moving day

today i am thankful for many things.  included in that list are:

• the keys to our brand new house
• house-warming presents.  eek! 
• strong friends with trucks.
• the internet alive with congratulations.  thank you so much.

we are so exhausted!  with the help of 7 of our friends, 4 trucks (one with a trailer) a van and a little Suzuki we got everything loaded, moved and in the new house in 2 1/2 hours and in one trip!  that's an accomplishment I'm proud of!  and sooo thankful to our friends for.

we treated with pizza and beer.  a necessity on a moving day!  now you wish you'd come to help too, eh? ;)

and i tried to be a good blogger/scrapbooker and took lots of pictures of the process.

first up, all the boxes and things packed and ready to go at the old house.

and then friends arrived and we got to loading!!  we've got 3 couches, 2 bed sets, 4 dressers, a huge desk, dining room table and chairs, 2 big shelf units, tv stand, 2 big living room chairs, a rocking chair, 2 different coffee table sets, washer and dryer, and then all the boxes.  but we were ready to go and things moved smoothly once everyone arrived.

we set up the bed in our new master bedroom and fell right to sleep.   and then this morning I just layed in bed for awhile a little in awe of all that's happened.  Chris and I are homeowners!!  I get to create a home with the man I love and share our lives together within these walls.

I am so content.

now comes the fun part:  unpacking.  time to find new homes for all our things and unpack the boxes I packed back in september.  it will be a bit of a treasure hunt I'm sure. 

thanks so much for all your comments and congratulations. 

and for those who need to change their address books you can now reach us here:

its official

its official everyone:  WE ARE HOMEOWNERS!!!

we got the keys this afternoon.  I am beyond excited!  We'll be spending our first night there tonight and hopefully be all moved in by tomorrow.

its for real.  and its ours!

bliss.

busy week

this has been such a busy week.  this house this is HAPPENING!!  we signed papers yesterday (Tuesday) and get the keys to our new house on Thursday.  And we have been completely packed and ready for like 2 weeks.  I mean literally:  2 forks, 2 spoons and some TP, READY!  lol.  I have pictures to share from along the way this week, but I'm going to do everything in one big post!

for today though, I wanted to share some clips of singers I just loved from the new show The Voice.  Its a cool singing competition with a unique twist... the coaches pick who they want to work with based on voice alone.

here are a couple of my favorites from last night's show.







did you watch it?? who are your favorites??
I'll be back soon with a full "In Search of a Home" post. 
Thanks for all your comments and support!

it all makes sense now

This weekend I was reading through my blogs on Google Reader and stumbled across a post that stopped me in my tracks.  With each line I read I kept thing:  "Whoa, this is so ME!" 

The post can be found HERE.  Written by the talented Sarah Wilson, this concept and her take on it made me feel understood.  And even helped me understand myself a little better too.

It all makes sense now:  I am a scanner.

The author, Barbara Sher, who created the term describes "scanners" as "people who are genetically wired to be fanatically interested in multiple things at once."

This is soooo true for me.  I find it debilitating to just pick one thing and say that's what I am.  Right?  I work at a payday loan store, but that isn't who I am.  I love to scrapbook, but I haven't sat down with my papers and pictures in months.  That doesn't mean I am or am not a scrapbooker.   I take pictures...but I'm not just a photographer. 

The world that we live in now puts so much pressure on us to pick something and become an expert.  Its always "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  "You should be a doctor, or a lawyer, or an architect."  "What do you do?"  Being surrounded by this type of thinking makes those who don't fit into just one category feel like there is something wrong with us.  Having an internal need to diversify within our lives creates doubt, and the pressure to pick just one career path immobilizes us for fear of picking the wrong one.

Um, yeah.... this is me to a T!  When I graduated high school I knew all I wanted to do was pioneer.  I wanted to volunteer my time teaching people about the Bible.  But the key word there is volunteer.  So I had to find something to make money to support myself.  And in came the local scrapbook store.  Something I loved and something I was good at.  But when the store closed I had to find something else.  Which led to into the banking industry.  I worked as a teller and I guess now I still kind of am a teller.  I enjoy working with people and with money, but its not a passion of mine.  You want to talk about passion?  Now here is where we get into my love of photography, poetry, design, writing, learning and art and being a wife.  But, whoa!  That's too many things to love to do, right?!  How can I justify loving all those things??  How can my love of those things even begin to be enough to survive on? 

So that is where my idea to take the medical transcriptionist course came from.  I went to a seminar and was completely fired up about the idea.  But now, two years later, I still haven't finished.  The author I spoke of earlier says that “scanners learn fast and need to move their passion onwards. A bee doesn’t hover on a flower if it draws the nectar quickly. Its passion isn’t the flower, it’s gathering nectar.” 

I'm not using this new realization to justify the fact that I haven't finished.  I know I will finish.  But for right now I'm just "gathering my nectar" elsewhere.  I cycle through my interests and I will come back to it.  

For now I'm reveling in the fact that what I am and how I approach life has a name.  And also, I'm not alone.  Its a huge relief to feel ok in flitting between dreams and wanting to do it all and sometimes just doing nothing at all. 

Hi, I'm Shaina and I'm a Scanner.  ♥

Do any of you relate to this??  I'd love to hear your take on the subject! 

sponsoring

ever since i finished and published my 52weeks book (a journey of photography and poetry from 2010) i have been looking for ways to share it with more people.  i thought that sponsoring some of my favorite blogs might be just the ticket! 

this month im a sponsor over at kara's blog I Just Might Explode.  she is an inspiration to me in life and in creativity.  she's currently in New York going to art school there.  wow!  what an experience.  on the 15th Kara did a post on her blog called "A Word from our Sponsors" and i love how it turned out and all the answers her sponsor gave. 

the collage i created for her feature

hop on over to read my answer to her question:  Is there a color combination/pattern/trend that has been inspiring you recently? What is it and why?

and don't forget to check out my book.  i'd be honored!  :) 
hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

hair happiness & a bit about me

this morning my alarm went off 15 minutes earlier than i needed so i just stayed in bed awhile and read blogs on my phone.  i came across this super cute hair tutorial from Katie of Skunkboy Creatures.
she has the prettiest hair (and eyebrows!) but the length of hers is pretty close to mine right now, so i thought i'd give it a try.

i got out of bed, grabbed a couple little elastics and a bobby pins and in to time at all had a fun hairstyle for my day.  and i just had to take some pictures to share of course.

now that im all set with a hair style for the day, i thought i'd share just five things about me you might now know:

1. I picked up my camera yesterday for the first time in a month.  dude!  i felt like part of me was missing.
2. I love bellybuttons.  like a lot.  yeah, i know its kinda weird. 
3. Being Erica is my favorite 'just for fun' show on HULU. 
4. I work wednesday thru saturday and a payday loan and check cashing store.  and i work by myself most of the time.  i don't think i could go back to a normal job where i have to share a space with other people.  i like complete control of the heat/air conditioning! 
5. My husband, Chris and I were born on separate ends of the continent.  i was born in northern British Columbia Canada, and he was born in Florida!  amazing that we met and fell in love, eh?  im sure happy about it. 

 feel like playing along??  with either the hair style or the list??  link me up!  i'd love to see.
have a wonderful friday!!

things i love thursday

once again its my favorite day of the week!  THURSDAY!!  my actual real life thrusdays aren't as exciting and full of fun as they used to be a few years ago, but i can make them fun here on my blog by sharing all the stuff im {loving} and am drawn to currently!

ONE
this super cute wedding invitation!  everyone got send a DVD with this video on it.  genius!!  i think its a unique way to share who they are as a couple.

erin + maclean || wedding invite from Hello Tomorrow on Vimeo.

TWO
this new e-course from Rachel Denbow could not have come at a more perfect time!!  we should be in our house within the next couple weeks and i can't wait to make it our home!  the description of the course sounds so detailed and full of ideas and inspiration.  hopefully i'll be able to purchase it soon and make good use of it. :)

THREE
the incredibly detailed and unique custom charcoal portraits from brittany wood of LadyBop.  um, yes please!!  thinking these would be amazing in our bedroom.  who would you have a portrait done of??

FOUR
im swooning over these calligraphy address stamps.  they sure would make a lovely housewarming gift! (wink*wink)  hehe.  but no, seriously...aren't they gorgeous??  i would love this as a font too!

FIVE
the Top 150 Makers blog list.  this is a compiled list of design, inspiration and DIY blogs that everyone is reading!  i have a bunch of them in my google reader, but im seriously exploring the rest of this list.  head on over to see all the lovely blogs.  thanks evie s. for creating and sharing this list!!  are you on the list??  she's got buttons you can add to your blog to promote it too. :)

happy thursday everyone!  lets make it a great day!

the pioneer woman

one of my favorite places online has always been The Pioneer Woman.  the woman behind it all, Ree Drummond, shares recipes, photography (and free actions!!), stories of her life on the ranch with her big family and stays real.  one of my favorite reads from her blog was her real life love story which she called "black heels to tractor wheels" and did it in a series of blog posts.  it was quirky, it was sweet, it was real and i (obviously) wasn't the only one who loved the story.

she turned her blog posts into a book!

and i have a signed copy!!!

now, i wish i could tell you all the story about how i went to a book signing and got to meet Ree and have my picture taken with her and then you'd all be jealous of me, right?!  lol.  unfortuantely, that story is not mine to tell.  but it does belong to my online friend and fellow SFTIO member, Kai!  hop on over and read her story HERE.  and yes, i was soooo jealous!

but the cool thing was Kai decided to do a giveaway with the books she got signed.  and i was like, "sign me up!!"  and i won!!  score!

i got my book in the mail just yesterday and im almost finished already.  im sure this will be a book i re-read and read again.  im glad its in my personal library!

thanks for picking my name from your blog for the giveaway Kai.  it made my day!

i love me some jasmine star

anyone else out there been viewing the creativeLIVE class these last two days with Jasmine Star? 

let me tell you, i cannot turn away.  i am just totally enthralled.  i know i've talked about her before on my blog, but its on my mind so i wanted to write some again. 

she is so REAL.  and there is something about her that gets me fired up! the course is called Building Your Wedding Photography Business.  and this girl has the knowledge!  she's been through it, lived it and is succeeding.  and what makes her so great is that she wants and needs to share what she's learned through the process.  and although im not necessarily a 'wedding photographer' exclusively, i have learned sooooo much about how i want to proceed with my business and how i can. 

with the things i've learned in just yesterday and today, along with what i've been learning in my IndieBiz class, i am defining and honing my voice.  i am collecting the things that make me me.  i am seeing myself as an artist and i want to grow and share even more.  

some jasmine quotes i've loved and want to share:

"its not the tool you use, but how you use the tool to be yourself."

"you are becoming a better photographer if you invest in yourself too."

"the best thing you can do for your business is take big risks."

"your style and voice help build your brand."

"get up and get uncomfortable" 

"under promise and over deliver!!" 

the class is incredible!!  and you can purchase it for $79 for a couple more hours today and then it goes up to $99.  but let me tell you, its so worth it!!  jasmine talks so fast...like sooooo fast!  but you know what, when she talks fast it gets my heart rate up and makes me eager to pay attention.  i need to listen closer to get everything i can get! 

anyone else been watching and want to share their thoughts??  i'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

oh yes....this is happening

so my blog is beginning to look like my life:  all about house!!  im thinking maybe you (my readers...are you there still??!!) might be getting a little tired of it.  but honestly, i've got nothing else to share!  LOL.  this is it, my whole life right now. 

but seriously, how exciting is this right??  im excited!! 

so i started packing back in september...when everything fell through with our other place.  i was just done emotionally with the whole thing.  but now im packing with a renewed vigor!!  chris and i have spent some evenings this last week working on organizing the rest of the stuff in our house and packing up what we won't need for the next couple weeks. 

we don't have that much stuff so we're making quick work of it.  and i think its going to be interesting to unpack once we move in.  to see all that stuff that's been in boxes since september.  i obviously don't need it in my life, right?!  so maybe this is a good time to purge too.  im excited about the unpacking part too!

in other news:  our new house is now GRIME!!  :P

 ohhhh!!!  we just LOVE IT!!  this is exactly what we wanted!

on monday of next week we have New Homeowner Orientation with the builder.  im assuming we'll learn things like: what does this switch do?  where is this?  how does that work?  im really looking forward it!  this is so happening! 

can you tell i'm excited!? 

so i was wondering, do any of you have some tips for me??  home-owner tips??  i'd so appreciate it! 

april: im giving up

yup, you've guess it!  my favorite go-to drink.  sometimes i like it from a fountain (at McDonalds usually), sometimes i just crave it in a bottle, and other times i drink it from a can.  i usually want some sort of fruit flavor added.  my favorite is lime (which is where this picture comes from). 

but for the month of april im giving it up!  and hopefully after a month without it i wont crave it like i do now.  it will probably be rough, and chris will probably have to deal with me whine about it a bit, but it only takes 21 days to make (or in this case break or change) a habit.  i think this will do wonders for me. 

kara was the one who got me started this month.  anyone else care to join us?? 

one step closer

today i got news back from our mortgage guy that we have preliminary underwriter approval with just a few loose ends to tie up!!  that means that this thing is HAPPENING!!  and way faster than initially anticipated.  when we made our offer last friday we put the estimated closing date out 45 days to May 10th.  but now its looking like we'll move this month! 

so chris and i decided to go out for dinner to celebrate.  right now we're saving for closing costs and our vacation in august, so we only go out for dinner one time a month.  so we blew it on the 1st but it was worth it!  we're so excited!!

i had steak, loaded mashed potatoes, green beans and asparagus and shrimp and scallops.  amazing!  chris had a Texas burger with burger patty, pulled pork, coleslaw and crispy onions.  and then we shared our favorite desert at Michaels.  yum!

so now we move on to the next stage, which will be all of our day tomorrow: PACKING!! 
anyone for a packing party?? ;)

welcome april

march was such a lovely month for me, but i am very eager to welcome april.  it will be a month full of packing boxes, weeding the yard that will no longer be ours, time in service, spending more time within the deaf community in my area, remembering the important things, spending less money, saving more money, planning our cross-country vacation, taking pictures, promoting my book, dreaming, loving and living. 

its going to be a good month.