Golden Wedding Anniversary

OMG! Today is the golden wedding anniversary of my sister, Merrilyn, and brother-in-law, Ron. CONGRATULATIONS! That is a magnificent achievement; one, I hope, that Gary and I will reach in 8 years. I am so proud of you guys! You rock!

I have spent my usual bazillion hours on the card for this momentous occasion. I wish I was a faster card-maker, but I just can't help myself. I seem to have a need for rearranging everything one more time, just one more time. And then just one more time. Etc., etc. Must be my OCD, huh?

I am going to take the card to M & R today. I thought they should have it on their actual anniversary. So I am making this post brief--I need to get on my way to their house soon. :^)

The image used is one that Gary bought me last fall at an Archiver's in Minneapolis--Young Love by Mo Manning. Love this image! It was stamped on Cryogen CS with Memento ink. The patterned paper is Authentique's Blissful, with CS by Stampin' Up. I used a Stampin' Up punch for the birds and small leaves. The larger leaf flourish is from a die by MFT. I also used Grand Circle dies and the Labels 16 die by Spellbinders. I did add a little ink to the die cuts with Stampin' Up ink. I also added Glossy Accents to the bench legs and the belt buckle. The image was accented with a Signo Uniball white gel pen. The coloring was done with the usual cast of characters: Copic markers. Colors are:  R01, R02, E000, E00, E11, E13, E25, E31, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y26, W0, W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8. I don't normally mention this, but I again used dimensional adhesive to make my layers stand out, which you really cannot see from the photo. Merrilyn loves layers, so I was sure to add several on her card! :^)

I am going to enter this card into three challenges:

CMC Yellows Challenge
Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge
Outlawz Copic/Promarker Anything Goes Challenge

And now I am off to the races! So to speak. I promise I won't drive any crazier than usual. :^)

I am wishing everyone everywhere a wonderful weekend!

Yup, we're back again!

Just a brief post to let you know we are back in town after going back to Maui--from April 7-21. We left Maui at 10:20 p.m. on the 21st for that killer-overnight flight home. That's the only bad thing about going to Hawaii from Arizona. On U.S. Airways, you can only come home on an overnight flight. And, since I cannot sleep sitting up, I am awake for the whole trip. By the time I get to Phoenix, (yes, I know that's a song!), I am so exhausted it takes me two days to recover. But the trip was definitely worth it again!

I got to see whales for the first time in my life. That is one item I can check off my bucket list! :^) And I got to see them on more than one occasion. But the first time was on a whale excursion with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Such a great time! Loved the whole two hours of it. Unfortunately, Gary did not. He was glad he went, but would never do it again. He got quite seasick. Poor baby! He does not do well on the water. And even in the water if he swims too long. Ocean motion is just not his thing. But it certainly is mine! The only thing that gets me out of the water is fear of sunburn, if I stay in it too long. (I do use powerful sunscreen and a protective swim-shirt, but the sunscreen eventually washes off.)

Of course, we took our snorkel gear and went snorkeling. Best part of the trip for me is being in the ocean and seeing all the beautiful fish. And, we did get to see one tiny turtle this time. I actually got photos of it--we rented an underwater camera and I took a couple hundred photos during the week that we had it. Some even turned out! Taking underwater photos is a challenge, when the ocean is moving you and the fish, usually in different directions! But it certainly is fun trying!

Of course we ate well while we were there. Lots of fresh Maui veggies and fish! Yum! The best fish I have ever had was at Mama's Fish House this time. We ate there last fall, too, and it was excellent then also. But this time was over-the-top! The opakapaka was seasoned and cooked perfectly and literally melted in your mouth. OMG! It makes me hungry right now to think about it! :^)  And we visited Star Noodle for lunch and dinner--both great meals, as usual. Loved the Lahaina Grill, too! Didn't gain any weight, oddly enough, due to all the walking and swimming we did. I only had a shave ice once, which probably helped. Did not eat dessert at every meal. Please don't faint. I know, I know it's shocking. But I filled up on good food for a change! What was I thinking?

I'd best quit blogging and get back to my craft room. While we were gone, my nephew, Jared, had his first child--a baby boy named Sue. Just kidding. They named him Jared after his daddy. So I need to get a card done for them. And my sister and brother-in-law, Merrilyn and Ron, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this Friday! Is that cool or what? :^)  So I need to get on-the-stick and get a card made for them also!

Have a great rest of the week. Will try to post again on Friday, to show you at least one card! :^)

Tidbits

I am finishing up my granddaughters' Easter cards. I will not post them, because I posted the first one here. I am taking some time off from card-making--for a couple of weeks. I need a break, as do we all from time to time. :^) Hopefully, it will get my creativity revved up again!

My sister, Barbara, had successful knee surgery on Wednesday. She is in quite a bit of pain right now, but I am sure that, once that subsides, she will make a complete recovery. She and my other sister's hubby nagged me to go to the doctor regarding my "fall down and go boom" last Saturday. I caved to the pressure. So I finally saw my doctor yesterday.

I am just fine. Well, regarding the "fall", I am just fine! (My idiosyncrasies remain intact, and I intend for them to stay that way.) But I did not sustain any trauma to my weary brain due to my "whoa, what the heck just happened?" My doctor said that, after this many days, my brain is doing just fine. Hey, watch what you're thinking! He said a brain bleed would have occurred a few days ago if it was going to happen. And my vitals are fine, my pupils are equal and reactive, (which I checked not long after I fell), and he said I am good to go. So there! Oh, he also said I did everything right after I fell, so I obviously was thinking clearly. And he was sure that I had suffered from a touch of the stomach flu that is going around the Valley of the Sun right now. Yes, some people have it for two days; others, like me, have it for less than a day--thank heavens. So that, combined with the medication I took, is what caused me to get light-headed. If I ever get that way again, I will sit my butt down on the floor until the sensation goes away. I promise myself that! OK, enough of the update.

Finally watched the season finale of "Merlin". I am going to anxiously await the new season, for sure. Love that show! And I am actually sad that I have to wait for a year before it is back on the air! :^P

I read a wonderful book by Anita Moorjani, Dying to be Me. It is very unconventional, but was quite inspirational to me. If you read it, be prepared to stretch your belief system. Or not. :^) It's all OK.

Gary got the backyard all cleaned up this week. It looks so nice, and it is all ready for the blast of summer ahead. But, are we ready for that? Not so much.

This weekend is the Masters golf tournament. I love watching golf on TV. I know, that's weird for many people because it is a slow-action sport. But I tried golfing, (I am terrible at it, but wish I was good), and I find the game fascinating. And the scenery! Oh, it is usually spectacular on HDTV! Love to see all the green on the courses--living in the desert is a bit brown, you know? Anyway, I am tickled that I get to watch most of the action.

Of course, this weekend is also Easter. I want to wish everyone everywhere a lovely weekend and a Happy Easter!

Trauma Drama Part Deux

I was supposed to go out to dinner last night with Gary and our monthly dinner club. And dinner was at one of my favorite restaurants, The Mission, in Scottsdale. Love that place! However, I started feeling nauseous about lunchtime, so I decided to lie down and take a nap. I was hoping that I would feel better after a little snooze. Ah, not so much. I felt worse. Achy, too. Hmmmm, was this a flu bug? So I took some anti-nausea medication. Needless to say, I did not go out to dinner. But I told Gary to go and have a good time. I went back to bed.

I don't know if I have mentioned my "number", but I see 514 a lot. I weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz. when I was born. I lived at 514 Spokane Avenue in Whitefish, Montana as I child. Gary was born at 5:14 p.m. And I see 514 so often. Time of day, license plates, etc. So when I awakened at 5:14, I was not surprised. But I thought that meant that I would be feeling better. Again, not so much. So I got up to take some more anti-nausea medication, which almost made me upchuck when I swallowed it. And, while I was standing there in the kitchen, I got very dizzy. So I immediately went back to bed. But I didn't quite make it. No, I didn't vomit, but I did faint. Yup, out like a light, crashed to the floor. On my way down I must have hit the edge of my bedroom door with my left shoulder, because I have a bruise and a nasty scrape on it. My left knee has a lovely gash and bruise. And I have a very sore spot on the left side of my head. I remember hitting my chin on the floor, but not hard. I was grateful I didn't hit my teeth, as I have a fortune in crowns in the front of my mouth. Breaking them would not have been a good thing! I was really woozy after I landed, but my dog, Donovan, brought me back to consciousness with his frantic barking. Apparently, he didn't like seeing his mommy fall down and go boom. He is a little dog, a Maltese, and he can't jump down from our bed, where he was perched.  

Well, I hurt. A lot. But I was really annoyed with Don barking so loudly. So I woozily pulled myself up, grabbed my slippers (which had fallen off), and crawled to the bed. I remember that my glasses were sitting cattywampus on my head, so I took them off. After I got in bed I felt really nauseated. But I didn't want to risk falling again by getting out of bed, so I basically fought the urge. I felt so sorry for myself. Poor Penny. I know I checked out my knee and my shoulder and felt even sorrier for myself when I saw my injuries. I remember being stunned that I had actually fainted. But, eventually I felt good enough to get up and get the tea timer and the blood pressure monitor. I wanted to set the timer, in case I fell asleep, to wake myself up, as I wasn't sure if I had a head injury. (Which was really crazy, because what if the timer didn't wake me up? What then? I guess I wasn't thinking too clearly, huh?) And I thought I should take my blood pressure. It probably bottomed out when I fainted, but when I took it, it was a little high. And my pulse was racing at a pretty good clip. 

I realized that my stomach had settled down quite a bit, thank goodness! So I put my glasses back on and read for a while. Then I set the timer and went to sleep. I awakened before the timer went off. I was happy that I didn't seem to have a critical head injury. :^)  I read some more and took another timed nap. I did not call Gary because I didn't want to spoil his dinner, and there was nothing he could have done at the time anyway. Gotta tell you, he is such a sweetheart. He stopped and bought roses for me on his way home! To make me feel better. He got quite upset when I told him about fainting.

Anyway, I actually had a couple of pieces of dry toast at 9:00, as I was really hungry and the nausea was completely gone. So I'd like to know: what the he** happened to me? That was not fun, and I don't really think it was a flu bug, as it was gone last night. Food poisoning, maybe? I just have no idea. I am a little drained today, but probably from not eating much yesterday. And Gary and I were supposed to go the the Boyce Thompson Arboretum today. Not such a good idea after last night. So he went golfing and I went back to my craft room. I did notice this morning that I had bent the left bow on my glasses in my fall. Dork. I think I have had enough trauma and drama for this month, don't you?

OK, so I finished the card for my sister this morning. She is having knee surgery on Wednesday, and I am hoping it will get to her in time if I mail it tomorrow. I expect her surgery to go well and wish her a speedy recovery.

I chose the Saturated Canary Penny image for this card. (Yes, I did buy it because it has my name, but I also love the image!) I stamped this image on Cryogen CS with Memento ink. My sentiment comes from the SU Teeny Tiny Wishes set. My color scheme was taken from Stampin' Up DSP and CS. The dies I used: Spellbinders Spades Pendant, Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish, and Cheery Lynn Small Exotic Butterfly. I also used a Stampin' Up Modern Label Punch. The bow I made from SU ribbon was tied using my Bow Easy. I accented the image with a Signo Uniball white gel pen and added Glossy Accents to her eyes and lips. She was colored with Copics B52, E70, E71, E74, E77, YR21, YR23, Y11, Y21, BG70, BG72, BG75, E0000, E000, E00, E08, E11, E40, E41, E42, E43.

I am entering this card into the following:

Saturated Canary Challenge

Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge
Oozak Blog Challenge
Outlawz Greeting Card Challenge

Hoping your week is wonderful! (And, if you get dizzy, go to the floor immediately. Don't try to walk anywhere!)