the girl who is terrible at updating

Yes Jen, I got the hint...eventually.

Ok, so why the long time in between updates? No reason, really, except I realized that I pretty much talk to everyone who reads my blog on at least a weekly basis, so it seemed redundant. But, since this started really as ssort of an ongoing catalogue of events in my life so I'd have sort of a reference library when I started to scrap these events, I guess that really isn't an excuse.

First, the sad bit of rollercoaster I've gone through the past couple days. I've mentioned my Florida Mom's on-going dialysis and hopes for a kidney transplant before. Friday afternoon Mom and Dad got the call that a kidney was available. So I rushed home from work to give them the van. Mom was tested and it was a MATCH! Joy! I went to bed knowing that the next morning, Mom would be getting a new kidney around 8:30 am. Around 10:30, I couldn't stand it anymore and called Dad for an update. That's when I got the news: apparently the kidneys weren't viable and the surgery didn't happen. Mom is understandably upset. Depressed. B;ack hole depressed. Dad mentioned how she didn't want to go to diaylysis that day. Now I'M hrt and depressed and saddened by all of this and it wasn't even a kidney for me! I can only imagine how Mom is feeling--and yet, what do you say? I don't think Hallmark makes a card for this.

A bright spot in my past week has been the return of Jim & Holly to the Hard Rock Hotel. They are comic book artists, Tarot Witch of the Black Rose and School Bites, respectively. They vist HRH every year around Halloween Horror Nights and I love seeing them. I will be so bold as to put them in my "friends" category, even though atm we may be merely acquaintences, that's more my fault than anything else. I have been invited to email and call, and I just haven't pursued it. I have this weird feeling of not wanting to intrude on anyone who has a cadre of fanboys. Don't want to be accused of stalking ya know. I have to admit a girl crush on Miss Holly. I get these alot. There is an inner part of me who has always wanted a wardrobe from Hot Topic and hair courtesy of Manic Panic, and I've just never embraced it. In a sense, Holly lives my inner-goth-girl life for me, so I love her for that. The two of them are such supportive people too! Artists living their dream and they were so encouraging when I bragged about my little successes and showed them some of my work. It just seems so much more important when someone who is a success in a related field is complimentary of your work, ya know? Now some may find it hard to make a connection between Scrapping and Comic books, but it's all art in the end.

Speaking of encouraging my little successes. It's been a good couple weeks for me in that respect. Blue Media has requested two of my layouts for an upcoming idea book. Not only that, but they've asked me to write step-by-step articles for both projects! AND Cantana Books has a call out for AAM pages for their upcoming book, "hip chicks". I submitted some to that call (which isn't over, btw, so get on it!) and I got an email back from them that was very encouraging. Now they didn't request a page for publication, but I'm hoping I'm on their radar so when the calls go out, hopefully I'll be one of those lucky ones with an email in my box.


The boys area as cute and troublesome as ever. Matthew is totally without fear--check out that shiner! No, we have no idea where or how he got it. He just suddenly emerged from his room with it. Boys! That's all I can really say about that. We finally got the results from all of his cardiology appointements, and--well, I'll admit to being disappointed. I had thought that I'd be getting a clean bill of health from the cardiologist, She seemed so encouraging last time. But no, he still has the hole between his upper two chambers and she said there was some small leakage in two valves. Still not at a point where we **need** to worry, but how can I not worry? He's my baby! (For all that he is a little shit too!) And he knows how to work it too!

Ian, of course, is still my little loverboy. Sweet, relatively calm (well, compared to his brothers the Human Tornado and Spaz Boy) and terribly loving, Ian is doing great in school--except for his speech. We still can't understand him even a third of the time. His teacher recommended we get private speech therapy to supplement his speech therapy at school. I tend to think two half-hour GROUP sessions a week just aren't enough for what my little guy needs.


Zachary has recently discovered all things Pokemon, so he's convinced that Pokemon cards are now the end all be all of toys. At least they're smaller than action figures, but we still find them all over the house. He lost ANOTHER tooth and, after taking a good look at his gap-toothed smile, I figured it's time to divorce Aramis and find me a nice orthodontist to marry. There's no way I'm going to be able to afford the braces this kid will need unless I'm sleeping with the provider! lol! He's still reading like a fiend. I'm thinking it's time to get him the EB White collection. Stuart Little, Charlotte's Webb, the Trumpeter Swan. I'm reading Jouhn Irving's "The Fourth Hand" again and there's a bit about these books and the bond they create with children and parents. It reminded me how much I love these books.

Well, there ya go. About a month's worth of blogging condensed to one page or thereabouts. I'll try, but I can't guarantee that I'll be better at this!