Scarlett Pannebaker

My blog is 2 years old today!

This calls for a celebration...giveaway style!

Two years ago on August 8, 2008 I was 8 months pregnant with Claire.
Kate was 18 months old.

Kevin and I were watching the Summer Olympics & I decided to create a blog as a way to document & scrapbook our lives.
I loved reading other people's blogs and had been wanting to start my own, so I figured 08.08.08 was a good time to start (you know me...I love numbers!)

I had no idea how much blogging would enrich my life.
It has become so much more than just a scrapbook.
I have meet & become friends with people because of this blog.
I was able to be a part of Project 320 because of this blog.

In honor of my 2 year blogoversary, I am doing a giveaway!
It is not just 1 giveaway, I am giving away 5 items!
You can consider this a "thank you" for reading my blog!
There are Five prizes & there will be Five winners!

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Here is what you can win:

Julie at Joy's Hope makes the cutest stuff, including her messy.flower.pins!
Julie is one of the most creative people I know.
This fun, funky and messy flower is the perfect addition to any day.
Great for little girls, big girls and adults alike.
A great accessory for any outfit. Any day..
Pin it on a jacket, a purse, a pillow...
Make a simple outfit special.
Winner gets these 3 messy.flower.pins!

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How would you like a cute tri-rose headband from
Erin's Haute Tots?
They can be made in any color! Winner gets to choose what color they want!
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Keep your sunglasses protected and do it in style with a sunglasses case from
Handmade by Heather!
Drawstring pouches are machine stitched for durability, fully lined in a coordinating fabric, and complete with a fabric tie closure!
Winner gets to choose any sunglasses case from her shop!

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How cute are these crayon roll ups from
Two Little Tots?
Melissa is the owner & has twin girls who are adorable!
Hold your children's crayons in fashion! Great for outings, such as waiting at the doctor's office, sitting through church, riding on an airplane, eating out or enduring long car trips! Moms can curb boredom immediately! The crayon roll up can fit easily into a purse or diaper bag. It helps promote creativity and brings out the little artist in your tot.

Winner gets to choose which fabric they want!

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My friend Wendy (aka the Totally Desperate Mom)
wrote a book & it came out last month!
I read it 2 week ago & it is a must read for all mom's out there!
I have a signed copy ready to send to you!

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So, there you have it...my blogoversary giveaway!
Five prizes & Five winners!
To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post!
Followers get an additional entry, so follow along if you aren't already!

Giveaway ends at midnight on August 14th
{Winners will be picked via random.org}

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog, listen to my ramblings and look at my pictures & comment!
It has been such a fun experience these past 2 years (349 posts later....)
I still can't believe people read my blog...I am just an ordinary girl, who takes too many pictures and feels very blessed in this life.
So, thank YOU for reading!

Today I am linking up with Andrea for her Show & Tell Series.

The topic is: Advice to my High School Self

I want to start off my saying I LOVED high school!!!!

I was really involved & had lots of school spirit. 

I was on the Soccer Team, ran Track & Field, was Rally Commissioner Junior Year & a Senior Class Treasurer. I was in Drama one year & also did Dance for a few years. 

My friends & I loved going to all the football games & dances.

I was a good kid in high school. I went to parties, but never drank & I was often the DD for my friends. 

I had a nice core group of friends & was also involved with my High School Youth Group. 

I really loved High School :) 

I don't have many regrets about High School, but looking back, I do have some advice for High School Mel :)

I decided to run track my freshman year of high school because it was a way to stay in shape for soccer. One of my strengths on the soccer field is that I was fast, so my soccer coach said that track would be perfect for me. So myself & some of my soccer teammates went out for the track team. I loved it. Because I am tall & have long legs, the track coach immediately told me that I would do hurdles. I loved them & did well my freshman year and I did really well in the 300 hurdles my sophomore year. I ended up getting the school record (I still hold it) & I made it to the State meet in that event. I didn't do track my Junior year because I was busy with 2 soccer teams (club & Olympic Development) Looking back, I know I could have made time for track that year.  I didn't do track my Senior year because none of my friends were doing it. I look back and wish I would have done it those 2 years. Ugh.

Sophomore year of soccer:

Senior year of soccer: 

There were 5 of us on the Varsity soccer team & all 5 of us got soccer scholarships to play at Division 1 colleges. We called ourselves the Fab 5 :)

So, yes. I was one of those teenagers who loved being tan. I didn't really wear sunscreen & I went the tanning salon, especially before prom so I would be nice and tan. And, I laid out with baby oil on my skin. So dumb. My dad has had tons of skin cancer & so have my aunts & uncles. I knew better. But, I thought since I had more of my mom's coloring & got tan easily that I wouldn't get skin cancer. 

WRONG. 

I have lost count of how many pre-cancerous spots I have had removed & I have had a couple basal cell skin cancers surgically removed. Now I have to go to the dermatologist 2x a year to make sure my skin is okay. Thank goodness I realized the error of my tanning ways several years ago & started taking care of my skin better (Thank you Rodan + Fields) But, I was such an idiot in high school & college. 

Moral of the story? WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!!!

 Like I mentioned earlier, I was really involved in high school. I was in Leadership and my Junior Year I was one of the Rally Commissioners who planned all the rallys. It was so fun. I decided to run for Senior Class Treasurer. One of my best friends was running for President & one of my soccer teammates was running for Secretary. We all won & one of my friends from youth group won Senior Class Vice President. It was so much fun being a class officer my Senior Year, especially alongside 3 of my good friends. We got to plan tons of activities for our Senior Year, including Homecoming, our Senior Breakfast, Senior Picnic and of course Senior Ball (Prom) Such a fun year. I look back on it with amazing memories.

Well....fast forward to several years after High School Graduation.

I don't know what it's like at other high schools, but at our high school, if you were a Senior Class Officer, you are in charge of planning the High School Reunions!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?! 

No one told me this when I was 17 years old. 

So, when it came time to plan our 10 year reunion, I was the only class officer who still lives locally, so I had to plan it. Kate was a newborn...I was not in the mood to plan a reunion by myself. Luckily other friends who live locally stepped up & helped me plan it & it was a fun night.

Well, now I am still the only local person, so that means I have to plan the 20 year reunion also....which is NEXT YEAR!!!!!

ACK!!!!!!!!! Good thing I like planning parties, but this is a much bigger scale....wish me luck...I am going to need an army of helpers!

My Senior Picture:

Remember when you were 15 years old at church summer camp & you had a crush on one of the camp leaders who was in college? Remember his name was Kevin Larson? Remember when you told one of your best friends that you were going to marry him one day? 

Well, that came true & you just celebrated your 14 year wedding anniversary (yesterday!)

You won't start dating until after college.

So, stop worrying about other high school boys. They aren't worth your time.

Now, onto the lice story....

It was the afternoon of my Senior Ball (same thing as Senior Prom, but at our high school, Junior Prom was called Prom and Senior Prom was called Senior Ball) 

I went to get my "updo" at a place downtown where everyone got their hair done for prom. After my hair appointment, I had a make up appointment at the mall at the Clinique counter. Because Clinique was my favorite in high school. 

I go to my hair appt & flip through photos of updo's and pick one out.

She starts to comb my hair and then stops. 

Then, she goes to another hair dresser's station and asks the girl to come over. 

They are looking at my scalp. 

Then she says to me "I can't do your hair. You have lice"

OMG.  WHAT?!?!

She said, have you been around little kids lately?

I said, yes...I babysit all the time.

Then it hit me. I realized where I got the lice.

A few weeks prior, I was in Mexico with my church youth group for a Spring Break Missions Trip at an Orphanage near Tijuana. That week, we put on a VBS for the kids at this Orphanage. 

One of the sweet girls there, asked me to give her piggy back rides almost every day. 

Which I did. 

She must have had lice.

Her hair touched my hair every time I gave her a piggy back ride.

OMG.

And she wanted lots of hugs.

See Exhibit A:

Heads are touching. Lice are jumping to my hair.
Side note: Typing this story is making my head itch!!

The hair dresser told me it to go to CVS and get lice shampoo, go home, wash my hair & have my mom get all the lice nits out and then come back to the salon and she would see if she could squeeze me in.

So, I rush out of there and of course see several girls from my high school at the salon & I think they are wondering why I am leaving with a Panicked look on my face & my hair NOT done. 

I get the lice shampoo at CVS (I also bought some make up since I had to cancel my make up appt at Clinique and I didn't have much make up at home. 

Of course I run into one of my friends & her mom at CVS and tell them what happened and pleaded "PLEASE don't tell anyone!!!"

 I drive home in tears. I am mortified.

I got lice. On a mission trip.

I have my mom help me wash my hair. I am still in tears because:

1) I have lice

2) I might not get my up-do for Senior Ball & I can't do my own up-do

3) There is no way I will make it to my make up appointment, so I will be going to my Senior Ball with lice infested hair & a crappy make up job done by myself

I had spent the whole year as a Senior Class Officer planning our Senior Ball & I was showing up as a hot mess.

I spent HOURS and HOURS picking out the venue, picking out the color scheme, designing the invitations & doing ticket sales.

For this 17 year old...Life was over as I knew it.

After we got the lice nits out of my hair, I went back to the hair salon. 

My hairdresser was able to squeeze me in.

The lice & nits were gone. 

I got my up-do done. 

I did my make up on my own. It turned out fine, nothing fancy.

It all worked out.

Here I am that night:

 It ended up being a great Senior Ball, despite the craziness that happened getting ready for it!

So, there you have it.......5 pieces of advice I would give to my High School Self!

What advice would you give your high school self?