Till next time, 

Susie

I'm sure there will be lots to do in the coming months:  engagement portraits, venue shopping, wedding dress shopping (oh my) and all that goes with creating the special day for our daughter!  However, if THE day was anything like the proposal , it will be absolutely perfect!  To top it off, Adam asked Meg to marry him on my parents would be 56th wedding anniversary!  So, now the 27th of February has a new meaning to all of us!

To have and to hold from this day forward........let the memories be magical and the special times that I will have with my daughter be slowed in time.  Will let everyone know when the date has been set.

In the meanwhile, the song "Going to the chapel" keeps  playing over and over in my mind.  

love,

Susie

This young man, {D}, wanted his senior portraits taken but didn't have a way to ILSP on Saturday a.m.  One of the directors, picked him up to take him to his senior portraits with the catch that he had to help me all day with the other seniors, which meant moving equipment, chairs and making the other seniors feel comfortable as well as set up and tear down of my equipment.  What a sweet young man, I was able to work with last Saturday.  We got on the subject of faith, which I usually don't do, but we had a conversation about it and at the end of a very exhausting day,  he wanted one more shot of him praying.  I cannot wait to give him his framed portrait for him to keep and to remember not to give up faith no matter what life throws his way.  My hope is that when he looks at this, he will remember how he touched my life on January 30th!  Thank you {D} for all of your help!

Creatively,

Susie

Today, I am reminded about how the heart works.  How strong of an organ it is and how none of us can survive without this organ.  But you see, there is just surviving and then there is connecting with others through your HEART!

Today, after many, many months of persistence, my youngest son, Conner, connected the excess waste of food at his college to an organization that finds people in need to feed.   He worked in the college cafeteria  a couple of years ago and saw the food that was being thrown away and also saw the many homeless people throughout the community.  It took many months to jump through all the hoops associated with giving food away and through this, his heart knew he had to keep fighting to make this happen!  It became his passion and his mission!  It did MY heart good today when he called and said he made his first delivery from school to a church that feeds the homeless..... To hear the excitement in his voice!!  And now, even though it is his last semester in college, he has connected the surplus food at his college with individuals in need!  You see, although I will be so very proud when he graduates; I am most proud of the man he is today! 

               For I was hungry, and you fed me.  I was thirsty and you gave me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

                                                                                                                                               Matthew 25:35

We all have things that tug at our heart and my hope is that in 2016, you do something about it!  

Blessings,

Susie

Great smile, cute and fun!  Reta, you did a great job raising your boys into men!

We all have changes in our lives and they occur on a regular basis!  Some can be fun - like a new hairstyle, color or wardrobe change.  Others can be a little more challenging!  As parents, we endure lots of changes as our kids grow up and go into preschool and eventually graduate from high school.  While some of them go to college, there are others that might go into the armed forces.  Change is inevitable and sometimes very difficult!

Recently, we have had the opportunity to attend a Juvenile Diabetes fundraising event and I was truly in awe of the generosiy of individuals there to help fund research for this disease.  This was near and dear to my heart as my youngest child is a type 1 diabetic!   In July, ten (10) family members will be participating in the 39mile walk to end breast cancer in San Franscisco!  We are doing this in remembrance of my mom, Pauline!  I'm constantly reminded of change, once again, through my adult children - from feeding the homeless to empowering women to become the best that they can be!

My challenge to each of you today - regardless of your beliefs is to "Be the CHANGE you wish to see in this world".  I realize that some of us may not have unlimited funds to give to a charity or the time required to volunteer for an organization, BUT we all can make differences in this world that we all share!

-Wave and smile to your neighbor - even the unfriendly ones :-)

- Hold the door open for someone

-Make a sandwich for a homeless person

-take the time to truly listen to a friend in need

-send a handwritten card to a friend

-do the right thing

- volunteer

-treat people the way we want to be treated

So, as we enter another month, let's make it a great one!    Enjoy the summer with your kiddos and be the  CHANGE!  

Creatively, Susie

So, for those of you that didn't know my mom - I wanted to give you a glimpse as to how she impacted my life as a mother, grandmother and friend!  I read part of this at her celebration a year ago and can now look at the words and smile.  I wanted to share how her and my dad shaped me into the person I am today!

"Things I've Learned From My Mom"

- how to see the best in people and how to make them feel special - if she was talking to 1 person or 50, you always felt that what you had to say  was important to her

- my mom taught me that purple and pink should be some of life's primary colors and that chocolate should be one of the main food groups

- she taught me what it means to be a loyal friend - to have some, you must first be one

- my mom taught me to appreciate all things pretty:  nail polish, lipsticks, flowers, scents, holidays , jewelry

- she taught me how to communicate with others "the gift of gab"- she never met a stranger😄

-  Mom taught me to give everyone the benefit of the doubt unless they prove otherwise

-  The love of hospitality  - always making our friends feel at home.  From a very young age, I remember mom and dad hosting parties at our home and having many conversations around the kitchen table with our friends and I realized I wanted to do that when I grew up as well and always to make guests feel welcome

- Mom modeled to me how to be a young lady, a wife, a mom and a grandma to my future grandchildren – I had the best model and am very grateful!

- My mom taught me that life may give you some adversities & many times it won’t be fair – so you can feel down about it for a little while but then get back up and "fight like a girl"!  With the love of family, friends and faith in God  you will get through it and all will be OK, Susie!

- Mom taught me to love music – from listening to music from her era or mine.  One of the groups we both loved were the Supremes and I know we will be together again, “Someday We will be Together” and I know we will see ach other again in heaven! 

- Mom taught me how to be brave – until the very end, she was an incredibly brave, dignified & kind woman  still with her sense of humor and love for family and the ones taking care of her.

So, as you can see, I get a lot of my characteristics honestly from my mom and I am proud to say so.  Currently, I am sitting in Phoenix airport - having spent time with my wonderful dad and waiting to board a plane to go to Colorado!  This weekend, my daughter, my nieces  and my sister-on-laws will meet me there to participate in a breast cancer snowshoe walk to celebrate mom's life!  I am looking forward to spending time with these most special women in my life!  They give me strength and comfort and I am confident among the laughter, tears and wine , my mom , Pauline will be right there amongst her girls!

I love and miss you, mom!

"Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration.  The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation."

I don't know about you but I absolutely love watching the hummingbirds as they eat outside my kitchen window and I would love to believe that this beautiful bird carries my hopes for love, joy and celebration and wouldn't it be great to float free of time??  Especially as we enter this crazy, hectic season.

The other word that sticks out in my mind when reading this insert was the word "Grace".    Grace has so many different meanings; some of which are:  

- unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

- a virtue coming from God

- a special favor

- a short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks

As we enter the month of November and our schedules get increasingly busy, I must remember to give grace to all people as I know not what trials they are going through in their lives and I encourage you to do the same!!  I am blessed with so many things in my life and like the hummingbird I need to remember my life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter truly is life's sweetest creation!!

Happy November and remember to give grace and give thanks!

Special thanks to Adam Ripplinger for taking this beautiful picture of the hummingbird in my backyard.

Creatively,

Susie

Looking back, I envisioned my year going different - like we all do!   When we signed our closing documents and they handed us our keys, we knew my mom and dad would move in with us as my mom's breast cancer had returned - this time to her bones.  However, because I try to look at things through rose colored glasses, I thought when we had our year anniversary my mom's cancer would be cured and my parents would be celebrating with us!!  But, in March, I lost my mom and two weeks ago , I helped my dad move back to Arizona!

Although there is a big hole in my heart, I am truly blessed with wonderful things in my life:  I get to live in one of the prettiest places I have ever been, when I drive into my neighborhood, I share it with turkeys, deer, cows  and beautiful birds.  My yard is covered with all things pretty:  trees, bushes, gardens, flowers.  My heart is grateful to all of my past clients in Arizona and the new ones that I am making in California!  I don't know where I would be in my life without the wonderful friendships I have and the budding new friendships that I am making!  Can't forget being blessed with wonderful family members - we've been able to lean on one another during this tough, transitional year!  The greatest things in my life are not the things I have but the ones that leave an imprint on my heart: Tyler, Emily (my new daughter-in-law), Megan, Conner!    There are days, this last year (especially) that have been brightened by my best friend and my husband and I don't know what I'd do without him!

So, yes a lot has happened in a relatively short period of time; but, the things that are steadfast  in my life have always been there - no matter where I physically am!  These people are embedded in my heart and will be there forever- whether they are my family or my friends!

I thought it was a good idea to start blogging!  First a disclaimer - I am not an English major and there may be grammar mistakes, but know I will always blog from my heart.  This is a good way for my old (not literally) friends and my new friends/clients to get to know me and what's important to me!  

Creatively,

Susie