Ink Blot

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-28T14:55:00.000-06:00

Hello, December! It’s my absolute favorite month of the year, beginning with my birthday and ending with Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I can’t get enough of the lights, the music, the eggnog, and, yes, even the cold! (See? I really am a December baby!) Give me a cozy sweater, the smell of burning fireplaces in the air, and a large mug of peppermint hot chocolate, and I’ll be a happy girl.

If I had to pick one favorite thing about December (besides spending time with family and friends, of course!), I would have to choose the Christmas lights. It’s a miracle I haven’t caused an accident — I always want to see people’s lights as I drive by! There’s something magical about the soft glow of the Christmas tree greeting you as you open the front door. I always hate taking them down after New Year’s Day. One year I even left my tree up until I moved in July and redecorated it for different holidays and seasons!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

— Lisa (12/27/11)

Traditions

2011-12-28T14:35:00.000-06:00

Welcome November… It is fall at last – Here’s to cooler days (hopefully) and crisp nights, to falling leaves (and lots of raking), past the ghosts and on to the turkey. This is the time of homecoming, feasts, football and sharing. Thanksgiving is the holiday that crosses states and cultures, a day that is celebrated by so many in a variety of ways. It is a day when most people do not have to work and we all pause to enjoy. Whether you have the traditional turkey or whatever tasty delights you prefer, it is the holiday season.

It is in this pause that we can remember, share and make special memories. A favorite of mine took place a few years ago. We were looking at some old photographs, (black and white – antiques I think), of my family. My husband asked “Is that you?”, while looking at a picture of my Mother and Aunt hovering over something on the counter. Expecting to see a very young version of myself, I looked closely at the photo and said, “No Sweetheart, I think that’s the turkey.”

Memories are funny. It is not always the perfect events that are the most memorable and many of the most special ones are created when things don’t go just quite like you expect.

I am fortunate this year to have all my family coming home. (At least that is the plan.) I know many of you with loved ones in the military or with blended or extended families can appreciate that it is not always easy to arrange schedules. But whether you have your Thanksgiving on the traditional fourth Thursday or if it has to be put off a day, or a week or so, this is still a very special season.

So my family and I will take time to give thanks for this wonderful time and season and plan the giving for next month. Enjoy.

— Donna Canales

Holiday Baking, Haystacks & Party Pumpkins

2011-10-06T16:59:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhh…Fall is in the air! While some people are generally galvanized into action by the coming of Spring – Spring Cleaning, Spring Break, Spring has Sprung and all that – I love nothing more than the turning of the leaves, the nutmeg scent of holiday baking in the kitchen, pumpkins and haystacks and scarecrows in neighborhood yards, and last but not least…THE PUMPKIN PARTY!

Yes, every year my house is jam-packed with friends and family about a week prior to Halloween for my annual Pumpkin Carving Party. The house gets decked out in its Halloween best. We all get dressed up in our costumes, have a friendly fire in the backyard pit, listen to great music, and of course, carve our jack-o-lanterns before the night is over.

I remember days gone by when all I had was a big spoon, a marker and a knife. These days all sorts of contraptions exist to enable even the least coordinated person to successfully carve a pumpkin without loss of limb. This year, my husband bought the drill attachment for gutting the pumpkins. Any excuse to buy a new tool, right? You just gotta love human invention! When our guests feel like carving, they can design their own or use templates that I provide to create any kind of pumpkin they want. Afterward, we line them all up and take pictures. They look so amazing all together, lit up and glowing…it’s like our own little Pumpkin Shine…awesome!

Naturally, we also have food; what party would be complete without it? But, being a Halloween party, the snacks can’t just be garden-variety you know! The year we bought our house I went all-out and became a regular Martha Stewart (minus the insider trading) and made all kinds of ghostly goodies. These included a 15-inch-tall witch hat made of chocolate rice-krispy treat, and a cookie-and-frosting centipede with licorice for legs! But the budget doesn’t always allow for that kind of thing to happen on my own dime, and so last year I decided to go potluck – in the form of a “Spooky Food Contest”. It was such a big hit we almost didn’t have enough room for all the food!

Entries included such delicacies as Graveyard Dirt (a crushed-oreo and pudding concoction), Skeleton Ribs (spicy chicken filling inside French bread and sliced like ribs), Candy Spiders and Mini-Mummies (pigs in blankets). Prizes were given for Most Popular, Spookiest, Creepiest, and “Gross”-est!

That contest was, hands-down, the best party idea ever! It made for an amazing display of heretofore-unknown creepy culinary skills – people who didn’t even usually cook or bake came up with wonderful ideas and had a great time with it. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with this year!

~Michelle

Football Mom

2011-09-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

It was the night of the first scrimmage. My oldest son, an 18-year-old senior at Benton High School and a first-string linebacker, was warming up on the field. I, sitting in the stands and in the direct sun, felt for sure that I was going to melt right off that metal bleacher. The sweat pouring from my face was in a race with the bottled water I was pouring down my throat.

I thought to myself, “How in the world can those kids stand to be under all those pads and helmets and still hop around like spring-loaded panthers?”

I could feel the energy on the field sizzle through the stadium. Those boys’ adrenaline was going off like fireworks with every tackle, sprint and block. My own pride and excitement was fueled by the hope that the upcoming months of games would gradually become cooler, eventually and hopefully ending with a freezing cold state championship game sometime in December.

Truthfully, I know nothing about football except that we want to get the ball in the end zone without any flags hitting the field. That’s it! My knowledge beyond that point depends on my other son, a tenth grader, to let me know what is going on. I perk up if I see the coach yelling at my kid, and feel assured he’s done well if the coach gives him a slap on the back.

There is no doubt this time of year brings a sense of nostalgia to everyone. To the football moms, lots of loving emotions mixed with pride well up as we see those babies we raised become men. We remember all the little league pizza parties, cupcakes for the soccer team, and early Saturday games as they began preparing for the future that has now arrived.

So, forgive us crazy women with our jeans, jerseys, cushioned seats, sunscreen, and foam fingers. We will be the loudest ones in the stadium. We will still kiss our kids on the cheek, embarrass them in front of their friends, and might even bake cupcakes for the team, but know that we are the biggest fans under those Friday night lights.

— Crickett Oldenburg

It All Ends Now

2011-07-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

For many of you, July 15, 2011, had absolutely no significance other than the fact that it was Friday. But for many people worldwide, myself included, it was the end of an era.

Eight years ago, my high school friends forced me to watch a children’s movie about a young boy who finds out he’s a wizard. Seven books, seven movies, and five midnight releases, not to mention two graduations, two cities, three apartments, and two jobs later, I found myself anxiously awaiting the final Harry Potter movie, the end of it all.

Rachel and I changed into Gryffindor shirts and went straight to Tinseltown after work on the 14th to wait in line for the double feature — a showing of Deathly Hallows Part 1 at 9:00 with the midnight premiere of Part 2 in 3D. We received our special 3D glasses, in the shape of Harry’s glasses (which we, of course, totally geeked out over), and snagged the best seats in the theater — back row center.

Even knowing what would happen, I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. I laughed, cried (a lot), and everything in between. There were even a few surprises along the way. It was the perfect finale to the story I’ve loved for so long.

So while I had to work on a whopping four hours of sleep, it was totally worth it. There’s nothing quite like the magic of a midnight premiere, with excitement and emotions running high across the theater, and this one, the final, and greatest, movie of the series, was particularly special.

And even though I’ll never experience the magic of a Harry Potter midnight premiere again, the magic will live on in the pages of the books, the scenes of the movies, and all of the memories wrapped up in both.

All of this from a children’s movie I didn’t want to watch in the first place.

— Lisa

Are you ready for some football?

2010-10-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

With the end of summer comes a new season full of potential. No, I'm not talking about Autumn. I'm talking about football season—but you knew that, right?

Growing up, college football season was surpassed only by Christmas in terms of importance within our family. It was a time to pull out the team shirts and flags for the house, and support our teams through thick and thin. Now you might be thinking that these items were purple and gold, but I wasn't raised in Louisiana. I grew up in Arkansas. But don't think for a minute that “Woo Pig Sooie” was yelled in our house. My mother was a proud graduate of the University of Alamaba—the reigning National Champions. I grew up cheering Roll Tide and at a young age knew who Bear Bryant was.

If you notice, I used the word ‘teams’ with an 's' at the end. My younger sister, being a defiant child, gravitated toward Arkansas and the Hogs. All of her friends were Razorback fans so she was, too. But it gets even better. My grandmother and grandfather, who lived in the house behind us, were graduates of Georgia and Vanderbilt respectively. Our house was booming with SEC Pride. This did cause a few Saturday night dinners to be a little on the quiet side. But silent treatment or not, I loved the atmosphere that was college football season in our house. There is nothing like a little rivalry to bring a family together.

As I grew older and began to visit colleges and consider which one I would eventually enroll in for school, I began cheering for a new team—the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Though they aren't an SEC school and, well, they don't even belong to a major conference—I was going to support my Dawgs through it all. I mean, if my grandfather who says his team can't beat the girls' school for the blind can still be a proud Commodore then I, too, can do the same for the Bulldogs.

Speaking of cheering for a team that has a tradition of losing, my husband is a die-hard Saints fan and has been all 26 years of his life. I didn't even like professional football when we met 7 years ago—I was one of those people who watched the Super Bowl for the commercials. He soon converted me. Mind you, this was still the 2003 and 2004 seasons when I first started liking the Saints. I'm not a bandwagon fan.

This season I will attend my first-ever Saints game. Not only will I get to experience the Super Dome on a Sunday afternoon, but as our anniversary present to ourselves, Husband and I have bought our tickets to spend Thanksgiving day in Dallas cheering on New Orleans. I have been so excited about this trip that I have already planned our tailgate menu. It's going to be a great season for the Cobbs.

This past Thursday marked the official beginning of autumn and, yes, that is supposed to mean cooler weather; but for me it means Saturdays and Sundays—with the occasional Thursday night, Friday night, or Monday night—watching football, watching my favorite pregame show on Sundays, helping Husband with his fantasy football teams, and making tailgating plans. It means calling my mom on Saturday night to congratulate her and her Tide on a victory and ask how my grandfather is taking yet another Vandy loss (though they did win their last game). It means wearing Blue on Saturdays and Black and Gold on Sundays. It means friendly trash talk with friends from all over and a little bit of gloating after a successful weekend. From the first kickoff at the beginning of September—or end of August, depending on the year—to just after the last second has ticked off the game clock on Super Bowl Sunday in February, it's all about football.

~Rachel

Firecracker Fun

2010-10-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Fourth of July was another fun-filled holiday weekend that many of us enjoyed as three days off. This year I participated for the first time in the Firecracker 5K. Although I in no way consider myself a runner, I did enjoy the goings on surrounding it. Before the firecracker goes off signaling the start of the race, it is apparently tradition for everyone gathered at the starting line to bounce around an assortment of beach balls and smaller plastic balls. Though I realized that this was going on, I was still humored by the fact some people were oblivious to it and managed to inadvertently get their heads in the way. Many would get a “what was that” look on their faces afterward.

It was also fun encountering the varying array of costumes—or race attire—worn by many of the racers. Some very serious runners looked the part; those who were less serious looked their part as well. And then there were some...well, I’m just not sure what they were doing. As I traversed the course with my race partner there were several people standing along the sides cheering you on and even some offering frozen pop-ice or water. A few had their sprinklers set up for the racers to run through to cool off a bit. I gladly took advantage of these benefits. Tents were set up post race with refreshment and food choices to help the runners recover. This, too, I took gladly took advantage of. Overall I enjoyed the morning and look forward to doing it again next year. The t-shirt designed for the event was nice, too.

Sunday, July 4, I had planned a trip to Natchitoches with my parents. After church we drove down to check out the activities, only to find out that most of the Front Street businesses were closed. We ate at the one restaurant that was open and looked through the available stores, then drove down to see a few of the plantation homes. My parents had never been to Natchitoches so all the closures were a bit disappointing. There was a fireworks show to begin at 9:30 on the river, but after driving to the plantations we still had three hours to kill and decided just to head back to Shreveport. I was disappointed not to be able to photograph some of the fireworks along the river but was met with one of the best sunsets I have seen in a while. It turned out to be an even better show than the fireworks. Overall my holiday was fun; I hope the same was true for you!

~Jerry

He's My Pop

2010-06-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

It is almost Father’s Day again. It’s a special day for me because I have such a great dad, or “Pop”—as my daughter and I call him. I want to begin by saying that I feel sorrow for all those who don’t have a father, and for those who have one who isn’t really that great. I sincerely think I have the best dad one could have and I know there are a lot of you out there that feel the same as I do—and that’s an awesome thing.

This is one of many great dad stories I have; I clearly remember this one—it stands out as one of my better ones. I was in my second year of college and had just broken up with my girlfriend. Homework and my work/study job were getting real sour and I had lost my starting position on the baseball team. This was all happening in the same week. Well, I have to admit that baseball was at the top of the ladder for importance and I was really down. Baseball was the reason I was at this school in Fort Smith, Arkansas. So, I called my Pop and he listened to me and said that he was going to take off that Friday and stay the weekend with me and we would talk it through. Wow—I really was relieved to hear that. And I was not looking forward to seeing him go that Sunday. He drove 10 hours round trip to ease my pain and to give me some pointers. That Friday I almost packed it up. I was about to call him to tell him I was coming home and not to come because I had quit. It didn’t happen because when I spoke to him I felt relief to hear his voice, and I felt that things were going to be alright. He gave some advice, but he mainly listened and comforted me that weekend. Because of my Pop, I wound up staying and everything worked out. I made the ‘B’ honor roll and got my baseball starting position back, leading the team in hitting and making the All Region Team. I didn’t get another girlfriend that year, but two out of three ain’t bad.

I wouldn’t trade anything for Pop; I hope I can be as good to my daughter as he is to me. If I’m just half the dad he is it would be a blessing for her. I’m glad she is getting to know him and love him like I do. He is one of a kind. He’s my Pop and I love him so much.

~Zane

Oh, will my garden grow?

2010-05-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

Right about this time last year, Grace wrote a fantastic blog about her garden. She has quite the green thumb and her gardens always bear amazing vegetables. Her talk of fresh this and ripe that made me want a garden of my own.

My husband and I have talked about planting a small garden in our backyard for a few years now. We had the spot picked out and talked about what we would plant, but that was pretty much as far as it got—until this year. I came home one day to find my husband and children planting seeds in a little starter kit. They were planting corn, spinach, carrots, watermelon, tomatoes, sweet peppers, bell peppers, and sunflowers, because Mommy loves sunflowers! They nestled all of the seeds in their little dirt beds and put the plastic lids on. We put them under a window with plenty of light and began waiting for results.

The results came much sooner than we expected. By day two we had sprouts. The corn and sunflowers took off. After only a few days we had to adjust the plastic lids because the plants were starting to bend over since they were getting so tall. They really needed to be put in the ground, but we weren’t going to have time for transplanting for a few more days. After about a week, my husband rented a tiller and broke ground on the spot we had picked out. He made the little rows and we all began to plant our tiny seedlings. The kids enjoyed the first 15 minutes or so, but soon realized that playing frisbee was much more fun. We got everything planted, drenched it in Miracle Grow, and crossed our fingers. We figured if we were able to eat one vegetable from our garden we would deem it a success.

Well it seems that we know even less about gardening than we thought. Apparently you have to plant the corn in rows beside each other so they will pollinate. Pollinate? I had no idea that corn pollinates. I think we got lucky and few wound up close together. Several of the ones that began in the starter kit immediately wilted and died. We had a few seeds left, so my husband just stuck those in the ground.

None of the sunflowers made it, so I planted a few in a pot on the front steps of the house and they are doing great. We didn’t mark what everything was, but I think the carrots have bitten the dust as well.

It isn’t a complete bust, though. The tomatoes, peppers, and spinach are doing great. The newly planted corn seeds are growing up strong and we noticed a couple of watermelon vines creeping out as well. There may be hope for our garden yet.

We, and by “we” I mean my husband, will have to work to stay on top of the weeding. And we need to keep the Miracle Grow flowing. My neighbor mentioned how much trouble he had with squirrels when he tried to plant his garden. Squirrels!!! Surely the squirrels won’t eat my veggies. I always take up for them when people call them rodents. I think they are precious. I even put out food for them last year. I can’t imagine my squirrels wrecking my garden! But to be on the realistic side, I should probably do a little homework and see if there are ways to deter them. As much as I know they like me, I’m sure it is every squirrel for himself. I am trying to take photos to document our first garden and I am anxiously awaiting that first ripe veggie. Since there is more green in the garden now, we have raised our expectations a little bit and are now hoping for at least five veggies that we can eat. I will keep you posted.

~Raydra

MORE THAN JUST COPIES

2010-05-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

By Kay Gunderson/Insty-Prints of Rochester

It is so important as a business to get your name out in the world. You need to be able to attract new customers as well as keep your client base coming back for more. Marketing and advertising can be a confusing adventure to navigate. Having a plan and the right tools can put you on the effective path to success. There are 5 things that we, Insty-Prints of Rochester, do in order to take care of that crucial task of getting your name out there.

Large Format
One of the fastest growing areas of our business is the large format department. These are things like posters, signs, and banners. It’s a great way to catch somebody’s eye and give them your message. Some of the newest products that we’ve used is window screen & wall noodle. Window screen is an inventive way to get a colorful graphic on your window and still be able to see out. We use this on our front lobby windows as well as our delivery van windows. My other favorite product is the wall noodle. This can be printed on and stuck to the wall or floor in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Logo & Brand Identity
I’m always surprised at our customers who don’t have a logo or identity to their company. A well designed logo can give a great first impression to potential customers. By using your logo on everything and keeping with a general theme, usually a graphical element that stems from your logo, you can stay in your customers minds. You want them to know who you are at a glance.

Brochures & Handouts
Brochures and handouts are a great way to describe services and information while still keeping the customer entertained. Pictures and well designed elements give your information a professional and well presented piece that your customer will read and pass along to others.

Social Media
Social media websites like Facebook & Twitter are the newest of outlets for businesses to advertise and market themselves. By creating your own “profile” you can attract customers by informing them of promotions or services. As the world is ever changing, these are quick and easy ways to socialize and network with future and returning customers.

Direct Mail
Direct mailers are an excellent way to market your business to a specific audience. From postcards to personalized key chains, you can grab a group’s attention that you know are in the market for your specific services. It’s a good way to direct business to a website where you have more information about promotions or sales. You have more control of who your audience is and how you want them to react.

It is so important to put yourself and your name in front of customers repetitive times. They need to remember who you are and what you do, so when it’s time for them to need your service, they already know who to contact. By using some or all of these tools along with a plan of action, the marketing and advertising world isn’t quite as intimidating as before.

Celebre la Cultura

2010-05-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

When it came time for my husband to meet my family for the first time, I knew things would be interesting. I made sure to carefully walk him through what he was about to experience. You see, my green-eyed, blonde-haired, 100% American husband was raised in the Shreveport area with his green-eyed, blonde-haired family. And he was quite eager to meet his different and soon-to-be in-laws and relatives. I couldn’t have written it any better if I were writing a scene in a movie...oh wait, it has been written, and it was in a movie called Fools Rush In (rent it!). Enter the scene: My future hubby and I pull up to la casa de mi tío [my uncle’s house]—though actually, he realized we were getting close from a block away when we could really begin to hear Vicente Fernández wailing through the speakers of the dually parked in the front yard. We hop out of my vehicle, step around the chickens and dogs, and stroll over to where my dad stood, cerveza in hand, singing, laughing, and speaking (in Spanish) with his brothers. Mi esposo [my husband], not understanding too much of anything of the chaos around him, may have felt a little nervous and out of place. He was, after all, not only meeting the people who would soon become his family, he was meeting a new culture. In memory, it seems as though everything stopped for a moment. Silence fell, everyone ceased talking, maybe even the Vicente CD ended, and all eyes turned to me and my gringo. “Want a beer?,” my uncle asked in English, smiling, and Aaron knew that everything was going to be fine.

Growing up visiting Mexico, my father’s homeland, was always a fun experience for us as children; and it became more important to us as we grew older. I still love hearing the stories about my dad’s childhood and visiting the home and village where he grew up. My family lived in the rurals of Mexico, farming the acres and acres of land around their home, La Libertad [liberty, or freedom]—or, as we’ve always called it, the Ranch. He grew up in the state of Jalisco, just at the bordering state’s line. Jalisco’s capital city is Guadalajara, and is known for—you got it—tequila. The land is magnificent; it is surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains and beautiful plateaus, with pleasant weather year round ideal for farming—mainly agave. The house he grew up in was made of clay bricks and surrounded by many types of cactus. Though now deteriorating, as no one had lived there in 30 years, the house is still very beautiful to me. Every single time I visit, without thought, I reach up and try to snatch a tuna (fruit that grows on the major type of cactus in the area) off a cactus paddle, or nopale, and wind up with stickers in my palm. They are so delicious, and I rarely manage to get one without injuring myself—maybe one day I’ll learn to stop and think before grabbing. Maybe not.

Throughout our years together, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Mexico a few times with my husband. I believe he loves it more each time we go. But how could one not? It is a very different place. I think one of his favorite differences is the fact that the dogs often live on the roofs of the homes in urban areas, since those homes have little to no yard. He gets a kick out of walking down the street to the open air markets (another favorite) and hearing a dog bark, only to look around...look around...look around...look up, and see him warning you from two stories above. Culturally we are quite different here in los Estados Unidos [the United States]. Where we seem to be in a perpetual rush, the Mexicanos seem to be more laid back, more casual, and always eager to make you more comfortable. Ours is a loving and patient culture. When you are welcomed into a home or family, you are completely welcomed; and if there is anything your host can do to make your stay—be it long or short—more comfortable, they will. Though we are a close-knit culture—which is obvious to anyone interested in observing—we are quite eager to introduce any new ones to what we have, and share our culture and traditions. Maybe that’s why Cinco de Mayo has become such a big thing in America, whereas it isn’t celebrated on a grand scale in Mexico. It’s a time to celebrate traditions, culture, and food in a place where we aren’t constantly surrounded by our “Mexicaness”—a chance to catch up on what we may miss out on in day-to-day life away from one’s tierra natal [native land] and/or familia [family].

Admittedly, I am not as deeply involved in my family heritage as I should be. I love my family, I love the food, I love the language, I love the culture, I love to visit the land where mi padre [my father] grew up—but I rarely get the opportunity to speak Spanish (which I should speak far better than I do) or get involved with the local community of Latinos. It is something I should make a greater effort to do, especially with the language. Interestingly enough, mis perros [my dogs] understand “quieres agua?” better than “do you want some water?” I think they’re happy to “speak” a bit of their grandpa’s native language, as long as I never make them live on the roof.

~Grace

Pushing Beyond Capacity

2010-05-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

I found myself in a moment where I was thinking to myself, “Why do I torture myself like this? This is self-inflicted pain and yet I keep bringing myself here every day to repeat the action.” My hands were freezing, my exposed legs were, too. My heart was beating faster than I would have liked and my breathing was loud and uncontrollable. My sunglasses were speckled with raindrops and I could feel the blister on the back of my heel opening up.

I checked my GPS and timer. Only 2/10 of a mile left of the 3.1 miles. If I made that last stretch in a minute and a half I would beat yesterday’s time by one whole minute. That was the moment I said, “Come on, Crickett, get over the pain, sprint it out and finish strong. You can do it!”

This was yesterday, and while I only shaved 45 seconds off my best time, I came to a halt, checked my time, and with what little breath I had left I let out a squeal and did a little victory dance. Yes, I danced right there on the track, by myself, in the rain.

Life is like that. There is a lot of pride in achieving goals and mastering situations that are difficult. If we don’t challenge ourselves, we are just going through the motions of life with little substance and can often get stuck in a rut.I spent the past two and a half years working for a military boarding school in Mississippi. One of the motivation phrases used to get the kids to make drastic changes in their lives and behaviors goes a little something like this: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

I worked for Insty-Prints for over three years before returning to my home in Mississippi. While at Insty, I worked in the design department, gave customer service a try, and even mastered the mailing and variable data programs.

Of all the places I have ever worked in my nearly 17 years of printing, Insty is the one place where I have made the best of friends, had the most fun, and grown the most professionally and as a person.

During my sabbatical to Mississippi, I finished my degree in public relations, minored in business administration, and finished in December with honors from Mississippi College, a private college near Jackson that is very similar in size and value to that of Centenary College here in Louisiana.

I knew over a year ago, though, that I wanted to be back in Louisiana. The first person I contacted to help me find a job was Gene Elliott. After several lunch meetings and discussion of logistics, Gene and Jim asked me to return to Insty-Prints with the title of Creative Consultant and Account Representative.

Was this out of my comfort-zone and was this new position going to be a challenge? Absolutely!

There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t wonder what I have gotten myself into. It’s hard to look folks in the eye and convince them that you have their best interest at heart and that you want to show them creative ideas that will save them time, money, and frustration. You know they can trust you, but convincing them of that is the hard part.

But, there are those moments when they give you a chance to prove yourself. You gratefully shake their hand, thank them for the opportunity, and when you walk out of their doors you use your last breath to squeal and do a little victory dance!

So, what’s ahead? My first task is to help my clients understand everything we are and how we can better serve them. My number one goal is to hand our customers the best service in the industry, help them see what we are capable of giving them, and deliver a quality product they can be proud of.

I also plan to join the MBA program at LSU-Shreveport this fall to further my skills so that I can offer even more value to my customers and also to grow professionally.

I’m excited to be back in Shreveport—excited to be surrounded by the best marketing, graphics, printing, and mailing team in this region and excited to see just how far we can grow.

~Crickett

If the shoe fits, grab it!

2010-04-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

The weather is beautiful. And when the weather is beautiful, I have but one thing on my mind; that’s right—sassy shoes. Just the other day a facebook friend posted that she had “3 pair of hot shoes” in her Nine West shopping cart online and wanted input on why she should or should not get them. One friend suggested she go back and check her status from weeks earlier when she had promised to go on a “shoe fast,” one friend asked her how much they cost, and everyone else screamed “BUY ‘EM!”

I know a thing or two about shoe fasts. Awhile back I decided to count my own shoe collection, and after realizing I had over 160 pairs of shoes (eek!) I went for over a year without buying a single pair. (Yes, I am a strong woman.) However, I have long since fallen off the wagon. One of my favorite shoe stories (and, yes, I have many) involves my friend Brenda. I’ve known Brenda for several years now and we see each other only a few times annually. But each time we do, we run to one another and hug, all the while gawking at one another’s feet. I know she will never let me down; she will always have beautiful shoes worth drooling over. If you asked me her eye color I may have to stop and think a bit, but I can most certainly tell you about the patent-leather Jimmy Choos snuggling her feet the last time I saw her. Well...some time last year I ran into a dear old family friend, and as we stood and chatted—catching up—I noticed someone off to the side eyeing me up and down. Mainly down. Finally, my dear friend introduced me to her friend. Her friend said, “I know you but I don’t know from where—and the last time I saw you, you were wearing the cutest little black mules with feathers. Oh, they were so cute. Do you still have those shoes?” I burst into laughter and was sure I’d never seen this woman before in my life. Finally my friend said, “This is Brenda’s mom,” and everything made perfect sense. Of course it was Brenda’s mom. And although I don’t ever remember meeting her in the past, I do remember those cute little little black mules with the feathers. They were adorable. And, ohhhhhh, Brenda’s Mom, how I wish I did still have them. I should confess, as much as I’d love to, I’ve never been shoe shopping with Brenda and I doubt I ever will. I’m confident that that woman could get me in a whole heap of trouble.

We gals need our fabulous shoes. They make us feel fun. They make us feel tall and sylphlike. They make us feel sporty and playful. They make us feel just downright good. I know that if I go clothes shopping on an off day, I can leave empty handed and depressed—”nothing fit right, nothing looked good, I gained five pounds, I feel bloated, I hate the new styles”—but I can always, always, trust that I can find that perfect pair of sevens to make me feel good again, feel sparkly, feel awesome. And what woman doesn’t want to feel sparkly and awesome? With Spring in the air, it’s time again to let our tootsies breathe a little. While I love every single pair of my winter boots, booties, and loafers, each year as warm weather promises to appear, I start to get very anxious to strap on the sandals. But before any of us do so, please, please, please (and one more for emphasis—please) let’s remember to have those hoofs gussied up, buffed, and polished. And resist the urge to buy shoes that don’t fit, no matter how adorable they look on the shelf. You don’t want your toes hanging over one end or your heel dragging off the other. I don’t want to leave men out here; I know some of you like your sandals, too. But here’s a clue, guys: Your manly feet don’t have to smell manly, nor should they be, ahem, crusted or yellow. Try some spiffin’ up. You’ll be happy you did (and so will your significant other and everyone around you).

In the end, the facebook friend bought her hot shoes. But you saw that coming, right? You know I only write stories with happy endings. Every pair of sassy shoes needs a good home. So if the shoe fits, grab it. ...And everyone lives happily ever after.

~Grace

Inspiration

2010-03-25T15:53:00.001-05:00

For my eighth birthday, my Uncle Bob gave me a 110 camera. Like most kids that age, I shot a photo of each family member, the dog, the cat…typical stuff important to an 8 year old. I remember I wanted to shoot a photo of my sister climbing our favorite hill, but before I shot the photo I thought to myself, “If I shoot close-up and below her, it may look as though she is climbing a huge mountain.” Pretty ingenious thought for someone of my young, fragile, naive age!

Over the years I cultivated that creative spirit. I took art classes throughout high school and even went to college to become an architect. Of course, as soon as I realized I wasn’t going to be drawing floor plans and beautiful structures all day (more like airplane parts and pulley systems) I diverted my education to study psychology, then later graduated with a degree in public relations. What a diversion!

Life happened, too. Cooking dinner, helping kids with homework, and cleaning house just seemed to be more of a priority than painting landscapes. So eventually all traces of acrylics, watercolors, and canvases disappeared from my life.

I made a career in graphic design and photography to continue my love for art and it worked. They say if you do what you love, it is never “work.”

But occasionally I began to miss the key element behind true art and design…and that is “inspiration.” I missed creating an art piece driven by the sheer primal and raw need to create something. I missed expressing myself in color, shape, texture, and lines. I missed creating something that was only for the world to view the mysteries locked inside my head, not for the girl who needed to earn a paycheck.

On February 1 I returned to a place I called home for over seven years, Shreveport, Louisiana. I returned to the company I loved and worked with for more than three years, Insty-Prints. I returned to the friendships of some of the greatest and most creative minds I have ever known.

On a snowy Thursday night, five of us creative, spunky women found ourselves sitting on a bench at the ribbon-cutting of the Norsworthy Art Gallery, gazing into the paintings and wondering what happened to the girls of long ago who had paint on our hands and face and dripping from our hair.

That night, a seed of inspiration was planted and it spread amongst us like wildfire on a hot, dry Midwestern grain field. We knew we had to create, and thus was born a plan to awaken each of our inner-artists.

We came up with an inspiration quote and set out to create whatever the quote inspired in us for an art project due the first day of spring. The quote: “He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which” by Douglas Adams.

Hidden in plastic and paper bags and under jackets, four ladies brought in pieces. With anticipation, each woman revealed her piece. Grace was first with her Joker painting. She explained the mixture of control and chaos—and dual personality the quote inspired for her whimsical, well-detailed painting. Rachel unveiled a gorgeous piece of ceramics she sculpted with raised lines symbolizing her interpretation of that uniformity versus chaos undertone in the quote. I found inspiration in what goes through the minds of individuals when they meet and spark a light for the path in my painting. Raydra found inspiration in the genius, crazy mind of Albert Einstein with a fantastic shadowbox, well crafted and proudly presented.

Indeed the first presentation was a dynamic success.

The first day of summer will revolve around the word “Dr. Seuss.” I cannot wait to see the variety of creativity amongst everyone. I see this growing into something huge as more individuals are inspired to join. We’ve even gotten permission to turn the main hall in our mid-offices into our gallery for everyone to see the talent of those who wish to participate. Next time you are downtown, stop by and see the beginnings of raw creativity at its finest.

~Crickett

Big Air & Argyle Pants

2010-03-11T13:37:00.000-06:00

Every two years, for two weeks the whole world dons the flags of their countries and supports athletes, some famous and some whose names have never been spoken before outside of their sport, in their quest to achieve a dream. This dream might be as small as being called an Olympian or as big as winning a gold medal.
In my house the Olympics are a big deal. Daytime competitions are recorded to be watched later, daily medal counts are tallied, and singing the National Anthem is just part of the Olympic hysteria. The best part about the Winter Olympics is watching sports we southerners never have the opportunity to watch. My favorite two are snowboarding (both snowboard cross and the half-pipe) and curling.

In Olympics past, curling was this weird sport that used brooms and big round stones on ice. This year it became the fad sport everyone talked about—besides Shaun White revealing his new trick on the half-pipe and the big US-Canada showdown in hockey. It seemed everyone I talked to watched curling and Shaun White snowboarding. The Norwegian men helped all the hype by wearing some very loud pants that drew a lot of attention.

Curling is similar to Bocci Ball (or Boule, if you're French). The object of the sport is simple—have the closest stone to the very center of the target after all the stones have been played. The strategy is what makes the game. The more I watched, the more into I got. It is exciting seeing a triple take out (moving three of the opponents stones out of play using just one of your stones) and hearing the skip (team leader) yell to the sweepers as they create a path in the ice for the stone to travel. During the final match between Norway and Canada, the crowd, feeling the excitement of the game, spontaneously erupted into "O Canada!" during the final end (round of play). I loved it! I enjoy the fervent way people celebrate their athletes during the Olympics.

The Olympics are about bringing the world together through sport and competition. We, as a nation, cheer on our athletes as they compete for us. In a few more weeks, the glory of the games will pass from people's thoughts until, four years from now, when the winter games return to action in Sochie, Russia. And we look to London for the summer games in just two years.

~Rachel

Snow? But this is Louisiana!

2010-02-24T14:51:00.000-06:00

My left wrist is slowly becoming more limber in the morning; that’s a clear sign that warmer weather is here. I am quite clumsy, and I have broken my poor mistreated left wrist twice. Hopefully describing it with so many adjectives will somehow make up for the abuse it has endured. “Poor lefty” had pins surgically inserted and then brutally yanked out of her due to a skateboarding accident. That was the second break, which I affectionately refer to as my “final skateboarding adventure”. After that injury to my now bionic left wrist, I began to realize that in cold weather “lefty” will ache and be immovable until about 9 a.m. I truly don’t know how people with plates and screws in their bones cope with these arctic temperatures, not to mention the orthopedic bills.

Aching bones are not the only complaint for the cold weather. I have overheard many grievances from our fellow Southern citizens during my daily activities—the most prominent one being the dreaded winter utility bills. Personally, I feel the utility companies should offer a spring/fall savings plan. You could add $5 per fair-weather bill to be deducted later on from your winter bills, which skyrocket to three digits—the first digit often being four. However, I work for Insty-Prints, not a utility company, but they can have that idea for a small consulting fee.

Along with escalating utility bills and aching sports/clumsy girl injuries, winter complaint 203 is trying to stay warm at night while you are trying to sleep. We bundle our children up in footy pajamas, and they wake up drenched in sweat as if they slept in the mouth of a volcano. Somehow as adults, we lose our internal heating mechanism. I am not sure at which age this happens, but if I could stop time for one reason, that would be it. Well, that and maybe the whole youthful metabolism thing. Maybe this lack of sleep due to freezing overnight temperatures only exists for those brave soldiers; who, like me, spend the night in a giant bed all alone. My fellow lone rangers know what it’s like to cuddle up to a pillow and purchase a $70 electric blanket that breaks in two weeks.

Humanity relies on modern invention to keep us warm enough to function as members of society, but this year Mother Nature decided to show us a better way to warm ourselves. I’m sure we all remember the great snow of 2010. When I walked out of the house that Thursday morning, little white things floated down from the sky. My heart grew five times its normal size and an ear-to-ear grin was plastered on my face. I carefully picked the perfect snowy day song to listen to in my headphones as I walked from the parking garage to work. Insert plug for band and song I really love: Alterkicks “Oh, Honey.” It was perfect!

Later that night we went to the opening of the Norsworthy Gallery. It was like a movie. The girls and I sat on a bench drinking wine, surrounded by art and watching people rush in the door gently brushing the snow from their hair. People walked the streets closer together that night. Snow really brings a romantic scene to downtown Shreveport.

The following morning, I awoke to see that the snow had stuck and I still felt twelve years old. Apparently I was not alone in this feeling of childlike wonder. Grace—whose snow-covered tree limbs hugged the ground that, on other days, is known as her driveway—stayed home from work and made a mock-up of her family out of snow. Rodney, who usually takes random pictures of food, took a memory cards’ worth of photographs. Richard used his fancy movie maker to video his drive to work, and Raydra walked in pouting because she wanted to be in an epic snowball war with her children rather than be at work. Michelle and I spent the day half working and half staring out the windows with dreams of hot chocolate and warm fireplaces.

When the day came to an end I put on the exact same “perfect song” for my drive home. I saw that the snow had melted from the trees and the ground was green again. However, almost every yard had a towering snowman still standing—proud reminders that adults took off work, kids stayed home from school, and families spent a day together outside, away from the office and responsibility and closer to loved ones. I’m sure legend will remain that it snowed in 49 of the 50 states that day because the Saints won the Super Bowl, and the twelve year old inside of me is just fine with that. Thank you, Saints and Thank You, Mother Nature for keeping me warm this winter.

~Leigh

A Night on the Red Carpet

2010-02-22T15:42:00.000-06:00

After much anticipation, the 2009 ADDYS® have finally come and, unfortunately, gone. January and February are always abuzz with ADDY talk at Insty-Prints—concerned chatter like, “Have you gotten your dress yet?” “What kind of heels are you wearing?” “How are you doing your hair?”—you know, the usual girly talk before an awards event. Oh, and I guess we wondered what awards we would be picking up, as well.

Everyone was extremely excited that the event was taking place at the Robinson Film Center. It is definitely one of our favorite places in town. Most of us have been to a few events at RFC and the staff always does a wonderful job. This time would prove to be no different. After much stressing over new dresses (Raydra didn’t even wind up wearing hers!), new shoes, and unbelievable amounts of prep work, we were each ready for the night’s excitement. This was Michelle, Leigh, & Rachel’s first ADDY Awards Gala; Raydra’s second; and as for Jerry, Crickett, and Grace—well, we’ve all just lost count. All together there were seven Insty family members in attendance, along with a few spouses. Everyone was wearing their absolute best—the girls looked stunning and the guys were truly sharp-dressed men. Jerry even showed up in his penguin suit! Everyone at the Insty-Prints sponsored table was having a fantastic time—and no one in the room had a single doubt! We “wooed” each time our logo popped up on the big screen. We cheered when we got our food (which was, of course, fantastic!). We laughed late into the night. After dinner, our rowdy bunch made their way to one of the theater rooms for the awards ceremony. Grace was a presenter and got to help hand out a few awards. We thought she made a very sultry Vanna.

As usual, there was quite a bit of joking and ribbing going on during the presentation and everyone had a good time. There were some amazing pieces submitted this year and it’s always enjoyable to see our talented local designers get the recognition that is certainly deserved. No doubt the district judges who came in a few weeks ago to sort through all the amazing work and choose who would advance to the event had a very difficult time picking winners. As always, the student work submitted this year was very impressive. It’s good to know who our future competition is (smile and wink).

Insty-Prints did pick up a couple awards Saturday night—a Silver for a logo created for Oak Alley Farms’ Pattie Shop and a Bronze for an invitation for the Krewe of Justinian. We are very proud to be able to participate in this annual event and be recognized among the immense talent found here.

This year’s ADDYS were very successful and by far the most fun we’ve ever been to. Allen Garcie, AAFSB president, and Alan Hampton, vice president and ADDY chair, certainly made the night unforgettable, as did the rest of Shreveport-Bossier’s Advertising Federation members. We are already looking forward to next year’s event. If you have never attended one we want to recommend that you do, but make sure you sit close to the Insty bunch. That is where the real party will be!

Do You Really Think I Am the Bee's Knees?

2010-02-20T16:23:00.000-06:00

Both of my children have had notes sent home with them this past week with the names of their classmates so they can write out their Valentines. My son even has to decorate a shoebox to put his in. This got me to thinking about Valentine’s Day when I was in elementary school and what a big deal it was, at least to me anyway.

We usually made our “mailboxes” in art class. The teacher would wrap shoeboxes in white butcher’s paper and we would decorate them with crayons or construction paper. There was a little slot cut into the top for your Valentines to go in.

My teacher would send home a list of names and my mom would take me to pick out my cards. I would usually pick out ones that had cute animals or something on them. I would then go home with my cards and my list and begin a very important task. I had to make sure that I gave the right card to the right person. My memory isn’t the greatest, but I remember like it was yesterday how carefully I would make my decisions about who got which card. Of course all of the boys that I liked got the “Be Mine”, “You’re a Sweetie”, and “My Heart Hops for You” cards. The boys that I didn’t like would get the “You’re a Cool Kid” or “I’m Glad We’re Friends” cards. I didn’t want to give the wrong boys the wrong impression. I also had to make sure that my best girl friends got the coolest cards.

After our Valentine’s party at school, I would take my “mailbox” full of cards home and shut myself up in my room to read them. At this point I analyzed every card that was given to me and I would try to read into their messages. So, what was Jeremy trying to say when he gave me a card that said, “You are the apple of my eye”? Did I really make Shannon’s “Heart go Pitter Patter”? And why would Steven give me a card that said, “Best Buds”? I thought he liked me more than that! It sounds so silly when I think about it now, but it was very serious business when I was in third grade.

I am curious to see if my kids will be as serious as I was about Valentine’s Day cards. Right now, thankfully, they are more concerned with picking out the coolest cards and trying to talk me into buying more candy.

~Raydra

Who Dat in the Super Bowl?

2010-01-27T14:26:00.000-06:00

Well, well, well...what has happened in the world of professional football this year? “Who Dat?” became “Dat going to the Big Show.” I never thought I would live to see this day come. Some of my Facebook friends have shared some thoughts on this as well.
Let me preface anything additional here by stating I am a life-long Dallas Cowboy fan, good or bad, and will continue to be, despite Mr. Jones. Given that, I am glad to see the Saints hit the Big Show, finally, Super Bowl XLIV. WOW! To see the excitement throughout this city, much less the state, is impressive. In case you are wondering, yes, I will cheer for the Saints during the game and I do hope they come out on top, despite what I might have to listen to if they do win. (But no, I will not don any Saint paraphernalia [remember, Cowboy fan here] either way. I do have my principles, you know.)

I lived in Denver during the time Elway was there, I watched “The Drive” against Cleveland on TV and saw how that city went ballistic over their Super Bowl berths...three of them while I was there. I also witnessed those same fans’ reactions when the Broncos lost all three, first to the Giants, then to the Redskins, and finally to the 49ers, and how angry those same fans got afterward, going so far as to hang a player in effigy from an overpass for missing the potential game-winning field goal. This was against New York only, the other two were major blowouts—so no hangings, just a lot of negativity. (They did later win a couple.)

My hope is that the outcome of this Super Bowl—win or loose—doesn’t take away from the accomplishment the Saints have made this year by just getting to the Super Bowl—after all, it has been a long time coming. I hope that the fans enjoy the fact that they can still watch their team play this deep in the season. Finally, I hope that we treasure collectively the pride they have brought back to the state post-Katrina, and carry it forward after the game. So, from a died-in-the-wool Cowboy fan, I say “GO SAINTS!” ...At least until next year, that is.

~Jerry

To Breed or Not To Breed...A Philosophical Question?

2010-01-18T08:59:00.000-06:00

The question of motherhood, for me, was something I didn’t lend much credence to when I was in high school and college. While I thought my own mother had done a great job with me and my brother, I had babysat and nannied so much during my teen years that I had finally decided, once and for all, that I was NOT interested in such things. I would go to art college, become famous and have a fabulous career, and babies and motherhood were things I could do without.

Fast forward to today, at age 37, where I sit at my desk and try to look busy while secretly surfing the net for baby bedding and furniture (don’t tell my boss!). I now understand, in full detail, the meaning of “biological clock”. By the time I was 27, I had done a 180 about motherhood. I entered into my first marriage full of hope, wanting the picket fence and children and all that stuff. Of course, calling it my “first marriage” gives away the ending, right? Not quite…it turned out to be the beginning for me. Lessons were learned, and I moved on….

Now, I am married to the man of my dreams (cornball, I know, but so true!) and we are planning for a baby. I’ve never been so obsessed with anything in my life! And so sublimely happy, thinking about being called “Mommy”. *sigh*

Of course, the family is excited as well. This will be my parents’ first grandchild—I see a lot of “spoiled rotten” ahead! Since my husband is from a big Italian family, there is no shortage of well-wishers and hopefuls on that side as well. Everyone wants a girl—it would be the first girl grandchild on my husband’s side of the family in many, many years. My father-in-law, such a dear man, I believe is happy about it as well. But, he has opinions, like most people do, about today’s world and the dangers of raising children. He asked me, “Why would you want to raise a child in today’s times?”

Hmmm. An interesting question, I thought. Then I thought, “How do I answer this without inferring that his concerns are immaterial?” And it just popped out of me:

“What if my child is the one that will make a difference?”

Well, he couldn’t say too much to that. That one question embodied all the hopes I had for the future. Nothing can take that away.

Here is my take on the situation: Yes, there are people out there who have kids and pay no attention to them and don’t take any care to raise them to be decent human beings. And yes, there are people out there who will walk all over others, maybe even my future child, on their way to their big, bright future. But apathy is not the answer to what some people may think is a “deteriorating society”, and deciding not to have children simply because there is “bad” in the world is, to me, apathy. I think the answer is to have your children, love them, and raise them to be the best people they can be, because they are the ones who can make the future a wonderful place.

There is still so much good in the world; we just have to see it…and then BE it.

~Michelle

Joyeaux Leon...

2009-12-17T11:54:00.000-06:00

When thinking of Christmas the word LEON doesn't often come to mind. In my family it's the first word we think of.

The tradition began over 50 years ago when my grandparents first married. My grandmother received a set of bells that were angels holding letters spelling out NOEL. My grandfather—being my grandfather—switched the angels around to spell out LEON. This aggravated my grandmother and so my grandfather has been doing it ever since.

I came along after 25 years of this constant battle over the bells. I followed my grandfather around everywhere. I did whatever he did. He taught me from my first Christmas on, that NOEL was really LEON. I would sneak up to the bells perfectly displaying NOEL and change them around. I would refer to the house with the big NOEL in lights on the roof as LEON.

Now that I am grown and married, I have brought LEON into my Christmas traditions. The first year my husband and I were married I received a set of four stocking holders that spelled out LEON. Not knowing about the tradition in my family, my husband proceeded to correct my 'error.' Now that we are coming up on our third Christmas together, he is not only accustomed to LEON being in our home during the Christmas Season, but he, too, has embraced this tradition. So from our family to yours, have a Joyeaux Leon!!!

~Rachel

Who is that Smiling New Face?

2009-12-17T11:52:00.000-06:00

Hi! I’m Leigh. I am new here to Insty-Prints, thanks to my sweet friend Dani (she rocks).

“Who am I?”: I am pretty much a nerd! I love music, traveling, and funny novelty calendars. The cheesier the better! I really want a calendar featuring different staplers. I am also searching for a plaid band-aid. If you find either of these things, let me know (price is no object!)!

Current Playlist: Arctic Monkeys, Chromeo, Flight of the Conchords, Cajun Dance Party, Alterkicks, Portugal the Man, and Sage Francis.

My family and friends are amazing (I pinch myself daily to make sure my life is not a dream). I am surrounded by the most incredible people that have ever walked the planet, the main one of these being my sweet 20-month old daughter.

P.S. My hair color changes all the time. In fact, this picture is not a current representation of my hair.

Sailing the Seven Seas (Ok, It Was Just the Gulf!)

2009-11-10T15:14:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I went on my first cruise. This is something I have always wanted to do, but just never have. My husband and I sailed with a very large group of friends for four wonderful days. We had one port of call in Cozumel, Mexico, which I had never visited. Cozumel was beautiful and we did a little shopping and snorkeling and took a nap in a hammock on the beach. The people were friendly and the weather was perfect.

There were so many fun activities on the ship that it was hard to decide what to do. Sometimes the decision was so difficult that I just took a nap instead of having to choose. The food was very good and very plentiful. I think we stayed in a food coma most of the trip. There was singing and dancing and joke telling. And those were just our friends. You should have seen the professional entertainment! All in all it was a great time and we were sad to leave the ship.

As I mentioned, the trip was wonderful. In fact, it was a little too wonderful. Can you imagine my disappointment when I went to bed the first night back at home and the bed was not turned down? There was no cute little animal made out of a towel. There wasn’t even a mint! I just didn’t know what to think.

The next morning when the kids wanted breakfast I realized that we couldn’t go up to the Lido deck to eat. I actually had to make breakfast myself. We left the dishes on the table all day and no one cleaned them up! No one even picked up the wet towels off the bathroom floor and replace them with clean ones.

It only got worse. I was the only one that wore formal attire to the dinner table and the only entertainment we had was the kids fighting over the last piece of garlic toast. Though I have to admit it was pretty entertaining when, during their struggle, they dropped it and the dog ate it.

After a few days, I finally snapped back to reality and quit expecting someone to show up with a margarita on a tray. I have quit wearing evening dresses to dinner and I pick up my own towels now. I have quit looking for mints on my pillow and I have accepted that there will not be nightly entertainment, other than the kids of course.

To anyone considering a cruise, I say definitely do it. Just try to remember that when you leave the ship, the waiters aren’t going home with you.

Meet Rachel. She's new here.

2009-09-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

I don’t often admit I lived in Arkansas for as long as I did, but merely being born in Louisiana and living here now doesn’t often qualify me as a true Louisiana Girl. I left Arkansas in 2003 for college at Louisiana Tech.

After attaining a BFA in Communication Design with a Minor in Marketing in 2007, I worked as a designer for various printing companies in the Shreveport area. Most recently I held a ticket sales/graphic design position with the Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings.

The BattleWings job has probably been the most fun place I've worked, so far anyway. I may not have had as much fun with my actual work, but being around a semi-pro football team was a great experience. It was definitely a different atmosphere from a print shop.

Outside of work, I volunteer with my church's youth group. I'm their resident designer, blogger, and Web developer in addition to being a Core Team Member.

There isn’t much else to know about me. I’m just a wife that loves to cook but hates to clean. I’ve been told that creative people typically have a harder time with cleaning. Even if it’s not true, I’m going to use it as my excuse. I enjoy movies of all kinds, music of all kinds, and when I get a chance, I enjoy a good book.

~Rachel

One Woman’s Inconvenient Journey to Going Green

2009-07-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

“Going green” is a phrase that you see everywhere. Everyone seems to be jumping on the green bandwagon. I am actually struggling to get on it myself. I really want the world to be better for my kids and their kids (one day way down the road!). So I am trying to do my part.

Unfortunately “going green” can have its inconveniences. As a child growing up, we always ate on paper plates. My mom worked and there were five of us kids, so she did what she could to make her job easier and washing a few less dishes was a help. I have carried on the tradition of the paper plate. I work full time and have two small messy children and paper plates are just easy, plus I really, really hate washing dishes. A couple of weeks ago we ran out of paper plates and I decided not to even put it on my grocery list. I have made the decision to put away the paper plate and bring out the china. Well, it’s not really china, but it will break if you drop it. There aren’t that many more dishes to wash, but I am making everyone else in the house help out more just the same. Hey, someone has to pick up the slack.

Another “green” thing we are doing at my house is recycling. I was very excited when the City of Shreveport started picking up recycling at the curb. I had never done much recycling before so I was ready to jump in. What I didn’t realize is that there is work involved in recycling. We always make sure to rinse all of our bottles, cans, and jars with water so the recycle bin doesn’t start to smell like the trashcan. The ones that are really ooey-gooey go through the dishwasher. Yes, even more dishes. We keep the recycle bins in the kitchen so if I have a shampoo bottle in the bathroom I have to make a special trip to the kitchen just to throw it away. I know that sounds lazy, but I do know people that won’t recycle things just for that reason.

I also have gotten real big into reusable bags. I have the big ones for my groceries and I have a couple of small ones that fold up and go in my purse and my car. The biggest problem I am having with them is that I forget them! I will put the bags in my car in the front seat and still forget to bring them in the store. Most times I will leave my cart and go back to get them, but sometimes I just do the plastic. Then of course, I feel very guilty about it afterwards.

Being “green” is something that you have to work yourself into. At least it is that way for me. But if I am going to try and make the planet a better place for my kids then I am going to have to do my part and be a good example for them. It may have its inconveniences but I know it is worth it when my 3-year-old asks me “Does this go in the trash or the cycle bin?”

~Raydra

Empty Nest

2009-07-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

Monday, June 29—just over a week-and-a-half ago—I got home and checked the cardinal nest I had been watching for the previous few weeks. And, finally, my babies had hatched! The nest is in a small magnolia tree facing my garden, so on my daily garden maintenance (you are familiar with my beloved garden if you read my last post) I had become very acquainted with mom cardinal and dad cardinal as they took care of their eggs—or, rather, as she sat on them and he kept her fed (isn’t that sweet that he looked after her while she kept those babies warm?).

Once they hatched and I discovered them, no bigger than my thumb (see photo 1), that evening there in their nest they set out on a too-fast course of eating and growing. Their mom and dad took good care of them, flitting around in all the nearby trees catching bugs and mosquitoes (thanks, guys!!!) and feeding their voracious little appetites. Mom and dad would sit in a nearby tree and watch me very closely as I worked in the garden. I’d try to be careful and not bother the nest too much, but I couldn’t help but snap a few photos whenever I had the chance—then get out of the way. I put some oranges and food around for mom and dad as a special treat, they were working so hard feeding those little guys.

By Friday I was amazed at how much they’d grown. I really hadn’t even completely realized how big they had gotten until I compared the new photo (see photo 2) to the one taken just a few days before when I’d first found them. One had been kicked out of the nest by his brothers and sisters that afternoon and I put him back in (it’s OK, I looked it up and that’s what the bird Web sites said to do). He felt about as light and small as a ping pong ball as I picked him up. I knew they would have to be watched closely for the next week and so would our dogs. The only reason I knew he was out was because our dog Dougal was curious about him. Little did I realize that by “next week” I meant “the next few days”...

In my reading about cardinal nestlings I found out that they should start their attempts to fly at about 7 to 13 days (9-10 days average). Well, by Saturday afternoon—yes, they were only 6 days old—my little überbirdies had already started to fledge. I was so proud...and stunned. Saturday afternoon my husband and I checked the nest, looked at each other, checked the nest again, then started looking around the yard. We didn’t have to go very far to find them, fully feathered with cute and fuzzy little gray plumes—yes, you read that correctly, and I know you just looked back at photo 2 taken just the day before—and sitting about 8 inches up from the ground on the lower part of the small fence surrounding my garden. You could have knocked us over with a baby cardinal feather. I wanted to take more photos but was afraid to get too close and scare the little guys (or get scared myself if mom or dad decided to take my eagerness out on my head). I figured it was stressful enough being out of your comfy little nest learning the gigantic task of flying. But I am amazed, no doubt you are, too.

It’s been just over a week since we started this little adventure, and now they are (almost) completely on their own. I still see them in the mornings, practicing their flight around in the trees surrounding “home,” mom and dad still bringing them tasty worms and bugs wherever the little guys want to land and take a rest. It is a beautiful thing, but those kids, they grow up so fast.

~Grace

Who's your momma?

2009-06-16T11:38:00.000-05:00

As a parent of two young children, ages 7 and 3, I am starting to see the value in having mommy cards. For those of you that don't know what a mommy card is, it is a card you receive after you pass the test of not yelling at your kids in the grocery store for a whole week. Not really, though we should get some sort of reward for this!

A mommy card is something fairly new to the playground. It is basically a "business" card for mom. You have your name and your children's names with your contact information. Between school, daycare, karate, soccer, and all the other things my kids are into, I have a very hard time remembering the names of the parents of other children.

Mommy cards are perfect when you are trying to plan play dates, sleepovers, carpooling and countless other things. You aren't trying to find a scrap of paper to write a phone number on or, in my case, trying to act like you remember the parent's name!

I have seen some very cool mommy cards. You can put your children's photos on them, allergy and emergency contact information, or really anything that you feel other parents should know.

I really hope this trend continues to grow. Who knows, maybe one day we will let daddies get cards, too! Maybe :-)

~Raydra

Oh, did I mention? You can get mommy cards printed at Insty-Prints!

Spring Is In Full Force, and I Love My Garden

2009-06-02T14:30:00.001-05:00

I wanted to write this Ink Blot over a month ago when the first signs of Spring were in the air—when I saw the first flowering tree stretch its long arms and show off its beauty. I am not a winter person; I don’t do well with cold weather. I love the idea of hibernation. Why can’t I be a bear? Why can’t I spend my entire winter snuggled in a warm spot, living off my own body fat? I run from house to car, from car to work, teeth chattering and with a constant chill I seem to pick up around November and can’t shake off until March comes along and kicks winter’s booty out of my way. And then the hotter it gets, the happier I am. I don’t mind sweltering Augusts at all. So no doubt at this point you realize, I am a happy gal right now.

I woke up a couple of weeks ago to, what I consider, a wonderful surprise. My single little zucchini plant in my lovely veggie garden had, not one, but two gorgeous big yellow blooms. I planted a small garden at the beginning of spring and have been babying it since. I’m very excited about it since it’s my first real garden since my Dad planted a garden every year as I grew up. Oh, I’ve had potted gardens, patio gardens, big planters with a single tomato or pepper plant—but nothing like I have this year. Every day after work (every day the ground is dry enough, that is) I crawl around it, up and down the rows on my hands and knees pulling up weeds, picking away the bad bugs, talking to each and every plant (speaking Spanish, of course, to my Cuban oregano plant in my herb garden), and cheering their individual growth. And now, it appears, I am starting to see the results of the time and effort. I’ve got a few fat, green tomatoes getting bigger every day, corn stalks up to my shoulder, and pea plants climbing their cages what seem like at least a foot every day. Not to mention pepper plants covered in flowers, okra plants that have finally decided to give some of the other guys a run for their money and actually become more than a little green stick, eggplants, an assortment of squashes, herbs, strawberries, lettuces, broccoli, carrots, onions, yummies, yummies, and more yummies. As I watch each fruit or veetable ripen, I can’t wait to pick it and sink my teeth into it. From the looks of things, soon I’ll get to pick a particular chubby green tomato that has to start turning red at any moment since it will be as big as my head by next week. I thought for awhile that I may, one day, get to taste on of my strawberries, but when I notice them turning red in the mornings as I leave for work, undoubtedly I come home to the Curious Case of the Missing Red Strawberry. I just figured my husband was enjoying their juicy deliciousness, but when I asked him he just laughed and said, “It wasn’t me!” So I guess somebunny—or somebirdie—is keeping his beady little eye on my garden just as sharply as I am. Someone has a sweet tooth!

So here we are finishing up May, with more Spring ahead and Summer still to come. I know that this year, for quite a while yet, I’ll have plenty of tasty veggies and fruits—if my hungry little friend decides to show any generosity—to keep my and my husband’s bellies full, and maybe even some to share! I think I’ll take a batch of fresh garden peas up to the Halls of Insty to share with my Super Family. Anyone else wanna stop by and give peas a chance? Peas, love, and happiness. Peas out, my friends. :-P

~Grace

Fish & Flicks

2009-06-02T14:29:00.002-05:00

Friday some of the Insty GRLs decided to get together and show some support for our movie industry. You are quite aware of what is going on locally with films and this is, of course, a really big deal for our area. Insty-Prints has been proud to be involved with quite a few of the production companies, individuals, and movies themselves. One of these is the full-length feature film, The Last Lullaby, directed by Jeffrey Goodman. Jeffrey is a local and shot all of his movie locally. His local premiere was the first weekend of May and we were excited to be able to support him. I don’t want to give anything away about the film, but I must say that The Last Lullaby was well-paced and it was exciting to see so much of our area—Shreveport and the surrounding towns—on the big screen. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to see it yourself. It was only showing a few days at Regal Boardwalk, but Jeffrey is hoping to have a larger release on more screens around the nation soon. Don’t miss out on your chance when it comes.

It’s always fun to get together with the GRLs and get out of the office. The other night we had a blast. Some of us were really jonesing for some good sushi, so we all started the night out at Ichiban. We were not disappointed, good sushi was exactly what we got. I also have to share with you the terribly mysterious little statement from inside my fortune cookie. “If you develop the habits of success, you will make success your habit.” Hmmm...I guess now that I’ve read this fortune cookie, I can consider this fortune cookie read. Apparently Yoda, after retirement from Jedi-Mastering, has decided on a stint in fortune-cookie writing: Raydra’s fortune? “Do or do not, there is no try.” Okayyyyyyyy...With our tummies full and our fortunes, umm, told, we headed out to Cheesecake Bistro for cocktails. Again, no disappointment. We had a blast!

Speaking of summer movies, call me a big ol’ nerd—I won’t deny that I am—but Star Trek is going to be the highlight of the season’s blockbusters for me! I’m also looking forward to my chance to see Wolverine—no surprise that comic book movies make the Super Family’s Amazing Grace a very happy girl. My husband has already seen it and says it was awesome. With Terminator Salvation, Transformers II, Peter Jackson’s District 9, The next Ice Age movie, G.I. Joe, and a bunch of other big ones coming out, it should be another good summer for cinema, no doubt there will be something to see every weekend. Year One starring Jack Black will also be out, another film shot locally. With so much to see and do, I’d better push away from my computer’s keyboard on my roly-poly office chair and get started. Maybe I’ll see you at the theater.

Now that I’ve finished this Ink Blot, I can consider this Ink Blot finished.

~Grace

So Long, Farewell

2009-06-02T14:29:00.001-05:00

It’s my first time to blog on our Web site here and, incidentally, it will also be my last. That’s right, today I have some big news to share…I’m leaving Insty! Don’t worry, they’re not downsizing and giving me the boot because of the economy, we are parting on good terms. I’m becoming a truck driver. No, just kidding, I’m actually moving to Kansas to work on a farm. OK, I’m joking, I’m joking! The truth is, I have been working full time and going to school part time for several years—longer than I care to mention—so I am leaving Insty-Prints to pursue my education full time and finish that up, FINALLY!

When I walked into Insty-Prints—2 years ago this month—to start my new job, I knew absolutely nothing about printing. Like many of you probably do, I imagined that there was a little tiny printer made just for business cards that spit them out at their little tiny size, someone put them in a box, and voila! Business cards = done. In truth, some papers come in huge sheets, some wider than a twin bed, and then we cut them down to manageable sizes that can go through a printer/press, depending on what we need. Business cards get printed on regular old letter-size paper—10 business cards to a sheet—and then cut down to fit in your wallet. Don’t even get me started on paper. If paper types occupied the entire space of the U.S., my knowledge was limited to the state of Rhode Island. Maybe just the state capital. There are different weights, textures, colors…all kinds of things to take into account, some of which I still don’t understand.

Probably, though, the most challenging thing I’ve encountered here at Insty-Prints is not any of the specific knowledge I’ve had to conquer, but the art of explaining these things—things that are sometimes technical and filled with industry jargon—to other people, normal people like you, who don’t work in printing. Consider, for instance, one of my favorite memories… a gentleman was looking for pricing on business cards, where more ink colors means more cost. He was thinking he could get a card with his photo on it and that would be a three-color card. His rationale was that he himself was one color and then his outfit in the picture was maroon and silver, so that’s two more colors…right? Unfortunately, we humans are not just colored in with a flesh tone crayon, there’s shading and shadowing, not to mention our eyes, lips, hair and teeth, are all different colors. So if you ever want to get your photo printed, that’s going to be full color, friends.

Needless to say, I have had a lot of fun here. I’ve learned so many things and made a lot of new friends—fellow Insty family members and customers alike. Saying goodbye will be bittersweet, but I’m excited to start a new chapter in my life, and I’m sure I will be stopping by from time to time to visit the Halls of Insty!

~Dani

Dreaming in Green

2009-06-02T14:28:00.001-05:00

With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, I decided that I would make a little confession. I am completely and totally obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED, with Ireland. It didn’t start out as an obsession, but that is the monster it has become. It actually started as an “I’m sick of American politics, what country can I move to?” So I Googled “the best place in the world to live.” Apparently, a poll was taken by lots (I don’t remember how many) of people all over the world and overall Ireland has the happiest people. I know, all the rain? I wondered how someone could be happy with so much rain. But then I thought about all of the pubs in Ireland. Maybe most people just don’t realize it is raining or they just don’t care.

So, now that I had a place to move to, I decided I better do a little research and find out about my soon-to-be home. I started looking at photos and there is definitely a reason it is called the Emerald Isle. Because of all the rain that Ireland gets, everything is green all the time. It is breathtakingly beautiful! I also noticed in the photos that ruins are everywhere. You really can’t go many places in Ireland without some history slapping you in the face. It is quite amazing.

The more I researched, the more I wanted to actually move there. Even though my original reason for moving has somewhat subsided, I still want to live there. When I informed my husband that we needed to sell the house, the cars, the furniture, the kids (just kidding, I am keeping the kids), and everything else we owned and move to Ireland, he looked at me like he usually does when I have some big crazy scheme that I am obsessed with and have to do immediately. Did I mention that I am very impatient and when I decide to do something I want to do it right now?

Anyway, we discussed it a little more and he said that we needed to visit before we decided to move. WHAT?!? I was not expecting that answer. Leave it to my husband to be rational. So I decided to make the compromise and we will visit before we move. So now I enter the planning phase of the trip. I don’t know if most of you realize it, but it is very expensive to travel to Ireland. I signed up for every travel e-newsletter you can get. I know that any day they are going to send me an email about a one-time special vacation package to Ireland that will be the deal of the century.

While waiting for my deal of the century email, I was perusing a mailer about continuing education classes at a local college. Would you believe that someone was teaching a class entitled “Discover Ireland”? I almost broke my neck trying to get to the phone to register. The class was eight weeks of absolute heaven for me. The teacher was actually Irish and had a wonderfully twisted sense of humor. Apparently that is how most Irish humor is. (Boy am I going to fit in.) I learned about Irish history, Irish towns, Irish pubs, and everything Irish you can think of. It was a wonderful experience for me and made my obsession even stronger. I have bought countless books on Ireland, I have been trying to learn Gaelic, and let me say that is not an easy task, I listen to Irish music, I bought my husband a bottle of Irish whiskey for Christmas, and it goes on and on. Everyone around me is probably sick to death of it. But that is the sad story of an obsession.

Well, the story isn’t over. I am still planning my trip. I hope to go in the fall for my 10-year wedding anniversary. I just know that once we get over there my husband will want to stay and just send for the kids!

And my last thought as I am gazing at my Ireland desk calendar is that St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was British!

~Raydra

Beauty in the Woods

2009-06-02T14:27:00.001-05:00

I’m back! Maybe this time I’ll be less wordy.

Well, we have now entered 2009 and have a few weeks under our belts…how are those resolutions holding up? This year I chose to not do the resolution thing, rather I chose to call them goals. At least I feel better about the sound of that than failing on a resolution. Goals seem to have a year-long sense, so if I slip up, I haven’t failed the resolution. Regardless of your preference, I hope you are still on track.

The upcoming year holds a few changes. First, we got a new President, and whether you voted for him or not he still needs us to support him as the country’s chosen leader. Next,
the Post Office is incorporating some more changes and a rate increase—so brace yourselves. One such change is the new move update requirement for all bulk mailings, if it is not done some of your postage discounts will be lost. Your list will have to be NCOA certified within 95 days of the list’s usage.

The local deer season just recently closed. Yes, I am a hunter (or at least I call myself one from time to time); however, this year for me was a bit slow. Even with that I feel I made up for it with some of the foliage photos I was able to capture. No, they aren’t edible, I know, but it still passes the time for a slow hunting year. Slow hunting years present the opportunity to observe things you might not otherwise see or hear. For example, one day while watching the sun creep up over the trees I began to listen closely to the day waking. It’s interesting to me that the first birds I usually hear are crows breaking the silence of the morning, clearing their voices for the day of constant chatter. Other birds soon began to chime in and move from tree to tree shaking the dew off the still remaining leaves as they bound through the branches in search of breakfast. Occasionally, large groups of cardinals will converge on the area and fill the air with the flurry of the males’ bright red plumage contrasted with the females’ more pale presentation, all accompanied by their constant chirp. Squirrels begin their descent from the tree tops and forage for whatever nuts they can secure from the trees and on the ground, barking at anything that ventures into their buffet area. As the day warms all seem to grow tired and retreat for what seems like nature’s siesta; I imagine it is the youth of the various species that persist throughout the day. Afternoon settles into evening and a second rush ensues as the daytime woodland creatures prepare to settle in for the night. And as the day began, so it ends. The sun slowly settles in for its night of slumber, then, strangely enough, the crows close the day as they began—seemingly clearing their throats…and then, quiet.

~ Jerry

Our Basketball Fan

2009-06-02T14:26:00.001-05:00

Recently one of our wonderful customers—Candace at Cook, Yancey, King & Galloway—was kind enough to share some much-appreciated Centenary Gents basketball tickets with the team here at Insty-Prints. Thank you, Candace!!!

Another wonderful customer—Donna B from Centenary—snapped this "Insty Fan" photo of our four-color pressman, Richard, and passed it along to us for us to enjoy...and now we pass it to you. Thanks, Donna B!!!

We appreciate YOUR support. Insty customers are the best!

Fishing & Photography in Canada

2009-06-02T14:24:00.001-05:00

When it was asked of me to write an Ink Blot for our new Insty Web site, the task seemed a little daunting. After all, I had heard of blogging and all kinds of stories associated with it but was still uncertain exactly what it was. So I decided to investigate the phenomenon to a point that I would at least have some sense of what it was and how to do it. Do you know what I found? There is seemingly no right or wrong way to do it; I found blogs that covered every spectrum of life and profession that I could imagine and some I couldn’t have imagined. So with that being said here goes…

With the start of school on the horizon—sooner for some, later for others (my wife is a teacher, and when she starts getting ready for school, it’s getting close)—I began to think about the first report most elementary school-aged kids have to write each year, “What I did on my summer vacation.” I don’t remember ever having to write a report like this but it seems to be popular, and this was the subject suggested by our head designer, Grace.

In late June, early July I was gone for two weeks. It’s been a long time since I have taken a vacation that long. The first week I went to the North Central area of Saskatchewan Canada on a father/son camping and fishing expedition. This was my second time to go with my son and his Denver-based church. I flew into Denver to meet up with our group of 23, arriving around midnight instead of the originally scheduled 9:30 p.m. We then got up at 3:30 Friday morning to begin the 23.5-hour drive to Missinipi, Saskatchewan, Canada. Yes, you read that correctly—23.5-hour drive! Why, you may ask, would I fly to Denver and then ride 23.5 hours in a van? The answer is, I don’t know! Camaraderie perhaps?

With all the trouble I had with flights getting to Denver, the last thing I expected once we arrived in Missinipi was flight delays. Yes, additional flight delays! It appears they failed to put our group on the flight schedule. Let me backup here a little; once we arrived in Missinipi we were supposed to catch a float plane to fly about 25 miles into the back country to a lake called Mountney. We were supposed to take off at 5:30 a.m., yet we did not leave until 11:00.

Eventually, we all got to the island and set up camp—we were tent camping, as you might have guessed. The islands are very rocky, mostly granite with veins of quartz running through them. I am sure there are other types of rock as well, but as I am not a geologist, this is about all can offer about them. There was also a lot of tundra growth on the islands. In some areas it can be as much as a foot deep and makes for good padding under the tents. We thought we had mosquitoes in Louisiana—when you step off into the tundra they are everywhere! In fact, you can lay in your tent during the evening and hear the chorus of mosquitoes singing in the surrounding woods. Unless you get off the beaten path, though, they really are not a bother. 100% Deet helps, too.

For years I have listened to loons on those mood, or relaxation, CDs they sell in stores. To hear them in person really can’t quite compare. I enjoyed the evenings when everything got quiet except for the hum of the mosquitoes. That’s when the loons would begin their lonesome songs, occasionally accompanied by a frog or two. During this year’s trip, much like our trip in 2006, we saw a lot of bald eagles, some white pelicans, seagulls (a different variety than I have seen on the coast), several kinds of ducks, and an otter. This year, however, we even saw a black bear. I think the bear was probably the most exciting animal I saw on this trip, primarily because in the 15-plus years this group has been making this trip, this is only the second time one has been seen.

During the time of year we go, the sun never truly sets. It gets dusky dark at about 11:30 in the evening and then the sun pops back up around 3:30 in the morning. I have glow-in-the-dark strings in my tent to find its zippers, though on this trip it only gets dark enough to see the glow for about 45 minutes during the “night”. Sunrise photos have to be taken very early and I was very excited to get a couple of those.

The weather was very pleasant, from the upper 60s to the low 80s the whole time we were there. It is very similar to being on the coast as far as afternoon rains go; in the morning it may be bluebird skies but by midday it is almost overcast. It will rain about 15 to 20 minutes and the sun will come back out. The water is still quite chilly, and with that being said bathing in the lake is quite an experience! This year we brought along solar showers to give them a try—it’s better, but if it doesn’t get enough sun, only slightly!

The fishing this year was a little tougher the first part of week, as far as the walleye go. Within the first hour, though, I caught a 39” and a 40” pike—what a way to start a trip! On our last trip Dustin, my son, put it to me on the pike and walleye, but this year the tables turned a bit. The walleye were a little harder to figure out, but that, too, finally came around.

Each day began with breakfast and Bible study time. The food was pretty good: pancakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits, and French toast for breakfast; spaghetti, fish, and steaks for supper; and even a Thanksgiving meal on the last night, turkey and dressing! After supper on the last night, we had what was called a blessing time, where the fathers bless their sons. It really is quite moving, something I think fathers and sons should do more often. We also had a military flag retirement ceremony. The first time I experienced this, it, too, was quite amazing. I didn’t know what to expect or do, but one of our trip leaders collects flags throughout the year for just this occasion. One flag flies over the camp while we are there. When the ceremony begins, the sons all gather with another one of the leaders and they fold the flag properly and then place it on a grate made of wood with the other flags that have been brought. Four of the older sons carry the flags and place them on a fire. During the time the fire consumes the flags there is absolute quiet, and not hardly a move made by anyone. I stood and observed how respectful everyone was of what was taking place and then thought of our military, where they are and the sacrifice they are making and have made both in peace time and in war. It also made me appreciate more what I have in America.

The next morning it was time to leave. The planes began arriving at 5:30 a.m.—on time!—and we began the long journey home. When I eventually got back home after my week in Canada, I had to prepare for my family vacation. My wife, Cindy, and I headed out on our trip to Ft. Morgan, Alabama. We were on the road by 7:00 a.m. Thank goodness, no airplanes! We got there on time.

~Jerry

Website Launch

2009-06-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

Everyone here at Insty-Prints couldn’t be more excited to launch our new, improved, gorgeous (doesn’t every parent think their child is gorgeous?) little Web site. Just look at her, she has my eyes—hopefully, she’ll have yours! We were one of the very first printers in the area to have a Web page, this little baby’s predecessor (aww, look at her…isn’t she pretty?). But, like a lot of other sites out there, she just sat there—goin’ outta style faster than Hammer’s pants—despite us spending a lot of time & moolah trying to make something happen.

Then we got lucky.

We got some in-house peeps who were ready and willing to make some changes, recharge, and reenergize what we had started all those years ago. Our General Manager Jerry Ramsey (the super robot man—look at his “photo” on our staff page…cool, huh?) came up with the idea of developing a Web site (look at her cute little footers—she even gives you the weather…so smart!) with the capacity for anyone, anywhere to estimate cost and order a job online. That’s step 2 of our cunning little plan. We are at step 1. (She’s gotta learn to walk before she can run.) So here’s the new look, one that’ll (hopefully) make you smile. Are you smiling? It’s very becoming on you. We particularly like the way your eyes crinkle a bit at the edges.

Next we would up Raydra Hall and let her loose. (Back to the staff page, she’s that cute little redhead—pinkhead? orange? black?…what color is her hair today?) The girl’s as creative as her hairstyles (seriously, is that grape or eggplant? Have you ever seen an aubergine mohawk?) and has a lot of experience building Web sites. Raydra got to work to make our new site (shiny! shiny! shiny!) informative, fun, and attractive (you do find us attractive, don’t you?) and Jerry searched deep to find a supplier with the capacity to enable our customers to order online. He did.

So here are our objectives:
• To help customers like you in every way we can
• To be (always) fun, exciting, and informative
• To enable you to estimate the cost of your job and order online (at first a few products—believe us, it’s coming—then more and more as we gain experience in this new area)
• To prove that we are the very best (we try so hard, y’know?)

So please check us out. Come back regularly. And let us know what you think. We need your input.