Friday, January 25, 2008

Ok...I couldn't resist

Here's another one to bring a smile to your face today...

OMG...cutest ever!

All you need in life is a good buddy... !

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Back In The Saddle Again


Yesterday was my first day in the design program that I'm pursuing. It will be interesting to see the difference in experiences at a trade school vs. university. Already what jumps out at me is how many more men there are than women in my program. There are lots of very young kids just out of high school too. Many in the class are young adults (boys :o) going after an animation design degree. I'm taking a drawing and a color theory class that I'm really excited about. I have always doodled but never really learned how to draw so we'll see how that goes.

Funny how class dynamics remain the same. You know you can always count on having that certain someone who is completely annoying and has to talk all the time for the sake of showing how much they know. The class clown appears to have arrived as well as all of the other cast of characters: too cool for school, the quiet shy one, and the rest of us average Joe's just trying to make it through. You can enter the program at any quarter so many of us are at different stages but most are in the first year since it is a foundation course. The teacher seems to be one of those rare life teachers that has so much more to share than just the subject at hand. I can feel it's going to be a great quarter.

My class appears to be in a building that shares classes with nursing students. Ironic how my last pass through a classroom was in a nursing program. This blog is called "Myriad" for a reason folks. I'm a multi-faceted girl, which I think drives my family crazy sometimes. They can't seem to keep up with me and all of my whims and ideas. I used to feel bad about it like I was a failure or something because I couldn't just stick with one thing. Now I have come to terms with it and have learned to embrace and even love the fact that I just need to always be learning and doing something new. Keeps life interesting. This should be a good field for me because I know there will always be a new project, new technology to keep up with, different way to do something, and so many other endless possibilities. Not to mention how creative I will get to be every day. I have had plenty of soulless (for me at least) office jobs that would chip away at my spirit every day. I wasn't made to sit in an office all day doing (again, what is for me) mind numbing tasks like filing, answering phones, etc. I know there are lots of people out there that do it and are happy and I think that is great. Life is TOO short to go through unhappy or unfulfilled.

So it is going to be a fun few months getting back into the swing of school. I know I'm one of the older ones in the program but I heard there is a 70 year old guy so I know I'm not the oldest at least...tee hee. Feels like it with my 40th birthday on the horizon this year. Guess that maybe this is the start of my mid-life crisis? New career and direction in my life... what's next a red corvette and boob job (wink, wink...I am SO not serious)? I don't see it as a crisis but I definitely feel my own mortality more than I have in any previous time in my life. There are still tons of things I want to do, places I want to go...and like I said...life is too short. I feel like I'm running out of time. Guess I better get off here then and go get busy huh?! :o)

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Christmas Review and Happy 2008!!!

Obviously, I need to post more often so I don't end up with these mega picture posts. Just wanted to show a bit of Chirstmas around our place. These are some little sugar and salt scrubs that I made for gifts.

I also made sets of cards to give away this year. Here are just a few...

Little miss opening her gifts on the big day. Boy, was she ever into it this year. Three hours of opening at grandma's apparantly wasn't enough for her. She couldn't believe there weren't any more when she was finished.

Blurry pic of one of our trees. I got this one up before Thanksgiving so you can see a bit of my Thanksgiving decor on the mantle. Orange is one of my favorite colors so this tree is for me. I love all of the orange, gold and brown colors together. The other tree below was put up later.
My helper on a snow day getting gifts wrapped and under the tree.
Another snow day shot. We got out the glitter and glue and went to town. This is her version of a gingerbread girl. I love the crown earrings! Too cute...
I love these little Santa ornaments. So there you have it... a bit of what our Christmas looked like this year. We had a lovely season with lots of fun holiday events: Going to see the Nutcracker, holiday lights, many parties with family and friends, wreath making and craft days, cookie baking days, New Year's with good friends, etc.
The last week or two of the year were very interesting. Several events happened and culminated at once to make a crazy end to the year and set up an interesting start for 2008. We have had several friends and family suddenly diagnosed with terminal illnesses and other various things going on that have wreaked havoc in our lives. It kind of puts into perspective what is important as we head into the new year and think about changes to make in life.
I have had chaotic periods in life such as this and I know, as always, this too shall pass but it isn't very fun when you are in the middle of it.
To really add some excitement to the mix, I decided to head back to school. I have been down many paths with school... I have an AA, a BA in English, two-thirds of a nursing degree (decided that I couldn't handle being charged with the care of someone else's life...saw too many mistakes being made while I was in school and it freaked me out) and basic and advanced floral design certificates to name a few. I love learning something new and would be a professional student if I could make any money off of it. Now, I find myself wanting to do something more creative with the potential to earn income and work from home so I am heading off to get a Multimedia Design & Production degree, which is essentially learning Graphic & Web Design.
I'm super excited and can't wait to get started. I have really (happily and willingly) put my interests on hold these last 4 or 5 years as we started down the path to parenthood. I'm usually very goal oriented and I feel like I have been floundering these last few years. I guess my goal was just surviving becoming a parent and finding my way with that. It will be hard to have the new schedule and I worry how it will effect my daughter but I know in the end we all will benefit from the time I will be able to spend with her in the long run and, hopefully, will be able to work from home etc. So lots going on now... I know 2008 is going to be a year of transitions with all that is happening. Change, even though exciting, is uncomfortable sometimes. My mom's mantra (that I have taken to be my own) has always been "it all works out in the end" and it really does (it has brought me through times of fighting over a toy with my sister to some really big decisions in life.) I just keep telling myself that and keep plugging along. Thanks mom...
So Happy 2008... can I just tell you that I laughed so hard when watching the local fireworks show on TV. We had had so many crazy things already going on in life that week and then were watching the countdown on TV to New Year and anticipating a lovely firworks show... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, screaming "Happy New Year" and listening to the music start the show. One or two fireworks go off and then nothing. Several minutes go by and the music continues but still no fireworks. You could hear people booing in the background. I thought "well doesn't that just sum up the week for us". A friend and I were laughing later about all of the people that were trying to get engaged that night (not because it was funny for them but because how superstitious we are and how we would have been freaked out.) Can you imagine if you are waiting for the big show to pop the question or have just been asked for your hand in marriage and then that happens? I definitely believe in signs so I would have told my husband to put the ring back and take back his question to ask me another day. I know...it all works out in the end.