I'm Baaaaack!

Well, that was more than a 2 week sabbatical!  With so many things going on, I really felt it was important to scale back on the computer time for a while to give my arms a break.  I have been absent from Facebook and Pinterest as well for the most part.  Restricting myself to checking email on my phone once a day, and Facebook and Pinterest about once a week.

This time of reflection has helped me to get more focus on the things I want to be doing in the future, primarily Jewelry and teaching.  I am learning to let things go that don't really serve a purpose in my life, and focus more on the things that matter.  This is a difficult process, shedding the old self and transforming into someone new can be very painful.  There have been a lot of tears through the process, but it is all leading me toward the life I want to be living.  I am grateful for the love and support of my family during this time.  Especially my husband and daughter, who are here with me every day in the thick of it, seeing the raw parts, the ugly mess, and the newer happier person emerging as a result.

It all started with a deep depression that occured after the holidays and lingered until recently.  I took some time to read Louis Hay's Heal Your Body book, and looked up every physical ailment I had.   Wouldn't you know that almost everything I had wrong with me translated to not feeling safe.  In not creating safety for myself, my body was manifesting illness to tell me that I wasn't safe.  I wrote down all the affirmations, and have been saying them every day, and guess what?  The illnesses are going away.  Little by little the symptoms are leaving, and some of the issues have gone completely.  I do still have some actual issues I need to address with a doctor, but I find it really amazing that by changing the attitude you have, you can heal many symptoms.  I am focusing on healing and putting a lot of time and energy into healing my life... All the parts I have neglected are getting better.  Day by day I am stronger, happier, more focused and passionate about where I am headed.

To recap the first trimester of the year:  We settled in to the new house, made a few trips to the OC for work, doctors appointments and visiting friends.  Paskie has been traveling a lot for work, and I have been restricted to what I can do with my arms, due to a continuing and prolonged work injury from 3 years ago.  I am able to make jewelry, and have been very busy with that.  This year I made a resolution, no, more like a promise to myself that I would send in some of my work to magazines.  I was so happy when I was contacted by Jewelry Affaire and Bead Style magazines to publish some of my jewelry pieces.  Watch for the summer issue of Jewelry Affair and the September issue of Bead Style to see what I have been up to.  Once the article is published, I can post pictures of the pieces I sent in.

I will be adding a lot of things to my ETSY shop in the upcoming weeks, and pinning them to Pinterest, so look for me there as well.

The highlight of the first trimester by far was a visit with my soul sister Danita Raulerson, who came to stay for 3 weeks in March.  We did a quick tour of California starting with So Cal, OC, Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Diego and moving north to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz, and then San Francisco, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Bay Area.  One particularly great day was when we drove up to Big Trees state park to see the giant Sequoias.  We found this one huge tree that had a little space in it that you could lean back against and it felt like the tree was hugging you.  We both spent some time there, letting the tree hug us.  It is amazing... tree hugging.  If you pay attention, you can feel the energy of the tree.,  It resonates with a deep earth energy that is present in all of us.  If you allow yourself, you can actually feel your body get more grounded and you can feel your energy start to match that of the tree.  Whenever I feel unbalanced or sad, I go hug a tree.  Lean into it...  really let the emotions out... and I ALWAYS feel better afterward.  Danita was having back pain and experienced none after hugging the tree.  I felt a sense of calm and euphoria that lasted for days after.

Three weeks was still not enough time, although I am sure she was happy to go home and see her family, she was deeply missed here by her California kin.  I am looking forward to getting together with her again in the next year for an art week at the beach in Florida.

My plan is to post once a week for the next few months as I get back into blogging mode.  I will be posting more DIY craft ideas, as well as jewelry, and flea market finds.  So stay tuned for some fun ideas in the coming weeks.