Matt

My best friend passed away in July of 2007. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him, and miss him. Somedays, I forget for a moment, and think that I need to call him and tell him some goofy thing that happened, just because I know he would laugh at my goofiness. Then I remember that I can't call him, and I wonder, if he can see from where he is, and if he's laughing about it. The truth is, I can't describe how much I miss him. Before he died, I talked to him EVERY day, and saw him almost every day. Every joy, sorrow, victory, loss, pain, thrill for over six years were shared with him. He was with me for the lowest moments of my life, and for the highest. He and Mat grew very close, became like brothers. One of my greatest regrets is that he won't be there for our wedding. He would have loved it. Yesterday was his birthday. He would have been 32. It doesn't sit right for me that the wonderful man he was, was lost to me, to Mat, and to the world when he was only 30 years old. I can only hope, that wherever he is, he knows, how much I loved him, love him still, and miss him, with every bit of my heart. I scrapped this LO in honor of him. It's the first I've done of him, and will probably be the last. Some things just hurt too much. I miss you buddy.

Matt's page was created with the "Burnt Beauty" kit by Ashalee Wall.

I've always had a problem with my self confidence. Frankly, I never had much. It's one reason there've been some problems between myself and DF. He loves me, and couldn't understand why I could never accept that. I was constantly asking him why, and needing him to reassure me. Last summer, I spent a LOT of time soul searching, and finally realized WHY I was that way, and was able to put it behind me. For the first time in my life, I can accept that someone loves me, just for who I am, not for what they want me to be, but just the way I am, with no conditions. I found a picture the other day, (at stockvault.com) of this gorgeous sunrise, and it just really struck a cord in me, about the changes in my outlook on life, and how I choose to live my life each day. Here is a LO that reflects that. Mat, if you read this, Thank you, for never giving up on me, and for loving me the way that you do. I love you.





Live, Laugh, Love

Another Layout

One of the MANY reasons I love my DF is the way he completely adores DD. He's an amazing dad to her. Her father is still a part of her life, but it is DF who does all the "dad" stuff with her. He takes her fishing and camping and all that fun stuff. He's the one who helps her with her homework and he bought her first little Swiss Army Knife (cause she wanted one like his, LOL) and taught her how to carve soap. He's her biggest fan at soccer games, and he loves to hang out with her and her friends having Nerf Gun wars. (It's really something to see, they play in the dark, LOL.) And, most of all, he's there when she needs someone to listen and always makes her feel better when she's upset. Anyway...I scrapped this LO of them the other day, and wanted to share it with you all.....

This LO was created using "Unforgettable" from Ziggle Designs. It's part of her Grab Bag #3 available at Scrap Orchard. (After January 15 the kit will be available on it's own.)

Live, Laugh, Love

ADSR Assignment 2

Ok, so I'm not planning to post something about every single assignment, but....I thought this one was just WAYY too cool not to post about. Our assignment was to scrap a layout TOGETHER, using the theme "Cabin Fever." We had a bunch of other requirements, that I won't post here, because they just had to do with what all the page had to have on it. So....Xandra comes up with the BRILLIANT idea of scrapping a LO about OUR kids. Not just a LO we did together about her kids, or mine, but about ALL of them. SO COOL!! One thing the LO had to have on it was journaling, so she journaled about the pics of her kids, I journaled about the pic of Casey, and we put it all together and came up with this awesome (if we do say so ourselves) layout! Check it out.

All the elements and papers come from either Starving Artist Designs kit Ready for Love, or Gypsy Couture's kit Bohemian Aura, except for the acryllic bracket, which I made for this LO.

Live, Laugh, Love

An Emotional Layout

Ok, so I'm doing the Amazing Digital Scrapbooking Race (ADSR) with my partner Xandra of Starving Artist Designs. (Check out her blog by clicking the link on the right. She's an amazing designer.) The race just started yesterday, and I was totally excited and completely nervous. So...Our first assignment was:

My challenge for you is to
1) Rip and tear a photo into three or more pieces! (that's a photo, not papers!)
2) Use journaling on your layout (something I stress is SO important).
Journaling: Dictionary.com: A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflection

So, I start thinking about pictures that I could use that could be torn apart to use for this challenge. And what came to my mind is that my fiance and I are currently "torn apart" by the fact that he's in Denver at the moment. So, I decided that theme would work for this challenge. The LO came out well, despite the fact that I had tears streaming down my face the entire time I was working on it. It's hard. I miss him more than words can describe. But...in a way this LO was therapeutic. It made me realize that even though we're over 1000 miles apart, it doesn't matter, because in the end, our hearts are still connected. It got me to thinking of other couples I know who are apart in distance, due to jobs, military, or whatever the reason. So, my point in sharing this LO with you all is to encourage those of you who are in my situation. Hang in there. Stay strong. Love Endures.

Live, Laugh, Love...
Here's the LO...

The kit used for this page was Sweet Deceit from Pineapple Plantation Designs, available at Scrap Orchard.