Small Victories

The past week hasn't yielded much in the way of huge life-changing events. The small things have been nuggets of pure gold though. I have relished in accomplishing small but significant things lately.

1. Running for 20 minutes straight. 

I do realize that is not a huge feat for a lot of people. But in the journey toward getting back in shape, running without stopping to walk for any length of time is noteworthy. Especially when you are me. I was waiting for someone to pull over and offer to take me to the emergency room. 

2. Visiting a Laundromat

I have been blessed to always have access to a washer and dryer. I have also always been blessed to have a mom who would take my larger items (ex. large bed spreads) to the laundromat and wash them for me. Call me spoiled. I am thankful though. However, this week, I became an adult. I took things into my own hands and went. All by myself.  Thank GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE for the kind ladies who took me under their little laundry-washing wings and helped me because I was about 5 minutes away from creating a sitcom-esque scene in the local Suds establishment.

3. Having my Shattered Cell Phone Screen Repaired

This was a victory in two ways...I fought my cheap tendancies and the motto "if it still works, don't worry about it." and replaced the thing. I ALSO was without my phone for a solid 2 hours and found myself very productive. Double Score.

4. Scheduling Days Off Work

For the proverbial work-a-holic, this is huge.

5. Bathing Trudie Gray

This is a Battle. The will of a dog v. the will of her owner. And mine was stronger today because I could not deal with the smell of something dead that she must have eaten. It was absolutely wretched. Ergo, we did the bath dance. I grabbed her up like a 50 lb sack of dog food. She did the spread eagle stance...all four legs perfectly straight and spread out at 45 degree angles. At one moment, she did the splits with her hind legs on the edge of the tub. I was laughing so hard at her fight tactics, I could barely focus on the task at hand. Eventually, she got bathed, I changed clothes, and all was well.

Every day will not produce timeline worthy events. At least not in my world. Somedays, I need complete re-dos. But when the day is done and I can look back and see victories...even tiny ones...I rest my head and say "I'll take it."

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:

When a stinky dog or a giant confusing washing machine stares you down, stare right back. Give it the stink eye and don't back down.

Leaps of Faith

I am  well aware that it isn't even September yet. Maybe I'm rushing the season (that's what my mom tells me I do and have done since childhood. I tried to wear shorts to school in February. True Story.) Regardless, I am drinking pumpkin spice coffee right now with visions of tailgating treats dancing in my head. Fall has always been my favorite season because to me, it is full of color...and welcomes my Birthday, which happens to be my favorite day of the year. 

Over the weekend, I enjoyed a trip out of town to serve as a segue from summer to fall. It involved spending time on a lake with three other girls (Mighty Fine Delta Gamma sisters, at that) who I am quite certain could rule the world with their combined talents. Three days at the lake house, on the water and otherwise taught me a few things:

1. A good way to exfoliate a spray tan from your skin is to climb up a giant rock. Rinse by jumping fearlessly (okay...not fearlessly...I was terrified and said curse words...) back into the lake. Good things often are accompanied by a bit of fear.

2. I am talented at many things. Shuffling cards is not one of them. 

3. My business trips are really just vacations. Good things and ideas happen when I forget about trying to make good things and ideas happen. 

4. There are few problems in this world that cream cheese smothered in some jellied something (candied jalapeños in this case), a glass of sangria and a little girl talk can't fix. 

5. I'm still young. I still have energy and life. I'm not giving that up anytime soon. I don't have any plans to fizzle out. I intend for my friends to hold me accountable to my never-ending youth and not enable the part of me that wallows in the self-pity of aging. 

6.  There are still huge chapters of my life that I haven't started. I am excited about that. I like to wonder about what they will hold. I am glad that I have friends with which I will share those chapters. And moreover, I am thankful that God continues to provide adventures. I love how He continues to line up events in my life that help me discover more about myself and help me discover more about Him. Even if it is something simple like jumping off a rock, I am grateful that I am still inclined by His Grace, to take leaps of faith. 

I guess it is time to go make the world a prettier place, one painting at a time. Enjoy your Monday and remember to thank the One who gave it to you.  

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Jump in and aim to make a giant splash when you do. 
Oh...and always use photoshop on swimsuit pictures ;)

Welcome Back

After months of tossing around re-entering the blogging community, I decided to make it a reality. 

Re-entering. Yes. 

If you have looked around even a little bit, you noticed this isn't my first blog on this page. A few years ago, I used this as an outlet while I was trying to figure out "what in the world" I was suppose to be doing. I thought perhaps I needed to start a completely separate new blog to focus solely on business but my life and my job are tied so closely together that I decided just to continue forward here and carry on with what I started so long ago. 

This excites me. 

You can read back into where I've been. That's a little scary. But you'll learn some things. I did when I read back over many entries today. I remembered good days and bad ones. And ones where I was filled with insight and wonder that I don't even remember.

I'm not a formally trained writer. So please expect the continuation of this journey to be raw and transparent (and full of misspelled words.) I am an artist. So also expect color and life.  I have goals for this endeavor. I hope to post more work, more plans, more lessons learned here. And I hope you find yourself walking with me, laughing with me, crying with me, and growing with me along the way. 

I am dreaming a little bigger these day. And this blog is a huge part of that. 

Dream with me. 

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:

Don't quit what you start.

 

Keys, please.

Have you ever been stuck in the position where you had to unlock something...a car, a door, a storage unit...something? Most people have. You dig out your keys and commence to unlock...If you are one of the lucky ones, you know exactly which key will fit the lock. No struggle, no fighting-just a clean easy fit. Sometimes though, it happens that we don't know which key to use...we have to test a few on the key chair to find the winner. And I have even been standing there before in this situation: I have tried all the keys, desperately attempting to fit all of them in the lock but none work...and then I try them all again and I find that one I thought didn't work was actually the right one all along, I just wasn't patient enough with it the on my first attempt with it.

C. S. Lewis made a beautiful analogy with a lock and a key in his broadcast of war-time talks about Christianity and our daily lives. This particular analogy was in reference to love and marriage. He pointed out that though a key and a lock are two different pieces, they are designed to work together as one mechanism...one collective item. Similarly, we as men and women are to do the same. Though we are two separate beings, we were designed by our creator to work together-jointly as one upon the unity of marriage.

Well, y'all know I'm not there yet. Not standing on the altar yet waiting to say "I do" but it is frequently on my mind. If not for the sheer volume of showers, bachelorette parties and weddings I have to attend, Perhaps because I am approaching the day when I too will actually be ready. So this idea of the lock and key has been on my mind an awful lot lately. I'm in that "trying to find the right fit" stage.

I can tell you right now that I was not blessed to be one of those who found the key that fit perfectly with no other attempts. I say that with no regrets. I have concluded that all these "attempts" if you want to call them that for lack of better term, have directed me closer to the right key.

I will say, though, that today, I am standing here with quite a predicament. I have tried all the keys. Maybe there is one hiding under the flower pot that I don't know about. Or maybe...just maybe...there is a key that I just wasn't quite patient enough with...the perfect key that I gave up on just a little too quickly. Ya know? At a certain point, if a key don't fit, you can't make it...but sometimes, it is possible to overlook that key's perfect fit...that no other key has...all because we are in a hurry to find the right one.

I haven't decided if I should look under the flower pot for a spare key. I really think the right key is there in front of me. Its just my fault that it hasn't worked in the lock yet. I wish I could tell you today how this ends...but I can't. I am just as confused as you are at this point in the story...I guess this will have to be concluded later.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
There is only one perfect key for every lock.

Change

The truth in that statement is almost frightening. And it has been twirling around inside my head a whole lot here lately.

See...

I'm not displeased in any way with where I am right now. But I know that I want more out of life.

Two things I want out of life:
1. Live Comfortably. I know too many people who face financial struggles often. I'd like to be in a position where that is not a constant worry in my life.
2. Have the means and opportunities to help others. I think that helping others is one of the best ways to demonstrate Christ's love to those who don't know of it.

I know that in order to be successful with #2, being successful with #1 would help a whole lot.

Now that I have settled myself to these ideas, I am currently trying to decide what is the best way to get where I want to be. Art will always be a part of me...and a part of the plan in some capacity. But perhaps not the main avenue that I travel as it has been for the past two years.

I dunno. We'll see. I'm setting goals. Looking at the big picture.

I'm making plans.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Don't learn the hard way...coming from someone who always does.

MMM....

I'm in a very pastel yellow mood these days. Butter Cream Yellow. It suits me.

I think that color has lots to offer. It is very flexible. It works with bold or pastel...color or neutral, ya know? My honey bun got me a mixer for Christmas...I opted for the yellow. I realize that it is not red...not "trendy or bold" and I take into account that it is not black or silver...no, not a neutral that will match anything. But I heart it. And every time I see that bright butter color outfitting my retro-ish mixer, I giggle a little. Because it is classic.

And y'all, Classic goes with anything.
Other important items that fall under that category: (because I am in a list making mood)

+A real set of pearls. Good golly. EVERY girl needs 'em. When in doubt, put on a pearl.

+Black Heels. Some shoes may spike question. A good pair of black heels never will. Dependable.

+Blue Willow Dishes. Been in my family for years. If you are truly southern, you have eaten off of blue willow dishes, at the very LEAST.

+McDonald's. Okay, okay. But seriously. When in doubt, McDonald's. They have been around the longest. That speaks to me.

Hope your week will be brightened by something that dons the sweet shade of light yellow :)

Today's Pearl of Wisdom: It doesn't have to match...it just needs to go.

I'm Procrastinating...

"You're so talented."

I hear that often. And I know it is always meant with good intent. As a compliment, if you will.

However, there are days when that phrase hits me like a jack hammer between my eyebrows.

Because being "talented" falls as both a blessing and a curse. It can bring sunshine to your life and plague it at the same time.

No rest for the weary...

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Be selective when exposing your talents.

Order.

Oh, well it has been a while hasn't it? A very long while with a very large amount of change. All for the best though. I am in hiding right now. I think that sometimes we have to be broken down in order to be built back up stronger. We must be primed and prepared, trained...before we are ready to take on the world. You know, kinda like in Batman...where he goes away and learns how to fight before he comes back to Gotham City to battle the bad guys? Well, I like to think of my life that way...perhaps a little extreme but very similar. I'll be back around, just when I am actually prepared to fight, if you will.

Part of my preparation can be summed up in the above quote...I think it really says it all. And it points out to me the things that I have completely missed. Being regular and orderly in my life is my new goal. Setting a schedule. Being punctual. Taking care of business when I say I will...all of those things, I want to do and be. I want to pursue my talents and put them out there in a better way...I think I have been doing myself an injustice by neglecting my abilities and whining way too much about not knowing what to do with myself. So today, on November 1, 2010, I am setting goals to help put myself out there more! Say a sweet prayer for me that I may be able to find more order and productivity in my life.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
See above quote...

Who do I want to be?

Who do I want to be?

Props to my friend Sarah for putting that question out there, as opposed to "what do I want to do?" or "what do I want to be?"
Who I am is much more important than what I am or what I do.
I'll share with you a little about who I would like to be in 13 years.

I want to be loud.

I want to be that woman who fearlessly walks into a room and cares nothing of what others perceive of her. I want to have great hair and an attractive disposition. I want to be dripping with southern-ness and I want my laugh to be such that everyone can hear it and wish that they knew what I know to make me laugh like that.

I want to be quirky.

I want to wear heels with my workout shorts if necessary. I want to always always think beyond the realm of acceptability or trend. I want to have window boxes with flowers in them at my house and I want to have a really really big dog. And I don't want vulchers hovering around to see what I'm going to do next or to try to ride my coattails or to try to one-up me. Geez. Just let me be me without having to worry about social and political pressures. Thanks.

I want to be a lover.

I want my friends to know that they are loved. I want my husband (should the Lord bless me as such) to know that he is loved. My family, my children, my clients....I want them all to know that the world is nothing without the special people that fill it. I want to always make time for my girls. I want them to always know that whether they need a margarita or a special prayer, I will be over in lightning fast speeds to take care of them and I know that they would always do the same.

I want to be well-respected.

I am still working on this one. There are areas where I know I struggle. Procrastination started out as a little joke with me and has snowballed itself into a major disease. I am daily trying to improve this and other areas of my life so that when I look back, I can say that despite my mistakes, I did alright.

I want to be happy.

Happy is the feeling you have when you lie down after a long day next to someone you love all covered up in a down comforter. Happy is the feeling you have when you tie the perfect bow on the perfect gift sitting in front of the perfect Christmas tree drinking the best cup of coffee in the world while watching Miracle on 34th street with your sister and your mom.
Happy is looking in the mirror and knowing that you have worked really hard to drop a few pounds and your jeans are just a little bit looser than before. Happy is getting a sunburn while being completely lazy on the lake. Happy is going to work everyday and knowing you will have a paycheck to buy groceries and pay rent.

I would have defined happy in a much different way 6 years ago.

So who do I want to be? I want to be the colorful, loud, boistrous, fearless girl who loves and gives...who has a strong man standing behind her and all of her girls standing beside her....who is happy.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Be who you are, not what you do.

Snapshot.

Wow. This is such a wonderful quote with which to begin today's blog.

I was talking with a good friend about the mood of my blog recently, and yes, it is true...I was a very unhappy little girl earlier this year. Sad, actually. When you are twenty-four and perfectly confused about life, insecurity takes its toll on the human spirit. For those of you who held my hand while I was enduring, thank you. For those of you who I neglected or hurt, I am sorry.

I can say today, though, that I'm in a different place. Not a place of certainty...oh not at all. More like a place of excitement and...

...and wonder.

For an artist, when your curiosity dies, your spirit dies. Your soul dies. And being among the living dead is a bad place.

But Somewhere between there and here, my curiosity waltzed (yes, I do love that word) its way right back into my little wandering mind and started not a spark, but a damn bonfire of creativity.

I have dreams. Big ones. And I want to make them happen. It all happens one little step at a time. And I know that there are going to be sacrifices and compromises I will have to make. Regardless, I have my flame back. I want to make things again. And I want to be successful again. I want to do what I love and not take the easy way out again.

I have NEVER in my life been one to half-way do something. And I have never taken the easy way out...not even when I decorated my apartments in college, did I make things simple...no...complicated-as-hell is the way I operate, for better or for worse. My goal has always been perfection, regardless of the effort, sweat or work that a project might involve. Earlier this year, I saw that value of mine slipping. I saw my work ethic slipping. My passion disappearing. My desire to be the best? gone.

I'm alive again, though, y'all.

And my dear precious friends, It feels good to be happy again. I choose that daily. I am making big changes in my life right now that will continue to move me toward my new goals. Hang in here with me and you will see some cool things happen.

Do I have both feet on the ground? Nope. Sure don't. :)

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Whether on a dance floor or in life, standing still is a bad move.

Someone else's words.

Today, I don't have much to say. But I feel like making a list. So I will.

Songs that are very relevant to my life right now:

1. Going North by Missy Higgins
"I wanna dance the tango with chance...and I wanna ride on the wire...cause nothin gets done with dust in your gun...and nobody respects a liar. So goodbye for a while, I'm off to explore every boundary and every door...yeah, I'm going north."

2. Pony (It's okay) by Erin McCarley
"Look at you, kickin off your shoes, dancin for the world to see...You got the power to believe, open up and see, and I'll be free and fly away...Go on, go on, go on, the stars are watchin...just say just say just say what you're feelin...you know you know you know you gotta take a bow and do it your way...its okay..."

3. Turnaround by Joy Williams
"Come on its time for a brand new page, come on its time for a turnaround, open your eyes to a brighter day and see the corner your turnin now...its time, its time for a change."

4. The Outsiders by Needtobreathe
"Short falls and little sins, Close calls where no one wins, Stand tall we're running thin, I'm wearing thin.....Oh oh oh , why are we keeping score? Cuz if your not laughing, who is laughing now? I've been wondering, if we start sinking, Would we stand our ground? And through everything we've learned, We've finally come to terms. We are the outsiders"

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Let someone else do the talking.

Adventures.

To you, my dedicated readers, I owe you an apology. I have, to say the very least, been AWOL...gone...completely removed from the blogging community for a solid 3 months or more. I have no excuses for my absence. Only a busy schedule and a few wares to show for it.

My life has warranted many adventures during the time I have been away from here. Some entertaining and fun, some horrifying and emotionally draining. Adventures, though. Adventures...you know...those things that when arranged together, compose a beautiful bouquet that is life.

I'm not really into specifics and details today. I don't feel that they are important. What I find important is that you know what a beautifully uncertain state my life is in today. In the past, this observation made me cry. But not today. I have a peace amidst my lack of answers. I have rest in knowing that my anxious feet will have a new path on which to walk soon enough. I know my Father's plan will ultimately play itself out. I look forward to the day it comes to fruition. My life is beautiful right now though. At this very second. Geez...why? Oh, because ironically, I am living part of the plan. This studio, these walls, my petunias and my spirit...we are all suppose to be here right now. Together. And I'm okay with that.

Tomorrow, maybe not. But today, yes.

I don't know where my path is going. Nope. Not a clue. I don't know who will walk it with me or if I will be alone. I only know that when my feet start moving, I will follow where they take me. I will go Fearlessly. Proudly. Joyfully. Perhaps even dance some along the way. I will do this because I know staying will be like locking me in a cage and going will only open doors for new adventures. Some entertaining and fun, some horrifying and emotionally draining. Adventures, though. Adventures

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Finding time for others is a great way to lose yourself.

In better spirits...

Today is a new day, too. A Monday. I feel like Mondays have been given a pretty bad reputation, and I think that this is an injustice because Mondays aren't bad at all. They are refreshing and new. They are the beginning. The Starting Line. And to be quite honest, that excites me just a little.

Though I am still searching and praying a whole lot these days, I am taking my own advice and blooming where I have been planted...at least for today. Because to be completely honest, for the last two+ weeks, I haven't cared about anything. I have been dead in spirit. That, y'all, is a terrible way to live. I'm still don't have answers...may never have answers. But I must move forward and choose happiness.

In saying that, I have already packed up my Christmas decorations at the studio this morning and swept the floor for the first time all year (I told you I hadn't cared about anything at all...I meant it.) I am going to be completing a lot of things this week. And starting some stuff too. I am ready to see results. If I have to be here...I will make something of it.

List time.

Things I have learned:
+ It could be worse.
+ I'm not the only person going through this.
+ My physical well-being can no longer suffer due to work.
+ Happiness is a choice.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Today is another chance.

?

This is the testament of my life right now. This is the cry of my heart. This is the first breath I inhale in the mornings and the thought that embraces me as I drift off to sleep each night. I. don't. know. what. to. do.

I have two parents who would do anything to fix this for me. But all I feel is resentment following every discussion about my life.

I don't want my life to be mediocre. I don't want to tell my grandchildren boring stories. I want to write my biography in such a way that people couldn't put it down...that it would be an adventure of epic proportions. Sometimes I feel like there aren't many people around me who want that same thing. I feel like the world around me is content and I can't seem to be okay with that.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know where all of this has come from and I don't know what the answer is but I know that I feel like a bird in a cage. My flame is dying out, my motivation is dwindling, my spirit is dying. And I don't know how to fix it.

I pray a lot these days...because I know that in reality, I am blessed so far beyond what I have ever deserved. Sometimes, though.... think that maybe I was meant for more....

Today's pearl of wisdom:
Pride and Obligation will not keep you happy.

The 2009 Wrap-Up!

Well, friends, it has been a whole year since this sweet little field of blogs began...and yes...it is again time for a yearly summary of things that happened, lessons I learned and truths that unfolded in front of me time after time, day after day.

Sooo...I think I will just start with a list.

:: List of major events that happened in 2009 in the life of Leslie Gray ::
January: I began working with Address to Impress, an invitation company based out of Tupelo, MS.
February: I suffered through the readjustment period that was "Moving back in with my Parents" and I survived.
March: I established an office space and studio on Bankhead in New Albany...later to be known as Gray & Company
April: I starred in the play "M*A*S*H" and I learned how to pay rent.
May: I found love and didn't even know it.
June: I learned how to drive my orange volkswagen and I stopped traffic all over New Albany.
July: I returned to the stage, performing in Broadway 5 and I found out that the path I chose it quaint but absolutely charming.
August: I watched a meteor shower, snuggled into my studio for the fall, and found out that Mr. Bloody Bones is smarter than I thought.
September: I gave my best friend away to a guy who is now her best friend. And I confidently walked away from an influence in my life that never really cared about me, but rather saw me as a mere business transaction and a piece of the puzzle. Oh, yeah....and I started what is now the Gray & Company tshirt line! (September was a really big month!)
October: I turned 24. I grew older. I also played the role of June Sanders in "Smoke on the Mountain"...my first role with any significance.
November: I grew a thick skin and got my hands dirty...working hard and making things happen. I also decorated my shop for Christmas for the first time ever...a truly joyful time.
December: I enjoyed the holidays, despite their busy-ness for the first time in years and I found out that people show up in your life when you least expect them and probably need them most.

The past year has offered me more of an education than I ever received in an institution of higher learning. I have had hard lessons in business and life. I have had my heart broken and I found that there is nothing that can heal it better than your best friends sunbathing in a pool with a cold drink on a hot summer day. I rearranged my thoughts on how my fairy tale wedding will unfold one day and I got a good start on learning how to tell people "no." Through all of the lessons I have learned this year, the one that remains most evident is that God is gracious and giving and good. Though there is nothing in my life that reflects an entitlement to what I have, God provides anyway....he gives daily and without reservation- His grace for the times when I create a royal disaster of my life and His love when I feel abandoned by those I put false trust in. My Father provides and my life is a testament to that.

Pink Pearls of Wisdom for 2009:
1. Never climb so far up the ladder that it hurts when you fall back down. -Bill Gray
2. Rejection is like getting a shot...it hurts at first but it makes you a better person.
3. Fear of love is fear of life.
4. There is nothing wrong with loving polka dots and animal print in abundance and with wreckless abandon.
5. If you let them, curious people will waste your life away.
6. There is a difference between business and rudeness.
7. The battle of overcoming who you used to be and proving who you are is actually a war in a small town.
8. Love is a many splendor thing, Y'all.

Hit me with your best shot, 2010!

Thanksgiving is over and the Holiday Season is upon us. I had a few very important revelations over the Turkey day festivities. I think I will keep them short and sweet though. And instead of preaching to you, I am going to write them in such a way that they will be notes of encouragement.

1. Folks, take care of your families. Take care of you grandparents, and your parents, and your kids. That should be a priority. Not an "at your convenience" option.

2. The Church is a venue through which we can have Christian fellowship and worship. Do not allow yourself to become so caught up in the social and political traps of the church that you forget the purpose of it. Christianity is demonstrated through Love. Inside or outside the church. I am not discouraging church. I am encouraging independent thinking about your life as a Christian. Study the life of Jesus Christ and model your life after that, not necessarily after what your Sunday school teacher tells you to do or what the Southern Baptist doctrine tells you to believe. It is very easy to be innocently misled by someone who has the very best of intentions.

I'm quite excited about the Christmas season. I hope all of you are as well. I'm setting a goal to be completely finished with all of my lingering projects by the end of 2009 so that I can start off 2010 with a clean slate and a determined spirit.

Get excited because we are only one month away from the Pink Pearls of Wisdom 2009 Reflection entry. That is usually a good one!

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Sometimes being completely lost is right where you are supposed to be.

Well...

So it has been a while, right? Well, since my last entry, I have had much going on in my life to speak of. I have faced some real struggles in both business and life and some struggles that crossed that dividing line into both areas. And with that, I am learning. I think that is the best way to put it, really. I am learning that people, imperfect as we are, can be disappointing. I am learning to never believe in someone too much...to never set their bar so high that it hurts when they allow it to drop and hit me in the face.

I'm finding that people will use me to get what they want. You are always someone's best friend when you have what they want. It is when you try to protect yourself or when something better comes along that you find out where the genuine souls lie. In realizing this about so many of the people in my life, i have realized a whole lot about me. I located some areas in my life that are weak...areas that I had been excusing as mere kindness...well, not so much. That kindness was also an excuse for me to avoid developing a back bone that would help support me. That kindness is what would have been my demise. I was going to "kindness" myself to death.

I realize that is a heavy load to drop in a blog but I said it all with a very peaceful heart. I am excited about life right now and all of the exciting things that are up for grabs. I am not worried about the struggles. They are good for me. I cry more than I think is humanly normal these days but it makes me feel better. I'm not sad. I just get stressed and it seems that sometimes, crying really does make it better. So I allow myself to do that these days. And through those little stressful tears, I smile because i love what I do and what I am working so hard to become.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Every struggle survived is a battle won.

well, y'all....

Well...yeah.

And this is why:
1. I'm an artist with no direction, really...but lots of ambition.
2. I still live with my parents.
3. I'm single...and can't really decide if I like or dislike that.

So there it is. Plain and simple. There are bad sides to all of the above but Satan isn't gonna inch in and get me down about any of those things. Because I know I am loved for those things or despite them...

Well, guess what, Mr. Satan...I'm gonna have another dance party at Gray & Company in celebration of succeeding enough to pay yet another month's rent! Amen.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Pictures don't have to go in frames. Nor do ideas have to fit inside boxes. Likewise, people do not have to squish into a mold. Throw away their rules and make your own.

Monday Posting...

Gray & Co. is alive and well today! If any of you are like me, This is the best time of year for a great cup of coffee!! Above is the latest G&C tshirt design! YAY, COFFEE!

Anyway, Today, I'm feelin pretty awesome. Got much much much to do this week but I'm totally feeling up to it! Life is good and I have no direct complaints. The sun is shining and I have a smile on my face. Still listening to all my christmas music...gotta get prepared for our program in Decmeber at the church.

I was wondering about contentment the other day....ya know...whether it is a good or bad thing to be such. Well, I'll tell ya...I am there in a way. As much as I complain, I really love where I'm at in life right now. I do. I love what I do. I love my friends. I have much to occupy my time. I'm never bored. These are all blessings.

Come see me sometime!

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
If something is hindering your clear view, turn on your windshield wipers.

Observation: There have been many weddings this year. Thus, there have been many honeymoon pictures posted on facebook. I'm willing to say that 99% of these pictures have involved a tropical beach resort-ish background location.

Conclusion: There is nothing within me that wants to go to some random island for my honeymoon. I like the beach on occasion. But again, NOTHING in me that wants a beach for honeymooning. When Mr. Unidentified and myself dash out on our post-marriage getaway, I'd prefer New York, London, or something that is more interesting to me than sand in my swimsuit. That is just not something I want to battle. I'd rather picnic in a park and catch a good show at night than go on some random excursions with native tour guides and murky water.

Today's Pearl of Wisdom:
Know who you are. Make decisions based on that.