Crafty or Not So Much in My Case

So I am trying to be crafty this year with some of my Christmas presents like several of my good friends. For several reasons it's more personal, cheaper (not that - that really matters - I just want to stay on a budget for once), and I just really just want to be a crafty person even though I am not so much. So my wonderful friend Sarah spend a whole afternoon emailing me ideas of things I could possibly make as gifts. One of the ones that she sent me was a t-shirt scarf that looked really cute in the pictures but of course when I tried to make it - not sure much. Oh well I guess I tried to be crafty this year that has to count for something, right? Who knows maybe my biggest critic my little sister will actually like it. If not at least I have a good back up plan a purse I know she will like it. I guess it is the thought that counts, right. I even made it in colors I know she will like - our high school colors WFHS and of course more importantly University of Arkansas colors. Stay tuned we will see if she actually likes it come Christmas. In the mean time I might try and actually make a few more for a couple of friends that I know will like it or at least lie to me and say they do.

Return to Blogging

So it has been over a year since I last posted on here, my last blog post was right before Poppi got sick and died and then I guess after that I just kind of forgot that I have a blog. So I am going to give this whole blogging thing another attempt - nothing crazy like blogging every day mainly b/c life is a little crazy at the moment between work and my out of control travel schedule. Most of my fall as been spent packing and unpacking since by the time Mid December gets here I will have traveled for 15 out of 16 weekends. But it has been a fun adventure but I have missed my life and friends in Dallas this fall - hopefully this spring will allow me to be in Dallas a little more. All that to say I don't have a ton of free time but I think I can post at least once a week - so that is the goal for now.

Speechless

Speechless is something I am usually not very often, so when it happens it is kind of a big deal and usually there is a pretty good reason. Well last Friday morning was one of those few times where I just have no words whatsoever. If I would have known how Friday was going to turn out I would have just stayed in bed or at least called in sick to work - I really don't think I am being dramatic on this one at all because I am still pretty speechless but I am trying best to explain at least why I am so completely speechless. Anyways Friday morning my boss got a phone call for an unexpected meeting with her new boss, and when she returned to our team she called me into the sample room - which usually means either you screwed something up so royally that she isn't going to yell at you in front of the team or you forgot to do something and she is going to tell you about it and doesn't want witnesses around or the third option is your being moved. The first words out of her mouth where, "Shawn, you're being moved!" okay so while part of me was momentarily excited because that meant that she would no longer be my boss after 14 very long months I was breaking free - a feat few accomplish. But then it hit me I hadn't interviewed for the promotion that I was up for yet so that this move wasn't a promotion. My boss went on to explain to me that I was moving to the contemporary area of career but that I would be taking on seven brands plus item planner trackers - YIKES! Enters I am completely speechless because I currently really only work on one brand and have spent a good portion of the last 14 months being completely swamped most of the time - so how in the world am I going to manage seven brands that I know nothing about. YIKES! No I didn't get anymore money, not that it would help in this situation but at least it might have lessen the blow a little. And to add to the shock value this change would take affect on Tuesday as in yesterday. My boss made sure to make it super clear that she expected me to completely the plans I was on before I moved to my new area - why am I not surprised she is crazy and has unrealistic expectations one final time.

Basically, I am completely overwhelmed and not sure how I can get it all done. All I can say is YIKES! I honestly feel like I am being set up for failure but who knows I have been able to pull off some pretty crazy things before in my life - so I guess it is time to dust off the old Super Shawn cape and tie it around my neck like I use too. I wish there were such a thing - even if it didn't really work it might at least make me feel a little better. The only thing I am able to cling to right now is a verse that a sweet friend actually had shared with me earlier in the week - Psalms 73:26. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." So at least I am clinging to the one thing I can cling to but I am still really scared and overwhelmed about what the next few weeks and months will look like for me. I am not sure if I am suppose to rise above all of this and somehow be able to manage seven brands by myself or if this is just a swift kick in the rear towards something bigger and better that God has in store for me down the road - who knows only time prayer, wisdom and discernment will tell. But in the mean time I am just going to try and take baby steps and figure it out and just cling to truth.

Lesson Learned

So once again I am afraid to say I learned a lesson the hard way - this one I will definately remember to say the least. I wish I could say that this was the last lesson I will ever learn the hard way but truth be told it wont be for lot's of reasons but mainly because I am very stubborn (I am a Burross and a McClure I come by it naturally) and two because I don't think it will happen to me lots of time. Well this is one of those times where I knew better but still didn't do it anyways. What in the world am I talking about? I am talking about packing up things on the computer. One would think after watching SarahBeth lose everything on her computer when it crashed would teach me a lesson - wrong it didn't. So you probably guesses it. My personal laptop that I had used since my junior year of college crashed and everything is gone very sadly. I hate to say it but all those pictures, memories, projects, information and everything else I had on there that I can't even think of right now is gone. Yes I know that at times you can recover information from a crashed hard drive - however this isn't one of those situations. Gone really means gone this time. Needless to say I am slightly in shock right now that it is all gone, and all I can say to myself is I have no one to blame by myself - I knew better but I still refused to back things up. Moral of the story back up your computer or else you will eventually lose it all and don't be like me and think it wont happen to you - I promise it eventually will.

By the way if you happen to have pictures of me or events that I was at from the last several years or other things that you think I might want or need please feel free to email me.

Week 22 & Moving Day

Finally after 22 weeks this past Friday I was able to move out of my dad and step mom's house. While there are defiantly going to be things I will miss about living at home like not having to go grocery shopping, not paying rent, have Maverick around all the time. I am so thankful to be gone and not have to go searching for my stuff, whether I will be locked out of the house, or what kind of mood the step mom is in. Needless to say the past 22 weeks have been filled with many highs and lows of all sorts. My move couldn't have come at a better time because I almost hit my complete breaking point with the step mom this week, but I am also extremely thankful for that because it just reaffirmed my decision to move out and move in with Erin. Not that I was ever really truly second guessing myself but I was just a little nervous since I don't know Erin that well.

Most of the week flew by in a blur because I had something basically every night of the week - restaurant week dinner with work girls at Jasper's, catch up dinner's with two good friends, to just packing up things in order to be able to move. Somehow Friday, which was moving day, was here before I knew it. Thankfully, the movers did a great job and I was all moved in by 5pm on Friday - now that doesn't mean that I am unpacked, organized or decorated yet but I am living there. Somehow thanks to my mom my room was some what presentable on Saturday night when Erin and I had a "few" people over to the house.

Needless to say I am excited to be living with Erin, now I am just ready to be unpacked, organized and decorated. I just have to keep reminding myself that it is okay that it isn't all done yet - hopefully it will come together this weekend when I am finally in town without any crazy plans.

Kind of sadly this is the last weekly update you will be getting since I no longer have living at the rents updates, but I am sure I kind find other things to write about. (I promise I will post pictures of the new place soon)