Growing up.

Truth is I have been reflecting on this year a lot celebrating my birthday just a few days ago had me thinking (thank you all by the way for all the warm birthday wishes!) about how things go in life now that I am 32 I honestly felt much older the first half of the year, having slipped a disk early on in the year had me worried I was heading down the road I traveled just a few years ago sitting in a wheel chair cause I was so severely limited in my movements from the disk problems back then, but thanks to god and the wonderful physical therapist at southwest sport and spine who helped get me back on track I actually bounced back from it! I include a exercise routine in the morning that is a mix of stretching, posture aligning and yoga and some days mundane but it is working! I know I will never fully rid myself of the pain but to have it bearable is such a plus and you all benefit from it by getting to see new work! The business side of things seemed to fit along with my health this year it to was rocky, I know things as a whole are rocky right now and I have faith things will get better, at some point they will get better, I have concluded that the mess of this year has to do with the year its self "13", as I cant quite figure out any other reason, well I can but don’t want to go there! shows are off, health was off, attendances off, as a whole everything was off this year. so the hope is that with the 2013 leaving us so will all this off-ness, but back to the deep thinking I have been doing the past few days, despite all this disheartening problems when I look back and reflect there was a lot of good that happened too. I seem and well I think we all seem to remember the bad when it hits us hard, and the more I thought of it I did have a rocky start but there was some very bright moments as well notably my birthday concert with Trans Siberian Orchestra my lovely wife took me to that made me feel 10 years younger! I also booked an off show this year that really humbled me to the core, and had some dear friends set these feelings in deep, I started all this with the help of my lovely wife and the hopes to sell something at the show to cover the 10.00 booth fee at St Genevieve  craft show ooh so many years ago, sitting behind a card table covered in artificial snow batting  among cute little old ladies and there knitting and crochet doily's and we worked hard to build up some money doing other local craft shows, trails west senior center craft show, good Samaritan craft bazaar, Munson senior center, all to set up at the la casa holiday bazaar held at Dickerson's barn the next year, the largest show in Las Cruces! again with the snow batting about 12 dolls some carved toy cars and wide eyes I sat next to my then girlfriend now wife Cecilia and thought wow I'm doing this! now looking at how things have gone, la casa has become the smallest show we do, a card table was more than enough to hold my work now I have a professional booth display and am at a point I am even thinking of increasing to a double space booth to hold everything I do, I recently talked to a dear friend who has known us from the beginning and she gave me a big hug and told me that when I started I was just a wide eyed school boy, wondering if my work was good enough…she then told me and you started moving forward and just left us in the dust, this brought tears to my eyes. when I do reflect I have come along way and it has not been easy but I'm doing it and even thought this year has been rough, it has also been good, as that little blue fishy has taught us you have to "just keep swimming" it makes no sense to go backwards when there is a wide open space for you to explore. I will move forward because I want to know just how much farther I can go. I cannot thank all of you enough, your support by buying my art is what keeps this all going, well and my wonderful supporting wife, this next year will be better not just for me but all of us, again with my reflecting we all have good and bad during the year but it is up to us which one shines brighter, so hears to a wonderful new year for all of us! we have the power to make it great we just have to step up and make it so. I love you all and thank you again for your support!