A Celebration of Life....

Our news, and our emails nowadays seem to be just inundated with mental images of how life can be devastated in minutes by a natural disaster or how a person you were communicating with can be gone forever. Japan's disaster dominates the pages of our news and reminds us of how powerful and uncontrollable our world can really be. At the same time receiving news of the passing of a cousin and a friend who happened to also be family sunk deep in my heart. The shock came in such a way that I couldn't even outwardly cry, its was a painful weeping inside.

All this came in such close proximity to my birthday and at first of course it was hard to even think of celebrating anything. But I had to. Despite all of what can be sorrowful I have to still appreciate that I am not just breathing another day but was blessed with being able to have lived another year. We have to celebrate the life we are given, what else is there to look forward to if nothing is worth living for? I have a million things worth living for and the the top of that list are my boys and my husband. So when I celebrated my birthday it was not just my day, it was a day of being surrounded by those dear to me and enveloped with love from all my family and friends.

That day started with a wonderful dinner out with my two handsome boys. Then coming home to a handmade card from them both created by Jared and Red Velvet Cupcakes baked by Nick and decorated by both for me. :) The thoughtfulness and the togetherness was the best gift I could have ever asked for and so I know in my heart this is not just another day. It is a day to celebrate life and everyday after should be constant celebrations of "living" the life given to me.

Nick Baking

Red Velvet Cupcakes

My special cupcake, LOL!

Then my week took an even better turn when I received a phone call from a dear online friend being in town. We have known each other now for years and first met in Bowling Green, KY when her and her husband came up after this deployment to Afghanistan to visit his family in Kentucky in 2006. This time where I live is closer to his hometown and they were coming with the two additions to their family and so I was so excited to plan a meet up at our historic Glendale, KY restaurant called the Whistle Stop. Just that moment of being with them elevated my spirits and made me realize how precious friends really are.

2006 Meeting with Brent and Becca

2011 Meet Up with the H. Family

Baby Ellie

Brent, Becca and the Girls

Me, Becca and the her precious girls. :)

Brent and Belle

Princess Belle

Abby and Becca

I had such a wonderful visit with a great family and I already miss them.

In my hectic schedule I try to harness any time I can at all to create and have been happily busy in my creative bliss. It is nice to be able to finally take the time to experiment and just play. Here are some snippets of progressive works.

Experimenting with texture-coarse modeling paste

I finished my third "Get Your Paint On" assignment and will hopefully be sharing that soon. I realized in this class that I do have a bright color palette and that everything inspires me. :) Art Journaling during down times has also kept the creative mode moving. I am now at a point where I need to create everyday, it eases my soul.

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are also celebrating life in your own ways. :)

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
~Thich Nhat Hanh~