Taffy & Giraffes.

The way we process things will always both thrill and baffle me.  From the things we stretch like laffy taffy in to major messes to the big things we attempt to hide, similar to trying hiding an elephant behind a giraffe, ha.  And it never changes but it’s always different.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how I handle situations that I can’t control.  Half the time I’m humbled to silence and the other half I’m shouting out demands for movement.  It’s nothing new for me to live in the extremes, but it’s always interesting to feel the push and pull.  It’s a strange thing to admit I can’t do this all alone and yet have the voice in the back of my head begging me to take control of everything I can get my hands on.  What it boils down to is a chance to change my attitude on what I’ve been shown as ‘the way to be’  into ‘the way I think it could be’.  It’s risky.  It’s uncomfortable.  But like a lot of things lately, it’s a step that needs to be taken.

I don’t have to do this all alone.

In fact, the few times in my life I’ve allowed someone to take care of me have been probably some of the best times.  That’s not to say I can’t handle my life, or that I’m going to die if I’m feeling more alone than desired.  What the main point of all this is that I’m recognizing I can lean on other people without having to feel like a burden.  That it’s okay to be taken care of.  It’s okay to take care of what my wants and needs are too.  I’m thankful for the great people who have shown me this in my own life and by sharing their life with me.  I’m still learning, but I’m making steps.  And to me, that counts for something.  To me, this is movement in a brand new mode of transportation.  Vroom vrooom. haha.

Greetings from Utah.

Well I survived my first consumer show.  Now sitting in the Utah airport, I can officially say I had the most amazing time.  It was not without it’s bumps and bruises, but really, what isn’t these days, and all in all I had a blast. I met some incredible women this weekend.  I really believe we should never judge a person and what they chose to put their time and energy into until you’ve actually experienced what that is for yourself.  I’ve been pretty blessed lately to have the opportunity to put myself in situations that let me experience new past times that many americans are devoted to.

The first being the Sharpie 500 race a few weekends ago.  I’ve never been into Nascar and I’ll be honest, I thought it was all kinda a joke and mainly just drunk guys with mullets.  While I may have been correct on the drunk mullets, I was totally drawn into the appeal of the event.  Nascar is awesome.  It’s entertaining, interactive, there’s research involved, history to keep track of, and really interesting fun people.  Not to forget FAST CARS and getting to ride in them!  I got to experience it all with Danielle, who has been a Nascar fan since birth, and I truly gained a respect for the sport.

Then this weekend, being here in Utah surrounded by stunning mountains and thousands of women carrying pounds of 12 x 12 paper, glue sticks, photo albums, and credit cards.  I’ve always been a fan of scrapbooking, decorating photos, making cards, you name it.  And it’s no secret I work with markers every day.  I love crafting.  But even for a crafter like me, it’s a stretch to think about paying to attend a big convention where all you do is buy stuff and make things for two whole days.  Who has time for that kind of thing, and who should be spending money like that?  Well, let me tell you, the women here have got something on all of us.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen groups of girl friends gather the way they did.  You could see the community they are building with one another.  Sure, they want to see and try out all the new bells and whistles available to the scrapbook and maybe they spend a bit of money on it.  But it’s their form of entertainment.  And in the long run they’ve got crazy amazing pieces of art to go along with the memories.  The bonds they are building at these events are stronger than glue.  The whole community of crafters truly care for each other.  It’s inspiring.  I spent my time there working a booth with another business owner, I helped her sell her product and sold my markers too.  She had relationships with everyone we ran into.  She’s been in the industry for years and you can see in her face how much she loves it.  She was bubbly, kind, giving, and a dancing queen all weekend.  And let me tell you, that woman can pack a van like I’ve never seen a van packed… and I’ve seen my fair share of packed tight vans.  I’m still in awe of what she was able to fit in there.  I also had the pleasure of working with two women who each own different scrapbooking stores here in Utah, that sell the products being sold in our booth.  Two very different women, doing a very similar thing, each in their own way, but helping each other even when most would be hostile towards the competition.  We laughed a lot.  We made a lot of greeting cards and scrapbook pages.  We brought light into each others day.  We laughed and danced some more.  I can say this, despite the bumps (like when my iPhone decided to die and now I have no phone until I buy a new one with money I dont have) I had one of the best weekends I’ve had in a while.  I felt loved and cared for.  I worked hard.  I played hard. My feet hurt, my shoulder aches, but it was all so worth it.

So all that to say…. Keep the surprises and experiences coming. I like this whole ‘living’ thing. I’ll take some more please.

ps. I moved to East Nashville.  : )

This is one of the cards I drew!