Summer is WINDING down...

Oh, how I hate the fact that summer is almost over.

I know what you're thinking. Just because August is tomorrow doesn't mean summer is over! But alas, with the impending school year just around the corner, life (and summer) as I know it is starting to come to a fall-like state.

Brendan and I went to his back-to-school night at school. He has a fantastic teacher. He seems excited that first grade is coming up FAST!

And I just got used to the idea of Kindergarten.

Oh, and I'm signing up to take Finance in the fall. I'm trembling with anticipation. Whatever.

Ah, summer. Where'd ya go?

The Pallete Generator - My Favorite NEW Toy!!

So. . . at my job, we're starting to put together an idea of having a tradeshow in a couple of months. . . when I ran across this NEAT little pickle - - I am TOTALLY in LOVE with this new toy!

This is the Pallete Generator, and it is a force to be reckoned with. Just upload your favorite image, and it will instantly create a pallete based on YOUR picture. It's a scrapbookers DREAM. Ever wondered what colors you should scrapbook with, when it comes to certain pictures? Well, wonder NO MORE.

And don't ask me what I'm going to do with the 15+ or so I just made for myself. Hmph!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!

Isn't she beautiful???

Is it possible to be happier about one thing, and sadder about another??? I'm right there. I have four very special people in the hospital, or having surgery. It has been a while since anyone in my family has been in the hospital, so I consider myself quite blessed. However, Emily (the girl in pink), my cousin is having a defibrillator put next to her heart. She's just turned 18. How scary is that!? She's doing quite well, though. My 96-year old aunt is near the end of her life, and just barely hanging on. The family has been called in, and I've been getting reports about that as well. She's lived a full life, and she's ready to go. Then, I heard that my hubby's grandfather was rushed to the hospital! He said he was having numbing and tingling down the left side of his body, and he was experiencing enough dizziness that he pulled over on the side of the road. His tests are still out, but he seems to be doing okay right now. I also hear that my old Sunday School teacher, Jo, has had a heart cath done day before yesterday. . .

All of this in one week.

We are all so healthy, ya know?

Cherish your health.

Take
Care
Of
Yourself.

You're the only YOU you've got, ya know?

Also, my assertiveness has paid off. It seems a weight has been lifted in the office, and we have our creative juices on HIGH ALERT! We're tossing a few ideas around, and it seems we will be planning some major projects in the near future!! So, I have learned a great lesson: it's time to fix that which is broken. And I think we're well on our way.

So, I'm SUPER HAPPY about work, and SUPER SAD about failing health in the family.

Is this Friday the 13th??? No, wait. That was last week.

Well, I'm here to tell ya - it's NUTHIN' like Friday the 20th!

Be well.

EPIPHANY. . .

Ever had one of those moments when you know you'll look back on your life and say, "That was the moment I decided. . . it was time for a CHANGE."

Well, I did.

Lemme tell you a story.

I have a sweet life. A very sweet life, filled with a happy mom and dad, a happy sister and her family, a happy hubby and two VERY happy children. I have a happy job that I enjoy going to every day. It really filled me up.

Did you catch that?

If you didn't, don't worry. The word I wanted you to see was "filled." As in PAST TENSE. You see, my job was very filling. I enjoyed my boss, a woman that I admire very much, and she had such a phenominal outlook on life. She was always bright, always full of hope, always complimentary. She was the kind of boss you WANTED to do work for and work with (they are few and far between). Then, someone in Nashville snagged her up to a fantastic opportunity of a lifetime, and she left. I think I've been through some sort of depression at work. Now, mind you, I am a happy person (see "happy" paragraph at top - lol). But I felt my job becoming a J-O-B, and I hated that. Gradually, I began to see that the things I enjoyed about my job were being given to others, and the things I loved were being squashed. I felt underappreciated, and overwhelmed. So, I shut down. I stuck to my work, and started to create my own cocoon around me, and kept everyone else out. I did my work, I eyeballed the clock, and I left to go home.

It was NO FUN anymore.

I decided maybe it was time for a change for ME, too. Then a wonderful opportunity presented itself. Wrapped in a higher paygrade and a higher salary, I was enticed. It was a pretty package, and I was seriously considering it.

But then, it hit me. After talking with a very dear friend of mine, she said something that made a whole lot of sense - "Amy, don't run away from your problems. You have a great job where you are, and it did make you happy once. Why not give it all you have and make it great once again, so that when you get ready to leave, you can say, 'I did all I can...' "

She's so wise.

And so, I've turned over a new leaf. I don't care if it kills me, I'm gonna CHANGE. I was scared of it, when my first boss left. Now that I have my second boss, we're gonna begin to turn this once-great office into greatness again. I WILL be more assertive at work, and let others know what I do and do not like. I WILL nip this nit-picky crap in the bud before silly spats get twisted WAAAAY out of hand. I WILL begin to let others in, and bring us all back together, the way an office should be. The way a FAMILY should be.

My epiphany. . . IT'S TIME FOR CHANGE.

So, wish me luck. I think I feel the thing coming on that I've been writing about. It's not to move away, but to bring what I love closer to me.

It is TIME.

And God, it feels SOOOOOO good!!

2007 FREEDOM FEST

Well, Freedom Fest is officially over, but wow - what a ride! I had such a good time this past weekend. Here are some highlights:

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

The kids really enjoyed the square, and I hope to take advantage of it more next year. What a great time we had in our little town! Ahhh. . . it's finally over. . . !