Tag: wedding

Seeking normal

Hello everyone! I was determined to get a post in this week. Better late than never. Last week we did not have any cell service at the school where we stayed so I could not post anything.

Wedding over. Move over. Mission trip over. Now it is down to finding all my stuff, creating a realistic schedule and settling into a new normal. This week none of that happened. My car has been undergoing repairs the whole month of June. Changing my name has taken a ridiculous amount of time. The garden has required work to get it back in shape after being gone for a week and unexpected farm chores and family/friend visits have slowed down planned projects.  Maybe this IS the new normal!

I did get my work space somewhat workable, found my paints and managed to squeeze in time to do these tiny paintings this week. It’s a start!

First painting in my new home and new life.
First painting in my new home and new life.

Here are some pictures of our life events of the past three weeks.

My bouquet and table arrangements
My bouquet and table arrangements
Our walk in the woods to the ceremony.
Our walk in the woods to the ceremony.
Vows by the lake.
Vows by the lake.
Our simple, vegan wedding cake made by my daughter.
Our simple, vegan wedding cake made by my daughter.
There were threats involved here. It was too hot to have chocolate cake smeared on my face.
There were threats involved here. It was too hot to have chocolate cake smeared on my face.

The ASP mission trip involves a caravan of rented vans to get all of the humans and equipment to our destination.

Our customized ASP van!
Our customized ASP van!

This was my 7th and Danny’s 3rd year on the ASP trip.  Each year there is a core group involved who believe in having a good time.  Pranks and jokes are daily occurrences.  One of the men stated that he laughs more in this one week than he does the rest of the year.  This year… well see for yourself.

First night at the center we found this in the hallway.
First night at the center we found this in the hallway.
Can you read the sign? Honeymoon Suite
Can you read the sign? Honeymoon Suite
Who can beat this for honeymoon accommodations???
Who can beat this for honeymoon accommodations???
Our team hard at work on dry wall.
Our team hard at work on dry wall.

We got home Saturday and slept the whole afternoon and most of Sunday as well.  There isn’t much rest on ASP.  This week I managed to get my office/studio is some sort of working order and just had to get my hands on a paint brush.

 

If all goes well, I will be back on schedule next week.  For my American readers, I wish you a fun, safe July 4th weekend.

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by Categories: creativity, life, mission, moving, travelTags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

A Wedding and Other Life Events

One week ago today this happened!


I will have to post more photos later because my photographer (also known as my son) has not finished editing them.  Everything went as planned except for the 95 degree weather that kept us under the pavilion most of the time.  It was relaxed and stress free with some quality family time that we don’t get all that often.

Now the wedding and the move is behind us. This coming week we will be on our annual mission trip with Appalachia Service Project.  I will try to at least post some photos from there but if you don’t hear from me then we did not have cell service. 

After ASP we are looking forward to life settling into some sort of normal. I am itching to get back in my studio and make things. It is summer so here the garden will be taking up some time unless the rabbits and lack of rain finish it off early while we are gone. Here is some of the summer beauty happening  at the moment.


You get short and sweet today.  We have had a week filled with paperwork and now packing. If I don’t get back here next week, I hope you have a wonderful couple of weeks.  

by Categories: garden, life, travelTags: , , , , Leave a comment

2014… It’s gonna be a doozy.

Happy New Year!!

As often happens, I may have bitten off more than I can chew this year, but what the heck. It’s better than not having anything to do. To keep me focused I have taken on the Zero to Hero Challenge with the Daily Post here on WordPress. Today’s assignment is to introduce myself and even though I have had this blog going for a while, it’s probably the perfect time for me to update who I am and what I’m doing.

I often start with the title of “Mom”, but this Fall my two baby birds left the nest (more or less) and I have found that my twenty year, primary life focus isn’t as primary anymore. Now what? Well, like many empty nesters, I have gone deep into the archives and dusted off an old dream. To be honest, it’s wasn’t buried very deep, nor is it an old dream. It has lived just barely under the surface of everything else I have done for the past 25 years. What is this dream?

My dream is to finally have the time to focus on my artwork again. Since the time I could hold a crayon I could get lost for hours drawing my world and sometimes other worlds. Back before college I would draw almost daily. I got extra assignments in high school art class because that was “my thing” and I was good at it. I won art contests and doodled constantly in class (my art teacher was the only one who appreciated this). Then college rolled around and I was advised to “do something practical”. I conceded and focused on graphic design thinking this would be close to being an “artist”. Boy was I wrong! Fast forward through twenty-five years of design jobs, kids, marriage, divorce, self-employment, more jobs and only occasionally did I find time to do my creative work. Halloween costumes only partially count!

Now it’s 2014. Do I have less demands on my time? I have less demands by my kids, but I still run a design/printing business, have a home to keep up, a good man in my life, a part-time job with a community theatre, and parents who are starting to need help (though they haven’t admitted it yet). Next week my Mom has shoulder surgery, the following week my boyfriend has shoulder surgery also and I am in the middle of helping my daughter plan her May 2014 wedding. There is no good time. It’s now or never.

Since July I have finished one piece of art per month, which is way more than I have in a long time. Some have been personal projects, some business and some are very delayed pieces for friends. I hope to continue with basically that time frame. As a designer I was trained to work on deadline so that works for me. I have also opened an Etsy shop (search for BloomtownStudio) and hope to get a link on here soon. My business cards are done and I have many, many sketchbooks full of ideas I have been hoarding for a long time now. From here on I plan to start posting my work and whatever crazy stories are swirling around it and in my life.

Please forgive me any ranting and raving I do while my Mom and Boyfriend recover from their surgeries. I do not have a calling for the nursing field. This will test the patience of all involved. The wedding planning may have similar side effects. It’s going to be an interesting year.

Wishing you all a wonderful, wacky, fun and exciting 2014!
Christel

by Categories: art, connecting, creativity, dreams, focusTags: , , , , , , 4 Comments