10.13.2012

just checking in...

I can't believe I haven't even logged on since January.... so much has happened that I'm not really quite sure where to begin but it's a rare Saturday night when I'm actually sitting at home alone and I feel like I should post something. 

So here's what's happened since January...

I'm still dating Chris and have never been happier. He is absolutely amazing and I'm madly in love with him! 

I still work at Michels and I enjoy my job. I get to do fun things like plan the company picnic, work at golf outings and design ads/calendars/signs/brochures.

My little sister got married! The wedding was perfect and she was the most beautiful bride... I got to spend the entire day with her and had so much fun!

and last but not least... I turned (gulp) 30 in August. Chris and I took a week off work and headed to northern wisconsin. My parents have a camper on a little plot of land in the middle of the Nicolet National Forest that we went to a lot this summer. We spent every day out on the boat fishing and swimming. That night we went out with some friends and I survived my 1st day in my 30's. It was a beautiful week and made me actually look forward to the upcoming years...

Obviously more than 4 things happened since January but sometimes pictures are better than words so here's a few that better illustrate 2012...


1st snowmobiling trip


two of my favorites... my bf and my bff

with Ang and Jill

Ang, Jill and Jamie... girls night out

Chris and I on 4th of July

Northern Wisconsin - on the Wolf River

at a tiki bar party

on the Wolf River again

my 30th birthday!
at Rock the Green (best concert ever!)

with my bff, Katie

My little sister got married!!

My little sis and I on her wedding day
Chris and I at Sam's wedding
new friends
Chris and I at another wedding

with the love of my life :)

 So here I am... alive and well but just not spending much time online (with the exception of pinterest!). I have almost 900 unread emails but I still have tanlines from hours spent laying outside under the sun. Even with the cold approaching, I'd rather be outside than sitting on the couch with my macbook. I'd like to get back into blogging as a creative outlet... I do miss writing.... I just don't know if I can sit still long enough.....



1.23.2012

moving on

So I had a big long list of things I wanted to accomplish over my winter break.... unfortunately, I don't think I can cross a single item off my list. But something even better than a goal with a check mark next to it happened, which surprises me because I'm a planner. I like to have a general plan, know what to expect, and checking things off a list is very satisfying to me. Sometimes you just need to let go... and I've found that is when some of the best things happen.

I had been struggling over the past few months to get back in the swing of things after ending a 6 year relationship. Even though it was the best possible decision and I don't regret (at all!), it was still an adjustment and change can be difficult to accept. Although I can be very spontaneous, I'm still very much a creature of habit. Moving 1,000 miles, starting a new job, living in a new house, and starting a new semester all at once was daunting. I feel as though I kind of went through the motions but I was still in shock emotionally. I built a wall and pushed aside my feelings so I didn't have to acknowledge them. I went through all the typical stages and grieved for a broken relationship, struggling with the feelings of stupidity and regret of wasting 6 years of my life.

After much contemplation, I've realized that my time was not wasted. Even though I've discovered things in the past few months that make me doubt the sincerity of the entire relationship, I've learned valuable lessons and collected so many experiences. I've made new friends, traveled new places, and now it's time to move on.

So that's what I've done. It's been a slow journey, but I did it at my own pace and with the help of so many supportive friends and family members.

My winter break has been perfect and productive in a non conventional, no to-do list kind of way. I ran into Chris (who I used to have a huge crush on in high school) the weekend before Christmas and we've been pretty much together ever since then. We have not seen each other in years but both just got out of long relationships and just click. Funny how things work out :) I also start school today... My first semester at University of Massachusetts Amherst. I'm taking 2 required courses, an anthropology class on human nature and a sustainable agriculture class. So far, 2012 has proved to be so much better than 2011... I'm actually excited about turning 30 and seeing what this new year has in store for me!

I have to get ready for work now, but here a few pictures to sum up my winter break...
Chris & I on the lake for ice softball

Jill & I on New Years Eve

me, Angela, Jill & her dog Denver


me & my sister on Christmas

new hair color & cut!

me, Jamie, Miranda & Lin - girls night out
Angela, Angela, Jill, me & Lin

Franklin & I

12.21.2011

happy wednesday!

Last Friday I went to an Art Walk in Fond du Lac, WI with some of my girlfriends...

me, Kelly, Jamie, Sara & Jill
Lucky for me, Jill is friends with the owner of Jennabee Art Gallery & Studio and introduced us. Last night I stopped by the gallery and dropped off 4 of my paintings! Fingers crossed that I sell something :) There's also an art contest that the gallery is having in February that I need to enter and we discussed the possibility of doing an art show in March or April! Which is beyond exciting to even think about!

Jamie owns her own salon and after I made her a wedding gift...

mixed media painting for Mr & Mrs King

she's asked if I could paint a canvas or two to go in the salon. Which would not only be fun to paint, but give me a lot more exposure, too. Things are looking up in the art department of my life :)

Oh, and last but not least...
grades just posted for this semester!

12.19.2011

I've been quite busy during my blog break... I've finished fall semester at Oklahoma City Community College and I've been accepted to University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I will be getting my B.A. in Sustainability Studies. I'll be taking all online classes for Spring semester, which starts on January 22nd.

I finished moving most of my things from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, including my puppy, Frankie.

I've been diligently working on handmaking pretty much all of my christmas presents and I have a few commission paintings that have been keeping me busy. I've snapped a few pictures and once the gifts are in the possession of their recipients I will post a few pics of my craftiness (although I can't take full credit... Pinterest was a huge inspiration!)

Here's a few of my latest paintings...


I actually made a new blog for my Creative Writing class that features all of my poetry that I wrote for class this past semester. It's published for anyone who would like to see it... I got 250 out of 250 points and my professor asked if he could use it as an example for upcoming classes :) Look Again

Hopefully now that I'm not waking up to homework, I will have time to start blogging a few mornings a week and get caught up on all of my favorite blogs that I miss so much!

Happy Holiday Week!

10.26.2011

fresh paint

well for a while it seems as though I had so many thoughts that I had nothing to say. I had too much time and not enough motivation.

Now my thoughts are still running rampant, but rather than dwelling on the past, they are looking into the future. Now I have too much to do, and not enough time. The less time I have, the more I want to do... figures.

So I have a part time job now... I'm a Marketing Assistant/Intern and work 20-25 hours a week. I'm still taking 4 on-line classes (and maintaining my 4.0) and am drowning in homework. I bought a car last week... yay! I also have been painting and hanging out with my friends...

on a pier on Lake Mendota in Madison, WI w/ Miranda

my latest... 12"x12"x1.5"
And now off to get ready for work! This is only my second week and I'm hoping to get a schedule down so I can start blogging regularly again!

I hope you have a beautiful day :)

10.06.2011

if a picture is worth a thousand words

I find it incredibly difficult to focus on sitting inside on my computer doing little things like blogging (and homework!) when there's so much beauty waiting for me outside...


hello fall!
my style in footwear has slightly changed...

early morning sun

Hillary

Star

Julie

horse love
this is why I love fall

woodpecker

so tiny, but so loud!

apples

my favorite tree
because I love laying under it

absorbing it's beauty

maybe this is why I love painting trees

home sweet home :)

starting some seeds for my cold frame!

seeds I ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

freshly picked

pumpkin muffins.... yum
washing cherry tomatoes

pickling cherry tomatoes
Lots of pictures, I know... I didn't feel like doing homework and went a little camera-crazy :)
The pictures just seem to sum up my day more so than words.

One more tidbit.... Thank you Steve Jobs for your innovation, creative genius, and inventing the amazing MacBook Pro sitting in front of me <3
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -- Steve Jobs @ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address.