Color...which one best describes me ?

So I have been packing - going through everything in our house and getting it all squared away before we take the plunge and move to Boston -

As I was OCD-ly cleaning through the bathroom, organizing my caboodle...yep...I said it...and trying to eliminate at least 1/2 of the STUFF I have accumulated.

I have all this nail polish and I cannot decide which color best describes me and which ones I needed to stay true to and which ones do I leave behind?

Everything in life is this way - out with the old, in with the new - I am always changing my mind - bipolar emotions of creation.....constant and ever-changing decisions that will always stand in front of me - expecting me to choose & be confident in that choice...and then

I think back to when I first became consumed by that color,
wearing it out all the time,
sharing the color with others,
offering up a chance to wear their true colors...
the sky is the limit (r.i.p. biggie)
only then can a person being exactly who they were meant to be.
AMEN!

Have faith.  Stay true to yourself.
&
never change your nail color because someone else told you to!
Instead tell them they need to get out of your face and keep dancing.

TORNADO ALLEY

In the midst of all of this packing, I decided to reward Ean for his birthday with a clean, detailed, organized vehicle :)  I had been working in the hot sun ALL day to ensure his new car - I even went to Advanced Auto Parts to purchase some new duds for his ride, when all of a sudden....


OMG! It GOT PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE, the rain started falling, hard - THE POWER WENT OUT, AND WE WERE TOLD TO MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE STORE - fast!!!!   


THE WIND CAME, TREES SNAPPED, WINDOWS SHOOK, THE ROOF SHOOK, AHHH.....I HAD NO PHONE TO CALL EAN TO TELL HIM I LOVE HIM....nor my family - there was no notice - this was really happening. 


A TORNADO WAS SWEEPING THROUGH MY WORLD....metaphorically speaking to I thought as if that was my last one....


Then just as it was so loud, it became so quiet.  The twister passed, sparing us.  But not my back porch, nor the entire Hampton Roads area.  

My heart goes out to those families in Joplin, Missouri - I wish I could be there helping all of you instead of cleaning Ean's car :) xoxoxo

LAYERS OF LIFE

I was thinking about my life today and how the years have seemed to pass by so fast.  When did I become such a grown-up?!?!  Worrying so much about finances and whether or not going to college really made a difference in this world;  I feel as if one spends their entire lives working to pay bills and student loans.  We go to school to better our knowledge, further the economy, and obviously be able to afford the things that makes us happy, yeah?  Well, once one finally lands that job that can make all of that possible, you spend the rest of your paydays paying taxes and losing the money one is felt entitled.  I am not trying to make this about money.  It is merely about peeling back the layers of life's obstacles that make it possible to even have things to peel away in the first place....

It reminds me of corn - shucking, peeling, tossing away all the layers of covering that makes it impossible to see the end result.  Although I know what lies beneath, I still enjoy taking away the pieces that make it all worth it.

Ean and I have been planning some big moves that require action in other areas that will allow everything to work out - which I trust these are the plans God has in store for us...it was simply a matter of listening.  I started to think about being so far in debt that while looking around my place I see nothing but "stuff," things that, although hold memory, really hold no significance.  Nothing to show for all of our efforts but no money and a nice place.  If you looked @ our living space and where we live and the friends we have - I would have to say we are RICH, but RICH in all of those things I just listed.  My place in Portsmouth, VA can be sold and replaced & life can begin with a fresh slate...out with the old and in with the new I say.  It is time to start anew.  But this time, as an even more experienced professionals, smarter financial guru's, leaner, meaner, health nuts, & some jobs that allow us the opportunities to grow and advance in our careers - making us the best @ what we were made to do.  God has a plan for the two of us...it is time to peel away the layers and reveal the next step.

Truly A Starving Artist

I was washing dishes tonight and it humbled me....

With all the life decisions my fiance and I are making, it seems that the light at the end of that tunnel is about to burn out...

we are both college graduates,

the smart, witty, creative types

dancing to life's beat,

listening to good music while

living, working, struggling,

both working really hard to

stay immersed in our industry,

challenging ourselves every day as professionals,

constantly searching for our next months rent

paying bills

walking the dog

spending time with family & friends,

going to the gym,

laundry

making dinner

WASHING DISHES

channeling my thoughts

maximizing our efforts,

making decisions,

taking action,

movers & shakers,

in need of our dream jobs

building our foundation

making a house a home

&

freedom from Sallie...

er...debts

Life is moving forward and I know that I am tired of living life in fear that I will not be able to provide for a family one day because I am hardly making ends meet. It has been 2 1/2 years since graduating college; alough, it feels like a lot longer than that! I was student speaker @ graduation and I have enough student debt that would probably buy God a new set of pearly, white gates. Well, maybe not that much, but it sure feels like it when you get harassing phone calls from people that sound like an overly-excited car salesmen. "Hello Ms. Galen, you have just won a boat load of debt." LOVELY!

All because neither myself, nor Ean, make enough money to get ahead - we barely stay afloat. But we are rich in other things - family, friends, and each other. Our passion, creative spools, and challenging mentalities, are what keep us driven. And there is nothing that I enjoy more than washing up the dishes of a nice, home-cooked meal...watching ABDC and wishing for times past....when things were not so difficult and souls were not so far...life seemed simpler....

I love what I do! I just feel that the right place for me in the industry has not been revealed to me yet. I feel I can do anything - that is the power from within. I have been through too much in my life to simply "settle" for anything less. God gave me a talent, a gift, something that makes me who I am and keeps me working to be the person I am meant to be.

I am blessed to even have things to think about....and for that, I am humbled when I wash the dishes :)

Today I am photographing a wedding in Virginia Beach - hopefully the weather will hold up :)