Fishing... or lack, thereof...

On Sunday I went up to Paynesville to go "fishing" with the fam. But, like I said in a previous post, it doesn't make sense for me to get a license because I just don't fish much. It was a perfect example of why I don't fish, either... I just don't have patience. It's wierd because I'm a pretty patient person, but when you're set on doing something, and that something doesn't always produce what you are there for, it doesn't make sense to me. (def. used too many commas there, haha) Needless to say we only caught two fish worth even catching and the other two were pretty much bait for real fish! My mom caught this Sunny and my dad caught the baby northern.












I had fun though because the weather was beautiful and I got to play with the niece and nephew. They did really well for being out on the boat for atleast 3-4hours! We hit some rough REALLY rough water which was great fun! I took some video on the cam., but it doesn't look as bad through the camera. It's the worst I've been on... but the most fun! :)
Josh didn't want his pic taken, but I snuck one quick, I like it! :)
Sarah is always smiles, usually they look like a forced "picture" smile, but these turned out pretty well.













I love this pic of us! The best part is, I totally didn't pose her. We were just sitting there and I looked over and saw her with her legs crossed and hands on them. Adorable. simply adorable, so we quick snapped a pic! :)

Now I'm off to the Brummond's for some BBQ'n and possibly more boat fun!

Painting Zone

I wrote on Saturday that I was procrastinating packing, and then went to church. I had planned all along to paint at some point on Saturday and never got to that either.... until... after a power nap which I took after church... I needed some energy to embark on my painting escapade. (I'm flowering this up, way too much) Okay... this is what I did...



I had wanted to paint something for my sister and bro-in-law for christmas and never had the time, so I decided that I was going to finally start. We had talked about what she wanted, so earlier in the day I mapped out a few things on the computer. She told me she's going for a French "country" look, that's contemporary- not country like "mom" country (ie: cows, chickens, blues and pinks). In the picture you can see that her walls are a light greenish color, but what you don't see is that one of her walls is a maroon/brick red. The red and yellow are going to be her accent colors. I tied those in and she also asked for "fleur di li" so thanks to the wonderful world of symbol fonts, I was able to print them out and make stencils. (hey, not all artitsts make everything free-hand:)) You can also see on the wall to the left in the above pic that she has these great candle holders that are "vine" looking, so I added some vines to the pic as well. I'm quite pleased... and especially because it only took me about 3-4 hours to complete. I've never started and finished something at one attempt. I guess I was just in the zone and since I was going to see her the next day I thought it would be super awesome to have it done for her.

I added this one too, for no special reason other than maybe you can see the detail a little better. I couldn't take a non-blurry shot w/o the flash. Shoulda taken one during the day, outside or something. Owell... :)

Moving... stress... belize

I hate the process of moving. I don't know anyone who likes it, unless they like it because you go through things and get rid of junk. Besides that, it just stinks. It doesn't help that I'm leaving for Belize BEFORE the move-in date and will be gone while my dad and bro-in-law move me. I feel awful, but the harder part is packing boxes. I feel that I need to start early because I'll have enough stuff to do trying to get things together for Belize, but I can't really pack up all the boxes until just before I leave, either.
So, that being said, I'm a bit stressed, but I'm in the calm before the storm phase. I'm actually sitting here typing because I'm procrastinating packing. I went and got boxes, and packing tape I just have to get them out of my car. But, really, it doesn't make any sense for me to start now, because I have to leave for church in ten minutes or less. (what was I doing for the last hour since I got home? putsing of course)...
Belize is coming in three short weeks... THREE... ahk... it just doesn't feel like it's coming together. I know it will and it is, but having completely different leadership than I'm used to (Steve/Al) is hard to adjust and feel out. It's strange to think that last year at this point, we were still in Haiti mode. We didn't find out until two weeks before, yet I somehow (though it was HARD to adjust) knew that everything was going to work out. Maybe it's just that Steve has a good way of putting you at ease and letting you know that he's got it under control. So, if anyone feels like praying... that's one thing that I need prayer for... trusting that Scott's really got this together and that we're not forgetting any important parts.

I'm off to church tonite... going up to my sister's in Paynesville to play on the lake... actually I should remember to bring a book because I think they're thinking of fishing mostly. I'm not a HUGE fan of fishing... especially since you have to get a license for like $17 and I won't be doing it very often anyways... owell... I'm sure we'll play in the water too. Anyways... you all have a wonderful Memorial weekend!

"go"

Have you ever gotten a word that resonates, but you don't know exactly what it means?

Last week I was sitting in silence with God just asking questions about what I should do about some certain things. Whenever I do this I try really hard not to have a thought in my head, and if something pops in, I just dismiss it because I know it's just me. Well, that happened again, but this time for some reason it stuck with me and the word was "go." I don't think it means transplanting myself elsewhere... I don't know what it means, i'm still wondering if it was Him... so i'm waiting for Him and trying to quiet myself to listen again...

where you lead me lord, i will follow
where you lead me lord, i will go.
come and lead me lord, i will follow
come and lead me lord, i will go

i will go

A year already...

Last weekend marks a year since last year's wedding bonanza... or "the weddings of '05" that I was asked to stand up in. It was last weekend and this coming weekend that were all a huge amount of fun and at the same time an emotional rollercoaster of sorts.
As I look back on where I was at last year, and where I am now, I see how much those weddings really affected the thoughts that ran through my head. I was constantly thinking about how I'd want my wedding to be and wondering who the person would be accompanying me. The last thought is yet to be determined and I'm learning and coming to know that it won't come in my timing. And that's probably better for all involved :). One thing I've really enjoyed is NOT thinking all about my own wedding and all the other stuff that goes along with them.

Instead, my thoughts have been on wondering what I want to do with my life other than getting married and eventually having a family. Things have been really interesting at work, although being extremely and wildly busy the two weeks before the 3Degrees Band Tourney(which was last week), Guy has been trying to define where his niche is and how to make Vision Van Gogh the most successful. One thing he has realized is that his knowledge of the music industry and how to get bands to maximize their income, is very valuable information. So, he recently recorded the talks he has given at seminars countless times, and will be selling those to generate income in a better way.
Another thing or idea that has been kicked around is the consideration of eliminating the overhead cost of office space. This is what got me thinking a lot about how that would look and what pros and cons it presented. My initial thought honestly was, "sweet, i could wake up at 9 and be to work by 9:30!" :) I know, pathetic... sleeping and waking up in the morning at a consistent time has not been my strong suit lately. Most of you probably would hate me if I told you my schedule, but when there isn't a "time to be at work" it's hard to keep yourself accountable. I did for the first 4yrs or so, and the last couple haven't been so normal... i always put in my time though... but I totally went off on a tangent. Okay...
So, yeah, working from home, an interesting concept that intrigues, yet scares me because keeping a routine is a hard thing for me. And, you'd still really have to keep things organized and professional even though it's at home... yeah, so there are many more pros and cons but I don't feel like sharing all of them since it's not like there has been any decision... mostly just an idea that is fun to think about and ponder for the time being.
This concept opens the door for the possibility of putting more energy into free-lancing. I started thinking about the idea back in dec./jan., but soon found myself feeling overwhelmed with knowing how I'd make time outside of work and then how to get myself out there and like I said... overwhelmed. I didn't think about it again until Guy mentioned this whole working at home and how we'd probably get paid per job instead, etc. I think he even said, "then you guys could do your own stuff too"... The other thing about trying to free lance now is that it would be hard to design at work and then come home and want to do the same thing, I'd get burned out I think.
The other area that I want to explore is painting. Ever since my aunt got me the hook-ups with a huge canvas and painting supplies that her friend of a friend's friend's ex-wife didn't want, I've been loving painting. Even though I don't make enough time for it, whenever I pick up a brush I just love being creative and messing around with different mediums and artistic direction. I've done a few things (besides the big piece of artwork on my living room wall).. a princess castle for my niece, a train for my nephew, a lily for Shannon, and a little set of square paintings for my grandma's bathroom. I've learned though, that it is hard to paint freely when you have a deadline to meet... so when I think of the possibility of maybe trying to start a decorative painting free-lance "company" or whatever you'd call it, I wonder if I would still find the same joy as when I get to just paint whatever I want and do whatever I feel like creating. I guess I just gotta pray about it and figure out what it is He wants me to do with that part of my life.

There you have it, a couple snippets of where my head has been lately. As usual, thanks for bearing with my lack of writing skills. I must depart... but I leave you with a snippet of my weekend:

My niece just turned five a week ago!! We celebrated her "Princess" party saturday afternoon and she looked adorable! My lovely sister sewed her a beautiful Cinderella dress, the blue one with white ruffeled sleeves and white poofy things at the waist! :) She LOVED it, and played the role great! She only cried once the whole day and quickly bouced back after a hug and explanation from mom! (not that she normally cries, but you know the tune, "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to...etc)...