Monday, June 13, 2011

Stopping to Smell the Roses...


Sometimes life throws some pretty unexpected moments at you.
This last week was filled to the brim with real extremes, both good
and bad.

At the beginning of the week, I received some incredible news, I had
been accepted to teach another year at Artfest, which had me feeling
so thrilled to again be a part of such an incredible event. Then came
more great news, that I will be working with my wonderful calendar
company, TF Publishing, on designs for a 2013 Nature Inspired Birds
line, as well as the possibility of another exciting opportunity.


But joys quickly turned to sorrow on Tuesday when I received word
that my grandmother had passed away and the cost of a plane ticket
was way out of my budget, making it impossible for me to attend the
funeral. And on Thursday, my town experienced some very severe
weather, causing quite a bit of storm damage to our home. Then late
Friday night/early Saturday morning found me in the emergency room
terribly dehydrated and unable to stop vomiting due to a very nasty
stomach virus.


So today, I am taking it a little easy, and working to regain my strength,
stopping to smell the roses and be thankful!

12 comments:

Rachel said...

Your rose sketch is luscious. Life is such a rollercoaster at times. Congrats on the upcoming opportunities. My sympathy on the loss of someone so close. And then to have other hurdles piled on top. You have the right outlook--gratitude in the midst of it.

Leslie said...

Oh dear! So sorry for the string of misfortune, but stopping to regroup and enjoy the good things is just the right way to handle it!

xo

HollyM said...

My condolences. It reminds me of a song by Leonard Cohen--something about "there have to be cracks to let the light in".

Janet Ghio said...

Wow-you have had a week of extreme ups and downs--no wonder the stomach virus got you! Your roses are beautiful1

Tracy said...

Oh my gosh!!! Tracie! Talk about experiencing the highs and lows of life. So sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope everything is okay with your home and you're feeling better. Be sure and take care of yourself. xo

Unknown said...

Take care Tracie. Sorry to hear about your Grandmother. Hugs. And congrats on all the good news. Grace will get you through everything.

Cynthia Schelzig said...

Wonderful rose collage piece...stunning!

Jeannie said...

Tracie, I am so sorry for your loss and your trip to the ER. Life really can be a roller coaster ride, unfortunatly we don't always get the safety bar to protect us. Please rest and heal. Stopping to smell the roses is definately a good thing. Hugs.

sjmcdowell said...

Hi Tracie,

Life sure is full of up's and down's. Sorry to hear your home was damaged by the bad weather.
We are having quite a storm here tonight in Atlanta.

Your Rose painting is stunning.
This one has to be one of my all time favorites!!

So sorry to hear that your Grandmother has passed. I still miss my grandmother, she was my inspiration into the world of creating.

Praying that by the time you read this that your stomach virus will be over with.

Hugs and Blessings,

susan

Jane LaFazio said...

oh Tracie! my goodness. I'm sorry for the bad and thrilled for the good. take care, dear friend, you've had an emotional month or two.
xoxox

Jacky said...

Hope you are feeling a little better, I recently bought your book and totally love it, having so much fun painting the birds. I love your little frames you have around your photo's on your blog, would you be willing to tell me how you do that. It must be wonderful to teach at Artfest I think Teesha Moore is wonderful.

Lee Weber said...

GGosness girl. I am sorry for your illness and heartbreak. Please rest and rejuvenate a little.