No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

 

I guess I qualify for a "bad blogger" award. Since my last post so much has happened in our lives.

• We moved to another town close by. Moving is always an ordeal, its always when I realize that I have too much stuff. But how do you let go of all the treasures we accumulate through our lives?
• We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.

• We went back to Washington to visit my family. I get to go again this May for the Ruffles and Rust show. I'm so excited.

• I reduced my work hours from 50hrs per week to 30hrs per week. This way I still get benefits.
• With all my "free time" I am joining my husband in devoting approximately 15-20 hrs per week to missionary/charity work and helping people understand the Bible better. Between my husband and myself, we currently studying the Bible with 9 people. This is hard work, but extremely rewarding.

• We finally found a house to buy. Our friends unfortunately had to leave to go to another state to help their family, so we were able to get their house. It is just a few blocks away from where we are currently living so it won't be a far move. (Have I told you how much I hate moving?)

• We visited San Diego for an extra long weekend. Had a blast in the Artist's community at Balboa Park. Probably our favorite part in the park. I loved watching the painters and glass blowers. I'm so envious of their skills and cute little studios that they get to work out of.

• Been dealing with my usual health related issues, but added kidney stones to the mix. Not so much fun but I can deal with it.

• Starting to redo said house we bought. I will post before, during and after photos soon. The house is cute and fine the way it is, we just want to make it more "us". Carpet is being replaced with hardwood floors, walls repainted and wainscott added, built in media center, new doors, new trim, bathroom remodels, and hopefully kitchen cabinet change out. I'm just not a fan of oak. It's too 80's and I prefer either lighter or darker cabinets.

• Contemplating a further employment change. I want to start my own business finally. I'm researching how to brand yourself, dealing with customers, creating a business plan, photographing my work, creating descriptions, opening an Etsy shop, and setting up a booth at a farmer's market. My dad has generously offered to take both my jewelry and my mom's paintings down to their local farmer's market on Whidbey Island and sell for us. This is something I will gladly let him do. He is quite the salesman and knows how to talk to people. Not my strongest suit, as I'm an introvert by nature.
  
  I'm sure there has been more going on, but these are the highlights. Hope everything is peachy in your life! My goal is to be more present in what is going on and not just dreaming of the future.