True Stories

After a quiet weekend alone at home I'm ready to tackle the week.
Awoke to rain, to dark, to chill. It is truly autumn and I am so thankful.

For the past several years I've thought about taking a class from Shimelle. I love her work and have seen many people's projects who've taken her classes.

So, with the rain, the dark, the desire to do something and to celebrate (my little word of the year) I decided to take the plunge and participate in Shimelle's True Stories class. Today was the first day (nothing like making an advanced decision - haha), I signed up this morning and started by reading the first prompt.

This is a journaling, telling your own stories class and I'm so excited. This is right up my alley. I love to journal and I love the idea of school so assignments are fun for me.

And if I wasn't positive that this would be a good experience before I watched the video and fell in love. Watch...it's short and inspiring!


I'm off to read the rest of the class materials. Maybe I'll share a bit later...

Have a wonderful Monday. May the rain shower you with love!

"Sweet childish days that were as long as twenty days are now." - William Wordsworth

While Spring cleaning with Troy last weekend I found Archer's first pair of cowboy boots under the couch. I dusted them off and they are on a table in the living room now. And as I was dusting them off I thought of this picture, taken about ten years ago (he is wearing said boots and his Power Ranger jammies).

I love this picture. I love this quote. Last night on the way home from youth group two of the boys were talking about how time passes so much quicker now that they are "older" (ya, older at fourteen! Yikes!).

I know we can't slow down time or go back to visit this sweet little boy in his boots and jammies. Oh, how I'd like another day with my four year old boy. However, we can be present in the moment; cherish and be present in the days with the fourteen year old boy. Celebrate everyday we're given.

Happy Day!

Celebrate: Marrying my Best Friend

“You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” - Dr. Seuss

Fifteen years ago, on Friday, Troy and I were married. I am very lucky to have married my best friend that day. We have spent 15 years laughing, crying, raising a child, enjoying our family, working, exploring, having fun...It's been quite a ride and I am looking forward to the future!

We decided to head south yesterday to visit the EMP/Sci-fi Museum in Seattle. The music memorabilia was quite interesting and I could see how a musician would LOVE it there.
I particularly liked the Sci-Fi Museum. Troy calls it a fan-boy museum, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. One must remember that Troy looks at museums differently than most other people - always wishing they had done this or that.
I really enjoyed the Gelatine Lux temporary exhibit. It is described as 20 illuminated glass sculptures in bold colors, suspended within a universe that includes sound and video components. It was very cool. I love glass sculpture, so it was right up my alley.
I hadn't been to Seattle Center in quite sometime. We drive by it on I-5 frequently and the EMP building is hard to miss and I always thought it quite odd...and it is! However, I think it's lines are awesomely unique and the building is quite impressive.
I like that the monorail goes right through two parts of the building.
After visiting the EMP/SFM we had lunch at Seattle Center, walked around a bit, hopped on the freeway for a quick trip to University Village...oh how I love U Village! We picked up some Trophy Cupcakes (which I shall eat for breakfast this morning), a cool art book for Troy, a sweater for me from Anthropologie (as well as a fun fabric letter).
We ended the evening with dinner at the Harbor Side Bistro for dinner. Sole stuffed with crab...delicious. The picture above is of our "his and hers" blue drinks. I think I need some pear vodka now.

On our wedding invitation it said, "A glance, a smile became friendship grew into Love." Everyday I am thankful that I married my friend Troy. He's awesome. Really.

Happy Sunday friends! I am off to eat a Stroop Waffle cupcake for breakfast...it DOES have waffle in the title right?

Celebrate: Coffee. Starbucks.

"A cup of coffee is a miracle. It's what can be. Tell me something that can simultaneously be warm and comforting and invigorating." - Dave Olsen (Starbucks)

I don't know if you know this about me...but I really do love coffee. You know on facebook where you can see the top words you use in your status? Mine is coffee (sorry to my family, friends...). And I truly do love Starbucks. A lot. I like their mission, their trade practices, how they give back locally and globally. I also like their coffee. Yes I do.

So, one of my favorite places to sit and read a book or write in my journal is Starbucks. It is also one of my favorite places to sit and chat with friends.

Last summer I started this Starbucks album. Since I spend so much time there I have quite a few pictures. It isn't complete - probably never will be.

*the cover*
painted black with a sleeve on the front.

*first page*
oh. I love sleeves or bras as my friends and I call them. Isn't it more fun to say "I want a bra for my coffee" than a sleeve?
Come on. You know it is.

*inside*
photos, "bras" and fun

*another little inside glimpse*

This album is fun because it is filled with my friends, my family, my coffee. It uses scraps - no need to be matchy-matchy.

I like that Archer enjoys Starbucks like I do. He's turned into kind of a coffee snob (ooops!) and definitely prefers Starbucks to other places. When we go places we try to take a picture at Starbucks (send it via phone to Lorinda! she loves it) and print one for the book. We have pictures from Washington D.C., Indiana, Gig Harbor (all exotic locales)...sometimes we forget...the picture you can see above is from our local store. Fun times.

So friends, if we are out and about and a Starbucks comes within my sight you know I'll want to stop (please let me) and get coffee (I'll be a better person for it) and I might take your picture and add you to my book...

Celebrate what you love! Coffee! Starbucks!

Celebrate: Connections

“A good friend is a connection to life, a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” - Lois Wyse

This week I've really been celebrating connections. Friends. Family. Since I've been sick for the first part of this year and really stuck at home I've spent quite a bit of time on facebook. I don't know about you but I love facebook. I love the updates from friends, reading people's statuses is so much fun. I love the quick look into people's lives - people I see daily and people I haven't seen for over 20 years. I like being able to quickly comment, let people know that I'm thinking of them.

And I love, LOVE reconnecting with old friends. Especially old friends I thought I may never hear from again.

Be it over a cup of coffee or over the internet I love the connection to other people. I celebrate them and who they are and what they are to me at this point and what they were to me in the past. It's an awesome thing.

This week I've made plans to see a friend who lives in the next town over, but who I haven't seen in over five years. We've kept up via facebook, but face-to-face? Not so much. We plan on changing that.

This week I reconnected with an old Beau (yes, Troy knows...I tell him I'm collecting boyfriends). We hadn't talked in 16 years. It was good to catch up and hear about his life in North Carolina and remind him why the Pacific Northwest is so wonderful!

This week I had some great conversations with my sister over coffee and a few lunches.

This week I've run into friends at the grocery store.

This week I've had coffee with one of my best friends and my cousin.

This week I've laughed with my guys. Troy and I went out for an impromptu dinner - just us. I watched a movie with Archer, we made grilled cheese side-by-side, I danced as he rolled his eyes.

I celebrate each one of these connections! I am so blessed.

"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!" - Amanda Bradley

"There's a lot happening in many of us. I think you have to celebrate every part. It's what you are. You have to try to find all of those secret names." - Cassandra Wilson

I have been so out of commission the past week or so, still not at 100% but making steady progress.

It seems like a lot of people pick a guiding word for themselves now. Ali has popularized this in the scrapbook world, yet I know it isn't a "new" thing. It is fun to read other people's words and their reasoning behind the words.

Last January I talked about my reasoning and how I started the process of choosing a word here. I also like to find a few quotes to keep around to encourage and remind me. I am a quote girl - I love 'em.

This year, as you may have guessed, I chose the word celebrate to focus on. I like the idea of celebrating the everyday, the good, the bad, the little things, the big things. There is something everyday that is worth celebrating even if it is just that God gave you one more day. Last year was difficult in some ways - emotional, trying and I am ready to focus on good, focus on celebrating the details of everyday.

I'm excited for this year - this journey of celebration. While I know this word won't make me have a perfect year I hope that it will remind me to focus on what I can celebrate everyday.

So, while I was sick I made the canvas above - decoupage (got a little messy - it was great) and a quote and some of my favorite letter stickers. Thanks to my husband for his creative input.

Hope your 2010 is in full swing and going well so far.

Let's celebrate!