The coffee .... does it to you everytime

Here I sit awake just kinda surfing ~ Miss Dawn came over for a few hours this evening to get in some scrapbooking and quality visiting time and brought a yummy coffee from Starbucks, well I am wide awake and though I could still be scrapping ~ I am surfing instead.

It's been an long week this one has ~ full of ups and downs. I got to touch base with a friend I have been thinking about Miss Tammy B. and have some supper one evening ~ it was good to just sit in a relaxed setting and touch base. So that was an up ~ then the very next day I received some news from my younger sister that a close friend of her and her friends had passed away in a freak hunting accident. A young man same age as my sister, newly married this summer ~ and it broke my heart ~ so much grief felt all around, my heart went out to all of them ~ for it will be a long road. It made me think of priorities and happiness ~ of what trully are things that make me happy, and how important it is to get out and really "live" life. I have a saying "that we just have to bounce" ~ for when we hit a seemingly bottom of any situation, and we feel we can't go lower there is only one way to go ~ bounce up!

So I am going to take deeper breaths, going to stretch higher, expect more of myself ~ and set attainable goals ~ and do some more living. And I hope my friends do the same ~ we honestly don't know what tomorrow will bring, but if we live in the moments of today, and not the regrets of the past or the fear of the future ~ we will face each day with a smile.

So bounce people ~ love live ~ live each day as well as you can ~ it honors those in our worlds that can not do that anymore.

Rest in Peace Faber - I know you are well loved by your friends and your family.

A catch up .....

It's only been a week and yet seems as life is picking up some speed and becoming a mash of one thing after another. Before my update ~ I want to send out a sincere heartfelt thought to my friend Christine, who recently lost her dear sister ~ there is alot of pain and sadness in her life and my heart is thinking of her. A few of my friends have lost dear family members of late ~ and others are fighting battles, life is so so precious ~ and everything can change at a moment's notice, so I trully hope that all my dear friends are pulling what they can out of life, and really living. Hugs to you all.

I had a chance to enjoy some living myself lately ~ last weekend my dear friend Kelly ~ from Memories in Motion ~ asked me last moment if I would be willing to travel to Hinton with her to help her teach some classes, I literally jumped at the chance to get out of the city and do something a bit different. And the benefits of the weekend are still with me. :-) First we traveled out to Thorsby to the Strawberry Community Hall (such a sweet name for a hall don't you think?) and then to the Heartland Inn for a short stop as well, Kelly did her thing by offering the ladies there a chance to shop in the mobile store ~ her big Lime Green Van is a welcome addition to any crop day or retreat ~ and we were greeted and welcomed in both places warmly. Then on to Hinton! ~ we again were greeted with much warmth and excitement, and we soon got into the two classes that were planned for the evening ~ a canvas class and a Christmas chipboard mini album ~ I had a great time with the classes, for my first time teaching this type of event ~ it was a definite positive and came away with avenues how to improve the experience in the future. We didn't finish teaching till after 10 pm and then Kelly and I proceeded to stay up and chat till after one haha ~ believe me 8 am came early the next morning ~ Kelly spent a couple more hours with some of the gals shopping in the store, and then we were on the road again ~ exhausted but feeling great!!!

Then this Wednesday evening I went to the James Blunt concert with my friend Mel ~ oh my we had the best time, it was worth every penny of the ticket for sure. I love the sound of James Blunt's music ~ and he gave a great performance, and was quite engaging to boot! Mel started off my evening as well by giving me her bday present - she was in Mexico the week of my bday lucky gal haha ~ she gave me a delightful Memory Makers shoulder bag ~ perfect for evening crops ~ I love love love it!!! Such a thoughtful and timely gift for a scrapbooker on the go haha.

So it has been quite the week, haven't really gotten anything in my home accomplished ~ but that is what weekends are for!!!! I am hoping to maybe be able to join some friends at a crop put on by my friend Andrea of Scrapgetti ~ so going to have that as a goal in mind while getting things done. I also may have a chance to see an ex boyfriend of mine this weekend ~ so kinda a twitter about that haha ~ and my son has handball I believe this weekend as well ~ so it's looking to be a full and crazy weekend ~ just how I like them. And then to cap it off the 2 hour premiere movie for one of my fave shows ~ 24 ~ shows Sunday night, can't wait to get some more of Keifer Sutherland ~ yippeeeeee!!!!!

So I am wishing you all a fabulous Friday and lovely weekends - stay safe and try to do some good "living" this weekend ~ Hugs.

Been awhile .....

Wow so much has happened in life lately ~ that I would not even know where to begin. The most recent event is my son's trip to Cuba, almost :( ~ there trip ended up being cancelled on the account of the Hurricane that hit Cuba last weekend, so they spent 3 days in Toronto, sitting in a hotel room, and then came home Tuesday morning. I so feel for them all, it was crappy to have their trip ruined ~ but I am thankful that they were not already on the island when the hurricane hit. So the week has been a weird one, I had all sorts of plans made ~ ones that didn't include my son being around haha, and those have kinda gone by the wayside, but Go with the Flow is my new motto ~ so I am trying best to live by that. I have had so many friends/aquaintences go on trips in the last few months, has really made me double think just getting away somewhere ~ at this point a weekend in Hinton would be a get away. I don't necessarily have to cross the border.

My bosses are going on a short trip here soon to Vegas, and I am so happy that they are going to get away for a little bit of a trip. It's been a hard month around here, with the results of his latest scans coming back, and they not being good results, and actually news to shake us all to the core. A friend of mine recently lost her mother to cancer as well, my heart and prayers go out to her and her entire family. As well in our family we just passed the 1 year anniversary of my Uncle's passing of cancer last year. So it's been a very reflectful and sobering time in my life.

Recently went to the Scrapilicious crop in Sherwood Park ~ it was so great to be able to attend once again on a Saturday. Though I have missed the people I worked with at my weekend job, I don't at all regret the decision to stick to the one, and have my weekends back ~ it's amazing how it has changed my entire week, I think I took the time for granted ~ a new perspective on things is always good.

I so enjoyed seeing the product of my friend Andrea, she has started a company called Scrapfetti and the stuff is awesome! She introduced me to glimmer mist, and though this product may have been out for awhile ~ it was the demo to show exactly how easy it is to use, and the fabulous results. Of course I had to pick a favorite and then proceed to buy papers to match ~ will have to post up the results soon. I recently received a newer computer and while it is making life easier in some ways, I can't find my scanner driver and haven't figured out how to take a decent picture with my digital of my layouts, I don't have any kind of photo editing software ~ so I am hooped for the moment. So really I am busy creating ~ just can't figure out how to post any of it. :(

I will have to post pictures soon ~ have some recent ones to update with, and some nice ones of the crop at Scrapilicious.

Hope everyone is having an awesome week!