ColleensLife

Imagine how happy the world would be if we all had the same joy and free-spirits this couple has

Click and enjoy…

Gas Pump Prank

Sometimes, when we aren’t looking for Him, God just shows up because He loves us and desires a relationship with us.  He wants to awe us.  He wants to romance us.  He wants to draw us to Himself.   You know it’s Him when an overwhelming sense of peace, rest, and contentment are upon you.  It’s that feeling when you are so at peace you can’t help to take a deep breath in, close your eyes in peace, and exhale out.

Today, He met me when I took a step outside.  All of my senses at once were awakened.  He is the sweet smell of fresh morning spring air untainted by the troubles of the day.  He is the sweet love songs of the birds in the morning who are out and feel content before the business of people frighten them off.  He is the morning sun just peaking over the treetops –  the kind you can look directly into because the sun hasn’t quite yet rose to the sky.  He is that warm yet chilly air – the kind you can still enjoy while also enjoying the warmth of a comfy sweater.   All this in combination with the fresh green leaves and the aroma of all the spring flowers made my heart leap.  Perhaps this is a taste and reminder of Heaven?

My spirits reaction was almost uncontrollable.  It all hit at once.  I closed my eyes as I was engulfed with a deep sense of peace, breathed in all that was around me, and exhaled all the frustrations from the day before.  It was simply delightful.  I forget that God likes to romance His Bride.

Turns out I’m 31 years old.  I knew I was either 30, 31, or 32.  A dear old friend from back-in-the-day was so gracious as to let me know facebook says I am 31. So I’ll stick with that for this year.

I had a fantastic birthday.  We started the day off with Starbucks (This Gold Card Member got a free drink!).  Brett then took me to get my surprise gift (What gift is not a surprise?).  It is the most fantastic gift ever and I’ll share in a bit what it is.  Then we kinda just bopped around the apartment until evening.  Brett, like he does every year, called a few closer friends of ours and set up a birthday dinner for me.  This year it was at The Cheesecake Factory.  I look forward to this dinner every year.  My new motto of the year is, Find people who enjoy you, and enjoy them back.   That’s what this night was!  People just enjoying life and each other.  Perfect.  Now that Pearl sleeps through the night, I decided to have my first beer in 1 and a half years.  I like dark rich beers.  I drank the whole thing.  It was amazing.  Brett and I have become quite the beer snobs thanks to Jim and Nikki.

So my birthday gift.  Let me start by giving you a flashback to High School.  It was in High School I decided to take a risk and take some art classes.  During these years I learned that, not only did I come alive when I did any sort of art, I (not to toot my own horn) was actually really good at it.  By the end of my senior year, my art teacher said, “Never stop doing art.  You are good.”  I took that advice and decided to major in Art.  During my first year at Lorain County Community College, I got into pottery.  By the end of the year it was decided I was going to be making the move to Bowling Green.  When my pottery teacher learned of this, she said, “Whatever you do with your life, never stop doing art. You are really good.”  Off to BG I went, and was placed in advanced level classes with my specialty being Fine Arts.  But, by the end of the year (and after drawing several, several naked individuals) I was burnt out on art because the only thought rolling around in my mind was, You can never make a career out of this.  I ditched the art and switched to Education. Ironically, I never made a career out of Education, and probably won’t.

Had I known I was one day going to be a stay-at-home-mom, I would have continued on in Art through college to learn and improve upon my skills.  Gosh, had I only known!  Who can know these things?  Anyway, in the last 9 months, I have gotten back into painting (And my heart longs to spin pottery again.  I could spend hours at the wheel).  During these 9 months though, I realized I have lost a lot of technique.  I have forgotten how to mix colors well, how to hold a brush well, how to shade, all that stuff.  Not only that, but I’m mourning the years of  classes and experience I missed out on because I decided to switch to Education (that I’m not using.  Did I mention that yet?)

(Note to my young readers: pursue your passion in college, not what seems to be the better career choice.  God needs people who are fully alive in what they do anyway)

Since being in Cleveland, we have met some great people.  A friend of ours, Brian, who we have met since being here, has pretty much become a brother to me and one of Brett’s dearest friends.  For years, and often, it will just be the 3 of us hanging out, going out to dinner, seeing movies, playing video games.  Brian also has two amazingly talented brothers (They are composers.  Check out Depolo Music) who have also joined our little group, along with their girlfriends.  Turns out, their mother is a Professional Artist.  She owns her own little studio right by us in North Olmsted.  This is where my birthday gift comes in.  Brett got me 6 painting lessens with her.  (GAHHH!!! I cant even hold in my excitement!  You don’t understand, this woman….She. Is. Amazing)

Joanne Depolo (check her out).  Not only is this woman a fantastic artist, her pantings have been published and selected to decorate hotels, and she is an author.  She is also one of the most deeply spiritual insightful, wise, believer-in-christ I have ever heard about.  I can not wait to learn from her and soak up her wisdom too.  A few weeks ago, I was finally able to meet her at her art gallery.  I almost fainted.  For my birthday she gave me a signed book called, Making It As An Artist, amongst a few other things.  I was speechless.

Here are a few paintings I’ve been working on

 

 

 

Need to finish this one up still

 

 

 

 

For Pearls Room

 

This one I did for my nephew

 

 

2 from when I was bored at work.  Just looking off of movie covers…

 

 

This one was for my other nephew who loves trains!