica Roberts Photography, Wendy Gail Photography and Tina from Shot of Whimsy Photography. We had a BLAST and I was so glad I got to spend a few days with these girls!

So what is WPPI? It is not a week long party like many of our husbands might say ;) It is a week FULL of learning, networking and laughing. I get asked often "is it worth it" I say YES. Yes because YOU can make it what YOU want. There are more classes than any one person not only can go to but can process the information from. There are so many different styles of shootouts challenging yourself with shooting, building a portfolio or adding a little character to your work is all available if that is what you want. But for me, above ANY of the other there are RELATIONSHIPS made. Sure we know each other on FB, but with social media it is easy to forget the value of FACE to FACE conversations. Believe it or not, there are so many people there I have never even heard of and to have to chance to meet them is every bit worth the trip. I have know many of my FB friends for YEARS and the moment you get to hug them and sit down and have a REAL conversation with them is priceless. The relationships I have made from the past 4 years WPPI have gotten me friendships, vendor contacts for my business, business relationships with likeminded photographers and so much more. This year there was possible talk of being invited to speak at an AMAZING conference, I got to meet 3 new AMAZING companies that are now going to be offering my workshoppers AWESOME discounts, and I met 2 guys who heard my dreams for the future and THEY. GOT. IT and want to help get me to that place! BIG things come from this "week of parties" and I can not wait to watch as it all unfolds.  Here is a little look into our 2014 WPPI trip...

This post is WAY long but I narrowed down as much as I could so I will post the first half then the second at the bottom of the image.

1. Tina, myself and Wendy met at the airport in Austin and Monica flew from San Antonio.

2. we were ready to get there, we had planned, talked, stressed, and worked for this day for MONTHS and it was HERE!

3. we met up with Moncia at the Vegas airport and our week... began!

4. We got in Sunday evening and after unpacking we headed down to the lobby bar to get a few drinks and people watch.

5. Did I mention we had a few drinks?

6. OK maybe a few TOO many drinks!

7. The next morning as we headed down to the trade show I could NOT wait to meet up with my long lost friend Monica Day, I was searching everywhere so I could find her and HUG HER NECK!

8. I got to hang out with my sweet and long time FB/IG friend Rachel Vos and Michelle Newell and met Tash for the first time!

9. of course I had to stop and get my pic taken with the Woodsnap guys... 3 years and counting.

10. My Monica... can't you see why I ADORE this lady! (and yes, I claimed her as MINE...deal)

11. Wendy and Monica apparently hacked my phone

12. Someone had to do it...right?

13. celebrity spotting.

14. Please don't ask so I do not have to answer that...

15. the elevator selfie, when in Vegas...

16. the VOLCANO from the Rain Forest cafe...we needed a sugar fix and this delivered

17. finally got to meet Sasha from Bluelips Photography ...LOVE HER, she is as REAL in real life as she is on FB

18. room service = no explanation

19. **CHEERS** to business relationships that are more FRIENDships than anything else!

20. Candice with Candice Rock Photography....everyone told us we looked like sisters... I'll take it. I could only wish to be that beautiful! and Christian who happens to be my favorite Woodsnapper.

21. you can't go to Vegas and not go to Secret Pizza, best place ever and such fun memories each year!

22. just a little stalker-ish...we all have it in us.

23. Monica wrecking havoc on the Woodsnap booth, again...just don't ask!

24. people watching from my room during a tiny little break/ phone charge session!

25. Loved watching Ike and Tash give their presentation at the Black River booth

26. so happy to get to meet Bobbi from Bobbi and Mike

27. Can not wait to work with this crazy lady next month at The Reset Conference!

28. Dessert adventure... I mean shoot! ;) (thats another story)

29. Lovely ladies, Sasha and my two Monicas.

30. Rob, ok this guy won me over with his smile...and laugh. thank goodness he finds us funny...I thought he'd run off!

31. Walking to Pure go get our dance on...too bad by the time we got there our feet were killing us. But hey it was a fun little detour through the Flamingo.

32. Girls night outs are the BEST

33. We had our own little mini photoshoot in the hallway...that is what happens when you are surrounded by photographers.

34. Steve Saporito...just watch out, you will be seeing a lot more from this man I can promise!

35. TASH!

36. Only Tiffany with Munchkins and Mohawks can make laughing beautiful. love getting to spend time with her!!

37. On our way to Serendipities for some frozen hot chocolate and onion rings!

38. Long with Custom SLR (my HANDS DOWN) FAVORITE camera strap EVER! so fun meeting the vendors you deal with face to face!

39. LOOOONG chat with my friend Kelly Moore. Can not wait to see what she is planning, I have been bribing her for over a year to get this done and I KNOW she will make it PERFECT!!!

40. Dessert shooting with Essie.

41. Remember Charity my Simply Spanki friend who joined us for the SS slumber party...I got to hang out with her in Vegas too!

42. Charity again, and Stephanie (another Simply Spanki sister) and Christin who happens to be local and we have hung out at a meet and greet before!

43. oh my sweet Bex... she is the host to the Reset conference and I just didn't get near enough time with her in Vegas so we will have to make up for it in Chicago.

44. Oops...no matter how many times I'd tell myself I was NOT buying anything while I was there... Kelly Moore gets me my pocket book every time!

45. Kelli with Chic Critique and Leah with Go 4 Pro... it was WPPI 4 years ago that we met and the relationships that have built are priceless!

46. Ricky!! Co-owner of Woodsnap and a dear friend... THIS is what I LOVE about WPPI, you get to see friends once a year but you pick up right where you left off and I am so glad we got to catch up.

47. Chic Critique meet and greet. I got to meet some AMAZING ladies!

48. Ok, so here we are making fun of Monica for her feet hurting and being a maw-maw...

49. that is what I get for making fun of her... shoes off. My feet HATE Vegas!!!

50. SO, I was done. Spanki -0 Vegas-1 I was ready for my coffee and a loooong nap on the flight home. As I sat at my terminal I run into my childhood friend and husbands college roommate Justin! soooo I thought I'd sleep the flight home but nooooo, we talked and laughed the entire way, thank goodness we didn't find each other in Vegas...that Baccarat table wouldn't have known what hit it!! :P

and if you prefer to watch as you listen to my favorite song...this is for your viewing enjoyment.

[video width="640" height="640" mp4="http://spankimills.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_8653.mp4"][/video]

Vegas you did my heart good... one more year.

SPANK.stagrams | Chicago Trip

Not going to say a ton about these since the REAL camera post said it all….but I couldn't resist posting all my iPhone images too. These people are my whole HEART.

Why not...the tales of last minute.

"babe, can we REALLY make this happen in ONE day"? For some very strange reason…had nothing to do with the fact that we have FOUR kids and we lost our thought process a LONG time ago… I just assumed my kids got out of school for the Thanksgiving holidays on Tuesday just like the rest of the surrounding schools. Never did it cross my mind that they actually got out on the Friday before! The minute we figured it out, we…as in ME…started scheming a last minute trip.

Now many of you that know me, know I am NOT a planner and I rarely commit. I am not sure what it is about those two words but they give me the hives. I am a FLY BE THE SEAT OF MY PANTS kinda gal. My mother HATES it and I have given my husband more gray hairs than he cares to mention that he will point out as named SPANKI. I just like to live on a whim. Why does that have to be a bad thing? Okay so yes, a few things in life are better planning, but when I say I am NOT a planner I MEAN it. Not one of my children were planned, HECK even my marriage to my husband wasn't planned, my business wasn't planned….nothing. But they have all worked out. It just works for ME…and I like it.

So Friday when we realized our kids were getting out for a long holiday I started searching my weather app to find the nearest predicted snow. We live in Texas and it is HOT all the time, and yes a cold snap was coming in but lets face it cold just isn't as much fun without snow. Once my oh so logical husband caught on to what I was scheming, he started doing the math (another word that gives me hives) and for a family of six to drive 12 plus hours would cost a pretty penny. And that is when my husband of fourteen years said something I NEVER expected to come out of his reasonable mouth… "why don't we search flights somewhere". The words no sooner came out of his mouth and I was already on Expedia. We searched our favorite spots... California, Vegas, Colorado, Chicago…what! CHICAGO tickets for TOMORROW are less than I have EVER seen them. but it is for TOMORROW!

so my friends, we booked a flight for the six of us, called and got a hotel reservation and picked the kids up from school with HUGE news… we are leaving on a jet plane.

Our flight landed and we got checked into the hotel about 9pm and decided to walk the streets to visit Gino's East for some deep dish Chicago style pizza…I will have to admit that night we were thinking we were NUTS, it was 20* and with the windchill it was a feels like -2*. We honestly didn't know how we would make it through the next few days… But surprisingly enough, it wasn't bad at all! Sunday morning we headed to The Magnificent Mile for a heavy jacket for Paysli and we were off to explore the city!

We finished the evening off with a stop at a hot chocolate bar our friend had told us about, it was so fancy and fun for the kids, you got to add your own toppings…and Heath and I got to add our own alcohol. SCORE.  We HAD to vist the American Girl store for Paysli, she got her very FIRST American Girl doll for an early birthday present, the boys got to hail us cabs, and we ate dinner at Portillo"s Hot Dog and finished the evening off with some indoor swimming at the hotel. Every meal we ate we did off recommendation from native Chicagoans and they KNEW what they were talking about!! 

Years ago when my husband had to go to an Allstate conference, He and I stayed in a little town outside Chicago called Glenco. From that moment on I was in love with this little city and knew I waned to go back. So Monday we took the train (those of you who ride trains often don't low how exciting it is for us Texans to see an entirely different lifestyle) we got us a few bags of Garrett's Popcorn and headed out! As soon as we got on the train we started seeing snow flakes…again us southerners were EXCITED!!!

My heart skipped a beat to get to watch my kids experience such an amazing time on the shores of a great lake while it was snowing! We got back on the train and headed right back to the Bean for more iceskating and MORE deep dish pizza, this time at Giordanos. 

Seriously I loved Chicago before, and I knew I wanted my children to experience it with me, but i had no idea it would turn out to be such a PERFECT trip…see, sometimes living on a whim is a GOOD THING! ;) Have a fun, safe, and Happy Thanksgiving friends. I know I am blessed beyond measure and truly thankful for each of YOU.

its the small things in life...

I was just trying to get a few head shots. And along came a little visitor and well…this was all captured on film! It is surprising that I even have friends! haha

Those are some typical SPANKI expressions at their finest right there! Hope you enjoy your day, don't forget to treasure the small things…you never know how long they will stay around! ;)

so I told you I'd tell you…

You are minding my own business walking down the sidewalk on your way to meet a friend for lunch when all of a sudden the sidewalk reaches up and grabs your shoe, and next thing you know you are stumbling around like a drunk idiot….do you pretend it never happened and pray that no one saw you, do you look back at the ground because clearly you must have tripped over that hand from The Addams Family. Do you laugh?  When I said on Facebook that I am the weirdo who will announce to the world what I did. I am not kidding. I would have stopped the nearest walker by and through the tears of laughter pointed to the ground and showed with hand gestures exactly how it all "went down"!

So we had briefly met, we were both photographers from the same town and our kids were in the same grade. Last minute we decided to plan a trip to the WPPI together. FIRST. NIGHT. THERE. with my new friend.

We go to bed, about 4am I wake up having to pee (thank you to the vodka tonics we had the night before, BUT I was NOT drunk…that makes this that much more funny) My bed was the one near the windows, furthest from the bathroom so I grab my phone to use the light of the screen to sneak into the bathroom so I do not wake up my new roommate… turn on the bathroom light to pee then turn it off and flick on my cell phone again to use the dim light to find my way back to bed. Well apparently my eyes had not adjusted from the bright bathroom light so I was having to McGiver my way to my bed… I am patting my hands out in front of me (you know you have done this too) and finally felt the foot of my bed.

In what now seem like a very rash decision, I took a HUGE LEAP from standing at the foot of my bed to where I needed to lay… one problem.

in my moment of blindness, I am not sure what I was feeling…but it wan't the foot of my bed because when I took my HUGE leap onto what I thought was my bed was really that space between the two queen beds… you know, that HARD FLOOR PART! yep

THUMP

that was the sound of my entire weighted body hitting the floor between my bed and hers! OMGoooosh!!! I JUMPED to my feet real fast thinking if I recover quickly she wouldn't wake up (as though the noise never happened) After startling her from her slumber, she asked "are you okay" "um yep, yep, I am good, just stumped my toe, I am fine…totally in my bed, I made it in my bed, I didn't fall, I am good…in my bed, night"

3 seconds later….LAUGHTER…uncontrollable LAUGHTER I couldn't hold it in, I had to fess up to what she missed..."hey did you see what I just did, I JUMPED onto my bed but it wasn't my bed, and I hit the floor" MORE LAUGHTER…

On top of that, I had to text my husband, YES at 4am to tell him what an idiot I was. Woke up the next day with carpet burn on my knees and sore legs and shoulders which was a constant reminder throughout the day of my awesome DIVE onto the ground which then prompted to tell any and everyone we came across… "wanna know what I did…  you won't believe it"…..

SERIOUSLY. this happened to me. I don't even know what to say. such a SPANKI thing!

Now, just a tiny heads up… for the past 3 workshops in a row someone has wiped out…just walking and talking and the next thing you know they are gone…GONE, you look back and there they are, laid out on the ground… I am contagious. and THIS is why my workshop girls really do get the ST END half of my BE-ST FRI-END necklace!

**wanna see more from our trip, check it out HERE.

the places this job has taken me...

It is almost fall and with the change of the weather, in our town the people start talking….talking about the local "corn maize" at P-6 Farms by the Poole Family. Well I was asked to come out on "media" day and help get some images of the new and very secret design for this years maze! It stormed like CRAZY that day and we were all on stand by… I mean this WAS my first time in a real helicopter… but the clouds parted and it was all a "GO" . It didn't really hit me until I was driving to the farm and I could see this tiny object hovering high in the sky and I realized it was the very helicopter I was about to go in!! What an amazing day. It was so awesome to see my ENTIRE town from this view!!! And do you not just LOVE the maze design? "In God we Trust" in the American flag with the eagle…YES, I LOVE my town! and I can not wait to take my family to get lost in the maize!!!!

Just for Giggles

Well. Lets just take a little second to have a laugh shall we... Here lately I have been told I have a few celeb look-a-likes. I have most often gotten Jillian Michaels:

OR Amanda Peet:

*images from google search

you tell me. I obviously can't really see either but KNOW that I do not have the muscle tone Jillian does (hence the treadmill this morning) but what do you think? Who is your celeb look-a-like?