2012 Highlights

Before we enter 2013 I have to go back over some of the things that stand out.

Reminds me of the tremendous blessings we have been given.

Also reminds me of where I want to go in the year to come.

 

January

Moved my studio to the main floor of our house!

 Best decision!

Love my studio!

February

   State hockey tournaments for the boys.

March

Took the kids to a Canucks game in Denver!

Such fun!

April

Brought our little Gregor home!!

 Such a sweet sweet addition to our family!

Despite what Steve thinks!

Easter!

May

Macey came home from college for her summer break.

 The five of us made a Huge Chinese dinner!  Great fun!  And delish!

June

Ran my first Marathon.

The Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon!

Camping in the Big Horns!  LOVE camping!

Angela's Shower in Miles City

 and karaoke and dancing like nobody's business!!!

July

 

 Awesome hike at Bud Love

The fam came over and we took a camping trip in the Big Horns.

 The kids and I took a road trip to see my sister Jamie in Sand Point, Idaho.

 Awesome trip...

One of the most GORGEOUS drives...

from Missoula to Sand Point!

 We were all truly in awe of Nature's Beauty!

First wholesale order for Star Hitched Wagon.

 Took an awesome jewelry class from Deryn Mentock.

August

First art festival of the year for Star Hitched Wagon.

Big West in Sheridan is always a terrific weekend!

Mom and Dad came to help out as well as Auntie Carol. 

Their help is HUGE!!!  And it's so fun to have them there along with me.

Another huge highlight Bob and Jo drove down from Denver to suprise me!

Awesome treat!

Really great weekend!

September

Angela and Jono's gorgeous Big Sky wedding.

 A wonderfully fun weekend with family in a truly gorgeous location!

 The kids and I also went on our first zip line!

Born in a Barn Sale in Sheridan...Shelley and Jill put on a fabulous show!

October

Steve and Bob ran Le Grizz in Hungry Horse, MT.

Jo and I went along as the support team!  What a great trip!

LOVE western Montana!

November

Thanksgiving!

 Meg's 21st Birthday.

 (cake made by Jodi)

December

Star Hitched Wagon did the Horseshoe Holiday Market in Denver.

An awesome show!

Steve and the boys and Bob and Jo helped out soooo much.  

Had to be completely unloaded, set up and ready for customers in less that 90 minutes!

We did it thanks to EVERYONE'S help!

Jo and I sold the day away and got to interact with some really awesome customers!

 

Moved Macey back home...so excited she will be starting school at MSU in the fall!

 Christmas!

Goodbye 2012...

 It's that last day of 2012.

So I decide to go back to my goals post from January 2012

just to see how I progressed.

How I did...

So let's see...

1.  Working towards a life I love?

This will be a forever work in progress.

I had many steps forward and, of course, many steps back.

But I continue to head in the right direction.

 One thing is for certain...

I am blessed!

Tremendously blessed!

I love my life!

2.  Create more often?

Paint?

Get Messy?

Sew?

Play with clay?

Sadly no on ALL of these...

The desire is still present.

So these will roll over to 2013's list of things to enjoy!

3.  Get my business up and running full steam ahead?

My labels were finally finished!

They took much much longer that I would have ever expected!!

A sweet angel stepped forward and offered her help

in finishing them up when my designer check out.

They are gorgeous and my new brand looks so strong!

I created jewelry I love!

Did three AWESOME shows!

Two awesome open houses!

Three new wholesale accounts!

 Advertised in FOLK magazine.

It was a good start...excited to see where 2013 takes Star Hitched Wagon.

 
4.  Judge less - love more?

Tried...

Something that will need to be worked at

on a daily basis.

5.  Kick my ego to the curb?

Good days and bad days. 

6.  Get real - see the truth - be true?

 

 Again...

good days and bad days.

Really liked that I had this to focus on. 

Was a useful tool in many situations...

snapped me back to reality.

7.  Make friends?

:(

I need to really work on putting myself out there.

 Over the year I realized just how bad I am about keeping the walls up.

Accepted that I am responsible for how this one turns out.

Also...something very important that I MUST mention.

I am BLESSED with a very awesome large family!

 So this means I have many BEST friends!

8.  Yoga, running, walking, lifting or elliptical every single day of the week??

Ha ha...

Not even close.

Plenty of those things existed.

Not even close to every day of the week.

9.  Run a marathon?

YES!!!!

 And it was awesome!

10.  Yell less?

Probably not.

11. Be happy, smile and laugh and sing and dance?  ALOT?

Not as much as I should of.

12.  Scrapbook?

Yes!

Week in the Life?

One Little Word?

Project Life?

NOPE!

13.  Dream big and work hard to achieve?
Huge dreams.

Worked hard but could have worked harder.

14.  Blog?

Boy...not much at all.

So there ya have it.

Me checking in on myself to see how I did.

It was a good year.

I could do better.

Many discoveries have been made...

Excited about 2013 

 and the many chances given to live in the moment.

Thinking about my goals...
more about how I want to feel...
Not so many to do lists...
but definitely will make a Bucket List.

So how did you do?
I'd love to hear!

Save the Date

Hope to see you there!!  

Make sure you stop by the Star Hitched Wagon booth and say hi!!

Thankful...

Truly so much to be thankful for!!

TRULY!

Here a few I am thinking of this week:

Thankful for the beautiful sunny weather we have been having to start the month of November.

 Thankful for hockey and the lessons/hard work/dedication it is teaching the boys. 

(and way to go Xander on scoring your first goal ever!!!!)

 Thankful for our home...for the warmth and protection it provides.

 Thankful for my sweet kiddoes....they make my life so full!

 Thankful for puppy snuggles for all of us...

even Steve...he loves a little Gregor snuggle! :) 

OK maybe not but watching Gregor and Xander love on each other 

makes me very happy...so sweet!!

November is the month that we focus on all that we have to be thankful for...

but these are things I am thankful for year round.

I am very blessed and so very thankful...

I would really like this to be my focus every day. 

What are you thankful for today?

A Favorite Place of Mine

Especially in the fall...

...just look at those gorgeous colors...

...and the wonderful creatures...

...so many beautiful settings in one place...

...can you guess where this favorite place of mine is?

Yellowstone.

A thought...

...a very random thought...

but it came to me last night...

 Are you an artist?

A creative?

And if so...

Have you ever been asked by another...

Where did you get that supply?

How do you do that?

Could you show me...

help me...

lead me?

And have you put the walls up?

Did it ruffle your feathers?

Did you think, "Oh the nerve"

or

"Figure it out yourself, I did."

 

I have been very guilty of this...

not so much anymore...

but boy when I was first starting out...

it offended me horribly.

So silly...

Well what if by shutting them down...

by not advising...

by not leading...

by not lending a helping hand...

You crush their spirit?

Hurt their feelings?

Stifle their creativity?

What if that person might be the next...

Chan Luu

or

Stella McCartney

or

Kelly Rae Roberts

or

Flora Bowley?

Wouldn't you rather...

inspire...

lift up...

encourage...

support...

lead...

guide?

Think of how thankful you would be

if more people were willing to lend a helping hand?

It truly makes the world a more beautiful place.

 See I told you...

random...

Yes random indeed.