Ashlyn and her Triple Thread

If you're anything like I am, you have your daily go-tos in the blog world... you know, those blogs that give you your daily dose of inspiration or humor or just eye candy for the soul. I have found someone else to follow recently and (get this) we're related! Not in a blogosphere sisterhood kind of way (although those are absolutely some of THE best relationships) but in a real life kind of way. She's my first cousin once removed. (Thank you Genealogy.com for explaining that to me!)

Not long ago, one of my cousins shared a link to Ashlyn's blog through Facebook. Being a blogger myself, I couldn't wait to visit Triple Thread and see what was going on. And I was hooked, and impressed, and just pretty much wowed over by the whole thing. You see Ashlyn can write, well. Her blog is of professional quality, and her photography looks like it stepped out of the pages of Vogue. This girl is talented. Seriously.

She describes herself as "19 in years, 100 in soul," and says that her blog is her way of chronicling her "daily outfits, whimsies, inspirations, and passions." And while most of her posts are focused on fashion (this is a fashion blog), she claims that fashion "isn't just mindless consumerism.... 

Even after you've gotten all dolled up, your brain is still your best accessory."

Ashlyn shoots most of her own pictures, setting up self-portraits herself, but does let her boyfriend step in and help every now and then. I'm blown away by this girl. She's a huge talent, and I'm pretty thrilled to say that I'm related to her.

It Was a "Wendy" Kind of Day!

We usually never know "why" things happen the way they do. We make plans. We put our heart and soul into whatever it is we're planning. Then things happen. Things that are out of our control. You know the saying... "stuff happens."

A couple of years ago, I made plans to visit four of my blog friends. But it didn't happen. My plane was delayed and delayed some more. So much more, in fact, that finally, at 1:30 the next morning, my flight was officially cancelled. I gathered my things and went right back home.

New plans were gradually made. Peggy is making plans to visit me during the summer of 2012. Now, Annemarie is coming with her! And today, TODAY, I met Wendy! My birthday soul sister. In my state.

And I was late picking her up.

There's something about those best laid plans that, uh, somehow go awry.

The clock and calendar in my head were not in-sync with my plans. It's happened twice this week. Thinking I was supposed to be somewhere at a particular time, only to show up late.

But aside from the unexpected people-watching Wendy got to do, we were able to meet, and have lunch, and view the city while we chatted, and chatted, and got to know each other.

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with a new, old friend. Somehow, seeing her in person made up for my cancelled trip from two years ago. Well, almost. I still think they had a wonderful time, and I missed all that.

Before I go, I have to tell you that Wendy is an amazing woman, an inspiration who is following her dream. Last night, I made this mixed-media piece for her because she had the courage to follow her dream. Maybe, one day, I will too.

Angels Walk Among Us...

Not just heavenly angels, mind you, but everyday mortals who touch the lives of others in immeasurable ways. One such angel is right here with us, my dear friend Peggy, who blogs at Middle Age Ramblings.

If you look through her blog, you'll see what I mean. She's a wonderful friend to young Joseph and his mom, she visited Rwanda, donating cameras to the residents there, gave away hugs in New Zealand, and most recently gifted my classroom with a flip Video camera. Awesome, amazing, generous... that, my friend, is Peggy.

Peggy has a passion for life and a mission to make the world a better place any way she can. How absolutely wonderful it must be to live with such zest! Thanks to Peggy, my students will have opportunities to create short videos based on stories we read in class. No more read a story and answer questions. Instead, they will be able to act out parts, extend the story through acting, and do so many things we haven't had the opportunity to do before. Having the video camera right there in my classroom will make it easy and accessible. I can't wait to get started!

So, thank you Peggy. Thank you for caring about my 8th-grade students and for giving them something to smile about!

For those of you who are teachers and haven't heard about DonorsChoose, go.there.now! The site allows you to post projects that you would like to implement in your classroom. Donors from all over the world search for projects to support, make a contribution, and if all goes well, your project receives full funding. In addition to having friends and family contribute to my projects, I've had total strangers provide substantial gifts to help fund them. These gifts provided my classroom with an Elmo document camera, a laminator, and now a flip Video camera. With salary cuts and forced furlough days, I haven't been able to spend as much money on my clasroom. Thanks to DonorsChoose and people like Peggy, I've been able to use technology and create learning resources to help my students succeed.

** The photograph above is of Peggy while she was in Rwanda. Here, the children are watching themselves on video.

So many friendships...

were created through Scrapblog.com. Many of my friends here on the blog first met each other through that site. We would create digital scrapbook pages and visit each other's creations, leaving messages and "loving" them. That's how I came to know Annemarie (Mommy Victory), Peggy (Miruspeg), Wendy, and Julie (Octamom). Tonight as I looked through some of my scrapblogs, I even saw a message from Mummy McTavish! (I didn't remember that link; she probably doesn't either!)

I saw on Facebook over the weekend that Scrapblog has been bought out by Mixbook. I haven't visited that site yet, so I don't know the capabilities, but I'm kind of doubting that the scrapblogs with embedded videos will work.... Fingers crossed, though, just in case. As I looked through my creations, I had to take the time to watch the video clips in my August Rush scrapblog. I loved that movie, the music, the characters.... If you haven't seen the movie or just want to watch the clips, I'm adding it here. It should work at least for a while.


The company is allowing us to download free print quality jpgs of our scrapblogs until February 28. Books or cards must be printed by January 31. I've downloaded five so far. That's also where I make my blog headers, along with a little help from Picnik.

*sigh*

I don't like change very much.

Changing My Perception...

It's January 1, 2011. That means a fresh start. A new outlook on life. At least that's what it means to me.

A new outlook on life.

I'm embarrassed to admit that even with all of the blessings in my life, I have a difficult time accepting them, appreciating them, and keeping a positive outlook. I want that to change this year. That's why I've chosen "perceive" as my word of the year.

Simply put, "perceive" is to attain awareness or understanding... to notice or become aware of something. It can be a mental process, or it can mean becoming aware of something through your senses. Both definitions work for me, as I embark on this new word journey in 2011. As I focus on how I perceive things, I hope to see through the worry and negativity and become more aware of the good things in my life. To count my blessings. I also hope to slow down and truly experience life through all of my senses. Listening to and appreciating the sounds that surround me... the laughter of children, the rustling of leaves in the wind. Seeing and appreciating the beauty all around me... the way the sun's rays break through clouds, the mist rising from the river. Acknowledging the soft comfort of an old t-shirt or warm blanket.

This will be my third year focusing on a word rather than trying to keep resolutions. During 2009, Annemarie, Peggy, Wendy, Julie, and I posted jointly each month about our words and how they were impacting our lives. Last year, left to my own devices, my word "fulfillment" fell to the side. I tried to think about it off and on through the year, but I often let the busy demands of life push feelings of fulfillment to the side. At least far enough to the side that I wasn't truly acknowledging how fulfilling my life was.

This year will be different. To make my word more a part of my life, I plan to share my journey here, and you're invited to join me.

Interested in choosing your own word for the year? I have two blogs for you to visit. The first one is Christine Kane's. She has a free discovery tool you can download as you think about the word you want to focus on for 2011. I also want you to visit Caroline at Constantly Evolving and Nowordz Photography. Not only will you get to see beautiful photography, but you will also read inspiring posts. It was Caroline who inspired me to choose a word in 2009.

Finally, I want to wish you an amazing new year... A year full of blessings and good times.

And the artwork at the top... that's mine! My first mixed-media piece of art. I was so excited to finally, finally, use canvas and paint and paper and embellishments and gel medium and gesso to create art. I'll be posting another one soon.

It Was Just One of Those Days...

when expectations and disappointment collided, leaving my hopes dashed and crumpled at my feet. No one likes to think of those two words together, yet invariably, they meet and crash as they did with me last Friday.

Talk about high expectations...! My airline ticket had been purchased months ago and plans had been made to spend the weekend with four of my blog friends. I had never met any of them in person; this meeting, this get-together, would be a first. I even left work early to keep from being late and missing my flight.

But once I got to the airport, I sat and waited and sat and read and sat and chatted for what seemed like forever. There wasn't just one flight delayed due to weather, but several, including an earlier flight to my same destination. And all the time as I sat there, I remained patient. I waited. I watched the hours go by, planes land, passengers disembark. Finally, my plane did arrive. But just as we began boarding, we were told there had been a mechanical malfunction of some sort. They grounded the plane. And while other flights continued to take off right there at my gate, I still had hope. I still had high expectations.

Then there was a new gate and the promise of a plane sitting and waiting for us. Another hour ticked by. More minutes, perhaps a half hour, passed, when finally, I noticed the captain making his way to the desk. He didn't look too good, I thought. He looked off. Tired. I wondered if he just got in from one of those flights full of delays.

And then, more than eight hours after I had arrived, they made the announcement. Our flight was cancelled. The crew had too many hours and couldn't fly. Cancelled. Finished. Over.

Rebooking didn't help. I was politely told that my new flight would land after 9 p.m. on Saturday. The few seats available on other airlines showed promise of an earlier afternoon arrival, yet there were lay-overs and plane changes. Even a four-hour layover before a 50-minute final hop to my destination. And what if I encountered all of this again on my way home... With ninety-nine students waiting in my classroom first thing Monday morning, could I risk it?

Oh, I wanted to keep going. I so wanted to be there with my friends. But by then, I knew it was over. And disappointment got the best of me.

I walked away and found a seat away from the crowd. As I leaned my head against my bag, my tears began to flow. I had been patient, and trusting, and filled with expectant joy all day awaiting this wonderful weekend with friends, only to have my expectations end in such finality.

Then she appeared.... This angel of a person. She came up to me and asked if I was okay. I couldn't speak, of course.... I nodded and managed to tell her that I was fine. "Are you sure," she asked. Yes, I nodded. I'm okay. Really.

And at that moment, it all came into focus. A new perspective had been found. While I was due my disappointment, I couldnt' stop my thoughts from turning to the other people on my flight and the one before it. I thought of the stories I hadn't been told. Of the man dressed in his Navy uniform heading somewhere... home, perhaps, after being away for a long time? To a waiting wife or an ailing mother or father? Who knew what stories each of those passengers held close to his or her heart.

It was at that moment that I had to accept the collision course of expectations and disappointment. I had to tell myself that a greater power was at work, that it just wasn't meant to be. Why? I'll never know. But it happened. And for whatever reason, I knew at 1:30 a.m. that I would not be visiting my friends. I headed to my car and drove home.

I confess that I did check flights again on Saturday morning. Bleary eyed from little sleep, I tried to convince myself that catching another flight and visiting with them for even a few hours would be worth it. From what I could tell from the rates, a rental car would add about $300 to my trip. Gulp. Or it would be a two-hour round trip drive for someone to meet me at the airport. That's when I closed the computer and tiptoed into my daughter's room.

Quietly I slipped into her empty bed and peeked over the blanket, just waiting for her to walk back into the room. And when she did, I smiled at her look of surprise. I was home.

Peggy, Annemarie, Wendy, Julie and I first met several years ago on Scrapblog.com. We continued our friendship on our blogs and joined together last year to share and post reflections on the words we chose for the year.

Another Year to Celebrate!

According to the Days Alive Calculator, I've been breathing 17,530 days so far. That's 48 years. 48! Can you believe it? And I'm not the only one.

It was a year ago this week that AVTCoach and I struck up a conversation and discovered that, of all things, we are birthday soul sisters. Not just celebrating the same birthday. We were actually born on the same day in the same year. How cool is that?

It took a while to put it all together, but when we did, we had fun comparing notes about our lives. You can read all about my birthday here, what it means to be a Libra here, and her birthday tribute to us both here.

This year, we decided to post a photo history of sorts, showing us at the ages of 8, 18, 28, 38, and ... um, 48. Just so you know, I had to dig pretty deep to find these. (Note to parents of three children: Please keep taking pictures after the third child is born!)

Being from a military family, I'm constantly adding up the years and trying to figure out exactly which state or country I lived in at that time. Now, I can positively say, that at least for part of 1969, I lived in a brick house across the street from my grandparents. Here I am hugging the teddy bear I got for Christmas. I was probably my happiest living here and would gallop imaginary ponies through my grandparents' yard and tie the ponies to the foot of my bed each night.

By the time I was 18, I had graduated high school and had already been working full-time as secretary to the librarian at a junior college. I took classes at night but stopped once I went to work as a secretary/paralegal at a law firm. Here I am celebrating my 18th birthday with my grandmother, Queenie Anne, whose birthday was the day before mine.

By the time I turned 28, a lot had happened. I had become a skydiver and a pilot and was working my way through college. I finally had to leave the law firm because the classes I needed were only offered during the day. I did keep working, though, as a radio DJ and news anchor. The biggest news of the year was that Craig asked me to marry him... at an Alabama football game! After saying "yes," I promptly locked the game tickets and the keys in the car. (And he still married me!)

By the time I was 38, I had become a mom! Hannah was three years old by then. She's definitely my greatest accomplishment. Being her mom is an absolute blessing.

And now, I'm 48. During the past 30 years, I've worked as a paralegal for 11 years, in public relations for 11-12 years, and I've been teaching for nearly five. I wonder what my future holds?

But, more importantly, here's hoping that I have another 17,530 days to live! A happy, healthy ninety-six isn't too much to ask for, is it?!

... that goes for AVT Coach, too! I wouldn't want to celebrate such a big day without her. And if you want to wish my friend a happy birthday, click on over to her site. She's the other Partridge Family fan...!

Happy birthday, Wendy!

Living in the Present... With a Quick Look to the Past

I can't move on to 2009 without taking a quick look back to the friends I made in 2008, even though I am trying to be all about living in the moment. So, here are a few moments of time from 2008 that have opened up my world, so-to-speak.

My new journey began last summer when my daughter and I vacationed at the beach. I started my blog that week, and we began creating digital scrapbooks through Scrapblog (a site she had used in school that year). There, at the beach, I created my first Scrapblog called "Destin 2008." What joy I found through that site. Which leads me to ...

...meeting so many new friends through Scrapblog and google Blog. It was through Scrapblog that I first met Octamom (who led me to AVT Coach), Miruspeg, McMGrad89, and MrsPeel. Although I created my blog originally to share news with family about our Destin vacation, it soon opened doors to an even bigger world of friendship! I am so thankful to have met these lovely ladies through Scrapblog, and to get to know them even better through their blogs.

For instance, Octamom was probably the first to find me through my blog via our Scrapblog connection. It was hit and miss there for a while, as I tried to figure out how to open my blog to comments. But we finally connected. Since then, I have come to admire this woman so much! Not only is she a mother to eight beautiful children, she is also an amazingly-talented writer, photographer, and scrapblog designer. Her humorous look at life never fails to put a smile on my face! Here is Octamom's header, which includes a couple of photos of her elusive self....

As AVTCoach said in her recent blog, she and I share the same birthday... down to the year. I believe we are soul sisters, and I am thrilled to be a part of her world! I am always interested in what she says and have found her blog on abundance to be quite thought-provoking. She provides educational ideas related to some of her favorite children's books, and it is apparent that she is devoted to her work and to the children she serves. This is her blog profile picture ...

Then there's Peggy. This woman is also an amazing person who definitely touches others' lives. While some of us (me included) have big ideas that may never see fruition, she lives them! If you look through her blog Middle Age Ramblings, you will find photographs of Joseph. At first glance you would assume he is her grandson; she has entire scrapblogs devoted to this little boy. But no, Joseph is a neighbor she has befriended, along with his mom. You will also find photographs from her travels. Among them are photographs of a trip she took to Rwanda. During that trip, she shared her love of photography with local children who were given the opportunity to take pictures of their own. It is an amazing story you can see firsthand through her scrapblog, Journey to Rwanda.

McMGrad89 is a fellow teacher and a mom to two cuties. She gets my vote as Mom of the Year for holding down the homefront during her husband's extended business trip. I am so impressed that she can balance her life as a teacher and as a mom and still find time to create beautiful scrapblogs and post to her blog, So I Was Just Thinking! (Apparently, she stays behind the camera much, much, more than in front of it... Note to Annemarie... you need to post a picture of yourself on your blog. No more invisible blogger for you!

MrsPeel is another friend of mine discovered through Scrapblog. She has been blogging much longer than I have but only recently opened her blog on google. I'm so glad that she's joined us. She always lifts my spirits through the heartfelt comments she leaves. Here's a photo of the lovely Mrs. Peel and her equally lovely daughter....

Since then, I've met many more people who have inspired me through their writings and photography, such as Caroline at The Zen in You, Deb at From Stilletos to Sneakers, Jen, Gill, and now even newer acquaintances such as Kaci, Angie, and Inga.

Being a part of this community has indeed enlightened me, inspired me, and entertained me! Thank you all for being a part of it!

May your new year be one of blessings, fulfillment, and hope!