By the end of the day tomorrow, I will have driven more than 400 miles in just a little over 48 hours. Not a huge feat, but tiring. In between all the driving there is a lot of work. It's good work...important work...but I find the driving hard...monotonous...thank goodness for a good novel on my iPod and the audio system in my car.
While we were visiting at one of the campuses today, the centerpiece in the middle of the table - particularly that gorgeous pink flower - caught my eye. During our lunch break, I grabbed the camera to catch a few shots of it. Taking just that moment to appreciate the beauty of these flowers made me think of all the ways you can make an ordinary - or even less than ordinary (try rotten if it's what you're having) day - just a little better:
Appreciate the sunrise
Savor the sunset
Smell a flower...pretty much any flower will do
Share a kiss or hug with someone you love
Read a great book (even a good one will do)
Listen to your favorite song
Sing your favorite song, at the top of your lungs
Open the sunroof (do number 7 while the sunroof is open)
Open a window...enjoy the sounds of a windchime
Open a window...enjoy the sounds of baby birds chirping
Enjoy the gorgeous flowering trees of this beautiful spring we're having
Cut yourself a bouquet of fresh tulips
Cut another one of fresh daffodils...they won't be here much longer
Send a friend a text that just says you're thinking of them. Cheering up someone else will cheer you.
Call your mother
Pet your cat
Pet your dog
Go for a walk in the park
Exercise...just move...anything...it doesn't really matter what
Eat something divine
Write in your journal
Doodle
Go to bed early
How do you turn a less than great day into something wonderful? Something to be remembered?
Have you heard of the Scintilla Project? If not, you can find out more here. From March 14 to 28th...or as their motto so beautifully says "a fortnight of storytelling", I'll periodically be blogging using their prompts. Want to see more of my Scintilla Inspired posts...check these out:
Tonight's post is two responses to the Scintilla Project...only because it took me all weekend to figure out how to handle Friday's prompts. Let's start there, as I do like chronological order. Friday's prompts were:
1.Talk about a memory triggered by a particular song. 2. What's the story of the most difficult challenge you've faced in a relationship? Did you overcome it? What was the outcome?
This is a story that won't be told on my blog. The answers to those two questions are so wrapped up in one another for me and so personal, it's a story I can't share publicly. You see, when you start blogging, people often think you'll share anything. That's quite simply not true - at least for me. I always strive to be truthful on my blog - but there are things I don't...and won't...share here. The way in which I would respond to either one of these two prompts - and particularly to the two of them coming in together - at one time - isn't something I can share. My journal got to read that story...no one else will though.
However, the two prompts, as well as another idea I had had for last week's Pinterest challenge, did prompt a little art over the weekend as you can see above. I had tested out this idea a week or so ago - painting canvas and then stamping on top of it. I liked the look, but knew I wouldn't have time to get it done in time to post for the Pinterest challenge. However, the two prompts on Friday that were drawing me to the song, as well as the idea from Pinterest that had the song on my mind all week lead me to the art. The song...it's Feels Like Home, sung by Chantal Kreviazuk. It was featured in The Notebook (apparently - as I've never seen that movie). If you've never heard the song before, or don't remember it...take a listen below. I'll catch you on the other side of the clip for a little more on how I did the art piece and the response to today's prompt....the story of everyday.
The art piece is really, very simple. You need a piece of canvas, a couple of colors of paint for the background, a set of letter stamps you like (I used my hand-carved ones from the Stamping 101 class), and an ink pad. A helpful cat isn't bad to have either...she'll hold down the lyrics for the song you're about to stamp. I also ended up grabbing a random book off the bookshelf to place under the canvas so I was always pressing the stamp against a relatively hard surface.
Cover the canvas in paint. I used two colors that I blended together on the canvas. Let that dry completely.
I recommend laying out all the stamps in alphabetical order on some surface you can move back and forth across the piece. (I used my test canvas board from last week). My canvas was just wide enough I found myself moving from one side to the other as I worked.
And now you stamp. A note to the perfectionists amongst you...no part of this is perfect and that's the way I wanted it. If you look closely at the finished photo at the top you'll notice that it's not the complete song, but it's the bulk of the verse plus once through the chorus...good enough for me. You might also choose to notice that some of the letters tilt in one direction or another and that some of the lines are closer together/farther apart. All of that is okay with me. If you're still obsessing over those things, you should read the Done Manifesto here...and read it every day for several years until it sinks in...I've been reading it most days at least once or twice a day for about three years now...I'm starting to get it. Which is a nice way to segue to what else I do in my everyday.
So...from the story that won't be told (except a bit through some art)...to the story of my everyday...and my happiest moment everyday...
As with many working professionals, I tend to think my days are never the same and that no two days are ever alike. But, as I thought about this prompt during the day today, I realized my days are really a lot alike. They might go something like this:
5:45 - Alarm clock goes off. Lindsay (my golden retriever - for those of you new to our home) doesn't move but I get up to hit the snooze button. I located the alarm clock clear across the room about three years ago so I actually had to get out of bed to complete this act. Lindsay has learned the first sounding of the alarm never actually means it's time to get up.
6:00 - Alarm clock goes off. Lindsay hopes that she might actually get to go outside now and I have sometimes verbal, sometimes mental argument with myself about whether or not to hit the snooze button again. Normally the snooze button wins...
6:15 - Alarm clock goes off. Lindsay is hopping and jumping and otherwise attempting, yet again, to figure out how to get out of the bedroom on her own. I decide to give her a break and take her downstairs and put her out...the day has officially begun. (Occasionally, the snooze button wins and Lindsay is denied another 15 minutes or so ...when this happens either my hair goes in a clip and I make it out the door at the "normal" time or the schedule shifts back a bit...)
6:17 - Cuddle with Fluffy for a minute or so and say good morning (yes - I talk to both the dog and the cat...regularly). Get food and water for the fur babies and a glass of juice for me. [And yes...we have an equality issue in my house...the cat doesn't sleep in the bedroom while the dog does...there are reasons for that and it doesn't mean I love the cat any less...]
6:19 - Lindsay is barking furiously as she thinks I might, for the first time ever, forget it's time for her to eat. I let her in, she chows down her breakfast while I got upstairs to check email and blog posts (yes - first thing in the morning - I know - I'm an addict). If I hit the snooze button too many times, this doesn't happen and we go straight to...
6:40ish - shower, dress, and get ready
7:55ish - leave the house...grueling commute that annoys me every day...possible stop at Starbucks for something I absolutely don't need (BTW...my barista greeted me by name today when I started to give my order...it went something like this...)
Me: I'd like a skinny peppermint...
Barista (Sandy): Hi Kara, I've got your order...see you at the window
When the brrista knows your name and your order after four words...that's not good.
8:30ish - arrive at office and start my day. The day consists of some combination of Microsoft Office applications (mostly Outlook...do you ever wish that all the Exchange servers on the planet would go kaput at the exact same time? I wish it all the time.), meetings in their various forms - in person, teleconference, webinar, individual, small group, large group - you name it and I've probably met in that format, signing lots of stuff (paperless? ... I don't think so), and a little bit of office ping-pong, volleyball, and/or ...as is popular at the moment...the discussion of why the females in the office are trampling most of the guys in the office in our NCAA brackets.
5:30ish - leave the office for the other side of the grueling commute.
6:15ish - arrive home for the very best moment of my day. Fluffy sitting right by the door greeting me waiting for her head rub and Lindsay clutching whatever the toy of the moment is, while sticking her head around the doorway to the kitchen to make sure it's me. I wish I could pull a Piper Halliwell and freeze that moment just so I can savor it a little longer. You see, as soon as Lindsay sees it's me she heads to the back door to jump and bounce until she's let out (no one has ever told my 9 year old, 96 pound golden retriever that she's not supposed to be able to dunk basketballs - she jumps like nobody's business), everyone gets dinner, and we do whatever we do for that evening. But for that one moment, with those two happy furry faces looking at me - and so glad to see me - the world is a pretty perfect place.
Every day is different and I treasure the fun times with friends and family that cause all sorts of variation in the schedules of my weekdays and weekends, but I really am glad to have those two furry faces around to keep me company for the quiet moments of everyday.
So, a story that won't be told, and the not so exciting moments of my every day with a dog and a cat. No part of it is exciting, but it's a life I'm very happy to lead.
Is there a story in your life only your journal will read? Do you need to write it? (Trust me...it made me feel better). What's the best moment in your day? How could you savor that moment more fully today?
Have you heard of the Scintilla Project? If not, you can find out more here. From March 14 to 28th...or as their motto so beautifully says "a fortnight of storytelling", I'll periodically be blogging using their prompts. Want to see more of my Scintilla Inspired posts...check these out:
My photo today is of a bouquet of my daffodils. I wrote about the first few blooms in yesterday's post. From two tiny blooms to an entire jar full of beautiful flowers overnight! I posted a few more photos on Flickr. If you click on the image above you'll go straight into my Flickr feed. The vase is now on my nightstand bringing me great joy (and keeping Fluffy from becoming ill because she wants to eat the flowers).
I'm writing again today, inspired by a prompt from the Scintilla Project. Of today's two prompts, this one spoke to me in the most meaningful way, although the thoughts still feel a little jumbled in my head...today isn't so much of a story...as a telling of meaning...my colleague Robbie might call it a personal journey in "sense-making". The prompt says...
When did you realise you were a grown up? [Note...I pretty much stopped there as that sentence is what I wanted to write on...but here is the rest of the prompt...] What did this mean for you? Shock to the system? Mourning of halcyon younger days? Or the embracing of the knowledge that you can do all the cool stuff adults do: drink wine, go on parent-free vacations, eat chocolate without reprimand?
Words matter very much to me. My word choice, whenever possible, is done with great thought and care. I tend to prefer written word over spoken word for the ability to choose words with greater care. Therefore, it's important to start today's conversation by saying that the dictionary definitions for "grown up" and adult are very, very similar. So, I'm going to take a stab at making a distinction between the two - and it's one I've made many times before.
I didn't do/haven't done the two things that societal standards tend to say make us a grown up....getting married and having children. While this certainly doesn't mean I'm not a mature, responsible (sometimes too much so) adult, you should know that I don't always think of myself as a grown up (or at least my definition of a grown up). I may drink a glass of wine with dinner, own my own home, drive my own car, and travel completely on my own...but those things and the freedom to do them without permission...makes me an adult - not a grown up.
You see, as the title of my blog describes, I want to be me when I grow up. Stated another way...I will be grown up, when I'm truly and authentically me....and I'm that way 100% of the time.
I know from my own experience, and I don't think I'm alone here, that many of us adults don't get to be who we really are - meaning we don't speak and act in a way that is authentic to our true self - one hundred percent of the time. I am not saying, nor do I think for one second, we're trying to lie or be disingenuous. However, we all must make choices at many turns in the road about how to maneuver in complex and challenging social contexts, political situations, and through varying group dynamics. Sometimes we act in ways that aren't genuinely us to protect others and sometimes we do it to protect ourselves.
It's a reason why word choice matters to me. If I can choose the right words I can deliver even the hardest of messages in an authentic way. That being said, there are still times when it's simply not possible to be completely genuine.
I think the biggest sources of the things that keep us from being genuine are family/friendship dynamics and work dynamics. Speaking from personal experience, I know there are things that I don't say within my family/friends. Don't get me wrong - I'm pretty blunt and honest with my family and my friends...they might even speak up and say so in the comments. If I don't agree with someone I love on a direction they are taking, I rarely hold back.
But some conversations require more emotional energy than the resources I have available...at least at the time. I think of conversations on politics, religion, and family dynamics that I've just held back from. I can think of examples of this at work too. And, in those moments - whether with family or with coworkers - I'm not being me, and I'm not being, by my definition, a grown up.
It's not just about being genuine in our words though. It's also about being genuine in our actions. My best friend Gayle works with a group of college honors students. She and I were having a conversation recently about one of those students who was having a hard time choosing a job. Gayle said something to me similar to this (I'm taking some license with the paraphrase I'm sure)...
"They are like you...they can pretty much do whatever they want...and now they have to choose and they just don't want to."
She's very right in that I could have done a lot of different things. I was a classic "book smart", teacher pleasing kid. And I made choices...like thinking that a girl from Indiana couldn't ever do the job I still dream about...being a marine biologist working with large mammals (whales, dolphins, etc.). In that way, I made a decision at the age of 16 when I decided that wasn't a real job, that kept me from being who I truly wanted to be.
As I get older I am actually finding it easier to be more authentic and genuine in my choices and actions...because I have the freedoms that you can only get as an adult. As a kid, I hated art class. I thought (even though I had a really good art teacher) there was a right way to do art and that I wasn't "good at" art because I couldn't make my drawing or painting look exactly like the teachers'. This was the thought process of a child whose goal was to please and who had to be "perfect" - whatever the heck that means. As an adult, art has opened up a joy of exploration and discovery that I never could have understood as a child. So while I may never fulfill a childhood dream, there is a joy and freedom in adulthood that lets me explore new passions and tasks in a way I couldn't even comprehend as a child....in a way that is so much more genuine because I'm not trying to do it "the right way" or "the way the teacher did it."I worry only about doing art MY way.
I rarely stop to think about how my choice of math as a discipline reflects that childhood desire to please others and do what was "right". In the way most people (and myself included at the time I was making the choice) think of math - you think almost entirely of the right and the wrong. Math is a beautiful discipline that I truly love and which has opened up amazing, amazing doors for me...but the initial choice was because it was the "right way" to go...not the way that was true to my heart's desire.
As an adult, I'm sinking, in a good way...like sinking into the warmth and comfort of a hammock on a summer's day... more deeply into who I am ... realizing that perfection is a ridiculous goal and that we need to do those things which bring us joy and help us connect with who we are and where we want to go. And we need to speak our hearts in the kindest ways possible ... and give others more than just a passing glimpse of who we are. And...we need to do these things every day...savoring the ordinary moments that make life extraordinary.
So, I wonder dear readers, am I alone?...When was the last time you didn't say something that would allow you to be more genuinely you to protect yourself or someone else? How did it make you feel?What were your childhood dream jobs? Are you doing them today? How have you NOT been a grown up lately? How have you been 100% completely and truly you...how have you been a grown up?
Have you heard of the Scintilla Project? If not, you can find out more here. From March 14 to 28th...or as their motto so beautifully says "a fortnight of storytelling", I'll periodically be blogging using their prompts. Want to see more of my Scintilla Inspired posts...check these out:
I arrived home today (in gorgeous, 83 degree weather...in March...in Indiana!) to see these lovelies coming into bloom. Only a couple of the flowers on another plant were actually in bloom. I always, always, always forget these guys live in my side yard...until the day they catch my eye each spring as they are coming into bloom. Then I snap loads of photos of them and enjoy them for a fleeting few days. The previous owners planted them, and they still look beautiful each spring. I think this year, I'm going to cut a bouquet and bring it inside to enjoy as soon as they bloom.
I had stories from today's prompts for the Scintilla Project running through my head over the course of the day...yet I was amazed at how often they ran together. The two prompt options...1) who are you? and 2) Life is a series of firsts. Talk about one of your most important firsts. What did you learn? Was it something you incorporated into your life as a result?...just kept running together into one jumbly mess...let's see if I can make a little something of it and give you a bit more of my story.
During most of my drive into work today I was stuck on that second question. What are my "firsts"? For me, the best firsts are found in those ordinary moments that, when savored, make life extraordinary. Off and on during the morning I kept thinking about my first plane ride. I was in middle school and we were flying to Phoenix for my cousin Steve's wedding to Diane. Mom, Dad, Grandma and I were flying TWA - which gives you a bit of an idea of how long ago it was.
I was petrified at the thought of getting on a plane! We got on the plane and were seated right in the front. It was a cool seating arrangement too - mom and dad were facing us (they were facing "the wrong way" - like a flight attendant) and we had a small table between them and us - sort of like a dinner table. As we taxied out to the runway, my grandma took my hand and held it tight - tighter than I knew she could. Mom was facing backwards (like a flight attendant does) and she was trying so hard to be brave for me (as she hadn't flown in years!) that she underestimated how discomforting it would be to take off facing "the wrong way". As the plane pulled up into the air, she gasped and grabbed my dad's arm...hard!
It was at that moment, I realized two things about my life:
I rarely need to worry...especially when I can't do anything about it.
One of my favorite sayings came from a church sign, near my hometown, many years ago..."Worry is debt you paid on a loan you never owed." I work hard to live that mantra every day...and not worry on things over which I have no control.
You see, in that momentary gasp my mom let out, I realized that my rock solid mom...a woman whose confidence and attitude were always so incredibly strong...was worried to death for me...because of the fear I had expressed. I hated that she went through that...and so I decided that whenever I could be, I'd be a sea of calm....just as she'd always been for me - and usually still is. It was such a tiny thing...a single exhalation of air...but it made me see worry couldn't do me any good as it had only made her so nervous she'd not thought about her own comfort and enjoyment of the experience.
I LOVE to fly!
I was not scared from the moment we lifted off the ground and I stuck my nose up to the glass to see out of the window. I even made grandma switch seats with me so I could keep my face pressed to that window most of the flight. I was so disappointed on the return flight home that we were on a big plane and stuck in a middle aisle so I couldn't watch out the window. We had a connecting flight in St. Louis that was a much smaller plane so I made dad switch seats with me so I could watch out the window again. Seeing all the lights of all the towns coming in and out of view on the ground...so incredibly amazing!
I'm not a road warrior, but I get in about 50,000 miles a year by air travel and even with the challenges of today's airlines, I still love it. What's not to love about floating in the clouds?
Was flying on an airplane for the first time one of my most important firsts? Maybe...maybe not. Does it lead to explaining who I am? I think it so. You see, I am a product of the family who loved me enough to worry about me and try so hard to hide their own fears and hesitations to keep me calm. I am the product of a family who has now lost my grandmother and my cousin Diane whose wedding we were attending. We are a family now working to accept that my mom - that rock solid fixture in my life and the life of our family - is battling Parkinson's disease. I have been so fortunate to share so many trips with my mom...family vacations to Michigan, Arizona, and Florida as well as a few highlight trips like San Diego and Maui. She's growing more content now to leave the traveling to me as the disease makes life a tiny bit more challenging for her each day.
I am also a person who has been formed by loads of amazing experiences that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't conquered that first fear...lots of firsts. The first time I saw Monet's "Water Lilies" at L'Orangerie in Paris and wanted to cry...the first time I saw Big Ben in London and heard its chimes and felt at home - a feeling that means so much to me...the first time I strolled along the black sand beach in Hana, Maui (which I've been so lucky to do more than once) and understood the truly unique experience of that place...the first time I floated above the water in a parasail....and on, and on, and on. These are the extraordinary moments...the extra special ones you plan for and you save for and you pray for.
But I am also a person who appreciates the ordinary firsts that happen all around us each day. The ordinary moments that make every day extraordinary if only I take time to notice them and savor them. Moments llike the first day each spring you notice the daffodils in bloom.
What do your firsts say about you? What's blooming in your life that you need to stop and savor?
Have you heard of the Scintilla Project? If not, you can find out more here. For the next 14 days, I'll periodically be blogging using their prompts.
Welcome to my completed (YEAH!!!) project for the Pinterest Challenge.
If you've not heard of the Pinterest Challenge, then you're probably not a regular reader of one of my favorite blogs - Young House Love. The adorable, (self-proclaimed) oversharing Petersik's are just adorable and fun ... and they provide regular doses of DIY goodness and great ideas.
Last Wednesday, they posted the Pinterest Challenge winter edition. Simply put...you have one week to look through all those pins on Pinterest, find one to do, and "Just Do It!" And I'm so excited to say I did.
I looked through all my pins and while I was drawn to (and picked up supplies during my visit to the farm this weekend) a cool wall art piece made out of a reclaimed window as well as a buttoned up monogram art piece, I decided to finally get my arted up tape dispenser done - as inspired by one of my favorite artist's - Julie Balzer. See Julie's in the pin below and you can see more photos on her original blog post.
So, I grabbed my silver sharpie (Julie used white - I just preferred silver) and got to doodlin'.
The tape dispenser did come first - I actually finished it last night after getting home from wine and canvas. As is often the case with me, art inspired the desire to do more art.
You can see it a bit better here...I started with the words "art made this way" but didn't want to feel locked in...so I added the "or that way" on the back.
and the back view...
After finishing the tape dispenser last night, I decided the stapler and hole punch needed a little dressing up too. The stapler has been with me a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time...see the last vestiges of my name written in whiteout pen on the top? That was from when I was a classroom teacher about fifteen years ago. It's held up pretty well I think.
Since I couldn't get all the white out pen off...I decided to just Sharpie over it...
The hole punch got a few touches as well to finish off the set...
This project couldn't be more simple and now...I have far less boring office supplies adorning my desk!
What have you completed off of your Pinterest boards? Share in the comments - I'd love to see what you're doing.
After work tonight, my friend Cathy and I met another friend, Renee, at Muldoon's Irish Pub in Carmel. The two of them had arranged the evening at wine and canvas, and as that it's one of my favorite things to do I was happy to tag along.
After dinner, we gathered with the other participants and painted this gorgeous sunflower canvas.
We had to sit separately because of the way the room was arranged so I sat with a young woman named Karla who works for Rolls Royce. She had never been to a wine and canvas before. We had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know one another while we painted.
I'm going to try it in a few different locations before I make a final choice on where it will go...the bookcase is first just because it doesn't involve sticking a nail in the wall. I'm thinking of making a grouping with a couple of smaller canvases with similar flowers and putting them in the master bedroom.
I generally look forward to the "Spring Forward" weekend with a tremendous amount of disdain. In Indiana, we had it figured out for many, many years. Our clocks stayed the same while all the other people in the world went through this infernal time change. But now, for some unknown reason masked in the guise of energy conservation and commerce generation - we move our clocks ahead one hour. And come July, it will be light outside at 10:00 p.m. I don't agree with it - and never will.
However, stepping off my soapbox for a moment will allow me to tell you about the wonderful weekend I had. About a week ago, my friend Diana sent an email with the subject line "Commando photo shoot invitation". Diana has taken me on a few wonderful shoots in the past...the old school being probably the most adventurous to date. So...you know I was intrigued to go on this adventure too.
Diana, our fearless leader, ...
got permission to go onto a piece of property with a burned out old house and burned out and mostly gone barn. Five of us met and drove to the property - Jane, Jim, Diana, Diane, and me.
The skeleton of the house was still standing...
as was a small shed...
and the silo (my favorite straight out of the camera shot of the day).
All in all, I took more than 250 shots, I've not even begun to really process them yet as I took a bunch for HDR and my HDR software is acting up. I want to do some other artistic stuff with some others. Will be fun to do later in the week. A couple of the other favorites that were pretty much straight out of the camera until I can get that done...
The description of where we were taking photos and why we were taking photos there prompted one of my favorite sayings from my dad - a 50 year veteran of the Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department. The conversation went something like this:
Dad: "Why would you want to take a picture of an old burned out house?"
Me: "I was looking for art"
Dad: "I've taken a whole lot of photos in burned out houses. You looked for art...I looked for arson."
Today, we went to church, which was lovely. After a few errands, my sister, Susie, joined us at mom and dad's place. After a short visit, Susie, Dad, Lindsay and I took a walk on the Cardinal Greenway trail.
When we got back to the farm, my brother, Johnny, and his wife, Donna, were there in his "new ride" (you can also see my sister's new ride in the background as well...lots of new vehicles in the Monroe family these last few months...Susie and mom now have matching cars. As Susie and I walked up the drive, I think I heard something about "Johnny's midlife crisis" car...but it sure looks like fun!!!
I'll have more photos up later this week after the HDR software and I have a conversation and I remind it who is boss. I hope you had a great, sunny weekend! Have any great adventures to share?
I finished reading a lot of posts from the Mondo Beyondo class last night and tonight so I'm feeling thoughtful...and wanting to dive into really big things...but it's bedtime so I settled for a bit of crafting and posting a blog post.
I'm pondering a project. I've got so many of them at the moment. But this one feels right. It feels like what I'm supposed to do. It feels like home. Tonight is only a test of what it might be. We'll have to see if it becomes that...or something else entirely...or remains nothing more than a quick late evening experiment.
You can see in the photo a few of the letter stamps I made in Julie Balzer's Stamp Carving 101 class. It is still a toss up for me as to whether I like her classes or Alisa Burke's classes the best, but this was a truly awesome class and SO worth the cost. You can also see off to the side my two Keep Calm stamps. There are really stamps all over my studio now...I'm a bit of a stamp carving lunatic (in only good ways, I promise).
My friend G got some bad news today...a worst case scenario...but she's prepared and she can handle it...and she has plenty of help (Riley and Kealy were helping themselves and her to a nap last weekend while she recovered from what I think we're going to start calling round 1). I do have to say that any night the two of us are talking on the phone and we "jinx" a Harry Potter reference can't be all bad.
Other stuff is happening. I sent something out of my hands and into the hands of others. I can't do anything else with it at the moment. It will be what it will be.
There are stories in my heart and in my head I want to tell, but I'm finding it hard to rearrange all of my commitments to focus on the blog...and my camera...which I'm not getting along with well at the moment. We need to spend time together ... but that takes time away from all those other more fun and more creative projects I want to do. In the end, the camera needs to win out...as it leads to so much more long term happiness down the line once I get back to my comfort level with it that I had with my D80. Letting go of what was is often the hardest part.
I'm tired, so I'm rambling...off to bed for me. How are you my friends?
If you're here for the Blog Hop - welcome. I struggle with the scrapbook assignment for this month - nine images visualizing your intentions. However, the photo above and the photo below - and the story here (which is the most important part of the scrapbook...telling the story) as well as a few other random shots from this month will make their way into my scrapbook next week when I get them printed. But here, is the story....the most important part.
I could begin my first post in a month (granted - a short month - but still...it's been a month) in a lot of different ways. An apology to the friends I've not responded to - and have missed while I've taken a little break...a lot of excuses about how work has been crazy (when is work not crazy?)...or just a note on being fully exhausted from a lot of travel (four states and the District of Columbia in 10 days - I'm still recovering from the laundry and suitcase explosions)...but it's more appropriate to talk about my word for the year...intention...and how February saw me full of intention but a little light on action. And that...my friend...is the difference between intentions having meaning and intentions being just words. What I desperately want for 2012 is for my intentions to lead to action - and February, while a huge month for me, was a little light on my personal intentions for my life.
Let's review February - just to capture it here. I finished Julie Balzer's excellent Stamp Carving 101 class. I've got LOADS of new stamps that I need to get photos of some of the things I've created with them and get those posted. I also participated in a Mixed Media Postcard Swap using one of the stamps. Another wrap-up post I need to get done. I got a promotion at work. It has been in the works for a while, but I was glad to see it finalized. I also finished up a couple of consulting projects and gave a talk at a national meeting held by one of our vendors. The talk made me anxious, which isn't normal for me - I am comfortable speaking in front of groups, but I felt awkward and weird the entire time. It was well received though and I've gotten tons of good feedback on it. As I said, I spent time in Florida (wrapping up my visit with mom and dad), Ohio (work meeting), Arkansas (consulting), D.C. (national meeting for vendor), and finally, of course, Indiana. I've been home for about two weeks which has been wonderful, but the weekends have been busy so I'm not getting caught up on the backlogs of mail, paper, and other things that stack up while you're traveling....that's a nice segue into what I did last night!
Two of my twelve intentions for this year are 1) a place for everything...and 2) everything in its place.
I wanted a way to celebrate my promotion, honor my intentions, and honor Leap Day! - which should be a holiday in my opinion. I also wanted to kick start my intentions again.
So...I bought some bookcases that I've been ogling at my local consignment store for about two months. When I moved out of the farm house four years ago, I gave up rooms and rooms of built in book cases. As a result, I had, until last night, just a couple of small bookcases that didn't come anywhere meeting my lateral storage needs. Not to mention, I'd actually like to use them for some decoration.
I also got off my duff and put some prints of some of my favorite photos from last year that have been sitting in my studio into frames I've had around for a while so I could display some photos. The photos will most likely get hung in the stairway or over by the front door in the near term, but it's intentions in action...and that's how I wanted to mark the end of February.
I plan to be back to posting at least a few times a week - if not daily - for a while now.
If you were here for the Blog Hop - thanks so much for visiting. I love the OLW prompt for March so I hope you'll come back next month for a more scrapbooking oriented post as I always enjoy the March project so much. Enjoy the rest of the blogs on the hop. You're off to visit Eydie at WhatWeCreate.Net.
