Vera Love - Island Blooms

The Spring 2012 Vera Bradley Collection was released on Thursday and I was finally able to see it live and in person today...we were one Vera Girl short today...but hopefully we did her proud. I have a hard time committing to patterns via the catalog or looking online via the interweb. I always have to see them in the store before I can declare a favorite. I was a bit dubious this morning thinking about each of the four new patterns, thinking that I was not really going to like one of them. I know, funny right? Me not fall in love with a new Vera Bradley pattern??

So, of course I did. I know, I know...shocker!! Island Blooms had me at first glance really when I looked at the book of stickers and then quickly grabbed two of them. The wheels started to turn as I thought about some Vera items that I may need to get in this new springy pattern. In my pursuit to continue to be healthier, I wanted to get a lunch tote. So I did. I also wanted to find a new diabetes bag so that I could fit my relatively new glucose meter along with insulin pens, needles, and alcohol swabs all in one bag. So I did. Vera actually redesigned the wristlet and it is even better now. There are lots of pockets for alcohol swabs and needles. Plus, a zipper pocket too. It is so perfect...it holds everything I need to have with me at all times. I mean, I have to be a good T1 Diabetic right? Vera totally helps me to be a better me. A perfectly accessorized Diavista!!

The Power of Five...

There are a few things that make me giddy like a little kid... 1) Snow, 2) New Years, 3) Glitter, and 4) My Birthday. As you can well imagine, it is no mystery that January is one of my favorite months...because all four of these things can sometimes be obtained during the 31 days of the month. I'm excited for the week ahead because my birthday is on Friday...lucky 13!! And...for the first time ever...I am taking the day off. A 4 and a half day weekend is on the horizon for me...and I am totally ready!!

My most memorable birthdays tend to always be when the number 5 is involved. My fifth birthday rocked...I had a fun party with Zio's Pizza...I got Cowgirl Boots and a Speak & Spell. I felt like Queen of the World!! My fifteenth birthday was very special because my Mommy gave me a diamond ring. It meant alot becuase it was one of the first things she bought herself when she went back to work in the early 80's...plus she got it at Garfinkles. (Note to self...I can't wait until it fits again..soon!!!) My twenty-fifth birthday was amazing...a night of fun with good friends dancing and flirting at Lulu's. A birthday can never be bad when you end up at a diner at 3am for pancakes. Oh yes...and I remember there was ice skating too.

So, as my thirty-fifth birthday approaches I am excited. I have always had a feeling about being 35...I think it is the power of five. It means that good things are happening!!

Panera - Twice in One Week

So I think I am officially back into noveldom...I have been actively working on my July Novel and it feels really good!! I am starting the new year off right...write?? It has been awhile since I have worked on it and I have a terrible memory when it comes to my writing. I have been known to forget the names of my main characters..how sad is that? I am a flighty writer!! My next step is to read it so that I can remember all the holes I need to fill. Plus, this will help me to get the mojo flowing for how I am going to wrap it all up. This is typically the point in my noveling process where things completely breakdown. It is at this point where I typically print it out and then it goes into a pretty Vera Bradley binder that then gets placed on a shelf. Will this one have a different destiny?

I am using a new writing tool called Scrivener which allows you to have all kinds of fun noveling things in one place...the text (which can be organized in infinite ways), notes, character descriptions, setting descriptions, and anything else you need to get it done. I'm excited because I think this is really going to help me with dissecting my current work in progress and breaking it down into pieces. I have already imported my July novel into Scrivener...just seeing it organized chapter by chapter is helpful. My next step is going to be reading each chapter and chunking it out scene by scene. That is something I have never done before. I'm kind of excited to see how this goes.

Measuring the Year...

Many moons ago there used to be things that I wanted to do but I never made the time. I could not figure out how to carve out additional space between work and school to do them. Balance...and I am still learning...and not having school really helps too. I still remember the feeling of really, really wanting to go to a show...ahem...picture it 1988 (I think?) hearing George Michael's concert on the radio live from the Capital Center. I so wanted to be there...and the 11 year old me vowed then that when I could...I would never miss a show that I desperately wanted to see. I knew that someday I would be brave enough to seek all the things I wanted out of life. So that is where one of my year measurements stems from...my year measured in ticket stubs.

As I pulled together the some of the ticket stubs from 2011, I was pretty proud. After an incredibly tough start given all that was going on, I managed to pile together quite a set of experiences. Many of which were brand new like the opera, a musical, and then the whole soccer thing...the credit for those go to my best friend/sister (E) and my good friend (C). I was reminded that when you get one of those emails that asks if you want to something that puts you out of your comfort zone...you should go for it. Your whole life might forever changed.