in the meantime...

i have so missed blogging!! but i have been getting a lot accomplished. :) my class is going well.
like i said i would, i have still been active in the online community. and have discovered so many little treasures that i want to share.
so with that in mind, i created my own tumblr account. its a place where i can share things of my own, quotes i love, little writings, and pictures and ideas i find.


please feel free to come visit me there!
www.shainalongstreet.tumblr.com

its kinda like {things i love} thursday~ every day!
you can follow if you have your own tumblr account and you can also add it to your readers if you use one.

i've missed you!!
i've got some plans for the blog come the new year, so please keep checking back.
all my love!
<3 shaina

this post is to let my readers know i've decided to take a leave of absence from my blog....for an undetermined amount of time.

there have been some comments and concerns recently from a section of my readers that my blog is too personal... that i share things on here that should be kept private... that i need to be more careful about what i put out there for anyone in the world to read.

so i've been doing some thinking.
when i started this blog back in 2005 i had no readers. i really joined blogger so that i could comment on other blogs that i loved, but then thought: "how cool would it be to have a blog of my own? i could have my own little chunk of space on the world-wide-web. it could be like an online diary; a place to keep my thoughts and pictures and adventures." that's what caused serendipity to come to be.

four years later my blog hasn't let me down, and its turned into even more that all of that. its become such an important part of who i am. its lead me to become friends with the most amazing people, who inspire and support. its enabled me to continue scrapbooking in this hard economy because i have designed blogs for others. its helped me keep track of life and the things i've learned. its been a place of solace.
i never would of thought i'd have 34 followers and others who read my blog on a regular basis. i never thought others would find inspiration in what i'd created or hope in the words i'd written.

so why am i going to stop?
it just feels like the right thing to do for now.
i think i need some time to re-evaluate what this blog is going to be about. time to focus on my creative endeavors and photography and expand myself that way. time to heal from other people's opinions.

for the record i would like to apologize to those readers who i seem to have offended or concerned. that was not my intention in any of my writing or posting.

i would like to thank those of you who have become my dear friends in the online world. you know who you are... your comments, your e-mails, your encouragement have meant so much to me, especially in this last year and a half. you've helped me grow so much!
thank you
i am not intending to disappear completely... i will still visit other blogs and remain active on Flickr. look there for future scrapbooking projects and photography from me.

until i return.... farewell.
love shaina

ive been having a rough week....

and honestly i don't really want to talk about it. but i feel guilty knowing that the same picture has been up on my blog for like a week and that i haven't posted anything new.
so i guess i can share my latest pink ninja page... :)
the prompt was: concerts. now, i've only been to one "real concert" but let me tell you, the show my boy and his band put on for our engagement party was rockin!
so that's what i did my page about.
it was a night to remember...

hopefully i will have something positive to share in the next couple days.... that would be really nice. it just seems like none of my ends are meeting.
and the coffee i got this morning sucked. :(

stay close, maybe i'll come up with something happy to post eventually....
<3 you all.

i know how full my heart can be and there is less fear in me than ever before.

childhood memories
*canadian summers*

the latest prompt over at thePINKninjas is called "old skool" and is all about those old pictures and memories or even embarrassing stories.

i have been saving this photo for awhile and thought this would be just the perfect one to use. its from a family photo shoot we had done the summer after katrina was born. its my dad with all his kids.

i included some of my favorite memories from all those amazing canadian summers. i'll never forget the good times we had.

8-18

22 things i learned at 22

1. I love making coffe.
2. changing my hair color a lot is good for my soul.
3. There is nothing as powerful as true forgiveness.
4. With my photography I can capture my point of view as art.
5. There is magic in September sunsets.
6. There is nothing like the look your true love gives.
7. Being nice to people can sometimes lead to chocolate!
8. Getting older means that your younger siblings get married…but its okay cuz they ask you to take pictures for them!
9. Sometimes dreams really do come true: in the form of a brand new car.
10. The concept of “going to school” from home is really nice…but a lot harder to follow through with.
11. I love walking hand in hand with the love of my life through the fallen leaves.
12. Sometimes “stay”cations make the best vacations.
13. Even in the face of economic crisis true love can remain strong, and grow.
14. Apartments full of mold make for pretty lousy, sick filled winters.
15. There is nothing like Happy Mail!
16. Flickr is so full of inspiration.
17. My style of scrapping is uniquely my own…and that’s a good thing.
18. Alcohol poisoning is not fun.
19. Being a part of weddings brings me so much joy.
20. The blogging community is full of wonderful, supportive, kind and generous people. I have made many a friend.
21. If I can’t be a professional singer, I can at least belt it out every week at karaoke.
22. “Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead.” –Phil 3:13

*swoon*

all i can say: i cried so hard!
me...NO! never. :P



it was a beautiful film.... touching story, beautiful images, and a total tear-jerker.
i simply loved it.
(thanks marta for inviting me to go with you and for the evening we had. it was good to talk!)

now i want to read the book...well, i want chris to read the book to me. we just finished up "revenge of the sith" (see previous post with scrapbook page about my boy reading to me!) and now i think its fair for me to pick!
*evil smile*
i think he'll probably even like it.
now the hard part will be finding a copy.....

*i also really love left-over movie popcorn. just a side-note. :)

in other news: SOTB has a new challenge up!! its all about using different book or notebook pages. there are some pretty awesome projects up over there, so you should definatly check it out and play along.
here is my page:

my mum took these photos of us awhile ago, but they are still some of my favorites. :)

i this little survey thing on ally's blog and thought it would be a fun one to do. :) feel free to copy-paste and play along yourself!! and make sure you link me up if you do, cuz i'd love to read yours too. :)

*8 Things*
8 things im looking forward to:

1. KK's wedding and being her maid-of-honor
2. seeing all of my family at my cousin whitney's wedding
   
3. turning 23 tomorrow
4. teaching at my ASL class tonight
5. singing at karaoke again as soon as possible!
   
6. my At-Home America party in a week and a half
7. getting my green card application all finished up
8. road-tripping with my RD! (i'm craving some Ian Tyson music...)

8 things i did yesterday:

1. went to the meeting in the morning
2. did all the songs in ASL
3. hung out with my bestie taya and had chinese food for lunch
4. went to the time traveler's wife with marta
5. ate dinner with marta at this new bistro in moses lake
6. had a lovely heart-to-heart with my friend
7. missed meeting up with my mum and dad :(
   
8. watched comedy with the boy when i got home

8 things i wish i could do:

1. cook better...
2. take baby portraits of my friends new baby
3. get all the bills paid
4. sing as a professional and not just at karaoke
5. guarantee chris a full-time position driving bus this school year
6. hug my mum
7. give up caffine
8. complete my medical transcriptionist course within a reasonable amount of time
   

8 TV shows i watch:

1. house (so excited for the new season to start next month!)
2. fringe (ditto!)
3. lie to me*
4. so you think you can dance (again with a new fall season!)
5. dear genevive on HGTV (she's my favorite designer)
   
6. hawthorne (jada pinket smith's show on TNT. so good)
   
7. in plain sight.
   
8. how i met your mother (my guilty sit-com addiction)
   

8 things i collect:

1. elephants
2. scarfs
3. nancy drew books (i have the full orriginal set)
4. scrapbooking supplies
5. cute coffee mugs
6. awesome friends :)
   
7. McDonalds cups in the back seat of my car.... its an addiction. :P
8. magazines

okay....so i added that last one, but i thought it was fun.
play along!

i hope you all have a wonderful week.
i'll be in yakima on wednesday getting fingerprinted for my green card renewal so i won't have a post for you then.
miss ya!
<3