And So Ends 2011

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Q@4hjbhnjipppjmpi-ji-j-[[[[[[[[[[jm-\jmim[/; ,mmmmmmdbve

Well that lovely msg was sent to you from Demetri, my darling cat who is purring his little heart out now as he walks back and forth across my lap giving me affectionate head butts and kisses. Paying no mind to the laptop that is in his way. Zephyr, another whisker face I love is snuggled up along side me enjoying the super soft mattress while their youngest brother, Shemar is up in the window taking in his new surroundings. 

2011 started off very rocky for me. In fact I remember asking it to go away only days after celebrating it's arrival. I had no idea how many wonderful opportunities and gifts from the universe awaited.  Some of the most memorable moments for me include:

• The day in which I decided to become my own person and followed my heart as I took a liberal approach in creating a new life for myself. 
• Celebrating a very personal 10 year anniversary with the most incredible people 
• Having Beth and Karen E surprise me when they arrived on my doorstep in Newfoundland to celebrate my 25th birthday! That weekend will never be forgotten. 
• Celebrating one year of unconditional love, companionship and accomplishments with the love of my life.
• Being given the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to Clay Cafe Avalon who opened their doors to me and allowed me to share my love for art with budding artists of all ages. I will never forget my first art class, my first art camp, or my first compliment from a student's parent.  
• Meeting Dominique who not only shared in the pirate adventures Kim and I embarked on, but shared her passion for art with me as we explored the arts community in St. John's. 
• A reunion with some of the most fabulous and inspiring women in my life. It was their first visit to Newfoundland (some are from different regions in Ontario, and PEI) and I'm sure it was an unforgettable trip too hehe. 
• Making a huge decision to leave the familiarity of my home and move to a new province, something I swore I would never do.  Though I miss my home and all it offers, I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunities that have resulted in my move.
• You've seen her name before, in this blog and many others. I will forever be grateful for everything Beth has done for me. Since moving in with Beth, she became far more than my boyfriend's mother. She has been a role mode and inspiration for me, a fellow adventurer, a personal motivator, an educator, and a true friend. These past four months have been anything but easy emotionally and physically yet she found a way to make that time fly by and helped me find ways to enjoy it as well. 
• My first ever art show!! Thanks to the loving support of Craig, Dominique and Lori who helped make it all possible while I was miles away. For one month, my paintings, alongside the fabulous work of Dominique Hurley and Lori Reddy  hung on the walls of a  local vegetarian restaurant in St. John's, The Sprout. I have to admit, even though I wasn't there to experience it in person, it was still an incredible feeling. 
• During a weekend trip to visit Karen E in Fredericton, NB , a spur of the moment visit to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery lead to a very fortunate viewing of three paintings by Salvador Dali (my favorite artist in history!). 
• The day I was sat up in my room (with the door closed) and could hear Owen downstairs bawling out my name for the first time ever! I flew down those stairs faster than you could blink your eyes in amazement. That little boy could just melt your heart.
• The day I found out that my boys would be home for Christmas. Having them around, hearing them purr and receiving kitty love, and of course having Craig here is the most wonderful gift of all. 

Of course there were lots of challenging times as well these past twelve months. Moments where at the time I had no idea how I was going to get past and move on. One of the greatest lessons I learned this year came from a very wise woman. She once told me, when I was faced with a difficult situation, to 'change the focus'. I had been so zoned in on one particular angle that I was missing all the wonderful things that came with the obstacle I was faced with. As soon as I decided to look at the situation from another view point, things came together and it became something constructive. 

So it turns out 2011 will go into my books as one of the best years for me. I truly cannot wait to see what adventures, challenges and lessons 2012 has to bring. I wish you all a very happy and safe new year!

Namaste

A Childhood Dream Comes True

Remember as a child being asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
What was your first answer?
Mine was an artist. It slowly changed to psychologist, then focused on child psychiatrist, then broadened to art therapist (for any age), and now I went full circle back to my first answer. I just want to be an artist. I want to share the gift of creating through teaching art, and through sharing my paintings with others as they find their ways onto the walls of people's nests.

Today marks a huge celebration for my career as an artist. Today is day one of my first art show ever!!! I was originally booked for the end of February through til April (which the owner of The Sprout confirmed I still have this slot available!! YAY!!!). However the artist who had this current slot booked had to cancel and Julia came in contact with myself and Dominique. And here it is, a show with myself, Dominique Hurley and Lori Reddy. Thank you universe for giving me this opportunity and gift! I was in need of a sense of personal achievement and direction when it comes to my art. Who knows what the outcome of this show will be like in regards to sales, but I'm just excited to have the exposure. Knowing how many people pass through the doors of The Sprout and will be seeing my work there on the walls! Oh someone pinch me now, I think I must be dreaming still! If it weren't for the pictures Dominique posted I still think I would be in disbelief. Here are the photos of my work that Dominique captured for me to help me feel part of this show.

All of my pieces can be found on my Facebook page and my website for a closer viewing if you do not live near The Sprout. If you do live in the area, please pop by for some incredibly yummy vegetarian food and check out all the art work! 

The Sprout - 364 Duckworth St., St. John's Newfoundland

(709) 579-5485 

October 25 - November 28th 2011 (closed Mondays)

Here is the link for the rest of the pictures Dominique took this morning. 

Dreams really can come true. And it's so exciting to see and experience first hand, especially a childhood dream. I have no idea where this will take me, or how this turn out, I just know that today I am happy and today this is real! What a fabulous way to practice living in the moment!

So. Tired. Need. Sleep.

I am pooped!!!

I'm just settling down at the homestead after a weekend trip to Moncton. Beth participated in the  'Legs for Literacy' marathon in Moncton. She has been training for this half marathon for a long time now ( a full 21.1K and placed 6th in her division with 34 other people!!). How amazing is she?! Owen (her grandson), Kayla (Owen's mom) and I waited at the finish line cheering her on. So proud to see her accomplish this goal.

Well her legs may be sore from running all that ways, but let me tell you, I'm still feeling the pain from last night in my legs. While poking around a mall in Moncton, we strolled into a store where Kayla fell in love with a dress. For fun Beth said she should try it on. It fit her like a glove and she looked simply stunning in it! The next thing I know, Beth has me in the change room putting on a dress and heels that made me feel like Tyra Banks herself haha. Never in my life would you catch me in a dress or heels like this. Well Beth swooped up the clothes and shoes, rang them in and decided Kayla and I needed a night out on the town. How fabulous is she? A quick stop at Shoppers ended up with me getting my makeup done for free for the night (BONUS!) and though the two of us could barely walk (thank goodness I brought my flats with me in my purse) we had  a grand time. Kayla and I finally got to hang out and get to know each other. We danced like no tomorrow and never stopped laughing and smiling the whole time. It was wonderful. My circle of friends grows more :)

Friday night, Beth took me to a show by a local (and brilliant) playwrite, Mark Raddin. Well my god, I never roared so hard at a play, and I've been to my share. It was called Stagette. They sold out their first night and had to book another three shows based on popular demand! Hats off to 'Amherst Comedy Troupe' who can be found on Facebook as a group (not sure how to link them, sorry)

I finally completed my first painting here! Not sure if I have blogged about that yet or not. Picture will follow soon. Sadly the 'crackle paste' medium I used for one particular area did not crackle/dry as I had expected. I guess the Spidey Cave is too damp. So I'm hoping to adjust this and try again if not I have an idea to replace Plan A haha. It felt so liberating.

Tomorrow morning is an early one for Dominique, Lori and my boyfriend Craig will be setting up the art show at 'The Sprout' restaurant back home. Oh how my heart aches that I cann't be there to help, and soak in the experience of my first show ever. Lori (who I haven't met yet) was a darling and wrote to me in e-mail

We will cover you Sadie as best we can and you will be present through your art and spirit. 

What a sweetheart. I hope it goes well. So if you live in Newfoundland and will be in the St. John's area between tomorrow and November 24 I encourage you to pop by 'The Sprout' for a yummy bite to eat and check out the art work. Feel free to buy them too!! hehe.

So this past week I overcame many challenges. I learned how to let go of control when it came to this art show.I overcame my fear of dresses and makeup and once I gave myself permission to wear these items, I was able to be more comfortable (ok minus the shoe part...blisters and bandaids to prove it!! lol) and had a blast with a new friend. (I knew Kayla before tonight but we rarely spoke, or had opportunity to hang out and get to know each other). I can feel myself becoming stronger, I can feel myself growing as a person. And the best part is, another month is almost done. Which hopefully means I'm a month closer to seeing my little family again.

Taste of Home

In my last blog I said I would have some exciting news regarding a very popular restaurant back in Newfoundland. Well it's taken me a few days to be able to sit down and write a blog, I'm telling you I'm really starting to believe I live in a tornado! I'm not used to this at all. Somewhere amid all this chaos and change of routine I know my true self is lingering, awaiting it's opportunity to come out and shine again. I'm still learning how to find the balance between settling into this new life and permitting myself to stay true to myself as well.

Ok so the anticipated wait is over and here comes the good news! I recieved an e-mail last week from the owner of The Sprout, a vegetarian restaurant located on Duckworth Street, St. John's Newfoundland.  You can find them on Facebook under The Sprout Restaurant. I booked an art show there for the end of February- April . Luckily just before the hustle and bustle of Christmas begins, I have a window of opportunity to showcase my work there along side photographers and maybe even my friend Dominique will have some work to showcase as well. I'm so excited!!!!

So if you live in the area, or will be visiting St. John's in the next couple of weeks, a few select pieces of my work will be hanging on the walls at The Sprout. It's so hard to organize a show when you're a province away, especially my first show. But it's an opportunity I refuse to miss. So from October 24 until November 28 you will be able to enjoy some fabulous food and see my work at The Sprout! WEEE!!!! I wish I was home to have more input with it all, but I trust the hands that I am leaving this all in and I'm sure it will be exciting. I'll have to make sure someone takes pictures. It still hasn't sunk into my mind yet that my work will be hanging in such a well known place. This is a huge mile stone in my creative journey. I would love to be home to soak up just a moment of it. See it, live it, breathe it.

So this weekend Beth made sure our adventures reflected the atmosphere of back home for me. Words cannot express how deeply I appreciate the time she takes and thought she puts into our weekend getaways. Saturday Beth's mom joined us along side with our little tater tot Owen as we piled into the car and headed to  Advocate. Appreciating my love for photography (it's not something to write home about but I love it as a hobby) Beth gave me permission to ask her to pull over at any point on our drive if I saw something I felt the need to capture. Luckily we both wanted to make the same stops so it worked out grand. Here are some photos of the scenery on our way to Advocate.

It wasn't long before we arrived at Driftwood Beach in Advocate. It was truly the first time I felt at home since moving here. The roar of the waves was so amazing here. It just made it more clear to to me that I am an island girl and belong by the ocean. I felt so alive, so unstoppable, so free in this moment: 

Of course I could have spent hours combing the beach, but the winds were very high and with a 19 month old  in company it's important to keep him warm, safe and happy. We headed towards our next destination, Cape D'or. What a place to be! I turned to my left to see this incredible view, that reminded me of Bell Island. There is a beach on Newfoundland where I have visited many times to find inner peace, clear my mind, etc, and the view was very similar to this one below:

 Again, another fabulous place that made me feel connected to my home again. It's unreal the immense amount of homesickness I feel. Lately with all this sight seeing we've been soaking up, it makes me miss the 'Pirate Adventures' my friend Kim and I went on, or the drives my friend Terri and I took. I will forever cherish those trips.

Ok so this is weird...in all my life, I've seen crossing signs for ducks, moose, deer, students, etc but I have never seen one like this:

DINOSAUR crossing?!?! It's actually for Joggin's Fossil Center, but it was pretty funny to see when you're not expecting it. We stopped into Parrsboro for some dinner then headed home.

Well that's it for today's blog. I wish you all a wonderful Sunday evening for what's left of it. Soak up the down time before the chaos of Monday sweeps you away and into the blur of another week.

Talk soon!