Afraid to Fall

A few weeks ago I wrote a post

about my experience working in a certain retail store.

Although THAT store was not the 

perfect fit for me,

my dream is to eventually open my own.

One day I WILL.

I BELIEVE that with all my heart.

In the meantime, I am subbing

for the school district

and

scouring Kitsap County for great

furniture pieces.

The hardest part has been finding the space to work

and store the pieces.

We have a crowded one car garage, that my sweet husband

has tried to make functional for me.

We have 2 guest rooms that

I can place things in...

but they are UPSTAIRS...STEEP stairs.

Not hardly practical.

So...I do what I can, as I can, when I can.

Enjoying every minute of it.

Its such a part of WHO I AM.

I cant let it go.

NO OTHER JOB fills my heart and soul

the same.  

But lately, I'm feeling a little defeated.

Maybe its because I turned 45

last week.

source

Maybe its because I'm missing my dad

who was a big dreamer...

and encourager.

Fall 2006
A few days after open heart surgery

He passed away a year later from a catastrophic stroke.

Maybe it's because its dark and rainy today....ha ha ha

or

Maybe its because we really don't have the space

or financial resources right now to grow this business.

(fixing the roof & having the house painted this

summer was expensive!)

I've carried this dream in my heart 

for so long,

BEFORE dinosaurs fixing up furniture

was even cool.

I fight the thoughts that say I'm too old to continue dreaming.

I know it isn't true.

My children are young adults, I have more time on my hands

than EVER before.

But I'm stuck.

I'm trying to find the balance of making my dream come true

while keeping my feet grounded in reality.

AND fighting the fear of failure.

source

I would like to find a network

of women like me

in my area.

Positive women that want to get together to inspire each other,

share ideas and conquer fears.

Have fun. Blossom.

Because...

I don't think I am alone with these feelings.

September Surprises*

*note to self...Spell Check BEFORE hitting PUBLISH*
duh

SEPTEMBER is my all time FAVORITE month....

my very favorite!

I love the way the morning smells after a cool evening.

Warm sunny afternoons.

The way the sun glows in the evening.

The smell of new school supplies.
High school football games.

Dewey soccer fields on a Saturday morning.

The sound of squeaky yellow school bus brakes.

Pumpkins, apples, and blackberries.

Sweaters & socks.

It is also the month of our Anniversary

and

my Birthday.

But this September is especially sweet

because we are enjoying a 

visit from our daughter, Janelle. 

You may remember that

She and I drove to Pennsylvania last Spring.

Its only been about 5 months since she moved away,

but it has seemed so much longer!

This is my mother-in-law, June, and my daughter, Janelle,

in our backyard (city living!) last weekend.

Awww, how I've missed my girl!

Jeff's parents drove up from Oregon last weekend

to see Janelle, and to celebrate our Anniversary with us.

It was perfect...

our oldest son, JT, surprised us too!

He caught a ride down from WWU

and showed up at our door about 10AM.

Seriously, we were eating breakfast and my husband said

"Hey, there is JT" 

I flew out of my chair

"REALLY? He came for our Anniversary?!

What a good boy"

Turns out, he didn't remember....his friend was driving

over so he thought he would visit for the day.

I love that he came!

After the squeals and hugs,

I invited June along with me to hit the Garage Sales!

She was an awesome partner.

I was itching to go because I'd worked at *that* retail place

WAY TO LONG every.single.weekend for about 6 weeks.

Every Friday and Saturday morning

I had to drive PAST the signs to get to work on time.

Torture I say, pure torture...

Anyways,

we found a few things to put in my booth...and a few that I will

use in our home. 

Like two vintage alarm clocks.

(insert mental picture here)

They no longer work, but they are from the 20's!

For $2.50 each, I could not resist.

*Love them* 

We also enjoyed a stop by Starbucks for a coffee. 

Being September, I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte!

*Tradition*

and ANOTHER reason to LOVE the FALL!

  When we came home,

There was a gorgeous fall flower arrangement on the table.

The *flower fairy* delivered them.

Thank you flower fairy...Thank you sweet husband.

xoxoxox

By then,

we were all hungry, so we headed a few blocks

away to The Boat Shed Restaurant for

some outside dining...and photo opp.

It was a gorgeous day!

HOT, like 88 degrees

(if you live somewhere other than the NW, you can giggle)

Celebrating our 23rd Anniversary 

with our family!

We couldn't have been happier!

ALL our kids at HOME...TOGETHER...for one day!

and it happened to be our

Anniversary.

**Perfect**

JT was thrilled about eating a free great meal, and enjoying a little nap...

at home.

The sun was directly in our eyes in these photos.

So, it made for some interesting expressions...

it went like this:

"OK, everyone close their eyes, and on three, open and smile"

ha ha ha

Here they are, 21, 19 and 17...

6'3, 5'5 and 6'3

*Blessed*Grateful*Happy*

*Little Funny side note:

  Last year I took my friend here for lunch while 

 house hunting....

We sat outside on the deck, and had JUST finished eating...

A seagull flew over....

Yep, on her head.

Luckily, she was a good sport:)

Oh, I forgot to mention that we went on an AMAZINGLY FUN

camping trip over Labor Day weekend

to Whidbey Island.

Relaxing, Fun, Gorgeous end to our Summer.

And more Salmon in our freezer, YUM.

I start subbing for the school district next week.

I'm looking forward to it:)

xoxoxo

Jodi