Day 2 "What are you passionate about?"

Today's topic is passion.  Juicy, delicious, passion....dripping with goodness, oozing with flavor and mouthwatering joy.  Here are some images of the things I'm passionate about....

My family

My business

dancing in Daisy

My husband

Silliness

The BEACH

Art

 Art friends

My truck Daisy

 laughing with friends

 shopping at the Alameda antique fair....and or any flea market

 leaping in my tutu

 St. Croix, USVI

 Buck Island

 Bass Lake

 Fork's Burgers

 Tutu's (of course)

 Cherries

 My sister Holly

finding treasure for the shop

 my daughters jumps

 my sobriety

friends

 ice cream

Tom Petty

and much much more.....It was easy to think of things I'm passionate about.  I could go on and on....I like this new endeavor we are on, I am happy you are joining in, if you want to jump in any time feel free.  Just get a notebook and start writing.  Extra credit if you make art and a cover.....see you all tomorrow!

How to live life to the fullest ...101 questions to ask yourself

Tonight my daughter Abby and I made journals to start our new program of inspirational "me" time.  This came about from this website,101-questions-to-ask-yourself
So Abby and I made journals from composition books, and drawing paper.  We covered the journals with drawing paper and went to the craft drawer to get something on the cover...we took some pictures of the stuff we used and all this took about an hour..

 glitter is fun

 stamps are nice

 letters for "Dear Abby"

 Abby's journal

 fun tape for the inside

 Abby's journal with ribbon

 good saying

my journal.....

Today's topic is "Who am I?" Kind of a big question to be sure.  But one we should all know the answer to....We wrote a page on this, and tomorrow we will do another topic...so if this sounds good, join us.  It's easy.  You might like it.  Who knows what will happen....I sure don't.  But I already like it.  It's quality time with my daughter, it's artsy fun and I might learn something new....yay.  It will also get me blogging again.  I admit I was getting burnt out.  I just couldn't get fired up about it.  This will keep me focused and on track.  I need that discipline.  Left to my own devices I can be rather lazy...confession time.  Ok, I thank you for reading and come on and join the adventure...I would love to hear from you...

A glorious day to be at the beach

Hi friends,
It's Sunday night 9:14 pm and I am kickin it after a lovely day at the beach in Santa Cruz.  I love the beach.  I am passionate about the feeling I get when I am there.  Connected.  It's the place where my soul takes a huge deep breath and sighs.....ahhhh.  I am happiest when I am at the beach, when I can see the ocean, hear it's waves.  I lived on a island in the Caribbean twice in my life and it's power has never left me.  I also lived in Santa Cruz and Monterey but it's been along time since I have lived by the sea...too long.  I need to return from whence I came.  I'm like a mermaid, I can only stay away from the ocean for so long before I die of sadness..

so I will return when my daughter graduates high school.  I can hardly wait.  We have been going more frequently lately, as my son goes to college at UCSC.  We go to the flea market, or surfing and then visit him at his work at "Aldo's" for lunch afterwards.  It's always a perfect day.  I love the vibe in Santa Cruz, it's very laid back and chill.  It can be a bit crazy downtown but the beaches are lovely.  Today we went to the beach off 41st avenue where Abby and Ben surfed, while I read and sketched on the beach.  It was heavenly.  I listened to the soothing sounds of the waves and I drew a picture of a surfer girl...

then my son finished work and met me us at the beach....

it was a beautiful day, not cold, and not hot.  We watched Abby surf....

she is getting the hang of it!  It's her newest passion.  Too bad we don't live right down the street, she would get sooo good, sooo fast!  She is just the cutest surfer girl....

After all the sun and fun we went to the taqueria for a bite and drove home.  The good vibes are worth the drive, and we are becoming more and more locals once again...Ben and I lived in Santa Cruz when we first started dating 24 years ago, near the boardwalk.  I worked at Aldo's then, the very same restaurant my son works at now.  I love the continuity of it....so moving back to the beach is in the future for certain.  It's just a matter of time.  I think a Santa Cruz Hip Chick Designs is just what it needs......
thanks for checking in on me...

Hip Chick's first class

Saturday was a great day, it started with a tutu sale before I even got out of bed! WOO HOO!  That's what I'm talkin' bout.  Then I had my first art class and I was totally prepared and excited.  I had 5 students sign up for my timeline class which I had learned from taking "Soul Restoration" from the "Brave Girls club".  I found the experience so powerful I wanted to share it with others so I decided it would be my first class at Hip Chick Designs.  My students were Paula Oesterling, Carrie Nerheim, Donna Butler and Paula Wayne. We started off with introducing ourselves, followed by a 10 minute meditation to quiet our minds and reflect on our lives.  After we finished our meditation I instructed the girls on the structure of the book.  They all dove in and made quick progress and before I knew it they were all ready to put their images to paper.  The class was a timeline of our life and I provided images while also encouraging them to bring pictures of their life to use if they chose.  These ladies were fired up and they just rolled through the different pages, adding images, text and creating 3D pop up work to boot!  I happily facilitated any questions but these gals had none, they just went for it.  Here are some pictures of this wonderful day....
Students

                                                                     
                                                           

Paula Oesterling

Paula Wayne

Donna Butler

Carrie Nerheim

Paula and Carrie working..

Paula Oesterling's finished piece and her overall experience...
"I enjoyed the camaraderie and that we have done something personal and special.  I loved picking your brain about art.  It's the most fun I've had in along time".

Donna Butler's timeline...
"Don't be afraid, it's so much fun.  I didn't think I could do it, I've enjoyed it so much.  It made me think and remember."

Paula Wayne's timeline
"I was so excited the night before I came and it was even more fun than I thought it'd be.  A great experience, and a good way to get reacquainted with yourself."

Carrie Nerheim's timeline....
"You eased me into it gradually and before I knew it, I was an artist!"

There had to be a tutu picture finale!

What a blast, thanks girls for being my first students, I am psyched to do more classes in the future....I will be doing decoupaged busts in October and then we also have Laura's charm bracelet class Sept 17th and Diane's garden scene class Oct 29th.  Check website for details....www.hipchickdesignsca.com

thanks for checking in on Hip Chick happenings!!

Road trips are meant to rejuvenate the spirit

Hi Blogger fans,
I realize I haven't been bloggin as much, I'm sorry.  Just haven't had a ton to say I guess.  Last week I admit this hip chick was struggling to keep any shred of sanity with the PMS from menopause hell....I was psycho..I mean so psycho even my daughter was looking at me with some fear in her eyes...It ain't pretty sometimes I hate to say.  In fact I was SOOO grumpy, anti social and pyscho I went to the shop on Friday to open and couldn't do it, couldn't face the public, locked myself inside instead, and re-arranged, de-cluttered and saved the world from my psychosis.  It was the right call, sometimes you just gotta take care of yourself and know it's ok.
Well today I am finally getting back some balance and preparing for a 5 day road trip with my family to So. Cal.  Just a mini vaca to rejuvenate the mood and have a little fun.  We are hitting Ventura, Newport, Disneyland (for Abby) and San Luis Obispo to see what fun we can find.  We like to do a trip for summer and this year couldn't swing a big Hawaii excursion.  Too expensive.  So road trips work and anytime you get to get outta town and stay in a hotel it's fun.
When I return I am gearting up to teach my first art class at the shop, August 20th.  It's a timeline of your life with pictures and collage.  Powerful experience.  I encourage those who can attend to sign up, I am providing lunch and we will take the day to create our life's masterpiece.
So for now I need to pack and get ready.  Just wanted to say a quick hello and good-bye to those who check my blog.  It's so nice to know you care..
I will share pictures, but what I am doing more and more is posting on my Hip Chick facebook page, it's faster and sometimes that works.  I like the blog for sharing more stories and elaborating on topics...
Hope you all have a fabulous week, I appreciate you!
Carrie

10 years of clean living

hi blogger fans.  first let me say sorry.  sorry i haven't posted in awhile. i think it's because of summer and such.  who knows.  maybe i just didn't have much to say? well i do now.  i want to give thanks.  To the program of Alcoholics Anonymous for 10 years of sobriety.  I know this is a bold statement to make on the Internet, for all to see.  but i am just transparent now, in all aspects of my life, so i don't care who knows it.  i'm not ashamed of it.  quite the opposite.  it is my biggest achievement, along with being a great parent.  why hide that?  so here's my story for those who care to read it...
i started drinking and smoking pot in jr. high, it was offered i wanted to fit in, so i partook.  i liked it.  no biggie. didn't change my life drastically until high school when i really decided to become a dedicated "partier" .  yay.  how ambitious.  it seemed to fit though, i mean i was good at it, and it helped me feel good, plus everyone around me was doing it.  so i graduated (barely) and i tried to figure out what to do with my life, didn't want to go to college, as this was what you're 'supposed' to do...so i moved to the Caribbean, naturally.  i lived there for a couple years in my early 20's partying HARD, and it is totally acceptable there.  encouraged.  i mean there are bars where you can order a to go drink and you can LEGALLY drink and drive with an open container.  still to this day.  perfect paradise for an alcoholic.  i thought i would live there forever.  but fate intervened.  as it turned out i came back to california to visit and saw my husband Ben after many years absence.  we started dating.  then i had to choose..him or the caribbean...well i can't believe i was so wise at 23 years of age but i was and i chose him.  we started a life together.  we got married.  had our son alex, i went to college, all the while i was drinking but it was sort of 'normal' in that nothing bad was happening.  i graduated college.  had a daughter named abby.  was a full time mom.  lived in a darling town called carmel valley.  ben was building his career.  then i got bored.  restless.  and i started drinking more.  and smoking pot again.  before long it was everyday.  i didn't like being sober.  ever.  and yet i pulled it off.  i never got in trouble.  never.  this still baffles me.  so even though i knew i was blowin it i looked around and saw things were fine.  but i was dying inside.  i started to become a prisoner of my own circumstances, always figuring out how i could get loaded without getting too wasted, and still be a good mom, and wife.  i knew i was needing to stop but i couldn't seem to, not for any length of time.  most i ever got was a week.  and that was really tough.  until i got way too drunk one night, and the next day in a bad hangover swore i was going to stop drinking.  and i went to AA.  it was soooo scary.  those people were so serious.  and they expected so much.  you had to get a sponsor.  you had to do steps.  you had to not drink.  you had to believe in a power greater than yourself.  wholy moly.  i wasn't THAT bad..i said.  and i went back to my usual pattern.  i was good for awhile, then it got away from me and i got drunk, felt horrible, swore i could mellow out, and then i got drunk again.  damn.  what could i do?  if only i could limit myself!  but try and try and try some more and the same thing happened.  until the miraculous day when it changed.  it's funny because the last drunk i had was no different than so many before.  i blacked out.  i woke up feeling like shit.  i tried to piece together the night before to no avail.  i swore i would mellow out.  and then i realized FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THAT IF I DRANK AGAIN THE EXACT SAME THiING WOULD HAPPEN, I WOULD GET DRUNK.  how could i have not seen that before?  that this pattern was so obvious anyone could see, and i couldn't.  i couldn't connect the dots until that day.  and i knew then in that instant my life was changed.  i knew this time i was going to quit.  and mean it.  and do what i needed to WHATEVER i needed to, to live differently.
humbly i went back to AA.  i listened.  i did exactly what they said to do.  it was hard.  hardest thing i ever did.  i wanted to drink so bad all day everyday.  but i didn't.  i wanted relief from the raw nerve that was exposed and aching.  there was no relief other than time.  and one day at a time i began to feel better.  i thought there would never be a day i didn't obsess about drinking.  and then magically one day it happened.  it took quite awhile but it came.  and it was worth it.  i had struggles with my marriage over how much time i was spending with AA, but i stayed focused.  i knew i had to commit 100% or i would go right back to what i was doing before.  so i stayed the course.  and time marched on.  as it does for us all.  pretty soon i had a year of sobriety.  what a miracle.
then 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9 years.  many things happened, all good.  never did i think my life would be better if i could drink.  and now i come to my 10th year birthday tomorrow.  I am having a party and all the people who have shared my journey are coming.  i celebrate with them as it is a WE program.  i didn't do this by myself.
i'm excited.  for those of you who can't come i celebrate with you via the Internet.  for those of you who are reading this and can't relate i appreciate your support.  i share this story because i share myself in my blog.  not just the packaged version of what sounds good, what i 'should' write about.  i share what's true.  what's real.  it's all i know how to be now.  take it or leave it, this is me.  i am a proud member of Alcoholics Anonymous and i thank them for saving my soul.
nowadays recovery isn't so taboo.  seems like everyone is in recovery or if you aren't you know someone who is.  it's acceptable to talk about.  i hope i have helped someone with my story and if i have then i am grateful.  i share this milestone with you my friends, known or unknown.  it is my biggest achievement.
thank you as always for your support,
Carrie