It's been so long.....

Soooo many things have changed!
Let me start off by saying that when I turned 50 back in March, I thought a lot about my life, and the changes that I wanted... I was pretty unhappy.  But all the changes in my life didn't start just with me turning 50. A lot of it had to do with my daughter.

I had the opportunity to go to New England and stay in Providence, RI,  visit Newport, Boston, Salem and Cape Cod!  All this because My daughter applied and got in RISD to go get her Masters in Glass blowing!!!!  WHO would have thought Glass Blowing!!   YES,  I LOVE my glass, and YES, I did push her to take a class at Pilchuck because she was so unhappy in working front of a computer all day.  That one week class changed her life. She said that on the first day she walked into the hot shop, she knew that's where she belonged.  You can't beat that feeling!

On our trip up there to get her settled in, we were lucky enough to be joined by my lovely cousin from NY. My cousin drove upe and brought a bed for my daughter, so she would have something to sleep on in her new apartment!  My cousin is also very adventurous and off we went to all thew different places!!  We loved our girls time together!!!

During my trip I took everything in, thought about my life, and decided I need to change my life.  I took a leap of Faith and quit my job after 18 years. I started a full time career as a REALTOR®!   I also tweaked my personal life just a bit, by working out at the gym a few times a week, meditating more, and having my artwork shown at different places around town. Now, even though it's pretty recent,  I have been meeting new people, I'm going to places that I have never been, (even within the city of San Antonio!)  I am LEARNING a lot of new thing including new software programs and new (to me) technology!   When I made the decision to quit my decent paying, pretty secure job and put myself out there on a limb with commissions only, my gut feeling was peaceful. Yes I was scared, and still am a bit, but I do NOT have the pit in my stomach saying I made the wrong choice.

I am living my life fearlessly! (thank you Anita Moorjani)

Here is my REALTOR® picture !

And here are a few pics from our trip! 

                                          My daughter, me and my cousin

driving into Boston

some interesting folks waiting to cross the street

Art show in Boston

Salem

the wooden model of the The House of Seven Gables

The garden at The House of Seven Gables

The oldest candy shoppe-Salem

Sunflower garden in Providence RI

                                         

Reinventing and creating

I have been creating things, changing things, and just thinking about the next tthing I'm going to do.

Last month I saw a side table for sale on a local site for $20. So I bought it. I knew from the moment I saw it I was going to re-paint it.

I painted it white and blue because that was the paint I had from the bookshelves, and I really like thise colors.

M

After I finished painting it I had to add some artwork.....

I designed some birds taking inspiration from a book on ancient glass. 

D

This was the drawing with glass powder on clear glass 17"x17"

Then I had to add color.... Glass powders

I full fused it to 1465 degrees and this is what it currently looks like...

I am going to add some more glass accents and refire it.  Let's see how that turns out. 

Meanwhile I also bought a chair for $5 from the coffee shop I frequent and brought it home and changed its color from black to gum drop...

And finally tonight I put 10 fused glass cat coasters up 

for sale on "Nextdoor" and on Facebook for $15. Each and all the proceeds will be donated to the Humane Society of Live Oak

Thankful for the weekend

There's a buzzing feeling in my head. An anxiety I can not shake.  A feeling of upheaval when everything is calm around me.  Is it something I don't know about? Is it pre-menopause?  Or is it just dissatisfaction.....

I am trying to figure things out but the more I try the more confused I get.  I know that things happen in there own time. Things happen for a reason and sometimes you just have to sit back and wait.  However, I'm not sure what I am waiting for, and have this distinct feeling that I need to get up and do something different with my life but I have no clue as to what to do....

I know I am not supposed to compare my life with others but I see people moving forward and I feel stuck. I feel like I need to talk with a counselor or life coach to help me figure things out, but I also feel that I should just rely on my instincts and things will work out....  I am a bit confused.

On the brighter side....
I was thankful yesterday was Friday, and I went out and bought 3 more rose bushes to make myself feel better.  I love roses, the way look, smell, and the thorns they have to protect themselves.  My rose garden will now have three different types of red roses, two types of pink roses, a white rose, a purple rose and three hybrid peach/yellow, deep pink/white and red/orange.  I have now run out of room for anymore more bushes.  If I can get them all to bloom at one time I will take a collective picture.

It was meant to be

During my trip to Rhode Island I picked up an old local magazine and started fliping thruogh it.  I came across an article about a local artist name Edward Fay.  He was retired from the coast guard, and retired from fishing. He turned to painting and carving out sculptures.  In the his photograph he was a smiling gentleman with white hair holding a wooden whale that he had carved.

When we went day tripping to Newport RI, 95% of the shops were closed for the season except the Armory Antique Marketplace. So of course we went in to check it out. There were beautiful nautical painting in the walls and treasures to be explored. As I walked down one of the isles I couldn't help but notice two small wooden carved whales mounted on  flat stones. I recognized the whales from the article I had read. Then I asked the shop keeper if they were Ed Fay's artwork and she did confirm that they were his.  Then she proceeded to tell me more about his life and showed me all his paintings on the walls as well. It was so touching, I felt a connection with him. I purchased both whales, one for each of my son's that weren't with us on this trip. It was just meant to be

New beginnings and an unexpected trip

So this is how the story goes......
My daughter graduated college in 2017 with a 5 year degree in Architecture. The 5 year plan allows her to take the tests to become a licensed architect right after graduation (as long as she passes the tests). A 4 year degree in architecture only allows a person to become licensed after they go back to school and receive their Masters, unless they spend a long time (years) as an apprentice. I assumed my daughter was going on the path of getting her license as she worked for the firm she is currently employed at. Not so. Never assume anything, it makes oneself an ass for assuming.  My daughter, who had no interest in glass while growing up announced that she wants to get her Masters degree in Glass Blowing!  Wow!!!  What can I say?  Obviously, GO FOR IT!!!

She applied to 3 schools and got in to her 1st choice, Rhode Island School of Design! They only accept an average of 4 graduate students per year for the glass program, and she was one of them. I am very proud of her for following her dreams!

So with this we planned a quick trip to Providence, Rhode Island.  I booked a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment named "Olney the Lonely" through Airbnb, and was not disappointed. The home was built in 1880 and the owner refurbished it in 2017. It was beautiful! I had a favorite spot to sit and drink my coffee in the mornings. It was a nook in the kitchen where I looked out the windows as people passed by walking their dogs, or going to school. People watching isn't common in the subdivision where I currently live in since nobody walks anywhere.

Nook in kitchen

you can't see it from this picture, but there was some left over snow still on the ground in a few spots.

 kitchen

 Dining room

Living room

We arrived late Monday night as our earlier flight got cancelled due to the mandatory grounding of the Max 8 planes. On Tuesday and Wednesday my daughter was shadowing other students in the classes, studios and hot shops so we didn't get to see her during those 2 days.  Meanwhile her boyfriend had come along with us on this trip, so I felt kind of bad that he was stuck with me and my husband for that whole time.  The good thing was that we like him, and he likes us too. 

On Tuesday we pretty much stayed around Providence and absorbed the city.  It was like stepping back in time. The buildings were ornate, the streets were narrow and it was very quaint.  They still had winter hours on most of the shops  11am-5pm.  I did find a used book store that was open, Stages of Freedom and met a very interesting man named Ray Rickman.  He was like a walking encyclopedia of information and was a past Rhode Island State Representative. The bookstore funds swimming lessons for children of color.  I kind of questioned the swimming lessons in my mind because it's sooooo cold in Rhode Island, but when I read his story, I understood why.  You can read it here.  He is a true activist.

On Wednesday, while my daughter was busy we drove to the Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth, RI.  I had a semi private tour, only because I asked the person who was standing watch a bunch of questions.  He happily took me around while my husband and the boyfriend went their separate ways.  I did find out some interesting tidbits about the museum. For one thing, the museum is privately owned by a couple that lives in Newport.  They own 70 cars they showcase. A couple of the 22 ' Cadillac's from the 1950's were involved in their children's weddings. The have a car with pocket doors,1954 Kaiser Darrin that Lucille Ball drove. I won't bore you with a bunch of pictures of expensive cars, but I will share with you my favorite and also the left leg rest chair. For a plastic chair it was very comfortable!

my favorite car

pretty cool chair!

Our next stop was to the town of Newport where all the old HUGE mansions are.  The coast line was beautiful, and 95% of the stores and restaurants were still closed for the season. Season starts April 1st.  I would love to go back in the summer!

On Thursday, when we were supposed to leave to come back home, our flight got cancelled, not once but twice so we decided to extend our vacation and drive to NY and see family. I re-booked the tickets to leave out of NY on Saturday and just prayed they wouldn't cancel. Our extended family lives in Rockaway Beach which is a great place to be in the summer! it was rainy and COLD when we arrived but it cleared up on Friday so we were able to enjoy the day. 

 the new "boardwalk" built after Sandy destroyed the wooden one. 

 the boyfriend, daughter and hubby

my cousin and me

I look forward to the new adventure my daughter will have and hope to visit RI while she is there.