Four

Today marks the fourth year Dave and I have been married. We've known each other for seven; we dated for three. In these past 4 years, we've had a total of eleven jobs, lived in six homes, gone through seven vehicles, and managed to not only keep our sanity, but also to grow up together. I was 19, he was 20... we've done a lot of growing up. We have each changed by immeasurable amounts, but every change we make seems to mimic a change in the other and we have become immeasurably closer through it. We teach each other, have so much fun together, and learn how life works together. Life isn't perfect and marriage isn't perfect, but I think what we have is about as close as it can get.

David is one of those very rare men in the world who is genuinely a wonderful person. Godly, kind, honest, intelligent, compassionate, and giving. He has seen me at my absolute best, and he's helped me be better. He has seen me worse than I ever knew I could be, and he has loved me still. He's a wonderful, wonderful man - and it's my pleasure and my honor to be called his wife. Happy anniversary, David. I love you.

Depression

I gave myself a little pep talk before I started this blog. I told myself that I would always be honest – that I wouldn’t skirt issues that were affecting me, and so on. This is one of those times that I really don’t want to write honestly, but I’m going to out of a hope that it might help someone else.
I’m living with depression. It’s not a daily struggle, but it is a daily issue. I get in “funks” as Dave and I call them. A funk, for me, is categorized as a period of time – days, weeks, usually all winter, as well - where I don’t function like I feel I should. I usually can feel it creeping up on me. It can start with a little tiny thing pushing me in the direction of sadness, fatigue, or sometimes a complete lack of emotion. But it can also start for no reason. I can be sitting on the couch, watching TV, and feel it come barreling in. It also masquerades as several different things. Sometimes I look overly emotional – I will sob during movies that shouldn’t be so sad or cry during a conversation that shouldn’t warrant tears, often it looks like laziness – I could go days doing nothing but sitting in the house in the dark or sleep 12-15 hours a night several days in a row. Sometimes it feels like deep loneliness, even when I’m surrounded by friends. Sometimes it looks completely normal. My life makes sense, and my emotions make sense. Other times it looks normal, but it doesn’t feel normal. Lots of people are depressed. Most people who live with it don’t understand it, and the people around them definitely don’t understand it either. If you’re someone who is very close to someone with depression, please understand that you can’t fix it. Sometimes even trying to fix it is worse than just letting it happen. Show love and support. Listen. Watch for warning signs of serious mental illness or suicide attempts. But you’re never going to fully understand it, and you’re not going to be able to fix it.
If you are not someone going through depression, I want to use this post as a window of sorts into the feelings. The past few days for me are an example of how my depression works. Last week was a great week. I was feeling up and alive and motivated. All weekend I had a great time being around close friends. Sunday afternoon I went to a party with a group of wonderful friends from church. We talked and laughed and ate some amazing lasagna.
And then Sunday night, I was laughing with Dave, we were having a fun time just hanging out together. Right before we fell asleep I said to him, “I don’t really want to talk about it, but today was hard for me.” He said, “I thought it may have been,” which is proof that I can’t hide my sadness like I generally think I can. And we went to bed.
Yesterday, I couldn’t focus on work, I was irritable, and I was very tired. Last night I had a dream that I was pregnant (which, if you know me at all, you know this is a serious desire for me) and woke up to realize that it was only a dream and became very emotional, I couldn’t sleep well at all, constantly waking up and feeling sad as I tried to fall back asleep and getting annoyed with myself that I was sad in the middle of the night, which meant I was wide awake… filled with emotion that had no cause, and spiraling deeper into the emotion.
When my alarm finally went off this morning, I struggled with whether or not I was going to go to work. I didn’t want to face normal life, normal people, outside situations. I had enough going on with myself, and bringing other people into it was not something I thought I could handle. I finally did get out of bed and got ready because I knew that if I called into work I would have to tell them why I wasn’t coming into work, and that would bring people into my mess even more – which I really didn’t want. Since “getting ready for work” was just an automatic response that I had to put little to no effort into today, I had about 15 minutes to kill before I left for work. I lay back in bed, with Dave still asleep, and cried. For no reason. I was just sad. Sad that I had to go to work, sad about not being pregnant, worried that maybe I could never have children, worried that I was holding on to something so totally out of my control, sad that I didn’t have breakfast, and sad that I was sad. I cried on my way to work, I cried at my desk, I ignored phone calls, I avoided chit-chat.
Although this isn’t a complete picture of what depression can be, it’s a glimpse. I’m not posting this so people will feel sorry for me, or so I can get away with certain emotions. I really do want this to help people in some way, and I want to be honest. If you have any questions about depression, feel free to ask me – but I can’t guarantee I’ll have any answers.

25 Things That Make Me Smile - the sequal

In January, I had a post about things I was loving at the moment, titled 25 Things That Make Me Smile. Since being more grateful is something I think we should all strive towards...I've decided to make my 25 things list bi-annual. So, without further ado, here ya go.

• The way fingers smell when they're finished peeling an orange
• Seeing wind - in pine trees and in big puddles
• "Going shopping" without spending the money. via Polyvore
• The mood and energy burst I get every spring
• Shoes...oh, shoes
• Sticking to a budget. It sounds crazy, I know - but it feels so good
• Rice and beans, which coinsidentally helps out with the previous bullet point
• My new food processor
• Having wonderful co-workers
• Finally figuring out Twitter (you can follow me @stephaniehagen)
• Selling my first painting to NEW YORK CITY!
• A husband who is fun. Really, fun is a big deal.
• The new album, "Old Time Speaker" by Bronze Radio Return "Digital Love" is great
• The fact that my giant bean-bag fits perfectly in the bed of our truck. Perfect Drive-in theater experience
• The wholly perfect, purposeful plan of God
• Seeing an idea I had being carried out by others successfully, gives me hope for my own idea
• All my dear, dear friends who are pregnant with healthy babies (currently, 9 friends are carrying, and one is carrying twins. Ridiculous, no?)
• Trying my hand at writing lyrics. It's a whole other animal than writing poetry
• Homemade guacamole. Can't get enough. Although, avocados are $1.08 a piece. That does not make me smile
• Living in a super-friendly neighborhood sandwiched by two amazing families
• Slow months at work (thank heavens for slow phone days)
• Anything feminine in fashion - bows, ribbon, pleating, florals. - I'm hooked on cutesy
• Hillsboro Village in Nashville. It's a magical place
• Planning my first monthly craft night. I'm thinking of calling it "crafternoon delight"
• People who comment on my blog and list a few of the things that are making them smile today :)

Smile, friends. Life is better when we're adding to the beauty.

A little of this...a little of that

Today, I have a hodge-podge of things I want to share. Please just appease me in my randomness.


The first thing is health related - (and it's the last health thing for a while, I promise). And it's also good news! I got some blood work back this week from my doctor's office. It was another cholesterol check, and the results were good. Not great, but good. For those of you, like myself before February of 2008, who know nothing about cholesterol - I will put it this way... desirable cholesterol levels are 200 and lower. From "desirable" to "very high" is only 40 points. My cholesterol level was 304 - which is 104 points above desirable (if just 40 points difference is good to bad, then think what 104 points difference is!). Yikes, right? Well, I have gone from 304 down to 221! It took me about a year and a half, not bad. I'm still in the "borderline high" category, but I'm at least low enough now that I don't have to go on medication, which is great news.



The second tidbit is also exciting, though a bit vague. Today I have an opportunity that may flourish into something fun for me. I've been talking with a woman from church about the possibility of becoming the nanny for her little one that's due in December. The details are still not hashed out yet, and it may not work out in the long run. But I am indeed excited about the possibility. For those of you out there who are the praying type - please send one up for me. I've been doing a lot of it in the past few months, and, well, I'm just very hopeful.



And to keep with the theme of random objects with no relation - here is a picture from my current favorite website to brighten your day.

Another recipe

Yes. I know. I am obsessed with food lately. Eating healthier is something that I put all of my energy into for a while, until it becomes normal to me, or it slowly tapers off into eating old junk food again. Since I am still in the all-I-can-think-about-is-eating-healthy-food stage, I am going to post another recipe today. I made a comment about this recipe on facebook, and have had several people ask me for the recipe, so I thought I should probably post it for all to see. It's simple, it's delicious, and it's quite healthy!

Cucumber Crab Salad

1 lb lump crab meat (I used imitation since it's so much cheaper, but it would be amazing with real crab)
1 cup of plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil (I just eyeballed it)
1/2 cucumber chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp dill (I would use a little less next time, just because the longer it sat, the stronger the dill became)
1 tsp mint
1 scallion
1 lime (zest and juice)

It's great on whole wheat toast, or in a wrap.

What I Need to Hear

This may not be just exactly what someone else needs right now. So, this may be a pretty selfish post - but It's exactly what I need. I have my eye on a couple of things lately that I know may not work out...things that I really desire to be involved in, and things I feel would make me feel purposeful, needed, and significant. I have no burning bush right now telling me which steps to take, but in the wandering of my gypsy soul, this is what I need.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

Eph. 3:20-21
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever.

Dear Dieting,

You know, as well as I, that our relationship is strained. You are constantly there for me - always ready to take me back when I have failed you. For that, I am thankful. I have cursed you behind your back, cheated on you, and openly denied your existance. For that, I apologize. I do want you to know, though, that I'm really trying this time. Dr. Pepper walked in front of me today in the break room, and I totally ignored him - right to his face. Because, though I can't say I'm in love with you, I do love the idea that you can change my life. So, dieting, why don't you come over here and rock my world.

Sincerely,
Stephanie

A New Leaf

Today is the last day of June, so what better to talk about than the past and the future? Does that make sense to anyone but me? Well, either way - tomorrow is a big day for me.

Tomorrow I begin a new diet/exercise/Bible study plan. After my little Emergency Room scare last week, I have decided that I need to stop being so lackadaisical about my health, and I'm attacking it from a few directions.

First - Bible study - I'm going to kick my self in the spiritual butt. Although my relationship with God is always changing, I'm going to do what I can to keep growing. So I'm going to start reading the Bible more, and I'm excited to get going. Not quite sure where I'm going to begin yet though. Recommendations are welcome!

Secondly, food. Oh, how I love good food. This means a lot of different things for me. Sometimes it means I love roasted vegetables and a fish fillet. Other times it means I love cheeseburgers and fried mushrooms. Not always great choices...BUT, tomorrow I will start making wise food decisions and not just tasty food decisions. A good friend who is very health-informed is going to help me talk through some of this and help me figure out what I need to eat to lower my cholesterol (which, at a high, was a whopping 304! - if you don't know what that means, check out this fact sheet) and get into great shape.

And speaking of great shape - here comes the exercise. I am the type of person who despises exercise. I'd rather curl up on the couch with an old movie or ride around in a car (that has air conditioning, of course). I'm just not big on strenous activity. Hence my ridiculous state of health currently. So, that's on my list of things to change. I'm starting off slowly because I'm just flat-out out of shape.

Today is the last day of my unhealthyness! I'll try to keep you posted on the journey. And hopefully I'll be able to have some before and after pics.

Fiesta

In the 4 years that Dave and I have been married, we've gone the last two and a half without a kitchen table. We do a lot of coffee table dinners. When we went home for vacation last month, we were able to pick up our table and bring it to the new house! I was thrilled, and decided to celebrate with a big Mexican fiesta - all homemade!

The menu:

Fish Tacos

Guacamole

Mango Salsa

Cilantro Lime Rice

and a Key-Limeish dessert thing (only kind of homemade, because I improvised with the recipe on the box)

Here's the recipe for my guacamole:

3 avocados

1 tbsp of minced garlic (I love garlic, so I use quite a bit)

about 2 tsp of cilantro (this is for dried, use less if your cilantro is fresh)

about a tsp each of garlic salt and onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

zest and juice of one lime

Mix it all up and enjoy! You can also add chopped tomatoes and onions, if you like that kind of thing - but I prefer it without.

Twenty-three, so far

Monday, I turned 23.  Since Monday morning, I've done the following:

• been to the chiropractor - about whose unfathomable power I am waning in passion, I must add
• had a very, very wonderful birthday party with some very, very wonderful friends
• lost power at my house, during said birthday party, for about 2 hours
• been to Louisville and back for a convention through work
• had a false alarm heart attack, as I've been calling it
• and a subsequent trip to the Emergency Room to get an EKG, a chest x-ray, a sonogram to check for gall stones, and ended up with a non-diagnosis          
  
• researched esophageal spasms (which the ER thinks is the likely cause of my chest pain), gastroesophageal reflux disorder, acid reflux disorder, panic attacks, panic disorder, and depression
• called my family practice doctor to schedule a hopefully-more-productive-than-the-ER appointment
• bought a food processor with birthday money
• had an emotional breakdown
• got over it
• broke the A/C in my car
• ate 3 cups of jello and 3 slices of key lime pie (don't judge me... it was a false alarm heart attack)
• took a five and a half hour nap
• blogged

what have you done in the past 4 days?

Texture, Patterns, and Color

I don't have anything insightful to say today. The wind and storms have just kicked in around downtown Nashville, so the sky is dark and things are pretty quiet. It's just a normal day at work - my stack of things to do is pretty minimal, I can hear the chatter of those who cannot live without speaker phone, the elevator dinging every 2 minutes, and the squeak of too old office chairs. So, what am I doing with my time? Besides taking the phone calls coming in and out - I am making outfits based on room decor. "What?", you may ask. Well...here is an example.

This room is from the Design*Sponge website. So moody, so feminine, so sleek. Anyway...after cleaning up my drool, I made an outfit on Polyvore to mimic the fun vibe from the room. The gorgeous light fixture above the window bench inspired the necklace, the dark gray-teal of the walls inspired the shoes, etc. If you've ever seen the show "Dress My Nest" on the style network, it's kind of the same thing - but backwards. I think I have many more of these up my sleeve. But maybe not on days that I'm supposed to be working.

Vacation!

We are officially back from our summer vacation/family reunion. It was a wonderful time. Really - really wonderful. Dave's brother and his family have been in the Philippines for nearly 4 years, and they were able to come back home for a while. It was so great to catch up with all of them, and see all of our neices and nephews together for the first time.

We were sad to leave the family again, but we hope to see them several more times before they head back overseas next January. Here are a few pictures from vacation.

This picture of Dave and me was taken at a water show in Branson, MO...which is just really amazing fountains with lights and fire and stuff. Pretty neat, I thought.

The resort where we stayed had some really amazing outdoor activities. Paddle boating was definitely something the kiddos wanted to try.

This is the whole Hagen gang.

It was so great to get to see our neices and nephews again. Starting on the top left and going clockwise, these cuties are Zach, Mikayla, Ben (all three Dave's brother's kids), Sydney, and Abby (Dave's sister's girls).

The resort was beautiful. Lots of beautiful landscaping.

This was our last day at the resort. We had a blast with the Hagens.

Shameless

I have briefly blogged about my new craft room in the house we just moved into. It is a wonderful place filled with cubbies and sorting tins and the cutest little push pins. Do you know what it's missing? This craft table.

I firmly believe that buying this table for my craft area would be a waste of money. But, I also firmly believe that if i won this table, my room would be a magical place. If you feel the same way, pretty please vote for my window at this link. http://theoriginalscrapbox.com/craftbox_giveaway/showContestant.php?id=342 Shameless, yes, desperate, yes, but just look at that table! Sigh.

We Found Our Winner

The number generated on random.org is 7! So that means that Laura is the winner!

Hey Steph!I think this is a fantastic idea! I'd leave the creating up to you. :)Laura Nelson
May 16, 2009 9:44 PM

Congratulations Laura! You and I have already discussed some custom artwork, so you can be expecting your creation soon!

I love to give gifts, so stay tuned to the blog for more giveaways in the future. Thanks to everyone who participated.

A Small Giveaway

There are several blogs that I consistently follow. They sometimes decide to do giveaways, and as soon as I see that - I get VERY excited.

So, I am passing that excitement along to you in honor of the upcoming weekend! I will be giving away something based on the person who wins the drawing - and I'm going to try to make something specifically for the winner. To be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment on this post...and if you have a preference to the type of thing you'd like, or something that you want incorporated into what you win, if you win, put that in the comment!

The winner will be posted on Monday sometime.

Moved In

So, things have been nuts this week. Between appointments with the chiropractor (who is doing amazing work, I must say), cleaning out the apartment, and sticking boxes in the new house, I have been working hard (which the chiropractor is not happy about).

Because it is Friday after lunch and the forecast is ridiculous this weekend (rain, rain, rain, rain, thunderstorms, rain) all I can think about is finally getting things put away in the new house. Right now we have boxes and piles. I'm looking forward to hanging up some art, settling in among new pillows, and reorganizing my very own craft room that does not have to share space with Dave's very own recording studio. Cables and "gear" do not match the coziness I'm going for.

In the whirlwind of packing and unpacking I found our digital camera! It is very much still broken, but I think with the natural light that our new house gets (yay for windows on both sides of the house!) I may be able to snap a few shots of the "finished corners" of the house.

On a side note - things I have planned for the next couple weeks of blogging...
- an arts and crafts giveaway!
- my first venture into gardening (if it ever stops raining)
- hopefully some vacation pics at the end of the month...hooray for May!

Happy weekend friends!

You Can't Spell Heart without Art - part II

For the second installment of the current "series" of blog posts, I'd love to explain the inspiration behind the first painted window I did - titled "hope". Here's a picture of the piece.

One of my favorite singer/songwriters (a genre I have much love for) is Sara Groves. I have posted about her too many times...but one of my favorite songs of hers is about hope. Last year, I went through a really rough few months struggling with depression and hopelessness. I heard this song for the first time as I was coming away from that season. I was inspired by her lyrics and the song itself.

Although I am not a musician, I have always had a passion for music. Emotions for me are really intertwined with music, so after hearing this song, I decided to literally have a hope window. Looking at it always reminds me of the song and how "hope has a way of turning its face to you, just when you least expect it."

Here are the lyrics to the song, and I urge you to check out the link, which also has the lyrics, but will let you listen to a piece of the song.

http://www.saragroves.com/store/tellmewhatyouknow/lyrics/itmightbehope/

You do your work the best that you can
you put one foot in front of the other
life comes in waves and makes its demands
you hold on as well as you're able

You've been here for a long long time
Hope has a way of turning its face to you
just when you least expect it
you walk in a room you look out a window
and something there leaves you breathless
you say to yourself it's been a while since I felt this
but it feels like it might be hope

It's hard to recall what blew out the flame
it's been dark since you can remember
you talk it all through to find it a name
as days go on by without number

You've been here for a long long time
Hope has a way of turning its face to you
just when you least expect it
you walk in a room you look out a window
and something there leaves you breathless
you say to yourself it's been a while since I felt this
but it feels like it might be hope

You can't spell heart without art - part 1

Warning! This is going to be a long post. As the first "installment" of the series I decided to title "You can't spell heart without art", I chose my favorite pieces. Because they are my favorites, I have put the most thought and heart into them, and thus - I have a lot to say about them.

Because my artwork has always been such a personal thing for me, a few pieces come out a little extra personal. Some of which I plan to never show the world. Ever. Others though, are very personal and still manage to eek out into public somehow. This set of 5 paintings is the latter. They are currently untitled because I'm not quite sure how to sum up all the emotion and love that went into these with just a word or two. Here they are all together.


The paintings are done on the pages of an old storybook, and are attached to old barn wood. The book pages are not necessarily significant, but the barn wood is. I wanted something damaged, beat-up, and dirty. I think it's important for people to know that beauty comes from despair. It's a lesson I have learned, and I'm sure will continue to learn. So, to turn old barn wood covered in mud into a piece of art was a way I felt I could represent that.

Each painting was inspired by one of my favorite verses from the Bible. Verses that mean a lot to me in different ways.

"gaze upon the beauty" is based on Psalm 27:4, which is "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."

Quite a bit of my dependence on God was taught to me through my dependence on people that couldn’t handle my dependence. They were not created to fill every need in my life. I know that now, and I continue to learn from those relationships. In the midst of learning those lessons, I often find myself crying out to God just asking for stability, comfort, or strength.

If I could ask the Lord for anything, just one thing, I’m not sure I would know what to pick. This verse says, “One thing I ask of the Lord,” and that astounds me. Not only does the writer choose just one thing to ask of the Lord - who holds all in His hand - but his one request is to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Just sitting at the feet of God, in His temple, in His time – gazing upon the beauty before him. With all my brokenness and selfishness, I pray that I will one day grasp that the one thing I need in my life more than stability or strength is to seek Him in His temple.

"sour on wings like eagles" is based on the verse Isaiah 40:31. “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

This verse is one of my favorites for several reasons. I get tired pretty quickly when it comes to most things. Whether it’s my future plans, my job, or my growth in relationships – I get tired of the waiting. I catch myself thinking that I’m stuck and I get so tired of being stuck. Isaiah tells me otherwise. This verse tells me that I am not stuck; I am soaring on wings that the Lord gives me through hope. If I can keep my eyes hoping in the Lord, I will not grow weary, I will not be faint, I will soar on wings like eagles.

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:17-19

That verse really hits me. A love that surpasses knowledge. A love that can fill me with the measure of all the fullness of God. A love that is so amazing I have to have the power of all the saints to understand it. And that’s the love that He’s giving away. No effort on my part, no amount of studying, no natural ability will bring me any closer to understanding why God loves me the way He does. But He loves me in such a powerful way. His love is wide. His love is long. It is high, and it is deep.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Jeremiah 29: 11-14

One of the things I find about myself to be a stumbling block is my constant wandering, as I affectionately call it. I am always looking for a better situation, the next step, or the newest accomplishment. I have a hard time being content where I am. I always think that if I could just do this thing, then life would be better.

What I love about this verse, specifically, is the phrase, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” I am a wanderer at heart and whatever it is that I’m constantly looking for – all the man-made splendor of society – is rubbish compared to what I truly should be seeking. So, instead of seeking the world with a half-hearted effort, God tells me to seek Him. With all my heart. And there, I will be content.

This painting, "from the fullness of His grace" is based on the verse John 1:16. I have blogged about my love of this verse before - and that is actually what inspired me to do this set of paintings. Here is the link to the post talking about this verse and its significance to me.


Well...that is the first installment of "You can't spell heart without art". Stay tuned for more. I'll give you a few days to read part one, since it's so dadgum long.

Inspiration and Validation

Express was amazing. Thanks so much to all of you for supporting me in my venture into public creativity. It was a definite challenge, but I pulled through as a better person, I think. Taking what is normally such a personal thing for me and putting it literally on display for hundreds of people to see was no small thing. All of your words of encouragement and prayers have not gone unnoticed. So...thanks!

The festival was finished around 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, and I had such a sense of calm after it was all over. I felt inspired by the number of artists coming together over the act of worshipping through art, I felt validated in a strange way, and I had some really amazing bonding time with people I had never met before as we discussed my most personal artwork. I hope to be involved next year as well - and I will have (hopefully) grown a lot as a person and as an artist.

Here are a few pictures from Sunday. In the next few days I'll post a few pictures of specific artwork from my booth as well as some detail about how each piece is an act of worship to the true Creator.

Here's Amanda (who was kind enough to let me use her camera!) checking out my booth.

Although Dave was having a little fun playing with the settings on the camera, this was the best photo we got of the hallway where the artist booths were set up.

Here I am in with the artwork. Not pictured, the amazing boots I borrowed to wear Sunday.

Where did April go?

Well - for heaven's sake, we're halfway through April and I am just now posting the first blog of the month. Does this point to a lack of focus? Surely not.

Though I have slacked on my duties to the blog, I have been quite focused and motivated to get some artwork done in time for the Art Festival this weekend (eep!). So things have been a little hectic around the apartment... and my car... and work. Not to mention getting ready to move (which has only been mentally hectic, no physical actions have been taken as of yet) and some surprise back pain which made nearly all physical activity impossible. That was fun. (Turns out I have scoliosis, with a couple vertebrae trying to twist around backwards that must have pinched a nerve cluster or something…very exciting stuff.) I did get a lot of time to read, though. And I even tried painting from the lying down position - like my good friend, Michelangelo. He must have had much larger biceps than I. My arms were getting very tired after the second canvas. But, all that lying down time did help my creative juices, surprisingly, and I’ve done some artwork that I’m pretty proud of this week. Since I currently do not have a digital camera, I can’t post any pictures of the newest pieces. Maybe I can find a friend with a nice camera to get some fun pictures of my work and the art festival this weekend and I’ll hopefully be able to post about that next week.

Now that I’m back on my feet (literally) I have a feeling that in the next few days things are going to get very artsy around here.