Vacation Photo Book 2010

Click here to view this photo book larger

At the end of vacation last week I got an email from Shutterfly to create a free photo book. I have done this once before, after our last vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2008 - our last family vacation with Lawrence's family.

This time, I only had about 3 days to create the free book but I decided to do it, because I thought it would be a neat record keeping tradition, and as you know I am ALL about record keeping AND trying to do it the same a second time around - I love comparing things side by side in a similar fashion :). It's a little more thrown together and less organized than the previous time, but even so, I was happy to finish it and get it for free + 7.99 for shipping and handling (even if I did have to miss girls' night out last night to do so).

So the link above is the book that I created from our Sunriver vacation, outlined a few blog posts below. I don't use Shutterfly for the majority of my photo saving, only for times when they have awesome gift deals or something. While I was in my account, saving my book, I noticed that they had the book I made 2 years ago saved in my projects. While of course I have the actual book, I was pleased to have the electronic copy!

Click here to see it, or just go to the below post. It was fun to compare the kids, what a difference two years makes. I love that after creating this, it allows you to share the book as well.

Creating this book make me think of two things:

1. Thank God we are not in North Carolina this year for vacation, as Hurricane Earl wreaks havoc. This is the week that we vacationed there, and returned home the day before Labor Day. Oh, how I loved that vacation. I loved it. I really like this one two, but that one 2 years ago gave me true belief that vacation after children and with children can in fact be fun. And I LOVE the ocean. Of course, I really did love not flying this time around - I'm imagining the nightmare of getting through security and the things that would be in mouths on the plan and off - from both Addie and Bryson. Anyway, I'm imagining that my whole feel of that trip would have been different had it been now and we were evacuated from the islands! Sorry for whoever has that awesome beach house this week (and I'm not sure I've ever said that before!)

2. I created this book last time with a broken foot. In fact, since I broke my foot upon returning on vacation last time, I've been grateful for a non broken foot a lot this last week. Even though it was hard for me to get back in the work groove, and least I GOT to go to work. Last time I had to call my boss after a week's vacation to say I would be working from home for the next month and then another 4 weeks of no driving after that. Let's just say that crutches and public transportation do not mix. So making this book reminded me to be happy about my healthy working body. Hope you enjoy looking at these, I know I have, and I'm also glad to have these links, not to be lost in an unused Shutterfly account!