Saturday, December 25, 2010

A-OK

December 24 Prompt – Everything’s OK What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

About a week before Thanksgiving I was pulling into work and had the thought that I was really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I immediately realized what a huge step that was. I knew I was ‘home’ and looking forward to the future and not waiting for something to still go wrong with me moving here. I didn’t know that was what I was doing until that moment. I just knew in my heart that everything was as it should be at that moment in time. I had a couple of rough days this week where it was hard being away from home for the first time at Christmas but I talked to Nana today and she is good and life moves on. This first Christmas not at Nana’s would have come at some point and I’m lucky for all the good memories I have. I’m in a new home and life is as it should be.

Steeeeel-laaaaaaaaa

December 23 – New Name Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

I always wanted my name to be Stella. Not the Rocky Stella, but the Witching Hour Stella. I know it’s the SAME name, but I didn’t fall in love with the name until I read that book. It’s the name I used to tell people when we had fake name night out on the town. And then I’d forget and tell people my real name and then my girlfriends would come up and call me by my fake name and then we were all confused. LOL! But honestly, I like my name that I have: Susan Elizabeth Alton. It just goes together. So I’ll keep it.

Safe Travels

December 22 – Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

I think I’ve talked enough about my travels across the US this year so lets move on to where I want/hope to go. I have plans to go to Yosemite National Park on January 2nd. I’m excited about that but after looking on the website I’m realizing that trip will depend on the weather there as they require snow chains at times and I don’t have any.

I hope to go to San Francisco a LOT this next year. One reason I moved here was to be able to go to the city so I need to be making that happen. Also the beach. Santa Cruz & maybe Pismo. I’d like to go to Bodega Bay as well. And I need to see me some giant redwoods!!!

I’d also like to make it up to Oregon this year. I’m really drawn to that part of the country and have some friends in Portland and that area I’d like to see plus I want to get a tattoo by Silje and she’s there as well.

I doubt any of my travels this year will require a plane ticket but we will see. I’m also dying to go to Disney Land. Looks like I’ll be exploring California this year!

Past & Future ME

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

This is a lot harder than I thought. Thinking back on the year 2001 brings all kinds of weird memories. Stop looking for comfort in drugs & alcohol because it’s about to get a lot worse over the next couple of years. Stop taking people’s crap. Believe in yourself. Life is about to get really HARD. In the next year you’re going to lose friends, your job, your roommate, your driver’s license, your car, your home & the safety that goes with being an American. But you’ll survive it all and you’ll be able to use all those experiences someday to help others. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

My future self? Stop worrying. Let go and let God. Help others and don’t sweat the small stuff. It might not be easy but for some reason it’s necessary. Use every experience to grow. Love yourself more. Do the next right thing and it will all work out.

Seems a bit generic but I know it’s true. Nothing has ever happened as bad as I feared. And most of those fears were before I got sober and got a Higher Power. Enjoy the good times and perceiver thru the bad times.

Monday, December 20, 2010

If I don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist right?

December 20 – Beyond Avoidance  What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing?

Oh gosh! Like I wanted to think about THAT! lol I guess my weight and sticking to a good meal plan would be the first. I was doing good on my eating plan until National Scrapbook Weekend and with all the sweets I just couldn’t resist and after that it seems I just stopped cooking and then Nana was in the nursing home and I was packing and moving and blah blah blah and I just haven’t gotten back to it. But I’ve put on weight that I already lost and I can tell how I’m eating is making me tired and it all needs to change in the next year. It’s really hard for me to eat right when the rest of my life is in chaos and moving definitely brings chaos. But it’s time to get back on track.

The second thing is my student loans. And that is ALL I’ll say about that right now.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Healing Touch

December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

The hardest part of this past year has been the grief I’ve felt over losing Nana’s house and what that meant for me, but the unexpected grief over losing my mom almost 5 years ago was overwhelming at moments. It came out of the blue. I thought I was long past those feelings. Yes I knew I would always have moments where I missed my mom and her absence from my life was so apparent, but I wasn’t prepared for it to settle inside me so much once I was HERE!

A new friend of mine here in Sacramento lost her husband shortly after we became friends and she had lost her mother earlier this year. I heard that Sunlight Of The Spirit Bookstore was offering a 6 week grief class and I thought it would be good for us to attend. I was thinking I was going for moral support and maybe I might get something out of it as well but she was the one that needed help right? Not me. Or so I thought. Oh how I was wrong.  Julie Interrante was leading this group & she wrote a book called Power of a Broken Open Heart.  The group of women and men there was so supportive. I’d never been to a grief support group before and now I see just how powerful it can be. Julie lead us in some exercises that really helped celebrate who they were and not just focus on what we had lost. I was able to share my thoughts and emotions with people who understood what I was going thru and Julie helped explain to me why some of my experiences of loss stayed with me for so long. It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time for me and really helped me feel those feelings and move on. It was the perfect healing touch. I’ll always miss my mom, my sister, my father, my grandparents, the house that was such a home to us all, but my loss doesn’t have to define me, rule me, bondage me anymore.

Try with all your might!

December 18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

There are TONS of things I want to try! In fact, Kary (my friend & roomie) are making a list of 2011 Challenges instead of resolutions. The first thing I want to try is having pink hair. Not very challenging, especially as a hairstylist, but I’ve wanted pink hair for a while now so I’m just going to do it. I want to try to sell my art this year and get some kind of business going with that. I’m really trying to build a career doing hair. I’d like to try to lose weight (always on the list huh), try to become more spiritual, try to become more serene and peaceful, try to visit friends in Southern California and Disneyland and also go North to Portland. I’m pretty sure I’m going to Yosemite after the first. I want to try to create more, laugh more, smile more. I want to try Russian cuisine and skydiving. The list is truly never ending. I love me a new adventure!

Can I be trusted?

December 17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

I think my biggest lesson I learned this year was to trust my gut, trust myself. I’ve been responsible for Nana almost since the beginning of getting sober and while I’ve definitely been irresponsible at times where she was concerned, I mostly did a good job. But what would I be like out there on my own? Would I become self-will run riot all over again or would I be looking to follow God’s will? Would I continue to do what was necessary to stay sober or fall back into old patterns? Could I trust myself to try to do the next right thing? I doubted if I could trust myself. But the thing that is different about me now, besides being sober, is I’m not doing this alone. In fact I’m not really in charge. Someone or something much bigger is and as long as I let Him lead the way then all will be good. My gut knows what the next right thing is because He’s guiding it, not me.

So when you said that did you mean it…

December 16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Early 2o1o: When you said I could come live with you and your family did you really mean it? Because I want to come. I think I’m SUPPOSE to come. Dorothy won’t be in Kansas any longer!

One of the scariest things EVAH! Picking up your life and moving it half way across the US. To live in another woman’s HOUSE! I mean, WHO KNEW that because my friend back in Kansas got on an online design team and I followed her there that I would meet my future roomie. That visiting her in her home would be a catalyst for a life changing decision in the future. I mean it’s CRAZY! I met her on the INTERNET!!! She could have been a scrappy serial killer!!! But she wasn’t. She was kind and sweet and fun and she flew out to Kansas with me to load a U-Haul in the sweaty humid summer heat and take off across the country. She’s made me feel at home in her home and made me a part of her family and I love her for all that she is. Thank You Kary for all that you’ve done and for being my friend.

Tie a String Around Your Finger

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Meeting new Twitter friends, scrapping on video, Big Picture Scrapbooking classes, Picture Spring, Lily, Boo, Windsor, Hambly, Nana sleeping doing the scream, Snowy days at Nana’s, Making the decision to move, hanging out watching movies with Jonathan, Pedicures with Marcee, Visiting Springer Farms and seeing baby pigs, Aja’s visist, painting a chihuahua, Laughing over Marcee & Zach’s big heads on their poppits collage, going away party, each dinner with friends in Tulsa, Peanut Butter Pie at Brothers, Blue Birdie, Janet & Janice, John & Tasonda & Thelma, packing the house, the sell, Nana going to the nursing home, Corky’s, Dodge City, Royal Gorge, 4 wheeling, Dave & Randy, Colorado, Muffler, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, CALIFORNIA, prairie dogs, Pattie, Manitou Springs, Jacqui, Ryanne, Lilly, Deb, Amy, CCFAA picnik, Natomas, Missing Nana, first Thanksgiving and Christmas in California.

Faith Hope & Love

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Mine isn’t a ‘thing’, it’s a ‘who’ and that who is my Higher Power. I’m really learning to trust in Him. Honestly because I see His past actions in my life. I can see how I’ve always had the things I needed when I needed them. Not when I wanted but when I needed. I see why my heart continues to have hope because I know He’s in my life and (mostly) in control. Unfortunately I still try to take control a lot but it’s progress, not perfection. I see the love He’s given me. I can finally trust & believe & thus love myself. I was raised with lots of love (although yes a little dysfunctional at times), and how He’s given me the courage to carry on in spite of life’s challenges.  There is LOTS I don’t understand, and never will, but I know it’s the right path for me today.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Moving Forward

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Considering I’ve just been trying to settle into a routine again after all the change of the past year my next steps seem a little small in comparison to the giant ones of last year. But yes I’m always looking forward.

First off I’d like to take my art to the next level. I’m hoping to sell some things to a couple of stores and to open an etsy shop possibly. It’s a dream to have my own showing. I’m working on the art now so we’ll see where it takes me.

Second is to work on my career as a hairstylist. Not only do I want to grow my clientele for all the obvious reasons but it’s important for me to advance my skills as well.

Third, but absolutely the most important, is to grow in my recovery and spirituality. As life falls into a routine here I’m getting to see the areas of growth over the last year and I’m sure more insight will come. I’m starting to feel the strength of going thru all these changes and the lessons those will be in helping others.

Say What?

December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

So I guess this is for those people who exercise. I have not one clue as to what to write about this. I’ll blame the sinus headache.

Leave It Behind

December 11: 11 Things.  What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

I’ve already eliminated a lot of “things” in my life this past year, mostly objects, but there are definitely some things I’d like to still eliminate:

1. Fear ~ Of course there is a certain amount of fear in life that is good, like fear of relapsing or being aware walking to your car at night or who’s at the door at 3am or touching a hot stove. The fear I’d like to leave behind is all the fear of the unknown, of not feeling like I’m enough or good enough, fear of being hurt again, fear of failure. All those irrational fears that plague so many of us in recovery. I think everyone has these fears at times but the difference is that at times it has debilitated my life. While I’ve come a LONG way fear still plays to big a role in my life.

2. Expectations ~ It’s so much easier to enjoy the experience when you’re not expecting people, places or things to be a certain way.

3. Laziness ~ I’m a procrastinator. I’ll say this is an advantage as I work well under pressure but I wish I’d just get it done in the first place.

4. Being overweight ~ I was doing good on the eating plan but then all the stress started and I turned to food.  I want to be healthy. I don’t want to get diabetes. Unless my eating habits change this is going to be my future.

5. Self-Doubt ~ I second guess myself. I often think I’m not good enough, not pretty enough, to fat. I fear no one will ever love me, that I’ll never met that person to share my life with.

6. Eating out ~ I don’t really do this much but I do usually get breakfast at the local coffee shop. Now I take my coffee to work with me but I usually get a bagel or a breakfast burrito once I get to work. This is an expensive habit and it needs to stop. Simply being better prepared will help.

7. Clutter ~ I’d really LOVE to be a clutter-free person but honestly, I don’t see this one changing any time soon. 2011 is 12 months long though so who knows. The reason I don’t see it changing is that my whole life is crammed into my room.  Also I’m a MESSY crafter and I share a crafting space with Kary and we have a lot of stuff between the two of us. Luckily I haven’t been buying anything to add to the cramped quarters.

8. Resentments ~ #2 Expectations lead to resentments. Since riding oneself of resentments is part of working a recovery program I get to stay on top of this, but it would be nice to not get them in the first place.

9. Judgments ~ We judge. Everyone does it. Sometimes it’s a good thing because we have to judge if it’s a safe environment or if those people are good for your kids to be around or you to befriend. But there are the judgments we make without having all the facts or the ones we’ve taken on from our parents or preconceived notions that we should leave behind.

10. Stress ~ The things I worry about usually don’t happen, at least not like I imagine them so I don’t understand why I let myself get all in an uproar, whether internally or externally. If I’m trusting in my Higher Power then I shouldn’t be stressing right?

11. Selfishness ~ I’m selfish. I like things to go my way. The way I think they should. The world would be a better place right? lol  I’d like to think of others more and myself a little less in the coming year.

So there you have it. I wish there was a making wand to make these things disappear from my life but I bet they will all appear on next years list as well. Each of them is a constant state of practice and evolving within me. I can only hope for progress, not perfection.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Wisdom to know the difference

Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

By far I believe the wisest decision I made this year was putting Nana in the nursing home. It pains me to say that and still brings tears to my eyes. I wanted to be strong enough to keep going. But I also knew I’d done all I could. I was starting to just ‘exist’ with her. Not growing or moving forward but just clocking the days as they passed. I had so much living left to do. But caring for her is the single most important thing I will ever do. It was time to let go. My patience was wearing down. Her dementia was amping up. Even at this moment as I write this my mind wonders if I did the right thing, but my heart tells me I did. I’d always hoped God wouldn’t make me make that decision. I thought she’d pass in the night. I’d said from the beginning that if she ever didn’t know who I was then I knew it was time to go, but that wasn’t happening either. I prayed.  A LOT. It was so so so important to know that I was doing what God wanted and not what Susan wanted. We all know how doing what Susan wanted worked out. And He paved the way. Doors leading the way just kept opening, and I walked thru them.

Nana adjusted to the nursing home just fine. She’s in a different one now which has a kindergarten in it and she says she goes to color with the kids and is a greeter in the morning. When I talk to her she always ask how California is and remembers that I live here and then she tells me to be happy. That if I’m happy then she’s happy. I miss her more than words can describe.

Life for me now is falling into place. I’m back to having a routine to life and feeling like myself. I’ve made friends, gotten involved in my community and with both my adopted families. It’s becoming home.

It’s My Party…

Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

Well the only party I can even think of is my going away party with my scrappy girls. It was one blazing HOT day. All my girls showed up: Mandy, Christy, Marcee, Anita, Amy, Jennie, Krista, Tracie, Angie, and then Kary and I. A few husbands and children even made an appearance. There was an awesome cake made by Mandy that had a map of the west on it and included our (original) travel route. It was DELISH! There was a cowgirl theme to the day.

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A little scrapping was done. Mandy was (and still is) pregnant with her little girl. Did I mention it was hot? And that the AC wasn’t really working. There was lots of other yummy food and some homemade ice cream from Debbie that was delish as well. And perfect for a hot hot day.

It was also a little sad. Excitement mixed with sadness for we would all miss each other.  These girls helped me thru 4.5 years of CAREGIVING!!! They made me laugh a LOT of the years and listen to a lot of whining and crying and me running off to ‘water’ Nana. I miss them all dearly. I do not, however, miss ‘watering’ Nana. I’d tell you what we talked about, but then I’d have to kill you.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Beautifully Different

Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

Oh this is a hard one for me today. My recovery program teaches me NOT to be ‘terminally unique’, to see the things that make us alike, not different. But we are all individuals in this world with common likes and dislikes and life experiences. I’d like to think that my creativeness, honesty, and friendly personality are what people are drawn to, but I don’t really know. I’m a little neurotic and OCD abt things, like I always take the 2nd or 3rd magazine or newspaper in a rack & I like my glasses to be all lined up in the cabinet upside down (thank you Nana!) and my closet has to be a certain way. I love a little coffee with my cream, snuggling with my kitties, reading, reading, reading (especially YA vampire books), I have a paper addiction that started long before my scrapping addiction. I love to laugh, travel, explore & just lay in bed. I used to think I was a world of contradictions but most of those things have swung one way or the other. My online friends are just as important and real to me as the people I know in person. I love vintage and modern and all kinds of stuff in between. I’m sentimental and sympathetic. I love a good underdog. I never remember movie lines. I only sing in the car when I’m alone. My recovery is my greatest achievement. Or maybe taking care of Nana for almost 5 yrs.  I can have a sometimes quirky, sometimes obvious sense of humor. I’m easily entertained. I like creamy desserts. I love finding common bonds with others and taking photos with my iPhone.  So that’s some of ‘me’. And there is much more. And I’m constantly evolving and changing my mind. Winking smile

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Community

Here’s today’s prompt from Reverb 10:

Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

This year I met a great group of girls on Twitter. Laura (CameronCrazy), Carrie (Scrapchick), Tara McKernin (TaraMcKernin) & Lisa Tauzell (lisataz). These girls REALLY helped me get thru the last 6 months with Nana. I’ve never met any of them in person, but I definitely call them all GOOD friends!!! Sometimes they knew more about what was going on with me than my IRL friends. I miss our video scrap nights. I also ask that you pray for our friend Lisa. She was recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer which has spread to her liver, lungs and bones. She has a husband and 3 young girls.  (you can find blog links to Laura, Carrie & Tara on your right) Thanks girls for making my 2010 a little brighter and bearable!

In 2011 I’d like to find some kind of local art group to hang with and become involved. I think the mojo flows better when you spend time with other crafty people. I’d like to find some scrapbookers as well even though I feel my focus is changing a little.

 

Now on to other things. I have been crafting a little. I’m working on several projects now but here are some I did a while back. I made this canvas and these cute cards with {embellish*ology’s} cupcake and butterfly tags:

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That’s it for today. Hope it’s a great one!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Reverb 10

Hi!

I know. I’m blogging again. It’s been a looooooong time. But I’ve been busy adjusting to my new life and I didn’t really have anything to say. I mean I probably did but just couldn’t put it down. And I came across a link to Reverb 10 the other day and thought it was a perfect way to get back to blogging and to think about the past year and the year ahead. I’m starting a little late so I’m a bit behind in the prompts so I’ll try to catch up here.

But first I wanted to talk about the Shriners Hospital for Children. Do you know about it? I knew OF it but not all the great things they do or how they do it. I learned yesterday while I helped with the Christmas decorations. Shriners Hospital treats 3 things only: burns, spinal injuries and orthotics. They have 22 hospitals nationwide including Mexico & Canada. The hospital in Sacramento is the only one that has all three services under one roof and the only burn hospital on the west coast. They really do amazing things for these kids!!! The prosthetics department goes all out to make sure kids can continue the activities they love whether that is mountain biking or wearing heels to the prom. And these aren’t any ol’ prosthetics either. They can be covered in camo or leopard print of whatever the child’s desire. Did I mention this is all FREE to the parents? FREE!!! No bills are ever sent. It’s all funded by donations. This hospital alone has 4,000 volunteers so that’s important too. There is a school there because kids still need to learn. They even send a representative to the kids school to get all those little questions out of the way before the child goes back to his or her classroom. So it’s AMAZING! And if you know of any child with these issues you should recommend they go to the nearest hospital.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

I definitely think my word for 2010 was Change.  I choose that word for the obvious reason of changing my address from Kansas to California. But I also chose it because so MANY things in my life changed.  Who I am inside changed with this move. I put so many fears to rest like the big one of could I stay sober when I didn’t have Nana to take care of. WOULD I stay sober? And I did. I changed my home group, my friends, my sponsor. I had to change how I stayed sober.  My art has changed. I think I’ve only scrapped one page since I moved here but I have been making collages as gifts and am going to try to sell some.  My family has changed. While Nana is in the nursing home and still with us, she’s not part of my daily life. I have 2 families here. 3 really. The Lewis’s, Diaz’s & my AA family. I live in a house with teenage boys and dogs, and have Puerto Rican adoptive parents. Obviously my job changed but so did it’s duties. No longer responsible for Nana I’m back to being a hairstylist and there are changes there too.  Living with Nana I was always home and here my family sees me leave early and come home late. So many changes, but all totally worth the effort. I will admit that if I had begun to contemplate how difficult this move was going to be and all the changes I would endure I might not have proceeded, but I’m thankful I did.

Next year? I hope this time next year my word will be Adventures!  There are so many things I want to do and see. So many places to go, experiences to have.  I hope and pray that my career takes off and I’m able to build a steady clientele. I want to grow in my friendships and in my sobriety and spirituality. I hope my art leads to new ventures. Hopes and dreams are not short here!

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

I’m not really a writer per se so this doesn’t really speak to me much, except for the part where I want to tell my story even if it’s just for myself. So I need to recommit to journaling or blogging and my art journaling.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

That moment for me is getting ready to drive away from Nana’s house. The U-Haul was packed to the limit. It was sweltering hot out: 108 degree’s that day I think. Kary and I were sweating. The cats where meowing from the back seat. I was trying to get Lily to give me a kiss goodbye, but she was mad because she knew I was leaving her. The house was empty except for some scattered stuff and things of Nana’s for Bob to pick up. 65 years it had been the Osborn’s home. 43 years of memories for me. My childhood. My life. My safe place to fall. I thought of all the times I’d set on the front porch swinging with Nana or Papa or all the evenings counting the big rigs that had missed there turn. Clover necklaces made and fireflies caught. The chirping locusts (which were chirping some then). Flooded with memories. And yet excited for the life that lead ahead. My new adventure. California or bust!

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December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

WONDER? Oh yes, I wondered for sure! I wondered if I was making the right choice or if I made the right choice about daily for MONTHS!!! I also wondered all the way from Smallville, Kansas to State Capital, California (which locals say is just a large cowtown so I should fit right in right?)  Kary & I wandered the Rocky Mountains in search of the Royal Gorge train.  I wondered if I’d ever feel like myself again. I did LOTS of wondering this year.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I let go of a lot this year. My security blanket for one. It’s different being out in the world knowing you always have a soft place to fall and knowing you don’t.  No matter what happened in life I always knew I could go to Nana’s house and feel safe and secure so letting go of all that stability was a daunting and difficult task. I wasn’t just letting go of Nana, but of Papa, Mom and Alison. Family as I knew it. For while I was in that house and that house existed as a place I could spend time at, then I was connected to all of ‘them’ in a certain way. But now ‘home’ is filled with different people in a different place.  I let go of fears. I let go of expectations. I hung on to a few others. I’ve had to “let go & let God”.  And if we really admit it, all that so-called ‘control’ we think we have is false. God’s in control.  I have to practice letting go everyday.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

I’m currently working on several collages. I’m using canvas or canvas board, paper, vintage papers, inks, gel mediums, paint, masks, epherma, rub-ons, charcoal, oil paint sticks, stickers, glue, copper, beads, buttons. Whatever I can get my hands on really. I wish I had more time for this but during the week my life is really busy which doesn’t allow much crafty time. In fact, I think I’ll close this up for now and go work on my projects!

So that’s it for now. I’ll try to keep up daily with the prompts.  Hope you’re all having a Happy Holiday Season!!!

Monday, September 20, 2010

hi

I've been a lazy blogger again. Job hunting is getting in the way of crafting, but alas, I should have some projects and update on my latest adventures here soon. See you then.

Friday, August 20, 2010

California or Bust

So Monday morning we were on the road once again. We said goodbye to Dave & Bee & hit the road Jack! First stop: The Wyoming border.

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Wyoming was REALLY beautiful believe it or not. Not very populated but definitely beautiful. We made some stops along the way like for lunch here

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Where these little critters kept us entertained while we ate

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We stopped at a point of interest which was a tree that grows out of a rock

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I even PASSED another vehicle

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Some beautiful country along the way

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And wide open blue skies

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I have some weird fascination with these wind turbines. We passed a truck with  the part that turns the arms on it and the thing is massively HUGE!

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After MANY miles of this:

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We finally passed into Utah

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We were some seriously tired girls (and cats) when we pulled into our hotel by the airport in Salt Lake City and were quickly in the pj’s and sleeping. The next morning I got up early so I could go do some sight seeing with this lovely girl Jocelynn

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She took me to see the big Mormon temple

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There were lots of Brides & Grooms around

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And the sun was blazing HOT!

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Everyone can go in the 2 visitor centers and the place where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs. This is the amazing organ they sing with and the acoustics in this building are incredible.

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I loved this statue of Jesus in one of the visitor centers

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And this awesome chandelier puts Nana’s to shame

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A quick drive by the state capital

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On our way to this FANTASTIC scenic overlook.

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Look Mom, no heads! lol 162 163

And I was late to check out so we had to hurry back to the hotel and get on the road for another 12 hours of driving. But not without a stop at the great Salt Lake

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It’s a little stinky out there

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Drove by the salt mines

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The Nevada sign was on a highway with no place to stop so we stopped at the visitors center for our pic.

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And drove by this nice cowboy

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And Kary & I found our summer home!

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The California border sign is even more ridiculous than the Nevada border sign so there are no signs of us at the border, plus it was dark dark dark when we finally crossed the state line. BUT, nothing says California like the beach and I’m going there soon so I can REALLY feel like a Cali girl and those pics will follow soon along with some of where I’m living and such. Stay tuned for more stories of my great adventure.