Centered

Hello all, I know I promised to be a little better with my blogging this week. I think about 3 a week is about as much as I can squeeze in. I guess I just haven't had much to chitter about this week. I had a super lunch today with Amelia, Jaime & Amanda. The center of attention was, of course, the cutest little girl in the world, Miss Kendall Elizabeth. She is absolutely, positively the cutest little girl ever. You can't help but smile when you are around her. Of course, Aunt Christy is a totally objective observer, LOL !!! I will miss J & the girls when they start back to school next week. I know they stay pretty busy during the school year. We will just have to make more of an effort to get together.

After I got back to lunch from work, I was in an oddly reflective mood. I couldn't help but notice how genuinely happy I was. That is pretty unusual for me. I have spent the majority of the last 34 years in a fairly dark & lonely place. I am the world's greatest actress so I have been able to fool people for years. But I can honestly say I have never been in a better place. During the last few months, so much as just seemed to have clicked into place in my head. It was like after all this time, the veil has lifting and everything is more clear, making perfect sense. I know who I am, what I am and what I believe. I am no longer willing to bend or break this for anyone or anything. I am fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with the friends & the environment that allows me to be happily me with no judgement or pressure to change. I have lost patience with people who are not thoughtful, or who are self centered. There is no need for a big production or dramatic scene. If there are people in your orbit that make you less than happy, then remove them. It isn't as easy as it sounds, or as simple, but it is just necessary. I feel like I am finally in a place where I can start doing the things I have always dreamed of. I have always wanted to write. My head has been full of stories for years. It is time I start the tell these stories, introduce the world to my characters. I hope to start this soon. I don't care if I ever get published or if anyone else ever even reads anything I write. I just think is would be a shame if all this just stayed in my head. Lord knows it is a cluttered place up there, LOL LOL !!

Well, I have done enough rambling for one night. One my obsessive notes, I was fortunate enough to get my grubby paws on an advance copy of "Breaking Dawn" before Friday night. OMG !!!! Wild book, not at all what I was thinking. Incredible story though. I will read anything Stephanie Meyer chooses to write. She has a real gift. I also discovered something new & fun today while digging around on the internet. On the big Harry Potter fan sites there is a section called "fan fiction". I had seen it before but never thought anything about it. Turns out tons of people have written loads of stories about the characters. What would have happened next? What if things had ended differently? I read several really good stories, especially about Ron & Hermione. Who knows, maybe I will write one of my own sometime. If you are a HP fan, you should definitely check some of them out.

Chow for now, I have a busy morning tomorrow then a super 31 party at my friend Kelly's hosted by none other than the 31 guru herself, JME! She has promised we will play games, YIPPPEE !!!!

Harry Potter Tuesday

Ok, so I might be a tad bit obcessed, but the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out tonight. It looks awesome. I will so be there on opening night to see it. You have to check it for yourself. Today has been a pretty boring day. I actually took the afternoon off from work today, which I never ever do. I have been feeling really crappy the last few days with my allergies so I though I would come home and rest a little. Tonight I have been watching another super fav movie "Hairspray" while I listed more scrapbooking goodies on ebay. This will be the first week I have had the stuff on. I am anxious to see how it does. My goal is to make the money for all my fall birthdays and the upcoming baby gifts with my little shop. Wish me luck. Have a super Wednesday.

Aren't weekends for rest !!

Isn't a weekend supposed to be restful, especially for someone who works as much as I do. Well, I have worked like a dog this weekend but at least I can go to sleep tonight with a sense of satisfaction !

My weekend started super fun on Friday. I got to take the load of goodies I had collected over to the scraptastic girls in Athens. They had a fit over everything. I kept trying to tell them it was a bunch but I don't think they really believed me until they saw it all. That has been my favorite part of getting all this fun scrapbook stuff, being able to share it. I can't wait until we can have another day together. Oh and I forgot to mention the super fab owl notebooks & stickers the girls gave me. LOVED THEM !!!

I work up on Saturday as a woman with a mission. I was going to organize my scrapbook room or die trying. Success !!! I organized all the patterned papers into their plastic boxes and have them all stacked up. Then I set to work on putting up all the stuff I had pulled out that I wanted to keep. I had a bunch of brads and stuff to find a place for. Plus, I got 2 new cricut cartridges in the mail on Friday. Both are super fabulous !!! One of them even has an owl on it !!

So today, I started putting together some lots to put on ebay. There were a lot of the brass embossing stencils. Plus, I put on a bunch of the Disney stuff. Be sure to stop by ebay and check it all out. I am going to try to get a bunch more lots ready to put on next Saturday & Sunday. I will be very distracted next weekend though. The fabulous book Breaking Dawn comes out Friday night at midnight. I have had my advance ticket for weeks. I will have to force myself to work and not bury myself in the book !!! I can't wait to find out if Bella pick Edward. She had better !!!!

I will try to do better about blogging this week. Hope everyone has a fab Monday.

Beautiful Mess !!

Well I promised so more pics so I finally had time to put some on. Look at what remains of my clean, beautifully organized scrapbook room, LOL !! The good news is that I have finished going through all the paper boxes and pulled out what I want to keep and a big pile to take my buddies. This weekend I am going to put it all in the big plastic boxes and organize everything by theme. So by Monday, there might actually be room to MAKE something in this craziness. I am just giddy with myself to share the goodies on Friday. I have had all this stuff to myself all week. I am anxious to share it with folks I know that will just as giddy as I am. My head is just spinning with so many ideas. But the mess must come first. Who knows, by Sunday I might actually have some stuff ready to go on ebay.

I had a wonderful lunch today with one of my favorite ladies, Amelia. She is one of the prettiest pregnant people I have ever seen. Lord knows I wouldn't look that good. I am off to rest a little now. I am thrilled with all that I have accomplished tonight.

Restful Monday

Doesn't that sound strange. No one would ever think of Monday as relaxing. It definitely is for me. I had a very thrilling but exhausting weekend. I have managed to get all my lot out of Daddy's truck and into the house. There are 18 totally packed boxes of paper alone!! My mom and I spent all weekend sorting through the boxes that have odds & ends like stickers and such. I have stuff for any theme you might want. Tons of sports, every Disney character ever, cartoons, travel, just way too much to list. I pulled out what I thought I might use and my mom did too. Then I have one large box that I have been putting stuff for my scrappy friends in. Goodness know, if they don't see it in the box, I can probably find it. I tried to divide things into themes, this will make it easier to list everything on eBay. I have started on the paper but I am not even halfway there. The stack to give to my friends is already about 8 or 10 inches tall and that is just through 5 boxes. I can't wait to show them everything on Friday. Hopefully by the end of next weekend, I will have everything totally organized so that I can start flooding eBay. Goodness knows I don't have the room to keep everything for too long. There is one narrow path around the edge of my scrapbook room now that is just barely wide enough to navigate to the computer. The cats are a little angry that they don't have the entire floor to roll around on now!! Hopefully I will have some more pictures tomorrow. I am off to eat lunch now. Have a great day all!!

Out of the Blue !!!!!!!

Well Jaime hinted in her blog about my windfall and here are the first photos to show it. Last night Dr Hardy calls and starts asking me random scrapbook questions. I couldn't figure out what he wanted. He never really pays much attention to all my scrapbook foolishness. Then he drops the bombshell on me.

Back around the first of the year, the scrapbook store in Decatur moved out of the Big Lots shopping center and into one of Dr. Hardy's buildings on 6th ave. I remember joking at the time that I should get a discount since I worked for the landlord. About 2 months or so after the move, the owner declared bankruptcy and went out of business. I remember him sending our handyman over to clean up the place so he could rent the building again but that was the last I heard about it. Come to find out she just walked off and left her ENTIRE !!! inventory behind. She told Dr. Hardy that since she has lost her house and was living in an apartment, she had no where to keep the stuff. He told her that he would hold if for a couple of months, but that if he hadn't heard from her by July 16th, then everything was his. All this stuff has been sitting in his storage building. Thankfully it FINALLY dawned on him that maybe Christy might want the stuff. So Daddy & I went and picked everything up this morning. OH MY LORD !!! You will not believe everything that is in this. There are tons & tons of paper, stickers, pens and more. I just skimmed over the tops of the boxes. These pictures are the back of Daddy's truck before we unload it all. I have been given a real scrapbook store. I will post tons more pictures as I start going through this stuff. Ladies, if we do get to have a scrapbook day this Friday, I will be supplying all the materials. Of course my scrappy friends will get first dibs before I start flooding ebay with the rest. Wish me luck !!

Randomness on a Thursday

I have been slacking seriously on my blogging this week. It has been insanely busy at work so when I do get home, I am totally wiped out. Plus, since I stare at a computer all day, the last thing I want to do is get back on the computer when I get home. So I thought I would take this quite morning before patients come in to chitter about some the randomness running around in my head.

I got to watch the first episode of "Project Runway" last night. LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! When I was a little girl, my deepest dream was to become a fashion designer. I would spend hours and hours with my Barbie dolls & the boxes of clothes I had for them. I would beg my mom to buy me fashion & bridal magazines so that I could cut them up and save the pictures I liked. I had 2 major flaws in my master plan though. #1 is that I can't sew at all, not even putting a button back on. I have been banned from my mom's sewing machine for years, ever since I broke it once trying to make Barbie clothes. My #2 problem is that I can't draw at all, except stick men and some doodle flowers. That kinda makes getting the ideas out of my head and onto paper somewhat more difficult. Even though I abandoned the design dream, this show gets me so excited. It is exactly the sort of thing that I would love. Plus, they always find the craziest, oddest folks to be on it. I highly recommend checking it out sometimes. Lord knows it is much better than the garbage reality shows like Rock of Love or Tila Tequila!!!

For all my scrappy friends, you HAVE to check out this new blog I found. It is http://aussiescrapsource.typepad.com/aussie_scrap_source/ . Not only has it do tons of great ideas, they are also posting previews of all the new stuff that is coming out this fall. For those who don't know, this weekend is the huge CHA (craft & hobby association) show in Chicago. This is where all the scrapbook companies go and introduce their new stuff to the buyers for all the stores & websites. The companies started posting previews earlier this week. This site has the best of any I have seen. I get so excited looking at the new stuff. I need to start saving now because I am seeing so much stuff I desperately need (HA HA).

So I guess I had better get going. The dementors of Blue Cross are calling. Have a great day all!!!!

Happy Anniversary

I wanted to do a little post tonight and wish my Mom & Dad a happy anniversary tomorrow. They have been married for 36 years. Wow, sometimes it amazes me that they have put up with each other for so long. Someday I hope I can have half as good a relationship as they have always had. Check out daddy's side burns, so 1970's !!

Ladies Who Lunch !!

I had a marvelous day today. I got to have a long lunch with 2 of my most favorite people. We can be so silly when we are together. There is no telling what we might do or say. I laugh when I think of the people who sit around us. I am sure they can be scandalized by some of our conversations, LOL. Amelia had better hurry up and come back from her vacation so that we can go out again soon!! I am off to watch Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix yet again. I watch these movies over and over. I am a definite HP freak! Can't wait for the new movie in November.

This should have been #102 on my list !!

I don't know why I didn't put this on my 101 things list. It is something that I have been thinking about for quite awhile. First, in case anyone isn't already aware, I am a total, complete 100% bookworm. Always have been, always will be. I am constantly recommending books and letting folks borrow books. I want to start a book club with anyone interested!!! We could pick like 1 book a month and have a little get together and talk about it. I think it would be super fun. Everyone could take turns picking out the books. I think it would get folks to try new books that they might not ever have thought about before. Plus I would love to have someone to talk to about my latest obsessions. I tend to get really wrapped up in my books. I guess it comes from being an only child and developing a very vivid imagination filled with imaginary friends. I still tend to lean toward imaginary people sometimes, LOL. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I really think it would be a lot of fun.

Hope everyone has a super day!!

I am so happy to see so many of my friends completing these lists. We should all help and encourage each other along these journeys. I think it will help all of us to focus on the things that are truly important and what makes us really happy.

I was so inspired when I read Amanda's blog today. I know how she feels about being in a dark place and losing faith. I have never had any self-esteem. I have always felt like I was never good enough. Then I lost my job at Family Security. I can honestly say that being fired is one of the most humiliating and hurtful experiences ever. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Plus if you have a low opinion of yourself like I did, it hurts even more. It took over 5 months to find another job. This one was at Compass Bank. Just as I started feeling a little more sure of myself, I starting getting sick. The Dr's couldn't figure out what was wrong. After 10 days off and on in the hospital, they decided to remove my gall bladder as a last resort. Well, that was too late for Compass. They fired me too. Again, I thought I had hit rock bottom. Oh no, the worst was yet to come. To make a long boring story short, my medical insurance was cancelled while I was still in the hospital, before I was actually fired. The hospital stay, tests and surgery were not covered under my insurance. I was left with over $50,000 in medical bills. Not to mention that my finances were already a shambles from being out of work for so long. I was told by my attorney that the only option I had was to declare bankruptcy. That meant losing my house. I could have dealt with losing the building, but it was my grandparents old house that I had inherited. I had taken out a mortgage to make all the improvements to make it livable again. No I had to face the fact that I was a failure and a disappointment yet again. I had to move back home with my parents, I had no where else to go. It was the darkest time of my life. I thought many days that the world would be much better off without me, that I was just a drain on everyone.

My story does have a happy ending though. Through hard work, faith and prayer, I have finally realized that I am NOT a loser or a failure or a disappointment to anyone. The world would be a must more boring place without me, LOL. My parents have been wonderful. I still live with them and I am going to stay there as I plan and save toward building my dream house. My friends also played a big part, probably more than they will ever know. There are no words or actions to express how much their love & support means to me. I no longer hate Family Security or Compass for what happened. My lord, if it hadn't been for the old FSCU, I wouldn't ever have met my wonderful friends. Letting go of the anger helped me to heal. I wasn't only hurting myself by filling my thoughts and my life with spite, bitterness and hatred. It was making me a sick and miserable person. I was also so blessed to find the most wonderful job purely by accident. I came to Dr. Hardy's office just as a temporary fill-in for a maternity leave. I found my home there. He is the most amazing boss that anyone could ask for. He inspires all of us to work harder for him because he appreciates & rewards us. I wish everyone could work in as wonderful an work environment as I do.

The moral to the story is have faith and never give in to the pain. Let the anger, hurt & resentment go. You will never change the past or anything that has already happened. Dwelling on things will only hold you back from happiness in the future. I also highly recommend the book "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. I found it so inspiring. It really changed the way I look at my life and my power to control what happens around me. Now I am through with my venting for the day. Sorry I ran on so long. And you were right Amanda, blogging is cheaper than therapy, LOL!!!

My Super List

Hi everyone!! I have decided to stop using this blog just for business and start using it as my personal sounding board. Who knows what mess I might put on here. I have started by posting my 101 things to do in 1001 days list. My friend Amelia inspired me to make one. I challenge her and all my other friends to post theirs too. Some things might seem silly or random but I am very proud of all of them. Reading over them after I finished, I realized what a true reflection they are of me. You never know what I might come up with next. Chow for today. I will share more of my soul tomorrow.