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)...