Card Group Creations: Feb. 2010

Had a great time at card group tonight. We spent the evening crafting, snacking, laughing and swapping.

Brady and I are getting ready to get our craft on.

Brenda and Beth are also getting ready to make cards.

Kalyn and P.K. pause from the card-making festivities to take a snapshot.

It's swap time. The girls gather around the table to collect their goodies.

Cute P. Kelly selected a green theme in honor of the upcoming holiday. And with all the incredibly cute cards, it was clear to see the luck of the Irish was certainly on our side this month. :)

Kalyn said a happy hello with this tree treat.

Brenda made this cute design!

Brady stitched this fishy fun!

Andrew put this happy one together!

I hope it's hip to be square, because I made this one.

P.K. designed this birdy beauty. We love the sentiment--"Life happens. Love helps."

Jennifer made a stylin' masculine birthday card.

Nature's delights found their way onto Becky's cutie-pie design.

Roxanne found foam happiness with this lucky creation.

And Tracy also found luck was on her side when she created this clean design.

Beth gave us reason to celebrate with this bold bloom.

Well, that's the look inside our little card group this month. With March around the corner, may you find the luck of the Irish is on your side! ;)

A Look Back at the Last Decade

I’m a little late to the party with this one, but this is a post I’ve wanted to make since Dec., so I suppose it’s better late than never. With a decade of the 21st century behind us, I want to document some of my highlights from the past ten years. Join me, won’t you, on this little trip back in time.

1999 (I’m starting here, because this was when the past decade of time really started taking shape.)

• High school graduation. Go class of 99!
• My first full-time job (my parents wouldn’t let me work in high school) as a hostess at Crapplebee’s.
• I started college. Go Griffins!
• Cory and I met (at Crapplebee’s) and started dating.

2000

• The Westminster College campus is my new home. What a culture shock for this sheltered, naive girl. But SO worth it. I loved the dorm life!
• Feeling very grown up, I bought my first car, a 2000 Chevy Cavalier. I traded in the car my parents bought for me in high school, which was a 1996 Cavalier. Why I went from a Cavalier to another Cavalier, I’ll never know, but it was a good car.
• The harsh reality of the modeling industry became all too familiar. It’s not at all the glitz and glam it’s cracked up to be.
  

2001

• I decide I wanted to be an optometrist and declare biology as my major.
• Cory surprises me with a trip to Disneyland for my 20th birthday.
  

2002

• Cory gave me my sweet puppy, Kisses, as a Valentine’s Day present.
• I'm homeless for a few weeks when the 2002 Winter Olympics came to SLC and the athletes move into our dorms. Being a part of the Olympic magic was incredible!
• I stumble into a position as a secret shopper at the mall. Talk about the best job ever.
• After two stress-filled years, I read the writing on the wall and switch my major and minor around, and I start looking at different career paths in the communications field.
  
  
  

2003

• I get my first taste of the TV world with an internship at the local ABC affiliate.
• I graduate college with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (minor in biology).
• Cory and I buy a house together, where we still reside today.
• I start a part-time PR position with McDonald’s and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which leads to my gig as an “I’m Lovin’ it Lady” for Mickey-Ds. This job eventually turns into me working as Ronald McDonald’s personal assistant. Yes, this is a true story.
• I start my first “real,” full-time job, doing PR for Stampin’ Up! Little did I know at the time, but most first jobs aren’t that cool. I was very lucky to have landed with that company right out of the gate.
  

2004

• I start grad school.
• After four years together, Cory pops the question on a Florida vacation—such a memorable moment!

2005

• I'm hit with a severe case of mystery mono. It took two nights in the ER before they finally figured out what the heck was wrong. No fun.
• I can see clearly now, for the first time in my life, thanks to laser eye surgery.
• My purchase of Sally, a beautiful 2005 Mustang, allows me to cross “own a Mustang” off of my bucket list.
• Cory and I get married at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. One of the happiest days of my life!
• Aloha! Cor and I go on a Hawaiian cruise for our honeymoon. This was my first cruise, my first trip to Hawaii, AND my first (and only) honeymoon. Many amazing firsts for one trip. :)

2006

• Paper Crafts magazine offers me a job as an associate editor, so I say goodbye to the PR life and give editing a try.
• We celebrate my golden birthday with a trip on the Wendover Fun Bus to the Golden Nugget. Good times!
• Cory and I get our first taste of the Big Apple with a remarkable trip to NYC.
• After years of being told there was nothing wrong with me, I'm FINALLY diagnosed with narcolepsy. Both a happy and a sad moment for me—happy to have answers, and sad to learn that I have something that is without a cure.

2007

• One of my favorite people in the world, Sweet Gram, passes away.
• Cory and I add to our family when we adopted Jack, our crazy-but-loveable Jack Russell.
• After being a part of our family for 14 years (and growing up with me), Gumdrop, my darling kitty, passes away.

2008

• That’s What She Said,” my little blog, makes its debut.
• My career takes another positive step when I'm offered the senior editor position at Simple Scrapbooks magazine.
• Just call me Professor Meg. I accept a part-time teaching position with the University of Utah.
• Cory checks himself into rehab after being prescribed and taking serious pain medication for his back for nearly six years. I believe with all of my heart that this move saved his life.
• My dear mama is diagnosed with breast cancer.
• After nine fabulous months on the Simple team, I accept the position of creative editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine. The creative editor title had been a goal of mine for many years, so this was a very proud moment for me.
• Happiness on a String (http://www.happinessonastring.com/), a little jewelry company that my good friend and I own, is officially open for business!
  

2009

• Simple Scrapbooks magazine closes its doors. Very sad.
• Pop and I “run” (more of a walk, really) the Race for the Cure.
• I join two of my friends in a commitment to grow out our hair for Locks of Love. This is something we continue to work on today. (I think the big cut is drawing near.)
• My sweet sis-in-law is diagnosed with Leukemia. (On a positive note, she’s doing really well and is strong as an ox.)
• My high school reunion comes and goes; I didn’t attend. A mistake? Perhaps. But what’s done is done.
  

Good times with the Simple Scrapbooks team!

Today
Whew! I never realized SO much could happen in one short decade. Makes me wonder what the next ten years will bring. Looking at this list, I realize how up and down life really is. If there’s anything these experiences have taught me, it’s to cherish those ups and to learn from the downs. I’m proud of my list and the person its events have helped me to become. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you make your own list. It’s a wonderful way to record your own unique moments and have proof that you were here, living your life, each and every up-and-down step of the way.

Cheers!

Ten steps towards serenity now...Or at least soon.

Ah, the winter blues. I’ve heard of them, but this is the first year I’ve actually experienced them…or at least I think that’s what this is. I’ve been a bit down since the holidays, which would explain my lack of blog posts (poo), but I’m determined to beat these doldrums.

Here are ten things that have helped me shake the sads. I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you, too.

1. Love & Be Loved
Just as one of my favorite movies, Moulin Rouge, says, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” I’m blessed with a beautiful husband who loves me, but sometimes I lose site of that fact and shrug off his affection with excuses—“he’s just saying that,” or “he’s humoring me because he feels he has to.” This needs to stop. I love him and am lucky to have him loving me in return. Cherish and appreciate the words and acts of affection offered by others, rather than second guessing at every turn, and prepare to welcome the warm feelings that come with that acceptance.

2. Add a Little Color
This morning I woke up before my alarm and decided to paint my nails a vibrant, sparkly shade of orange. It’s amazing what colorful toes can do for the soul.

3. Turn Off the News
Just five minutes of the news can get me down faster than a hearty laugh. (That’s a lame narcolepsy joke, because I fall forward when I laugh. Hardy har.) If you find yourself becoming bogged down by the doom and gloom in today’s top stories, simply change the channel or hit the power button. I’ve been doing this and find it’s a wonderful way to recharge the feel goods.

4. Take Joy in the Success of Others
My big bro won $200 on a $2 lottery ticket this week. My mom only has two cancer treatments left. Two of my friends have just purchased their first homes. These are all things to take joy in. It doesn’t have to be a victory directly related to you to make you happy. So, instead of saying, “I’m happy for you,” say, “I’m happy with you.”

5. Connect with Friends
My sweet friend called me out of the blue the other night, just to tell me how much she enjoys my Studio 5 TV segments. She didn’t follow that by asking a favor or fishing for a compliment in return. She simply wanted me to know how she felt. I’m going to take her lead and do the same—tell my friends how I feel about them. Making others feel good is a great way to boost your own spirits.

6. Play with the Pups
I tend to take my silly doggies for granted, when I should be celebrating the joy they bring me. The other day they were both crowded under my craft desk, even though it was a super tight squeeze, just so they could be close to me. I had to sit back and laugh at this gesture. Feeling sad? Give your pet a little TLC. I promise it will be returned tenfold.

7. Tackle a Task
Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share. If you can believe it, we just took our Christmas decorations down this week. Now, to be fair, we didn’t put them up until Dec. 23, but this was still far too long to leave them up. And even though it was a lot of work to take them down, it was totally worth it. Is there a project that’s been hanging over your head? Greet it head on, and you’re sure to find some relief.

8. Get Out
It’s far too easy to just stay in and do nothing when you’re feeling down, as I’ve learned the hard way. Well, no more. I went to the mall over the weekend. It was just a quick trip, but I left SO inspired. Take time to recharge with a little retail therapy. Even if you don’t spend any money, you’ll come home having purchased some mental uplifting.

9. Create
Don’t create because you have to (doing an assignment doesn’t count). Instead, create because you want to. I recently made a fun Valentine’s Day craft (more on that in a future post) for my cute coworkers and found so much delight in putting it together. Do something, anything, creative, and watch the serenity find you.

10. Be Okay with the Sad
Sometimes it’s hard to be at peace with the sadness, but doing so is a form of self acceptance. I read (and enjoy) the beautiful blog posts of others, with their seemingly perfect lives, their perfect photos, and their perfect ideas, and I inevitably compare—not good! I’m not them, and that’s okay. My life is far from perfect, but I’m doing my best to get by. If that means taking time to cry it out, I’m going to cry it out. If that means a messy house, then bring on the dust bunnies. All we can do is be ourselves and find contentment in doing so. Do that, and be one step closer to inner peace.

I’m still dealing with sadness, but this list has me a few steps closer to shaking those feelings. And for that, I’ll celebrate this small victory. How do you conquer the winter blues? I’m all for reading any advice you have to share.