"It's Not You, It's Me"

Ever hear the phrase, "It's not you, its me"?  Maybe you've even said it before...gaaasp!  Recently, I found myself questioning this phrase and exactly what it means.  Once again, I'm the "new girl" and I have a confession...being the "new" girl is something I have really struggled with.  The older I get, the more I long for roots.  Unfortunately, I am still in the stage of my life where I am the "new girl" just about every 2 years or so and it really stinks sometimes!  All of my military spouse girlfriends, can I get an "AMEN"!!!  Learning to fit in, wherever and however I can, as soon as I can, has become an important skill that I am still working on.  There are times where I have felt right at home and met some beautiful people.  Some of those beautiful people have turned into lifelong friends, friends that I cherish with my whole heart.  For that I am grateful, however, I have met some folks who have really thrown me for a loop and challenged me as a person.  

I have always tried to model myself after my Mom.  She is the most genuine, caring and selfless person I know.  She will do everything in her power to make you feel comfortable, even at her own expense, sometimes.  I adore her heart for others and if I could be half of the amazing woman she is, I will be doing well.  Because I want to be like my Mom {when I grow up}, I do work hard at making sure the people around me feel comfortable, included and wanted.  When it comes to people in my home, it is always my goal that each guest always feels welcome, no matter what.  I want people to feel at ease, kick off your shoes and prop them up on the coffee table, it's what I want!  It's who we are as a family...comfortable.  Personally, I also try to portray comfort, ease and friendliness in my everyday attitude as well.  Sometimes its not easy and can often be uncomfortable, especially when the feelings are not shared.  Sometimes to my detriment, I open myself up too quickly and I get hurt.  When that happens I start to question myself.  Am I too open?  Am I scaring people away?  What is it about me that I need to adjust?   You see, I am a "what you see is REALLY what you get" kinda gal.  I am genuine in my kindness and try to be delicate in my honesty.  Unfortunately, I don't do superficial well, at all.  I like to get to know people and take interest in learning how others work and what makes them happy.  I have found myself, recently, in a couple situations that have made me a bit uncomfortable and have caused me to do some introspective thinking.  I recently read this quote and I'm thinking I will adopt it for a bit...

"No matter how well you think you carry yourself, if you do not value yourself, it will show.  And you will be treated by what people perceive you as.  Know who you are and be confident in it.  Know your worth and act on it."

It's not ME, its YOU...I am valuable and I intend to show you!!  

Cheers,

Krista

Good News...

Hey hey!  Its been a long time since my last post, so I thought I would try and get this thing restarted again!!  I hope that you enjoy reading and will continue to follow!

I want to share some exciting happenings in the Artis house!  As most of you know we moved this summer and well, starting over isn't easy for anyone.  In August, the hubs started on his Masters program, my daughter started back at school {and boy was that a change} and I was left with a quite house.  Both of my loves were deep into school work and really didn't have much time to do anything extra {with me}.  My husbands schedule was pretty crazy, it started early and ended late. He found himself studying all the time and didn't really have much time to spare , so I sunk myself into making sure he had everything he needed, breakfast, coffee and lunch every morning and dinner every evening.  That meant, I was up with him at 4:30 every morning!!  After he was out the door, it was my daughters turn...Breakfast {check}, Lunch {check}, School {check}.  By 8:00, I was on my own to clean, do laundry and blah blah blah...it wasn't really "fun", but necessary!  Fast forward to December...my daughter was offered an opportunity to work with and half-lease a horse.  It's something we've always wanted to do for her, but we were never really in a position to.  After meeting the horse and taking her for a "test" ride, we decided to move forward with the lease.  I made my husband a promise in order to help finance the lease, I would get a job!!!

I wanted to find a job that I could love, a job where I was excited to work and be valued and appreciated.  I prayed about it and while on a lunch date with a friend, I saw a sign..."NOW HIRING"!  There is was, it landed right in my lap.  It was at a store called The Paper Source, right up my alley, right!  So I applied and long story short, I was offered a job to start on January 30th!  So, the good news...after working at the store for a few short months, I was offered a position on the management team!!  I am so excited and I've been wanting to share the news for a while, but have been waiting for the right time.  I'm excited to be a part of such an awesome team and company that inspires people to be creative.  The company's motto is "Do Something Creative Everyday" and I love that!  I will be working more hours, making a little more money, but most of all I get the opportunity to make a difference.  I am beyond grateful!

Wait there's more!!  I also submitted myself to be considered to photograph a Faith based fitness shirts and got ACCEPTED!!  I am super excited to be working with Fit Darlings and hope to create some beautiful images!!

In all, I know this will be an adjustment for our family, but I know its going to be a good one.  I'm looking forward to the changes and greet them with open arms!!

Lots more coming on the blog...

Cheers,
Krista