We're Home!

Well, we've been home for sometime now.

all is right with the world now.
We got home last Wednesday, in the early evening.

We had some pretty great adventures along the way, all in all is was a great trip.
You can see all of our photos on my Flicker site :)

and now we're home, ready to start on the next chapter of our lives.
It's been a pretty crazy week back.

We've repainted several rooms in our house, braved Ikea on Memorial Day Weekend, and have had visits from multiple friends and relatives. It's been a fantastic week back home, and I am so happy to be here. Finally.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far! :)

This is it.

We leave tomorrow for Portland, Oregon.

Everything is just about all packed up and ready to go.
It's been a year and a half that I've been waiting for this, and it's here. It's incredible. I can't even describe how I feel right now. I'm just a mix of emotions.

I honestly don't even know what to write. I've been waiting to write this blog post since forever.
I just keep staring off into space, and my mind isn't able to fixate on just one feeling.

I've met so many amazing people along this little journey. Both physically and through the internets. It's been a really difficult journey with lots of ups and downs. Lots. and now it's almost over, and I can start a new chapter of my life.

I was telling my neighbor that this whole thing is probably not going to hit me until we're pulling up into our driveway at home...wow. Just the thought of that makes me smile uncontrollably.

Well, I want to say thank you to all of you that given me support and encouragement throughout this last year and a half. Thank you. Thank you so much. This would have been so much harder if I hadn't had your thoughtful and inspiring comments. So many of you have given me the confidence that I needed to go forward. So many of you have given me the support I needed to get through this. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means the world to me.

Well, tomorrow at 8 am we take off. We'll be stopping in Indiana to have lunch with my grandma. Then Saturday we're on our way to Madison, Wisconsin to have lunch and chat with Susan of artkitten! Whoohoo!
Then we're stopping in Badlands National Park, then to Devils Tower. Our next stop after that will be Yellowstone, and then a 13 hour drive home to Portland. Home.

We should be home in Portland in about a week. Give or take a day. :)

Ok. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!! I'll see you in Portland!
Lots if hugs and love.

Boxes and Packages

The worst part of moving for me is living in the total chaos that comes along with it.
I hate living with stacks of boxes and empty shelves. I feel so uncomfortable in my apartment right now...

But!! We leave next week! a week from Thursday. Wow. I'm so excited. Everyday that goes by we just get closer and closer. It has been a bit stressful. Trying to squeeze in last minute visits and timing everything just right...

Right now, the thought of pulling into my driveway, at home, puts the biggest smile on my face. Wow. I can't wait.

On another note, I got a ton of orders this weekend! I reached my 700th sale too! Woot woot! I was very very busy...
Hope everyone had a good weekend and hope you have a great week too :D

p.s. I'm still having a sale in my Etsy shop!

Can't Sleep

I haven't really been able to sleep very well the last week or so.
I fall asleep okay, pass out is a better term, but then I wake up at 6 am, and can't go back to sleep...

I've never been able to sleep in. I think the longest I've ever slept in was 10 am.
Oh well. I just have a lot of stuff going on in my head, and I can't seem to just turn it off.

Packing is going well. We've got a lot done so far, and we're off to get more boxes today. Michael's mom, and family will be arriving on Wednesday for the graduation, which is on Friday.
It's going to be so nice to see familiar faces! It's been about a year and a half since we've seen them.

Moving day is getting so close. I can't believe it's getting so close. In roughly three weeks we'll be home! I'm happy, anxious, and excited. I can't wait to see my friends...That's probably why I can't turn my mind off.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! I've got a pretty busy day ahead of me, so I guess I should get started on it.

ps. I'm still having a sale in my shop! 20-50% off all items :)

Vacation

I'm really looking forward to this vacation that Mike and I plan on taking after graduation.

We started to plan our road/camping trip yesterday. I'm really looking to spending less time on the computer, and not worrying about what I'm going to make next...

I love what I do, and I love being able to work for myself, but I think the constantly feeling like I have to make something, or come up with new ideas, is wearing down on me. Not to mention, I just finished 30 new pieces for the Surface Gallery show in July. I think I need a break...

What I am most looking forward to is going home, and what kind of work is going to be coming from that. The last year and half I've relied on the idea of home, and things that I miss. I'm really curious to see what will come from finally being there, and being in a city where I find so much inspiration on a daily basis. I'm more than excited about this, but you probably already know this.

That's all I've got today.
Hope everyone's week is going well.

ps. My sale is still going on in my Etsy shop!

Packing!

I started packing.
We've already got the etching press all packed up, now I'm working on organizing, and getting little things packed.
It hit me yesterday while I was packing, that I was actually packing to leave.
That I was finally moving back home.
That this is what I had been waiting for, for the last year and a half.

It's here! I'm really leaving! I'm really going home! Yay!!
The things that I am putting into boxes, I won't see again until I'm home, in Portland.

It's a pretty amazing feeling. I'm feeling pretty great right now...

20 more days until we leave. I've got so much work to do.
But, I'm trying not to focus too much on that.
Just the end...

Hope everyone is having a good week so far!