Just Sayin'...

When you have ice cream in a dish, and you are holding on to the bottom and heating it up, don't you think that gooey mushy ice cream on the bottom is so much better than the hard ice cream on the top?

I had some Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Weight Watchers Brand!) ice cream last night, an extended shower and a bedtime without a story for Lib because she said I didn't have to read her one last night... that was nearly as rewarding as winning the lottery! I am tired, and drained, and stressed, BUT! I have not cried... YET. I am so nervous/excited/scared/hopeful for this grand opening on Saturday.

AND! The Times-Bulletin called yesterday and interviewed me about our opening, so watch for it in the Business section. :)

Signing off for now, going to take Libs to her Grandma Lou's, go wash then Varnish the floors, come home and paint some quarter-round trim, and a table, editing-work, orders and then pick Libs up. Yeah, I need a nap, and it's only 8:45 am. :)

One

OK, this is it, darn it!
I am going to blog every. day.
I am going to make myself do it and I am going to POST THIS ADDRESS EVERYWHERE!!!!

I am a photographer.
I am just beginning on this exciting and scary journey. And sometimes I can be a total wimp.
Prepare yourself. It's more than likely going to be a bumpy ride, but I have my seat belt on, and I'm ready to go!

OK....
So I emailed Jasmine Star (www.jasmine-star.com) the other day with absolutely NO expectations of ever hearing back because, like duh, she's FLIPPING AMAZING AND WHY WOULD SHE EMAIL *ME* back....
She emailed me back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The excessive exclamations reveal how I almost peed my pants when I saw the email. Seriously.
So she said that I should just follow God, and he holds it all for me and the sky is the limit. I love her so so so much more for this. I mean I loved already with the force of a thousand suns, but this, *this* was... wow... there are no words.

She then directed me to her old blog, the one she started when she was just beginning. I have cried all morning while I was reading.

It's so hard to remember that these people all started somewhere. reading these posts and the snippets of how she is faithful and how her dreams rely on God at the same time, it's so familiar to me. I know that we all have people we relate to through their writing, but it's something about her words and the way she describes the emotions of starting this journey that make this fire in my belly start to boil... and in the way that makes me well up with tears. I am there, what she describes is where I am now, and it gives me so much more hope for the future.

I think that if I were to ever meet her I would be like the sappy 15 year old meeting the Beatles for the first time. There would not be enough tissues and I think my face would break from the smile. She is ah.maz.ing. and I'm not even kidding.

The best part about all this is that God led me to email her. I am not the type that just emails my hero's, because I know I am not even a blip on the radar...yet. I was staring at the blank email screen thinking "what are you going to say to not sound like an idiot." and then it just overtook my fingers and I didn't even know what I typed until it was done. I spilled my head out to her. And she emailed me back with encouraging words, definatly not something she had to do.

God works in mysterious ways. and I love him even more for that. My heart is bursting at the seams right now. I can't wait for the adventure he has penned for me, I can't wait to receive an email from someone as Jasmine did one day, and I can't wait to lift them up with encouraging and faithful words.

God is good. all the time.

Thank you jasmine. You have made my year. :)