End Of The Road

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

-Havelock Ellis

A few weeks ago I saw an old high school classmate of mine. She asked for my email so she could contact me about a "pre" reunion of sorts. Apparently one reunion isn't enough to revel in the good old days.  Anyhoo.....I asked her which reunion (#) this was because I deliberately don't keep track.

She said (with a slight hesitance & a squinting of the eyes, like it hurt to say it)....20! 

Err, excuse me? I have been out of high school for TWO DECADES? eek!

I came home that night and reminisced about senior year & graduation & the aftermath. #goodtimes

The biggest thing I remember was that my grandpa was there... & he said...."finally outta this hell hole, hu?" heehee

So yeah, that was the end of a road for me, in a way.
& truth be told, I'm not a fan of endings. I get sad when football season is over, I was gloomy for a while after my kids learned how to walk, I'm not huge on New Years Eve cuz that just means Christmas is over....oh, I could go on. :]

BUT....here's one ending I do kinda enjoy & I'm not sure why this is an exception?
There's something about the end of an art journal that makes me happy :)

I shared a couple of pages in this journal before but here's a few more.
 Enjoy:)

There's always going to be an end of the road, but from what I hear, looking forward to something, looking to a new beginning, keeps you going, keeps you new & fresh. (I'm still learning to believe all the groovy, wise crap "people" say. :D)

And of course, a vid - - - of one of the original boy bands :) I had this song on repeat for so long back in the day!!

Enjoy! & Happy Labor Day Weekend!!
(& I will be shedding a tear as Monday comes to an end lol jk)

 

{{Listening to: my boys arguing over legos - I'll step in soon, promise!}}

Do You Remember

Live Inspired!

-donna downey

HAPPY WEEKEND!!! #rockon

Savannah & I started a little tradition of sorts a few weeks ago (per Sav's request.)

She wanted us to art journal together. She said it's so she can take it with her when she leaves, to remember the time...She inspires me & not just artistically. 

Anyhoo, we got to work right away!!! & we decided to have our "art dates" on Friday evenings, when time permits - or Saturday afternoons.

Here are #s 1-5! Enjoy! 

PS. Left side = Savannah; Right side = Yours truly

 June 26th ^

 August 3rd ^

 August 11 ^

 August 18th ^

August 24th ^

Thanks for stopping by!

For your listening pleasure, here is Krystyn Pixton. Savannah & I adore her!

{{Listening to: Klove}}

Sweet Child O' Mine

She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories

Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky.

-Guns n Roses

Today was Savannah's first day of school, first day of 7th grade. And also her first day back at her school after a year of being homeschooled.

She's my first baby. My girl. My ray of sunshine on an almost always cloudy day.

She felt bad wanting to go back to school because she didn't want to hurt my feelings. She didn't want me to think she didn't like being home with me. (& me being me, the thought did cross my mind lol)

As [financially] tough as it is, we are putting her thru private school this year.

Sacrificing certain things for the kids isn't new to our family. I've stayed home with our kids from day one (12  years ago) and even-though I work part-time, finances, for the most part, dictate our do's and don't's.  Seems like I'm constantly apologizing to the kids for not being able to do this or buy them that. But then one day this summer, Savannah said something that I should replay in my head any time I start to doubt....

Our mini convo went like this:

I said, "Kids, I'm sorry but we aren't going to be able to stay at the Island this summer, we can't fit it in the budget."

Savannah said, "Mommy, if you worked more, we would have more money, right?"

I said, "yes hunny, we would"

She said, "Why don't you work more?"

I said, "So I can be home with you and your brothers, to see you all grow up."

She said, "Mommy, thanks for choosing us."

<3

Needless to say, this morning, I'm kinda missing my girl. But I'm happy that she's where she wants to be.

Without further ado! GNR at their finest.

{{Listening to: oscillating fan, no tunes except GNR video}}

Time

Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

-Pink Floyd

I've been out of sorts lately. I get the urge to write, a lot. But the thoughts never come to fruition on paper. Err, cyberspace.  Anyhoo, here I am. All my adoring fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief that I have not deleted my blog... since purging is on my list of fave things to do.

This past Sunday me and my boys (sans Savannah because she was at a sleep-over with a friend) went to my parents house for brunch.  Mom sent me a text Friday evening, inviting us.  Who turns down free food? :P More precisely, who turns down MY MOM'S free food? ;)

It was #goodtimes :D Mom pledged herself a short order cook that day; what a treat!  The boys (including my dad) had over easy eggs, huevos ranchero style. Tortillas & salsa included. My mom & myself opted for omelets.  But not just ANY omelets. Jump-off-the-rooftop omelets. Which included, feta, grilled asparagus, onions, mushrooms & zucchini, tomato and egg beaters. #DontHate

The conversation was so random. We talked about tid bits of stuff. 

-> a Momma duck that made their home in one of my parents tree trunks & gave birth to about 20 eggs.

-> the pros & cons of taking an entire 2 week vacation all at once...vs one week in summer, one in winter.

-> my kids & the movies they aren't allowed to watch and why...& when/why we choose to loosen the reins.

-> my neurosis with numbers & the fact that there are times my husband mentions "men in white jackets" lol

-> perfectionism. and the fact that I inherited this strictly from my father. (After describing certain tendencies I have, Dad dropped his head in his hands & my mom apologized to Adam, lol.)

This last one ^ left us with a question: (ok, mainly me and my Dad because I think my Mom & Adam couldn't care less!) 

Is it better to do ONE thing/job/project to perfection or several things/jobs/projects at a mediocre level?

My first answer is...ONE thing to perfection. But I think I answer that way because I am a perfectionist. So my answer kinda holds no true merit.  The flip side is mediocrity. Mozart wasn't mediocre. And he's my inspiration lol. kidding. He was a genius. I, clearly, am not. 

So I don't think Mozart would do anything half-ass, ever. But me? Well, I am far from genius, like way far. But I can't see myself setting out to intentionally do something average.  Can an average person do something extraordinary? Absolutely. (The bible story David & Goliath comes to mind)

But should I spend all my efforts in trying to make all my endeavors perfect? That's pretty stressful!  Now, don't get me wrong. I'm just as lazy as the next person. I dust AROUND furniture.  Most of the time, I don't pick up the printer and dust under it. But for the most part, my mind frame leans to doing things really neatly & correctly.  And THIS is why I struggled in my art journaling experience. What a joy it is to not have to be perfect in my artistic journey! (that might be a whole other blog post! haha)

Ok, friends ...<- see that? plural! wow, I do aim high! lol.

Not sure if ANY OF WHAT I SAID ABOVE makes any sense at all. But I am under an extreme amount of stress this month so bare with me and my rambles. 

The time spent at my parents was pretty sweet. In fact, we put it on the calendar that every 1st Sunday of the month we will be having brunch with them.  I like that idea!  Time is a valuable thing, Linkin Park says so. lol.  

So for your listening pleasure - and in honor of my parents - here is a lil tune that should keep you mellow and groovy til next time ;) Enjoy.

{{Listening to: Silence. Because it's golden. and I could use some golden right now.}}