Time Flies!

I am an advocate of living life one day at a time. Sometimes, those days accumulate and fly by so fast it leaves me asking questions like, “Where did the summer go?” “How did my niece just get her license and my nephew start high school? Weren’t we just changing their diapers yesterday?” I’m sure you can relate on some level!

It has been another whirlwind couple of weeks in Val Land. I had the wonderful gift of spending five days with my two little angels, Maya and Nicky, before starting my new job on Monday. Barb and I were grateful to be able to help out our friends and take the kids while they dealt with some childcare challenges that coincided with work travel. We had a blast with the little ones – even if it was a bit of a reminder that I am no longer the spring chicken I might once have been!

Auntie Val & her little angels

I have been especially aware of the passage of time through the recent reconnection with a couple of dear friends from my first couple of years in the Army. On the one hand, it seems as though it was just last week I was walking across post with Lisa at Fort Gordon, GA, or welcoming my roommate Lori back from a trip to Egypt at Fort Huachuca, AZ. As we have been catching up on what we’ve been up to over the past couple of decades, however, it becomes readily apparent that a significant number of one-day-at-a-times have piled up. But, the bond of friendship itself is timeless.

I believe God puts people in our life just when we need them to help us learn whatever lessons are in front of us. Such was the case with these two particular friends. I met them during the last couple years of my drinking (I am gratefully in recovery today!), and they certainly saw me at my worst. They also stuck by me and supported me when I was trying to get sober, teaching me that not all friends are of the fair-weather type…and that there are some with whom you can pick right back up after 10 or 15 or 20 years as if you had just seen each other last week. I am so grateful for those friends!

I am also thinking of a few other friends who have touched my life so significantly over the years, and with whom I have lost contact. I think I need to schedule some letter-writing time this weekend!

And now, for a brief “Pryo Plug” – since I did start this thing to talk about my pyrography…

My burning area

I took advantage of one or two of my last days off before I started the new job at the beginning of this week to set up an area for the craft in my basement. Previously, I worked in what I lovingly called the “dungeon” area – a back area of the basement where I had combined my “study” with my “studio.” I love the new area! I get actual sunlight…it’s spacey…I feel a little more organized. Now, if I can only get some time to actually use it! Between having the kids through the weekend and starting my job this week, I haven’t had time to fire up the burners much. I did, however, make a little progress on the carousel horse I am making for my niece, Grace. It is next in line in the growing list of requests I have for plaques, and I am hoping to finish it this weekend.

Grace's plaque in-progress with pattern by Lora Irish

Thanks for reading…and remember to reach out to some of those friends who have touched your life…just to say Hi, or to let them know they’re special to you!

A Whirlwind Week

Whew! As I mentioned in my last blog update, I was recently impacted by a downsizing at the company I’d been with for four years. After taking a few weeks to update my resume and spend an amazing week with family and friends in VT, I determined that I would put on a full-court press on the job search court beginning on Monday of this week. I think the job search put a full-court press on me, instead!

When I logged into my email account on Monday, I had messages from three different recruiters who had become aware that I was available. This resulted in a frenzied schedule of phone screenings and interviews on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday…and resulted in a job offer for the position I was most interested in on Friday. Was this a result of my direct actions? I think not!

While I have been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster related to my employment status, I have held steadfast in the knowing that this is exactly where I am supposed to be in my life. God may have closed a door, but He sure opened a few windows. Rather than pray for what I THINK I want in this area of my life, I have prayed for God to put me where He needs me to be. It's amazing how quickly good things can come when we plan the plan, then get out of the way and leave the results to God! I am so very grateful!

It appears that God needs me somewhere a little sooner than my time line accounted for. I start my new job a week from Monday, which my wonderful partner Barb is very happy about. I, however, would have liked another month or so off! I am hoping to get out my burner and finish a project I started in VT and haven’t had time to get back to in the frenzy of the past week. In the meantime, let me tell you about a plaque I recently finished for my sister, Sambo.

Samantha asked me (several years ago!) to burn her wedding vows so she could give the plaque to her husband as a gift. Burning a lot of text can be a bit tedious, so I had put it off. Besides, I had to come up with an overall design, and it took me a while to visualize where I wanted to go. Finding myself with some time on my hands before I headed up to Vermont, I decided to tackle the task. I found a wedding pattern in one of my Walnut Hollow Farms books – a man slipping a ring on a woman’s finger with candles and roses in the background. I decided to “shadow” burn this image behind the vows, as well as add a decorative border and a little color.

This was quite an experiment! Overall, I am pretty happy with the results. If I were to do it again, I would use watercolors or thinned oil paint to add the color rather than the oil pencils, which show the grain in the wood more than I would like. Sam was happy with it, though…and that’s what truly matters!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

You know the saying.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!  As for me, I LOVE fresh-squeezed lemonade, and there's no time like the middle of summer to enjoy it. 

Life has tossed a few lemons my way lately, and I have been cranking out pitchers of lemonade.  I was laid off from my job several weeks ago.  Although the job provided some amazing experiences and growth, I had felt as though I needed to move on for some time.  It seems as though God often does for me that which I cannot or will not do for myself.  Thus, I am looking forward to a new opportunity that will give me a chance to further grow - both professionally and personally.

In the meantime, I have been making lemonade!  I was able to take the time to drive up to my native Vermont and spend a week with family and friends.  I had an aunt reach a milestone birthday, and all of my maternal aunts and uncles and many of my cousins, some of whom I have not seen for a couple of decades, arrived for a party.  I spent an evening tearing up the dance floor ...something I find great for both the body and soul...in between catching up with relatives.  I was able to spend some quality time with a few cousins, learning that we have a lot more in common than I had ever imagined.

I went four-wheeling with my sister Jessie and niece Courtney, an activity that I very much enjoy.  They took me on some trails up near their place, complete with lots of mud puddles.  What a blast!

It just so happens that while I was in VT, a very near and dear friend of mine who resides in Arizona was also visiting the Green Mountain State.  I was able to spend a wonderful evening in Middlebury with her.  A coincidence?  Or, an incident in which God just chooses to remain anonymous? Sometimes, those friends who double as spiritual teachers appear when we most need them - whether we are aware of the need or not.  I am so grateful for these "earth angels," as my Mom calls them.

I also had the opportunity for a little creativity.  My sister Samantha is an amazing crafter, and often tries to pull me into projects when I am in VT.  While I did help her with one project, I recommended that we have a craft night where we each followed our own passions.  I brought my burner over while she pulled out her card-making materials.  I didn't accomplish much as I had several nieces and nephews looking over my shoulder.  I have made a promise to a couple of them to bring some materials and give them some lessons on my next trip up.

I'm safely back in VA and preparing to make more lemonade!  I'll be putting on a full-court press on the job-search front, and taking advantage of some of the additional time that "working from home" affords me.  Several nieces, nephews, aunts and cousins have put in some pyrography requests - enough to keep me busy for a couple of years! 

Stayed tuned...and don't forget to enjoy a tall glass of lemonade every now and then!