Wednesday, July 2, 2008

TMI Tuesday # 3 'Oh Scrap II'

So much has been going on.
But today I don't want to talk about any of that. Today I want to talk about a turning point in my life.
I have always considered myself crafty. I like to do all kinds of different kinds of crafts. I love the glue gun, and I used to actually sew. (Believe it or not)
However, I never understood the idea of Scrapbooking. I mean I like to take pictures (it's in the blood), I like to organize my pictures, I like to look at my pictures, BUT I didn't like the idea of cutting them or only using some of them. So, I never did the scrapbooking. I liked the idea of making cards and tags and stuff like that, even though I didn't do a lot of it. Over the years I had been invited to scrapbooking parties and never went. My Aunt Julie even sold stuff but it just wasn't my cup of tea. On our first Kirkland family vacation we went to Gatlinburg, TN. In Gatlinburg they had the BIGGEST SCRAPBOOK STORE ever. Amanda and I finally snuck away and when we got there it was raining so hard we didn't go inside. At that point I still did not like scrapbooking but Amanda really liked it. That was the summer of 2006. Not long after we got back from the vacation I was arguing with myhusband. I was feeling like I had no friends and nothing to do that was away from my husband and kids. I felt trapped. He pretty much was saying tough, suck it up. He said something like what are you going to do, I mean you have nowhere to go. I said watch me I will find a place to hangout by myself and I left. I drove around town for alittle while and there was no place to go. I went looking for Karaoke and I couldn't find any in the whole stupid town. So, I circled around for awhile crying and feeling like a LOSER. Anyway I finally went home defeated.Then for some reason I was over by the Memory Boutique and I just thought whatever and popped in.
That's when I meet Beverly.
At the time Lenee was talking about how she wanted to start scrapbooking because her friend in Atlanta loved it. I was telling her that Amanda really loved it, and I am pretty crafty so maybe I would like it.
The day I meet Beverly.
It's hard for me to remember the exact day I meet her. It just always seems like she was there. I instantly liked her. She always makes me feel like a good person.Anyway, I went to visit one day after I had been shopping with the kids and they were making me crazy. I left the kids in the car with lunch and I went in to get a pep talk.I was telling her about what happened with Chris telling me I had no friends and no where to go. She said you should've come down to the store we were here. So, the next Friday I went to the Scrapbook store for my first Crop night.I went pretty regular from August of 2006-May of 2006 then school was over and I hadn't been in a long time. Then I started back and then at some point she went from every Friday to every other Friday. Then I started going off and on. I really loved going to crop. We would get there sometime after 5 on Friday and stay until after midnight. I did a lot of scrapbooking. I think I have some really good layouts.But crop is way more then just scrapbooking. I really got to know the women I cropped with and they got to know me. I really considered them friends.
I laughed, and cried at crop.
It was a lot of fun for me and it was really good for me.My husband has always been very supportive when it came time for me to go to crop. He never complained about taking care of the kids, or what time I came home. He even took care of Victoria when Lenee would go with me to crop night.June the 21st was the last crop at Beverly's store. She is now closed. I really wish that it wouldn't have happened but I understand that everything in life can't be the way we want it. At the last crop I didn't crop one thing all night. I shopped her mega sale, laughed and cried. I watched the sun come up with Beverly and Kathy.
That morning when I hugged Beverly I knew that it was the end of something special.

I mean I know that we will still get together but it will never be the same.
I am very sad.
I miss my friends.

4 comments:

Amanda said...

I know you loved that, Echo. I'm sorry you had to lose it. This just means it is time for some new experience in your life.

Love ya, Gurlfriend! (see how I was trying to sound like Bev, there?)

gigi said...

I'm sorry. It's really hard when life changes come along but that must mean there are greater things on the horizon!! Keep looking forward!
love ya.

Anonymous said...

Echo- crop night saved my life. After my mom died, I was in a new town with no friends, no church home, no family here....until I found crop. My mom passed in Aug 2006 and I started cropping Dec 2006. You were there and suddenly I had friends like you (meaning: salt of the earth kind of friends)and I was there at nearly every crop available at Bev's. Echo, I love you and I miss you. You were a big part of my healing - I see my mom in you - crazy as you are, she was too! Thanks for being so great....hey...who sings that song? ... R.E.O. SPEEDWAGON!!??!! (giggle)

Anonymous said...

Echo, I have missed seeing you since the store closed. I think of you often. Bev and I have cropped twice since she closed. Last weekend, Tanner came to visit for three days and Bev and I were ga ga in lala land! Her son went with Lovie somewhere and Bev had Tanner. She was so excited, but nervous. She decided that she doesn't want him to stay longer until he gets a little older. She was so nervous! He is every bit as cute in person as the wonderful layouts she has done with his pictures. Among other things, we took him to the beach. He was in his element and we took lots and lots of pictures (go figure!) and she had premade a scrapbook that she slapped some pictures in and sent back home with Tanner. She is in Grand Rapids this week visiting her sister. It really is special when you watch the sun come up with someone, isn't it? Stay in touch!

Kathy Brockman