The Whole Point of Heartache, Arguements and Difficult Days

Here is the most beautiful girl I have seen in 18 years - only she is no longer a girl she is a strong , talented young woman. Full of love and passion for those around her. From her first breath it has been a struggle to reach this day. I was told so many times by so many professionals that she would never be the woman she is. I won't minimize the long list of struggles and the even longer list that she will continue to face. However, today my little girl just beat the odds.

Here is another reason that we battle the tough times and share the good. Love. Its not always kind or easy. But real love will endure years of challenges and multiple celbrations. I had Melina doing formal photos yesterday but I came in and shot pictures behind her. This was a truly awesome photo of my parents and you can't help but feel the love that was there. THis coming September they will have been married for 47 years. What an amazing achievement. I am so very proud of them for reaching this milestone and being there to support my siblings and myself. I know they will continue to be there for us in days to come.


This is fine young gentleman is my nephew from my first marriage. I have only recently had the chance to get to know this young man after 15 years of being apart. This is a gift that Diane has given me without even knowing it. She has continued to be involved with Robbie and his life and now that they no longer require adults to control all that they do they are great friends. Robbie came to Diane's grad all on his own. I think that speaks volumes to his fortitude and desire to know his extended family on his own terms. He was a joy and delight to spend the day with. He was a good sport about contortioning into positions for photos, a perfect gentleman with respect to chivalry, grabbed my camera and took photos when I couldn't. He even had the magic tide pen when Diane spilled and stained her dress unexpectedly. He regaled us with his travel adventures and touched my heart with his stories of his late mom. I am glad that I am being given the oppurtunity to know this young man.

Yes, I am feeling a bit sappy this day after graduation - and I realize how many good things I have to be thankful for in a sea of rough waves. So bring on the difficult times, hard tasks and days of heartache, for without those moments I am sure I wouldn't appreciate the rays of sunshine, rainbows of wonder, and the love that I have been blessed with.

Capturing Those Not So Charming Moments

All to often we don't anticipate the consequences of an action. Particularly an action that is based on goodness and compassion. Most of you know that 8 mos ago I raised a significant amount of money for Cancer in a "Crop for the Cure". My Mom was in the midst of chemo and I felt helpless to help her. A local radio was running a fundraising campaign raising $500 to shave the bosses head. I flippantly said my locks were worth a minimum of $2,000 and before I knew it the money was raised and collected and I was facing friends and collegues with no locks.

This page currently has 4 pages of thoughts and reflections of these past few months. There are more pages to be written and the pocket will hold plenty more as I am able to come to terms. I don't regret my choice - not for a minute - what I do know is that it had a far more profound effect on me than I could have predicted. This was a life changing moment.

I have included a small excerpt ( don't want to bore you to death SMILE).


"I must admitt that I have no personal recollection of the cutting/shaving of my hair. I see the sequence of photos and I find myself thinking I don't remember that. I do have recollections of people watching me and my thoughts of don't cry. I do remember the feeling of being sick the next morning as I walked into my bathroom and looked into the mirror. The tears flowing with out end. How could I be so very shallow......"

What's my point of today's posting? It's important to include your hard to deal with subjects as well as the good. You don't have to leave the journalling out there for the world to see, hide it. You don't even have to tell a single soul. But what an amazing gift for future generations to discover. They will discover the real you. Not the pretty angelic smiling one, not the picture perfect flawless one. They will discover the person that made bad or difficult choices and had to live with the consequences and how they made you the person that they knew. Be real, be honest and be true to you!

Sunsets

My favourite time of Day or Night is Sunset and Sunrise. This was one from 2005 that has been calling my name for a long time. It needed to be perfect. This will be a part of my class that I am teaching this fall (sample) but I wanted to share it with you today.

Here is another layout I did this weekend.


The little cutie in the photo is me at the age of two. Just a "vintage" layout I did for a challenge.

Just a peek at todays production

This is the matching pink layout for Diane's grad book. I thought you might enjoy seeing it before the whole album is ready.

One Down One to Go

Just thought I would share with you some of the pages from my latest work. I know the blurry faces take away from the finished product but as I don't have consent forms from all the individuals....................... blurry it is. There are five more pages to be done ......... that I know of. Something tells me there will be more once the album is viewed by the recipiant. I think that this is an amazing gift for a father to give his daughter.

I am officially laughing at myself! Or how not to Scraplift

I totally loved this layout by Leica Forrest when she posted it on her blog. She and I both share this passion for hand doodling. So after staring at it for what seemed like an enternity and then going back to it over and over the last couple of days I decide to scraplift this page. Sounds pretty harmless - right?

Wrong!!!!!!!! I needed this page in blue. Okay, I can do that - so I think! I trot off to my stash of papers and select the perfect shade of Blue. I sit down crack open the full size view of this layout and realize that she has beautifully scalloped the edges. Wellllllllllllllllll- If Leica can do this so can I. So I spend the next couple of hours drawing and erasing my scalloped edges. Well its not perfect like Leica's but it is going to be good enough. Man that was so much harder than I thought it would be. I appreciate Leica's talent yet another notch. Alright it is now time to DOODLE! Okay I don't know what I was thinking of. Its official please take me away to the asylum now.

I can't copy her doodles because some where along the way My scalloped edge took on a life and a pattern of its own. Her doodle pattern won't fit my edges - how does that happen when you are so dang sure that you copied exactly. Well, Leica wouldn't like it to much if I copied hers identically anyways. So I start the doodling process and I doodle and I doodle and I doodle for 5 hours. Yes, 5 hours of trying to simulate (remember I have now realized I can't scraplift this exactly any longer) this incredible work of art. I have muttered words that should only be heard on a construction site and not coming from a lady or in the presence of one. I have drank 5 Diet Cokes, consumed loads of chocolate to keep Mo and Jo from abandoning me in this time of need. But the background paper was done, I was proud, I was pleased and in my mind I had simulated Leica's work with style and grace. I was also cross eyed, tired, on a caffiene and sugar high that was causing me to shake. So I chose to go and get some much needed sleep.

I awake the sun is shining and the birds singing and I am on a doodling high remembering how well I simulated Leica's layout. I rush down to the kitchen table there it lays but that is not the layout I made so late last night. I look around the table - I must be dreaming. This looks not a thing like Leica's. Mo and Jo must be playing practical jokes - like the shoemaker's elves. No this is not my layout!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet, it is the same piece of paper that I used, the same spot that I left it in. I slide into a dejected sitting position - This is not the result I was looking for. So I hang my head and let out a sniffle - just a little one. I also want to go on record that the photo of this layouis not the completed layout as I am waiting for names. I appease myself that it is going in a album that I am likely never to see again. I will not have this reminder of my inability to scraplift what appeared to be a simple layout from Leica.

I stuff it in its protector knowing that it still looks very sharp and that I am the only one (and now you handful of bloggers) that knows it looks nothing like the original. I resolve that I am going to call Leica and get some doodling lessons. Then I grab my purse and head off to the LSS for some much needed retail therapy.

I am prusing the stacks of paper looking for that perfect piece of paper when what to my wandering eye should appear? Yes, the very background paper that Leica used. Slowly, as it is morning and my mind is not yet sharp I realize that Leica did not cut out her own scallops, That she did not do all her own doodles but rather accented with her own. Leica had started with this paper and accordingly was able to turn out a million beautiful elegant layouts in the time that it took me to just scallop the edges. The paper falls from my hand to the floor and I sink to my knees in a fit of laughter. The clerk concerned for my mental well being - I am sure. As I begin to realize how much more work I had made for myself than was necessary I laughed harder, the tears now rolling down my cheeks. I staggered to my feet paper in hand - unable to control my mirth for the balance of my stay in the LSS. I bought that paper, and I am giggling as I type this for now I will truly be able to scraplift this incredible layout from Leica.

If you would like to see more of Leica Forrest's work click on my link to her blog.

Melina Perron did the photographs for both layouts and you can click on her link to see more of her stunning work as well. Oh and by the way Melina didn't shoot the faces out of focus I deliberatley blurred them.

Why do We Scrap?

Have you ever been asked why you scrap? If you are Scrapper or a Scramper of course you have been asked. LOL If you haven't its only because you are new to the whole thing, but don't worry that question will come.

Today I received an email from my Friend Laura it was a poem about Why I Scrapbook. That was a copyrighted poem that I couldn't reprint. So I wrote my own as a result of reading it.

SO I SCRAP

There are things I want to remember,
but I know I will soon forget.
So I scrap.
I have been blessed with good men in my life.
I need to share those qualities and reasons with my children.
So I scrap.
I have 2 wonderful children, and they
need to know they are loved unconditionally.
So I scrap.
I have an extended family, near and far.
My kids need to know them and their lives.
So I scrap.
There are people whom I have loved, and been loved by,
but they are no longer able to be here.
So I scrap.
There are days when the kids are miserable
They need to remember that childhood was not always good
So I scrap.
There is beauty in the world everywhere.
I need to share this beauty with my family and friends, so they may see it too.
So I scrap.
There are days when I can’t handle one more thing.
So I turn to my photos and papers to take me to a better time.
So I scrap.
I have faced many challenges in life. I have overcome hardships
Life is not perfect, or easy and my kids need to know that
So I scrap.
Life is not fair! Bad things do happen to good people.
How we handle the hard stuff and the lessons that we learn,
is what makes us strong.
So I scrap.
There are friends and family I have not yet met.
I am waiting to meet them, and record those moments.
So I scrap.
Life is an adventure and I have a long list of adventures to complete.
I want to record the successes and laughter along the way.
So I scrap.
Every picture I take means something to me, a rush of memories.
I want to share the importance and the feelings that they bring back for me
So I scrap.
One day I will not be able to remember or and then one day I will be gone.
I want to leave a legacy, a insight to who I am and what made me that way.
So I scrap.

Before the end of the month I want to take this and scrap a layout and frame it for my office. I would love to see what you ladies and gentlemen can come up with. I would love to see your reasons for scrapping and how you capture that reason in your layouts. For those of you that send me a link to your layout (so I can post them here in the blog) I will enter your name for a RAK from my Stash.