Red Sox Nation is My Second Family

Today was AMAZING!!! My mom and I went down to the Red Sox Rally in Boston and what an awesome event to experience first hand. You just can't explain all the pride, excitement and joy that exudes from the crowds of Boston's faithful fans. We got to be right up against the barricade along Tremont Street and got some fun pictures. They didn't come out as great as I would have liked, but we did get some good ones. It was difficult to get all the players, because some were on our side of the duck boats and some were on the other side. But more important than the pictures are the memories that I will take away from the day. It was so wonderful to experience this with my mom, especially since we didn't get to attend the rally in 2004.

As you can see from the pictures, we made some new friends for the day as well. I especially loved the cute little boy that stood on the barricade next to me. To see this kind of event through the big, bright eyes of a child makes it even that much more exciting.

Thank you Red Sox...we're so proud of you!

Live for Today

Recently a friend of mine had a blog entry about living for today that I totally connected with. These days I feel like risks are worth taking, fun times are worth having and worrying about what other people think about you is just plain a WASTE of TIME! I'm living for today, I'm having fun and I'm not caring what anybody else thinks about it...and that makes me pretty darn happy.

Off to the Red Sox rally with my Mom in Boston tomorrow...thanks for helping me live for today Mom!

Stamptoberfest 2007

Well, I'm back from Cape Cod and boy was it a whirlwind weekend as you can tell by the tired look on my face in that first picture! I headed down on Friday night for dinner with Miss Jenn and her friend Lee (thanks for dinner Lee, you allowed me to continue my habit with purchases at the store on Saturday). Jenn and I went right to bed when we got home because we knew Saturday was going to be a BUSY day. We got up around 7am and headed over to Colorful Creations for a day full of craftiness. They had their annual Stamptoberfest event where you get to make a number of different crafts with different teachers throughout the day. This year we made four projects: a mini book, two stamped canvas projects, an altered pin and a canvas bag. Our teachers for the day were Miss Jenn, Jayne, Joyce and Melissa. I also got to see Erin and Meliss-er, since they were both working for the day. Notice the cute pics that all the girls let me snap of them.

Then, exactly as the event ended, Miss Jenn and I made a quick clothes change in the bathroom and headed to Keene, NH for a birthday celebration for our friend Dawn. It was her 30th birthday earlier this week and her husband had rented a limo to take us all out dancing. The drive back to NH was a LONG 3 hours, but we made it to Keene with just 5 minutes to spare before we got to surprise Dawn with our arrival. The limo was awesome! Not to mention Dawn and Mitchell's friends, they were all so much fun and I can't wait for the next outing with them. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any photos of the craziness, but it's probably better that way, as I allowed myself to have a little too much fun and I'm sure I would have had a dropped or damaged camera by the end of the night and that would have been very unhappy.

Notes for Jenn:
1. YES! His name really was Jason, I promise. Hehehehe, but he had already told me we could call him whatever I wanted earlier in the night. : O )

2. Next time you hang out with Patrick, please bring me along and ask him to invite Jason a.k.a. Shea. Distractions are always fun.

That's all for tonight, my tummy still isn't feeling so hot today so I'm off to watch the Red Sox game on the couch!

Off to the Cape!

I'm off to the Cape for the weekend! Hoping to come back with lots of fun pictures and stories to share. Talk to you all Sunday!

Seasons of Change

Last week I took a few shots in the park of the changing leaves on the trees. Today I feel a bit like these leaves as they change with the season. They are bright, bold and beautiful...but some days they are caught at just the moment that the wind picks up and they are brought right down to the ground, where their brilliance is lost.

With all the changes happening in my life right now, I'm reminded that over the past few years I have grown to be a beautiful, strong, independent woman. I do know this, yet some days it still doesn't help me from feeling lonely and sad. Today I was taken by the wind. Maybe tomorrow I'll be back on the tree, or maybe I'll still be thrown around by the wind. Either way, I'll still be proud of the decisions I have made.

Note to Self

Don't watch Law & Order:Special Victims Unit when home by yourself! You know better.

Enough said.

Music Therapy

Why is it that when you're sad, it's sad music that cheers you up?

Personally I hate listening to "happy crap" music when I'm having a bad day...somehow that makes it even worse. Maybe it's easier to feel like the sad music understands you, agrees with you, lets you know that you're doing the right thing and that everything will turn out just fine. Maybe it's that the words mean exactly what you need them to, they are saying exactly what you need to hear. Maybe it's that they allow you those few minutes to clear your head and not actually think at all, but instead get lost in the song. Who knows? Anyway, music is my therapy today and Walk Away by Ben Harper has been played a few times because of these words...

"They say time will make all this go away,
but it's time that has taken my tomorrows and turned them into yesterdays.
And once again that rising sun is droppin' on down
And once again, you my friend, are nowhere to be found.

And it's so hard to do and so easy to say.
But sometimes, sometimes you just have to walk away, walk away and head for the door.
You just walk away - walk away - walk away.
You just walk away, walk on, turn and head for the door."

Walk for a Cause

I'm sorry bloggerland, I am a bad blogger yet again! This week has been a bit tough for me, but I'm confident that everything happens for a reason and I'm staying positive and busy...so it's all good. Last Sunday was the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and my team raised over $2,500!!! I won't have the overall total until next week I think, but I'll update you all when I get word of our final numbers. These are some of the pictures that I took of the day. Check out how far back the walkers go on that road picture. It is amazing to get to the top of the hill and look behind you to see just how many of us are out there making a difference. I think it was over 4,000 walkers in Concord this year alone. Way to go everyone!

In other news, my ankle is doing much better. I was down to one crutch on Friday (even though I wasn't suppose to be) and I DID make it to the Tori Amos concert with the girls on Thursday. I know it wasn't the smartest choice, but it was certainly worth it...the concert was perfect! Plans for Pumpkinfest ended up falling through yesterday, but I think it was better that I didn't attempt to walk around there. Instead, Laine and I went out to dinner in Manchester. Thanks for keeping me busy last night Laine, you're the best!

Now, off to the laundromat and maybe some crafting with Joanne this afternoon. Later!

My View for 7-10 Days

Wow, this is not exactly what I had planned to be looking at for the week, but there it is...an air cast and crutches! Turns out my ankle didn't really agree with me walking 7 or 8 miles on Sunday. I thought I could walk over to the field for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, since I only live about a mile away. Then I completed the 5 mile walk and walked home. Everything was great. I felt good, happy, proud and my ankle didn't hurt at all. Fast forward two hours later and I can't even stand up!

You see, I have an old ankle injury that flares up from time to time and it decided that it has been far too long since the last visit. Sunday night I was still thinking, no problem...this is what happens: I overexert it, I can't walk for the next 12 hours and then the next morning I'm sore, but able to limp around until it feels better and then back to normal. Well, my ankle decided that I wasn't giving it quite enough attention this time and sent me to the doctor on Monday morning...when I STILL couldn't stand. They think I overdid it and then kept putting pressure on it, so that turned into a sprained ankle and a strained foot. I have to keep it elevated and iced and I'm suppose to stay off from it as much as possible for the next 7-10 days.

Now for the worst part...it's my right ankle and I drive a STANDARD!!! Luckily I only work across town, so I was able to get back to work today. It did hurt much more this afternoon though, not having it iced or elevated all day. I might have to work from home a bit this week, but we'll see. I also have tickets to the Tori Amos concert Thursday night in Boston and now I don't know if I can drive there. I just have to wait and see if it gets better in the next two days. I'm also suppose to go to the Pumpkinfest in Keene on Saturday...all these plans and now limited mobility. I'm so frustrated!!!

Blondes May Have More Fun, But Brunettes are Bringing Sexy Back

Yup, I'm back to being brunette! And boy do I feel pretty sexy...a new hairdo and a manicure seem to do that to me. I'm feeling really great after this week. I've been getting back in touch with so many friends and making plans through the rest of the month. I'm going to be one tired girl, but it will be well worth it to be getting back to the girl that I used to be once again...that happy, spunky, fun girl that everyone wants to be around and invites out because she's so darn fun! I miss that girl and she's been MIA for far too long.

In other news my friend Joanne has done something very bad to me...she has shown me the world of Justin Timberlake and I'm ashamed to admit that now, I too, am a fan. Poor Scott has no chance now sitting between the two of us at work. I bet it's going to be a long week for him.

Blah Day...

So today has been pretty blah. Cold, rainy (not the good kind of rainy, the icky, drizzly kind), hectic at work, stressful, cranky kind of day! I don't like that. I'm getting my hair done tonight, so perhaps that will perk me up. Maybe I'll be back to post pictures later...

Even My Eyelids Were Sweaty!!!

Wow, either I was really tired yesterday afternoon or I was working out WAY too hard. At one point in my cardio class, I actually thought to myself (in my head of course)..."I'm really sweating during this workout, I must be working really hard. Even my eyelids are sweating!" Um, yeah, okay Stace! Maybe your head is sweating and it's just beading down your forehead and resting on your eyelids. Who actually thinks to themselves that eyelids sweat??? I'm weird, I know!

A Daily Adventure Has Begun!

Okay, are you ready for what I've been working on? They are called "dailies." A few of my friends started creating these a while ago and I decided to put my own spin on them. Everyday you take a playing card, from and ordinary deck of cards, and you create ART! It's a fun way to help you bring creativity into your everyday. They are small enough to make quickly (and without too much intimidation), but large enough to capture a thought of the day. I have decided to make my first deck my Daily Gratitudes. I want to capture at least one thing everyday that I am grateful for...no matter how big or small. It's a great way to send positive energy out into the world and to remind me of all that I have to be thankful for in my life. I will try to post them every Sunday night, so I can include the whole week of cards. Hope you like them!

P.S. Sorry for the poor photo quality. I took them after dark, and quickly, so they aren't the best.

Updates

Sorry I haven't been around much again this week...busy, busy, busy. I have plans everyday straight through next Thursday! Anyway, it starts off this weekend with a babysitting adventure. A friend/co-worker is going to his sister's wedding with his wife, so I'll be watching their adorable 2.5 year old until Sunday afternoon. We have some fun things planned, so I'm excited to watch her.

Monday night and Tuesday night will both be filled with craftiness and then Wednesday, I'll be heading to my parent's house for dinner before they leave on vacation for their anniversary, or their "30th Honeymoon" as my dad likes to call it.

As for me...I'm doing really well. The next two weeks are sure to be a bit trying, but I'm really having fun spending time with friends. It's been nice to meet new ones and reconnect with old ones and I'm sure more of the same will continue. It is good to be busy.

And one last thing, speaking of busy, I've been working on a new project to help bring some creative spirit into the everyday...I should be ready to share on Sunday night, so stay tuned!!!

Thirty Years

Wow, it's hard to believe that my parents are getting ready to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary! I'm proud and happy to say they are two of the happiest and most in love people that I know. It was wonderful to grow up in a household so full of love. My mom and I got together yesterday to make a special gift for her to give to my dad and we had so much fun. My mom has never enjoyed crafts, so I was especially excited when she asked me to help her. Now in doing this, she realized that I wouldn't just let her put photos in a regular album...we had to make a little mini book of their recent adventures in hiking. Here are a few of the pages for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!