Sometimes change is a leap of faith...

Hi Peeps....  sorry I haven't been around much lately.  It's been a very busy few months and then we were away on vacation in Alaska for a few weeks.   Oh goodness... what adventures we had!  More on that, later in my post. 

First I want to chat about some changes I've made in my personal life over the last few months.  Hang with me for a few minutes... 

Yesterday, one of my crafty friends, Wanda Guess, shared her story of a leap of faith ~ thank you Wanda!  It totally inspired me to share my thoughts with you.  I'm not entirely sure who will read this, if anyone, but that's OK ~ here goes...  

First, a little bit of background... This last year has been a huge transition for me with our daughter leaving for college.  Every little thing seems to mean more now and I find myself clinging to the moments when all four of us are together.  Little things like text messages, phone calls, seeing photos posted on social media and family dinners are now huge!  Then the bigger things like surprise visits and trips together make my heart melt.  My son has two more years of high school and now that my daughter is away at college, I can actually begin to grasp what it will mean to be "empty nesters".   I adore my husband and we are excited about what the next chapter holds for us as well as for our kids. But we also plan to make the most of these next 2 years that Matt will still be home ~ which means being involved with band activities, church activities and some impromptu trips to see our daughter, Megan.  

Fast forward to mid-May...  are you still with me?  Well because of all that stuff above, I decided to make some changes and quit my part-time/work from home job.  That happened as of June 1st.  I really enjoyed the job, the company and my co-workers and they were very good to me; however, it was quickly becoming more time than I wanted to spend.  I struggled with the decision for about 6 months ~  "Why would I quit a job IN the industry I love when I'm finally getting paid?" ~ I asked myself this over and over.   One Sunday morning I was scrolling through Facebook when I read this... 

I completely felt like God was telling me it was time to make the decision ~ either way, stay or leave. At that moment, I gave myself permission to move on & wrote out my resignation letter.   Although I was pretty good at the admin stuff and leading the team, I think I still craved the creative side. Now I have moved on, I am hoping I will have time to actually create for myself.  More importantly, spend more time with my husband & family and our many activities... after all, those are the things that really count!    Was it a leap of faith for me... I think so.  I'm not one for lots of changes and the decision didn't come without a good dose of guilt; however, sometimes we need to make decisions with a leap of faith. 

I am still creating with Taylored Expressions and Gina K Designs.  I also have a TON of incomplete scrapbook project piles sitting in my basement waiting to be done.  But right now... marching band is starting up this week and I begin my 6th year as a Band Mom ~ and for me, there is no better way to be involved with your kids.  So all of that will keep me incredibly busy.  I am a very blessed girl... I know it!

Whew... I'm not sure if I lost you or not, but if you're still here, thanks for listening and now here are some photos of our trip to Alaska!  I will have many, many, many pages to share in upcoming posts!

Hiking to a waterfall

Kayaking in Resurrection Bay

Up close to a glacier 

 Hike in a rain forest and whale watching in Juneau

Zipline and ATV adventures in Icy Strait Point

Zodiac Boats in Ketchikan 

We clean up pretty well ~ :)

Thanks for stopping by today!