News and Notes from the Happy Shack

Sunday Gratitude and Sparkly Things

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:11:00 +0000

Hello friends! Happy New Year! I don't know you about you, but I'm glad to have made it past 2025; it was definitely a challenging year. Here's to brighter days ahead! I was pretty absent from this space in 2025, short of a few "here's what happening in my crazy life" updates, but I'm hoping to get myself back on track this year. If you're still here, please know how much I appreciate you following along.

With everything I went through in 2025, I tried to keep up my creativity, but even that came to a screeching halt when my dad passed unexpectedly in the midst of my sister and me helping him work through some major life changes. I always post my creative work on my Instagram, and the last time I posted anything creative there, short of the amazing creations that are my daughters, was in July. This bracelet is the first little piece of creativity I've added to the world since then! And I owe a debt of gratitude to my daughters for it. While they were home in Jacksonville for the Christmas break, in addition to helping me continue to recover from my total knee replacement in October, they were determined to get me back in my studio. One dragged me down there in the hopes of me creating a couple things for her and a couple presents for her friends, thus this bracelet! One of her friends loves mixed metals, so we came up with this piece using 14K gold-filled wire and sparkly silver metallic Czech glass beads. Super simple piece, and we both loved the way it came out.

But really, in addition to just getting me down there to make something "so you can get back to yourself, Mama," they really put in the work to make that possible. They sent me upstairs to ice my knee and then proceeded to totally clean up and organize (as much as humanly possible with the amount of supplies and interests I have) my art studio workspace. Now that I'm back home in Jacksonville, I have far less space, so it's no easy task getting - and keeping - it organized. Add to that my ADHD brain, and things can get - and stay - pretty messy down there. My goal this year is to put up the supplies I was working with before moving on to something else!

Another way I hope to corral my ADHD brain this year, in my creative work anyway, is to try working in collections. I tend to bounce from thing to thing and back again pretty quickly, so I'm going to work on roping that in a bit. We'll see how it goes! I may bring Free Bling Friday back this year as well, still considering that. I do love sending my little pieces of creativity out into the world, even it's sometimes for free!

Thank you for stopping in! I hope you'll leave me a comment to let me know you were here! Are you on my email newsletter list for monthly-ish updates and subscriber only discounts? Sign up here!

When Plans Change

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:24:00 +0000

Heads up: long, personal story post coming up … My husband always says, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,” his way of saying those plans rarely go the way you’ve planned.

Dad on his 80th Birthday

I shared back in this post that my sister and I were helping our Dad though a major life change. That major life change was a divorce, not of his choosing, at 80. His now former wife, Kathy, who filed the papers, is 78; she was his third wife, and they had been married nearly 28 years. When preparing to write this post, I noticed that the last time I posted here was August 6. Friday, August 8, my Dad died suddenly and unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack. As I had feared when I first learned of the divorce, the stress of the situation ultimately took his life.

Because Dad passed prior to the divorce being final, Kathy got everything she wanted … him out of her life AND his social security and life insurance. To add insult to injury, my sister and I were paying Dad’s attorney’s fees because Kathy controlled all the money in the relationship other than his monthly social security payments, and she even refused to reimburse my sister and me the funds we spent on his behalf for the divorce she wanted.

The previous four and a half months had been really challenging helping him through the divorce and working through what the next stage of his life would look like post-divorce. He and Kathy adopted Kathy’s grandson as an infant, so they were parenting a 12-year-old at the time of his passing. My sister and I knew that once the divorce was final, Dad would be living a pretty sad existence in an apartment, as he wanted to stay in West Palm Beach to be near the child. So when I learned of his passing, it was one of those surreal moments in which I really didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, I was sad that I’d lost my father, but on the other hand, I was relieved for him that he was no longer in that horrible situation. It’s been three months now, and I’m still wrapping my head around it. As life goes sometimes, it’s not lost on me that I also lost my mother – to suicide – in the middle of her going through a divorce from her third husband.

On my wedding day

My sister and I went down to South Florida about 10 days after his passing, and thanks solely to his half-sister who came over to the house to pack up his office for us, we were able to pick up some of his things. My sister and I spent a day back in Jacksonville going through the collection of pictures and keepsakes he’d held on to over the years. Seeing the cards and letters from us that we’d sent him while we were in college was an extra sweet find. He was a bit of a pack rat and incredibly organized in his paperwork, so it was fascinating going through some of those things and seeing a side of him we didn’t know very well.

This all happened while I’ve been in the midst of a fairly large transition of my own. Though my job is still in Tallahassee, I’ve worked out a plan to work from home in Jacksonville for this last year before I plan to retire next summer, so I’ve been slowly moving things back home to Jacksonville. My girls are living in my little house in Tallahassee for grad school, so at least we didn’t have to move the whole house, but moving my art studio and all my supplies sure made it feel that way! It’s been challenging getting everything moved, unpacked, and rearranged, thus the reason this blog and my Instagram has been void of creative works for a bit. The bigger challenge for me though has been being away from my girls! Because we lived in the same town where they went to college, we never really had that empty nest. Though they weren’t under our roof full time anymore, they were just across town and we still saw them regularly. Them being in Tallahassee and me being in Jacksonville has been hard on this Mama’s heart, as now we truly do have an empty nest. And add to all this, I’m currently 23 days on the other side of a total knee replacement, right knee, so I’ve been homebound recovering, unable to drive! As someone who’s used to being always on the go, that’s been a super big challenge for me. I’ll share more about that later.

When I look back over this little blog of mine, while I started it to share my creative work, it’s truly been a catch all of my life for the past twenty years. Good times, not so good times, family news, shelter photography … this little blog has been quite the hodgepodgerie of stories. I know that there are much better blogging platforms out there now, but I haven’t been able to let go of this little Blogger blog. I’ll leave this post with the tribute I wrote for my Dad, below. Thanks for taking a read ...

Dad and his girls and grands

Michael Howard Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Miami, Florida, at 12 years old. After nearly 20 years in Miami, where he met our mom and married her in the Fifth Street Baptist Church of Key West, he also lived in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area for nearly 20 years before finally settling in the Wellington area of West Palm Beach.

Dad was known for his positive attitude, his “Mikeopedia” trivia knowledge, and – having raced both boats and motorcycles in his younger days – his love of fast boats, fast motorcycles, and fast cars. He also loved animals and had many beloved pets over the years, including the shaggy little mutt and best buddy he leaves behind, Scruffy. He loved to share stupid Dad jokes via email and text messages, particularly puns and plays on words, and he never met a cheeseburger or a Duffy’s giant pretzel that he didn’t like. His favorite vacation spot was Boca Grande, where he built decades of wonderful memories with great friends and family. I know many of my friends enjoyed Boca Grande boat rides thanks to Dad, and I truly believe those times in Boca Grande with that huge gaggle of friends and family from St. Petersburg and Clearwater were the happiest days of his life and contain some of my fondest memories as well.

Dad had a long career that included a variety of roles. From parking cars at Miami Jai Alai (where he also played jai alai!) and working at Sears Roebuck as a young man while putting himself through college at Florida Atlantic University, he later spent many years in the banking industry, ultimately landing a few bank president roles, and finally running his own business, Effective Solutions, Inc. He also served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and served the Wellington community in various other volunteer roles. He was a notary public and never turned away a neighbor in need of a signature. That's how Kim and I met several of his neighbors whenever we were visiting! Kim and I are incredibly grateful to Dad's neighbor Winston, who's checked in on us regularly over these past six months and has been there for Dad through those challenging times.

No matter where Dad went, he made friends easily. Whether with one of his closest friends to this day that he met in college (affectionately known to me and Kim as "The Robber") to close friends he made in St. Petersburg and Clearwater and later Wellington, he always had a gift for making others feel comfortable and welcome. Kim and I have felt the presence and love of those close friends as we’ve been working through his passing and are grateful for their sharing of special memories.

Though the challenges of his later personal life were often difficult, Dad continued to face them with optimism and courage, and his legacy of perseverance will live on in the hearts of those who knew him best. While his final months were marked by a journey of emotional struggle, he never lost his sense of humor or the ability to pass along his favorite dog memes. He was most proud of being our Dad, and Jack's dad, who he and Kathy adopted nearly 13 years ago.

About two weeks after Dad's passing, Benny and the girls, my sister, and I met up with our cousins Ray and Susan for brunch. Ray lived with my mom and dad and me for a time right after he graduated high school, and they were always close. For those of you who've known me forever and have heard my stories about my special Aunt Livy, Ray is Aunt Livy's son. When we came home after the brunch, Dad was sitting there waiting for us at our front door. His remains had arrived. Kim and I had already decided that Dad would like to hang out off my dock, so it felt a bit meant to be that when we looked out at the river, it was the perfect high, outgoing tide. So we all looked at each other and said, "Now?" So now it was, and we all walked out to the dock to scatter Dad's ashes in the river, along with some of the crunched up new-flavored Oreos he had recently sent Kim. The fish enjoyed both.

Because of Dad's love for animals, if you'd like to make a donation to Big Dog Ranch Rescue (where Scruffy was adopted from) or Friends of Jacksonville Animals, Inc. in his name, we know he'd love that. He's always been a big fan of my shelter photography. Rest in peace, Dad. We love you. We'll save a spot on the beach in Boca Grande for you, and we'll put your dollar up at Cabbage Key.

If you’d like to read more “life stories” here on the blog, check out the Living Life’s Lessons posts.You can navigate post categories through the links in the right column.

Books - The House in the Cerulean Sea Duology by T.J. Klune

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:35:00 +0000

Ya'll! Read these books! I'll just start with that. I had been hearing about The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune for quite a while and kept trying to catch it at my favorite used bookstore - Chamblin Bookmine - but they never had it. Apparently people don't give it up! And now, I am one of those people! This book has earned a permanent spot on my bookshelves.

Here's a quick summary: The House in the Cerulean Sea is a heartwarming novel about Linus Baker, a caseworker who investigates magical orphanages. Assigned to Marsyas Island Orphanage, he encounters six unusual magical children and their charming caretaker, Arthur. Linus's life transforms as he grapples with his own prejudices and discovers the true meaning of family, love, and acceptance. The story explores themes of found family, prejudice, and the power of empathy. That's your basic Google AI summary. But, oh my goodness, this book is so special. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I laughed again, I cried again, I got angry again, and I just didn't want the book to end. There were several laugh out loud moments for me, but the one that got me the best involved my home state. I won't spoil it for you, but I'm guessing even folks not from Florida will laugh at that one.

The large majority of our book club loved this book as well. There are some themes that may make some folks uncomfortable, and honestly from my perspective, I truly hope those folks read the book even more. One of the magical children is the antichrist, at seven years old, named Lucy. I thought the author handled this beautifully - it is a fantasy story, after all! - but the very religious may feel otherwise. The other magical children included a wyvern named Theodore, a shape shifter named Sal, a garden gnome named Talia, a girl who could make trees named Phee, and a big watery blob named Chauncey who just wanted to be a bellhop. Adult caretakers Arthur and Zoe are also magical, but I won't spoil their magic for you! It's a beautiful story about accepting others for who they are, tolerance of differences, fighting for those you love, and love in all forms. When I finished this one, I immediately wanted to start it again. And then...

The sequel came out!! Yay!! Somewhere Beyond the Sea came out in September 2024 and picked up right where The House in the Cerulean Sea left off. I enjoyed this one just as much and rooted along for Linus and Arthur as they continued to fight for a world that accepted the beauty found in all of us, no matter how different we may look. I found both of these books to be true balms for the soul is this time of division and political turmoil that we are experiencing here in the United States. I read some pretty heavy stuff sometimes with my love of historical fiction, and sometimes I need what my next door neighbor called a "palate cleanser" of a book. These two books definitely deal with heavy topics, yet they do it in a way that hopefully opens your eyes to the treasures we can find in each other if we just take the time to truly get to know that person rather than judge them by their appearance, difference, ability or disability. The pair has made it to my top 10 all favorite books list.

ICAD 2024 - Week 2 and Hello ... Is There Anybody in There? ...

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 01:41:00 +0000

... Just nod if you can hear me ... Is there anyone home? Any Pink Floyd fans out there? I'm not a huge fan, but Comfortably Numb seems to stick with me and seems apt for the moment. As I shared earlier this year, I've really wanted to try to get back to blogging regularly in 2025, and while I think I've probably written more posts in the first half of 2025 than I did in all of 2024 at this point, I still wouldn't call it the "regular" posting I was hoping to do. Funny how things that were once strong habits can so easily fall to the wayside in this crazy over-saturated, internet-driven world. I do miss the more in-depth writing part of the old blogging world that's been taken over by the immediacy and in-your-face video streams of Tik Tok and, more and more now, Instagram. I've been checking out Substack lately, not posting anything myself, but enjoying the more long-format writing you can find there, and one of my old blog friends who I really enjoyed following, Christine Mason Miller, is now on Substack. I'm so glad I found her there. She recently shared a post there about this very thing - what happened to blogging? - and it really resonated with me. Maybe it will with you as well.

I'm not doing ICAD (index card a day) this year, but I'm still sharing my ICAD 2024 work with you ... you know, since I shared hardly anything here in 2024! This was week two for me, above, and a close up of my favorite for the week below. I do miss doing ICAD but my world is still just in a bit of a mess right now like I shared here, and we're still working through all sorts of things that continue to come our way, so my art making time has been slim to none. I'm in the process of moving mostly back home to Jacksonville, as I've been given the go-ahead to work more fully remote for this next academic year. My daughters finished up undergrad this summer and are moving into my Tallahassee house for grad school, so while I'm not having to pack up and move the whole house, I am packing up and moving all my art supplies back home to Jacksonville. And I'm not ashamed to admit I, like most of us who have a variety of creative interests, have far more art supplies than I truly need! So it's still a rather large process. I've been trying to load up the back of my SUV with whatever will fit every time I go home, but I fear a small U-Haul may be in my future.

So ... Hello! IS there anybody out there? If you've come across this post, I'd love for you to leave me a comment so I know you were here. Just say hello and let me know where you are! And if you are following someone on Substack you'd like to recommend, please do!

One College Graduation Down, One to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 08 May 2025 00:02:00 +0000

My girl Sarah officially walked across her college graduation stage last Friday evening. It was a super long day that started with a small ceremony for her major in the Classics department. I thought that was super special! She was part of the College of Arts and Sciences graduates ceremony, and by my count, there were nearly 2,000 graduates on that floor. But the smaller Classics ceremony earlier in the day let each of them shine individually. The faculty introduced every graduate, and each received a crown wreath in true Classics fashion. Then we headed to El Jalisco for a quick dinner and celebratory margeritas before heading to the larger Commencement ceremony at the Tucker Center.

As most grads do, Sarah wanted cash, but I wanted her to have a little something to open other than a check, so I made these earrings for her. I'm super happy with the way they came together and I hope she loves them as much as I do! Sarah graduated with a bachelor's in Classical Civilizations and will begin pursuing a master's in Information Science in the fall. Liv graduates in August with a bachelor's in Environmental Science after her final internship summer, so we've got one down and one to go! Liv will begin pursuing a master's in Aquatic Environmental Science in the fall. If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you've watched them grow up! Thank you for following along!

Sunday Gratitude (on a Tuesday): FSU Mass Shooting, April 17, 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:12:00 +0000

You wouldn't think I'd have any gratitude around a mass shooting, so I'll explain. So yes, in case you missed it, there was a mass shooting at Florida State University on Thursday, April 17, 2025. FSU ... my alma mater and the university at which my girls are graduating seniors. A 20-year-old student killed two and injured six before being taken down by FSU police. The two killed, both staff, have been memorialized. All but one of the six injured, all students, have now been released from the hospital. The shooter in still currently in the hospital.

First, let me share this very powerful piece written by one of my daughter Sarah’s classmates; this describes what went on in the exact classroom Sarah was in during the tragedy. That fact that these students have been through active shooter drills for this is two-sided. It’s great that they have so they knew what do to, but it’s so incredibly sad that our kids are having to go through active shooter drills to prepare for a real event … we all hope that it won’t happen, and yet it continues to happen.

I was in contact with Sarah via text from the moment we got the FSU alert. Olivia was at work with me. I can only imagine the panic of the parents who weren’t able to reach their kids as quickly. And I can only imagine what these students and FSU staff experienced. But I can tell you how I felt as a parent to one of those students barricaded in a classroom for nearly three hours hiding from an active shooter on yet another campus where they should feel safe. And as a dear friend to someone who works on campus very close to the Union and is charged with trying to keep her students calm and safe in a very scary situation … I felt surreal panic. Like a “how can this really be happening” kind of panic. And a total helplessness. And not only worry for my daughter and friend experiencing it there on campus, but also worry for my daughter sitting next to me frantically texting her friends to make sure they were in a safe place.

And I felt lots of anger as Liv and I watched emergency vehicle after emergency vehicle scream by my office about a mile down Tennessee Street from the Union as another mass shooting takes place in a space where our kids should be having some of the best days of their lives. Truly, when will our kids in this country become more important than the easy availability of the guns making their way onto their campuses? And would you believe there is currently a bill going through our Florida legislature to repeal the gun reform measures that were put in place after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 in 2017? Surreal. Hopefully this has gotten the attention of those legislators sitting just a mile up the hill from yet another school shooting.

And now my gratitude. This past Friday, I was on campus and walked over to the Union to pay my respects, where I captured the photos I share here. I have immense gratitude for this university and the way they've handled this tragedy and its aftermath. As you may have guessed, April 17 was awfully close to the end of the semester. There was only one more week left and then finals week. While FSU cancelled classes and events through the weekend following the shooting, they made the decision to reopen the campus and return to classes on Monday ... however students and staff felt comfortable and with the understanding that all mandatory attendance policies were waived. By doing that, they empowered the students and staff with the decision to return to campus when they felt ready. I appreciated that for my seniors, as I did not want the shooting to be the last memory of their senior year.

The Union itself remained closed until it was reopened with a reflection ceremony from 3pm-5pm yesterday. I was not able to get over there and my daughters chose not to go, but again, total gratitude to the university for giving the seniors who wanted to have one last "good" experience in their campus living room, as the Union is known. The Union is open today for more hours, and the university is planning to gradually return to regular hours by the time the summer semester starts.

My gratitude goes to Piper for sharing this very powerful account and giving this Mama a peek into what was happening inside the classroom my daughter was in. My immense gratitude goes out to the first responders who put their lives on the line to protect those in harm’s way. And my love goes out to our entire FSU community and especially to the families and friends of those killed and injured in another senseless tragedy. This. Must. Stop.

All the News That's Fit to Print

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 01:14:00 +0000

All the News That's Fit to Print... Well, isn't that a mouthful? So it's been a minute since I checked in here, totally wrecking my goal to get back to blogging regularly in 2025. This art journal spread is the first I've done in nearly a month, which is super unusual for me, but life has definitely thrown me some curve balls lately. I usually keep things upbeat here for the most part. Don't so many of us on social media? While we may try to outwardly present that things are always sunshine are roses, behind the curtain, things may actually be stormy and weed-choked. Isn't that truly the case for everyone? So how about some real life today?

I've been dealing with some challenges at work that have really been draining me. For the sake of professionalism, I won't go into too much detail, but suffice it to say there are those that are in top positions of leadership and power who aren't always right, yet they don't seem to be able to admit their mistakes. I've been dealing with an issue that seriously has me considering retiring earlier than initially planned. As a friend on my board said to me, "People are just unhinged lately! Totally unhinged!" and she's so right! It seems that the current climate in our country either has people acting in ways that are totally out of character for them or is giving them the freedom to show their true nature. I'm not sure which in this case, but it's been a doosy. We give so much of ourselves to our careers, and at this point in mine, I'm really giving myself grace and self-love, standing up for myself and my limits of what I'll accept in regards to how others feel they can treat me. I deserve better. I'll be glad when this situation finally plays itself out, but it's been one for the record books for sure. Lawyers and all!

In my personal life, I've been dealing with something I never thought I'd ever have to deal with ... my sister and I are in the midst of helping our 80-year-old father through a major life change. It's not health related; we could have expected that. Just a major change in his personal life, the outcome of which will affect so many different variables that we are still trying to wrap our heads around. And there, too, we have to protect ourselves and be firm with just how much we are willing to do, and that's hard to do with a parent, but we still have to give ourselves grace and self-love and stand up for what we are and are not willing to do. It just plain sucks.

And then there's Thursday, April 17, 11:58am, the moment my family's life crossed paths with what's sadly becoming a common occurrence in this country: another mass shooting. I live and work in Tallahassee, and my daughters attend Florida State University, the site of a mass shooting last Thursday. One of my daughters was at work with me about one mile from the Student Union, where the shooting started, but the other was on campus in class not far from the Union. Thankfully my girls are physically okay, though I'm sure experiencing something like that leaves permanent mental scars. It was a super scary, super sad day, and I'm still wrapping my head around it, so I'll share more on it later in the week.

So all this to say, sometimes life is just plain crappy, constant storm showers leaving muddy, weed-ravaged ground. We all have our "stuff" we are going through. Every single one of us. Be kind to one another, as we so often have no idea the challenges others are facing behind the curtain. Give yourself and others that same grace and love, and let's help each other through our battles.

ICAD 2024 - Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 00:20:00 +0000

Since I've neglected this ole' blog a bit, I'm going to start sharing some things from past art journaling and #the100daysproject challenges that I've not shared here yet. We'll start with ICAD 2024!

ICAD stands for index card a day, and Tammy over at Daisy Yellow has been leading this challenge for many years! I've been participating in it for several years as well, though the past few years, I've used a vintage rolodex instead of index cards. I love flipping through it! The thing about these challenges - for me, anyways - is that in order for them to be enjoyable, I've long ago accepted that I won't finish them "on time." Creating every day is just not feasible for me with my work and family responsibilities, and frankly, some days I just plain don't have the energy. And that's okay!!! I've always felt that if I start to feel too pressured to post every single day on Instagram (where most of the challenges that place), then that takes the fun out of it. Sure, my posts might not be seen as part of the challenge once I've fallen behind enough that the challenge is over but I'm still working, but I'm okay with that! The benefit for me is eventually working through all the prompts, regardless of when they are done. They are meant to be fun, so I refuse to be too hard on myself. I hope you'll be easy on yourself as well.

Books - A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 21:05:00 +0000

A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson is our Chapter Night Book Club read for March. I loved this book! Historical fiction is my favorite genre, so this definitely fit the bill, but normally I read WWII historical fiction; this is American historical fiction. A Pair of Wings tells the story of Bessie Coleman, the real life first black female aviatrix in America.

Born to a former slave turned sharecropper in Texas in 1892, Bessie was learning how to fly at the same time that Amelia Earhart was learning to fly, and it's about time her story is being told. In her early 20s, Bessie made her way to Chicago and her brothers, and, having always had the dream of becoming a pilot, she worked in Chicago saving every penny she had. Her luck and hard work turned for the better with the help of two powerful, wealthy black men who wanted to help her soar. However, for Bessie, being a black woman, there was no school in America that would teach her, so with the help of these two men, she made her way to France to learn to fly, learning to speak French before she left America.

A Pair of Wings takes you through her training in France with the Caudron brothers in LeCrotoy, France, where she eventually earned her wings. When she came back to the United States, she started a flying career doing barnstorming aerobatic shows while at the same time living under Jim Crow laws limiting the rights of black Americans. Her story is truly inspirational.

What made this story even more special was its author, Carole Hopson. I recently went to the Savannah Book Festival with a group of sorority sisters, and Carole was one of the featured speakers. What a firecracker! An amazing woman in her own right, Carole is currently one of only a dozen black female commercial airline captains in the United States; she's currently flying 737s based out of Newark, New Jersey, one of the busiest airports in the country. During her book talk at the festival, she shared that she learned about Bessie Coleman while visiting a conference for women pilots. Though Bessie was not on the list of subjects covered at the conference, a fellow female pilot gave her the gift of a coffee mug with a photo of Bessie wrapped around it, encouraging her to learn about Bessie, thus leading her to write the book. Hearing Carole talk about her own journey of becoming a pilot combined with her journey to tell Bessie's story definitely made this a 5-star book for me! It also hit home with me that Bessie's life ended in Jacksonville, Florida, where I've lived for 47 of my 59 years and still live today.

Sunday Gratitude: The Gift of BJ Hausman

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 22:56:00 +0000

Just over a week ago, I learned that my very dear friend and long time mentor BJ Hausman had passed away the previous day. Last Sunday, I attended her memorial service. We had been friends for 33 years, and in that 33 years, her impact on my life was immeasurable, both professionally and personally.

BJ was the person who started my Student Leadership Development career. And she also was the gardener who planted the seed that became my creative business. But first, let's talk my professional career. In 1992, BJ hired me to lead a new Student Leadership development grant program at Florida Community College at Jacksonville, now Florida State College at Jacksonville. She said that while I didn't yet have the Student Development experience for the position, she selected me because I had the marketing and public relations experience the project needed to get off the ground, and she knew she could teach me the rest. And that she did. I would not be in the role I am in now without BJ. Truly!

Just as the grant term was ending in 1994, BJ got a promotion to another Student Activities position at North Campus, which opened up her spot at Kent Campus for me, and I became the Kent Campus Coordinator of Student Activities. I sat in the very office she hired me from, and every day I looked at the map on my wall of what Jacksonville looked like in 1972, a map the person who previously occupied that same office, Dr. Milt Russos (another great mentor of mine), had added to the space when it was built in 1978. (Milt was the very first Student Activities coordinator at the college, but that's a whole other story!) When BJ got a promotion to dean in 2004, that opened up her spot as Collegewide Coordinator of Student Life and Leadership Development, and Dr. Russos selected me for that role. I stayed in that role until November 2014, when I left the college, 22 years after BJ first hired me, and took my current position as Executive Director of the Florida College System Activities Association. But there's more to how I landed this role! It's really all BJ!

You see, less than two months after I started as Kent Campus Coordinator of Student Activities in 1994, BJ shared with me that within our district for Student Government for the state, District 2 at the time, all the advisors in the district had previously drawn straws to determine the order for whom would serve as the district advisor. As luck would have it, the straw for Kent Campus was up, and even though I'd only been on the job for six weeks, it was my turn! Talk about on-the-job training!

Once I settled into my role as Florida College System Student Government Association (FCSSGA) District 2 Advisor, I couldn't figure out why the advisors had had to draw straws. Why didn't they want the role? I LOVED IT! It truly was a trial by fire, as they say, but I learned so much in that role and happily continued to volunteer to serve in that role for three years. Following that, I served two years as FCSSGA conference coordinator, and then four years as FCSSGA State Advisor. All these were volunteer roles that I did while serving in my role on campus, with BJ as my supervisor, mentor, and friend. As part of my role as FCSSGA State Advisor, I sat on the The Florida College System Activities Association Executive Committee from 1999-2003. That is the very same organization I now lead as Executive Director. So, yes, as you can see, I absolutely would not be in the role I am now without BJ Hausman. Full circle.

BJ retired from FSCJ in 2015 and went on to become a master gardener in her retirement. Though I was now working in Tallahassee, Jacksonville was still home, and BJ and I got together for lunch every time I came home for a week or two. It was after she became a master gardener that she gave me permission to, "Throw away that darn plant when it dies! You don't have to save them all!" Though I'm still overrun with plants, I can't tell you the measure of peace she gave me with that permission!

I learned so much from B.J., both as a student development professional, and as a friend and a mother. When I learned of her passing, memories with her started flooding my brain. I remember BJ helping me create my wedding invitations after work there at Kent Campus in 1995. I remember super fun late night games of Balderdash at the FSCJ Outdoor Center when we'd take our students there for SGA retreats. I remember her pulling a bottle of wine out of her suitcase at the first National Association of Campus Activities conference she took me to, her saying, "Trust me, we're gonna need this before this weekend is over!" I remember her love of everything crafty, and me teaching her how to make jewelry and books, and her trying to teach me how to quilt. I remember her and my husband Benny always talking NASCAR (BJ LOVED NASCAR!). I remember her coordinating a shower for me there on campus when I was pregnant with my girls. I remember an absolutely hilarious moment during an SGA retreat activity (Acid River) while BJ and I were facilitating the group across the "river," and Walter Fitzpatrick came running around the corner of the canoe barn, yelling and screaming like a crazy man trying to throw the students off track. Of course, he threw all of us off track, and BJ just threw her hands up laughing, "Well, I guess we're through with that one! Thanks, Walter!" And even in sad times, BJ was there for me. When I lost my mom to suicide in 1999, she was one of the main people who helped me through those dark days following my mom's death.

When I learned of her passing, the group photo above also popped into my head, and I'm so glad I was able to find it. This was taken in 1993 (you can't miss me in that bright, polka-dotted dress). I remember that day so clearly. It was a collegewide Student Activities staff training day that BJ put together. One of the exercises BJ walked us through was imagining where and what we might be doing 15 years from that day and draw a picture of it. I didn't think about a work "thing," which was probably the goal, but I drew a funky, colorful little house that represented the creative business I hoped to one day have. I described it as a happy little shack where friends and I could create happy, colorful memories with whatever art supplies we could get our fingers on. As mentioned, that was in 1993. Twelve years later, in 2005, I started that very business and named it Happy Shack Designs. From 2005 until the day she died, BJ was truly the biggest cheerleader for my little creative business. I lost count of the number of pair of earrings, bracelets, and handmade journals she purchased from me over the years. I imagine her husband Harry going through her jewelry box and finding so many. So, not only do I credit my professional career to BJ; I also credit her with giving me the courage to start my creative business. Still chugging along 20 years later, I don't expect that my little creative business will ever become my sole source of income, but it's provided me the opportunity to explore all sorts of creative outlets.

So thank you, BJ. You were most certainly a gift to my life, and I'm grateful to have had 33 years of friendship with you. You literally and figuratively watched me grow up. Things are most definitely a little dimmer here on Earth now while the great beyond has gained a beautifully bright new star ... and a new NASCAR announcer. I love you, my sweet friend. Sending all my love to BJ's sweet husband Harry, her kids Jason and Ashley, and her sweet grands she loved to brag on so much.

March 2025 Free Bling Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:36:00 +0000

Well, hello there, and happy Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to the recipient of my February Free Bling, Lee from Jacksonville! This year for the #the100dayproject, I'm doing #100daysofsparkly things, so I decided to send this pair out into the world for March Free Bling! I created these with yummy handmade lampwork beads, accented by copper Swarovski crystals and 14K gold-filled findings. They hang just shy of 2" from top of earwire to very bottom. The 100 day project happens every year over on Instagram, with makers all over the world committing to 100 days of something. For me, I know it's not feasible for me to create every single way because - ya know, life! - so I tend to create a batches of three of four at a time and post them two or three times a week. If you are on Instagram, you can follow along with me there @kellynwarren. I'd love to see you there!

For now, want this pair to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and what brought you to my blog today. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw March's winner on March 31, so you have a few weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts. Want another entry? If you are on Instagram, you can comment on my March Free Bling Friday post! Just look for these earrings! (Note: If you comment anonymously here on the blog, be sure to leave your name, location, and how to reach you in case you win! It's best to log in with your Google or Gmail account before commenting.)

Junk Journal January - Magazine Prompt

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:22:00 +0000

I've been working through the Junk Journal January prompts, led by @megjournals on Instragram. The prompt for this spread was "magazine." I love good old-fashioned paper magazines that arrive in my real mailbox. Something other than bills and junk mail! I'm always tearing things out of the magazines to use in my art journals.

I created this junk journal I'm working in from a vintage children's book. It's a fun little book because it started with one story on one side, "Toby Tyler," and another story from the opposite side, "Rip Van Winkle." I took out the book block and sewed in three new signatures created from random papers, thus a "junk journal." I really enjoy working in these because it 100% takes the pressure off!

How about you? Have you ever tried junk journaling? Interested in learning more? Let me know what you think!

February 2025 Free Bling Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Happy Friday, ya'll, and Happy Valentine's Day to those of you who love to celebrate Valentine's Day! Normally I do Free Bling Friday on the first Friday of the month, but I was out of town traveling for much of the first half of February, so here we are on the second Friday. Congratulations to Kristin from North Carolina, who will been receiving January's Free Bling Friday in her mailbox soon!

Whenever I'm out and about at little vintage shops and such, I love to stumble upon vintage cloisonne beads. If you've ever wondered just exactly what cloisonne is, it is "the technique of creating designs on metal vessels with colored-glass paste placed within enclosures made of copper or bronze wires, which have been bent or hammered into the desired pattern." How's that for a description? I just find them very pretty. Here I've accented pretty blue cloisonne with sparkly green crystals, all wrapped up with 14K gold-filled findings. For a size reference, the cloisonne beads themselves are just a tad smaller than a dime. Want them to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and what brought you to my blog today. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw February's winner on February 28, so you have a couple weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts. Want another entry? If you are on Instagram, you can comment on my February Free Bling Friday post! Just look for these earrings! (Note: If you comment anonymously, be sure to leave your name so I know how to reach you if you win! Best to log in with you Google or Gmail account.)

Books - Flight of the Wild Swan

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:16:00 +0000

I read a TON. And I needed to get better at tracking what I read on a regular basis - other than marking something read on Goodreads! - so I've decided to start sharing my reads here on my blog. I'm part of an online book club called Chapter Night with a group of sorority sisters. Seems like a really basic name, right? But we actually came up with that name because when we were in college, our weekly sorority business meetings, required attendance!, were called "Chapter." Since chapters are also what most often make up a book, it turned into the best name for our book club. We started during covid as a way to connect, and we've just continued! We actually just had a Chapter Night Book Club weekend in Savannah for the Savannah Book Festival, so I'll share photos from that soon!

So back to this book. Flight of the Wild Swan by Melissa Pritchard was our book for January 2025. I was pretty excited to read this because I really gravitate toward historical fiction, and this book was based on the life of Florence Nightingale. I've always heard of Florence Nightingale, but honestly I've never really known much about her. Well, this book didn't tell me as much about her as I'd hoped. I did learn her "growing up" story; I did not know she grew up quite privileged, and her family was part of the wealthy class in her time. While she had a burning desire to help others, her family quite preferred that she would have just stayed home and done the things that girls of her status and time were supposed to be doing ... like sitting around working on her needlework. No, that was not for Florence. After often sneaking away into the nearby town to help those less fortunate with her inate medical talents, much to her family's chagrin, she slowly earned the support of her father (though never her mother or sister), and through various opportunities finally turned her full focus to nursing and training other nurses where needed to assist soldiers in war. I'd say the most interesting part of the book was her time in northern Africa working in a very small hospital with very few supplies and funds. She was quite inventive in making ends meet.

All that said, while some of the book was interesting, I truly put it down and gave up on it twice before I finally forced myself to finish it for the sake of the book club. I think it was the writing style that turned me off. It was written very much like a diary, with very short entries as chapters. If I'm remembering correctly, there were very few chapters longer than three or four pages, and most of them were actually only one or two pages. If you like diary-type books and you like historical fiction, you would probably enjoy this, but that format just didn't work for me. I gave this one three stars but I'd be interested in learning more about Florence through a more engaging book.

Best Shot Monday: Spotted - Shadows

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:50:00 +0000

Happy Monday! Doesn't this photo make you want to loosen up your shoulders and deep breathe out all your cares? Something much needed these days! I took this photo a few weeks back from our dock in Jacksonville and decided to use it for my blog friend Hanna's Spotted Photo Theme Challenge. I'm a bit late (nothing new around here!), so January's theme was shadows. See how you can see the shadows of the clouds reflected on the water below?

Being able to take this photo again was a momentous occasion for us as our dock has been inaccessible since Hurricane Nicole in November of 2022. The dock was damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017 when high flood waters destroyed quite a few docks along our part of the river, and 12 of them, yes 12!, ended up in our backyard due to the flow of the tides and winds. Those docks took out our dock as well (and the water left us a foot of water in the ground floor of our house, but that's a story for another day). We were able to repair the dock after Irma, but storm after storm every year since really took a toll on her and Nicole finally did her in. It took us two years just to secure a dock builder - if you are in the Jacksonville area, that's clearly the line of work to go into as all the ones here can't keep up with the work - and another 8 months before he finally showed up and did the work. But at least she's finally usable again. I've missed hanging my feet over the side and watching the sun rise (as in this photo) or set (opposite side of the dock!).

We've been here in our little spot on the river since 2000, but we bought the lot in 1994, way back before this side of town was "discovered" (let's just say we could definitely not afford to purchase here now). The dock was the first thing we built. One night shortly after the dock was done, my husband and I were sitting out there watching the world go by when a mama and baby dolphin spy-hopped up to take a peek at us literally less than 8 feet from the dock. It was truly a magical moment. We both set there in silence hoping they'd come back, and then finally I said, "Well, that was worth the cost of the mortgage right there." And we're blessed with dolphins swimming by pretty much every day now. #countingmyblessings

Paint Pours and Long Stitches

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 15:00:00 +0000

I created this book with the help of a friend ... well, two friends actually! I learned the book structure from Ali Manning as part of my Handbook Book Club membership. It's a variation on a long stitch that I added to a bit to sew the spine covering to the book a bit more.

But let's talk about that beautiful cover! It's made from a paint pour that a sweet family friend created. She was looking to find a home for several she did and I told her I'd be happy to purchase them from her as long as she was happy with them possibly becoming books! And she loved the way this came out! I've made two of these so far with Hannah's paint pours and I plan to create a few more with this stitch as I feel it fits perfectly! The finished size is 5 x 7" and it's filled with Canson Mixed Media paper for a variety of uses. It'll be on my website next time I get around to an update!

For me, this is an example of thinking outside the box, and it's made me look at other "old paintings looking for new homes" in a different light. I LOVE wandering through antique stores and thrift stores, and I often look for old books needing a new life in those places. Now I'll be looking at old paintings a little differently as well! So many things in thrift stores end up in the landfill, so why not rescue what I can to give it new life. Of course, I can spend hours going down the rabbit hole of watching furniture flips, so ... who knows! That could be in my future when I retire!

Who Knew This Could Happen? A Snow Day in Florida!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 22:10:00 +0000

So if you've been watching the weather news in the United States, you may have seen that the Southeast is experiencing record cold ... and record snow! This is the view off my front porch in Tallahassee, FLORIDA, at about 8:30am this morning. As I write this now, while the snow on the street has mostly melted and is now turning into ice now that the sun is starting to set, the snow in my front and back yards is still holding strong! All the schools in the Florida panhandle were closed today and have announced that they will remain closed tomorrow, some through Friday.

The snow and sleet in some areas started at about 5pm yesterday afternoon and was pretty much non-stop until 2am or 3am early this morning. I could not get my pups to go out last night before bed, and when I took them out this morning, they did their usual "run out with full gusto" but then quickly hit the brakes when they hit the snow! It was something they'd never seen before, like most Floridians! They eventually settled in and have enjoyed playing outside off and on today, though they have definitely wanted to come in sooner than normal. It's cold even to them!

Thankfully we've stayed off the road, as have my daughters who've sent me videos of them sledding down the hill just outside their back door at their apartment complex across town! My husband just got rain in Jacksonville, but still very cold! This is will definitely be a day for the history books in Florida so I wanted to record it here!

A Reading Goal for 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000

As I get back to regular blogging, one of the things I plan to share here are my reads. I love to read and am in an online book club with a group of my sorority sisters. We started it during the pandemic, and it's blossomed from there. The group has even gone to the Savannah Book Festival together, and I'm excited to make that trip this February! The photo above includes all but one of the books I read in 2024. I finished number 31 on New Year's Eve after I pulled this graphic together! If I get super ambitious, I may back post my reviews from 2024 that I posted on Instagram. We'll see!

And below, ta da, is one of my big reading goals for 2025: War and Peace! I learned of a slow read of War and Peace here from my friend Hanna and decided to give it a shot. I even have a few friends joining me! The book is about 1,350 pages and 361 chapters, divided into four sections. For the slow read, we are reading one chapter a day, taking a day off between each section, getting us to the end of the year. I'm reading my chapter over breakfast since I read my book club reads before bedtime. It's not too late to join in since the chapters are pretty short! Drop me a note in the comments if you plan to join in! What do you like to read?

Sunday Gratitude: Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000

One of our Christmas traditions is to take the dogs to hike the Black Rock Beach trail on Big Talbot Island on Christmas morning - tides allowing! Occasionally we'll have to go later in the day if the tide is too high in the morning. It's our Christmas present to the pups. We've been doing this since the girls were little, before they could even walk the dogs! But since they've gotten big enough to walk them, I've taken a photo like the one above. The pups have changed over the years - I wished they lived longer - and the girls have gotten quite a bit taller, but today, on this Sunday Gratitude day - I'm so grateful we have kept up this tradition. My girls are 21 now, and I know these days are precious as they continue to get older. Have a favorite holiday tradition of your own? Drop me a note in the comments!

The First Free Bling Friday of 2025!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:55:00 +0000

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I've never been much for New Year's resolutions, but I do try to set some goals for the year, and one of them is to get back to blogging here regularly! I've realized that having a regular blog schedule seems to keep me focused a bit better than all that scrolling on short-form social media (I'm talking about you, Facebook and Instagram!). One of things I'm doing this year is bringing back Free Bling Friday, so the first Friday of the month, I'll be posting some pretties that I plan to send out into the world to a lucky reader. Maybe you!

So pictured here is the first Free Bling Friday of 2025! These little beauties are made with freshwater pearls, resin blooms, and sterling silver. Want them to head your way? Leave me a comment below with your location and a favorite memory from the holidays to get your name in the hat. Due to shipping charges, the giveaway is open to US residents only; my apologies to my out of country readers. I'll draw January's winner on January 31, so you have a few weeks to get your entry in! Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to get a reminder of Free Bling Friday and other updates, including newsletter only discounts.

Whatever your resolutions and goals for 2025 are, I hope that you give yourself some grace to take a step back, take a breath, and re-evaluate whenever needed!

25 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:17:00 +0000

If you're popping in here this week, I hope you've had a joyful holiday season, no matter how you celebrate! The holidays can be a challenging time for some, so if you are one of those people, I'm sending you a little extra love today. It's a tough time for me some days as well, especially today. Today marks 25 years ... 25 years! ... since my mother left this earth by her own hand. I have some ornaments on my tree that are special remembrances of my mom, and this is one. I gave this to her for Christmas in 1999, two days before she chose to leave us. The beautiful cloisonne egg in the lower left was also hers. The photo below was taken on Christmas Day that year, me at the top, Mom and my sister Kim below. In case you're new here, I'll share this post with you. It starts with a story that quickly poured out of me through a prompt from a mothers' art group I was part of at the time; I followed the initial writing with a 10-year followup in that post.

At 25 years, time hasn't changed much.

I still miss her everyday, though the hurt has faded most days. What I continue to miss most now is what an amazing grandmother I know she'd be to my girls, and it continues to sadden me that they never knew her. The holidays were pretty hectic for us this year with some extra travel, so I didn't get around to decorating our front porch until the 23rd. When I mentioned that morning that I hadn't decorated the front porch yet, my husband said "It's okay, you don't have to." And I immediately replied, "Yes, I do ... I don't do it for me." I do it for her. My Mama was an over the top Christmas decorator. Even when I was a child and we didn't have much money, she decorated as much she could with whatever we had, including lots of handmade decorations, some of which I still have. As I grew up and the house got a little bigger, the decorating got bigger, with numerous trees and lights outside. She LOVED Christmas and, in addition to her over the top decorating, she was also an over the top gift giver - something that I inherited, as I know I spoil my girls during the holidays just a tad too much.

So after I finished putting up those front porch lights (with a little help from my family), I went upstairs later that night and plopped down in my girls' room to talk to them about my mom. They've known for quite some time how she died, but I try to tell them the good stories about her so they can know her like I did. And I realized I hadn't told them WHY all this decorating is so important to me, even if I don't get it up until two days before Christmas. They know I lost my mom during the holidays, but what I hadn't told them was that the very last day I spent with her was Christmas Day. I feel like I have a little bit of her with me with all the extra decorations ... So those lights are for you, Mama. I hope they look nice from up there. Merry Christmas.

Suicide affects far more people than you may ever realize. If you are struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, please don’t be afraid to share your struggles. There are so many people who love you and care about you and would be devastated by your choice. You can now call or text 988 on your phone to talk to a trained counselor 24/7. You are worthy. You are enough. You are loved. You are perfect just the way you are.

Sunday Gratitude: The Gift of Aging

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:58:00 +0000

So this past week brought a birthday for me, my 59th! I started my day at my gym, Burn Boot Camp. I try to get in there anywhere between two to four times a week depending on my work schedule, and I do a good three mile power walk through my very hilly neighborhood on the days I don't make it to the gym, so most days, I'm doing some sort of exercise. This photo was taken after camp the morning of my birthday with one of our trainers, Xavier. For reference, I'm 5'10"!! So Xavier is ... very tall!! It was a cardio day, so I'm super sweaty.

I don't take this for granted! I'm 59 years old and am pretty darn healthy. Yes, I have chronic vertigo, but I manage it pretty well. And yes, I have bad knees, but I'm getting one of them replaced - total knee replacement - in March. And I have those bad knees because I spent years beating them up as an athlete. So I feel that the fact that I'm 59 and still exercising every day is a thing to be grateful for. I'm now five years older than my mama was when she died. That's not lost on me. I'm thankful everyday for my health and my family to share it with. What are you grateful today?

Best Shot Monday: Willow Wick Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 01:40:00 +0000

There is a street near my house in Tallahassee called Willow Wick, and on the corner of Willow Wick and Huntington is the most magnificent yard garden. The house and garden itself is just gently well-kept, and it looks a bit of a jumble at times, but it's masterfully planted so that different things bloom throughout the year. When I walked by on one of my morning walks about a month ago, the cosmos had bloomed, so I used the portrait mode on my iphone to capture this pretty bloom. I think sometimes we fail to see the beauty in the every day. I've met the man who planted and tends this jungle of a garden, and he seems just the type to slow down and appreciate that beauty. I appreciate him for sharing something that makes me slow down as well.

Anything but not Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:35:00 +0000

I completed this spread in one of my art journals recently. "You can do anything, but you can't do everything." This is something that I have to remind myself of often. ⁣I saw a video posted by @awomancalledgeorge over on Instagram recently (I LOVE her) that really struck a chord with me. She shared that she had been diagnosed with adult ADHD and was struggling with that. As I listened to what led her to be formally assessed, I was shaking my head "yes, that's me too" constantly. (And it's not lost on me that perhaps that's why I relate to this woman so much in general) I'd never really thought about it, but once I did, I realized I have a lot of, um, tendencies? (not really sure what to call them? behaviors? characteristics? habits? tendencies?) that truly did point to that. So I took a free online adult ADHD test, and then another, and then another, and then another. I took at least four or five over the course of a few weeks. The questions varied, but the results of all of them pointed to the same thing: that I definitely show clear signs of adult ADHD.

I talked to my husband about it, and he said, "well, duh." Reassuring, right? But he knows me well.

Most of the studies for ADHD have been done on young boys. The studies have just recently started to look at adults, mostly men. Yet, I feel quite certain that there are a boat load of women who also struggle with this and haven't really put a name to it yet. But like George said in her video, now what? I've been considering talking to a therapist about a formal assessment just so that I could learn some management strategies that might help me feel less like a hamster on a running wheel, but then again, if I do that and have my suspicions confirmed, truly then what? I feel like I've lived my whole life this way ... constantly feeling like I need to be doing something, difficulty truly relaxing (because I should be doing something!), difficulty falling asleep at night because I can't turn off my brain, incredibly easily distracted, world class procrastinator, etc ... and I've done pretty well for myself, both personally and professionally. So, I don't know. I don't feel that I'd even be remotely interested in taking pharmaceuticals for it, but I would be open to learning some coping techniques. It's definitely given me more things to think about to keep from falling asleep at night. Anyone else feel this way? ⁣

So as I sat here today, the Monday before Thanksgiving, starting to upload all my completed jewelry and journals to my website for holiday sales - because, of course, I've put it off until the last minute - I decided to just let this year be the mess that it's been and not worry about it. A bold move for me! I have probably two dozen journals and a dozen or so new jewelry baubles completed that I've not uploaded to my website, and I'm just going to let them sit pretty on my shelf for a bit longer. It feels a bit freeing, actually. I know that I'm lucky in that my creative business is not my main source of income, so I have the privilege of doing this. Not all creatives do, so support those creative small businesses! They need your support! I have put everything currently available on my website on sale if you'd like to do a little shopping there as well. And if you see any finished jewelry or journals scrolling through my Instagram and are interested in one of those, just let me know.

Lastly, if you feel like you are struggling with any sort of neurodivergency, here's your encouragement to stop ignoring it. And here's a good article from the Cleveland Clinic about ADHD in women. I know for me, since reading more about it, I've been thinking about ways to approach certain areas I struggle with differently. Just knowing that there are pathways I can work on has helped me get started!

Sunday Gratitude: What I'll Miss

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Warren) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:42:00 +0000

Way back here right about 10 years ago, I told you about an impending move to a new job that also involved living in a new city ... not a new-to-me city since I attended college there, but a new-to-my-family city. Now here I am nearly 10 years to the day that I started this job planning my exit strategy. It's not a quick exit strategy - I'm looking at 12-18 months - but I definitely have a plan in the works.

When my hubs was in Tallahassee with me a couple weeks ago for the football game, we were driving to the game when he asked me if I'd miss Tallahassee when I retired from this job. So yes, I will miss parts of Tallahassee. I will miss what is essentially the small-town feel of this town, where you truly can get anywhere you want to go in less than 20 minutes, and in my new place I told you about last week, it's even less than that. I can be anywhere I need to be - either work, Publix, Target, campus, my girls apartment - in less than 15 minutes. Last weekend, we went to a little arts festival at which I saw several friends and from which my husband was literally able to walk home when he got bored. You don't find that in a city as large as Jacksonville, the largest city by land mass in the 48 continental United States. But what I'll miss most is serving on the Chi Omega advisory board, a board of women who give their time to serve and guide our collegiate Chi Omega chapter here at Florida State University. Sure, I've loved having a group of "my students" again with the actives that I advise, but what I'll miss more is the board itself, and the women that comprise it.

We meet monthly for our monthly "business" meeting, but truly, the business portion of the meeting is the smallest. We rotate hosting and have dinner together as a group at the host's home, and do the business of catching up on each others' lives over dinner before we ever get to the official business at hand. One thing that always makes me laugh in our group text thread is when, after the host has announced the main dish and we start throwing out sides, once a few sides and a dessert are claimed, there's a chorus of "I'll bring wine!" Seriously I have more bottles of wine in my house now from those meetings than I've ever had before because there are always a few bottles left over! In age, we range from our potential newest member, a sprightly 25, to our most senior member, me, 34 years her senior in a couple weeks! I've grown to love these women as the true Sisters they are. One has been a dear friend since the very beginning of my Chi Omega journey, one of my pledge sisters way back in 1985. Others I met through their involvement in this board, but even though all of them are younger than me, most of them in their 30's, we are still a beautiful group of multi-generational friends.

So yes, I will miss this group. And I'm incredibly grateful I took the chance to reach out when I first got settled in here in search of community. I was involved in the alumnae group in Jacksonville years ago, and I'll probably look into getting involved in that group again when I get back home. But there's something about this group and how we've bonded over the challenges and successes with the chapter we serve and the challenges and successes in our own lives that makes it extra special. I had a catch up phone call with one of my former advisees Saturday morning, and I shared that with her. She's now graduated and starting her career in a new city, and I asked her if she's had a chance to get connected to the local alumnae group or local chapter there, and encouraged her to do so when she had the opportunity, for while being a collegiate sorority member is full of its own rewards, still being a part of that Sisterhood nearly 40 years later brings a whole different set of rewards, ones I'm immensely grateful for.

I found this perfect little heart leaf in my driveway after walking the dogs one morning. It was just waiting for me. She sits on a little shelf in my kitchen now.