Chapters

The past couple of months have been a stressful time for me. My day job becomes very demanding for the first 6 months of the year, and I don't get out much because of it. Winter transitioned into a wet spring, and everything inside of me just wants to BE OUTSIDE IN THE SUN!! This has also been somewhat of a reflective time in my life as I've evaluated where I am and think about where I'd like to go from here. Maybe it's the season of closed chapters and new beginnings that's making me think like this; I don't know. (Side note: as I write this, I am listening to the pitter-patter of rain through an open window... it's a strangely soothing sound.)

As I thought of a title for this post, I thought of "Chapters." My immediate follow-up thought was "Oooh, that'd be a nice name for a restaurant or coffee shop." (I hereby stake my claim on that name!) At any rate, I've been thinking about how I can grow professionally, where I can do that, and how the effort I put into that will reap personal benefits.

My dream "job" is owning my own business. The hard part is that I can't decide what that business would be. I would love to own a store, a cafe, or an event planning business... I would also love to own a parking lot in the middle of downtown, a self-serve car wash facility, and a self-storage facility. The first three ideas represent my interests and talents while the latter three options represent less work and high cash flow! ;-) 

I don't know what I'll end up doing, but what I do know is that I need to be watchful for open doors. Those doors can be all shapes and sizes, and behind them are hallways and stairwells that lead to different places in life. I just pray for the discernment to know which door to walk through, the courage to go through it, and the faith to continue down the path that lies behind the door.

Happy Easter!

I made an e-card for you because I can't send you the Easter treats I made (pictured above)! Check the card out here. (E-card made through MyPunchbowl.)

Happy Easter!

Singles Awareness Day

An old high school classmate of mine posted a note on Facebook that he is banning all couples from his news feed until after "Singles Awareness Day." I literally laughed out loud because Valentine's Day is definitely a day when, if you're single, you are AWARE that you are, in fact, SINGLE.

Then I thought about the people who might think about me this Valentine's Day... and wondered if any of them would be interested in buying me a present because I am single. :-) Of course, since my parents are probably the only ones who will read this, I figured I have a decent shot at getting a present out of them just because they miss me.

Here's a photo of my new favorite hobby/piece(s) of jewelry:

This is what's known as an "Italian" bead charm bracelet. I love it because it is a charm bracelet, but with bead charms, not dangling charms. So far I have a cat, a snowflake, and a running shoe, along with miscellaneous colored glass beads. If you are interested in buying me more charms, please check out Chamilia, my favorite brand of beads. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Whoa

I don't know why, but this week has been a strange week of news. No, I'm not talking about the State of the Union address (I didn't even watch it). :-)  I've been hearing news from people about health issues in their lives, and it is making me wonder "What the heck is going on?" Co-workers, families we serve at work, people from my past... the news hasn't been good for them. I feel helpless at times; I want to say an encouraging word, but not something cheesy. I haven't experienced most of the situations they are in, so I don't really know how they are feeling or what they're going through. All I feel I can do is say a prayer (or prayers) for them, thank God for my own health and blessings, and seek to be kinder, more compassionate, and more perceptive towards others.

Busy Little Bee

I have been a busy little bee lately, mostly with work. I have a fundraising auction coming up in 5 weeks that we hope will bring in over six figures. There are so many little details that are clouding my brain, and I worry about forgetting something important. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, everything usually comes together with a lot of hard work and manpower from dozens upon dozens of volunteers.

Keep your fingers crossed that the Gonzaga Bulldogs (Division 1 men's basketball powerhouse team) keep winning their games and get a bye for the first two rounds of the WCC Basketball Tournament... if they don't, then they'll likely be playing during the auction and THAT is a distracting factor for the majority of our guests who happen to be Zags fans. Funny little event details that I've got to worry about... :-)

Digital Scrapbooking

Most of you know that for awhile there I was really into scrapbooking. Like REALLY-- to the point where I was trying to open a scrapbooking store. Long story short, I got burned out on scrapbooking because I didn't have a lot of time to do it like I wanted, and I was quickly running out of space for all of my scrapbooking stuff. Literally, I had closets full of stuff... organizers... tote bags... storage containers... you name it. Anyway, last spring I cleaned out a bunch of stuff (along with a few other near-and-dear scrapbook supply fiends), and we held two scrapbook supply garage sales. The success was HUGE! So, we're going to whittle things down even more to have another sale in the spring.

I enjoy the idea of preserving memories, and I definitely enjoy the creative aspect of the whole hobby. However, I've decided to move on with the times and get into digital scrapbooking. I kind of already do the whole concept anyway with Microsoft Publisher to create flyers and such for work. I was super lucky to find some Adobe software that I needed at a fabulous discount, so I bought it! The best is that the software cost less than what I would have spent at a scrapbook supply store to make someone a custom album. I'll mess around with it some more and will post a few sample pages when I complete them.

New Year- Fresh Start

Hello to my friends and family who are probably new to my blog because I just sent out a holiday letter letting you know I actually have a blog. That's fun news, but the not-so-fun news is that I was not really all that diligent in keeping up on it this year because Facebook is just easier. BUT, Facebook doesn't allow just anyone to stalk me on the Internet, so I figured my blog would be a nicer way of telling stories, sharing photos, and creating a nice online fan club for those of you who are not on Facebook. I promise that with the new year, I will make a more concerted effort keep this blog current.

Thank you for stopping by, and please leave me a comment letting me know you were here. AND, please visit again soon! I'll update shortly with holiday photos.

I'm a Runner...Wannabe

I haven't updated this blog much recently, so here's *BIG NEWS*: I'm training for a half-marathon in December!! Yes, that's 13.1 miles... MILES!

Now, I haven't decided whether I'm going to run and/or walk it yet. Ideally, I'd like to run the whole thing, but we'll have to see where I'm at by that point. My overall goal is just to FINISH, period! :-)

Last night was a training night. My friend and I went to the local high school to walk/run around the perimeter of the school. After the first lap (1.17 miles), I decided to start jogging because I felt good about it. I ended up jogging about 2/3 of the next lap around, and I felt GREAT!

This in itself is a significant milestone... I don't like running, my legs hurt when I do it, and worst of all, I can't breathe!! So, the fact that I: a). actually WANTED to run, b). DID run, c). CONTINUED to run, d). didn't feel out of breath, and e). ENJOYED moving my body along at that pace stunned me. I hope this is a new threshold for future progress because, as I've heard, running seemed quite enjoyable, and I hope to do it again soon!!

Antibacterial Soap... Good or Bad?

Click here for a great article on WebMD about antibacterial soap cleaners. I know there's not much of an advantage for using antibacterial products, but I was surprised to learn that those cleaners are damaging to the environment. What's your opinion about using antibacterial cleaners?

Right on, America

I've kind of been in and out of this year's American Idol season. I usually get into the auditions part, then watch the beginning of the top 12 (or 13 in this case)... then tune out until the selection dwindles to the top 4.

Season 8 was pretty interesting. I personally felt that there were no absolute stand-outs that would have a lot of staying power in the music industry (unlike prior contestants like Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry). Yes, yes, yes.... Mr. Adam Lambert has some talent (they all did), but I don't care for his style. I find it hard to think of how an album of his would turn out well without all the lights, glamour, costumes, and "guyliner" to add to his vocal performance. I think Adam would do AMAZINGLY well on Broadway, but I simply can't imagine an album of original songs (NOT rock covers) from Adam. I'm not hating on him (we come from the same hometown), I just don't care for his style.

Now, Mr. Kris Allen, I wasn't too sure of him at first. He kind of was an "under the radar" kind of contestant for me. As Simon mentioned, I thought America made a mistake when they voted off Danny Gokey, but in the end, I think Kris rose to the challenge and demonstrated that he does have some staying power. The "Gokey Factor" definitely had a hand in his claim to the crown, since I'm sure Danny's fans came out in force to vote for Kris.

I think it was a good win, albeit somewhat unexpected against a heavily favored contender. Best wishes to both Kris and Adam!

BareMinerals- LOVE IT!

I took the plunge. Jumped in with both feet...

My old makeup got swapped out for new MINERAL makeup. And oh, how I love thee!

In general, I'm a person that doesn't like too much stuff in or on my body (i.e., I only take medicine when I HAVE to). I suffered from terrible acne during my teens and early-mid twenties and finally got it cleared up with the help of modern medicine... not to mention the fact that I have sensitive skin anyway. As a result, I am extremely cautious about what I put on my skin, and I research products before I buy them. I was in the market for some new makeup, and I started my search for makeup for sensitive skin. I started seeing more and more information on mineral makeup, and I LOVE the fact that TRUE mineral makeup is not loaded up with crap.

CRAP...also known as chemicals and toxins... that's what is in most makeup, and the WORST part is that the crap can cause health problems. I could not justify continuing my use of regular makeup products.

I switched to BareMinerals by BareEscentuals. LOVE, love it!! I enjoy having a natural-looking face after applying makeup, so this brand is a good fit for me. I also love the amazingly huge variety of colors to play with!

AND THE BEST PART IS... I've had NO problems since I began wearing BareMinerals. My eyes used to itch and burn like crazy with my other eye makeup, even though it was supposedly for sensitive skin.

Mostly, I just feel good that I'm doing right by my body and protecting it from chemicals and toxins.

Go check out Bare Minerals here.

My Getaway, Part 1

Some of you may know that I am currently on a well-deserved getaway for a few days. This has been my first opportunity in months to bail out of town and do nothing but wonder what I should do for the day... sweet!

I'm currently blogging from a Panera Bread bakery location. There's a few reasons for this:

1. It's free (but I purchased an iced green tea).
2. I'm going through Internet withdrawal (the hotel charges too much to use their services).
3. I'm going through Facebook withdrawal (no explanation needed).
4. My first article was published online today (see prior post for more info)!
5. I don't trust myself enough to be out shopping alone! :-)
6. I used to work at a Panera Bread location in Las Vegas (memories).

Anyways, I thought I would share an entertaining story with you today... a potentially humiliating and humbling experience from my point of view...

So, my friend and I were walking down a street after lunch. I was wearing a pretty new summer dress, and it looked cute. It's a nice sunny day, and I was admiring the warmth of the sun and mild breeze blowing around us.

Then IT happened.

We walked by a breezeway, the wind swirled way too fast around us, and I felt my skirt go a little too high... I tried grabbing at it to pull it down, but to no avail. There was too much cloth and too much wind swirling to prevent the inevitable from happening...

My bottom was exposed to the world!

Well, to look at the sunny side of things (ha!), it wasn't the whole world that saw my rear. It was just the oncoming traffic. Not too bad, right? RIGHT??

At any rate, my friend proceeded to point and laugh (gotta love her), and I just kept on walking... with the skirt of my dress firmly gripped by my hands. There would be NO do-overs on that show!!

Does anyone else have any similarly embarassing tales??

I'm a Published Author

It's official! The Mermaids of the Lake e-zine is one year old today! I was so excited to be asked to write an article for their newest issue, and you can find it here. (Thanks, Mermaids, for a fun opportunity!) If you are hosting a bridal shower during the upcoming "wedding season," I hope you will find some inspiration with this "Beach Bliss" bridal shower theme, plus other easy DIY hostess tips! Also, you can find more entertaining tips on my other blog, Creative Entertaining.

If you go check it out now, you can sign up as a follower of that blog and have a chance to win the FIRST-EVER Creative Entertaining giveaway!! See details of the giveaway here in the original post.

"I Love" Box

I need to share with you an idea that I just LOVE. It's an "I Love" box!

Do you ever have those moments when you are simply enjoying something and think to yourself, "I love this"? Well, capture that moment on a little card that you tuck it away into your "I Love" box. Review your box from time to time and remind yourself of all those little things in life that bring you joy. I'm going to make one for myself!

Mermaid Shelley of Mermaids on the Lake wrote about the "I Love" box on the Mermaids blog. Visit the post here and be inspired!

Yummylicious

That's a new word I just made up. I was sitting at my desk taking my first bite of lunch, and that was my reaction... a swoon and "Yummylicious!" The fun part is that it was just leftovers (bean burrito with mozzerella cheese and verde sauce), but the combination of its simplicity, taste, and the peace and quiet of that moment knocked my socks off...

So that tells you how my week has been. How's yours going? T.G.I.A.F.? (Thank Goodness It's Almost Friday!)

Well, I've been pretty absent in the blogosphere lately. That's pretty much due to the fact of: a) computer problems, b) back-to-back-to-back-to-back events at work, and c) no time to sit still. That will be over shortly (two days), and then I get to take TWO days off from work. TWO! I'm bailing out of town, getting out of dodge, escaping, disappearing... T.G.F.V.T. (Thank Goodness For Vacation Time!). I'll let you know about it when I get back.

So, what's been going on at work to take up so much of my life (so it feels)? Well, to put it simply, in the span of two months, multiple fundraising events will have taken place- the last one this coming Saturday- that will collectively have raised just about $250,000 for the organization I work for. A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS! That's a lot of work! :-) But I love it, so I don't really complain too much about it. Besides the fact that I love my job, the kiddos I work for deserve the opportunities this money will give them, so that's just the bottom line of why we're doing what we do.

I promise to be more active in the future, so thanks for your patience!

Oh, joy!

I don't really have much to say, except that I'm so stinkin' excited to have seen the sun!! The last couple of days we've had sun up here.... and it STAYED all day and I didn't need a coat!

AND, get this, I actually used my air conditioning in my car yesterday.... EEEK!!

If that's not enough to get a girl excited about Spring, I don't know what will.

Well, maybe a couple of pairs of new shoes and a couple of new purses... and a few new pretty dresses.... all of which I now have! ;-)

Happy Spring and Happy Easter, everyone!!

Giveaway- Quick!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that there's a very cool giveaway going on over at Embellish Essentials. You can enter between now and Saturday, April 11th @ 11:59 p.m. PST. The prize is for a scrapbook prize pack worth over $50! If you're a scrappin' queen, you know that's a lot of fun waiting to happen!!

I just so happen to know those girls running things over at Embellish Essentials, so tell them I sent ya! {wink} They are a start-up business, so keep your eye out for them if you're into paper scrapbooking.

Chocolate Giveaway!!

Hey, check out the Mermaids of the Lake blog. They are giving away CHOCOLATE from the Chocolate Apothecary, a fun chocolate "pharmacy" in Spokane. The link to the post is here. You can enter the giveaway by posting a comment on that post, and while you're at it, tell the Mermaids I sent you! :-)

What a week!

This has been one of those weeks that required martinis with dinner, lots of chocolate (just pulled brownies out of the oven!) and some good old fashioned therapy sessions with close friends. Ever have those weeks?

Not that it was all baaad, just frustrating at times. Definitely one of those "growing" periods when you have to decide whether to chicken out or stick with the situation and grow as a person. All I have to say is, T.G.I.F. tomorrow!

I'm happy to report that my huge fundraising event for work was a success! I am sleeping better at night now, and I'm enjoying somewhat shorter hours at work, although I'm still working late. Such are the demands of the job... :-)

At any rate, Spring Break is (almost) here! One of the perks for working my rear off during the year is great vacation time. Next week is one of those times. I don't have anything major planned except for hanging out with my best friend before she starts back to school and getting some MAJOR organizing and cleaning accomplished at home.

Spring

I cannot believe the intensity of the past 5 months!! Winter weather totally raked everyone over the coals (ice?) this season, and I am READY to see green and sunshine!! So, to celebrate the first day of Spring (officially two days ago), I purchased new clothes for work. They are colorful and fun, and definitely require warmer weather to wear. Of course, since I purchased new clothes, I'm definitely going to have to get new shoes! I have a hard time finding shoes that fit my feet well (that are ALSO comfortable to wear for hours on end), so I think this time I'm going to invest in good shoes that will last for awhile, and I'm taking my search online to find the perfect pairs of shoes! This is my first time buying shoes online, so wish me luck!