Summer Fun!

Hello again! Wow, 2 posts in the same month! I'm improving!! This weekend was our family trip to Mackinac Island, which was tons of fun. We stayed in a condo on the island, and brought our bikes with us. We biked ~40 miles total while we were there, including going around the perimeter of the island. The Lilac Festival was going on, so David & I ran the 10K (6.2 mile) run that was part of the festival. I did it in 57 minutes, 12 seconds, which is the best I've ever done in a 10K! We also did a carriage tour, lots of shopping, went to the new butterfly house, explored Fort Mackinac, ate lots of fudge, and rented the movie "Somewhere in Time" which was actually filmed on Mackinac Island. Here are David, me, my sister Joann, my mom, and my sister Barbara downtown:



In beady news, I did make a few new pairs of earrings this past week, and I've added them to my website, and I've listed a bunch of jewelry on Ebay as well. I hope to keep a steady stream of items on Ebay during the rest of the summer. So definitely stay tuned!

Is it really June already??!!

Hi Everyone! Once again, time has slipped away from me and I haven't posted in a looooong time. I had thought May would be a very relaxing month with plenty of spare time...ha! I should have known better!! :) May was filled with planning & having 2 big birthday parties (my mom's 50th and my father-in-law's 60th), plus planning for & having this year's Michigan Youth Leadership conference. I am pleased to report that all 3 events were a huge success! The conference is always fun because it is great to be helping make a positive difference in the lives of so many students. I mainly do behind-the-scenes work, but next year I am going to attempt to be a Group Facilitator and have my own group of 8 or 9 students to work with and keep track of all weekend. This will be a HUGE step for me, as I am MUCH more comfortable behind the scenes! But I need to step outside of my comfort zone more often. So that is the plan. The birthday parties were both really fun - it is always good to see relatives/friends that I don't get to see very often. My father-in-law's party was a surprise for him, and I don't think he suspected anything until right beforehand. For both parties, my husband & I made the invitations and put together big picture collages, so that was a lot of fun! In a week or so, we are taking my mom to Mackinac Island for a birthday present as well. I've never been there, even though it's only 4 hours away from my house. It's weird to think I've been all over Europe and Australia, yet I've never been to Mackinac Island! It should be a nice and relaxing trip with lots of biking, shopping, eating, and lounging around.

This past month, I've only sat down with my torch a couple of times, and I have been really slacking off with my jewelry-making as well. But I am pleased to report that I feel like I'm making progress on raised floral beads, which were a big challenge for me when I first started making beads. Here is a nice example of what I made last week:

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On Monday June 6th, my summer classes will be starting, so that will keep me busy for awhile. I've been trying to list on Ebay whenever I can, and I'm trying to get myself back into the routine of listing on Ebay pretty much every night. Right now I have some lovely patriotic earrings listed, as well as some dangly floral earrings! Please check them out!

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I need to make sure I post more often!!