My Butterfly

 

My oldest DGD in a pensive (or ticked off) moment. I used the fabulous Just Spring Value Collection by Lauren Bavin...I love pastels and this kit is soooo soft and beautiful!! I also used a piece from Tina Chambers' Special You word art.

New Friends

Here are some new friends we met while we were on the plane to Mexico. We accidentally met up again at a restaurant the night after we arrived and were together almost every night after that...and had a blast!

Background, Ribbon and Flower from the Dusk Meadows page kit;
Leaves from the Floral Coral page kit;
Word Art from the Garden of Friends page kit; all found in the Scraps of Fun: Flowers CD by DSP Designers
Butterfly from the Loud Whisper page kit, found in the Scraps of Fun: Bold and Bright CD by DSP Designers
Overlay from Distressed and Grungy Overlays 2 by Erica Belton

♪ ♫ Viva Mexico!!! ♫ ♪

These beach musicians in Mexico played the Burro song for us...it was hilarious!!!

All products by Digital Scrapbook Place. Credits:
Music to My Ears Page Kit, from the Scraps of Fun Performing Arts CD
Love Song Page Kit by Lauren Bavin
Essence of You Page Kit by Tina Chambers
Cracked and Creased Overlay Kit #2 by Meryl Bartho
Edges 14 - Edgy Photos by Suzanne Walker
Raspberry Guitar Picks by Kim Liddiard
Colonial America Page Kit by Elizabeth Weaver

Photography at the Guthrie

Photo from the 9th Floor of the Guthrie Theater

A few days ago, My TCP Meet Up group had an awesome opportunity to run wild at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and take pictures. It was a blast - so many interesting things to photograph! Some photogs even brought models in, and it was fun to watch the pros do their thing.

Things that make you say......go away!

So, I'm innocently surfing the web to find the best way to organize my coupons. (Yes, I've caught the coupon bug. It won't last.) I google coupon organizing and find a link that takes me to abcnews.com or some satellite page from it. Hey, all I want are some good tips, I don't care if they come from Donald Trump. It had a few alright tips...but then I happen to notice the little ad bar on the right side of the page and see my Facebook friends on there. Huh? It's a Facebook Social plugin. I have no idea A) why it's there; B) why my friends are on it and C) Did I do something to put it there - or has Facebook invaded my life so pervasively that it really does follow me around?

Creeped out, I leave that page and go back to Google. Ah...here's one. Household tips from thefuntimesguide.com. Looks good...but no, wait, yikes!! A big popup asking me if I want their newsletter?! Listen Mister, if I want your newsletter, I'll go find the link myself - this offensive THING blocking my view of the page has done nothing but piss me off now. X. See ya. Bye bye page....and you didn't even give me a chance to see if your content was good enough to WANT the damned newsletter.

I've made it a policy not to do business with anyone who intrudes unwanted into my space. You pop up - I pop out. I block telemarketer's phone numbers on my phone. I stay away from the pushy salespeople at the mall kiosks - take a sample and you're there for an hour fighting off $100 purchases. I have an imaginary husband whose careers span every job on the globe from window and roof installation to grounds maintenance to car repair, tax accountant and whatever else someone is trying to sell me. I owned when I rented and now I rent while I own. We vacation in Mazatlan because the timeshare folks were too numerous and pushy in Puerto Vallarta. We only use the Holiday Inn there because they don't let timeshare folks and beach vendors on the property. The list goes on and on.

Don't get me wrong - I can and like to be a social butterfly on occasion. Just on my own terms. It's why my privacy and space are so valuable to me. Give me some breathing room and I'm your best customer. Jump down my throat and I start to think your business must be selling crap or you wouldn't follow me around in such a pushy way. Bug off!

Hello!?! Where did my year go?

Oh my gosh, I didn't know it had been so long since I posted. I guess I've been busier than I thought :) Where to start? A trip to Mexico, healing after foot surgery (still!), doing a lot of photography and starting my own photo site at www.gail-simpson.com. Going through the motions of starting a photography business (I love doing events photography and have a gig lined up for next summer already!) Bought a new house in February, closed and moved in April. Getting used to the new place. Keeping up with my scrapping when I can - I'm now involved in running a boot camp for advanced scrappers that runs for five months and just wrapped up. More things in store for me that I can't divulge just yet. :) Just got back from the Dells seeing two of my three grandgirls. Life is good. :)

The first cut ....

Oh yeah, I had surgery on October 27th to have a Morton's Neuroma removed from my foot. It has NOT been a pleasant month. Way too many pain pills and not enough help, though my other half graciously stayed with me for the first two days until I could get around with my walker.

I spent those first two days completely off my feet, of course except for potty runs and going to bed at night. I graduated to limping along with a cane the following Saturday; Monday I returned to work, staying home to do so.

By then, Advil was controlling my pain in the daytime. Darvocet at night. I got my stitches out and bandages off two weeks after the surgery....it was heaven! I even managed to cram my foot into a loose sneaker for about 5 minutes...but that didn't last long! I didn't even try again to do that for two more weeks. Until then, I found a loose, slip on footie slipper, with an extra foot pad added for cushioning.

It amazed me - and still does - the amound of bruising in my foot. It even hurt if water drops from the shower hit the top of it. Now, four weeks later, most of my pain is isolated to the lump of swollen scar tissue in my foot, and a couple of spots in my toes and along the side of my foot are still pretty sensitive. Most of it is sensory/touch pain now. I can even skip the Advil on a regular basis.

On top of that, I played video games most of the time those first few days and really kicked up a nerve in my arm - probably a combination of carpal tunnel and spinal stenosis, both which I suffer from on ocassion. So other than work, I've been trying to spend minimal time on the computer.

Anyway, today is Thanksgiving, I'm able to get along very well, and I am thankful for being able to get that shoe on and keep it on all day yesterday! I hope you all find something to be Thankful for today...and have a Wonderful holiday!!!