rest in peace...

Officer Jared Francom

There is no

greater calling than to

serve your fellow men. 

There is no greater 

contribution than to

 help the weak.

 There is no greater 

satisfaction than to

have done it well.

~Walter Reuther~

prioritize...

hello sweet friend...

i'm sorry i have been away for so long.

i got caught up in my new adventure

and it's taken all of my attention away from

the place i share my heart.

but, i have missed being here

and felt like it was time to come 

back and visit.

it's 2012...a beautiful thing.

a year empty and full of possibilities.

i am so happy to see 2011 go.

a year full of family heartbreak 

and stress and things that took

our focus and strength away from

those who really matter.

our little family.

our 3 girls and 1 son-in-law

to be...

prioritize is our word of the new year.

our focus will be set squarely

on family, home, faith,

financial security, and healthy living.

seems like a lot but we'll just take it 

one day at a time.  

every morning is a new opportunity

to refocus and renew our 

chance to strive for more.

i'm so excited to be started on this 

little journey with my better half

and our family.

thank you for still being here

for me, for not giving up on me.

you are kind of like my giving tree..

just here for me when i need you

and never really asking anything

in return.

xo,

i am a mormon...

i have another video for you...

i LOVE this.

it joins two great things...

creating and being a mormon!!

you HAVE to watch this...

that little kid in the red and pajamas and his little brother...

i am hunting them down to marry my girls!

seriously, how cute are they??

DAD YOU'RE UGLY!

that will forever pop into my head randomly.

kind of like charlie bit my toe.

hope you laughed right out loud!

big smile,

*sparkity, spark, spark, spark*

i would've posted about this earlier but i lost my camera.

then i found it, i left it at dear lizzy at the after party.

YAY!

warning:  i am a horrible photographer and my camera...

well it's a dear little point and shoot that i love but it doesn't

take the best of photos.  

so, about *SPARK*.

m.az.ing.

seriously, just overwhelming.

picture a room full of creative, excited, beautiful inside and out, women.

everyone just seemed to glow.

i love to be a part of things that make women feel special.

heck, i love to feel special myself.

*wink and a smile*

and, let me tell you sisters, those ladies know how to make a girl feel special.

i so didn't know what to expect and i went all on my own and

dangit i was so nervous to go by myself.  

but, you know what?  it didn't last long...the women there

were so warm and welcoming and excited to meet new friends.

to

i LOVE signs...

and there were some of the coolest i've seen all over the place.

and they had inspirational quotes...i LOVE them more than signs.

that's a lot of love.

*smile*

then there was the decorations inside...swoon.

this was our centerpiece and every table had something different and adorable!

bring in the goodies...

i forgot my camera the first day and got so carried away by what was going on the 

second day that i didn't get as many pictures as i would have liked to of all the swag

that we got!  it seemed like every time we turned around there was something 

awesome coming our way.  we were treated like queens i tell ya.

and then there were the classes...

LOVED EVERY ONE OF THEM!

i got to actually meet and talk to women

that i have admired so much on line.

made me a little star struck.

i didn't get a picture of kathe holden who is 

just as nice as can be and who taught

us how to make a sweet little nest necklace...

i also didn't get a picture of christy tomlinson,

 who i adore.  i have taken her classes online

and stalked her a little...

she is such a genuinely good person.

she is the reason that i love mixed media,

and one of the people who have inspired me to

art journal...and art journaling has opened up

a part of me that i didn't know was there.

so, that should tell you how much i adore

this sweet, talented, amazing, lady.

oh and there was donna downey...

i think i kinda have a girl crush on her now.

she is so funky and such an incredible teacher.

and FUNNY!

we also took a junk journal class from jen jensen.

i was just kind of in awe of her. her talent...well it blew me away.

i could've spent all day creating away with her.

this is one of the scrapbooks that she made for

her little girl for her 6th birthday.  it was a circus

theme and this is made from a dictionary she cut in half

with her husband's chop saw!

SO COOL!!!

i'm not kidding you....this thing was just incredibly cool.

there was a class with april meeker learning how to carve your own stamp.

i will definately be giving that some more of my time.

and she is the other girl crush i took away...amazing lady and so talented.

she is also my personal style hero.  coolest dresses and boots.

now, i have a confession, i wanted to take my friend kristen to explore 

a couple of places and so we skipped class a couple of times.

we missed a class with the incredibly sweet and talented amy tangerine 

and with emily falconbridge.  i'm tellin ya something right now...

emily falconbridge looks exactly like i dreamed of looking back in my

hippie days...she rocks dreads like no-one i've ever seen!

i love rhonna farrer...love, love, love her!

she is a bundle of pure joy and it radiates from her.

she talked to me for quite a while and gave me some

great advice about my new blog...stay true to who you are.

she is just awesome.

margie is hilarious and the brains and brawn behind it all

and she is just super cool...super.cool.

she is all about building up women...

us supporting one another...

creating from the heart...

all of the things i adore in a woman.

(i am starting to sound a little like i'm gay...

'not that there's anything wrong with that'...seinfeld.)

i also was so lucky to be a part of the marketplace.

i am used to a 10x10 booth and so i had to rearrange my 

plans a few days before and i was so nervous about

it but it turned out great!

and my friend, kristin from faded prairie had an amazing booth, as usual!

that girl can style a space like no-one i've ever seen.

she is having an amazingly generous *spark* give-away today on her blog...

you are sooo gonna want to go enter that.

i also need to mention a talented, talented jewelry maker

that i met, made fast friends with, and was up until 2 am talking to.

that's the latest i've been out for i don't know how long!

her name is canela, she is so genuine and kind and i just love her.

her jewelry is beautiful...you should go and look at it and meet her here...

and she has donated a necklace to faded prairie's give-away that is just so cool.

well, friends.

i would wish for everyone to be able to *spark* next year.

it was just inspiring.

i can't wait to go to number 4. can't.wait.

don't forget to go visit dandelion farm girl today and 

enter our give-away of all things good.

*big smile*

xo,